CHOICES
Mark 1:12-15
In August, 2002, Tyron Jermaine Hogan had already stolen the car of an elderly couple earlier that morning, and had gotten away scot-free. So He was feeling a little cocky when he reached inside the mini-van and tried to take the keys away from a the petit 5’ 2” girl setting in the drivers seat. Bad move...Poor choice. This tiny lass was the president of the
Tyrone Jermaine Hogan could qualify for poster boy of bad choice last year. But we are all susceptible to making bad choices at times, whether out of haste, greed, lack of information or just plain stupidity.
Those of us who have followed of Jesus for a while can look back at moments in our lives when we were called upon to choose Jesus’ way or our own way and made the wrong choice. Maybe the decision involved a choice in a marriage, or job, or priorities, a choice of giving in or resisting temptation. If you can't recall any significant choices in your lives, then you need to examine whether your faith has had any real impact on your lives or not. Our faith should make us real uncomfortable with a lot of the junk that is going on in our society today and how we react to it.
It’s time to realign our lives with Jesus who made the ultimate choice, to lay down his life for us. It’s not too much to ask that we consider making some tough choices for our own faith.
Our scripture lesson is about Jesus' significant choice. Jesus had just received the "seal of approval," you might say, for his ministry. He had been baptized by John in the River Jordan; at the moment of baptism, a dove had descended from heaven and the voice of God had announced "This is my beloved son, with him I am well pleased." Jesus' baptism was not to cleanse him from sin, of course. He hadn’t sinned. His baptism, instead, was sign to everyone of what they needed to do to become one of his disciples. Jesus' baptism was also a way to mark the beginning His earthly ministry.
Then the Holy Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. This was no plush mountain top retreat center where Jesus would formulate his five-year plan for the church. Mark writes that, He was forty days in a wasteland, threatened by wild beasts and tempted by Satan.
There is a sign in front of a service station reads near
That was Satan's plan for Jesus and for each and every of us, to shock, tire, break and exhaust us. To wear down His faith in God. To confuse His mission. After such a glorious start, why did the Spirit drive Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted? Well, it’s like the process of tempering steel makes it stronger, JESUS HAD TO FACE A TIME OF CHALLENGE AND CRISIS IN ORDER TO READY HIMSELF FOR MINISTRY. Satan was offering Jesus a choice: surrender or significance? This was Jesus' moment of Choice, to set an example for all of us to follow.
AND JESUS ENDURED HIS TRIALS IN THE WILDERNESS SO THAT HE COULD PROVIDE EVER-PRESENT HELP IN OUR TIMES OF TEMPTATIONS. The author of the book of Hebrews is referring to Jesus when he writes, "Because He himself suffered when He was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." (Hebrews 2: 18, NIV) He also wrote in Hebrews 4: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin." (Hebrews 4: 15, NIV)
Make no mistake about it. You and I face a thousand small and large temptations every day. At the center of every temptation is the same crucial question: do we choose to follow Jesus’ example or our own desires? Will we face up to the challenge, or will we give in to our own weakness?
Pastor Tommy Barnett tells a sad story of an encounter with “The King” Elvis Presley many years ago. Elvis was in the congregation at a church where Barnett was Preaching. Elvis seemed moved by the sermon, and wanted to talk to Barnett afterwards. Elvis grew up in a deeply religious family. He cut his teeth singing Gospel music. He knew that he needed to repent of his current lifestyle and return to his Christian faith. But the allure of show business was too strong. With tears rolling down his face, Elvis asked, "... what if I renounce show business and find that serving God won't bring joy to my heart?" That’s an honest question many people might ask: What if I renounce this illicit relationship and find that serving God doesn’t bring joy to my heart? What if I give up this destructive habit and find that serving Jesus won't bring joy to my heart? What if I let go of my poisonous and distructive attitudes and find that in serving Jesus I won't find fulfilment? Of course, we know what show business did to the “king”. It did what it has done to so many other talented young people.
He had a choice, Elvis Presley chose to follow his own desires, and it cost him his life.
Pastor David L. McKenna, in his commentary on the book of Mark, reminds us that the apostle Mark was writing to a small band of Roman Christians who were under constant persecution from the Roman government. It was the Romans who invented the barbaric practice of sending unarmed Christians into the Coliseum with hungry lions as a form of entertainment. Keep the faith and face persecution and death, OR Renounce your faith and melt back into the crowd. What a choice to make!
McKenna pictures the believers gathered in a secret meeting, hungrily reading Mark's Gospel, searching for words of encouragement. And here they are, in these four verses. Their Savior knew what it was to be alone, hungry, weak, needy, isolated, in danger, surrounded by wild beasts, and tempted to give into the easy life--just as they were. And yet He endured. And because He endured, He sealed our reconciliation with God. Jesus' example gives us the courage, the hope, the promise that we can endure temptation, too, and we can make it, also.
Champion racing cyclist Lance Armstrong has been seen in some TV commercials recently. At the age of 25, he was diagnosed with "advanced testicular cancer." With aggressive medical treatment, Armstrong's cancer went into remission. At first, he decided to live it up and be self indulgent. He stopped working and training. He gave up on most of his responsibilities. He spent his time playing golf.
One day, Lance's wife, Kristin, found that she was pregnant and confronted him. She reminded him that God had not only given him healing but has also given him what they had wanted most in life a child, a son. In a loving manner, she asked him to decide what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Did he want to spend his life playing golf and drinking beer? Or did he want something more for this future son?
Kristin's question forced Lance to consider the purpose of his life, to make a choice. Did he endure cancer in order to become an unmotivated couch potato? Lance repented and returned to training. That spring, he won his third Tour de France championship.
In our choices lies our eternity. Who we are ten years from now will be decided by the choices we make today. But no other choice is more crucial, more central, or more influential than our choice to follow Jesus Christ. It will affect our priorities, our values, our plans, and our attitudes more than any other choice we’ll ever make. Will we stand firm in the face of testing? Will we, like Christ, gain the power and assurance that comes from godliness?
We have made enough bad choices our lives all ready. We all have. We are reminded that the first message of Jesus' ministry was to "Repent." Literally, To change our direction. That is the challenge Jesus lays before us today and every day. I pray that you and I will choose His way for our lives today and everyday. Our joy, happiness, and eternal lives depend on that choice.
