Worship Helps for Lent 1
Artwork: Baptism and Temptation of Christ
Artist: Paolo Veronese
Worship Theme: Each of us battles with temptation every
day, and the results are too obvious to mention. Christ was no stranger to temptation,
either. He battled, yet was without sin…for us and for our eternal
righteousness. This message of victory gives us confidence as we journey
through the wilderness of sin in true repentance.
Old Testament: Joshua 7:16-26 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was
taken. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the
Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri
was taken. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and
Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah , was
taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the
LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done;
do not hide it from me." 20 Achan replied, "It is true! I
have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done:
21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia ,
two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I
coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with
the silver underneath." 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they
ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver
underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to
Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD. 24
Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the
robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep,
his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua
said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring
trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they
had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up
a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his
fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor
1. What was Joshua trying to do for Achan in verse 19? Was
he successful?
2. What impact does God’s treatment of Achan and his
family have on us?
Epistle: Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore,
since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do
not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we
have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without
sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
3. The Old Testament high priest went into the presence of
God on the Day of Atonement. Read that account in Leviticus 16:11-14. Where
specifically did the high priest go on that day? How is Jesus superior to him?
(Hint: Focus on the phrase “gone through the heavens” in Hebrews 4:14.)
4. In 4:15
the writer says that Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. Why can
Jesus sympathize with us? How is Jesus different from us?
Gospel: Luke 4:1-13 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by
the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by
the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was
hungry. 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God,
tell this stone to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is
written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" 5 The devil led
him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the
world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their
authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to
anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be
yours." 8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the
Lord your God and serve him only.'" 9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand
on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he
said, "throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
"'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your
foot against a stone.'" 12 Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do
not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 13 When the devil had
finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
5. Compare Satan's
temptations of Eve with Satan's temptations of Christ?
6. What can we
learn from Jesus' method of defeating Satan's temptations?
Answers:
1. He was trying to lead Achan to repent. Achan was not
giving glory to the Lord or praising him for his victory. Joshua was
successful; Achan did repent. Yet he still had to suffer the consequences of
his sin.
2. Achan’s disobedience brought defeat upon the Israelites
at Ai. The Lord revealed Achan as the culprit. Achan and his family were put to
death. Thus, Achan’s sin leads us to realize that God is serious about his
will. It leads us to realize that God sees everything we do, even the subtle
theft of the wealth God has given us that we refuse to use for the purpose he
intended.
3. Jesus did not go through an earthly tabernacle, which
represented heaven. Jesus went into heaven itself. He did this when he ascended
into heaven, having offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin.
4. He knows the daily temptations that confront us,
because he went through them also. Think of what he went through in Gethsemane . Also think of what Jesus must have gone
through every day of this life as he preached and dealt with all sorts of
people, from enemies, to disciples, to those in the middle. He is without sin.
5. Satan tempted
Eve to doubt God's love and Word, to make her own decisions about her care, and
to think that created things could somehow satisfy her more than the
creator. Satan basically tempted Jesus in the same way.
6. When we are
tempted, we need to go to the source for our answers and for our strength to
stand firm. By the power of His Word, God created all things and raised
His Son from the dead. By the power of His Word, we shall be victorious
and live a new life!
Putting your faith
into action
Heart
and mouth go together in the Christian. It has never been the end of faith to
simply know Jesus died for sinners. When you believe he died for you, it’s only
natural to call to him. Are you stewarding your prayer time too? To have the
one called Jehovah, the great I Am, on your side—the remover of sins, giver of
hope, promise of paradise—it makes you long to have whatever he is willing to
give you. A daily prayer that makes so much sense is, “Lord Jesus, forgive all
my sins!” How wonderful his assurance: You will never be disappointed by
looking to me!
The blasphemy of assigning
Christ’s honor to our works cannot be tolerated. These theologians are now entirely shameless
if they dare to bring such an opinion into the Church. One who knows why Christ has been given to
us, and who knows that Christ is the Atoning Sacrifice for our sins, needs no
further proof. Isaiah says, “The Lord
has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (53:6).
The adversaries, on the other hand, teach that God does not lay our
offenses on Christ, but on our works.
Neither are we inclined to mention here the sort of works that they
teach. The adversaries condemn the clear
truth, whose defense is necessary for the Church and increases Christ’s glory.
Therefore, we easily look down on the terrors of the world, and we will bear
with a strong spirit all suffering for Christ’s glory and the Church’s
benefits. Who would not joyfully die in
the confession of these articles, that we receive the forgiveness of sins
through faith freely for Christ’s sake, and that we do not merit the
forgiveness of sins by our works? The
consciences of the pious will not have sure enough comfort against the terrors
of sin and of death, and against the devil tempting with despair, if they do
not know that their confidence lies in the forgiveness of sins freely for
Christ’s sake. This faith sustains and
enlivens hearts in that most violent conflict with despair. – Apology of the
Augsburg Confession, Article XX, Good Works (paragraphs 81-85)
Hymns for this Sunday: 200; 202; 204; 726
200 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
1 A mighty fortress is our God, A trusty shield
and weapon;
He helps us free from ev’ry
need That has us now o’ertaken.
The old evil foe Now means
deadly woe;
Deep guile and great might
Are his dread arms in fight;
On earth is not his equal.
2 With might of ours can naught be done; Soon
were our loss effected.
But for us fights the valiant
one Whom God himself elected.
You ask, “Who is this?” Jesus
Christ it is,
The almighty Lord. And
there’s no other God;
He holds the field forever.
3 Though devils all the world should fill, All
eager to devour us,
We tremble not, we fear no
ill; They shall not overpow’r us.
This world’s prince may still
Scowl fierce as he will,
He can harm us none. He’s
judged; the deed is done!
One little word can fell him.
4 The Word they still shall let remain, Nor any
thanks have for it;
He’s by our side upon the
plain With his good gifts and Spirit.
And do what they will—Hate,
steal, hurt, or kill—
Though all may be gone, Our
victory is won;
The kingdom’s ours forever!
Text: Martin Luther,
1483–1546; tr. composite.
Comments
Post a Comment