Do You Really Believe In demons?

Comedian Bill Cosby has recently been in the news, because of alleged rape allegations.

"As Mark Whitaker’s recent Cosby biography makes clear, the man has his demons. He had affairs while on the road and there have been bumps in his long marriage to his wife, Camille."

When I read that article I wondered how literally Mark Whitaker means for us to take the phrase "the man has his demons." It is quite common actually. Australian columnist Tim Boyle writes of tennis player Andy Murray,

'To care for Andy the performer, you have to first look past his manifest demons on the court, his tireless and inexplicable companies."

This is, after all, merely a way of talking, is it not? It is symbolic in nature. It refers to strange and inexplicable actions and lifestyles, not actual influence by real, but unseen spirits.

Very few Americans believe in any way that demons and Satan are real. In a 2009 nationwide survey of adults' spiritual beliefs conducted by the Barna Group four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan "is not a living being but a symbol of evil. An additional two out of ten (19%) said they "agree somewhat with that perspective. Only a minority of Christians believe that Satan is real (26%).  And, for that matter, most Christians do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force, either.

It appears that we Americans have come a long way from the New Testament view of life. From the perspective of the Gospel writers and the letters of the Apostles demons are everywhere. Before Jesus began his public ministry, after 40 days of fasting, we read of his struggle with the Prince of Darkness himself:

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. - Matt. 4:1-11 ESV

As his ministry began, Jesus set up his headquarters in Capernaum, a fishing village on the shore of the inland sea of Galilee. As was his custom, he went to the synagogue there on the Sabbath. The people were impressed. He taught them "as one who had authority, and not as the scribes" - Mark 1:22.  But one among them was definitely not impressed. As soon as Jesus started teaching he leaped to his feet and began shouting at Jesus,

"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God." - Mark 1:24 ESV

Evidently the members of that synagogue had been putting up with this guy for some time. I'm guessing they didn't know what to do with him or how to shut him up. Mark records, however, that Jesus saw at once that what was happening was more than a man out of control. He addressed the demon within, rather than the man himself.

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. - Mark 1:25-26 ESV

Unclean spirit? What's that? In nearly a hundred times the Bible speaks of unclean things. In particular Moses wrote about (1) certain foods, (2) contact with human or certain animal dead bodies, and (3) various bodily conditions and diseases. The concept pointed to how sin pervades this material world and prevents one from being completely and totally committed to God—the idea included in the command,

"You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine." - Lev 20:26 ESV

Jesus' encounter with the man possessed by an unclean spirit and his successful resistance of the devil himself is a stark reminder that there are indeed unseen spiritual forces at work in our midst and often in the dark corners of our hearts. They oppose all that Jesus' teaches and does. And they are hard at work to lead us to adopt their views and ways. We all are therefore strongly advised to be prepared for such encounters, as the Apostle Paul wrote,

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. - Eph 6:12-13 ESV

I Walk In Danger All The Way

In my last post we heard the Hebrews writer urge us to move on. And "this we will do if God permits," - Hebrews 6:3 ESV. However, this is not possible for those who have fallen away. Listen:

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. - Hebrews 6:4-8 ESV

But why? Many of us think of friends and relatives in this connection. They were once with us in the faith. We witnessed their baptisms. We worshipped and prayed with them. We worked with them in the Kingdom. But now they "have fallen away" and we are praying fervently for them to repent, turn away from their contempt for Jesus. Surely they can yet return to Him and be saved with us. Oh God, please, please make it so!

But he says "it is impossible." Why? Consider his teaching very carefully. He draws an analogy to worthless land. This is similar to Jesus' analogy in His Sermon on the Mount about salt.

"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. - Mat 5:13 ESV

Table salt, of course, is sodium chloride, a very stable compound. Stored dry it cannot "lose its taste." It can becomes diluted with water or a person can lose his ability to taste it. Taste buds may no longer function properly. In either case, the saltiness cannot be restored. Something has changed. Consequently you might as well throw the salt outside and let people trample on it. It does no good.

In like manner, consider the writer's analogy of land. Jesus also gave us a parable of the human heart as soil upon which the Good Seed of God's Word is spread.

"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." - Mark 4:3-9 ESV

In His explanation the Lord warns us that Satan is ever at work to confuse, twist, pervert and corrupt God's Good Word of the Gospel. He further explains how some who hear God's Word of love and forgiveness in Christ fall away when they face trials and persecution. The faith of yet others is choked out  by the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things rather than Jesus. Our old enemies, the devil, the world and our sinful flesh, are always at work.

All this is a sober warning to each one of us. Going on to maturity in Christ is one thing, but be assured,  it is no easy task. As the hymn says, "I walk in danger all the way." However, the same hymn concludes with these comforting words:

        4. I walk with angels all the way,
        They shield me and befriend me;
        All Satan's power is held at bay
        When heavenly hosts attend me;
        They are my sure defense,
        All fear and sorrow, hence!
        Unharmed by foes, do what they may,
        I walk with angels all the way.

        5. I walk with Jesus all the way,
        His guidance never fails me;
        Within His wounds I find a stay
        When Satan's power assails me;
        And by His footsteps led,
        My path I safely tread.
        In spite of ills that threaten may,
        I walk with Jesus all the way.

        6. My walk is heavenward all the way;
        Await my soul, the morrow,
        When thou shalt find release for aye
        From all thy sin and sorrow.
        All worldly pomp, begone!
        To heaven I now press on.
        For all the world I would not stay;
        My walk is heavenward all the way.

Meanwhile, we will not cease to pray for our sons, daughters, parents and friends who seem to have lost their faith. We do not know their hearts. While they are on this earth, there is yet hope, as Jesus said to Peter and the other apostles,

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." - Luke 22:31-32 ESV

Permit The LORD To Deliver You

As noted in my previous post, the devil has a multitude of weapons with which to tempt and lead us away from faith and trust in God and into misbelief, despair and eternal death. This is why the LORD Jesus instructs us to pray and to pray specifically, "deliver us from the evil one" (Matt. 6:13). The challenge is for us to allow the LORD to do the delivering, as indeed He always will. A Biblical story from 2 Kings 18-19 serves to illustrate this important fact about our prayers for deliverance. 

Hezekiah was a descendant of Israel's great King David and reigned over Judah toward the end of the 8th century B.C., during the time when the Assyrian empire was consolidating its control of Palestine and Syria. In spite of his father's pledged loyalty to Assyria, King Hezekiah led a rebellion against the Assyrians and gained the support of the Egyptians. Of course, Assyria under King Sennacherib (705-681 B.C.) returned to retake Judah. Sennacherib finally put down the rebellion in 701 B.C., overrunning Judah and taking 46 of its walled cities. 

Hezekiah sought to spare Jerusalem from capture by paying a heavy tribute of gold and silver to the Assyrians. This was in vain. The Assyrians demanded unconditional surrender and moved on the city. This is where the story really picks up. Sennacherib's emissaries came to Jerusalem, threatening Hezekiah and the people in the city, mocking their trust in the LORD, the God of Israel: 

And the Rabshakeh said to Hezekiah's emissaries, "Say to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? Behold, you are trusting now in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. . . Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it! . . . "Thus says the king (Sennacherib): ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria’" - 2Ki 18:19-29 ESV

This taunt was Sennacherib's fatal mistake. It is always Satan's error and one we must take to heart again and again. Temptations to doubt, to follow the desires of our sinful hearts or the wishes of the sinful world will always come. We will be attacked. We cannot fight them alone. In that hour remember again the Apostle's instructions to put on the full armor: truth, righteousness, Gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God (Eph. 6:11-12). When the LORD arises to battle the devil must flee. And then remember this story as an illustration of what the LORD is able to do. 

By challenging the Lord of all creation, the Assyrian king found himself like an ant challenging an elephant. God's comforting words to King Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah were these: 

"Say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.'" - 2Ki 19:6-7 ESV

King Hezekiah prayed fervently for the LORD to deliver them. The LORD spoke further through Isaiah: 

"Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel! . . . "Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should turn fortified cities into heaps of ruins . . . But I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come into my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came. . . . By the way that he came, by the same he (Sennacherib) shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD. - 2Ki 19:22, 25, 27-28, 33 ESV

That night, an angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 in the Assyrian camp. Jerusalem was spared. The Assyrians had to retreat. When Sennacherib returned home to Nineveh, as he was worshiping in the house of the Assyrian god of agriculture, Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. - 2Ki 19:37 ESV

As we have seen, the LORD permits Satan and his forces to attack us. He puts us to the test. Will we or will we not put our entire trust in Him? If we learn to do that, then Satan and his forces will be defeated. The LORD Jesus taught us that when the devil attacked him in the wilderness at the beginning of his public ministry (Matt. 4:1-11)

Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. - Mat 4:10-11 ESV

We have the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. We have the shield of faith and we have the sure promises of our LORD, promises that Satan sought to twist and misuse when he tempted Jesus. 

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. - Psa 91:11-12 ESV

Make No Mistake, The Devil Is Real

The final petition in our LORD's prayer asks not merely for deliverance from some vague general evil in this world, but specifically for deliverance from the evil one. So we read in the NKJV, NLT, NIV, ASV and HNV.

And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.

Of course there are those who reject the very thought of the evil one or the Devil. For instance, Dherbs.com confidently announces,

The Devil really only exists in the mind, the mind of man. The Devil is the concept and construct of man. That's who made the Devil. The mind of man made the Devil (idea and image) just as the mind of man made God (idea and image of).

And again Kevin Williams  webmaster of Near-Death.com, writes,

Evil and the devil do not exist. What people consider evil is really ignorance. Hitler was not an evil man. He was just so incredibly ignorant that he was practically retarded at a spiritual level. Such people are to be pitied and our unconditional love should extended even to him, because it is hard to hate a retarded person. 

Of course, to maintain that position you will have to argue with most of the authors of the Bible as well as the LORD Jesus Himself. Repeatedly Jesus referred to the devil as a real being. Matthew records what Jesus surely shared about what happened at the beginning of his ministry when he "was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil "(Matt. 4:1-11).

At the end of Jesus' ministry, the devil tempted Judas to betray Jesus. Jesus knew it was Judas and said as much to John, who had been urged by Peter to ask Jesus to whom he had referred.

Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." - Jhn 13:26-27 ESV

Judas then went off to tell the plotting priests and Jewish Sanhedrin where Jesus would be found.

This powerful being is the leader of the rebel spirits that seek to control this world. You may find more about Satan and his demonic host in earlier posts and links under The God Of This World. In my post about Lucifer I wrote,

One thing is certain. The devil is real. He is truly the "ruler of this world" and the source of evil, death and rebellion against God. Jesus met him head on when the henchmen of the Sanhedrin captured Jesus and dragged him to their mock trial. He said, "But this is your hour, and the power of darkness"(Luke 22:53). The ruler of this world had no claim on Jesus, of course (John 14:30). In that hour that same ruler was defeated on the cross. And now we who have been called to faith in Jesus are delivered "from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of the Father's beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). 

As we await our final deliverance, freedom and resurrection, we continue to pray, "Our Father, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen."

Satan Cannot Stand Against The Mighty Word

The third and final temptation our Lord Jesus faced from the devil was to bow down to the god of this world who promised Jesus everything. All he had to do was worship the devil.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" - Mat 4:8-10 ESV

What is Matthew telling us when he says that the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain? I've been to the top of a high mountain in Colorado, but I could not see all the kingdoms of the world. Perhaps Satan took the Lord there in spirit. Perhaps he filled his imagination with high and lofty visions.

"Imagine! Just imagine all the kingdoms of the world—the vast Roman empire, the Ethiopians, the Persians, the strange kingdoms of the orient, the Egyptians and on and on—imagine all of them bowing before you. I can make that happen. I am the ruler of this world. I have all this power. In many devious ways I control what these people do, how they think and what they want. And I can give them all to you." 

How often kings and emperors have fallen into this trap. In their pride they boast as did King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

"Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?" - Dan 4:28, 30 ESV

You and I may have no such lofty visions. And yet . . . we all may have dreams of glory and power, of some small kingdom, some kind of recognition, some control, some wealth, some happiness. But how? Then comes the whispered temptation to bow down and worship the god of this world. Follow his ways and this will all be yours. So the vision grows.

The record of people falling into such temptations is written in every daily newspaper or media report. Lie, murder, cheat, steal, deceive, break promises—do whatever it takes to make it, get what you want. Bow down to Satan and it will be yours. Here are but a few of today's headlines:

• Jail, Probation for 76-Year-Old Mom in 1957 Murder
• NJ Pastor Convicted of Attempted Murder; Stabbed Mistress 28 Times
• Jodi Arias Takes The Stand For Cross-examination In Her Murder Case
• Cannibal Cop Trial To Start In New York
• NYC Man Arrested in Meat Cleaver Attack

And so it goes, day after day, from city to city, country to country. The god of this world successfully tempts and controls millions with his false promises. He tried his wiles on the Lord Jesus. But Jesus showed us how to resist. He turned again to the written Word of God. He quotes Moses.

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ... It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—- Deu 6:4-5, 13-14 ESV

Jesus is that LORD who brought Israel out of Egypt. But even more than that He brought us out of the bondage of death and eternal separation from our Creator by His death upon the cross. In Him we have forgiveness and life. When tempted to turn to the ways of this world and the methods of this world's god, we take hold of the written Word. Before it Satan cannot stand. He must flee from the terrifying Sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17). 

Why Do We Pray, "Lead Us Not Into Temptation"?

Again and again we Christians pray to our Father in heaven to "lead us not into temptation." Since we know he does not tempt us to sin, why pray such a prayer at all? This is a puzzle I'd like to help us solve as we move into this Lenten season of penitence. Let's start by looking at the petition itself.

. . . And lead us not into temptation." - Luke 11:4 and Matt. 6:14 ESV

The word translated as lead is eispherō in Greek. In the N.T. we find the word in a variety of contexts. 

• some men brought in their paralyzed friend to Jesus - Luke 5:18-19
• Jesus advises his disciples not to be anxious about what to say when rulers and authorities bring you before them - Luke 12:11
• The Athenians were quite fascinated by the strange teaching Paul brought them - Acts 17:19
• Timothy is to remind his flock that "we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of it - 1 Tim. 6:7
• Just as the bodies of sacrificial animals brought into the holy places by the high priest were burned outside the camp, so Jesus suffered outside the gate - Hebr. 13:11-12

It seems Jesus teaches us to petition our Father not to bring us into temptation. Is he thereby reminding us that the Father does in fact bring us to places or situations where we might be tempted to disobey or reject Him? It is interesting to note that this is precisely what the Father did with Jesus. We hear about it at the very beginning of his public ministry. Jesus must have reported it to his disciples, because it was a very solitary encounter between himself and his arch-enemy, Satan himself. The account is found in Matt. 4:1-11. Its about what he experienced after his 40-day fast. More about that in later posts. 

It appears that the devil and his minions are always roaming about like hungry lions on the prowl and we who follow Jesus are the juicy meat they desire (1 Peter 5:8). Add to that the fact that our sinful human nature loves to join the demons in giving in to the temptations and we live in a world filled with equally sinful men. Given all that, why would our Father in heaven bring us into temptation or allow us to be tempted as was His Son? What's the point?

Let's go back to the petition and read the whole sentence this time. 

. . . And lead us not into temptation, BUT deliver us from evil - Matt. 6:14

A couple things to note: 

• Luke's version of the prayer does not have "but deliver us from evil" (Luke 11:4)
• Matthew's version actually has τοῦ ponēros - the evil one

What Jesus teaches is that we will be tempted by the evil one, the devil or those personal demons assigned to us. This wrestling and fighting is bound to happen in this world controlled and led by the devil, the real god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). The Father does not take us out of the world, but rather permits us to be tempted in order that we may grow in faith and trust. He wants us to grow up in Christ. This is part of the discipling process, the training for life here and now AND for the life we will live in the age to come. It is proof that we are His children. Here's what we're told: 

In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the encouragement that addresses you as sons? 

"My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." 

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. - Hbr 12:4-11 ESV

So lift up your dangling, droopy hands and brace your weakened, wobbly knees. Get back on the straight path so your lame legs won't be put out of joint, but will heal. And focus on Jesus who endured such testing, personal attacks, hostility and eventually the cross for us. And always remember that he will not allow us to be tested beyond our strength, but will with the trial also provide a way out.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. - 1Cor 10:13 ESV

More about temptation in my next post. 

I'll Do It My Way!

During this Lenten season I am proclaiming God's Word at a small congregation of Lutherans in an area village. Today I invite you to join me as I work on that meditation. The series of sermons I'm developing is based upon the temptations of Jesus by the 'god of this world,' the devil, as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11. This week we'll focus on the first lie of the tempter, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

Note that our Lord spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness. This points back to the 40 days and nights Moses originally spent on the mountain when he wrote the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone (Exodus 24:12-18). The people of Israel rebelled against the Lord while he was up there, forcing Aaron to create a calf of gold, an idol they began to worship as the god who had delivered them from slavery. The LORD was so angry He wanted to destroy them all, including Moses' brother Aaron. But Moses returned to the mountain to pray for these stubborn, stiff-necked people for 40 days and nights (Deut.9:8-29). Now Jesus has just completed 40 days of fasting and prayer for all of mankind, including you and me.

Jesus is the LORD of the Covenant who has come among us to pray for us and to give battle to the tempter. The devil tempted Jesus in the same manner he tempted Israel when the LORD brought them out of bondage and slavery in Egypt. No sooner had they escaped than they began to complain, "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (Exodus 16:3). That was when the LORD, in His abundant grace and forgiveness, covered the camp with quail and began to give them their strange daily bread they called Manna—which means, "What is it?"(Exodus 16:4-36).

I find the adjective 'stiff-necked' to be an apt description of us all. It originally referred to an ox or a donkey that would not yield to the directions of its driver. The animal that insisted on going its own way would stiffen his neck. So do we all. Should the LORD test our faith by causing us any difficulties, we are inclined to stiffen our necks. This is not my way of doing things. Why has God brought these problems into my life? It isn't fair. It's not right.

And yet the LORD gives us our daily bread and provides us abundantly with all we need for this body and this life, even though we grumble, complain and gripe about what we do not have. In his explanation of the Lord's prayer petition, "Give us this day our daily bread," Dr. Luther urges us to receive this bread with thanksgiving and praise. We do not deserve it—in the least since we are stiff-necked sinners to the core. And yet He gives us spouses, homes, family, children, parents, work to do, good government and a land filled with blessings.

Back to the temptation, "If you are the Son of God . . . "

Jesus had been baptized in the Jordan and the Spirit had descended upon Him. The Father had spoken from heaven to declare, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." But now comes the tempter to plant doubts in Jesus' heart. After all, He had not eaten in 40 days and He was hungry, to say the very least. Why should He hunger any longer? He was, after all, the Son of God and that must imply that He had the power to turn stones into bread. So get on with it, Jesus. Do it. Carpe diem, seize the day. You have within you the power. Do what you need and want. I'm reminded of Frank Sinatra's famous song, "My Way."

And now, the end is near, 

And so I face the final curtain. 

My friends, I'll say it clear; 

I'll state my case of which I'm certain. 

I've lived a life that's full - 

I've travelled each and every highway. 

And more, much more than this, 

I did it my way. 

Regrets? I've had a few, 

But then again, too few to mention. 

I did what I had to do 

And saw it through without exemption. 

I planned each charted course - 

Each careful step along the byway, 

And more, much more than this, 

I did it my way. 

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew, 

When I bit off more than I could chew, 

But through it all, when there was doubt, 

I ate it up and spit it out. 

I faced it all and I stood tall 

And did it my way. 

I've loved, I've laughed and cried, 

I've had my fill - my share of losing. 

But now, as tears subside, 

I find it all so amusing. 

To think I did all that, 

And may I say, not in a shy way - 

Oh no. Oh no, not me. 

I did it my way. 

For what is a man? What has he got? 

If not himself - Then he has naught. 

To say the things he truly feels 

And not the words of one who kneels. 

The record shows I took the blows 

And did it my way. 

Yes, it was my way. 

LORD Jesus, in our baptism you have taken us into Your death and out of death into Your life. Truly, we are Your children by Your undeserved grace and mercy. So Lord, teach us humility and give us the power of Your Spirit. Help us, we pray, to humble ourselves before You and accept with praise and thanksgiving all the You give us, even those times when You allow our faith in You to be tested. In the moment of trials and temptations teach us to pray as did you, "Not my will, but Yours be done." For we have learned from Your most holy Word that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from Your mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3).

Dying to Live

Lent begins next week with Ash Wednesday. This year I am providing bulletin inserts explaining the meaning of Baptism in our lives. The first of these follows:

For 40 days, from Ash Wednesday to Palm or Passion Sunday and Holy Week, we prepare our hearts to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (Easter). Since we never cease to celebrate His Resurrection on the first day of the week, Sundays are not numbered as part of the 40 days in Lent, this time of lengthening light. During these days we focus upon the daily task of dying with Christ so that we may rise with Him to a new life of faith and obedience.

Why 40 days? St. Matthew writes, “Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting 40 days and 40 nights.” Jesus chose not to eat for 40 days so that He might recall His forefathers’ 40 years of testing in the wild on their journey to Rest (Sabbath). They failed the Test. They never made it to the Promised Land. Jesus passed the Test for us all by humbling Himself and submitting to the will of His Father.

We too are tested—daily—to denounce our faith in our heavenly Father’s goodness, mercy and love. In our Baptism Christ calls us to follow Him by dying to the many ways we are tempted by the Devil, the surrounding world and our own sinful and rebellious nature to disobey God’s commands, to despair of His mercy and to bow before the empty idols of our culture. These 40 days are an opportunity to examine our hearts carefully, accept forgiveness for our sins, and rise with Christ to a new life. Dying and rising again with Christ is the daily life of a baptized believer.