John 12:20-33

John 12:20-33

March 29, 2009

Lent 5

Jesus Is The One We Can See And Hear

Part 5 of Lent series “Who do you say Jesus is?”

We are using the season of Lent this year to think about who Jesus is – and what Jesus means to us.

I’m asking you to focus on one basic question:

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Remember that in Mark 8:27-29 Jesus questions the disciples about who “people” said that He was. They came up with a list of things people said about Jesus – that He was Elijah, that He was John the Baptist, or that He was another of the Old Testament prophets who had risen from the dead.

Jesus then made the question more personal by asking who they said that He was.

That’s when Peter made His confession that Jesus was the Christ.

You know – it didn’t really matter what others said about Jesus – did it?

What mattered was who Jesus was to the disciples.

What mattered was who they said Jesus was.

What mattered was that Jesus was the Christ. – the Savior – the only way to salvation – for them.

What mattered was that they said Jesus was their Lord and Savior.

The same is true for you.

You can listen to me talk about who Jesus is – or listen to others tell who they think Jesus is – but what really matters is who you say that Jesus is – who is Jesus for you.

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who is Jesus – for you?

We’re looking at several answers to that question during Lent.

4 weeks ago we saw that the most important answer you can give to this question is that Jesus is your Savior.

Until you can say that Jesus is your Savior it doesn’t matter what else we say about Him – but once we can say that Jesus is our Savior – we can say other things about Him – things like:

1. Jesus is the one who helps me resist temptation – which we looked at 3 weeks ago

2. Jesus is the one who gave of Himself for me – which we looked at 2 weeks ago

3. Jesus is the one who keeps me clean and holy – which we looked at last week

4. Jesus is the one I want to see and hear – which we will look at today

5. Jesus is the one I follow – which we will look at next Sunday

Today we’re going to look at how some folks wanted to see Jesus – and how they also heard Jesus – as we look at John 12:20-33:

Read Scripture

Whenever I go into a Church I want to stand behind the pulpit and get a “feel” for the sanctuary from the perspective that I usually have. I like to imagine what it would be like to stand behind that pulpit and imagine the congregation that would be there on a Sunday morning. Most of all, however, I want to sneak a peek behind the pulpit – just to see what’s back there.
Many of you may have never looked behind a pulpit, but there are a couple of shelves in most pulpits, and you often find unusual sorts of odds and ends back there. There is some paper and pencils in the shelf behind Hopewell’s pulpit – but Hopewell’s pulpit is rather tame compared to some. I can remember looking behind the pulpit at one church and finding a fire extinguisher. I wondered what kind of “fiery sermons” would make that necessary! I can remember visiting another church and finding a telephone behind the pulpit. I wondered if it were “a direct line to God”. When I assisted in my uncle’s funeral several years ago I entered the pulpit with the presiding pastor and discovered a monkey puppet behind the pulpit. I assume that preacher in that church used the puppet with the children on Sunday morning as I do – but I found it very difficult to stifle a laugh as I thought of the puppet “saying a few words” about my uncle. I was tempted to put the puppet on and see what it had to say – but looked out at my family sitting in the front pew and thought better of it.

You never know what you might find behind a pulpit!

Behind the pulpit at the chapel at Columbia Theological Seminary, the Seminary I attended, there is a small brass plate with an inscription that originally read — quoting the New Testament lesson for today:

“Sir, we would see Jesus.”

I say that it originally read

“Sir, we would see Jesus.”

because, while I was a student there, women were attending, graduating, and being ordained – and while I was a student at Columbia someone scotched taped an appendix to that quote, so that the sign read:

“Sir, or madam, we would see Jesus.”

The reason the sign was put behind the pulpit in the Seminary chapel was to remind the students – those being trained to be preachers – that they needed to proclaim Jesus to those gathered to worship.

We would see Jesus.

That was the request some folks made to the disciples.

We would see Jesus.

That should be your request – your passion – also.

Seeing Jesus.

Once you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things that you can say is that Jesus is the one you want to see – and hear.

Jesus is the one I want to see – and hear.

I want to have the eyes to see Jesus – and the ears to hear Jesus.

Jesus is the one I want to see –

Jesus is the one I want to hear.

That seemed to be important to the Greeks seeking Jesus in our passage from John 12. It would be important for you, also.

Seeing and hearing Jesus.

You know – there are a lot of different things in the world that we can see – and a lot of things that we can hear. Some of these things are good – and some not so good. When you turn on your radio or your TV – read books or magazines – go on the internet – go to the movies – or do anything – you are bombarded with things to see and hear. Some of these things are good and educational – entertaining – and can even help you be a better follower of Christ. Other things, though, are not so good – not educational – and may be entertaining – but not in the way you might need to be entertained if you want to be a follower of Jesus.

Some of the things you see and hear every day can help you see and hear Jesus.

Some of the things you see and hear every day can keep you from seeing and hearing Jesus.

You need to be very selective about what you let yourself see and hear – because, as a Christian, you need to have a passion for seeing and hearing Jesus.

Once you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things that you can say is that Jesus is the one you want to see – and hear.

Jesus is the one I want to see – and hear.

I want to have the eyes to see Jesus – and the ears to hear Jesus.

Jesus is the one I want to see –

Jesus is the one I want to hear.

You have to be very selective about what you see and hear – because – while there are a lot of things that you can see and hear that can help you see and hear Jesus better — there are a lot of things that you can see and hear that can interfere with your ability to see and hear Jesus.

The thing is – if you are like me, you know that there are things that you can see and hear that can help you be a better follower of Jesus — and things that you can see and hear that will keep you from being a better follower – but making the effort to keep from seeing and hearing the inappropriate things and focus on the appropriate things can be hard – it can take work – and – if you are like me, sometimes you may wonder if it is worth the effort. Maybe, if you are like me, you become lazy. For example, if you are watching TV and something that you know is inappropriate is on, it’s so much easier to sit that and watch it than to make the effort to turn the TV off or change the channel – even though for most of us all it takes is a push of a button on a remote within easy reach.

Laziness can be one of the reasons you might find it difficult to focus on – to see and hear – Jesus.

Another reason you may find it difficult to see and hear Jesus – and focus on things that can help you see and hear Jesus – is your ability to rationalize that you are strong enough in your faith to watch or hear things that go against Jesus’ will for you – and still grow as a Christian. I do that a lot myself. Maybe you think that watching something on TV – or reading something – or looking at something on the internet – or watching certain movies – or listening to certain music – might keep someone else from growing in their faith, but that you are stronger than that.

“This isn’t going to hurt me” you might think.

But – if you are not careful – you might find that — after seeing and hearing these things for awhile – it becomes increasingly difficult to see and hear Jesus.

Once you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things that you can say is that Jesus is the one you want to see – and hear.

Jesus is the one I want to see – and hear.

I want to have the eyes to see Jesus – and the ears to hear Jesus.

Jesus is the one I want to see –

Jesus is the one I want to hear.

Laziness and rationalization are the devil’s best tools in keeping you from growing in your walk with Christ – seeing Christ, hearing Christ, and following Christ.

Growing in the faith – seeing and hearing Jesus – takes work.

You can’t be lazy and see and hear Jesus.

You can’t rationalize and see and hear Jesus.

You have to be willing to commit to seeing and hearing Jesus – to focusing on seeing and hearing things that can help you see Jesus more clearly and grow in your faith.

Reading and studying scripture helps you focus on seeing and hearing Jesus. Developing a plan for daily reading the Bible – and daily prayer and devotional time – is part of what it takes to see and hear Jesus more clearly.

Joining groups of fellow Christians who are committed to studying scripture, praying for God’s will in their lives, and looking at ways to live our God’s call to follow Him is another thing that can help you focus on seeing and hearing Jesus.

We have great Sunday School classes for all ages and interests here at Hopewell. If you are not a part of one, I would urge you to become involved in one. Those of you who missed Sunday School Assembly today missed a great program that our young people did. We’re also looking into starting a Christian book reading club here at Hopewell. There’s more about that in the newsletter. If you want to see and hear Jesus more clearly, joining with others wanting to do this can indeed help.

Worshipping on a regular basis is another way to help you see and hear Jesus.

Gathering with God’s people to praise and worship God helps you grow in your faith – and see and hear Jesus more clearly. Some folks say that they don’t need to come to Church to worship God. I believe that – while we can worship without being a part of the community of faith for awhile – after awhile we let other things crowd into our schedules and we don’t worship. If you want to see and hear Jesus, you need disciplined, scheduled attendance at worship – a “hit and miss” approach won’t work.

Gathering with God’s people to fellowship together can also help you see and hear Jesus more clearly.

You know – there are a lot of groups we can spend our time with. Spending time with some can hold us back from growing as Christians – but spending time with others can encourage us in our walk with Christ and help us see and hear Jesus more clearly. The members of the Church – God’s people – is one of those groups that – if we spend time with them and get to know them – can help us grow in our faith and see and hear Jesus more clearly. Make an effort to fellowship with members of the Church – and see if that doesn’t help you see and hear Jesus more clearly.

Serving God and others is another way that can help you see and hear Jesus more clearly.

God calls us to serve Him and serve others. The more time you spend in doing this the more you will grow as a Christian, the more you will be able to see and hear Jesus, and the less time you will have for things that can take you away from Christ!

I want to see and hear Jesus.

Once you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things that you can say is that Jesus is the one you want to see – and hear.

Jesus is the one I want to see – and hear.

I want to have the eyes to see Jesus – and the ears to hear Jesus.

Jesus is the one I want to see –

Jesus is the one I want to hear.

Friends – we need to have a passion for seeing and hearing Jesus.

You need to have a passion for hearing and seeing Jesus.

You need to stop being lazy and stop letting yourself see and hear things that can take you away from Jesus.

You need to stop rationalizing that you are strong enough in your faith to be able to keep things that pull you away from Jesus aren’t hurting you – when really they are.

You need to be disciplined in your approach to reading scripture – studying things Jesus wants you to know — coming to Sunday School and worship – fellowshipping with God’s people – and serving God and others.

Seeing and hearing Jesus is not easy – but necessary if you are going to grow as a Christian.

I want to see and hear Jesus.

When was the last time you said that – and meant it?

When was the last time you worked on not being lazy and tried to keep yourself from seeing and hearing things that Jesus does not want you to see and hear?

When was the last time you worked hard on not rationalizing that you could watch and listen to things Jesus does not want you to watch and listen to – when actually you can’t?

When was the last time you followed a disciplined plan for studying scripture – or participate in a group that studied God’s will for your life – or were disciplined your attendance in worship – or attendance at fellowship times – or in your service to God and others?

All these things can help you see and hear Jesus.

Maybe you began a disciplined approach to doing things that can help you see and hear Jesus and not doing things that can keep you from seeing a hearing Jesus a long time ago. If so, and if you have stuck to it, you know how beneficial this can be to your growth as a Christian. I know that many of you are active in doing these things, and I commend you for that.

But – maybe you started a disciplined approach to doing things that can help you see and hear Jesus and not doing things that can keep you from seeing a hearing Jesus a long time ago – but your passion for it is not what it was – and you have let yourself get away from the things that were helping you see and hear Jesus. If that’s the case, I pray that you will let God re ignite that fire for Him within you – and re ignite within you a passion for seeing and hearing Jesus.

Or – maybe you never have started a disciplined approach to doing things that can help you see and hear Jesus and not doing things that can keep you from seeing and hearing Jesus – and you are floundering in your walk with Christ. If that’s the case, I urge you to look at your life – let Jesus touch your life – and begin a disciplined approach to seeing – hearing – and following Jesus.

I want to see and hear Jesus.

Look for ways to be more disciplined in your approach to seeing and hearing Jesus.

Once you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things that you can say is that Jesus is the one you want to see – and hear.

Jesus is the one I want to see – and hear.

I want to have the eyes to see Jesus – and the ears to hear Jesus.

Jesus is the one I want to see –

Jesus is the one I want to hear.

Don’t let yourself get lazy and not tune out the things that can hurt your walk with Christ.

Don’t let yourself rationalize that you are stronger than the things that can hurt your walk with Christ.

Develop the habits of reading and studying scripture – praying – gathering with others to study about God and worship God – fellowshipping with other Christians – and serving God and others.

These are habits that will help you see and hear Jesus more clearly. Amen.

John 2:13-22

John 2:13-22

“Jesus Keeps Us Clean”

March 22, 2009

Lent 4

Part 4 of 2009 Lent series “Who Do You Say Jesus Is?”

We are using the season of Lent this year to think about who Jesus is – and what Jesus means to us.

I’m asking you to focus on one basic question:

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Remember that in Mark 8:27-29 Jesus questions the disciples about who “people” said that He was. They came up with a list of things people said about Jesus – that He was Elijah, that He was John the Baptist, or that He was another of the Old Testament prophets who had risen from the dead.

Jesus then made the question more personal by asking who they said that He was.

That’s when Peter made His confession that Jesus was the Christ.

You know – it didn’t really matter what others said about Jesus – did it?

What mattered was who Jesus was to the disciples.

What mattered was who they said Jesus was.

What mattered was that Jesus was the Christ. – the Savior – the only way to salvation – for them.

What mattered was that they said Jesus was their Lord and Savior.

The same is true for you.

You can listen to me talk about who Jesus is – or listen to others tell who they think Jesus is – but what really matters is who you say that Jesus is – who is Jesus for you.

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who is Jesus – for you?

We’re looking at several answers to that question during Lent.

3 weeks ago we saw that the most important answer you can give to this question is that Jesus is your Savior.

Until you can say that Jesus is your Savior it doesn’t matter what else we say about Him – but once we can say that Jesus is our Savior – we can say other things about Him – things like:

1. Jesus is the one who helps me resist temptation

2. Jesus is the one who gave of Himself for me

3. Jesus is the one who keeps me clean and holy

4. Jesus is the one I want to tell others about

5. Jesus is the one I follow

Two weeks ago we saw how Jesus can help you fight temptation and last week we saw how Jesus can help you follow Him – and give of yourself in serving Him and others.

Today we’re going to look at how Jesus cleared from the temple things that distracted from worship – and how He can help you stay clean and holy before God.

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you can say about Jesus is that:

Jesus is the one that helps me stay clean.

Indeed, Jesus can make us – and keep us – clean and holy.

Listen to God’s word as read from John 2:13-22:

Imagine with me that you were a livestock dealer in the Temple on the day Jesus came in and – literally – cleaned house. Imagine that you had been a livestock dealer in the Temple all of your life, as had your father before you, and his before him, and his before him – your family had been livestock dealers in the Temple for hundreds of years. You would always get to the temple early to claim your spot. People would look for you there — they knew you and trusted that your cattle and sheep always met the requirements specified in the law for sacrifice.

But on that day when Jesus came in and “cleaned house”, you could only watch in dismay as your livestock scattered into the city.

Your business was ruined.

Why?

How had it happened?

Who was this crazy Galilean, anyway?

You look around and see one of the followers of that crazy Galilean — the one they called Thomas — sitting alone, and shaking his head dejectedly. You run over to him and say:

“Hey — you — don’t you realize what you people have cost me?”

“I know. I know.” said Thomas.

“I’ll send Judas over tomorrow to see if we can cover your losses.”

“What was this all about?” you demand.

“I don’t know” replied Thomas.

“Something set Him off — I’m not sure what. It’s just that He feels so deeply…”

“Yea, right. That’s obvious,” you reply. .

“He seemed to think I was committing a crime or something. Doesn’t He know how the temple operates? I provide a service for the people — I sell the animals they need to sacrifice. Without me, no one could sacrifice. And if they couldn’t sacrifice, they couldn’t obey God. It’s as simple as that. So, don’t I deserve to be paid for our services? Isn’t the workman worthy of his wages?”

“Sure you are.” replied Thomas.

“Don’t take it personally. I don’t think it was directed at you.”

“Then what was it all about? Is He an atheist or something? Doesn’t He understand the law — that sacrifice is what God commands?”

“Yes, yes, He knows that. And no, He’s not an atheist. Far from it. If anything, He believes too much.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Thomas pondered this a moment —

“I don’t know. It’s strange. It’s as if He wants people to have a right relationship with God — to live in a right relationship with God — to let the commandments change their lives. Maybe He’s telling us to get right with God.”

“Well — I don’t know — all I know is that He sure turned my life upside down.” you mumbles as you walk off.

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you can say about Jesus is that:

Jesus is the one that helps me stay clean.

Indeed, Jesus can make us – and keep us – clean and holy

What gets you worked up?

What gets you excited? Some people get excited over ballgames. Some get worked up over political issues. Others are energized by work. I know some who get excited over things such as cars or trucks. Such individuals work diligently to keep their car or truck washed and waxed at all times. They want it to be detailed properly. They want it to look good. They want it to smell good. And they get agitated when it does not.
I had a friend in college who would park his sports car sideways in a parking lot so no one could park beside him and maybe ding his car as they opened the doors of theirs.
I had another friend who got very upset when they found out we were carrying a cooler of fish in the back of his new pick up.

What gets you excited or agitated or worked up?
Jesus got angry when He cleaned out the temple.

He got agitated and angry.

That’s right, Jesus got angry. But — His anger was not a sinful anger because He was angry for the right reason. He had a legitimate reason to be agitated.

Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The Jewish Passover celebration commemorated the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. Passover attendance for Jewish males 12 and over was compulsory. On the 10th day of Nisan (March/April), a lamb without blemish was taken to Jerusalem and on the 14th day, between 3-6 pm, the sacrificial lamb was killed. Passover was a sacred holiday for the Jewish people. It represented the very essence of who they were—God’s chosen people.

It is difficult to imagine how Jesus must have felt when He approached the temple and found it filled with merchants and money-changers.

You might ask, “What were they doing there?”

Well, multitudes of people flocked to Jerusalem during Passover. People from all over the world traveled to the Holy City for the celebration. The purpose of these merchants and money-changers was two-fold. One, many of the people did not bring animals with them for sacrifice, so they purchased animals there in Jerusalem. Second, all Jewish males and proselytes were required to pay a half-shekel temple tax in the coinage of the Temple. Foreign monies bearing the image of a pagan deity or ruler were unacceptable; therefore, the money changers would exchange the unacceptable coinage people brought with them into the acceptable coinage of the Temple for a small fee.

When this began, these activities took place outside of the temple, but by Jesus’ time, the merchants, animals, and exchangers had moved inside the Temple courts.

The sacredness of the Temple had been bartered for profit and convenience. And as Jesus approached the temple, he becomes angry at what the temple has become.

The temple needed a good cleaning.
Ant that is exactly what Jesus does.

Jesus makes a scourge of cords and drives away the animals and merchants. He overturns the tables of the money changers and commands the profiteers to get out of the temple.
This incident brings to the disciples’ minds a quote from Ps. 69.9:

“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Jesus was consumed with zeal for His Father’s house — and it displays itself in His actions.
Here’s the thing you need to know here — just as Jesus burned with a passion for the Temple to be holy – a holy place where people could worship God – God wants your life to be clean and holy – and wants you to have a passion for cleanliness and holiness in your life.

Jesus wants this so much that He can give you the ability to do this – in fact, He can help you keep your life clean and holy.

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you can say about Jesus is that:

Jesus is the one that helps me stay clean.

Indeed, Jesus can make you – and keep you – clean and holy.

You see — God loves you – but He hates sin. Absolutely hates it. He has hated it since the creation. He didn’t say to Adam and Eve:

“ you made a slight mistake”

He didn’t tell Noah,

“Noah, I am going to make everybody tread water for a couple of minutes…”

He didn’t just turn the heat up in Sodom and Gomorrah to 95 degrees

God hates sin and He punishes sin.
You’ve got to understand that God loves you – but that God hates sin.

Sin is why Jesus hung on the cross.

God’s feelings about sin are pretty evident here in the story of Jesus cleaning house in the Temple.
You see — your heart is the dwelling place of God.

You can pray for Jesus to work in your life, but still have sin in your life – sin that blocks Jesus from changing you. It’s as if Jesus were saying:

“I can’t do it, I’m sorry; I can’t work in you and dwell in your heart unless I can be there alone.”

As long as you let sin remain in your life you miss out on what God wants for your life.

But – just as Jesus cleaned house in the temple – Jesus can clean your life – and make your life holy – if you will let Him.

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you can say about Jesus is that:

Jesus is the one that helps me stay clean.

Indeed, Jesus can make you – and keep you – clean and holy
There are times in each of our lives when we need to cleanse the temple of our hearts. We need to get busy and clear it out—drive out the cattle and upset moneychangers and shovel out the dirt that is keeping Jesus from working. We need to clean the sin out of our lives.
You can sit here in Church and sing the hymns and have a good feeling – but you can’t stay here – can you?

What happens when you go into the world – live your daily lives – and have face the temptations you face every day?

You might be letting God touch your life – and then go back and let the sin pollute it again.

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you can say about Jesus is that:

Jesus is the one that helps me stay clean.

Indeed, Jesus can make you – and keep you – clean and holy
What’s the answer?

The first step is to examine your life to see if there is anything unclean.

Too many of us go through days – or months – or years — without examining ourselves and letting Jesus examine us through His Word.
You see — your heart is like a garden — and sin is as quick to pop up as weeds are in a garden if you are not careful. If you stop examining your life and asking God to search you, you will quickly be overcome by weeds of sin.

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you can say about Jesus is that:

Jesus is the one that helps me stay clean.

Indeed, Jesus can make you – and keep you – clean and holy

The first step to letting Jesus cleanse you and make you holy is to examine your heart and see what sins are there.

The second step is to confess your sins.

There is no shortcut to being the person God wants you to be. Being God’s person comes as you confess your sin – as you go off by yourself – and give Jesus 15 minutes of silence.

When was the last time you were still and confessed your sins to God?

Jesus wants to be the one to help you be clean and holy.

The first step is to examine your life and see what sins are there.

The second step is to confess your sins.

The third step is to repent.

Repentance is not just saying that you are sorry — it means changing your life – changing what you think, say, and do. It means making a U -Turn turning around from what you are doing and doing what God wants you to be doing.

In a garden you need to pull the weeds up by the roots.

You need to do that in your life also – and Jesus can help you if you will let Him.

Pull the weeds of sin in your heart up by the roots.

Jesus can make you clean and holy.

Jesus wants to make you clean and holy.

Jesus is passionate about your being clean an holy – just as He was about the Temple being clean and holy.

Jesus wants you to examine your life and see where the sins are – confess those sins – and live a new and different life.

A lot of folks believe that Jesus can forgive them of their sins – but belief doesn’t make you clean and holy. You can believe that Jesus can forgive your sins all you want, but the question is — have you been cleansed?

Have you examined your life – found your sins – confessed them – and then repented?

Examine your life – find the sins – confess them – and repent.

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you can say about Jesus is that:

Jesus is the one that helps me stay clean.

Indeed, Jesus can make you – and keep you – clean and holy

One more thing you need to know – after you examine your life — find the sins – confess them – and repent – you can know that you are forgiven. This is something you need to do almost on a daily basis to keep your life clean and holy – but once you do it – let Jesus work in your life and don’t let the forgiven sins hold you back. Let Jesus forgive you – let Jesus cleanse you – let Jesus make you holy – and then celebrate that by living the life Jesus calls you to live.

Jesus – who had passion for the temple being clean and holy – has a passion for you to be clean and holy also.

Find your sins – confess your sins – and repent of your sins – and let Jesus make you – and keep you – clean and holy. Amen.

Mark 8:27-38

Mark 8:27-38

Jesus Helps Us Give Of Ourselves

March 15, 2009

Part 3 of Lenten “Who Do You Say Jesus Is?” series

We are using the season of Lent this year to think about who Jesus is – and what Jesus means to us.

I’m asking you to focus on one basic question:

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who is Jesus – for you?

Remember that in Mark 8:27-29 Jesus questions the disciples about who “people” said that He was. They came up with a list of things people said about Jesus – that He was Elijah, that He was John the Baptist, or that He was another of the Old Testament prophets who had risen from the dead.

Jesus then made the question more personal by asking who they said that He was.

That’s when Peter made His confession that Jesus was the Christ.

You know – it didn’t really matter what others said about Jesus – did it?

What mattered was who Jesus was to the disciples.

What mattered was who they said Jesus was.

What mattered was that Jesus was the Christ. – the Savior – the only way to salvation – for them.

What mattered was that they said Jesus was their Lord and Savior.

The same is true for you.

You can listen to me talk about who Jesus is – or listen to others tell who they think Jesus is – but what really matters is who you say that Jesus is – who is Jesus for you.

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who is Jesus – for you?

We’re looking at several answers to that question during Lent.

2 weeks ago we saw that the most important answer you can give to this question is that Jesus is your Savior.

Until you can say that Jesus is your Savior it doesn’t matter what else we say about Him – but once we can say that Jesus is our Savior – we can say other things about Him – things like:

1. Jesus is the one who helps me resist temptation

2. Jesus is the one who gave of Himself for me

3. Jesus is the one who keeps me holy

4. Jesus is the one I want to tell others about

5. Jesus is the one I follow

Last week we saw how Jesus can help you fight temptation.

Today I want us to look at what happened immediately after Peter confessed Jesus as Christ – as Jesus began teaching the disciples that He was going to suffer and die – giving of Himself for the world – and calling the disciples – including those of us who follow Him here and now – to give of ourselves.

You see – one thing you need to be able to say about Jesus is that Jesus is the one who helps you give of yourself.

Listen to God’s word from Mark 8:27-38

Read Scripture

Maximilian Kolbe was a Catholic priest, who was put in a Nazi concentration camp for his faith. On May 28, 1941, he was transferred to the concentration camp at Auschwitz. During his time there, he would share his meager rations of food with those around him – who were hungry.

One day a man in Kolbe’s block escaped. All of the men from that block were brought out into the hot sun and made to stand there all day with no food or drink.
At the end of the day, the man that had escaped was not found and so the Nazi commandant told the prisoners that ten men would be selected to die in the starvation cell because one had escaped. The first to be selected begged to be spared because he was worried that his family would not be able to survive without him. As he was pleading with the commandant, Maximilian Kolbe silently stepped forward and said: “I am a Catholic priest. I have no wife or children. I would like to take the place of this man, because he has a wife and children.” The commandant stood silent in disbelief for a moment. He then allowed the first one chosen to go back to his place in the ranks and Kolbe took his place in the starvation bunker.
Each day when the guards checked the prisoners, instead being greeted by the usual sounds of screaming, all they would hear was the sounds of Kolbe and the others in the bunker singing hymns and praying. When Kolbe could no longer speak due to hunger and lack of energy, he would whisper his prayers. At the end of two weeks, the cell had to be cleared out for more prisoners. Only four prisoners were left alive and Kolbe was one of them. The guards came in and gave each a lethal injection and on August 14, 1941, Kolbe died.

Kolbe took his faith in Christ very seriously.

Kolbe was committed to living the life Jesus called him to live – giving of himself for Christ – the one who died for him – and called him to give of himself for others.

For Kolbe – Jesus was the one who called him – and strengthened him – to give of himself.

What about you?

Can you say:

“Jesus is the one who helps me give of myself”?

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you should be able to say about Jesus is:

“Jesus is the one who helps me give of myself”

We are in the season of Lent and I think Lent is a good time to think about our commitment to following Jesus.
In this passage before us, we can see what Jesus himself had to say about discipleship – and giving of ourselves.

If anyone will follow me, let him take up his cross and follow me. (Mk. 8:34)
I doubt any of us will be ask to pay the ultimate price – as Maximilian Kolbe did in taking up our Cross –but I do wonder how “taking up one’s cross” might be relevant to us today. We live in a post Christian culture. Choosing to lead a Christian life is not easy. It runs contrary to our culture. Jesus recognized this when he said:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that All of us here today are Christians – so in some way or another we have chosen to follow the Christian way of life.
But – here’s a question for you to consider;
Having decided to follow Christ, what is the level of your commitment?
In other words, what does it mean to “take up your Cross and follow Him”

Can you say:

“Jesus is the one who helps me give of myself”?

Once you say;

“Jesus is my Lord and Savior”

One thing you need to be able to say is:

“Jesus helps me give of myself”

Can you say that?

To explore this a little further, I would like to suggest that you have three choices in your level of commitment to Christ – three choices for “giving of yourself “ as Christ calls you to give of yourself.

1. You can decide to give of yourself and follow Him some of the time
2. You can decide to give of yourself and follow Him most of the time
3. You can decide to give of yourself and follow Him all of the time.
Jesus says:

If anyone will follow me, let him take up his cross and follow me. (Mk. 8:34)

Can you say that you follow Jesus and give of yourself some of the time – most of the time – or all of the time?

You know – I believe that Peter made each of these choices at different stages of his Christian life.
1. The first choice is –

You can decide to give of ourselves and follow Him some of the time

In today’s Gospel reading Peter rebukes Jesus when Jesus told His disciples that He (Jesus) must suffer and die. At this point in his life, it seems that Peter wanted a comfortable Christianity to follow. He loved Jesus – but he wanted only the nice things associated with Christianity – for example he liked the miracles Jesus performed — Jesus’ beautiful teachings – and being around Jesus as his follower.
All these things were comfortable for Peter and did not ask much of him.

Believing that Jesus was going to pay the ultimate price and die for Peter’s sins – and called Peter to give of himself also – did not fit comfortably into Peter’s idea of who Christ was – and who Christ called him to be.

You know – you can be like St. Peter at this time of his life.

You can have two spheres of life – your Christian life and your life away from Christ.

Let me ask you –
How often do you fear that following Christ in all times of your life would make you look too fanatical by your friends and neighbors?
Are there times when you are ashamed of being Christians – that you don’t want to “stand out in the crowd” and be different – because you follow Christ?

Are there times you say:

“OK –Jesus – I’ll give of myself this much – but that’s my limit!” ?
But — Jesus says:

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Jesus says:

If anyone will follow me, let him take up his cross and follow me. (Mk. 8:34)

Once you say;

“Jesus is my Lord and Savior”

One thing you need to be able to say is:

“Jesus helps me give of myself”

Can you say that?

You have 3 choices here.

The first is you can choose to give of yourself and follow Him some of the time.

2. The second choice is you can decide to give of yourself and follow Him most of the time.
The Gospels tell of how Peter denied Christ 3 times between Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin and his trial before Pilate. Then, as Matthew records it:

“Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken; ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times’. And he went outside and wept bitterly” (Mt. 26:74&75)
I believe that Peter wanted to follow Jesus totally, but when it came to step up for Christ and claim Him in a hostile situation – he couldn’t do it.
Most of us would have the same problem Peter had.

Most of us have areas in our lives which we cannot completely give over.

How about it?

Can you say that you will follow Christ – give of yourself – and do what Jesus calls you to do – all the time – or just most of the time?

If you are like me, you probably want to be totally committed – and yet there are times you hold back.

But — Jesus says:

If anyone will follow me, let him take up his cross and follow me. (Mk. 8:34)

Once you say;

“Jesus is my Lord and Savior”

One thing you need to be able to say is:

“Jesus helps me give of myself”

Can you say that?

You have 3 choices here.

The first is you can choose to give of yourself and follow Him some of the time. The second choice is you can give of yourself most of the time.

Then – there’s the third choice:

3. You can decide to give of yourself and follow Him all of the time.
`Before the Crucifixion, Peter denied Christ before a servant girl of the High Priest. After the Resurrection and following the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, we see a totally different Peter. He was bold to preach the risen Lord, even before the High Priest and the Sanhedrin. When they threatened to beat him he replied:
“Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have heard” (Acts 4:19)
Here we see a very different Peter. A strong Peter. A committed Peter. A Peter who now was willing to give of himself and follow Christ – all the time.

Jesus calls us to follow Him and give of ourselves.

You can decide to do this some of the time – most of the time – or all of the time.

Jesus calls us to do this – all of the time.

So – are you willing to say:

I want to give of myself for Jesus??

Are you willing to say:

“I want to give of myself for others – because Jesus calls me to do that”?

Are you willing to do this – and not some of the time – or most of the time – but all of the time?

Once you say;

“Jesus is my Lord and Savior”

One thing you need to be able to say is:

“Jesus helps me give of myself”

Can you say that – not some of the time – or most of the time – but all of the time?

I told the story of Maximilian Kolbe – a man who gave his life so that one man might live. But this wasn’t a momentary act of bravery. Kolbe’s life was exemplary . A doctor who treated the patients in Kolbe’s block had this to say about Kolbe:
“From my observations, the virtues in the Servant of God were no momentary impulse such as are often found in men. They sprang from a habitual practice, deeply woven into his personality.”
When you make a wholehearted commitment to God’s will in your life you –can – as did Peter — move from following Him and giving of yourself some of the time – to following Him and giving of yourself most of the time – to following Him and giving of yourself all of the time.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta is another example of what it means to follow give of yourself and follow Christ – all of the time. As a young woman, she heard Christ ask who He was for her – and she replied by giving of herself for His service.

She served the poor — just as Christ served!

She gave her life for the poor and needy — just as Christ did.

She heard Christ call — and followed in her own, special, loving way.

She didn’t give of herself some of the time – or most of the time – but all of the time.

Once she was asked who Christ was for her — and she said:

“He is my Savior and Lord –

He is the one I follow as I serve others.

He gave of Himself for me – so I give of myself for Him.”

Saying that Jesus is the one who helps you give of yourself – and give of yourself all the time – is pretty easy.

Living it is hard.

Peter found out through his life how hard it is.

You and I find it hard too.

But – once you take Jesus as your Lord and Savior – you need to also take Him as your example for living – and follow Him – all the time.

Mother Teresa understood how hard this is – but how necessary it is also.

If you go into my office – and look on the edge of the bookcase that I face when I am typing – you’ll find a quote from Mother Teresa that says:

People are often unreasonable,
illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be Kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and
some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,

the people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis.
it is between you and God;
It is never between you and them anyway.

Once you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, you also need to be able to say that Jesus strengthens you to give of yourself – to forgive – be kind – be honest – build – be happy – do good – and give the world the best you’ve got. You can do this because Jesus gave for you – and can strengthen you to give – not some of the time – not most of the time – but all of the time. Amen.

Matthew 4:1-11

Matthew 4:1-11

Jesus Helps Us Fight Temptation

March 8, 2009

Part 2 of 2009 Lent series: “Who Do You Say Jesus Is?”

We are using the season of Lent this year to think about who Jesus is – and what Jesus means to us.

I’m asking you to focus on one basic question:

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who is Jesus – for you?

Remember that in Mark 8:27-29 Jesus questions the disciples about who “people” said that He was. They came up with a list of things people said about Jesus – that He was Elijah, that He was John the Baptist, or that He was another of the Old Testament prophets who had risen from the dead.

Jesus then made the question more personal by asking who they said that He was.

That’s when Peter made His confession that Jesus was the Christ.

You know – it didn’t really matter what others said about Jesus – did it?

What mattered was who Jesus was to the disciples.

What mattered was who they said Jesus was.

What mattered was that Jesus was the Christ. – the Savior – the only way to salvation – for them.

What mattered was that they said Jesus was their Lord and Savior.

The same is true for us.

You can listen to me talk about who Jesus is – or listen to others tell who they think Jesus is – but what really matters is who you say that Jesus is – who is Jesus for you.

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who is Jesus – for you?

We’re looking at several answers to that question during Lent.

Last week we saw that the most important answer we can give to this question is that Jesus is my Savior.

Until you can say that Jesus is your Savior it doesn’t matter what else we say about Him – but once we can say that Jesus is our Savior – we can say other things about Him – things like:

1. Jesus is the one who helps me resist temptation

2. Jesus is the one who gave of Himself for me

3. Jesus is the one who keeps me holy

4. Jesus is the one I want to tell others about

5. Jesus is the one I follow

Today we’re going to look at how Jesus can help you fight temptation.

Listen to how Jesus fought temptation as we read from Matthew 4:1-11:

Read Scripture

This is an amazing story, offering a unique insight into the nature and character of Jesus.

For one thing, it’s one of the few stories told about an event in the life of Jesus in which there are no eye witnesses. How did Matthew (or any of Jesus’ disciples) know about the temptation He faced in the desert? There’s only way they could have known. He told him them about it. At some point during His time of ministry on earth, He must have told His disciples about the time He spent in the desert, battling temptation in a showdown with the devil. William Barclay calls this story “the most sacred of stories” because in it “Jesus is laying bare his inmost heart and soul.”

Apparently, Jesus shared with His followers about the struggles He faced – and I am sure He faced them. But – He defeated them – and can strengthen us to defeat them also.

Another interesting point in this story is that this story reminds us that Jesus was truly human. Matthew says – that after fasting 40 days and nights, He was hungry. I can certainly identify with that – can’t you? Matthew’s words give evidence that this story wasn’t just a legend created by the early church, because it emphasizes the humanity of Jesus. There has always been a tendency among some followers of Christ to strip away his humanity and make him completely unreal. This is the image some people have of Him—He was so divine that he never cried as a child, never skinned His knee, never drove a crooked nail as He worked as a carpenter, because He was divine. Some like to believe that Jesus just went through life floating around on a little cloud about six feet off the ground.

That wasn’t Jesus. He wasn’t like that. He became one of us—fully human – so He face the same temptations we face – but He defeated them.

Have you ever seen the movie King of Kings? The scene of Jesus being tempted in the desert was probably the most unrealistic in the entire film. After being in the desert 40 days and nights without food and water, His hair wasn’t even messed up. As He faced temptation, He never showed any sign of struggle. In fact, He showed no emotion at all. He spoke in a voice that I can only describe as “Shakespearean monotone.” There was nothing at all believable about the scene

I prefer to see that this story tells us that Jesus was human, Jesus was tempted, and He had power over temptation. I like to believe that because it gives me hope – and gives all of us hope. When I am tempted, I can call on Jesus – and have power over temptation – just as He had.

So can you.

That’s exactly what the writer of the book of Hebrews was telling us when he said,

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

Jesus overcame temptation so that you and I can overcome temptation.

Jesus overcame temptation so that you and I can say:

Jesus helps me fight temptation.

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you need to be able to say about Jesus is:

Jesus helps me fight temptation.

This story shows us 3 things Jesus gives us the power to do as we fight temptation:

1. Expect it.

Temptation is inevitable. Even good people are tempted. Even people who walk in the Spirit are tempted. Matthew said.. .

(v. 1) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Did you get that?

He was led by the Spirit. He was doing exactly what God wanted him to do, and still he faced temptation.

Sometimes we might have a tendency to think – in the midst of battling temptation — that God must have abandoned us or there must be something wrong with us, or else we wouldn’t be experiencing temptation in our lives. That’s not true. Even good people experience temptation. Even people who’s lives are led by the Holy Spirit experience temptation.

We can’t misunderstand the situation here, though.

The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted, but it wasn’t God who tempted Jesus. God doesn’t tempt you to sin; He doesn’t try to entice you with evil opportunities. You might be lead into tempting situations even if you are following God’s will, but continuing to follow God in tempting situations – and the example Jesus gives us – can give us victory.

In our judicial system there are laws against entrapment. When an undercover cop is trying to bust people for buying drugs, he can’t walk up to someone and say, “Hey you want to buy some drugs?…Come on, try it, you’ll like it. Just think of how good you’ll feel. All your problems will go away. Come on, don’t be scared.” etc. etc. A cop can’t do that, because it would be considered entrapment.

God does not tempt us, but gives us power over temptation.

Another thing we need to realize is that temptation: it often follows a “peak” experience in our lives.

Right before Jesus went to the desert to be tempted, He was baptized by John the Baptist. It is a moving scene. John declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and after he baptized Jesus, the Spirit came down in the form of dove and the voice of God declared that Jesus was God’s Son. This was the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and undoubtedly an exciting time in His life: He was about to begin the work God had called him to do. And then — immediately after this powerful event, Jesus faced the devil one on one.

It doesn’t make sense, does it? But that’s what often happens in our lives. After a peak experience, we often find ourselves alone in the desert. In his book The Winner Within NBA coach Pat Riley talks about how difficult it is for a championship team to win a second consecutive championship, because that peak experience leads to a whole new type of struggle among the players. If you’re not ready for success, it can be quite difficult to handle. That’s why Benjamin Franklin said, “Success has ruined many a man.”

It is significant to note that after Jesus was declared by John the Baptist to be the Messiah, the next event in his life was a time of temptation in the desert. The next event in his life was not the Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem, where thousands gathered to shout “Hosanna” in his presence. It wasn’t the feeding of the 5,000, and it wasn’t the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It was 40 lonely days and nights in the desert without food and water. Jesus faced a time of temptation.

A peak experience in life is often followed by a time of temptation, or a time of struggle.

When things are going good for us, we have a tendency to think “I’ve arrived. This is it. I’ll be on top from now on.” It doesn’t work that way in anyone’s life. When you succeed in a big way, you can expect a time of testing to follow soon afterward.

Don’t be surprised by temptation — expect it.

Another thing to expect: Temptation attacks you where you are most vulnerable.

Don’t be surprised by it – expect it!

After Jesus had been alone in the desert 40 days and nights without food and water, the tempter came to him and said,

(v. 3) “If you are the son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Why did Satan say this?

Because he knew that Jesus was hungry.

He knew that the idea of eating food was the most tempting thought he could put in Jesus’ mind. He wanted Jesus to abuse His power for His own needs, and so He attacked Him where He was, at that moment, most vulnerable: he tried to get Him to eat.

Here’s a fact of life: Temptation doesn’t hit you where you’re strong; it hits you where you’re weak.

If your business is thriving but your marriage is on the rocks, guess where the tempter will attack. If you have a strong family life, but you’re going through some struggles at work, guess where the tempter will attack. He’ll find where you’re vulnerable, and he’ll go after it.

In a football game, when a key player gets injured and is replaced by an inexperienced rookie, what does the other team do? They start trying to take advantage of the inexperienced player – going after the team where it is at it’s weakest point.

That’s exactly how temptation presents itself in our lives. It hits us where we’re weak. It hits us where we’re vulnerable.

Does that mean we have to throw in the towel and give in to temptation? No. It means we have to rise to the occasion, and face temptation in God’s strength. Jesus was at the point of starvation, and He didn’t give in.

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you need to be able to say about Jesus is:

Jesus helps me fight temptation.

To experience the power Jesus can give you over temptation, one thing you need to do is to expect it temptation. It happens to everyone, even good people; it frequently comes after a major victory in life; and it often hits us where we are weakest.

Expect it.

A second thing you need to do to experience the power Jesus can give you over temptation is to understand it.

2. Understand it.

Many times we lose the battle against temptation because we don’t understand how temptation works in our lives. Temptation is, by its very nature, deceptive. It often presents itself to us in a type of twisted logic. Matthew tells us that the devil took Jesus to the Holy City and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple, and then he said,

(v. 6) “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.”

Then, notice what Satan did next. He quoted Scripture at Jesus. He said,

(v. 6) “For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Do you see what Satan was doing? He quoted Scripture knowing that Jesus knew it was absolutely true, but he was trying to get Jesus to apply it in a twisted, self-serving way. He was saying, “Come on, Jesus. God will take care of you. Jump.” And there was an unspoken implication, “Or do you really believe God will take care of you? Maybe he won’t, if you’re not really the Messiah.”

An un unscrupulous insurance salesman’s most effective tactic is to tell the prospect that if he really cared about his family, he would buy insurance. If the prospect turns down the sales pitch, the savvy agent might say – especially if the family is present: “Are you telling me that your family isn’t worth 50 cents a day to you?” A life insurance salesmen might know what buttons to push to get people to accept his offer. In the same way, Satan knows what buttons to push, too. And he’ll use whatever twisted logic he can. When we’re especially mad at our spouses, Satan might say something like:

“You know that God wants you to be happy, right? And you know that you’ll never be happy as long as you’re married to this person. So God must want you to get a divorce…Unless, of course, you believe that God just wants you to be miserable for the rest of your life.”

Or he’ll say, “God doesn’t want your family to do without the necessities of life, and you need your money much more than the government needs it, so cut some corners on your income taxes. Spend that money on your kids. Unless, of course, you think God doesn’t want you to have enough to live on.”

Very few people can be tempted with the idea of doing something bad just for the sake of doing something bad. But we can all be tempted with the idea of doing something bad in order to get something that we might think is good.

Satan tempted Jesus to jump from the temple in order to prove to the world that he was God’s anointed Messiah. He tried to get him to do something wrong in order to accomplish something good…but Jesus understood temptation well enough to see through Satan’s twisted logic.

To tap into the power of Jesus over temptation, you need to understand temptation.

You need to understand that it is deceptive.

Another thing you need to understand is that it often promises what God has already provided.

Matthew tells us that Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and said,

(v. 9) “All this I will give to you if you bow down and worship me.”

There is something ridiculous about Satan’s words, because he was offering to give Jesus that which God had already given Him. God had already declared Jesus to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He had declared that all of creation would worship Him, every knee would bow and every tongue would confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. That has been God’s promise to Jesus throughout all eternity. This is His world, and yet, Satan offered it to Him.

That’s the way temptation works.

It often offers something that it can’t really give…something that only God can give. Temptation will say to you, “Do this and you’ll be happy. Do this and you’ll have peace of mind. Do this and you’ll feel good about yourself.” But the devil can’t give you happiness, because it isn’t the devil’s to give. He can promise you the world, but he can’t give you the world, because it really isn’t his to give. Only God can give you happiness. Only God can give you peace of mind. Only God can give you a sense of well-being.

So, understand this about temptation: It promises more than it can deliver.

You need to understand temptation if you are going to tap into the power of Jesus to overcome temptation. You need t understand that it’s deceptive – and that it promises more than it can deliver. You also need to understand is that it doesn’t last forever.

When Jesus resisted the tempter, the tempter finally went away. Too often we give in to temptation because we think, I can’t fight this forever. You don’t have to. Temptation doesn’t last forever.

James said,

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

Resisting temptation doesn’t make you weaker, it makes you stronger.

When Jesus overcame temptation, it didn’t mean he was through with temptation for the rest of his life. He had to deal with it again and again throughout his ministry.

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you need to be able to say about Jesus is:

Jesus helps me fight temptation.

To experience the power Jesus can give you over temptation, one thing you need to do is to expect it temptation. It happens to everyone, even good people; it frequently comes after a major victory in life; and it often hits us where we are weakest. You also have to understand it – understand how it is deceptive – how it promises more that it can deliver – how it won’t stay forever but also won’t go away forever, either.

Expect it. Understand it.

Thirdly – you have to attack it.

3. Attack it.

How did Jesus respond to temptation? He responded with the Word of God. Every time the devil tempted Jesus, he responded by saying, “It is written.” There is something about the words of Scripture that give us strength in overcoming temptation.

There was a pastor who had a problem with exaggeration to the point of being deceptive. If there were 850 people at church, he would round it up to 1000. If he had 6 appointments in one day, he would say he had 10. If he paid $100 for something, he’d tell you he paid $200, or he’d tell you he’d paid $50, depending on which way he was trying to impress you. God began to convict him of this kind of deception, and he began making an effort to develop the “virtue of accuracy.” When he was tempted to exaggerate, he would repeat to himself a verse from Proverbs:

The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight, (Proverbs 11:1)

Saying this verse to himself again and again helped him overcome the sin of lying.

When it comes to attacking temptation, the Word of God is your first line of defense. The more you know Scripture, and use it, the more power you’ll experience power over temptation.

When you’re facing temptation, remind yourself that if you resist the devil, he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

When you’re tempted to lie, remind yourself that accurate weights delight the Lord (Proverbs 11:1).

Therefore, we need to make an effort to know the Word.

Now, you can’t memorize the whole Bible, and you don’t have to. What I have learned is that when I read the Bible on a daily basis, God speaks to me about what I am going through at that time in my life. I can’t tell you the number of times I have faced something during the day that is directly related to what I read earlier that morning in the Bible. You attack temptation with the Word of God.

To experience the power Jesus can give you over temptation, attack it with the Word of God.

You attack temptation by confronting temptation.

Matthew tells us that when Satan tempted Jesus to bow down and worship him, Jesus said,

(v. 10) Away from me, Satan!

He did not run from the tempter, he confronted him, and told him, basically, to get lost.

Let me ask you a question. How do you speak to your tempter? Do you hear yourself whining, “Oh no. Temptation is so strong and I’m so weak. I’ll never win this battle.” Or do you stand strong and boldly say, “Get lost! There’s no way I’m going to commit that sin!”

I read of a Christian businessman in a business meeting in which one of his clients tried to persuade him to cut some corners that were, at the very least, unethical. He confronted the man and said something along the lines of, “Are you suggesting what it sounds like you’re suggesting?” The man hemmed and hawed and finally said, “Yes.” The man stood up and said, “This meeting is over. And so is our relationship.” Then he stormed out of the office — and it was his office! The client sat there dumbfounded. The man came back in about 15 seconds later and said, “Did you hear me? The meeting is over. Leave.” And he sat down at his desk and started going through his mail. The thing is that man desperately needed the business this client offered – but he didn’t want the client’s money bad enough to cheat others, so he kicked him out of his office.

That’s the way we need to deal with temptation in our life. When it makes it’s appeal, we need to cut it off mid-sentence, so to speak, and say, “I won’t even discuss it. Get away from me.” You don’t have to cower in the face of temptation. You can confront it boldly, because you’re not confronting it in your own strength, but in God’s strength.

To tap into the power of Jesus over temptation, you need to attack it. You can do this with God’s word – and by confronting it. Another way you attack temptation is to re-affirm your commitment to God. Jesus said…

(v. 10) Away from me, Satan! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Jesus was saying, “Leave me alone, because I belong to God, and I don’t belong to you. I worship him, I don’t worship you.”

When I was little, and one of my older sisters would try to get me to do something I didn’t want to do, I would say: “You’re not my boss!”

Maybe you’ve heard one of your kids say that – or maybe you’ve said that yourself.

That’s how we need to respond to temptation. We need to say, “You’re not my boss. Jesus is my boss. I don’t serve you, I serve him.” When you face temptation, reaffirm your commitment to God. Remind yourself that you belong to Him, that He is your Lord.

Temptation is a fact of life.

To tap into the power of Jesus over temptation you need to expect it.

Temptation is insidious, so make sure you understand it.

Most of all, remember that temptation isn’t all powerful, so attack it. Not in your own strength, but in God’s strength. You attack it with the Word of God; you attack by confronting it and telling it to get lost; you attack by re-affirming your commitment to the Lordship of Christ.

Jesus experienced power over temptation, and you can too, if you follow his example.

So – who do you day that Jesus is?

After you say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, one of the things you can say about Jesus is:

Jesus helps me fight temptation.

To experience the power Jesus can give you over temptation, one thing you need to do is to expect temptation. It happens to everyone, even good people; it frequently comes after a major victory in life; and it often hits us where we are weakest.

You also have to understand it – understand how it is deceptive – understand how it promises more that it can deliver – and how it won’t stay forever but also won’t go away forever, either.

You also have to confront it – with the Word of God and the power of God – and by reaffirming your faith in God in the face of temptation.

By the power of Christ – we can fight temptation.

By the power of Christ – you can say:

Jesus helps me fight temptation Amen.

Mark 8:27-29, John 3:1-21

Mark 8:27-29

John 3:1-21

Jesus Is The Way To Salvation

3/1/09

Part 1 of 2009 Lent series on “Who do you say Jesus is?”

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Today is the first Sunday in Lent – the six week period before Easter when we think about the sacrifice of Christ on the cross – and what Christ means to us.

I want us to use Lent this year as a time to think about who Jesus is – and what Jesus means to us.

I want us to focus on one basic question:

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who is Jesus – for you?

In Mark 8:27-29 Jesus questions the disciples about who “people” said that He was. They came up with a list of things people said about Jesus – that He was Elijah, that He was John the Baptist, or that He was another of the Old Testament prophets who had risen from the dead. Jesus then made the question more personal by asking who they said that He was. That’s when Peter made His confession that Jesus was the Christ.

You know – it didn’t really matter what others said about Jesus – did it?

What mattered who Jesus was to the disciples.

What mattered was who they said Jesus was.

What mattered that Jesus was the Christ. – the Savior – the only way to salvation – for them.

What mattered was that they said Jesus was their Lord and Savior.

The same is true for us.

You can listen to me talk about who Jesus is – or listen to others tell who they think Jesus is – but what really matters is who you say that Jesus is – who is Jesus for you.

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Who is Jesus – for you?

We’re going to look at several answers to that question for the next 6 weeks – and we’ll see that Jesus is:

1. Jesus is the one who gives me salvation

2. Jesus is the one who helps me resist temptation

3. Jesus is the one who gave of Himself for me

4. Jesus is the one who keeps me holy

5. Jesus is the one I want to tell others about

6. Jesus is the one I follow

Today we’re going to look at the first – and most important – answer you can give to the question – who do you say Jesus is – or who is Jesus for you. The most important answer you can give is that Jesus is the one who gives me salvation.

Jesus is the only way for you to find salvation.

Some of you know that I am a “budding golfer”. I bought some clubs last summer and hope to take up the game. I read not long ago about Paul Azinger – a professional golfer who at the age of 33 was diagnosed with cancer. He had just won a PGA championship and had ten tournament victories to his credit – then he got the word – he had cancer. He wrote:

“A genuine feeling of fear came over me. I could die from cancer. Then another reality hit me even harder. I’m going to die eventually anyway, whether from cancer or something else. It’s just a question of when. Everything I had accomplished in golf became meaningless to me. All I wanted to do was live.”

Then he remembered something that Larry Moody, who teaches a Bible study on the tour, had said to him:

“Zinger, we’re not in the land of the living going to the land of the dying.

We’re in the land of the dying going to the land of the living.”

Azinger said that realization changed his attitude about life – death – and what life was all about.

We’re not in the land of the living going to the land of the dying.

We’re in the land of the dying going to the land of the living
Azinger recovered from chemotherapy and returned to the PGA tour. He’s done pretty well — but that bout with cancer deepened his perspective. He wrote:

“I’ve made a lot of money since I’ve been on the tour, and I’ve won a lot of tournaments, but that happiness is always temporary. The only way you will ever have true contentment is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m not saying that nothing ever bothers me and I don’t have problems, but I feel like I’ve found the answer to the six-foot hole.”
There’s a basic question you must answer:

Who is Jesus – to me?

And – unless you can say:

“Jesus is the one who gives me salvation” – you won’t find salvation.

Unless you can say that Jesus has saved your life – changed your life – and given you salvation – anything else you can say about Jesus does not matter. In fact, unless you can say “Jesus is the one who gives me salvation” – nothing else in your life matters.

So – who is Jesus – to you?

Who do you say that Jesus is?
It doesn’t matter how you live your life.

It doesn’t matter where you go to Church – or even if you go to Church .

If you can’t say that Jesus is the one who has given you salvation – nothing else matters.

If you can’t say that Jesus is the one who has given you salvation – then you won’t find salvation.

Here’s the thing: there are people today who will attend church services all across the world today that can’t really say the Jesus is the one who gives them salvation.

They can’t really say that Jesus has changed their lives – and that they have discovered salvation through a relationship with Him.

Maybe they can say that they have heard others talk about how Jesus has changed their lives – or can talk about how people have talked to them about how they need to have their lives changed by Christ – but can’t say they have actually let Jesus change their lives.

Maybe they can tell you all about the Bible – but can’t say that Jesus has changed their lives.

Who is Jesus – to you?

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Talking about what others have told you about Jesus – or knowing a lot of facts about the Bible – won’t get you salvation.

Only being able to say: “Jesus is the one who gives me salvation” will give you salvation.

You can’t say that you know about Jesus – or say “yes’ to Jesus with your head – and find salvation.

You have to let Jesus change your life – and say “yes” to Jesus with your heart.

What’s the difference between a “head yes” to Jesus and a “heart yes” to Jesus?

Nicodemus – the man who came to Jesus in John 3 – can help us understand the difference here. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a member of the Jewish ruling counsel. He was wise with the knowledge of Jewish law. He understood that God would send a Messiah and he came to Jesus by night ask Jesus some questions.
Nicodemus had “head knowledge” about God — but he didn’t have “heart knowledge”.

Jesus tells Nicodemus that he – and all people — must be born again to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

That’s where Nicodemus’ “head knowledge” quits helping him.

Jesus realizes that Nicodemus only has “head knowledge” – a “head yes” to God — and is amazed that Nicodemus is not willing to grow into having “heart knowledge” — a “heart yes”.

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Do you have a “heart knowledge” of Jesus – or just a “head knowledge”?

Have you made a “heart yes” to Jesus – or just a “head yes”?

Can you really say that Jesus is your savior – the one who gives you salvation?

Unless you can, you will never find salvation.
There are a lot of folks like Nicodemus today who try to “get by” with a “head yes” to Jesus but not a “heart yes”.

They may have just enough religion to vaccinate them from the real thing.

A vaccination from salvation, so to speak.

They might say: I’ve always tried to be good.
Some people believe that their good deeds will outweigh their evil actions and God will accept them in the end. They compare themselves to the most evil people and feel that they are doing pretty well.
They don’t understand.

They need to understand that they cannot be good enough for God.
If you feel that you try to be good – and that trying to be good will give you salvation – there is something you need to understand – it won’t give you salvation.

Only faith in Christ will give you salvation .

Only being able to say:

Jesus is the one who gives me salvation

Will give you salvation.

Who is Jesus – for you?

Other people who try to “get by” with a “head yes” to Jesus but not a “heart yes” might say: “I go to Church! ”
Many people have become involved with churches but never met Christ.

They don’t understand that they need a relationship with Jesus Christ, which changes them on the inside, not religion that only makes them “look good” on the outside.
Going to Church won’t save you.

Only having a life – changing relationship with Christ – only being able to say: “Jesus is the one who gives me salvation” – will give you salvation.

You can’t have a “head knowledge” – or a “head yes” to Christ – you have to have a “heart knowledge” – a “heart yes”.

So – who is Jesus – for you?

You have to have a “heart yes” to Christ.

What does it mean to have a “heart” knowledge of Jesus?
Well — to have a “heart” knowledge is to have a relationship rather than a religion.
A relationship rather than a religion.
Some people feel that they could never be saved – or have a relationship with God – because they have done so many things wrong or done something so evil that God can never forgive them – or want to have a relationship with them.

What does Jesus say in John 3:16?

Does He say that God so loved the good folks that He gave His one and only Son – so that if a good person believes in Him they shall not perish – but have everlasting life?

No – He says that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son – so that whoever believes in Him they shall not perish – but have everlasting life.

“Whoever” comes to the Lord will be saved

Salvation is available to all.

It doesn’t matter how bad you’ve been.

It doesn’t matter how good you’ve been.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard about Jesus.

It doesn’t matter how active you’ve been in the Church.

All that matters for your salvation is having a “heart yes” to Jesus.

All that matters for your salvation is saying: “Jesus is my Lord and Savior”.

All that matters is saying: “Jesus is the one who gives me salvation.”

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Once you can say that Jesus is the one who gives you salvation you can be good – you can be active in the Church and make a difference – you can be forgiven from whatever you have done in the past – but you can’t do these things until you can say that Jesus is the one who gives you salvation.

That’s your starting point.

Once you can say that Jesus is the one who gives you salvation you can say other things about Jesus things we’re going to look at in the coming weeks – like He’s the one who helps me resist temptation – or helps me give of myself for others – or keeps me holy – or helps me bring others to salvation – or is the one I follow. But – you saying all these things won’t matte unless you can say that Jesus is the one who gives you salvation.
That’s your starting point.

So – who is Jesus – for you?

Is He the one who gives you salvation?

Before we go any further here, I want you to examine your life>

Do you have a “head knowledge” of Christ – with a “head yes” to Christ – or a “heart knowledge” – with a “heart yes” to Christ?
If you stood before God and He asked you, “Why should I let you into My heaven,” what would you say?
Saying “I’ve tried to be good” or “I’ve gone to Church” won’t be the answer God is looking for.

Saying “I took Jesus as my Lord and Savior” will.
If you can’t say that, this is your opportunity to make things right with God.
Don’t say: “I’ll let Jesus become my savior some day.”

Say: “I want Jesus to become my savior now!”

Jesus is asking you: “Who do you say that I am?”

Can you say:

“Jesus is my Lord and savior”?

Can you say:

“Jesus has changed my life”?

Who is Jesus – to you?

Who do you say that Jesus is?
It doesn’t matter how you live your life.

It doesn’t matter where you go to Church – or even if you go to Church .

If you can’t say that Jesus is the one who has given you salvation – nothing else matters.

If you can’t say that Jesus is the one who has given you salvation – then you won’t find salvation.

If you can’t say “Jesus is my Lord and Savior” – pray that you can honestly say that.

Indeed – who is Jesus – to you?

Who do you say Jesus is?

Amen