Sermon -- Lenten Vespers #2

This sermon was preached at Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church of Novi, MI on March 15, at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Belleville, MI on March 22, and at St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Plymouth, MI on March 29.

MARK 14:32-38

REPENT! TURN TO JESUS!

When You Face Temptations.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Our Lord Jesus Christ warned us, “Temptations to sin are sure to come” (Luke 17:1).  You can avoid some, based on the places you go, the thoughts you ponder, and even the company you keep.  But you cannot escape all temptations.  Not even our Lord could escape temptations. 

     When Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane, his struggle was intense.  It was not the first time Jesus endured temptation.  We know of the temptations Jesus faced during forty days in the wilderness.  But those temptations never made Jesus sorrowful to the point of death.  They never resulted in Jesus sweating drops of blood.  In Gethsemane, Jesus was on the threshold of his worst suffering.  It is no wonder that Jesus “fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.  And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.  Remove this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will’” (Mark 14:35-36). 

     Jesus knew what the wrath of God would be like.  He was aware of what it would mean to take into himself all the torment of hell—the eternal God enduring death and weeping and gnashing of teeth on behalf of all mankind.  He did it for people who grieve over their sins and people who revel in their sins.  He did it for people who fear, love, and trust in God and for those who deny that God is even real.  Some would praise him for his redeeming work.  Some would use it as an excuse to sin all the more.  Many would never care at all.  Regardless, it would be damning torment. 

     Jesus prayed that if any other way were possible to pay for sins, if any other way salvation could be won, his Father would opt for that.  But there is no other way.  So, Jesus remained faithful to his Father.  Jesus’ prayer and Jesus’ commitment were that God’s will be done.  And so, he did it, which means that your sins are pardoned, God’s wrath is turned away from you, and your eternal life is secured.

     When Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed fervently.  But he also called on his apostles to pray with him.  Jesus was not the only one who was facing temptation.  Jesus had warned Peter, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times” (Mark 14:30).  In St. Luke’s Gospel, the warning is even stronger: “Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31).  Therefore, Jesus summoned Peter to keep watch with him and to pray.  In fact, all the disciples were warned, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered’” (Mark 14:27).  The temptation to forsake the Lord was bound to come.  They all had good reason watch and pray.

     In the safety of the upper room, the disciples were courageous.  Their spirit was, indeed, willing to stand by Jesus.  Peter led the charge: “He said emphatically, ‘If I must die with you, I will not deny you.’  And they all said the same” (Mark 14:31).  They heard the warnings and boasted that they would not fail.  In Gethsemane, the disciples should have been preparing for spiritual battle.  Instead, they dozed off.  “(Jesus) came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep?  Could you not watch one hour?  Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak’” (Mark 14:37-38).  They did not keep watch.  They did not pray.  They all failed.

     Temptations to sin are sure to come.  The Bible tells us why: “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  Chances are, you know how he will attack you.  You know the sins that are attractive to you.  You know your own weaknesses.  The devil does, too.  He entices you to do what your sinful nature desires.  The sinful nature, more than anything, loves itself.  It loves praise and pleasure.  Temptations are sure to come to be embarrassed about God’s word, to gain acceptance from the world, and to avoid scorn. 

     Our culture is training us to rethink our beliefs, or more to the point, to reject God’s word as truth.  The culture has new truths to instill and, so it seems, to enforce.  You may find yourself in the situation of Jesus’ disciples.  They learned that there is a cost to being Jesus’ disciple.  The soldiers who entered Gethsemane were a sizable force with swords and clubs.  When the soldiers seized Jesus, the disciples feared they were next.  The threat of arrest, beatings, and death were very real.  So, they fled.  They desired to save their skin rather than to risk it for standing by Jesus.  Later that night, Peter was exposed as one of Jesus’ disciples.  Fearing his own demise, Peter swore up and down that he was not associated with Jesus.  He feared what people thought of him or what people could do to him more than what Jesus would say about him or do to him.

     There is certainly a cost for being a disciple of Jesus.  If you have not experienced that yet, you will.  Our culture is becoming more hostile to the word of God.  You may be passed over for promotions, forfeit raises, or be forced to seek different employment if you refuse to take part in pride events or say that men and women are different.  At the very least, you may be required to undergo training to reshape your thinking.  You may have to explain to your children that they will have to give up a sports league so that you do not give up Sundays at church.  You may wonder if you are the only person around who believes the Bible anymore.  The temptation looms large to go along with the culture rather than to stay with Christ.  Peter and the disciples thought that fleeing from Jesus would save their skin.  To do that, however, is disastrous for your salvation.

     Repent.  Turn to Jesus when facing temptation.  Despite his disciples’ failure, Jesus remained faithful to them.  Jesus remains faithful to you, too.  He is ever-present to help you against temptations.  The Bible reminds us, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).  Turn to Jesus when facing temptation for strength, for encouragement, and for confidence that nothing can truly harm you if you are in Christ.

     Perhaps you fear how much you might lose if you remain faithful to Christ.  You may lose friends.  You may lose our income.  You may lose the standard of living you have become accustomed to.  You may.  There may be a hefty cost to being a disciple of Jesus.  There certainly is in other places.  And the Church has experienced this throughout its history.  For us, it has only been stories we have heard.  Will these stories end up being lived by us, too?  I don’t know.  But we ought to be aware of trials that may come.  Temptations to forsake Christ I order to maintain peace with our culture are sure to come.  Temptations to preserve a cozy suburban lifestyle may become intense.  We should be aware of our weaknesses and recognize our need for God’s strength.  “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).  Turn to Jesus when facing temptation.

     Turn to Jesus when facing temptation.  For, Jesus will not forsake you.  He paid a great price to redeem you.  He endured not just the scorn of the world, but the torments of hell.  He was not merely accused by wicked men, he was condemned by his own Father in heaven.  He willingly, deliberately went to the cross to pay for sins he did not commit, and he did it so that you will not be condemned for sins you did commit.  You have been rescued by Jesus from sin, death, and hell.  Judgment is coming upon this world because it is wicked and warped.  Jesus has set you apart from the world which is marked for destruction.  He will not abandon you to cope with it on your own. 

     Turn to Jesus when facing temptation.  The Savior who lived and died for you will not forsake you in life or in death.  He has summoned you, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15).  When you pray, call upon God with your specific request.  Say out loud the sin which entices you.  Name the enemy which stalks you.  There is no verse in the Bible which suggests that the devil can hear your thoughts, but he can hear your words.  Pray against the devil to vex him and to chase him away.

     Even if you succumb to temptation, the Savior will not cast you away.  He extends this promise: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  And again, when you confess, acknowledge your sins out loud.  “Lord, forgive me for this.”  We do not commit generic, non-descript sins.  So, say what you have done when you are seeking forgiveness for it.  Again, name your enemy to acknowledge what you must fight against.  Turn to Jesus when facing temptation, and return to Jesus when you fall into temptation.  For, he is your kind and merciful Savior.

     Our desire is to remain faithful to Jesus; for, the spirit, indeed, is willing.  But understand that it is actually Jesus who keeps you faithful to him.  He summons you to pray to him because the flesh is weak.  He preserves your faith through his word.  Since temptations will not cease, your devotion to the word of God and prayer cannot cease either.  The Lord also nurtures your faith through the body and blood which have overcome death and the devil.  As you feast on the Lamb which was slain and now lives, you will live more and more for him.  And as you continue to turn to Jesus, you will long more and more to be with him.  You will care less and less for this world, and you will be less and less bothered when the world takes its pleasures and praises from you. 

     “Temptations to sin are sure to come” (Luke 17:1), so turn to Jesus, and you can be assured of your ultimate victory over every lie and every evil.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.