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“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Does temptation control you?

Does it guide your steps, form your words?

When we give up so much of ourselves to a temptation, we start to act in a way to procure or make that temptation a reality. Now the simple temptations are easily overlooked but the deeper one, the ones that make the most difference in our lives, the owns we are afraid to have uncovered, to realize, to lose, these are the ones that have a power over us. Like David being tempted by his power to usurp God’s providence, to become a god delivering his own providence.

How do we deal with all these different temptations? These temptations that encourage us to distrust Jesus, to forget about God’s providence and to miss how He has been blessing us each and every day of our lives. We focus on what we want and what we don’t have instead of seeing Jesus, instead of living a life of gratitude. Gratitude becomes a new focal point of resistance against temptation. Gratitude for what Jesus has given to us, gratitude for the live that we are living, gratitude that He loves us more than we love ourselves.

How are you going to practise gratitude today?

““Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Why are temptations so interesting and mysterious?

We think that the things we are tempted by will make us better, fuller, more adequate, which means that somewhere something has made us feel less than. It is a theme that starts out in Genesis 3 and runs through different parts of the Bible. Temptation to run from the one who blesses us to the one who curses us. It seems like an obvious choice and yet somehow the subtleties overcome our rational mind and we quickly choose incorrectly.

Temptations are a reality, Jesus warns us of them yet for some reason, sin, our tainted self identity, our pride tainted image, greed for what could be. Temptation encourages us to dream and miss the reality of what is. To miss God and our relationship with Him in the mundane, the normal, the everyday. Temptation takes away the recognition of the everyday miracles, to recognize the burgeoning kingdom of God that comes into view through Jesus, the one who resisted temptation to give us life and forgiveness. To cover us in His righteousness and His grace.

Isn’t it strange that temptation makes us think that we can do better than Jesus? Yet He is the one who has given us more than we know. Whatever we are tempted with is more than we have any need for.

Let’s do something a little different today. As we pray I want us to take some time to examine our hearts, to examine our minds, and to examine our souls. This coming Sunday we are going to look at Luke 4:1-13

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In a way Jesus is taking time, while we read that He is being tempted by the devil, it is a deep time with the Holy Spirit. The temptations that the devil is putting forward helps to show a deep reliance on the Holy Spirit. The prayer below will be but a skeleton that you and the Holy Spirit will need to bring fullness to.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus may Your Holy Spirit help us as we pray. Guide us as we face the depths of our hearts. Reveal to us what we are hiding in our minds. Open up our eyes to see the brokenness in our soul but also Your grace working in us.
As You faced the temptations put before You Lord Jesus, You were not alone. Lord we confess that we are tempted by…..
Lord at times these temptations have become actions and words. You know our hearts and our minds but we admit consciously these sins to You. . . . .
In our busyness we have become tired. We have not always given You the time You deserve. We have tried to fill our lives with these idols . . . . .
We have tried to sate the soul hunger that yearns for Your divine love with these idols.
Our souls are crying out for You Lord Jesus but we are too easily distracted by appointments, and meetings, by visits and calls to be made, by new thoughts and old complaints. Our souls are hurting because . . . . Help us Lord to find healing. To hear Your voice calling to us speaking the words of life and forgiveness that will truly nourish our broken souls and bring healing and wholeness.
Lord break the power of these idols in our lives . . . .
Lord we know that we are not worthy of Your forgiveness but we ask You to forgive these sins . . . .
Lord grant us the strength of will, the discernment of Your Holy Spirit to resist these temptations . . . .
Lord we hold on to Your eternal promises to never leave us or forsake us, to forgive our sins and release us from their bondage and soul marring effect, to draw us closer and provide us with refuge in the tumultuous times and to hear our cries to You for help and grace. Jesus we trust in Your faithful love to surround us in our fallenness, our sinfulness and wash away our sins by Your grace and Your life renewing blood to bring us to Yourself in life preparing us for eternity with You. We pray this in Your Holy Name, Amen.

Let us pray.

Lord of clarity, give us sight to see you in these tumultuous times.
Lord of clarity help us to hear You in the busyness of conflicting messages.
Lord of life help us to confront the erroneous in our lives.
Lord of life we seek You and not the simplicity of comfort.
Lord of grace we struggle to find our true identity in You.
Lord of grace we seek to find our true purpose in given from You.
We seek You day and night yet the noise of our society is alluring.
We seek You with all of our hearts, mind, body, and soul.
We seek Your blessing resisting the temptations of fame, of possession, of authority.
Our lives are Yours, guide us with Your Holy Spirit.
Nourish us with Your living words confronting our sins.
Flourish us with Your clarity that we might discern Your way in this world.
Enliven our broken soul with Your soul changing redemption,
With your life transforming love.
Lord Jesus, in You we have life, in You we have hope, in You we are reconciled and made whole.
We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

“And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As John is confronting the sins of the people, he is not just helping them turn back to God, he is also helping them to live in a healthy community with each other. This is an important pairing that we too often miss when it comes to faith. Faith isn’t just about our relationship with Jesus, it overflows from this into our relationships with the people around us. Whether they are cherished family, helpful neighbours, pleasant strangers, or potential enemies we are to live and treat others out of our faith.

Sharing the blessing of God instead of hoarding it for ourselves is living out of faith because we are trusting that Jesus will provide for us. The same with not collecting more taxes that was needed. The tax collectors had been acting out of greed and possibly fear. A fear of scarcity instead of living in the faithful abundance of Jesus’ grace. The soldiers were acting from a place of superiority instead of recognizing their kinship with those they were abusing. The soldiers were abusing the gift that God had given them to protect yet they used it to advance their own cause.

When we all learn to live as Jesus has blessed us, and to be good stewards of the blessing that each of us has been given then we start to experience the fullness of being in an honouring community of faith, trusting that our Lord will continue to be faithful. It is when we start to impose our limits on Jesus that we start to fear and act for our own self preservation. Unfortunately we realize too late that when we are focus on our self preservation we are separating ourselves from the faithfulness of the one who can actually preserve us. Trust in Jesus, not in our own limited resourcefulness, for Jesus is able to bless us from His infinite grace and give us not just life but eternal life.

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When we look at the people who were listening to John. There was the average person, government representatives, military personal. The range of people and social classes was great, but what else should you expect from those following the word of God.

God’s word stretches across any different social classes, geographical landscapes and into people’s hearts and lives. John’s words have power not because of his style, or location, it was because the words came from God, through the Holy Spirit. God’s words have power over the powerful. Our place in the world does not dictate or protect us from the truth of God’s words. When confronted with God’s truth, our lives are forever changed. Either we listen and follow and allow God’s words to lead us in life or we deny them and thus deny God and become separated from Him in our lives. At times God’s words and actions can seem like folly, the cross doesn’t make sense and yet it has brought the most life, this implement of death.

The cross, like God’s words call us to recognize our sin and our sinfulness and in that horrible realization of our own fallenness, God lifts us up and surrounds our broken selves with His eternal love and grace. The message of John prepared the way for the mighty work of God through Jesus Christ that is still calling us to be confronted with our own sin and the words and actions of our loving God saying come back to me. No matter how broken you are, come back to me. No matter how far you have wandered, come back to me. No matter how much you have forgotten about me, come back to me so that we can walk together again in life, in love, in peace.

“And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When preparing for the message this week looking for a sermon illustration, it was rather troubling that in the first few locations that I looked the idea of justice did not appear. Justice is prevalent throughout the Bible, it is talked about in just about every other news article. Whether it is talking about the systemic racism between caucasians and people of different races from our own country or around the world. Or the war in Ukraine and the injustices that are being caused there. Or maybe it is the inequality between nations when it comes the the resources to fight against common sicknesses let alone the more detrimental illnesses like AIDS and Covid 19 let alone cancer, famine and drought.

We can take some of the blessings of our birth location for granted and argue away the reality of the injustices that are all around us or we could recognize the injustices and truly be stewards of the blessings that God has given us responsibility over to share with others.

The message that John gives is one of repentance of turning back to God and that in this action of turning away from your sinful ways, God will forgive you. It is not about begging for forgiveness it is about a humbly seeking God’s grace. It is about living in God’s blessing and grace that God gives freely to those who seek Him. It is a message for the common person or the leaders of the world, turn away from the injustices that you are perpetrating and share the blessing you have been given, as Jesus has blessed each of us with.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus as we continue to live in the life that You have given to us through Your own life, death, and resurrection, we strive to make a new beginning with the gift of grace that You have given to us. We want to trust Your holy words and Your divine Spirit leading us into a fearless life because our deepest unknown desires are being met and we are living in the fullness and connectedness that we have been yearning for.

Lord we have been missing the mark. You call us to holiness but we have settled for minor accomplishments and accolades. You call us to live for You and to be caught up in Your breath of life, to experience the serenity of the interconnected nature singing the waves of God’s beauty and praising His every work. We don’t understand the fullness of holiness. It is only with You who can make us holy because You Yourself is holy.

We are only verging on what it means to live by Your righteousness. To be washed and cleaned and clothed in Your righteousness. The righteousness that thrives in this creation of Yours. It is righteousness that sings in harmony with all the creation created from this same rightness and continually points to You. Eyesight cleared so we can see for the first time, He who was and is and is to come again, the alpha and the omega, all that is within and without, whose very voice the chaos listens to and obeys, the formless void comes to life, dies, and gives form to the new heaven and the new earth all because of You, our Lord and Saviour, our reason for being and giver of life.

Lord guide us this year. Help us to trust Your faithfulness as we strive to live lives free of fear, free of sin, free to be holy and righteous, free to serve You with all that You have given us. All that You have made possible for us to go beyond our limitations and live rooted in Your holiness. We pray this in Your Holy Name, Amen.

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.””
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Yesterday we talked about holiness. It is our relationship with God, well it is more God’s relationship with us that make us holy. Without Him we are hopeless.when it comes to holiness. It is from this relationship that we know what life saving righteousness is.

In our limited understanding we can define our righteousness for ourselves. It will probably be different than the next person’s definition but God is not calling us to live by a subjective limited righteousness. It is not by a feeble limited understanding of righteousness that changes with the wind. True righteousness comes out of our relationship with Jesus. It is from this ongoing relationship that we start to understand what righteousness that God calls us to live by.

Yet the temptation that we face is to redefine righteousness to make us more comfortable instead of allowing the holiness that Jesus is calling us to and the right living that He is instructing us in. True righteousness is defined by God the creator of heaven and earth. If we are willing to stop trying to be gods and walk with God by His invitation we will start to understand righteousness from the inside, how it has changed our lives, our actions, our words, our very thoughts.

The holiness that comes through and from Jesus, encourages to live in righteousness, not our own righteousness but the righteousness of Jesus. “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,” Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬. The righteousness of Christ protects us, guides us to what right living is really like. It is not about our human sinful whims that are self absorbed, but about the life giving grace that is enriched by the Jesus’ Holy Spirit. When we are living by the righteousness of Jesus we are living towards eternity, towards the new heaven and the new earth and we become ambassadors of the life changing grace of Jesus.

“that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭74‬-‭75‬ ‭

What does it mean to serve in holiness?

In Isaiah chapter six verse three we read what the seraphim call out,

“And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

The word holy can mean set apart or separate.
‭‭
“Holy, holy, holy” three times set apart. This is special. Yet how do we serve God in holiness?

Should we separate our selves from people who are different, isolate ourselves from possible corruption?

While there are examples of this in history whether we think of Noah, which worked out well for him, or a group called the Essenes who isolated themselves in the desert snd eventually died off, this is not fully what God is saying through Zachariah.

Does it mean to abstain from certain activities?

It could mean this. In the Bible we have the example of the Nazarites who we set apart for service and we’re not to touch alcohol or cut their hair. Samson and even John the Baptist fall into this line of thinking but this was a very small group and when we think about Jesus, God incarnate, our Lord and Saviour,He does not follow all of the strict rules of a Nazarite.

Is it to be the way we dress?

God looks at our heart and not our outward appearance as Samuel finds out in 1 Samuel 16:7. That and no one has declared what current “holy” dress is.

If we are to be serving God in holiness it means that our service has more with our relationship to Jesus than to ourselves, our willingness to obey in love and to live lives that love Jesus and our neighbours, to accept the Holy Spirits working in our lives and through our lives. Holiness is Jesus drawing us closer to Himself and farther away from sin.

To serve in holiness means relationship, willingness, acceptance, trust and faithfulness to Jesus as we go into the world to serve and be around and love the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, our neighbour, our enemy, and to allow the love of Christ into our own hearts.

“A true and faithful Christian does not make holy living an accidental thing. It is his great concern. As the business of a soldier is to fight so the business of a Christian is to be like Christ.” Jonathan Edwards