"THE PAIN AND PROMISE OF POWER"
Matthew 4:8-11
April 6, 2003

Lenten Sermon Series
The Seven First Words of Jesus

David W. Hull, Pastor
First Baptist Church
Huntsville, Alabama

It happened on New Year's Day at the Rose Bowl Parade. Amidst the beauty and splendor of that event, a problem arose. Along the parade route, one of the floats stopped, bringing the entire caravan to a stand-still. Upon closer inspection underneath the beautiful flowers of the float, it was discovered that the engine had run out of gas. The irony of this event was that the float was sponsored by the Standard Oil Company.

Sometimes we seem to run out of power in our lives. Even Christians, who bear the name of Christ and therefore represent the greatest power the world has ever known, sometimes feel like we are running on empty. Have you ever felt this way? Have you wondered if you could make it another day, another step? Do you doubt if you have the power to see it through? What do you do when your life is running out of power?

Jesus was struggling in the desert with the issue of power. As he began his ministry, he was trying to determine the best use of power. Along comes Satan with a temptation that relates to the issue of power. In that barren wilderness, we see two approaches to power. The way of Satan leads to pain; the way of Jesus leads to promise. Look with me at their approaches to power and see which one you will choose.

I. THE GOD OF POWER

Satan gave his life to the god of power. At first you might wonder if power could be considered a god. We think of God as a divine, creative being. Power certainly is not that. Remember, god is also defined as "an image that is worshipped" or "a thing…excessively honored and admired." (Webster's New World Dictionary) Our god is the person or thing to whom we give our lives. Our god is what controls the way we live and act. For some people the god is money because it controls them. For others the god is pleasure of the senses. Satan's god is power.

In the desert, Satan tried one last effort to tempt Jesus. He tried to persuade him to worship his god. He showed him all of the kingdoms of the world and offered them to Jesus. Just think of the power that Jesus would have if he controlled all of the kingdoms. Think of the good he could do for God if he were President of the world. Power certainly does have some advantages. In fact, there is nothing wrong with power itself. The problem comes when we turn power into a god.

The god of power is very seductive. Many good people have been lured into its trap, only to find that they have lost their goodness. This explains the famous saying, "Power corrupts - absolute power corrupts absolutely." Jesus realized the pitfalls of following this god of power. He rebuked Satan and sent him packing. Why? What is so wrong with giving our lives to this attractive god of power? With all of the good that can be done, why is Jesus so harsh with Satan?

The god of power is deceptive. Look at what Satan was doing. He showed him the glory of all the kingdoms of the world and then said, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Imagine the audacity of that promise! Satan was offering to give to Jesus what was not his to give. Satan held no clear title to the kingdoms. It was like trying to give a car away to the person who already owns the car! John 1:2-3 described Jesus as the Word of God who "was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." Jesus not only owned the kingdoms - he created them. They were not Satan's to give away. He was being deceptive.

In the book, The Universe Is My Hobby, Dudley Zurer sheds some interesting insight on a significant part of our nation's history. Do you remember the story of the Native Americans who sold Manhattan Island to the white men for a few dollars? We often ridicule the Indians for allowing the land to be bought at so low a price. How foolish they must have been as the white men chuckled under their breath when they completed the deal of the century. Zurer contends that the white men simply had not matured enough to appreciate the Indian's position. They considered the Europeans fools for giving money for what was not theirs to sell in the first place. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein." (Psalm 24:1) Satan holds no clear title. The kingdoms are not his to give.

Just as Satan tried to deceive Jesus, we never get the true story from the god of power. You may not care about the kingdoms of the world, but you are interested in the promises of power. We all want happiness, so Satan leads us up to a mountaintop to show us happiness. "I will give you this if you will give your life to the god of power." To a business person he says, "Happiness will come when you get to the top. Do whatever you must to get there. Step on people, neglect family, cheat if you have to, but I will promise happiness when you get to the top." To a young person he whispers, "You will be happy when you are popular. Do what you have to in order to be popular. Try drugs, drink, do wild things, and I will make you happy."

Do not be deceived. Satan has no clear title to happiness. It is not his to give. That is why the person in business wakes up one day to find he is on top but his life is empty. The young person may have some high moments, but then gets so strung out on drugs that life is miserable, not happy. When you bow down to worship the god of power in the hopes of being happy, Satan merely laughs at us. "The fools," he thinks. "I never had any happiness to give them in the first place." The god of power is deceptive.

The god of power is also deadly. The reason for this is very simple. There is no life in the god we call power. It is merely an idol, an image we worship. There is no life, no being, no person. Power is only an elusive mist which comes and goes. When it is gone, there is no life. The god of power is very fickle. Whenever you feel Satan tempting you to worship the god of power remember that it will not last. Andy Warhol declared that everyone is a celebrity for fifteen minutes. That is not very long compared to eternity. Power doesn't last because there is no life in the god.

II. THE POWER OF GOD

There is another way which offers promise instead of pain. Jesus shows us this way as he gave his life to the power of God. His rebuke of Satan in these first words of Jesus was a foreshadowing of one of his last words from the cross. "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit." Throughout his days, Jesus placed his life in the powerful hands of God. His words to Satan teach us how to live like he lived. Jesus shows us that we can connect with the power of God through worship and service.

We worship a God who lives. It is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God." Don't be swayed to bow down before the god of power. Remember, there is nothing living there. Instead worship the God who gave life back to one who was not living.

Because our God lives, worship is to be an encounter with this living God. That is a good definition of worship - an encounter with the living God. Worship is not a performance to be viewed, or a habit to be endured. It is a time to cross paths with our God. It is meant to turn our heads away from all the other gods who yearn for our adoration. "Worship the Lord your God."

We connect with the power of God through worship. This means the way to receive God's power in our lives is through regular contact by means of regular worship. I'm reminded of the story of a fellow who had been reared in the city, but who moved to a farm and began to milk cows. In the feed store one day he complained his best cow had gone dry. The store owner asked if he was feeding her right. He replied that he had been feeding her everything he had bought her in that store. Then the store owner asked, "Are you milking her everyday?" To which the rookie farmer replied, "Just about. If I need 6 or 8 ounces of milk for breakfast I go out and get it. If I don't need any, I don't get it - I just let her save it up." The feed store owner had to explain to the man that it doesn't work that way.

With cow's milk, like God's presence, you take all that is there or you eventually have nothing. If your view of worship is simply to come every now and then when you need 6 or 8 ounces of God's power in your life then you will find it very difficult to experience his presence in a regular way. If your private worship through Bible study and prayer only happens when you need a quick shot of "spiritual milk" in order to be fed during a difficult time in your life, then it is little wonder why we are running on empty as Christians. Worship is a regular opportunity for us to receive the power of God in our lives in order that we might be strengthened for our Christian journey. Jesus rebuked Satan and said I will not worship the god of power. Instead, "You shall worship the Lord your God." God promises his power and presence when we commit our lives to a regular worship with him.

We serve the Lord who served We worship God "and him only shall you serve." This statement unleashes the great paradox of power. Real power never comes to us if we give our lives to the god of power. It only comes when we turn loose the power of God through our service.

To understand this fully we need to examine another passage of scripture that is often compared to our text. In Matthew 16:13-28 we read about a conversation between Jesus, Peter, and the disciples. The link to our text is Jesus' rebuke of Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan. You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men." (v.23) That does sound very similar to "Begone, Satan." What was happening here?

Jesus was teaching his disciples the same lesson about power that he taught Satan in the wilderness. The passage began on a high note with Peter declaring Jesus to be the Son of God (v. 16). Jesus' description of the church is full of power. The "power of death shall not prevail" against those who hold the keys to a kingdom and are able to do heavenly things on earth. The thought of that power must have boggled the mind of Peter. Then Jesus shifted gears and began talking about his suffering (v. 21). That change was too much for Peter who blurted out, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you." Jesus responded by bluntly putting Peter in his place.

Do you see what happened? Peter naturally assumed that the power for this new church would come as all power in the world comes - by force and strength. That was the problem. He was thinking in the terms "of men", of the world. The power of God does not come that way. Jesus knew he had a "teachable moment" as Peter retreated to lick his wounds, so he began to explain how power comes through service. (vs. 24-28). Real power comes when we "take up a cross", and "lose our lives." There is no power in gaining the world if you realize that Satan holds no title to give you what he promised. All of the good things in life - love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, - belong to God. He lets them bloom forth in our lives when we worship and serve him. They are not Satan's to give! They belong to the power of God.

Do you know the story of "The Keeper of the Spring?" Several ministers have told this over the years and it illustrates the power that comes through service. A small village in the Swiss Alps was a beautiful tourist attraction because it was nestled near the tall mountains and the town surrounded a clear lake. For many years, the town had paid a man who lived up in the mountains to care for the spring which was the water supply for the town. His job was to keep the water source clean so that the lake down below would remain beautiful. A new town council came into power and began to cut out unnecessary expenses. No one had really seen this keeper of the spring and some of the new leaders wondered if he still existed. His salary was cut from the budget and everyone assumed that the town would never miss this hidden servant. It was not long before the water began to show a dirty scum on the surface, which in turn sent the swans away to another location, which soon had the tourists staying away from this town. An emergency meeting of the town council was called in order to put the keeper of the spring back into the budget. Without the service provided by this hidden man, the town was losing some of its power and appeal. Everyone learned the lesson about the importance of service and its relationship to power.

Jesus demonstrated in his own life that power does not come through military might or political persuasion or economic coercion. Power is received and shared through Christian service. Long ago in a desert Jesus put Satan in his place. He sent him away! He rejected the deceptive, deadly god of power. He committed his life to the power of God. Where will you put Satan in your life? Where will you put Jesus?