Jesus Leaves The 99 (replay)

Jesus leaves the 99 (replay)

Matthew 4:1-11 “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”  Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands,     so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”  Jesus answered him, “It is also 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. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”  Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”  Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Have you ever had a time like this?  A time where you felt like the Devil was right there by your side attacking you?  Did you know what to say?  Did you know what to do?  I remember reading this and wishing that I knew scripture as well as Jesus did.  I wished I knew the right thing to say when the devil comes to tell me the lies.  That is what he is known for after all.  Satan is the father of lies.  Usually they are not bold face lies.  Usually they have some sliver of truth that is twisted to make you question something.  But in this passage Jesus was not deterred from his faith.  He did not get drawn into a debate, defending himself, or His God.  He simply quoted scripture to the enemy.  

This is one reason why it is helpful to read the Word of God everyday.  The more we read God’s word the more we will know what to say to defend ourselves from the enemy. There are many reasons to read the word of God.  Another one would be so that we know how God wants us to live.  The Bible is full of stories, parables and laws that can help us govern how to live.  Knowledge is power and if we know how God wants us to live, we can try to live in an upright manner.  We can do our best to please Him.  God does so much for us.  The least we can do is try to obey his rules.  We can try to live in a manner that honors Him and makes Him proud.

Do you struggle with this, with living in a way that honors God and makes Him proud?  I know I do.  I often think of the passage from St. Paul in Romans 7:15 “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”  If St. Paul, who did amazing things for Christ struggled to live a holy life, then I think it is understandable that we may struggle at times as well.  However, remembering this passages and turning over our struggle to God can help us struggle a little less.  When we are struggling we need only repent and turn back to God.  

God does not need us to be perfect, nor does he expect it. God knows every step you are going to take before you take it.  Nothing you do is a surprise to Him.  He is our creator, He is the creator of all things.  He knows how your story ends before it even starts.  He can see all the roads you will go down.  He knows the windy road that is your life.  And you know what?  He loves you anyway.  He loves you even though you are not perfect.  He loves you even though you will turn away from Him from time to time.  Maybe you have turned away from him a long time ago and have not come back yet.  Guess what?  He loves you anyway!  And He is ready for you to turn back to him.  

When you do, he will rejoice and celebrate.  He won’t be thinking of all the things you did in the past.  He won’t be holding your past sins against you.  Once you repent and turn back to the Lord, He will rejoice that His son or daughter has returned home and He will welcome you with open arms.  That is just one of the many amazing things about your Lord.  He is filled with so much mercy and so much grace.  He knows all of our flaws, all of our mistakes and yet He still loves us, flaws and all.  There is nothing that you can do that is unredeemable in the Lord’s eyes.  

I know people who don’t understand how valuable they are in the Lord’s eyes.  They feel that because of their sins they are worth less than others.  Or, maybe they feel they are worthless.  If you are one of these people that is struggling with your self worth in God’s eyes, I ask you to picture that you have 2 pennies in your hand, one of them is shiny and new and the other one is old, dirty, and looks like it has been found in the gutter.  What is the value of each penny?  Is the penny that looks shiny and new worth more than the penny that is old and dirty?  No, they are both worth the same.  This is the same with God’s love.  You are not worth less because you have made mistakes, made bad choices, or turned away from the Lord.  

The Lord is our father and he is always there waiting with open arms ready for us to turn back to him.  Nothing makes him happier than when one of his lost sheep find their way back home to him.  In Luke 15:3-6 Jesus tells this parable, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

I love this passage for a couple of reasons.  First, I love the imagery of God leaving the 99 to come after me.  He does not just let me wander away, but he comes to find me and guide me back home again.  Another reason I love this passage is because it says that He will rejoice more over the one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.  If you are living you life righteously and you have no need to repent I admire you.  That is not easy and it takes a lot of courage, especially in this day and age.  However, if you are one that has turned away, or if you find yourself in the same boat with St. Paul, where you keep doing the things you don’t want to do and struggle to do the things you want to do, I hope you find comfort in this passage.  “There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”  Is that one repentant sinner going to be you?  Is there some area of your life where you need to repent and turn back to the Lord?  I can already hear the rejoicing in heaven.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you help us see in our lives where we could repent.  Father, I ask that you shine a light on any darkness inside of us.  We want your light to fill that space.  I pray that you will put a love and desire for scripture inside our hearts.  I pray that you help us to do what is right and help us to overcome the urges to do what is wrong.  Lord, that is not easy and we cannot do it without your help.  Lord we love you and we thank you for all you do for us.  We want to repent and turn back to you, please just show us the way.  We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen.

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