"Spiritually In-Sync" 2013

Exodus 2:11-15 Matthew 4:1-11

Exodus 2:11-15

One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and saw their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsfolk. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting; and he said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why do you strike your fellow Hebrew?” He answered, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh. He settled in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well.

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 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, ‘One does 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 placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying 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, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Some time ago I began converting my old VHS tapes onto DVDs;

but for some reason, on some of the DVDs I made,

the audio and video are not quite synchronized.

So you will see one character’s lips start to move

a few moments before you hear them begin speaking,

and if another character responds or answers quickly,

you see their lips move before the first finishes…

… and so it gets very confusing, difficult to enjoy a movie

when the audio and video are even slightly out of sync.

* But it’s not just audio and video signals that can be out of sync.

Sometimes you or I can get out of sync

with God’s will and purpose, God’s intention for our lives.

If you read through the book of Exodus, it’s pretty clear

that it was God’s will, purpose and intention to secure freedom

for the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and bondage

through the life and leadership of Moses.

The story of Exodus begins with

Pharaoh feeling afraid of increasing numbers of Israelites,

so he imposed bitter and harsh slavery to break them,

and ordered that any boys born to the Hebrews

were to be thrown into the Nile River to drown…

… but even that could not thwart God’s will and saving purpose.

When Moses was born he was hidden away for three months, then placed

into a basket on the river where Pharaoh’s daughter bathed …

… who found him, and then raised him as her own child.

Though the child of a Hebrew slave family,

Moses grew up in the luxury of Pharaoh's household.

The text suggests that he identified with the Hebrew slaves,

and recognized his role in helping to end their suffering.

vs. 11-12

One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and saw their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsfolk. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

* In his own way, in his own timing, he pushed to achieve his agenda.

First, Moses looked around, to see if anybody was watching him,

and then in a deliberate and premeditated act of violence,

he coolly attacked and murdered that other human being.

It was a righteous motivation to seek justice, to stop the beating;

but the way Moses did it was out of sync with God’s will.

Moses looked around to see if anyone was watching,

but did not look up to inquire of the Lord,

or wait for God to reveal his purpose and plan.

Moses, out of sync with God and God’s intention for him,

wanting to do a good thing, perhaps even for the right reason,

did the wrong thing, the wrong way, at the wrong time.

* Moses simply reacted and focused on what he want to accomplish

and failed when he didn’t pause to consider the will of God.

For us as well,

our primary focus is not to be on what we want to achieve,

but, are we seeking to live by the word and will of God?,

otherwise we will get out of sync with God,

with God’s will, and God’s plan for our life.

Thinking about Moses and his defense of that Hebrew slave,

perhaps a good rule of thumb for discerning God’s will,

would be that when God calls or directs us to serve;

it will necessarily and always be within the boundaries

of God's Law and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ …

… which will probably not involve murder or attacking someone,

for those are not the ordinary methods God calls us to use.

Isn’t it much more likely that God’s purpose and plan for us

will probably involve obedience, patience and forbearance,

trusting in God's power and wisdom, more than in the ways

that those of this world pursue their desires & goals?

* Beating them at their own game is not the way or method of Jesus.

When we try to accomplish good, even proper and decent objectives

apart from showing grace, and pausing for guidance from God,

we will leave behind bruised and battered people

much like the corpse, that Moses left buried in the sand…

… for those operating apart from the ways and guidance of the Spirit

have probably done more damage to the Church and our mission,

than all those who have ever attacked from the outside.

Moses tried to force his way, his agenda, his schedule and his plan.

so God shelved him as a shepherd for the next 40 years,

perhaps, waiting for Moses to grow up and learn to listen.

Moses saw the Egyptian beating the slave and wanted to intervene.

Tempted by power, he killed, taking matters into his own hands…

… because he was out of sync with God and God’s plan.

* In contrast, as in (vs. 1), “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit”,

was always completely in sync with God and God’s purpose,

was always entirely faithful and obedient to God’s will,

and was able to overcame, defeat temptation when tested.

The first temptation Jesus faced was to use his authority and power

for turning stones into bread for his own needs and benefit ,

but there was more to it

than just satisfying his physical hunger. vs. 3

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.”

If you really are the Son of God, or since you are the Son of God,

show me your power, prove yourself and demonstrate your worth.

How tempting it would be for Jesus to feed all of the world's hungry

by transforming lots of the stones into lots of bread

and making enough food to satisfy all the starving masses.

What an opportunity to solve one of humankind's worst problems,

by providing enough food for everyone to eat and be fed…

… but that's not why God sent Jesus, that's not why Jesus came.

God had a much bigger mission and purpose for Jesus in mind…

…far more than filling a few empty bellies,

Jesus came to feed and fill hollow and empty souls.

Ironically, later, when within God's will, God’s purpose & timing,

Jesus did miraculously make bread to feed a huge crowd of 5000;

but, that was done according to God's will and timing,

not for his own benefit, but to teach about God’s grace…

… and so it never supplanted his true mission and purpose.

So too we can be distracted & tempted by lesser goals and objectives

other than our true mission as the Church, and as Christiansà

to faithfully proclaim the good news, teaching – making disciples

and reflecting God's gracious love and light and hope.

The next temptation, vs. 5-7

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”

How tempting to accept the easy and painless quick solution;

just go along with it, compromise and accept Satan's offer

for immediate power and success, without paying the cost,

without all the hard work of love and faithfulness…

* … and skip the more difficult way of obedience in sync with God.

Ironically, later, after his death and resurrection,

when it was within God's will, purpose and timing,

his glory was revealed at the transfiguration,

glorified by his suffering on the cross

and when he ascended to our heavenly Father.

The next temptation, vs. 9-11

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from

here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

How tempting to take just a little short-cut --- a quick success

by an amazing show of God's power that would impress them all

and maybe even avoid

the whole suffering, crucifixion and dying thing.

But that is not why God sent Jesus, that’s not why Jesus came.

Jesus came to accomplish God's love & God's plan for our salvation,

not to perform a magic show of God's power, wonder and might.

Ironically, later, when within God's will, timing and purpose,

Jesus did perform lots of very impressive signs and miracles,

and he did demonstrate God's power by those mighty deedsà

but they were done according to God's will and timing

and doing miracles never became his primary mission & purpose.

It is always a matter of clear focus and staying on target,

always in sync with God, with God’s will and purpose.

* In a hungry world, why not just make more bread?

* In a world of brokenness, oppression and bondage,

why not just take over and rule with your strong justice?

* In a world apathetic and distracted,

why not just do the impressive to entice and attract?

Satan, the tempter, is the embodiment of disobedience to God:

evil, is the corruption and compromise of good;

by taking shortcuts, by force, by doing things our own way;

evil, is taking control rather than submitting to God;

another name for Satan is out of sync willful impatience,

“I’ll do it my way, and I’ll accomplish it right now!”

It’s tempting to seek quick-fix short-cut solutions, as Moses did;

instead, we are called to trust, wait, to listen and obey God;

just as Jesus refused to exercise power and authority

apart from obeying the will, plan and timing of God.

Our call is to walk and grow in our faith-journey with Christ,

and if we are faithful, through us, Jesus will change the world;

probably not all at once nor as quickly as we’d wish,

and not by using the world’s ways & methods of power,

but by showing love & mercy; one life at a time,

one hug at a time and one act of mercy at a time.

* We are at the beginning of Lent;

our soul’s spiritual journey walking with Jesus toward Easter;

and wouldn’t it be more pleasant, easier & more convenient

to move right into the joyful celebration of Easter,

and just skip the unpleasantness and messiness

of betrayal, abandonment, crucifixion & death?

But that’s not how it works,

for if there is no death, then there cannot be resurrection.

Lent is a time to listen and seek to hear God's will and voice,

for self-examination and exploration so to deepen our faith.

These are tasks for which there are no short cuts or quick fixes,

and we have to be patient and attentive to get in sync with God.

The message is really deceptively simple:

it’s about the will of God, and making that alone our priority,

which is to say, “no” to any and all other and lessor gods,

to anything that we love and value more than Jesus Christ.

We have been called and set apart by God,

blessed and equipped to serve God’s holy purpose,

by walking in-step with God as the Holy Spirit directs us.

* So how do we live out our lives in sync with God and God’s will?

It begins with prayer, consistent & personal prayer on our own

as well as partners in prayer who support one another.

It is critical to include regular feeding on God’s word,

aided by a good and faithful devotional reading each day,

as well as Bible study and discussion in a group

in order to focus our hearts and minds on the Lord.

And a healthy and growing walk with God happens in community –

a family for fellowship where we can connect and be known,

and as a place to offer our gifts in Christian service.

But being in sync with God

and knowing what to do or say is not always easy or obvious …

… sometimes it’s going with someone else’s idea or vision,

other times it’s taking a stand against a wrong we see…

…but either way, it’s waiting on the Lord in humility & gentleness,

by reflecting God's gracious love and presence in our life,

by seeking to be faithfully in sync with God’s purpose.

The important question isn’t what we’ve done or accomplished,

but it is more far simple and difficult that that,

are we really in love with Jesus and His righteousness?,

are we really submitting to God’s will in all that we do?

It could well be God’s will today, to get moving on some task,

or it could be to stop pushing, and to wait upon the Lord…

… and we won’t know which one it is,

until we abide stop, and wait for God speak,

until we are in sync with God’s Spirit.

As Jesus promised, in John 15:4-5

Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.