Victory over the Demonic

Victory Over the Demonic

Matthew 8:28-34

When Harrison Ford was thrown into a pit full of venomous snakes in a Raiders of the Lost Ark movie, I almost had to turn it off. For me, that has to be listed among the ultimate horrors. I heard a true story about someone falling out of a boat into the middle of a gang of water moccasins. The fury of the snakes churned the water. There was no hope for survival. The anger of the snakes and the poison of their venom is horrifying.

I imagine the fury of the demons taking residence in the two men in Matthew 8 to be something like that. The Bible describes them as so violent that no one wanted to pass their direction. And when Jesus did, they ran out to oppose him.


“‘What do you want with us, Son of God?’” they shouted. ‘Have you come to torture us before the appointed time?’” (v.29) There is a time appointed for their eventual destruction, and they seem to know that. That time will be when God brings his kingdom in power and destroys all evil. What bothers them is that Jesus has come now, before they perceive the end time to be here.

The demons seem to assume that until the end of time when they will be subdued, they have free reign to wreck havoc and destruction. Thomas Long wrote, “They mistakenly believe that, until that last day, they have unfettered license to wreck destruction. They can torment as many souls as they can inhabit, wreck as many institutions as they can infiltrate, cause as much pain and sorry as they can imagine.” (Matthew, 97)

How surprised they are that Jesus shows up before the expected time. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. They didn’t just ask. They shouted. They are in rebellion. They are disrespectful. They recognize Jesus as the Son of God, but they don’t honor him for it. They yell at him. Jesus casts the demons into a herd of pigs who rush into the water and drown. The shocked pig herders run into town and report what Jesus has done to the pigs and the demon-possessed men. The towns people come out to get a look for themselves, and then they ask Jesus to leave.

Three things stand out in this story as particularly significant. One, very little detail is spent on the demon-possessed men. Mark describes only one demon-possessed man, but explains how he used to cut himself and break the chains that had been used to bind him. He was a crazy man totally out of control. He had no peace. But after the demons were cast out, the man was calm, he got dressed, and he conversed calmly with Jesus (Mark 5). No such details are given in this story about the men. The focus is not on what Jesus can do for them or us. The focus is on the incredible power of Jesus to conquer even demonic forces.

Two, the story shows Jesus power over the dark realms. We have seen Jesus’ miraculous power at work all through this chapter. He heals a man with leprosy, so he has power over physical ailments. He heals bodies. Secondly, he healed the servant of centurion, showing his interest in and concern for those outside of Israel. Next, he healed Peter’s mother-in-law and a host of others who came to him for care. After the healings, Jesus’ miraculous powers are turned upon nature when he stills the watery tempest. Then, lest anyone think the span of Jesus authority and power has been exhausted, he shows his complete mastery over the demonic. He casts out the innumerable demons.

Three, the people of the region reject Jesus. They don’t really even know who he is. This is Gentile territory so there is no way they can really know him. But, even in Israel the people are uncertain about Jesus. Interestingly, the evil spirits know who Jesus is! The Son of God! The identity of Jesus was revealed first by demonic forces. But, sadly, instead of getting to know Christ, the people cast him out. “Like many communities before and since, this town prefers the demons they know to the power of God they do not know.” (Long, Matthew, 98)

Four, the time of God’s defeat of evil is NOW! The Kingdom of God has already been revealed in power. We can take comfort and confidence in knowing that the kingdom is with us already.


Warren Baldwin

Baptism and Identification

BAPTISM AND IDENTIFICATION
Matthew 3:13-17

Jesus came to John to be baptized and John was reluctant to do it. "I need to be baptized by you," he said. "And you are coming to me?"

I understand John’s hesitation. John baptized for repentance and the remission of sins (Mark 1:4). Of what sins did Jesus have to repent? What sins did he have to wash away? None. So why be baptized?

John felt confused and unworthy. "I need to be baptized by you!" John is a great guy! He proclaims the Word. He is the forerunner of Jesus. But is he worthy to baptize Jesus? He didn’t think so.

Jesus said: "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness" (V.15). "It is proper" means God wants it. It is to "fulfill all righteousness" means it is doing God’s will. But why, if Jesus has no sin? In his baptism Jesus is doing something important in relation to his Father and to us.


Jesus is identifying with God and his purpose for life.

God always calls for his people to declare their allegiance to him. "Chose you this day whom you will serve ..." (Joshua 24:15). God gives his people numerous ways to identify with him - the moral laws, ceremonial laws and cleanliness laws. All of these were for his people to tell the culture around them, "We belong to God." Anyone in the gentile nations could look at a faithful Hebrew and say, "They don’t live like us. They live for their God." That is identification.

Jesus’ baptism did that. Jesus was saying, "I belong to God. I humble myself to his will and his ministry for me." It was bold commitment and humble obedience. God responded with lavish praise to his son’s baptism:

"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (16-17).

Humble obedience pleases God whether it is rendered by Jesus or by us.


Jesus is identifying with his people.

In baptism Jesus identified with everyone else who was baptized. "Jesus thereby shows his solidarity with his people in their need."3

Jesus’ ministry was one of humble obedience. He walked among people and bore their struggles. He wept with them, struggled against the religious establishment with them and listened to them. Jesus healed people. He bore their sin on the cross. Jesus also took on the humble, obedient nature of a servant in baptism. He had no sin and no rebellion but he identified with sinners and rebellious people.

To fulfill all righteousness Jesus was baptized. Jesus was the unique son of God, born of a virgin. He was a powerful worker of miracles and the triumphant king. Jesus was also a humble, obedient servant. Jesus’ humility and obedience beckons us. Jesus calls us, even today. "Follow me. I obey the Father. You, too, can obey the Father."


Our baptism.

John baptized people for repentance and remission of sins. Later, Jesus’ baptism would be for this but would include the dispensing of the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16). Today in baptism we receive the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit. In baptism we experience what Jesus did.

Like Jesus, when we are baptized we identify with God. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came upon him. When we are baptized the Holy Spirit comes upon us (Acts 2:38). When Jesus was baptized he was identified as the son of God. When we are baptized we are identified as sons of God (Gal. 3:26,27).

Secondly, when we are baptized we identify ourselves with other followers of God (Acts 2:41; 1 Cor. 12:13). We don’t live the Christian life alone. We identify with other followers and live in community with them.

The Optimist, Rotary and Kiwanis clubs all have initiation rites for new members. The ceremony welcoming new members has nothing to do with the cleansing of sin or recognizing passage from rebellion to humble submission to God. But their initiation ceremony does offer a chance for the new member to identify himself to and with the group. After learning about the club a person may decide, "I want to be a part of this group." The initiation ceremony becomes his or her opportunity to officially identify themselves as a club member.

Members in these clubs receive a pin and new member packet recognizing their status in the club. Jesus’ baptism accomplished that ... and more. Jesus received the accolades of heaven: heaven was torn open, God manifested himself in the form of a dove that descended upon Jesus, and the voice of God spoke affirmingly. Now, all who so desire can have fulfilled in their hearts what Isaiah prayed for years ago: "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down ..." God has torn open the heavens and he has come down in the form of Jesus, the dove, and the spoken word. The dynamic for this revelation of God is the baptism of Jesus.

I’ve never performed a baptism where the heavens opened, a dove descended, and the authoritative voice of God spoke from on high. But I know from scripture that any baptism today performed as scripture teaches is no less significant in what it offers to our lives: identification with Jesus and his people.

Addendum

The following story isn’t about baptism, but it is about identification. I think it captures some of the thought of what it means to identify with Christ and others at a deep level. To identify with us, Jesus not only submitted to baptism, he submitted to emptying himself and leaving heaven to dwell for awhile on earth. He deprived himself and suffered for the sake of those he was seeking to redeem. Some of that is captured in the following story.

John Austin is 13 year old living in Hong Kong. Last week he was in a bike accident and received a corneal scratch. His eye bled and he had to go to a top pediatric ophthalmologist. The doctor told John’s parents that the scratch will heal and the blood clots drain. The blurry vision will go away and John will eventually see clearly again. But there is more to the story.

As John was suffering with his painful eye he received a text message from a Japanese girl and classmate of John’s. She wrote,"I know I am not a Christian, but I want you to know that I have been praying for you."

John Austin was thrilled and told his mother, "You know Mom, as bad as this is for me, it would sure be worth it if my friend came to know Christ because of my pain."

I would say this young man knows something about identification with Jesus and his people. He is willing to suffer for the kingdom, like Jesus, and he is willing to suffer for the redemption of others.

I think the Spirit of God must still be saying, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." Anytime we so identify with God’s purposes and God’s people the heart of the Father is pleased.

(You can read about John Austin's story at Everyday Adventures in Faith).

Warren Baldwin

Healing in Community

HEALING IN COMMUNITY

When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. Matthew 9:23-25

The amazing power of Jesus to counteract the forces of nature still astounds those who follow him. Driving winds were reduced to gentle breezes. Gravity quit working. Disease, death and decay relinquished their victims.

The most touching displays of Jesus miraculous power was in this last area of disease and death. People struggling under spinal deformation, blindness, unholy spirits and even death were freed instantly from the grip of these unwelcome invaders of the human body. While miracles alone didn’t convince everyone Jesus was the Son of God and Messiah, his mighty displays of power did arouse attention and wonder. People flocked to hear Jesus speak, see him perform miracles and, hopefully, have him transform their own bodies and spirits.

Physical suffering, especially when it is prolonged, attacks not only the body but also our minds. Physically afflicted people can become downcast and depressed. They can lose the will to fight their disease and succumb to it. This process works in reverse as well; those who are depressed can invite invaders into their bodies, rendering them physically ill. To those suffering from emotional or spiritual attack, the intervention of Jesus into their lives to heal and deliver brought joy and celebration.

That same healing work is needed today. Disease still wracks bodies, unholy spirits still assault our souls and hearts, and death still summons. How often have we wished we could simply wave our hands or speak the words and loved ones we grieved over would open their eyes? But we lack some of that healing power of Jesus. But we don’t lack all healing power.

M. Scott Peck took a break from a community-building seminar he was conducting. On the way to his room he saw a woman with a towel around her heard in obvious discomfort. "What’s the matter?" he asked her. In obvious agony the woman mumbled, "I’ve got a migraine."

The woman then said she was very angry. When Peck asked what she was angry at she said she was mad at the "charismatic phonies" who pretend they are spiritual. Peck replied that she might be right about some of them, but others may just be having fun. To this the woman replied, "I’ve never had fun." Peck told her hoped she could someday. Later that afternoon he saw the woman in better spirits and heard her telling others, "Dr. Peck healed me. I’ve never had fun. Dr. Peck healed me."

How did this medical doctor and psychiatrist account for such a seemingly-miraculous recovery for this woman from her painful migraine? His explanation is something for all of us who are Christians to consider, especially when we consider all of the suffering and dislocation that abounds in so many lives. Dr. Peck said,

"The best psychotherapists eventually learn, if they hang in there long enough, is to stop trying to heal their patients. What they can realistically set their sights on is building the best possible relationship - or community - with their patients; within that relationship, healing will naturally occur without their having to ‘do’ anything. I believe that the power to heal, a spiritual power, comes from God. It is a gift. And I believe it is the intent of the Giver that it should be used in such a manner as to ultimately give it away." (M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled and Beyond, 195-6).

We cannot wave our hands or speak words of power that can chase disease and force death to give up its victims. We lack that supernatural power of Jesus. But we can invite the diseased, lonely, weak and shamed into our lives, form relationships with them, and share with them the love God has lavished upon us. We may not know how to minister to the brokenness, assuage the guilt, and heal the hurt, and we don’t have to. We just have to build sincere relationships and God will provide any healing. We may not be able to heal like Jesus, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t agents in God’s healing ministry today. Some suffering with a migraine, broken heart or loneliness is looking for you today. Share with them your healing presence.

Warren Baldwin

Note: for a very insightful lecture on the problem of pain, listen to Joni Eareckson Tada on Theology of Suffering.

No Honor in His Own Country

No Honor in His Own Country
Matthew 13:53-58

Amazed

The hometown boy does good. That seems to be the people’s immediate response to Jesus’ return home. Verse 54 says the people were "amazed" at his teaching.

As a preacher, I would love such a response from an audience! I’m often tickled if the audience is tolerant. These people listening to Jesus are amazed!

The home town people ask questions that indicate they are amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" They are obviously impressed. People in other places have been amazed at Jesus all along. They marvel that he teaches as one who has "authority, and not as their teachers of the law" (Matt. 7:29). They bring their sick and ailing to him to be healed. The people of Jesus’ hometown, Nazareth, have heard of these stories, and they are amazed.

Amazement can be good. It means we are positively impacted by something, and hopefully that something is a good thing. If I am amazed by the cover of a book, I will likely buy the book. If I am amazed by the look and smell of a chicken leg, I’ll likely sink my teeth into it. That, of course, is if the chicken leg has been fried or barbequed. So, hopefully the people of Nazareth are amazed at Jesus in the sense that they are ready to buy into his ministry, they are ready to sink their teeth into the lifestyle he is calling them to.

But, they ask some other questions in verse 55. "Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Marry and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?" Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"

Amazement can be felt in a positive way, where we are immensely impressed and want to share in the experience of that which amazes us. But it can also be experienced in a negative sense, where we are repulsed by what we see. Verse 57 indicates that may be the sense in which the people in Nazareth are amazed at Jesus: "And they took offense at him."

Skandalizo

The Greek word behind offense is skandalizo. From this word we get our word scandalize. It is translated as offense or stumble in the N.T., meaning the people take offense at Jesus, or they can’t see him as he is really so they stumble over him. Jesus knows this is a possibility for many people, so he warns against allowing it to happen.

"Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." Matt. 11:6

"This very night you will fall away (stumble) on account of me." Matt. 26:31

The Bible allows only two responses to Jesus: faith and obedience or unbelief and rejection. Everyone is confronted with these two options. To delay a decision is a mild form of rejection. To take Jesus lightly is a form of rejection. Jesus came to make war on the power of darkness and hell. We are either in his camp, or we not.

Stumbling Over Jesus

Skandalizo means to take offense or stumble. People stumble over Jesus for several reasons.
One, they simply don’t know who he is. Jesus is the son of God come in the flesh. He is the savior of mankind. He taught great lessons and performed miracles. But behind this public persona is more than a miracle worker. There is the light of heaven.

Two, they are looking for someone else. Many of the first century Jews were looking for a political leader, not a spiritual savior, so they stumbled over the real Jesus. Some people today make the same mistake. They look to Jesus to teach principles of success or give them better self-esteem. They don’t want to hear him say, "You will die in your sins."

Three, some hate him. Many of the leaders of Israel did. "They hated both me and my Father" (John 15:24). "They hated me without reason" (John 15:25). Jesus makes demands of our lives: that we renounce sin and follow him, that we love others and serve their needs. The leaders of Israel liked position and prominence. They were not ready to confess sin and serve the downtrodden, so they responded to Jesus with hatred.

Four, they don’t know the seriousness of sin "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). The second death is eternal separation from God (Rev. 21:8). Jesus’ mission is to save the world from that eternal separation. He came to redeem us. If we fail to realize the seriousness of sin we will never take Jesus seriously.
Why did the people of Nazareth stumble over Jesus? Why did they take offense at him? Maybe a combination of factors. They knew Jesus as the carpenter’s son. They may have had different expectations of a messiah. They may not have been serious about sin. Either way, they weren’t ready for the savior when he came back to their village. And they stumbled.

Jesus then said, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor." (V.57).

Will Jesus Find Honor Today?

Jesus did not find honor among his own people in Nazareth. Because of that, "He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith" (v.58). Did the people of Nazareth have people who were hurting? Sick? Demon possessed? Lost? They lost out on the redeeming ministry of Jesus because they would not honor him. They wouldn’t recognize Jesus for who he was and follow him, and they lost out.

Will Jesus find honor among his people today? Will we continue to seek him through scripture? Worship his Father? Will we pick up a towel and serve the needs of others? Will we seek him for salvation?

Revelation

In the book of Revelation Jesus visits another hometown - his churches in Asia. Jesus visits seven churches. To some of them he announces benedictions - he blesses them for their faithfulness and righteousness. To some he delivers a message of stern judgment. Here is part of his message to one church, Ephesus:

"Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place." (Rev. 2:4-5).

This church lost its first love. Some think the "first love" is their love for the other brothers in Christ. Actually, I think that is the "second love." The first love must be for God and Christ who bestow life upon us. These Christians are still functioning as a church: they are meeting, singing, opening the Word, and enjoying potluck dinners. But their activity is not centered on Jesus Christ. Somehow they have moved away from Christ, and even though they are saying and doing things that look and sound very Christian, the have actually lost their love for Christ.

Karl and Maxine could boast 41 years of marriage together. Unless you knew them well. They lived in the same house for 41 years and shared the same last name, but that was the extent of the marriage. Karl was an alcoholic and refused to quit drinking. Maxine didn’t believe in divorce, so she stayed with him. But they lived in separate rooms in the same house. She fixed his meals, but they ate at different tables. They rarely even spoke to each other. Maxine’s sister told me, "They don’t really have a marriage."

On paper they are still husband and wife; in reality, they are as far apart as if one lived in New York and the other in L.A.

On paper, we may be united to Christ, we may be part of a church, we may count ourselves among the redeemed. But have we lost our love for Christ, as Karl and Maxine lost their love for each other? Do we think we live in a relationship with him that is really only a shell? To the church that lost its love for Christ Jesus told them, "Repent and do the things you did at first, or I will remove your lampstand from its place." He would remove them from his community.

What did the church in Ephesus do at first? Verse 2 says they worked hard and persevered; they did not tolerate wickedness and they tested the sermons of even the most respected preachers; and they endured persecution without growing weary. Jesus calls them to return to this faithfulness.

Three Thoughts

1) We honor Jesus by acknowledging his grandeur as the Son of God. There is no one beside him. So we listen to him, obey him, abide in him.

2) We honor Jesus by remaining faithful to our calling. We labor in his name, serve others, worship faithfully, study the Word and teach it to others. When trials and hardships come, even in the church, we hang in there and don’t grow weary.

3) We honor Jesus by staying together. We are the church, and that means we are a body or family, and we don’t allow anything to fracture the body. We are Jesus’ neighborhood, his community, his hometown. And even with the faults and problems we can find in it, it is still home.

N.T. Wright wrote, "It is within the church, even when the church isn’t getting everything quite right, that the Christian faith ... is nourished and grows to maturity. As with any family, the members discover who they are in relationship with one another." (Simply Christian, p.213)

We honor Jesus together, by staying together, worshiping together, working together. But first, we honor him by recognizing him as the son of God, confessing him, and being washed in his name.

Warren Baldwin

Process of Forgiving

PROCESS OF FORGIVING

Forgiveness is not something that happens automatically or easily. This is especially true if what you must forgive is something very personal and painful.

Colossians 3:12-13 says, "As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." The means by which we can be kind, gentle and forgiving is stated in v.14: "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

If this verse isn’t challenging enough, Jesus himself said, "If you do not forgive men their sins, our Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:15. One apostle listening to these words was a bit slow in getting the message of forgiveness. He later asked Jesus, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, by seventy-seven times" (or seventy times seven times). Matthew 18:21-22.

These verses provide some very direct, sharp teaching about forgiving people who have hurt us and thus people at whome we are angry. Forgive, Jesus said, and don’t even keep track of the number of times you do it. Forgive, Paul said, because God has given you the love required to do it."

I believe that. But I still believe that forgiveness is not always automatic or easy. If it was, the Bible wouldn’t say so much about how and why we must forgive. If forgiveness was automatic or easy we would just do it.

I think forgiveness is a process, a process that sometimes takes months, even years, if the offense against us is serious enough. If you have been slandered, abused, violently mistreated, forgiveness may be a long, long process. If a family member has been violently mistreated, forgiveness may be a life-long process. That is ok, so long as you keep working at it.

The first step in the process of forgiveness is feeling hurt. If you have been badly mistreated and are hurt, admit that hurt. Stuffing the feeling or ignoring it will not help you or the situation. Stuffed feelings are still there, pressed deeply into the heart and psyche, breeding ugly thoughts and revenge. Instead, honestly and openly admit, "I have been hurt." Your emotions may swing from just wanting to forget it to feeling numb to crying. That’s ok, own those feelings.

The second step is anger, even hate, if the offense is serious enough. During this phase we may feel anger, rage, and even a hunger for revenge. We may want to retaliate and hurt the person who hurt us with as much or more severity. We all know what the Bible says about hate. It says, "Don’t do it!" We know it is wrong to hate, so when we feel hate we tend to deny it. Don’t. Again, if we are feeling this emotion the proper response is not to stuff it deep inside, where it will smolder and erupt violently later on. The thing to do is diffuse it through acknowledging the presence of hate and confessing it.

After confessing our hate and hatred we can move on to the third step in the process of forgiving: healing. Healing means we have worked through the hurt and hate and we experience a lessening of the negative emotions. We can actually begin to pray for the one who hurt us. We can move from wishing him harm to wishing well for him.

Finally, we can begin again. Beginning again means we can enter into and enjoy relationship again. In many cases it means we can function again with the one who offended us. It means we can look objectively at the conflict situation and even take responsibility for our part in it. Beginning again is very, very refreshing. (Note: The above 4 points are from Lewis B. Smedes, "Forgive & Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don’t Deserve").

How can we possibly work through the pain of hurt and hate to healing and beginning again? I’ll repeat Colossians 3:14: "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." God has blessed us with a loving and compassionate spirit. This is our power and ability to forgive.

John Patton has written: "Human forgiveness is not an act but a discovery that I am more like those who have hurt me than different from them; that I am capable of also hurting others very deeply. I am able to forgive when I discover that I am in no position to forgive ... at its heart is the recognition of my reception into the community of sinners - those affirmed by God as his children." ("Is Human Forgiveness Possible?", p.16).

This is a humbling statement: I am like those who hurt me. Haven’t I hurt others? Sure. I am part of a community of sinners. Can I claim to be without sin? No. I need to forgive others for the simple reason that I need others to forgive me.

How do we know when we have successfully navigated the steps of hurt, hate, healing and beginning again? One writer answered this by saying, "You know when you have forgiven when you can wish the other person well." (Managing the Congregation, p.372).

I am thankful to God for the forgiveness we have received from him. Rom. 6:8. I am also thankful that he has given us the means by which we can forgive others: his love.

Warren Baldwin
September 7, 2008

Heart of Leader #1

HEART OF A LEADER: JESUS
Matt. 4:1-11

Everyone who extends himself to lead in some way will find himself or herself challenged. Being challenged isn’t bad. Being challenged simply means that you are being tested.

We may be tested for two reasons.

1) The devil may be testing us to see how strong we are. He may be looking for weaknesses in our style or in our attitudes that he can exploit. Mostly, I think the devil is looking for weaknesses in character. Even with a poor style a leader can still do a wonderful job in the kingdom if he has good character. But, if his style is great but his character weak, the devil will exploit his weaknesses and cause great harm to the man or woman’s life. This will then affect their family, their church, their job, the whole community.

2) The lord may be testing us to see the same areas of weakness as the devil, but with this one difference: God does not want to exploit our weaknesses in style, attitudes or character. God wants to build us up and strengthen us. God wants us faithful for the long haul. Spiritual leadership that goes the distance means our family or our local church can count on us for a lifetime.

Among the qualifications, or qualities, that Paul gives for an elder in 1 Tim. 3 and Titus is that he not be a new convert, and that he has raised his children to be obedient, faithful and respectful. This means that the shepherd has been around awhile. He has been practicing his leadership for decades. True spiritual leaders grow and develop over time. Spiritual leadership is not the fruit of a short course or of a seminar. Those things give us ideas. They introduce us to people we can talk to who know about leadership. But it is the living out every day the principles of our godly walk that builds the character that sustains long-term leadership.

All those who lead sometimes ask, "Why am I doing this?" No one is exempt. No one. Every leader, man or woman, young or old, asks themselves sometime, "Why am I doing this? Am I doing the kind of job God wants? Am I reflecting the heart of God? Am I reaching people ... anyone, someone?" Those questions, and the pain behind them, are part of the training and preparation for being a spiritual leader in the kingdom of God.

Every great leader in the Bible has experienced those feelings. Moses experienced failure in his first attempts to lead. David experienced tremendous success in his early experiences at leadership. Paul was misguided in his early spiritual leadership. But God was at work in the lives of each of these men to prepare and mature them.
The same experiences occurred in the life and ministry of Jesus. Certainly God was at work in his life as Jesus was raised ...
... in a godly home
... attending worship at the temple
... learning the principles, wisdom and scriptures of his Heavenly Father. "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." Luke 2:52

Jesus had to be prepared to lead just as Moses, David and Paul had to be prepared. He had to be taught. But there also came a time when Jesus had to feel the gut-wrenching experience of being on the firing line for God. That is the story of Matthew 4:1-11

I said earlier that testing in our lives could come from God or the devil. Matthew makes it clear where this testing of Jesus came from: the devil. (V.1). In v.3 he is called the "tempter." Being the tempter means the devil is trying to find something wrong in your life. The devil works like a friend of mine, Terry Knapp. Terry used to work as an inspector for oil and gas pipelines. He would crawl through pipes that had been welded together. With a flashlight he would look for any kind of visible flaw in the welding. He studied and inspected every joint, looking for any slight crack or flaw that would allow gas or oil to escape from the pipe.

That is what the devil does in our lives. He looks closely at every detail of our hearts and lives. He is looking for any flaw, crevice or crack in our integrity and character. The very nature of the devil’s work is to analyze you, study you, investigate you, get to know every fiber of your being. He gathers all the data about it. Then, guess what he does with it? He looks at it and says, "Ok, over here, she is structurally weak. She has all the beauty, grace and poise of a young lady, but she doesn’t have her character developed yet. I will send her a young boy who will sweep her off her feet. She will not be able to resist his advances. She will fall for him. He will hurt her. He will undermine the morals her parents taught her. And I will kill her."

The devil looks at the data and says, "Ah, this is a fine young man. He respects his elders. He works hard. He has been taught the way of God. But he hasn’t had the time to mature in the ways of God. He is weak still several areas. Here is what I will do. Fresh out of college I will give him a good job with big pay. He won’t be ready to handle that money appropriately for God. He will spend it on his pleasures. In a few years, he will be spending his money on pretty pictures, then on pretty girls, young ladies who will lure his heart and body away from me. He will forget to worship God. And I will kill him."

That is the work of the tempter. And he does it so well, doesn’t he? "God, you know that man Job? He’s only following you because you reward him. Take away some of his blessings and see what he does." The story of Job unnerves me every time I go back and read it. I am thrilled that Job hung on to his integrity till the end!! I am scared that I would not be able to do the same.
The devil is watching Job, me, my son, my daughters, all of you.

He even watched Jesus to find the crack in the armor, if there was any, that he could exploit. He bided his time. He waited until the right moment ... when Jesus was very hungry. And he said, "Here Jesus, have some food."

There are three temptations in Matthew 4.
1) Food v.3-4
2) Power v.5-6
3) Authority v.7-10

Each of these temptations is an appeal to Jesus to derail him from his ministry for God. Jesus came to be the redemption of mankind. Jesus came to die. But the devil tried to appeal to Jesus’ hunger and desires to get him off track.
- Would Jesus take food from the devil? No, every good and perfect gift is from God, not the devil. Even in his hunger Jesus would not place himself at the mercy of the devil. He would not allow the devil to meet any of his needs. Only God could meet them.
- If Jesus accepted the offer of power, calling on the angels to rescue him, would he go to the cross?
- If Jesus accepted the offer of the devil to receive all the kingdoms of the world, and he had authority over all of them, would he need to go to the cross? Perhaps the devil thought he could convince Jesus that he didn’t need to die, now that he already had authority.

Each of these temptations was an appeal to needs that Jesus had. But Jesus wouldn’t fall for this trick of the devil. Jesus knows that only God can meet our deepest needs. Only God can truly satisfy hunger. Only God has the power and authority to give Jesus power and authority. Jesus knows the devil is a liar and the father of lies. The devil cannot give us anything that is ultimately good. Any gift from the devil is meant to deceive, hurt, and destroy.

Each one of these temptations was an appeal to ego needs that all of us have. We want to feel content in our bodies. We want to feel that we belong. We want to feel that we matter. Human beings will do almost anything to have these needs met.

We sin. What do you think sin is, ultimately? It is the conviction we have that we can meet our needs better than God can. God says, "Here, I give you eyes so you can take joy in the beauty of your wife and children." We say, "No, I will use my eyes to take in beauty that is not mine to enjoy." God says, "Here, I give you hands to do honest work." We say, "No, I will use my hands to do violence, and things that are dishonorable."

Sin is man’s attempt to say, "We can take better care of ourselves than God can." That was the temptation even to Jesus. But Jesus said, "NO!" Jesus’ leadership was challenged. This tempting in the wilderness was Satan’s attempt to derail the ministry of Jesus. He offered food, power, authority, wealth. Men have fallen for lesser things! Jesus maintained his integrity. He stood strong.

And we need to as well. Leadership in the kingdom is leadership for the long haul. Leadership is realizing that God is at work to build our character to be people who can endure the pain and difficulties of leadership and never give up. Leadership is realizing the deceitful work of the devil to derail us. It is to fully trust in God’s ability to meet our needs and not sell out to the devil’s lies. Leadership is being faithful for life.

Jesus was challenged, and we will be, too. We will feel those challenges in our hearts, in our spirit, in our bodies. We will wonder about our preparedness, our abilities. What do we do? We hang in there. Like Moses, David and Paul, we will have failures. Jesus was challenged, but he didn’t fail. We won’t handle things perfectly like Jesus did. But, like Jesus, we don’t have to let the devil win!

Leadership is being faithful for life. We can do that.

Warren Baldwin
10/1/06