Mark 1:9-15
1st Sunday of Lent
February 18, 2024
the Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor
Rush United Methodist Church
Mark 1:9-15
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
| Centering Prayer |
Our gospel lesson this morning
causes me to reflect upon temptations-
how Jesus faced temptations,
how we face temptations,
and some helpful strategies
regarding how to overcome
the temptations
we inevitably face
throughout life.
Unless you are an autonomous Boston Dynamics robot,
I know you face temptations,
Some big, some small.
I know because you are human.
Temptations are human by character,
A common reality of the human condition.
If you live, breath, and think
Temptations are as real as wet water and a blue sky.
…
Four thoughts.
1) Treat temptation with respect.
An attitude of
“Oh, man.
I won’t let that happen to me”
just doesn’t cut it
in the adult and seedy world of temptation and sin.
It would be naive
to dismiss temptations
as something trivial or unimportant.
“Just the facts,”
I quoted Joe Friday of Dragnet fame
A few Sunday’s ago.
Here are the facts straight from
Temptation’s felonious rap sheet:
Jesus faced 40 days
of intense, consecutive, severe,
potentially catastrophic temptations.
These efforts were at the hand of the devil himself,
in the wilderness
where Jesus was isolated,
had no support,
and was particularly vulnerable.
The temptation of Jesus takes place
immediately following his baptism
and right before he began his public ministry.
What a way to start out on your first day of a new job!
Fact: Jesus knows we face temptations, too.
That’s why he included the subject in the prayer he teaches us …
“and do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.”
(Matthew 6:13)
Temptations are very real.
They can become so obsessively destructive
Temptation can, and will, take your life.
In teaching us this,
His Father’s prayer,
his Lord’s prayer,
Jesus is giving us an essential, lifesaving tool
to fight back against temptation:
Jesus give us
the power of prayer.
Jesus gives us the permission
to petition God,
to ask for help,
that we not be led into temptation.
Permission to wield the power of prayer
is an indispensable spiritual tool
given to us and available for our use.
In some respects,
temptation is like fire.
It is intriguing to look at,
but do not reach out and touch it.
Temptation can capture
our eye, our attention, even our imagination.
As soon as temptation is converted into behavior,
we find ourselves beyond the point of no return.
We touch the flame.
We are burned.
The recovery from burns is long and painful.
Refuse
to allow yourself to approach the tipping point
From fantasy to reality,
From imagination to behavior,
From temptation to sin.
Temptation is nothing less
than the work of the evil one.
Like it or not,
the force of evil must be reckoned with.
…
2) Preemptively and proactively
Address the temptations you face.
The easiest way to avoid temptation
is to not allow yourself
to be placed in a position
where you would face temptation in the first place.
In other words, don’t play with fire.
Neither go looking for matches or a lighter.
Tempted to commit adultery?
Don’t go looking, flirting, or trying to find opportunity.
Tempted to steal some money?
Don’t put yourself in a position
to count money, deposit money, or keep track of money.
Tempted to fake a resume?
Create a resume with someone who knows you,
who will hold you accountable,
who won’t let you obscure the details.
Tempted to drink or drug?
Don’t go to a bar or call a dealer.
Go to AA or NA, get a sponsor, and work the 12 steps.
Tempted to overeat?
Don’t go to the all-you-can-eat-buffet.
Generally, avoidance is not a healthy approach to life’s problems.
But avoidance is a useful tool in your toolbox
when it comes to temptation.
Avoiding temptations pre-empts temptations
before they can gain a foothold over you.
The best time to face a difficult issue
is not when confronted by a moral crisis.
The best time comes well before,
when the issue can be thoroughly thought out in advance,
advanced plans can be made,
when the temptation can be most effectively addressed or avoided.
When it can’t be avoided,
Face temptations proactively and aggressively.
An aggressive, proactive game plan
to address temptations and hard times
is worth its weight in gold.
Strategies can be thought through.
Preposition resources,
Like counseling services, support groups, Bible studies, or Sunday school classes.
Create a list of people to contact,
Pastors, counselors, sponsors, physicians, and friends.
Preparation makes it more likely
That we will benefit
from a well thought out,
articulated,
moral and ethical plan
to successfully navigate future crisis and make good decisions.
For example,
the best way to address the hard issues of the day
may be to talk around the safety of the family table,
when you have the benefit of intergenerational wisdom and experience.
Or, perhaps the best approach to moral dilemma
may be to talk about it over coffee
with a fellow disciple or church friend.
Who better to influence our beliefs and values
than our mentors, teachers, and pastors?
…
3) When facing temptations,
It may be helpful to
Reframe the question.
Cynthia and I are watching the HBO series, “True Detective.”
It is a crime drama from above the polar circle
Where, Jodi Foster, the Chief of Police,
Has a habit of asking her officers
Stuck on an apparently unsolvable crime,
“What’s the question?”
She is subtly questioning
whether the question being asked
Is the right question.
If it isn’t,
What is the right question?
Time to reframe the question.
Be careful reframing the question.
You may uncover something
That is uncomfortable, painful,
Even dangerous.
Reframing the question brings no consolation to a grieving parent.
The old saw making comparison between an optimist and a pessimist,
a cup of water that is half full or half empty,
may have no meaning to the junkie or alcoholic
whose future holds divorce, death, jail, and broken relationships.
To the business owner who risked everything
only to find bankruptcy at the end of the rainbow,
reframing the issue may appear shallow and cold.
To the patient with a new terminal diagnosis
walking away from the doctor’s office
or laying in a hospital bed,
anger may thwart every effort to assure or find comfort.
Reframing temptation to sin
Has its benefits,
If we dare examine more deeply.
In his letter to the church in Rome,
the apostle Paul observes
“we know that all things work together for good
for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.”
(Romans 8:28)
All things, he says.
Not some things.
All things;
Good and evil,
Right and wrong,
The illness and the cure,
Even pain and suffering
Even life and death.
All things.
Work together, Paul says.
All things are inter-connected.
One action creates
Infinite reactions,
Good and bad,
Intended and unintended
consequences.
All things work together
for good.
Temptations have benefits,
if only we have the courage, strength, foresight, and objectivity
to reframe temptation
and learn from it.
“Temptations can be beneficial?”
you ask with skepticism.
Consider the power of witness.
“I’ve been down the same road you are traveling.
I overcame the same temptations that you are now facing.
If God is able to grant me success,
God can show you the road to victory,
how to overcome temptations, too.”
Consider the confidence that comes with wisdom and experience.
“I’ve beat this temptation before.
I know I can beat it again.”
Consider what temptation reveals.
God may be using temptation to reveal something new to you,
if only you reframe the issue,
if only you open your eyes,
and see what is staring right back at you!
Indeed, all things
– including temptation –
can work together for good
for those who love God.
…
4) God gives us the power and ability to overcome all temptation,
if only we trust Him.
Ultimately it is a trust issue.
Do we trust the Lord sufficiently
that we can stand confidently opposed and unyielding
to temptation?
My confidence and trust
comes from a lifetime of God’s faithful protection.
God has watched over and kept my life,
safely and securely,
every one of my days.
September 18, 2023
Was a splash of cold water in my face,
Alerting me,
Reminding me,
Confirming within me,
Confidence and faith in God’s amazing grace.
For no apparent reason,
Without cost,
God has given me grace sufficient
To overcome temptations in my life.
It may have taken multiple attempts on my part,
But, God has always been there to
Find me,
Catch me,
Repair me,
Restore me,
Return me
to the flock of the faithful.
God has given sufficient prevenient grace
to stand firm against temptation.
God has already provided us with the people and provisions
To stand strong and weather every storm.
As I look back over my life,
As I’m often to do
heading into retirement,
the times that I’ve yielded to temptations
(and have been burnt by sin)
have been when I’ve allowed pride, ego, or money
get in the way of my relationship with Christ.
On every occasion,
God supplies us with sufficient grace,
adequate resources.
Either you come to trust this, or you don’t.
It isn’t magic.
It isn’t a miracle.
It is simply recognition of the way that God relates with us.
When God made covenant with Abraham to be our God
That we would be God’s forever people,
God promised
to support,
to stand firm,
against temptation and sin.
God has an unblemished track record of faithfulness,
even when our faithfulness has ebbed and flowed.
God sent us his Son, Jesus,
to be our rock, our sword, our shield.
God gives to us his Spirit, the Holy Spirit,
to be our every present help and guide and strength.
… if only we place our trust in the Lord.
Though it is painful to hear
of how Jesus endured 40 grueling days with the devil,
and though it is somber and humbling to endure our 40 days of Lent,
these are helpful spiritual issues.
All things do work together for good.
….
Dear people of God,
beloved members and friends here in Rush,
you do not bear your burden of temptation alone.
Christ is by your side.
Bring your trials before the Lord.
Leave temptations for God to dispose.
Leave your burdens behind.
Let go.
Allow yourself
To be swept into God’s Ocean of grace,
To experience the fulness of Christ’s love for you.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Breaking Yokes 