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| Get thee hence! |
The First Sunday in Lent.
The
Collect.
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O
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LORD who for our sake didst fast
forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our
flesh being subdued to the Spirit we may ever obey thy godly motions in
righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and
reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
And due to the rubric, the Collect for the Day is
followed by the Collect for Ash Wednesday, which is found on Page 124:
The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday.
The
Collect.
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A
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LMIGHTY and
everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the
sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite
hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our
wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and
forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the
Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.
Gospel
(Matt 4:1-11)
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T
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HEN was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he
was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be
the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and
said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy
city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou
be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels
charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any
time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written
again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up
into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world,
and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee,
if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee
hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him
only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and
ministered unto him.
The Collect for today aptly points out the cardinal principle of Lent – a time
to abstain from the material blessings to which we have become so accustomed in
order to focus on that Passover sacrifice which Christ made of us on Good
Friday. A staff officer to General Robert E. Lee once asked, “General, how oft
ought a man to fast from eating?” to which General Lee responded, “If a man
will but fast from his sins, he may eat what he pleases.” Simple enough, but
who is able to keep that fast from sins? The Collect reveals not only that we
should fast from time to time, but also it informs that our fast is personal
and not public. Holiness is a personal quality and not one of which we should
boast. Once we begin to boast to others of what we forego during fast, we have
lost whatever blessing God would grant and have opted for the reward of a good
opinion from our fellows. I urge each of us to read the Gospel for Morning
Prayer today from Matthew 6:1-16 for a deeper understanding of Christ’s counsel
on fasting and the means by which we are to keep our fast secret as we do our
personal prayers. In this way, we will avoid the sin of the Pharisee in
boasting of his better worth than the publican at the Temple.
Today’s text is about temptation and how to overcome it. I will begin by
relating, as an illustration, an old tale my father gave me in a book entitled,
Hall Caine, in Proem to the Bondman. It was long ago that I read
the legend, but it has remained vividly branded upon my mind.
“There is an old world legend, probably from Northumbria in Britain, which
tells of a man who believed himself to be plagued and pursued by a troll. His
fields had been burned, his barn unroofed, his cattle destroyed, his lands
blasted, and his firstborn tragically slain. So he lay in wait for the monster
where it lived in the chasm near his house, and in the darkness of night he
spotted the culprit. With a loud cry he rushed upon it and gripped it about the
waist, and it turned upon him and held him by the shoulder. Long he wrestled
with it, reeling, staggering, falling, and rising again; but at length a flood
of strength came to him and he overthrew it and stood over it, covering it in
his shadow, conquering it, with his back across his thigh and his right hand
grasping tightly its throat. Then he drew his knife to kill it, and it was then
that a ray of moonlight shown through a parting of the clouds, opening an alley
of light about it, and he saw its face – and, lo, the face of the troll was
his own!”
The point of this story is that, most often, the greatest devil that besets us
is deep within our own souls. We cannot conquer that old self that destroys our
health and ravishes our wealth, but the Lord Jesus Christ can, and WILL, if we
but place our faith and trust in His able Hands.
So now is the time to enter upon the Lenten Season with earnest. Is it a time
of sorrow and remorse? Yes, it is such a time. But it is also a time of deep
love and joy that you are so much loved that a Personage so great as the only
Begotten Son of God loves you so much as to die such a horrible and humiliating
death for you. As the Epistle for today reads: “….behold, now is the
accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation;) giving no offence in any
thing, that the ministry be not blamed: but in all things approving ourselves
as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in
distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings,
in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the
Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by
the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and
dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; as
unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as
chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet
making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (2
Cor 6:2b-10) Do we even imagine what riches are made available to us through
the privileges merited for us by Christ?
Being covenanted as infants into the Kingdom of Heaven through Baptism, many of
us may not recall that work of grace performed on our behalf; however, did we
not seal those promises and that grace at the time of our Confirmation? In the
years of our lives before Confirmation (or even adult baptism) did we not grow
in, as did Jesus from twelve years of age, wisdom and favor with God? And
Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
(Luke 2:52)
Today’s Gospel from St Matthew IV: 1-11 contains some cardinal truths that
should aid us in keeping a Christian witness as well as in overcoming
temptation.
1. We must remember
that Christ was forever sinless though subject to temptation just as you or I.
Could Jesus have sinned? Of course, Jesus COULD have sinned, had He succumbed
to temptation, else there could have been NO temptation to sin. But Jesus did
not sin, though tempted in every way as you and I are tempted. For we
have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
(Heb 4:15) So how did Christ OVERCOME temptation? This we shall learn from
today’s text. If you have read it thoughtfully, you will already have
discovered the Approach Christ took to temptation.
2. We should note, secondly, that, though Christ
was forever without sin, His ministry did not begin until the moment of His
Baptism in Jordan Waters. Following John’s Baptism of Christ, confirmed
and attested by the Voice of God and the Holy Ghost, there was a great CHANGE
in the direction of His life. This was the point in time that the ministry of
Christ began in earnest. The Holy Trinity, it will be acknowledge, was present
at the Baptism of Christ just as with your own. Baptism and confirmation in the
Gospel of Christ should result in a change of our behaviors. Has it done in
your life?
3. We must, thirdly, observe that the same Holy
Spirit that witnessed the Baptism and glorious recognition of God of Christ was
the same which drove Christ into the wilderness (a place of private fasting). Then
was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil
The day that we agreed, with our eyes open, to follow Christ was a wonderful
day in our lives and one which was worthy of celebration, was it not? At that
hour, did not the Holy Spirit attest to us in our heart of the greatness of our
calling in Christ? But, that same Spirit will, at times, drive us into the
Wilderness of our Christian walk. Like Job, we shall undergo want and testing.
If we falter not, we shall overcome to the joy of the angels in Heaven.
4. Can we agree that the Wilderness of life can
be a place of great want. When our souls and our flesh are in great want, we
are made our weakest. When is it that Satan considers the moment most opportune
to tempt us? At our moments of weakness. So he tempted Christ when He was in
want of bread and water. You will note that Satan did not approach Christ at
the beginning, or at the middle of His forty days and nights, but at the end of
that period when Christ would have been most susceptible to temptation. So
Satan deals with us. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and
forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And
when the tempter came to him…..” Satan knows you. He watches day
and night. He knows your moments of weakness, and he strikes at those moments
whether it be moments of great loneliness, sickness, financial loss, or even
success and opulence. He cannot read your heart as does God, but he has
witnessed your actions. He will always come to you in the Wilderness as well as
on the high mountain.
5. Fifthly, we must note that Satan loves to
initiate his temptation with a question. “Yea, hath God said…”
(Gen 3:1) Absolute truths have never been Satan’s strongholds, but if he can
only create doubt and question, then he knows he is on fertile ground to turn
our hearts from righteousness. As Satan approaches Christ, he opens his
deleterious argument with a cunning question: “If thou be the Son of
God.” There was no question in Satan’s mind as to whom he was
speaking, but the “if” is uttered to tempt the pride of Jesus. “IF” you are the
Son of God, PROVE IT! Pride is the devil’s axe handle. So Satan loves to create
doubt and question. When you have served God faithfully, and the storms of life
descend, and thunder booms down from Heaven in response to your prayers, do you
not wonder, “Does God really care for me? If so, why do I suffer, as did Job,
these terrors?” When you ask the question, you are simply falling for Satan’s
trap.
6. Please observe with me how Christ handles the
temptation of Satan: If thou be the Son of God, command that these
stones be made bread. Christ is literally famished for hunger.
Bread would be such a delight at this moment, but not at the terrible cost
Satan would exact. So Christ is tempted three times during this confrontation.
What is the common thread that runs through all three responses of Christ? IT IS WRITTEN! When
this nine-tailed fox confronts you with a question, where can you find the answer
for his question? In God’s Word – IT IS WRITTEN!
This was the response of Christ in all three temptations of the Adversary. When
men and society tempt us to compromise on lifestyles and values, where do we
find the answer for our retort? The Bible! It
is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
No we do not live by bread alone, but the Bread of Heaven! We cannot pick and
choose which counsel of God to obey. We must obey ALL of God’s counsel! We live
“…by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God. Any questions Mr. High Churchman? Any questions,
Higher Critics? Any questions, revisers of God’s Word (NIV, NASB, ESV, TEB,
etc)? But couldn’t we accommodate those two men who wish to be in a “meaningful
relationship?” What saith God’s Holy Word throughout both Old and New Testament
– it is abomination before the Lord! So what of abortion for the sake of saving
a young unwed mother a lot of grief? What of God’s counsel against adultery, or
murder? Shall we obey God or man?
7. It must be known by the people of God that
Satan not only twists Scripture, but also quotes it accurately at times with a
twisted meaning. 5 Then the devil taketh him up
into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And
saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is
written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their
hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a
stone. Please note the correct quote of Psalms 91:11-12. How
many devils have we in the pulpit today doing the devil’s service by
misapplication of Scripture via the name-it-and-claim-it so-called gospel? In
this particular instance, Satan is tempting, not only Christ, but God the
Father as well. Have you ever tempted God” “O, Lord, if you are truly
there, please give me this one desire of my heart.” Does this prayer not tempt
God to prove Himself. If we pray in such a manner, it is likely that God will,
indeed, prove Himself; but in a way that we would rather He not do. 7 Jesus
said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt
not tempt the Lord thy God. Even the Son of God did not tempt the Father, and
neither should we!
8. In the next passages, in the final
temptation, we learn that Satan will promise ANYTHING – even that which he is
unable to deliver – to cause us to sin. 8 Again,
the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all
the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And
saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and
worship me. If we lose our souls to the devil, does it even matter
if we inherit the kingdoms of this world, and even if Satan cannot deliver
them? For what is a man profited, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul? (Matt 16:26 (KJV) There is no quicker, or
surer, way to lose your soul than to bend the knee to Satan. With the loss of
soul goes all other possessions (including kingdoms). 10 Then
saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan:
for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou
serve.
What did we
learn from this last temptation of Christ is the Wilderness Fast? Even good
friends, such as the disciple Peter, may act and speak the devil’s part. Then
Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord:
this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me:
for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. ( Matthew 16:23) Our very best friends are
capable of tempting us as Satan does. Whether spoken by friend or foe, we must
rebuke the devil’s temptations with the Word of God. We learn also from this
last temptation that the Christian is sanctified, by and by, by the Word of
God. He grows stronger in the face of temptation. The devil values his time
highly for he is anxious to find other souls to lead astray. If we constantly
rebuke him with the Word of God, he will finally give up this moment of
temptation and come to us less often to tempt us. .
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and
ministered unto him. The devil will leave off tempting those who
stand staunchly by the Word of God. Then what? God will comfort us in the joy
of our faith.
So we have learned from
Christ today that there is a time given over for private (wilderness) fasting.
The Wilderness is just as much of God as is the Green Pastures. We learn
further that the devil will always come to us in our times of stress and need.
We learned that he loves to cause doubt and question in our hearts. We learned
that we are defenseless before Satan unless we resort to that mighty Sword of
the Lord – His Word. And finally we learned that every time we resist
temptation, we grow stronger – so much so that each succeeding temptation
becomes less of temptation to us, and the devil will tempt us less as a result.
How about you, friends, are you very often tempted, or have you discovered that
temptations come less often when you rebuke the devil to his face with God’s
Word?
