temptation

In the Wilderness

Michael Schutz — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 03:30:34 +0000

In the Wilderness Michael Schutz Thu, 03/05/2020 - 19:30

Lent is 40 days in remembrance of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and preparing to be tempted by the devil. Ancient Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness as a consequence of their sin. Lent is a wilderness experience for us too.

Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), fasting and preparing to be tempted by the devil. We're not told in Scripture what He did in that time, other than He fasted. He went without earthly sustenance, and even in reply to being tempted by bread, He said that people don't live only by bread, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Ancient Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness as a judgment from God after rejecting Him who brought them out of slavery in Egypt. (Read a summary of God's judgment in Numbers 14:20-35, though there's much more to the story). In the wilderness they experienced much hardship, though God was with them in that time.

It's been a common refrain for me already in Lent, but it's an important one: Where Adam and Eve failed in resisting temptation, where ancient Israel failed, Jesus succeeded. He stood up to the devil's lies and twisting of God's Word. He went through that on the way to the cross, for you and me.

Any talk of wilderness wanderings for you and me is spiritual and/or metaphorical. But even in the midst of any wilderness we wander through, whether as a result of our own sin or as a result of the brokenness of the world around us, God does not leave us alone. Jesus has promised to be with us always (Matthew 28:20), and He is always faithful to His promises. He is with you, even in the midst of your wilderness.

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The Original Sin

Michael Schutz — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 05:28:09 +0000

The Original Sin Michael Schutz Tue, 03/03/2020 - 21:28

All people live with original sin; that is, we are sinful in our very nature. From the time of conception, we are sinful people. Original sin comes to us because of the original sin. But that isn't what many people think it is.

On Tuesdays, our church sends out an email newsletter. Each week I write a short summary of the past Sunday's theme and message. This past Sunday was the First Sunday in Lent, and we read three passages of Scripture: Genesis 3:1-21, Romans 5:12-19, and Matthew 4:1-11. While it's entirely too short (isn't everything?), here's what I shared with the congregation I serve in today's newsletter.

The original sin in the world wasn't that Eve ate the fruit after being deceived by the serpent in the garden of Eden. The original sin was putting a voice other than God's voice above His, letting Satan's word - which was twisting God's own - take authority over God's. Adam - who was supposed to lead himself and Eve in the way of God - stood by and took what Eve offered.

Adam should have stepped in to say, "no, God told us not to eat this", but he didn't. And as result of that, he and Eve rebelled against God and His word, and thus brought sin into the world. Now, we all have "original sin", which is that we are sinful by nature - not just from the time of birth, but even from the time of conception we are sinful people.

But Jesus stood against the lies and twists that Satan put on God's own word. Where Adam and Eve failed, where ancient Israel failed, Jesus succeeded. He stood on the written Word of God - what we know as the Old Testament - in refuting the attacks of the devil. And the Good News for us is that Jesus stood in our place. Where we fail, He wins the victory and gives it to us. Where we succumb to temptation, He stands strong, and gives us the Holy Spirit to create and sustain faith in us.

In the midst of this season of reflection on the sufferings of Jesus, we also remember that Jesus suffered for us. We remember that Jesus lived a perfect life for us. We remember that He died for us. We remember that He was raised from the dead for us. All Jesus did, He did for us. He dealt with original sin - and all other sin - on the cross. For us.

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Behold...

Michael Schutz — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 06:47:17 +0000

Behold... Michael Schutz Mon, 03/02/2020 - 22:47

"Behold" is one of my favourite words. It's a marker of something that someone really wants you to pay attention to. Look! Pay attention! Behold!

I love the word behold. It's an archaic word, one that not many people use anymore. It's sounds quaint, old-fashioned. But it's a great word. Most people will say "look" nowadays, and it's really the same word. It's the Greek word ἰδοὺ, which really means "look!" or "pay attention!". Behold!

Twice near the end of Matthew 3, after Jesus is baptized, Matthew uses the word to draw our attention. First he draws it to the heavens being opened when Jesus comes up out of the water (Matthew 3:16), and then he draws our attention to the word of the Father: "This is my beloved Son, when whom I am well-pleased" (Matthew 3:17).

And then Matthew reserves the word until after a remarkable scene between the devil and Jesus in Matthew 4, when Jesus is tempted to sin and overcomes the temptation by the power of the Word of God. There is really much to behold in this passage, but we don't see the word again until Matthew 3:11, when angels ministered to Jesus.

Quite remarkable, really, is the restraint Matthew shows. I would have been sorely tempted to write behold! every half-sentence or so. But it's only when the angels show up that Matthew includes it again. It's not that he wants us to consider that the main part of the story. But it does show us something about God's provision.

Hebrews 1:14 asks us rhetorically, "Are [angels] not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" The expected answer is, of course, yes they are. We will inherit salvation as brothers and sisters in Christ. The angels serve the firstborn of all creation, and they serve for our sake too.

Behold!