Sunday 9th March 2025
Deuteronomy 26: 1-11
Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16
Romans 10: 8b-13
St. Luke 4: 1-13
“For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and
so is saved.” Romans 10: 10
I imagine that in Anglican pulpit after Anglican pulpit in Canada this morning, preachers will be preaching about resisting temptation… No wonder – for today’s gospel reading is about the Lord Jesus resisting temptation. Three times, the devil tempts Jesus when he is weak and vulnerable, for physical needs; about his status in the world; and about his spiritual allegiance… Yes; we can be sure there will be lots of sermons this morning that you and I can resist temptation, because Jesus did… We note too that Jesus recalls some of God’s message from the Old Testament, to help him resist temptation…
But let’s take a somewhat different approach this morning!… Rather than getting into a position so that we are actively being tempted, why don’t we consider how to avoid getting into tempting situations to begin with?… If we struggle with the misuse of alcohol and wander into a bar, then of course we’re going to be tempted! Instead, where else can we go, so we can stand firm?… Or to take another example, if we know that Mary drives us crazy when she gossips about other people on the phone – and maybe if we’re tempted to join in on the gossip over the phone – another strategy is to call Mary less often, and call John instead – someone who doesn’t make us feel kind of icky, after we get off the phone…
We get the idea: Yes, it’s a victory to recognize when we are being tempted. We can indeed learn to resist temptation, with God’s help… We might recall God’s promises in the Bible (as Jesus Christ when he was tempted). We might choose to get out of the situation. (For example, in Genesis 39, when the wife of Joseph’s employer tries to get Joseph to sleep with her, Joseph runs away! Joseph doesn’t stick around the house while she’s trying to coax him and to kiss him. Joseph ran away so quickly, Joseph left an article of clothing behind! We can read for ourselves that things went bad with Joseph for a time, until God redeemed it…) The point is, Joseph just left the place and company of the disobedient…. You and I can do the same – just to get out, when we realize we’re vulnerable, and in a place of temptation…
Rather than waiting until we’re in a sticky situation, let’s consider this morning, how can we set ourselves up for success, not for failure?… How can we set the stage for our lives, individually and together, so we aren’t getting into predicaments when we’re being tempted?…
When we’re right in the center of God’s will, when we’re conscious about our true allegiance, then we are strong in the Lord.
Today’s second reading is from Romans 10… Paul explains that God’s gift of his Son is open to everyone – both Jews and foreigners. We receive this gift by faith – by taking the promises of God, and daring to believe and trust them…
Paul’s first readers knew the Old Testament like the back of their hands. In today’s second reading, Paul is stringing together verses from the Old Testament – Leviticus 18: 5; Deuteronomy 30: 12-14; Isaiah 28: 16; and Joel 2: 32… For Paul and for the early Church, the verses of the Old Testament were dripping with references to Jesus Christ, when we read them carefully… God’s salvation is near and is open to all – and that gracious invitation includes you; and it includes me, by the grace of God…
Verse 10 reads: “For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” There is believing in the heart, but there is also expressing with our mouths, with language, the convictions of our hearts… What we say and what we believe ought to be completely aligned, completely in step… That helps us to keep strong in the Lord…
One strategy to avoid temptation is to keep tightly focused that we are disciples – followers – of Jesus Christ. We are Christians. We can cement this relationship when we actually say it: “I am a Christian” or “I follow Jesus Christ…”
Let’s not just to say it on Sunday mornings, when we’re here within the body of Christians, the Church. Then it can be really easy to say, “I’m a Christian!” We say that formally week by week, as we confess the Creed together…
What I want to challenge each one of us to is, not just to believe it in our hearts, “I know God loves me.” Let’s name our allegiance out loud. Not only can we say, “I go to St. Brice’s” or “I go to Church…” Instead, let’s choose to name out loud who we come to Church to meet: “I am a Christian” or “I follow Jesus Christ” or something equally clear and unambiguous… It’s not just about going to Church on Sunday morning. Belonging to the Church is a means of encountering the risen Jesus Christ… Saying it – naming our allegiance – brings consistency between the convictions of our hearts, and what we say with our lips – with human language… Speaking out helps cement our faith, and make it real…
Naming our faith also helps us to be accountable to others: “They know I’m a Christian. I’ve said it!… Dear God, help me to live in a way which shines for you. Help me to live boldly and joyfully and positively to you. Lead me not into temptation…”
Making our faith real, naming it, is a good way to keep a holy Lent… We are less likely to be tempted in the first place, when our speech and our hearts are aligned…
We will all face temptation sometimes, and there are strategies so that each one of us can overcome temptation… Let’s choose to live being Christ-focused and Christ-honouring. When we believe in Christ, and when we say it with words out loud, this is a strengthening way to keep from being tempted in the first place…
May God help us and strengthen us all our days, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.