40 Days - The Road to Easter

The Temptation of Jesus

Matthew 4:1–11 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall 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 and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

Matthew 4:8–11 “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”

Today marks the start of a season on the Church calendar Christians observe called Lent

It’s marked by the 40 days (not counting Sundays) of preparation leading up to Easter Sunday

…making ourselves ready for EASTER

We are an Easter people every day of the year!

Reason for Lent: The truth is, we’d rather have Easter without the road through the wilderness…We’d rather have resurrection power without the Cross…

We forget that in order to be an Easter people, we first must bring our lives to Jesus and repent (daily).

Anna’s new Sourdough Starter (not sure if any of you have ever tried to create a starter dough?):

At Christmas she was talking with my niece who has been doing this for a while…she was telling her you need to feed it, let it sit, keep it at the right temperature, take it out, massage it…at first it sounded like they were talking about a new pet! What we soon realized is that it takes time to prepare the yeast for creating a loaf of sourdough bread. I’ve read it can take more than a month for it to be really good and ready.

The best things in life TAKE TIME!

I’ve come to realize in my old age, the things that God has put in my heart tend to take A LOT longer than I originally expected!

40 Days - The Process of Preparation all throughout Scripture

Noah's flood: God sends rain for 40 days and 40 nights to save Noah and his family  Moses on Mount Sinai: Moses stays on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights  David and Goliath: Goliath taunts the Israelites for 40 days  Elijah's journey: Elijah travels for 40 days and nights to reach Mount Horeb  Spies in Canaan: The Israelites send spies into Canaan to explore, who return after 40 days and 40 nights Jonah’s prophecy to Nineveh: 40 days to repent

Jesus in the wilderness: Jesus fasts and prays in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights

Spiritual Truth: Before we can experience the joys of the Promise, we must first go through a season of preparation.

Mark 1:1–4 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

The road to Easter is really about a process of Preparing the Way for Jesus to come to the world

Easter Sunday is not about large attendance!!

It’s about welcoming our neighbors/family to hear that Jesus really does save us from our sin!

The Wilderness Road reminds Us…

Until I’ve recognized my limitations, I’ll never fully trust God’s plan.

God’s power in my life begins where my power ends.

Let me say this to you today: It really is okay, in fact very good, for you to say, “Jesus I am weak, I have sinned, and I need your to come take over.”

Until I let go of my preference, I’ll never be able to receive God’s promise.

These 40 days are about letting go of those things that seemed so important, but really are trivial when compared to our life with Christ.

Fasting, Praying, and Giving are the focus of this season…we give up our comforts and preferences in exchange for knowing God and preparing our hearts.

Until my heart has been made ready by the Spirit, I’ll never know the Power of Resurrection.

The work of the Holy Spirit is kind of like the yeast in that dough…you can’t always see it working, but the fruit of that work eventually becomes evident to everyone.

Until I replace my words with God’s Word, I’ll continue to struggle through the same old sinful patterns.

When confronted by the lies of Satan, what does Jesus use? …God’s Word.

It’s not just about memorizing the Bible, it’s about marinating your heart in those words until they become YOUR WORDS too!

The Holy Spirit is our Guide through the Wilderness

Look at this first verse from Matthew about Jesus’ wilderness temptation…

Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

Next week I have the opportunity to travel to Poland and Israel on a pilgrimage following the history of the Jewish people and the Holy sites of Scripture. They’ve already sent us a schedule of where we are going to be at what time and what place.

How many of you wish the Holy Spirit would send you a schedule about where he is leading us, where we will be, and when?!

But instead of a schedule we just get an invitation.

These 40 days are an invitation to lean into a closeness with God…to break the power of the sins that have kept us from Experiencing Freedom in Christ.

So, here’s what I want to leave you with as we start this new series…

4 Questions to Prepare Our Hearts for Easter

What habit, what voices, what choices are hindering your faith?

What has a hold of your attention? What controls your emotions and thoughts more than the Holy Spirit?

Whatever has your passion, has your heart.

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Will you intensify your prayer life?

Mark 9:29 “And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.””

Not about performance or getting God’s attention…prayer shapes your heart…cultivates the soil of your heart.

Can you turn off the noise to patiently wait on the Holy Spirit’s voice?

What are you unwilling to sacrifice?

Colossians 3:8–10 “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”