Show Notes
Today we finish the week looking at Jesus third and final temptation in the wilderness and practice again fasting and making space for Jesus in our lives.
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Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:14 Welcome to the meditation and worship series with Westside church. Over the next few weeks, we will be meditating on scripture and diving into some practices. As we walk through the season of lent. Our hope is that over the course of this Lenten season, this time of meditation and worship can be a breath of fresh air as we journey towards Easter together. So let us start by pausing for a moment, focusing our attention to Jesus. And may we be expectant of the movement of the holy spirit in our time together, if you are able to do so close your eyes, hold out your hands in front of you in a posture of surrender, take a deep breath in and out. And one more in, and It has been said that the 40 days of lent are Tamir Jesus, 40 days in the wilderness. This week, we are taking a closer look at Jesus' time in the wilderness and what we can learn as we step into 40 days of emptying ourselves in preparation for the celebration of Jesus' resurrection on Easter today, we are looking at the third and final temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
Speaker 1 00:01:54 Matthew chapter four, verses eight through 11. Next, the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. I will give it all to you. He said, if you will kneel down and worship me, get out of here, Satan, Jesus told him for scripture, say, you must worship the Lord, your God, and serve only him and the devil went away and angels came and took care of Jesus Of all the temptations that Jesus went through. This might be the most difficult to say no to for Americans. We have an obsession with celebrity fame and notoriety. We want people to know our name and the American dream is one that teaches us that worldly success is the ultimate goal. The we should all be striving for Jesus continually teaches that his way. And the kingdom of God flipped this mindset upside down later in the book of Matthew chapter 10, Jesus teaches. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me In the kingdom of God, we are taught to lay down our lives. Even in this temptation to gain all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus' response is to quote scripture saying, you must worship the Lord, your God, and serve only him.
Speaker 1 00:03:49 Are there any places in your life where you have given Jesus the back seat? Are there things that you have placed above him? It is easy to get caught up in the ways of this world and wanting to strive after the things we view as most valuable, Even Jesus was tempted by this bargain from the enemy. If he bowed down just one time to the enemy, the world would be his, his mission and his ministry would be complete. Sometimes we strive for things that look like it's the right thing to do, but we can lose sight of the way of Jesus in the process. Let's take a moment and revisit our fast for lent. What do you need to lay down again in order to make space, to put Jesus first in your life. If you've missed a day or two of fasting or have been learned by the thing you have given up that's okay. We can always start again. Our lives are a continual practice of laying down ourselves and looking to Jesus. Jesus. We love you. Thank you for not giving up on us. When we try to make our own way and accomplish on our own,
Speaker 1 00:05:32 Help us to make space for you to be led where the holy spirit is leading and to make you the king of our lives. Once again,
Speaker 2 00:08:52 We are .
