The Lenten Season

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Lent Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him,Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

To begin with this passage has been preached and taught for generations and generations and there are as many titles to the passage as you can think of. And with that construct in mind, with that point of view in mind, and with that mindset I’d like to give yet another title that perhaps you didn’t know of. Certainly I didn’t know of it before this week of study. Here’s why. In the past I just went along with everything because it was traditional. But now that I have a brand new wife and love of my life too ( The Pilgrim Baptist Church).Now the Lord is making sure that sound solid sacred doctrine is taught. So that wherever you leave out of here you’ll be able to rightly divide the word of truth with anybody. First of all I wanted to know where did the terminology Lent comes from and why. it’s a fair question, Since I was never taught exactly what the Lenten Season really is. The Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal churches are the only Christian Churches the don’t follow Lent. The Episcopal,Presbyterian,Lutheran, and above all the Catholic Church truly follow lent.

Pope Gregory I. From (590-604) AD regularized the period of fasting and praying set to begin Wednesday exactly 46 days before Easter. But this practice was not done as we know it to be today. Back during the Roman Empire the people would fast from Wednesday to Friday until mid-afternoon. I didn’t know that before I researched it. Also Lent follows the Epiphany Season. And Epiphany is something that you realize that you didn’t realize before. And so the Epiphany Season is a time set aside each year to remember the Love of God that was poured out through Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary. Jesus’ Death burial and Resurrection that gave you and I the right to Eternal Life as we know it today. I didn’t know that before research. However through research I also found out that the Lenten Season was a preliminary to the great annual festival of the death and resurrection of Tammuz. Tammuz was a shepherd god of ancient Mesopotamia . Tammuz was associated with agriculture,fertility, and dream interpretation. WHAT????? I definitely didn’t know that before research. Lent is primarily a Catholic thing, but other denominations also practice lent as well.

But now from the Christian perspective what exactly does Lent mean? Lent is a lengthening of the day as spring approaches.And so it also has something to do with when the seasons are about to change. I didn’t know that either until research. The Lenten Season is an Anglo-Saxon term and is considered a preparation period for Easter. Lent is a 40 day period of Prayer, Penance, and Abstinence. And the scripture associated with it is Matthew 4, and also Luke 4 let go to Matthew 4:1 the bible says that Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

In verse 1. The text says that Jesus was led up of the SPIRIT into the desert to face off with the devil. I get the feeling that Jesus was at least a two part being here. The Monoganes God and the God man in Human Flesh. I say this because in order for Jesus to be led anywhere by the Spirit he had to assume the Spirit form. Then once getting there in the wilderness or the desert Jesus had to transform back into flesh and feel hunger. You can be led in the Spirit and be in the flesh at the same time. Wait 3x Ezekiel was led of the spirit into a valley full of dry bones. He couldn’t get there in his flesh so it had to be his spirit man. Peter was asleep on the roof top waiting to eat dinner and God put him in a trance (put him in the Spirit Realm) yes indeed and told Peter in essence don’t call nothing common and unclean that I say is clean and worthy, Joseph had a dream and God told Joseph take baby Jesus and move to Egypt tonight because Herod wants to kill Him. And so Jesus is in the Spirit and He has to face Three Great Temptations of the devil.

The devil comes to Jesus and says I know your pretty hungry now in that human body and very few strong people could endure fasting 40 days so ah Verse 3 says And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Boy the devil is clever cunning and sly. Don’t fool yourself the devil knows the word of God too. And Jesus used Deuteronomy 8:1 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. 2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. Bread was so significant because it was a symbol of life In the Greek vernacular its the word Artos and it’s literally a loaf of Bread And Bread is symbolic of all of the social needs of society. God knows we have need of Food we can’t live without Food, God knows we have need of Fashion (clothes) God knows we have need of Finances God knows we have need of Fitness (Jesus was hungry and he was tempted) an God knows we have to have Faith because it took great courage on Jesus’ part to say Man does not live by Bread alone but by every word that proceed out of the mouth of God. And He was really talking about His own self the word for word in this text is Rhema. And when God gives a Rhema word its a fitting word that came up and out at the precise time that you needed it.

And so the bible says in verse 5 that Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Again don’t under estimate the ability of the devil. The devil that diabolical deviant deity that has a PHD in trickery. There isn’t anybody on the planet that is smarter than the devil when it comes to tricking you out of your soul’s salvation but the devil.

Because the devil uses Psalm 91: 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee,To keep thee in all thy ways. 12  They shall bear thee up in their hands , Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

*I’ve got a question right here. Why do you think that the devil has such a great working knowledge of the word of God? It’s not a trick question. Turn to Isaiah 14: 12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

And what this simply says is that the devil was in heaven And he got kicked out! because he forgot his place, he forgot his role, simply put he got besides himself and tried to be bigger than God. The devil still desires to take over God’s throne. But Jesus said in Luke 10:18 I beheld satan like lightning falling to the earth. The devil is in the earth realm operating freely until God gets tired of him. And when the Rapture comes and we have the 1,000 year millennium rule of Jesus Christ. But In the mean time and between that time, that’s why we see so much of him in every facet of American Life and through the world. So the devil have reasons to be spitting mad with Jesus.

The devil wants God the Son to fail this test and temptation. And it’s go people in your life that wants you to fail miserably. So let’s see what Jesus’ defense is from this second temptation. Matthew 4: 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Jesus says it’s written again. Meaning since we’re having a battle of the minds, of the intellects, and of Biblical academia Jesus says Satan it is written again Deuteronomy 6:16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. Humankind has always had a problem challenging God Tempting God Protesting against God. Wait nah think about it. We protest against God with having prayer in the schools, in the first American schools students were taught the bible. The bible was the major curriculum. How far have we fallen oh Lucifer. Used to be when we watched tv it wasn’t no cussin or nude stuff or lgbtq stuff at all.But now in every TV show you can see everything that’s luciferious and nefarious. So we who are Christians ought to be mindful not to be Luciferious meaning we should try to tempt the Lord our God like the devil wants us to do.

Then the bible says that the devil came with the third temptation look at verses 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him,Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Now the devil is degrading Jesus in the name of a promotion. Be careful of people trying to pump you up too high because the same folk will be the first to cut you down low. The devil said in essences Jesus let’s take a little ride in the spirit realm, I say this because in order to show Jesus all of the kingdoms of the world it had to be in the spirit realm. Because you can’t see all of the kingdom or the world at one time unless it’s in the spirit realm. Satan says now Jesus I’ll give you all of this if you’ll bow down and worship me. Can you imagine how this must of felt to Jesus when his creation is telling Him the Creator that He ought to bow down and worship him. That’s like your children that God let you make say You answer me yes mamn and no sir when you talk to me. You better show me respect even though you made me.( I’m not ever saying disrespect your children, but you ought not respect your children more than they respect you.) Remember that movie imitation of life. So Jesus says in essence What! What you said devil, satan old dragon lucifer! Jesus said in verse 10 Then saith Jesus unto him,Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Jesus said you’re forgetting your place again You shalt worship the Lord your God satan… We made you… You didn’t make The Father, Son, or Holy Ghost. Look at Deuteronomy 6:13 Jesus is still quoting scripture. Why because The Word of God is where your power come from.13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Brothers and sisters if we accept and apply God word to every situation, The word of God will generate the necessary power that you need to face any scenario. Then strangely enough Satan leaves Jesus alone. Verse 11 says that Satan leaves Jesus alone. Stop !!! The bible says resist the devil and he will flee. People get this wrong and say we’ve got to fight and pray.. no no no Watch and pray because the devil your adversary goes about as a lion seeking whom he may devour.

Shrove Tuesday Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday in French,

Pancake Tuesday in England. The idea of Mardi Gras or carnival time from the Catholic Christian view was and is that parishioners and priests people in general would overindulge in revery before giving up something for Lent. In the early history of this pagan event people would clear out there cupboards and feast before they had to fast and give up eating meat… This Pagan ritual that we call Mardi Gras has it’s origin in the Babylonian Mystery Religion this religion seems to be an indispensable preliminary to the great annual festival of the idea and resurrection of Tammuz. Tammuz was shepherd god of ancient Mesopotamia and is associated with agriculture fertility and dream interpretation. Whatttttt and to serve this idol god you had to throw up your hands and say throw me something

For me this is an awful discovery. I now know that I have participated in pagan idol worship and enjoyed it. I’ve loved Mardi Gras in French Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras in England Pancake Tuesday In America in New Orleans, Louisiana people come from all over the world to participate in Mardi Gras. I used to make nearly $15,000 marching parades when I taught band. And when I was a kid I would follow the parade from where it started on the doug road all the way to grants department store. I would come home with at least two big bags of stuff after I had given girls bags of stuff along the way… Man I was a plum fool behind that Mardi Gras stuff. And shortly after I was married and with children I bought my little daughter and little son to the parade and my daughter Angelisa said O daddy like at how they are sinning they drinking and smoking and saying bad words. Then my cousins said Raymond Earl what you been teaching that child… and then I knew don’t bring them back… this was not the place for my family.

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