Rev. Kelley speaks of temptations of Christ

By Janet Morales

Rev. Don Kelley, transitional pastor at Carpenter Street Baptist Church, was the featured speaker at the Altrusa Lenten Luncheon Wednesday.

Kelley spoke of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, from which, he said, the concept of Lent came. Kelley said the 40 days and nights of fasting was a time of reflection and soul searching, as these days of Lent should be for us. Then came temptation.

“After fasting forty days and forty nights, he (Jesus) was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’” (Matthew 4: 2-3 NIV)

Kelley said this first temptation is one which tries to get us to ignore our relationship with God.

“We need to have a relationship with God,” said Kelley. “Don’t push Jesus out of our lives. Don’t allow this world to cause us to ignore our relationship with 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.”’”

Kelley said we must not presume upon God. While God’s love for us is unconditional, Kelley said, we must not presume he would be there no matter what. He gave an example of standing in the way of a train and expecting God to save us.

Kelley explained that in Roman’s 1 grace and sin are discussed. It says that we must not presume the grace we have is a license to sin.

“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘If you will bow down and worship me.’”

Kelley likened this temptation to taking shortcuts in life. Satan’s temptation was to “go for the glory without going through the cross.” said Kelley.

“If we’re going to be disciples, we must take up our cross and follow him,” said Kelley. “Are we willing to suffer for Him? We must live our lives faithfully to God, day by day, every day. First comes suffering, then comes glory.”

Why did Jesus go through this time of temptation?

“Temptation prepared him to be our sympathetic high priest,” said Kelley. “It allowed him to say He went through life as we did, ‘I know how you feel.’ No matter what we’re dealing with in our lives, Jesus found victory over temptation and we can have victory, too.”

Kelley said Jesus had two secrets for attaining victory over temptation, two secrets that we have, as well.

“He relied on the power of the Holy Spirit,” said Kelley. “We have that for us today. ‘Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world’ (1John 4:4). There is no obstacle we can’t overcome with the help of the Holy Spirit.”

The second secret is the written word, said Kelley.

“In all three temptations, Jesus answered ‘it is written’. He knew the Old Testament. He quoted it. He relied on it. “The more we know what’s in this book, the more we know what to do in our lives and the closer we will be to God.”

Kelley called the Bible a miracle because it is God speaking to us “from His spirit to our spirit.”

Kelley closed the speech with a prayer for God to “help us to have the faith to follow you.”

Next week is the last of the six-week series of Lenten Luncheons sponsored by the Altrusa International Club of Moberly. Rev. Ken Schurb, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church will be the speaker. For reservations, call Dora May Craven at 269-8405.