Christ in Temptation| Sermon by Pastor Will скачать в хорошем качестве

Christ in Temptation| Sermon by Pastor Will

Lent begins in an unexpected place — not in triumph, not even in repentance — but in the wilderness. This weekend, Pastor Will reflects on Jesus’ temptation in Matthew 4 and what it means for us when life feels uncertain, strained, or heavy. The wilderness isn’t just a desert long ago. It’s the diagnosis we didn’t see coming. The anxiety that wakes us before sunrise. The grief that lingers. The temptation that keeps returning. It’s the place where we quietly ask, “Where is God?” Temptation does more than invite us to sin — it whispers doubt: Can God really be trusted? But here’s the good news. Jesus does not avoid the wilderness. He is led into it. Hungry. Alone. Vulnerable. And where humanity once grasped for control, Christ trusts completely. Where Adam doubted, Jesus stands firm. Where we fall, Christ refuses to fail. Pastor Will reminds us that Jesus does not enter the wilderness merely to teach us how to resist temptation. He goes because we cannot stand there on our own. His obedience becomes our obedience. His victory becomes our victory. Lent, then, is not about proving our devotion to God. It’s about trusting that God has already devoted Himself to us. Your temptations are not proof that God has abandoned you. Your struggles are not signs of spiritual failure. Your wilderness is not outside the grace of God. Because Christ has already stood there for you — and He has already won. When the accuser whispers, “You failed again… your faith is weak…” the baptized Christian answers: I belong to Jesus Christ. He has already fought this battle. He has already won. Join us this weekend as we begin Lent not with our strength, but with Christ’s — trusting that even in the wilderness, we are not alone. 🙏 Thanks for joining us in worship. You are always welcome here. COPYRIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Liturgy and liturgical music from Evangelical Lutheran Worship Copyright © Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS000637 New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. One License A-702165 CCLI Church Copyright License C2024947 CCLI Streaming License C2198574