"and Suddenly Angels!"

“And suddenly angels…” – think about that image.

• I am a Star Tek fan, so when I think about it, I imagine these angels beaming down to Jesus.

• You know, their bodies are just a bunch of particle beans that suddenly become angels (and you have to have that sound effect).

• I know – that’s sort of out there – you all sure do have a weird pastor.

1). But really, the whole temptation in the wilderness story is kind of “out there,” isn’t it.

A). Matthew says the tempter came to Jesus in the wilderness.

• But it was after Jesus hadn’t eaten the forty days.

• I don’t know about you, but I think I know how I would have felt after not eating for 40 days!

• Matthew says that Jesus was ‘famished.’ – what does that mean? Suffering from starvation; severely affected by lack of food.

• Jesus wasn’t just hungry and worn out – He was literally starving (that’s a word we use when we are simply hungry – we haven’t eaten since breakfast – but really, how many of us have suffered from starvation?

• Jesus was starving, and He was a prime target for this temptation.

B). So, here comes Satan (at the most opportune time).

• I know that some Bible scholars want to say that Satan didn’t actually come to Jesus.

• He came to Jesus’ thoughts – Satan wasn’t really there; it was just a voice whispering in his ear - it a hallucination?

• Does it matter if the devil came (as we say it) “in-the-flesh?” YES! The Greek says that the Tempter (Satan) came to Jesus.

C). And pretty much every time we hear a sermon on this, the preacher talks about the temptations Jesus went through.

• And there is nothing wrong with that – I have preached on it several times.

• And while these particular temptations are uniquely for Jesus, we can relate:

• None of us can turn stone into bread, but all of us can think of our own needs first.

• None of us can survive being flung from a high peak, but all of us can focus on doing something sensational to be seen (or even made famous), but that can damage our faith and trust in the Lord.

• None of us can rule the world, but all of us can have a lust for power or greed that leads us into sin.

• So, yes, we can relate to these temptations.

D). But Jesus endures the temptations, Satan leaves, “and suddenly angels” come to care for Him.

2). So, I want us to go back to Psalm 32 (this is another Scripture reading from the Lectionary for today – and it’s on the back of the bulletin.

A). In Psalm 32, we find another wilderness wandering.

• The suffering and wasting away found in Psalm 32, reminds us a lot of Jesus in the wilderness.

• But for David, it is spiritual and not just physical.

B). I am going to divide it up into two sections – because there are two participants (speakers) here, David and God.

• Psalm 32:1-7; 1 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! 3 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. 5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. 6 Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. 7 For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.

• So look, the source of David’s suffering is identified in verse 4 as God– the God of justice and judgment.

• David says that as God’s hand of discipline was on him, David’s strength ‘evaporated like water in the summer heat.’

• Why was this happening? Look at v.3 - Because David refused to confess his sin!

• Folks, today we call this the conviction of the Holy Spirit on us – and it happens because of the love of God for us!

• Look: This isn’t a punishment – it is God calling us to – and desiring us - to repent so that our relationship with Him can be restored!