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July 21, 2002
The Mother of All Temptations
Dealing with Powerlessness
Series Part 1
Speaker: Dave Gibbons
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit
to be tempted there by the Devil. 2 For forty days and forty
nights he ate nothing and became very hungry. 3 Then the Devil*
came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, change these stones
into loaves of bread." 4 But Jesus told him, "No!
The Scriptures say, `People need more than bread for their life; they
must feed on every word of God.'" 5 Then the Devil took
him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and
said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
`He orders his angels to protect you. And they will hold you with their
hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.'" 7
Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, `Do not test the Lord
your God.'" 8 Next the Devil took him to the peak of a
very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their
glory. 9 "I will give it all to you," he said, "if
you will only kneel down and worship me." 10 "Get
out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say,
`You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.'" 11
Then the Devil went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus.
What is your greatest temptation?
The Three Temptations
The Temptation of the Urgent
The Temptation of Challenge
The Temptation of Shortcuts
The Mother of All Temptations: Control
What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible? Maybe
it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love.
It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than
to love people, easier to own life than to love life. Jesus asks, "Do
you love me?" We ask, "Can we sit at your right hand and your
left hand in your Kingdom?" (Mt. 20:21)…. We have been tempted
to replace love with power.
- Henri Nouwen in Mornings with Henri J. M. Nouwen
A Post-Temptation Analysis
· Death Follows Water
· Nothing Like the Word
· Admit Your Powerlessness.
· Gain after the Pain
"Now here is my secret: I tell it to you with an openness of heart
that I doubt I shall ever achieve again, so I pray that you are in a quiet
room as you hear these words. My secret is that I need God--that I am
sick and can no longer make it alone. I need God to help me give, because
I no longer seem capable of giving; to help me be kind, as I no longer
seem capable of kindness; to help me love, as I seem beyond being able
to love".
- Life After God, Douglas Copeland
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