Sunday July 26, 2020 Carroll First UMC It all comes down to faith: temptation

           

Do you remember the Stanford University marshmallow study I told you about? Children were given one marshmallow and told if they didn’t eat it before the researcher returned, they could have a second marshmallow. 

Some of those kids made faces, they pushed it away, they turned their back on it.  A second group picked at the marshmallow eating little crumbs. Finally, of course, there were the kids who, as soon as the researcher turned his or her back, ate the marshmallow.

Which one are you?  The waiter? … the nibbler? ... or the gobbler? 

 

That is not just a hypothetical question… Which one are you?  It makes a difference because I think it is a clear indicator of how we handle temptation of all kinds.

Me?  I’m the waiter… I’m the kid that stashed Halloween candy away so I could torture my little gobbler brother by having a little candy every few days until Christmas.

 

But temptation is a lot more serious than Halloween candy or marshmallows.  For children and adults alike the consequences of nibbling at temptation, and gobbling temptation can be very serious. We can lose friends, jobs, spouses, face expulsion or firing, and in the worst cases even jailtime.  The spiritual consequences can also be quite serious because guilt and regret will clog up our connection to God.

 

To be human is to be “temptable.” Every single human being, including me, and bishop Laurie, and John Wesley, and the Apostle Paul, and Jesus himself experience temptation.  Hebrews 4:15 says, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.”

Let’s learn about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

 

After his baptism, right after he heard the voice of truth say, “You are my beloved son,” Jesus was led (or according to Mark driven) into the wilderness to be tempted. I want to be clear. God is not doing the tempting here. Temptation is a product of our free will. James 1:13 tells us that “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” So, let’s put that myth to rest.  God does not “send” temptation it grows from our hearts.

 

After 40 days of fasting and prayer, with Jesus stomach growling, and his mouth almost too dry to speak, the devil tempted Jesus to turn stone into bread. The wilderness near galilee is filled with so many rocks it would be enough bread for a lifetime.  What a temptation when one has not eaten for 40 days. Jesus response, however, is straight from scripture, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” From Deuteronomy 3:8  

 See Each temptation in this story as a prototype for temptations we face. For instance, I think this one is about more than food. I think Jesus is being tempted with immediate gratification.  One of the most common temptations in our lives is the temptation to short term pleasure regardless of any future consequences or benefits.  

·         The marshmallows are a classic example. “I want this marshmallow now, and I am OK with giving up the second one later.”

·         Exercise or nap? 

·         A one-night stand or a lasting marriage?

·         Vacation or IRA contribution? 

We all know those temptations.  The details might change, but every single one of us is subject to the temptation immediate gratification.

 

Luke continues, ^“Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. …  If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”  In other words, “All this can be yours for one easy payment that lasts all eternity. It will only cost is your soul.“ This is the temptation to sell out.

I can’t relate to world dominance as the devil offers Jesus, but we all know this temptation well.

·         Do I give up my integrity to avoid this conflict? 

·         Do I compromise my values to be liked?

·         Do I break this promise so life will be easier?

We understand those temptations, don’t we? In the extreme, of course it is about giving up God in order to get power, but it is also about selling out our personal integrity, trading our faith, or compromising our values in order to get something that seems even better.  But nothing is worth betraying ourselves. There might not be anything wrong with the reward… but the cost strikes at our very core… and selling out is much too high a price to pay.

 

Finally, the devil takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple. At this corner of the temple wall, the first step is a doozie at least 300 feet straight down. For perspective that is at least a 30-story building!

The devil says “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ’He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ This is a spiritual Judo move. The devil is using Jesus’;’ own scripture against him trying to get him off balance.

Jesus calmly replies with Deuteronomy 6:16 “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

So, what do you think the temptation is here? First, we had the temptation for instant gratification. Then the temptation to sell out.  This is the temptation of pride. Making ourselves important at the expense of others.

We all want a pat on the back.  We all want to be appreciated.  But this temptation is beyond that.  It is puffing ourselves up to seem more important than anyone else.  We all know people who HAVE to be right. They are constantly correcting us. They are constantly explaining to us even when we don’t need it.  For instance, there was a pastor who just HAD to explain everything that was being said by the bishop and others at the virtual annual conference last weekend. By time it was ½ over I just wanted someone to cut his internet connection.

How do you make yourself feel important? Maybe you intentionally drive your beautiful new tricked out truck past a friend’s house so they can see how important and successful you have become. Maybe you rub your last promotion in a coworker’s face. Maybe you put down those who aren’t as good as you at sports or math. It is OK to be pleased and even proud of your accomplishments, but not if that pride comes at the expense of others. The key is any time you must put someone down in order to lift yourself up, you have given in to temptation and slid into the sin of pride.

The three prototypes of temptation in today’s story are instant gratification, selling out, and pride. We can all identify with at least one… and maybe all of them.  And we have all been tricked by at least one of those temptations. Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

 

So how do you beat it?  How do we resist temptation? I wish we were all like Jesus and had great spiritual willpower. Willpower is not a gift given to most of us. Just ask folks who have tried to quit smoking or have tried to diet.  Willpower is a rare commodity.

So first, using Jesus model we combat temptation with prayer and scripture. Jesus was fasting and praying and used scripture to answer the temptation. Our first line of defense is prayer and scripture.

The second line is what I want to focus on. True or False…If you sit under an apple tree eventually you will get hit on the head with an apple.  The further you get away the less chance, right?

True, so temptation is the same way. The more we place ourselves in tempting situations, the more likely we are to succumb to sin. Let’s be clear, temptation is not irresistible. The truth is that most of us don’t do anything to avoid it. Many of us ask for temptation by going to where the temptation is strongest.

·         People who have trouble controlling their drinking seem to congregate at bars or with friends who have the same problem.

·         Folks who have a problem with lying, just keep piling one lie upon another. 

·         People who have trouble being faithful in marriage, keep seeing the person who with whom they have been unfaithful…  Do you see what I mean?

·         People who gossip love Facebook or the telephone.

·         People who cheat on tests, seem to not study so they end up cheating again.

When I was working construction, I had a pretty bad mouth on me. When I quit to do youth ministry it disappeared almost overnight… but when I put my toolbelt back on my mouth flew out of control. The obvious answer if don’t put on the toolbelt.

·         If you have a problem with internet porn, only work on the computer when other people are in the room.

·         If you are tempted to drive like a maniac when certain friends are with you… meet them where you are going rather than give them a ride.

·         If you are one who gets snarky on Facebook, let your thoughts ferment for a day before you commit them to a comment.

It isn’t that hard. Yet over and over we place ourselves in the same position, with the same people, and the same temptations… and then we wonder why we sin.

 

Look at it this way, the kids will be making bridges in vacation bible school this week. They will be seeing how much weight their bridges can hold.

Here is the person you want to be.  Here is the person you are tempted to be.  You are caught between the two.  But just like this, you can hold up, can’t you? If you don’t invite temptation.  But watch.

·         Add going to the place that tempts you to sin and see what happens.

·         Then we add hanging out with the friends with whom you like to sin and see what happens.

·         Then we imagine how much fun you could have if you did it.

·         Then we add wanting to look cool if you are young, or successful if you are old like me.

·         And with that we have caved into temptation.  And fallen into sin.

Whether you are a gobbler, a nibbler, or a waiter three things are true for every one of us.

1.     We all know the challenge of temptation. 

2.     When temptation comes, start with prayer and scripture.

3.     To keep temptation at bay, don’t keep putting yourself in that situation.

 

 My prayer is that you can face temptation, be proven faithful, and come out the other side stronger and with more resilience than before.

 

 

 

 

It all comes down to faith: Almighty Carroll First UMC July 12, 2020

It all comes down to faith: Almighty

Carroll First UMC July 12, 2020

In Vacation Bible School this week we will be talking about power. One of the activities gives the kids a chance to see one kind of power in action. 

                   (mentos and coke demonstration is in the recorded worship service at https://youtu.be/pJE2Hmf76hQ.)

·       That is power caused by a chemical reaction. There are other kinds of power that are much more powerful.

·       There is electric power or the power of a locomotive pulling a mile of coal cars.

·       In military terms there is the power of bombs and personnel.

·       There is the natural power of gravity, or the sun, or the wind, or the waves.

·       There is interpersonal power between people and political power between a person and a group.

·       There is the power that comes with money, and the power that comes by fear.

In physics, power is “energy transferred per unit of time.”

We can measure that in watts, or tractive force, or horsepower, or kilotons of explosive power.  We can see and feel power as gravity pulls the coffee cup out of our hands and it crashes on the floor, as the sun warms the top of our head, as the wind pushes our car back and forth in our lane, or as we look at the water eroded rock of the grand canyon. We experience power in the way people treat us and whether politicians use their power for good or for selfishness.

Coke and Mentos is a cool demonstration, but it is nothing compared to the power of electricity, a train, or gravity.  Similarly, however, the earthly powers of electricity, trains, gravity and the others I named are nothing compared to God ’s -- out of this world – indescribable - and unimaginable -- power. 

We have a couple words we use to describe God ’s power. One is “omnipotent.” Literally “many powers.”  God is omnipotent which means that there are no limits to God ’s power. God is by definition free and able to do anything God might chose. As Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” says, “For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!” (Rev. 19:6)

The other word reserved describing tremendous power is “might.” We talk about the might of a nation or the mighty cargo ship.  God is beyond all earthly might, however.  

God is mightier than all the man-made machines added together. God is mightier than all the world’s speeding locomotives. God is mightier than any power in nature like hurricanes, gravity, or earthquakes.   God is mightier than any person or army who has ever walked the earth.    Therefore, we call God “ALMIGHTY.”  ALL- MIGHTY… ALL POWERFUL.

 

The first appearance of the Hebrew word “shadday” which is translated Almighty is in Genesis 17:1 

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty^[a]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. ² Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

 Shadday means “wilderness or mountain” But it also can mean to “overpower.”

·       Overpower, as in more than powerful,

·        In the same what that almighty is mightier than any other,

·       You may have heard the name El Shaddai as part of a song. The Prefix “el” means God.  So, el-Shaddai means The God who is more than powerful, more than mighty.

Almighty God exercised might and omnipotence in the very act of creation out of nothing. That is the message from the very beginning of the Bible. God creates everything out of God ’s imagination. The earth is without form and void. There was nothing until almighty God made everything.

Remember power is energy transferred or converted. God ’s almighty power is transferred to people in the Bible all the time: Noah for ark building, Abraham for faithfully following, Moses for miracles and crossings of the red sea. David for defeating the Philistines, Daniel for the night in the lion’s den. 

And the amazing thing is no matter how much power God gives away, the needle on God’s power gauge always reads Full. There is no end to God’s power.

God keeps giving power in the New Testament. What was the incarnation if it wasn’t a demonstration that God has power to do whatever God wills, even taking on the form of a human being? We see power or energy or might transferred in the baptism when the dove came down from heaven as a sign on God’s power. How do you think it was possible for Jesus to defeat the devil in the wilderness temptations if it wasn’t the power of God? Then there are all the miracles: calming the sea, healing lepers, raising Lazarus, the feeding of the 5000, healing the woman who touched the hem of his garment that we talked about last week. All that power, all that might, all our strength comes directly from the heart of God.

People look around and wonder “where is God.” They say, “prove to me that God exists.”

I think the greatest evidence of our almighty God is the cross and resurrection. Because God is almighty, God can choose death in order to defeat sin, and then God can choose resurrection to defeat death.

People look around and wonder “where is God.” They say, “prove to me that God exists.” we say, “look around at all the evidence and prove to me that God doesn’t exist.”

People say “prove to me that God is powerful.” and we reply “Explain to me every detail of this beautiful creation both large and small and (if God is not powerful) explain to me how all of that came to be out of chaos.   

They’re right… God is invisible so we cannot directly measure the almightiness of God in the same way we measure horsepower or electricity. But invisible… or unseeable does not mean God is not almighty. Invisible or unseen does not mean powerless.

There is another experiment in the VBS video this week that demonstrates the power of the air around us to crush a metal container. You’ll have to watch the video to see it.

We can’t see the power of air, but when you see it crush a can in 1 second, you know there is power. 

We can’t see static electricity, but I would not want to be struck by lightning.

We can’t see photosynthesis, but I will still sit in the shade under a big tree.

The real trouble is not that we can’t see it, but that we don’t look.  We don’t look for the displays of God ’s almighty power.  We don’t sit still long enough for the almightiness of God to change us.  We know it is there, but we don’t even try to connect to it.

A young missionary, Herbert Jackson, was given a car to help him in his work. There was only one problem—it would not start without a push or a jump-start. Jackson devised a system to cope with the car’s inability to start. When he was ready to leave his home, he went to a nearby school and asked permission to bring some of the children out of class to help him push-start his car.

Throughout the day, he was careful to always park on a hill or to leave his engine running when he stopped for short visits. For two years the young missionary used what he believed was an ingenious method to enable him to use the car.

When poor health forced the Jackson family to leave the field, a new missionary arrived to lead the mission. When Jackson explained to the new missionary his methods for starting the car, the young man opened the hood and began inspecting. “Why, Dr. Jackson,” he interrupted, “I believe the only trouble is the loose battery cable.” He gave the cable a twist, turned the key, and the engine roared to life.

For two years, Dr. Jackson had used his own devices and endured needless trouble. The power to start the car was there all the time-- Jackson couldn’t see it so he didn’t know how to plug in.

The invisible power was there… but he never made the connection.

A. W. Tozer said something like “God is looking for people who will try seemingly incredible things, so that through them God can do the impossible. What a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.”

God is the almighty God. Believe it or not… see it or not… understand it or not. Let’s open our eyes to see the almighty power of God, open our hearts to be changed by the almighty love of God, and offer our hands to be part of the work the almighty is doing today.

 

Paul writes in Ephesians 3:2 God is “able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us,”

Let’s recognize our inadequacy without God and our invincibility with Him.

May the almighty power of God be the measure of our expectations.

“It all comes down to faith- what is faith?” First UMC Carroll Iowa 7/5/2020

  “It all comes down to faith- what is faith?”

First UMC Carroll Iowa 7/5/2020

A man was walking in the mountains just enjoying the scenery when he stepped too close to the edge of the mountain and started to fall. In desperation he reached out and grabbed a limb of a gnarly old tree hanging onto the side of the cliff.

Full of fear, he cries out, "Help me!" But there was no answer. Again, and again he cried out but to no avail. Finally, he yelled, "Is anybody up there?"

A deep voice replied, "Yes, I'm up here."

"Who is it?"

"It's the Lord"

"Can you help me?"

"Yes, I can help."

"Help me!"

"Let go."

Looking around the man became full of panic. "What?!?!"

"Let go. And have faith that I will catch you."

"Uh... Is there anybody else up there?"

 

 For the next five weeks we will be learning with the children in VBS about faith.  If you haven’t signed your kids of grandkids up for VBS, now it the time It technically starts today and there will be one lesson this week and each of the next 4 weeks.

 

 The Bible contains many stories of faith. Today we look at a story about a woman with a hemorrhage.  She had been bleeding for 12 years and couldn’t stop it.  Can you imagine how physically and emotionally exhausted and weak she must have been. The bible says no one could help her.  Imagine how many doctors she had seen in 12 years. Imagine the treatments. Imagine the cost of medical treatment. Imagine the sacrifices she made.

In addition to the medical side of her problem, she also had a social problem. You see she lived in a Jewish society where blood was ritually unclean and so was she. She hadn’t been able to go to temple for the last 12 years.  She had to social distance just like we do.  No physical contact for 12 years… imagine how lonely she must have been. Imagine how hopeless she must have felt. She had tried everything, and nothing worked. She was at the very end of her rope; the only thing left was to give up.

Do you know the feeling?  Friends in recovery will recognize this as the first step in recovery, I have long believed that the recovery community gets many things right, one of them is that our faith journey starts when we admit that we are powerless.  The woman finally had to admit that everything she was doing was a failure. She had nowhere to turn and no other ideas to try. She was powerless.

This week the children will have an opportunity to illustrate this in a VBS activity.  Let’s see how.

(video)

 

You see it is just not possible to jump that far no matter how many times I try it.  So, I must admit that I can’t do it myself.  That I am powerless

There are so many voices today telling us you can do anything you want if you take a magic pill or treatment, or rub on a cream, or wear a certain glove, or use a certain shampoo, or get that new car. Let me just say.  Don’t fall for it.

We are all this woman. We are the walking wounded, hurting, and bloody because of sin; both ours and others.  We want and need to escape sin.  But on our own we are powerless against sin. The first step toward faith is admitting that on our own we are powerless.

 

 The woman who was bleeding apparently heard something about Jesus. We don’t know if she was Jewish or not. We don’t know if she was religious or not.  I tend to think she had to believe some of the stories she heard about Jesus or she would have blown him off as a kook.

She heard about Jesus and decided that he might be the answer to her problem As desperately weak as she was, as desperately sick as she was, she just had to Get to Jesus.

Jesus had just arrived home from the other side of the sea of Galilee. A leader of the synagogue named, Jarius, asked Jesus to heal his dying daughter. Jesus was on his way to Jarius’ house when our woman caught up with him.  She made her way through the crowd traveling with Jesus.  It was a large crowd and every time she bumped into someone, she made them ritually unclean and risked being stoned to death. When she got to Jesus her faith blossomed and she knew she would be healed if she could even touch the hem of his robe.

In AA terms she “came to believe that a power greater than her could help her.”

When we go back to our demonstration, I start thinking that maybe Jesus could help me.

 

 Finally, the woman reached Jesus and touched the hem of his garment.  Immediately… Mark says (That’s one of Mark’s idiosyncrasies… saying “immediately.”) Immediately she was healed.  Immediately. She risked everything, risked all she had, placed all her life, all her past and all her future in Jesus hands. And immediately she was healed. After 12 years of smashed hopes, immediately Jesus power healed her.  It was no accident it was faith. 

I suspect she hoped she could touch him, be healed and run before she got in trouble.  But faith in Jesus is not an anonymous faith. It is very personal. Jesus said “Who touched me” he felt the power go out of him. I don’t think he was angry. I think Jesus felt the power leave and wanted a personal relationship with that person. When she finally came forward and told her story, he said, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.”  “Your faith has healed you!”

If we go back to the vacation bible school demonstration, I am unable to make that leap to the other side… but then … as I realize I cannot do it myself and wonder if Jesus could help me. (video)

 Jesus came with the cross to show me the way.

Just like the woman, however, I must be willing to place my whole life in Jesus hands.  I must place my whole trust in the cross. Relying only on God’s promises, I have to place my past, my present and my future in the hands of God.   Using AA language again, “I have to place my will and my life in the hands of my higher power,” Jesus.

That is faith.

 

 What is faith?  Faith is not just a decision we make.  Faith is when we run out of solutions to our problems, and the only option is to fall exhausted into God’s powerful hands.

Faith is not just a feeling we have. Faith is when we run out of hope but we know that it is ok to fall limply into what seems like emptiness trusting God to catch us.

Faith is beyond our ability. When we get to the end of our rope, realize there is no rope left, and instead of trying to climb back up which we know would be futile, we know that it is OK to   allow ourselves to drop trustingly in the hands of God.

 

Faith might start as a decision, but doesn’t come from our heads, because by definition it is not rational.

Faith does not come from our strength; it is not an ability By definition faith is more than we can do. 

Faith might start in the heart like love, it is more than love. 

Faith might start as hope, but it is more than hope.

Faith is more than optimism.

Faith is more than confidence.

Faith comes from the gut.  The gut that knows that even though we are at our end, there is one whom we can trust who has more planned for us. 

Faith comes from the gut that inexplicably trusts that even when we can’t see God, can.

Even when we are at a dead end, we can completely trust God to carry us to the unseen beyond. 

Faith comes from a gut that knowns that when we and everything around us crumbles there is one in whom we can trust completely. God almighty.

 

 The great Quaker theologian D Elton Trueblood, whom Robyn and I had the honor of knowing… said “Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.”