"Tests
and Temptations" based on Genesis 22:1-18 and Mark 1:12-13
First
Sunday in Lent,
Pastor
Troy Slater, Our
What's the difference between a test
and a temptation? A
test and a temptation? And when I
say "test" I'm not talking about some type of true/false or multiple
choice exam that you would take at school but rather I'm talking about those
things that come up in life - those situations - the trials and tribulations -
that test our character or our faith in God.
What's the difference between a test and a temptation? …
Well,
let's look at this from a parent's perspective.
Say a child is reaching an age where the parent wants to give them a bit
more freedom and so say they relax a rule a bit at least for the time being to
see if the child can handle it. Say
maybe they allow their teenager an extra hour out on Friday night. From the parent's perspective this is a test
- an opportunity for the teenager to show that they can be trusted a bit more. And of course the parent wants the child to
pass the test, don't they? They want
them to succeed so that the bond of trust can be strengthened. But from the world's perspective, this is a
temptation, isn't it? I probably don't
need to go on about all the temptations that are out there just waiting for
teenagers to fall into. Temptations
bombard all of us and certainly our teenagers no less so. And so same situation - two
perspectives. For one it's a test
that they want the child to succeed at; from the other perspective it's a
temptation that others want the child to fail at - to give in to. …
Well today's
readings from Scripture talk a lot about tests and temptations. The Epistle from James begins, "Blessed is the man who perseveres
under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of
life." And then it says, "each one is
tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." And then the Old Testament lesson is the
story of that incredible test that God gave to Abraham as Abraham was to
sacrifice his own son. And the Gospel tells of the temptation of Jesus as
He "was in the desert forty days,
being tempted by Satan."
Now of course tests
and temptations are as old as
Now I suppose it
would be good to pause here and ask why God gives tests. I mean why even put that tree there in the
Garden? .. Well to go back to the example I used
earlier with the child and the parent, that bond of faith - that is, our faith
and trust in God is strengthened through life's tests. I imagine we can all think of those times
when the Lord has brought situations into our lives when all we could really do
is to trust in Him. We face a grim
diagnosis or a future without someone we care about or our means of financial
support is lost or in danger of being lost.
We know that God promises to "work all things together for the good
of His people" but we just can't see any way how this or that can work out
for any good. And I know it's hard, but
view it - view all of life - as an opportunity from God to teach you to rely
ever more and more on Him and His goodness.
Believe me, He does not disappoint.
Though we may not see the good that He brings out of it - at least not
on this side of heaven - we can know that He does work all things together for
the good of His people. Through all
things the Lord seeks to strengthen our faith in Him.
Or think of God's testings this way. Take the physical training that an
athlete undergoes. That training breaks
down the muscles so that they can grow back stronger, right? Well in a way that's what life's tests do
that God puts before us. They make us
stronger in that through it all, the Lord deepens our faith and trust in
Him. The author of the epistle to the
Hebrews puts it this way: "Endure
hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his
father? … No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of
righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." God tests us to strengthen our faith and
trust in Him. That tree in the Garden was
there to serve as a reminder to Adam and Eve that they didn't need it; a
reminder that the Lord God had already given them all they could possibly ever
need and even more. The tree was a test
to teach them to rely solely on God and His goodness to them. …
Now today's Old
Testament lesson is an excellent example of the kind of test that God used to
strengthen someone's faith and trust in Him.
And so let's look at it for a bit.
Try to put yourself in Abraham's shoes. You've trusted God with
your entire being - even leaving your homeland at the Lord's direction.
God has even been gracious to you and given you a son - a miracle child - at
the ripe old age of one hundred. Now, imagine that God appears to you and
says, "Take your son, your only son
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the
But how could
Abraham do this? … Well, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews tells
us. "By
faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to
sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said, 'It is through Isaac
that your offspring will be reckoned.' Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead,
and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death."
You see the key to Abraham's obedience was the Holy Spirit's gift of faith -
faith in the God who can even raise the dead.
Faith that God could and would still work according to
His good promises. Only by the
power of the Holy Spirit could this trial make Abraham's faith stronger as the
Lord God provided a sacrifice in place of Isaac. Abraham's faith in God was strengthened to
the point that in an act of faith and trust He named that place, "The Lord
will provide." "The Lord will
provide." I imagine that through
life's tests, many of us have learned that truth also. Yes the Lord will provide. …
Of course Satan can
turn life's tests into a temptation, can't he?
As he did with the tree with Adam and Eve. God put the tree in the middle of the garden
and by commanding them not to eat from it in effect said, "You don't need
this. I give you all you need. Trust me!" But Satan made it into a temptation. "You won't die. God just knows that when you eat of it your
eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil." In other words,
"God doesn't want what's best for you.
He's withholding something from you.
Find out what it is. Go ahead. Take a bite." Satan turned God's test into a temptation. In other words God tests but Satan
tempts. God tests in order to build us
up, but Satan tempts in order to tear us down.
God provides a way out as Scripture promises but Satan tries to trap us
as he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. …
Now, I would now
like to turn to our Gospel reading for this morning from Mark chapter 1 for
here we can find our only hope in all of this.
For truth is we all daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but
punishment, as we do give into the temptations of the evil one. So here in Mark 1 we read of our hope. For here we read of the devil directly
attacking Jesus for
forty days. Mark tells us that after Jesus' baptism by John in the
And before we start
saying, well, Jesus was God, he wasn't tempted like we are. And actually that's true. For truth is that Jesus was
tempted MORE than we are. I mean
any of us ever resisted all of Satan's direct and alluring temptations for 40
days? .. I don't think so. But Jesus did. Jesus resisted temptation to a point that we
never have. He wrestled with temptation
down to its absolute lowest level. Jesus
endured the full extent of the devil's tempting ability. He endured
everything that the devil could throw at Him. Everything. But yet, Jesus endured. He never sinned. That is how the author
to the Hebrews could state emphatically, "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." …
And of course the
temptation that we heard about in today's Gospel was not the end of the devil's
attacks against Jesus. Even to the end, Satan continued his
attacks. Even as Jesus hung on the cross for you and
for me "those who passed by derided
him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and
rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from that cross." So
also the chief priests and the elders mocked him saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of
Satan was totally defeated, for Jesus
never sinned - He never departed from his task of winning salvation for you and
for me - He never fell into temptation.
Of course the most startling proof for Jesus' victory happened just a
few days after Jesus died on the cross. The tomb where they laid His
lifeless body became empty. For He was not there, He had risen. If
He were guilty of even one sin, we would be able to visit the remains of Jesus
to this very day. But we can't. He isn't in the grave. He is
alive again. He is risen for He lived a perfect
life, died a sacrificial death, and rose again to certify His perfect victory
over sin, death, the devil, and all temptation. …
Temptation came and Jesus said
no. Satan came and Jesus won the victory
- even when that victory meant His own suffering and crucifixion. Jesus passed the test. Jesus won the victory.
And now He gives that victory to
you. Sin and temptation do now have the
power over you. Oh we will fail. We will fall into temptation. But because of Jesus - our substitute - that
temptation does not have the last word in our lives. Because of Jesus - our Savior - Satan doesn't
rule us and the world and our sinful nature cannot bring us eternally
down. Because of Jesus our sin is
forgiven and we will stand the test, we will stand in those gates of
heaven. All because of
Jesus and His victory for us. Amen.