“What’s on the Menu?
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Matthew 4:1-11
I would understand if you thought today’s
message was about food. A menu is
usually the first thing you’re given when you go to a restaurant. Adam and Eve dealt with fruit from a
tree. Jesus was tempted to turn stones
into bread.
It’s not…about food
It’s about what you do when you’re given the
menu…about making decisions. We could
make this short and simple by saying Adam and Eve blew it and Jesus
didn’t. But…let’s think about
decision-making for a few minutes.
Jesus…often called the “Second Adam”…was the
Son of God. He was God in the
flesh. He had all the powers that God
could have.
But…Jesus came to us fully human…so that from
Him we could learn how to follow God’s Word…and that it was possible to follow
God’s Word even in this world in which we live.
The word that many Bibles translate as
“tempted” is perhaps better translated as “tested”. Jesus was “tested” by the Devil after being
taken by the Spirit to the wilderness for that very purpose…to be tested. It happens to us, also. It happens to us in the very ways it happened
to Jesus.
First…Jesus was tempted to turn the stones into
bread. It was a temptation to Jesus to
use his powers selfishly. We have the
same test. God has given each of us
unique powers…talents…abilities. We can
ask either of two questions.
“What can I make for myself out of this gift?”
“What can I do for others with this gift?”
A person may have a beautiful voice which is
very pleasant to the ear. That person
may want to “cash in” on it. That person
may refuse to use it unless receiving pay for it. There is no reason why he should not use it
for pay, but there is every reason why he should not use it only for pay. There are many highly paid vocalists in this
nation. Some perform at no charge to
benefit others.
What is your gift…or gifts? Each of us has gifts and talents. How are you using them?
Secondly the tester took Jesus to view the top
of the temple. He asked Jesus to jump
because he and Jesus knew from Scripture that God’s angels would catch him and
gently and safely place Jesus on the ground.
In fact, there were those that believed the prophet Malachi had promised
that the Messiah would suddenly appear at the Temple.
Jesus refused.
First…it would have been an example of using
God’s power to create a sensation and win people over through the
spectacle. That’s not the kind of Gospel
that God gave Jesus to spread.
Jesus repeated the words that Moses is credited
with writing in Deuteronomy. “Don’t put
the Lord your God to the test.” There is
nothing good that can come from seeing how far you can go by deliberately
putting yourself in a threatening situation then expecting God to rescue you.
My guess is that most of us here today have
matured past that youthful stage where we often said “Hey y’all! Watch this!”
But, have we entirely moved out of the mode of taking unnecessary
risks…expecting God to bail us out? What
dietary choices are we making? Exercise
choices? Health care choices? Financial choices?
If faith cannot believe without sensations or
rescues from unnecessary risks then it is not really faith. It is doubt looking for proof…looking in the
wrong places. God’s rescuing power is
not something to be played with and experimented with. It is something to be quietly trusted in
everyday life.
The third attempt of the Tempter was a
whopper. He offered Jesus the whole world
and all that was in it. All Jesus had to
do was worship him…not God. The Tempter
was saying compromise…make a deal with me.
Don’t have such high standards.
Work with me on this one, Jesus.
Jesus’ response showed that he was quite
certain that we can never defeat evil by compromising with evil. Christianity cannot stoop to the level of the
world. It must lift the world to its
level. Nothing less will do. We compromise with evil when we do nothing
about it.
Jesus gave us the example….what to do when
temptation…testing…come our way. One
commentator puts it this way. “Resist
the devil in the power of the Sprit through the guidance of the Word to
accomplish the will of God.”
Let’s break that statement down into some
smaller chunks.
Resist the devil. Jesus clearly resisted. His brother…James…and the apostle Peter…saw
up close how Jesus was confronted by evil.
James wrote “Submit yourselves…to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
Peter wrote “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour. Resist
him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout
the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8-9) When the temptation is in front of you…just say
“No”.
In the power of the Spirit of God. It’s not our own strength or cunning that
will get the job done. Just as Jesus was
guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit…so must we be. Just as Jesus was never alone…so we have a
companion…a source of power and strength.
In our temptations we might be led to believe that God is not
around. In his letter to the Romans Paul
made it clear that for all of those who belong to Christ the Spirit is there
even in the darkest moments.
Through the guidance of the Word of God. The best way to overcome the temptation to go
against the Word of God is to know the Word of God. We have been given the Bible to show us the
truth of life. Compare the words of
Jesus to the words of the world. Then,
you’ll know how to discern and confront the lies. You’ll know how to follow God’s will. The devil knew the Scripture well when he
tempted Jesus. Does he know them better
than you? How often and how deeply do you
study the Bible?
To accomplish the will of God the Father. If we truly know God’s Word we will be able
to discern…to figure out His will for us.
After all…our goal is to hear “Well done, good and faithful
servant.”
The instruction from the Psalmist is most
appropriate here. “Delight yourself in
the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) Loving God…delighting in God…could be the
most important guideline for all of the decisions of our life…big and
small. If we truly love God we will not
do anything contrary to His Word and His will for us. And…when we delight in our walk with God…we
are freed to pursue our own desires and dreams…because they will be God’s
desires and dreams.
Here’s a real life…real world…example for all
of us today…of the tempter at work. How
will you decide?
I have two friends who have written a play
about the lynching of Willie Earle in 1947.
He was a young black man held in the Pickens County Jail…waiting for
further legal action. He had been
accused…accused, not convicted of robbing and murdering a white man who drove a
cab in Greenville. I had the privilege of attending a reading of the play.
As I sat there…listening to the script being
read by a number of performers I asked how could a Christian community tolerate
the lynching of a young man…accused of a crime and in jail awaiting further
legal action.
I then reflected on our community…state…
nation…and world today…68 years later.
Some say hate and intolerance is greater today. Some say otherwise. No matter how you want to measure…or what
your measure might show…the reality is…hate and intolerance are still
there. It’s the cause of much of what is
reported as news. It’s the topic of many
conversations…on Facebook and in the coffee shops.
And…the hate and intolerance are not just based
on race…it’s gender…it’s citizenship…it’s gender preference…it’s perceived
faith beliefs…it’s economic status.
All are excuses for hate and intolerance.
As you decide how to participate in these great
debates turn to Scripture…and look for the verse in which Jesus tells us to
care for the least among us. You’ll find
it several times in more than one Gospel.
Then look for the verse in which Jesus places qualifications on that
caring. You won’t find any qualifiers…exceptions…or
excuses…none of those I just mentioned and no others.
As you decide whether to join those who speak
and act of hate and intolerance and anger…look further at the Sermon on the
Mount…chapters five through seven of Matthew…and Jesus’ instructions for those
who want to call themselves Christians.
Nowhere will you find instruction promoting anything other than love and
inclusiveness. The tools of hate and
intolerance…and twisting Scripture to support hate and intolerance are tools of
the devil and those who would follow him.
They are not tools of Christ and those who would follow him…even if
those tools are used against us.
No matter what’s on the menu we can rest
assured of the proper decision when “we resist the devil in the power of the
Spirit through the guidance of the Word to accomplish the will of God?”