Date Sunday 25th February 2007

The Price is Right

English preacher, E. Stanley Jones met a Hindu ascetic who tried to escape temptation by living in an isolated forest cave spending his time in spiritual meditation. The first thing he said to Stanley-Jones was "I haven't thought about a woman for over forty years!" Stanley-Jones, thought this comment odd.

Paul writes: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted he will also provide you with a way out so that you can stand up under it. In the Lord's Prayer we say lead us not into temptation.

There are many Biblical examples of people able to say no at crucial times of their lives. But it is also full of people who were not able to say no - especially if the price were right. Yet, the Bible is not a book which builds us up by telling stories of people's temptations and their overcoming. There are really only two principal temptation stories in the whole of the Scriptures: the temptation of the first man and the temptation of Christ. All other temptations in human history have to do with these two stories of temptation.

Temptation doesn't refer to a desire we have to do something. Nor is it of itself a sin. There is truth in the hymn: "Yield not to temptation, for YIELDING is sin." Temptation has more to do with the idea of being attacked, something which happens from outside of us rather than an inward thought or desire. We are assailed, tested, put on trial

Let's examine some of the features of the temptations of Jesus.

1. Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the desert and attacked by the devil for forty days. This was in the context of prayer and fasting. It is clear that God never tests, tempts or attacks although he may allow it to happen.

2. In the temptations of Adam and Eve and of Jesus, the same ploy is used. The serpent and the devil both plant the seed of doubt - if you are. We often phrase our struggles with words like: "If God is" or "If there really is a God" or "If the Bible is really true" Temptation is just about always preceded by a questioning of God's right to set the agenda for his creation Much yielding to temptation today has been preceded by a questioning of the authority of God's word for our lives. By redefining the problem we seek ways of assauging guilt.

3. The temptations of Jesus immediately follow His baptism. You may have recognised in your own life that following a "spiritual high" there comes a "down". It is as if by being open to God, we have become vulnerable to Satan.

4. Temptations or attacks are often subtle and attractive, offering something pleasurable. In business there is a saying that everyone has a price! Everyday we face a choice in which the wrong action is made so seductive and plausible that it takes conscious effort of will to reject it. Sometimes the power is so strong that we feel the easiest way to reduce the pain of the decision is to give in.

5. Temptations, far from being aimed at our weakness, are often directed at our strength. We are so aware of our weak points that we spend time guarding and protecting that vulnerability. For Jesus, the temptation was at the central point - His relationship with God.

The temptations Jesus faced are no different from ours. No doubt we have felt the desire at some time to use power for our own ends. Or the challenge to worship anything else but God. Sport, homes, physical fitness, cars, money, travel all come to mind. There is the temptation to use power to put on a great show.

To give Jesus lordship in our lives is to recognise that Jesus like us, faced not just the same challenges but the same temptations. Attacks on his integrity; on his relationship with God; on His destiny to be our Saviour. He was given the same opportunities to use his God-given power for His own ends rather than in service of others. Jesus withstood this attack. He had choices, as do we. God is ever present. God’s Spirit led Him into the desert. God’s angels were present to protect Him. Our salvation, therefore, can only be found in Him who has shown faithfulness and obedience in all things. History shows that anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.

This same God has, by His spirit led Lee and Tama to bring their baby Dominic for baptism - not that he may have an insurance policy as he grows up to protect him from temptation, but that they may all come to know and experience the saving power of Jesus, the only one worthy to be called Lord. Jesus is here - let the water of His presence flow.