When we get to the part of the Passion History that unfolds the details of Judas betraying Jesus, do you ever find yourself thinking, 'how could Judas have done what he did?' I mean come on: The eyes of Judas saw leprous skin suddenly return to normal! The ears of Judas were filled with words that came from the very lips of Jesus! The tongue of Judas tasted the wine that was turned from water, his tongue tasted some of the bread and fish that fed the 5,000! The legs of Judas felt the boat return to normal when Jesus told the storm to quiet down. And who knows (or who 'nose')? Just to run the full gammut of the 5 senses - Judas may have even smelled Jesus' feet as they removed their sandals to rest after a long day of walking and talking! We don't know for sure that Judas was an eyewitness to all these miracles (also not saying that smelling Jesus' feet would have necessarily been miraculous), but the point is that Judas was about as close to Jesus as you can get, physically speaking, and in the end Judas ended up going with a sack of coins over Jesus.
The 2nd lesson for this upcoming Sunday comes from I Corinthians 10. I'll read verses 11-13: 11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." In the first part of chapter 10 we are reminded of how God was very hands-on in the life of the Children of Israel. You could say that the Israelites, like Judas, were spoiled spiritually. The eyes of the Israelites saw God's presence among them in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The ears of the Israelites heard the wailing after God inflicted the plagues on the Egyptians. The tongues of the Israelites tasted the miracle manna and quail. The feet of the Israelites felt the dry ground of the Red Sea as they crossed, walking through that hallway with water for walls. And yet the majority of the Children of Israel chose to follow idols instead of following God's commands!
How about us in the 20th and 21st century? Our eyes are able to search Scripture in its entirety, with all its cross references. Our foreheads feel the water of baptism as the Holy Spirit enters us. Our ears have been hearing the Word of God for years, for many of us, from when we were in diapers. Our tongues taste the bread and wine in communion together with the body and blood of Jesus. And yet the majority of our confirmands within a short time after making their confirmation vows end up living the life of an unbeliever.
"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" As firm as the children of Israel should have been, as firm as Judas should have been, as firm as a new confirmand should be, as firm as we feel we are - all can fall! As it is stated in I Peter, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The 'someone' that the devil is looking for isn't the unbeliever - they are already devoured, and there's no sense in devouring something that's already devoured. No, the roaring lion is looking for somone like an Israelite, or someone like a Judas, or someone like you or like me.
Ecclesiastes tells us that, "there is nothing new under the sun." Satan doesn't use any new strategy - just variations on the same old. Borrowing a cliche' from sports, Our best defense, against the devil, is a good offense. Just like a professional athlete will spend countless hours studying the film of their opponent to get a good idea of how they operate, so we should be spending time studying the tactics of the devil. Thankfully we have all the 'film' we need in the pages of Scripture. "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us..." Are we doing enough film study?
Even if we turn out to be 'All Star' or 'Hall of Fame' fighters against the devil, by ourselves we are no match for satan. But we have God's promise that He 'has our back,' here when it comes to temptation. "He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear...He will also provide a way out..." Because God has promised to do this, we can boldly and confidently go to Him in prayer and ask that He carry out His promise regarding temptation in our lives. Let's do that now!
Dear God,
Remind us that no Christian is safe from the assaults of that prowling lion, the devil, in fact we should expect to be assaulted. We are able to learn what kinds of assaults the devil uses by getting into your Word, and we pray for the ambition to get into your Word and to get learning. You tell us that we are able to survive the assaults of Satan, not because of our own strength, but only because you are faithful. Help us to stand firm!
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Adam has the privilege of serving as the Choir Director at Jordan Lutheran Church (WELS), located in West Allis, WI, just a few blocks from State Fair Park. The choir is comprised of more than a dozen ambitious individuals who rehearse every Thursday evening and edify Worship every other Sunday. Before they begin rehearsing, they get a little injection of God's Word - using the devotions found here.
No comments:
Post a Comment