Out in the wilderness and into the frying pan.

Luke 4:1-13

The season of Lent is a spiritual journey that leads us toward the cross and ultimately to the joy of Easter morning. This past Sunday, we continued that journey together, echoing Jesus' path as He spent 40 days in the wilderness. Our sermon, titled "Out in the Wilderness and Into the Frying Pan," reminds us that this Lenten Journey isn’t going to start easy. Like Jesus, we will experience struggles and temptations right out of the gate. We not only find ourselves out in a wilderness but also in the simmering frying pan of temptation. Jesus faced intense temptations from Satan out in the wilderness. Yet, He was armed with two crucial resources: the Father's love and approval and the Holy Spirit's empowerment. We must carry these resources as we begin this Lenten Journey to the Cross.

Snacks for the Road.

In facing temptation, Jesus demonstrated that life is not sustained by bread alone but by every word from God. As we fast—whether from food, distractions, or other comforts—we are reminded that true sustenance comes from God's Word. Fasting isn't about deprivation for its own sake but about creating space to feast more deeply on God's truth. It's about acknowledging that no physical satisfaction compares to the satisfaction of God's presence and promises. Though our stomachs may be empty, our souls are filled with God’s Word.

Jesus resisted Satan's temptation to turn stones into bread, teaching us that satisfying temporary hunger is not worth compromising spiritual growth. During Lent, we face temptations that present shortcuts or ease our discomforts. But the call is to rely on God's Word and trust His provision.

What’s on your radio?

What we listen to will either make or break our journey. Just like listening to music on a roadtrip can help move things along, so too, who we listen to on our Lenten Journey can either move us along or cause us to stumble through. Satan tempts Jesus with these very things. Satan offers Jesus the quick and easy way to obtain all the Kingdoms of the world if He would only bow down to him. But Jesus doesn’t listen to Satan but his father who has a plan in place to ransom the kingdoms of this world from Satan and turn them into Kingdoms of light where Jesus is King. 

In our journey, we are tempted to take shortcuts to avoid the difficult journey we are called to take with Jesus. But Lent invites us to listen closely to the voice of our Father and to worship Him alone, trusting that His way, though harder, is better.

Reckless Driving.

The final temptation Jesus faced was to put God to the test. If Jesus was the Son of God, then Satan dared him to jump off the temple as his father would come to protect him from getting hurt. But Jesus didn’t need to prove his father’s love and protection of his life and mission by taking a flying leap into a rolling doughnut, Jesus entrusted himself to the Father’s will and to execute it with precision. Just because we have the love of the Father doesn’t mean we can drive recklessly along the way, throwing ourselves here and there, since we have the Father’s love. The journey isn’t about testing God. It’s about trusting Him. 

As we continue this Lenten Journey, don’t be reckless in your actions, testing God, but trust God that his way is the only way, and His love never fails.

So, as we journey through Lent:

• Remember that you already have God's love and approval. You don't earn it through fasting or sacrifice.

• Rely on the Holy Spirit for strength. This journey is not meant to be walked alone.

• Feast on God's Word. Let Scripture fill and sustain you.

• Worship God alone. Don’t be swayed by the false promises of comfort and ease.

• Trust in God's faithfulness, even when it's hard to see.

This is the road from death to life. It is a journey of dying to self and rising with Christ. And though it begins in the wilderness, it ends in resurrection joy. 

As a church family, let us walk this road together, encouraging, praying, and reminding each other of our hope in Christ. May we come to Easter morning more like Jesus, having journeyed with Him through trial and temptation into victory and new life.

Let us walk this Lenten journey, trusting that the God who led Jesus through the wilderness will also lead us into the joy of resurrection.