Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:01 Welcome to Lent Meditation and Worship with Westside Church during this lentin season. Meet us here each day as we read scripture, worship, and rest in the presence of God together. Know that as you listen today, you are doing so with others, whether in the same places as you are not, and we pray that the Holy Spirit permeates the places we each find ourselves in right now. For more resources and to find each week's prayer and song, visit westside church.org/lent. Let us start today by clearing our minds and opening our hearts to what the Lord wants to speak to us through His word. Take a deep breath in and out and another, in and out.
Speaker 1 00:01:05 In Matthew three, we are privy to this beautiful exchange between God, the Father, and Jesus. As Jesus is baptized by John the heavens open up and God calls from heaven. This is my son whom I love, and with him I am well pleased. Jesus hadn't completed his mission on earth yet. He hadn't worked any miracles. He just grew up lived life, learned the ways of being a good Jewish boy, and yet God reminds Jesus of who he is and who's he is. This exchange launches Jesus into 40 days in the wilderness alone, hungry, tired, and ripe for the enemy's lure. In Matthew four, we read the story of Jesus and the enemy battling it out as the enemy tries to get Jesus to slip up. Matthew chapter four, verses one through 11. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil for 40 days and 40 nights. He fasted and became very hungry. During that time, the devil came and said to him, if you are the son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.
Speaker 1 00:02:35 But Jesus told him no. The scriptures say people do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem to the highest point of the temple and said, if you are the son of God, jump off for the scriptures. Say He will order his angels to protect you and they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. Jesus responded. The scriptures also say, you must not test the Lord your God. 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 the scripture, say, you must worship the Lord your God and serve only him. Then the devil went away and angels came and took care of Jesus.
Speaker 1 00:03:47 We meet Jesus in the wilderness. After 40 days of fasting, the enemy comes along and tempts Jesus with bread to satiate his hunger. Bread doesn't seem like such a bad thing. It's been 40 days it seems like he could eat. Why is this a temptation? The enemy uses things that have a tiny bit of good or truth to tempt us. He plants a seed that we turn over and over again in our heads, justifying questioning and losing sight of the way of Jesus. In the second temptation. The enemy even uses scripture as a basis for why Jesus should prove his sonship, and Jesus comes back with scripture to combat what the enemy is luring him into. Over and over we see Jesus use the word of God as a weapon in this battle. He knows the words and laws of God. He has spent his entire life learning them.
Speaker 1 00:04:52 He carries them with him and we should do the same. It's easy to forget what God is saying to us and lose ourselves in the way of the world, but we can guard against the half truths the enemy uses to pull us away from God. We know the capital T truth in Jesus. We don't need to fear temptation. When we are sitting in the presence of God and know His word, the words and ways of Jesus, we can always go back to again and again reading truth as it soaks into our souls. We're still going to be tempted and we will even say yes to the temptation, but the more we can watch the way Jesus lived and follow his ways, the more we can guard our own hearts from falling off the path. Too often this prayer is for us as Jesus used God's word as a defense. May it be so with us. Let's pray. God of mercy, your word was the sure defense of Jesus in his time of testing. Minister to us in the wilderness of our temptation that we who have been set free from sin by Christ may serve you well until life everlasting. Amen
Speaker 3 00:06:28 Them in your heart. These words, let them be to you like then you'll be like a tree planet by peaceful streams, bearing fruit in it season. You have the words of life and is I, I can put my, fix it in your mind. Be kept in his perfect peace, not forgetting what he said. Let them be to you better than silver. Transforming your heart and mind it you have the words of life is my every word you speak I can put my, I can put my in the wilderness, confronted with temptation. I'll remind myself the power of what is written on the mountain top. Joy is over glory. I'll remind myself the power of is written coz have the and they is my confidence. Every word.
