Later this afternoon, a group of about two dozen of us will be leaving from Dulles en route to the Holy Land. We're going to be part of a larger tour with Terry Fulham, probably about 80 people going over this time. We're going to be visiting as many different sites of biblical importance as we can in a 10-day period.

Few people have said to me they can't understand why anybody would ever want to go to the Holy Land, but especially at such a time as this. And my response can only be that it's a matter of going home. I don't know how you could watch Roots the past couple of weeks and not have some desire to go to the place of our spiritual origins, if not our genealogical ones and walk through those same towns and villages and see the countryside albeit it's changed albeit it's commercialized to see Bethlehem and Nazareth and Jericho and the Dead Sea and the Garden of Gethsemane and the Jordan River and Solomon's Mines Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives don't mean to make you jealous, you understand not too much anyway but very sincerely to ask your prayers we see this not so much as a vacation as a pilgrimage going to be very much on the move we're going to be learning and sharing together and it's our desire that God would be able to do not only individually but corporately amongst us whatever he has for us already some extraordinary stories could be told of the way in which schedules have been rearranged and monies have suddenly been provided unexpectedly to make it possible for various members to be involved in the tour.

And that always happens on this sort of thing, the ways in which God fits together the pieces for particular people to go at a particular time. And we would bid you to pray on behalf of this group that we would really experience and learn all that God has for us. On Thursday of this week, we'll be visiting the site of the temptations that we just read about.

There are many places far more exciting, certainly almost anywhere is more beautiful. It's an absolute desolation of wilderness. But at least for me, there are few places, perhaps there are no places, that have had a deeper sense of eerie fascination.

than this place of wilderness, this place of temptation in our Lord's life. Here, we read the phrase, haunting phrase. I think I could spend a year just meditating on the phrase that Jesus was led of the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.

Those would seem absolutely irreconcilable concepts, to be led of the Spirit, tempted by the devil at one and the same time. And yet, that's the way his ministry began. It's interesting that it began that way, too.

You might think that of all the various times in Jesus' life that Satan might have tried to tempt him, to get him to capitulate, to compromise his relationship with God, of all the various moments in his life, this would be the least likely. He's been preparing for this moment of beginning his ministry for 30 years. He's been studying.

We don't usually think of Jesus as someone who needed to study, but it's quite clear that he was a student and a very careful student. It's even clear if you were to make a rigorous examination that his favorite book of the Bible was the book of Deuteronomy. He loved it and he lived in that book and he fed his mind and his heart.

With all of the scripture and that one in particular. We see him, that little glimpse that we get into his life as a young boy, going and asking questions. Most of the pictures have it the other way around.

Jesus teaching the scribes and the Pharisees. But that's not exactly what scripture says. It sees him as a student asking them questions.

Seeking to learn. And Jesus is preparing for this new ministry. And finally, after 30 years of preparation, the time has come.

And he goes into the River Jordan and he's acclaimed by John. Already some of John's disciples are transferring their allegiance to Jesus. In the midst of that water of baptism, the heaven opens.

God proclaims, this is my beloved Son. I'm well pleased with Him. Listen to Him.

Pay attention to Him. The Holy Spirit comes down in bodily form, anoints Him, empowers Him. you might think there is no moment in which Jesus was less vulnerable.

How interesting that of all the times in his life, this is the moment that Satan chooses to attack. Fair warning to any of us who have great moments of closeness to God. New insights or new spiritual experiences.

Or new empowering or some new gift. Special warning to those of you in the Life in the Spirit seminar. I do trust that this will be a very, very significant time in your life.

Of God pouring out His Spirit in some new way. But if you thought for a moment. That that would make you less subject to temptation.

Think again. Think again. Jesus is empowered by the Spirit, and then Satan attacks.

Don't take it for granted. Don't sit back and say, well, now I've got it all, and I'm invulnerable. Satan obviously had his purposes.

If he could catch Jesus in some compromise, no matter how small, if he could just twist the mission of Jesus ever so slightly, then the whole thing, you see, is derailed. If he could just get Jesus to value, even for a moment, his bodily needs above the Word of God, or make some small compromise on how you get things done, the power of government, the power of the military, the kingdoms of this world at his disposal, rather than relying exclusively on the power of God. Or if for just one moment he could value the acclaim of men and angels of the satisfaction of His Father, then the whole thing, you see, is twisted.

And so Satan chooses this moment. If you come into a new experience of God's empowering, I can absolutely guarantee that Satan is going to begin to take you seriously in a new way. So you be on the lookout.

The closer you get to God, the more likely it is that he's going to sit up and take notice and say, better do something about that one. And if you haven't been tempted too much recently, then I'll leave you to work out the implications of that as well. It's interesting.

It says he was led of the Spirit. It's not that God said, okay, now I've done everything for Jesus I can. Now he's on his own and Satan attacks.

Not at all. Satan had his purposes. God had his purposes.

What we see here is the awesome wonder of a God who can use even rank-served evil in his own deeper purposes. That's very easy to make a mistake there. The book of James warns us, let no one say, I am tempted of God.

God doesn't tempt anyone. God is not initiating this temptation in Jesus' life Satan is doing that Satan's purposes are totally alien to the purposes of God but God will take even that temptation and turn it into blessing James goes on to say blessed is the man who has endured temptation for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life so Satan has his purposes but God has his purposes and he'll use even Satan in the process of course the key there is Jesus' obedience he casts himself back all the more fully upon the grace and the mercy and the provision of God and in the process he finds himself supported in a deeper way than perhaps he's ever experienced previously I remember going into a nursing home about 12 years ago, and meeting a lady who had lost her only son and her husband 20 years before, was suffering from Parkinson's disease and psoriasis, was in terribly frail health. She was confined to one small room and had $10 a month as her income.

And she was the most radiant person I ever laid eyes on. And it was probably totally inappropriate for me to ask, but I couldn't help myself, how can you be so joyful? I've never forgotten her answer.

She said, when I lost everything else, I discovered that God alone is sufficient. I think that was part of Jesus' experience. That was part of the wilderness experience to go away from any other support system, any other prop, even food, human contact, fellowship, any of those things that we look to to define our lives and to support us in the midst of our day-to-day existence.

He was cast totally upon the mercy of God and in the midst of that, all the more so because of this onslaught of temptation. and he discovered God alone was sufficient. But we'll be at that particular place on Thursday.

I wonder if you've ever wished in some way that you could have an experience of wilderness, of going and being alone, totally dependent on the mercy of God in some such way as this. Probably you wouldn't invite the temptations. I can just see myself there in the wilderness area, and Satan comes up to me and says, what are you doing here?

And I say, I've come to be tempted. And he'll say, you certainly didn't need to come this far. Be absolute vain glory to think that I could withstand what Jesus withstood, but still something of being alone with God, cast upon Him.

Moses went and was 40 days in the wilderness. Elijah went and was 40 days in the wilderness. Here Jesus is 40 days alone with God.

And knowing that special sense of His support when all the other props are missing. But you say, well, I can't do that. I've got a family.

I've got responsibilities. I've got my job. I can't get away.

Well, I have good news for you this morning. As I read the message of Peter, what he's saying to us is right there in the midst of your job. You can have a wilderness experience.

Right there in the midst of everyday life, you can be cast upon the mercy of God in just exactly the same way if you have eyes to see and a heart to trust. Jesus is tempted in three things hunger for food hunger for power hunger for glory or acclaim aren't those the very same three things that gnaw at most of us most of the time and in particular in whatever our job situation might be just need a little bit more bread a little bit more authority, a little bit more power, a little bit more recognition. Well, maybe that can't apply to you.

But I bet there are one or two here who know the temptation in those areas. And more than that, Peter portrays a job situation in which the employer is overlooking or passing by the employee, giving the credit, the recognition, the promotion, the raise to somebody else. Or maybe even worse than that, deliberately mistreating the employee.

How do you respond to that? How do you deal with that as a Christian? How do you cope with those slights on the job that you don't deserve at all?

Now, first we have to notice that any kind of reprimand or any kind of discipline that we deserve carries no particular blessing to it. But Peter says that when there's that sort of treatment and we don't deserve it, if we bear it patiently, there's a special honor, a special blessing from God. And so I want to look at this with you for just a moment this morning.

Not everybody has a job just now, but most of us will from time to time in our lives. You know, psychologists are pretty much in agreement that the most important single factor in our psychological well-being is how we cope with authority. Did you know that?

Well, that's true for children growing up under parental authority. It's true in many other areas of our lives, of course, but in particular, I want to apply it to the business of our job. you may never have thought of this before but it really is good news that you can have a wilderness experience in the midst of your job and if you find yourself on the short end of the stick in relationship to your employer you can turn that into an opportunity for blessing if you learn the biblical principles for receiving it three things first of all, that those undeserved slights, the undeserved ones, that our faithfulness to Him will be rewarded as we play to an audience of one.

As we seek above all other things His approval, not that of men, not even that of job advancement. That's the promise that we read here in 1 Peter. A special honor to those who would put the integrity of God above any other self-interest.

Secondly, there's a principle that runs all the way through Old and New Testament. A principle that I would call creative alternatives. Daniel's a good example of that.

Do you remember when Daniel and his three friends were under the authority of the king of Babylon? And they were ordered to eat food that had been sacrificed to idols, and they couldn't do that because to them that was a matter of participating in the worship of idols. Now notice their response.

Daniel did not say, well, I guess we better go along. It's expected of us and we don't have any choice in the matter. Neither did he say, let's rebel, stage a sit-in, have a little insurrection, overthrow the authority.

Instead of either of those, what he said was, let us eat vegetables. We want the same thing that you want, only we think we know a better way to get there. Put us to the test and see.

The chief steward said, all right, I'll take you up on that challenge. After the time had passed, he discovered to his astonishment, Daniel and his friends were in better health than any of the other boys training for that particular service. said we want the same thing you want but there's a godly way for us to get there notice how that principle runs through all of scripture when we can't do what the authority demands of us God would have us first of all say is there an alternative way to get to the same end and he'll bless that I commend that to you in relationship to our employers it's our job under authority to offer an opinion our advice our recommendation to the authority and then the decision is his now notice there's a limit to this if the employer or if the state for that matter or whatever the authority might be were to demand what God has forbidden or to forbid what God has commanded then obviously we must not comply if it's an absolute contradiction then obviously our allegiance is to the Lord when Daniel's three friends a little bit later in the story are told that they must bow down and worship these idols or else they'll be thrown into the fiery furnace their answer is oh Nebuchadnezzar our God is able to save us but if not we will not serve your gods our God is able to save us but even if He doesn't do so even if we face the flame that's okay we will not compromise where the authority would order what God has forbidden or forbid what God has commanded then obviously our allegiance is to Him not to the authority but short of that absolute contradiction the principle of finding a creative alternative Is there some other way to achieve the same end that would satisfy your desires and yet which I can live with as a man of conscience committed to Christ?

God will bless that. God will bless that. And then thirdly, I would raise a series of questions if I find myself being slighted or being passed over or getting the short end of the stick in relationship to my employment.

First question I'd raise is, is there anything I've done to bring this upon myself? Before I conclude that it's unjust treatment, I'd really search and say, Is there anything I've done to bring this upon myself? God may be reprimanding me through the employer for something that I very much deserve.

Secondly, is there anything here for which I can praise God? In spite of whatever it is, whatever difficulty, whatever curve has been thrown me, I was counting on that promotion and I didn't get it. I was given some thankless job that nobody really wants.

Is there anything in the midst of this circumstance for which I can praise God? You might be surprised to see what he would turn up. And thirdly, would I dare to believe that God can use this in me to conform me more fully to the character of Christ?

Maybe I didn't bring it upon myself. Maybe there's no blessing whatsoever that I can immediately see. But I'll dare to believe that God can use that frustration to conform me to the image of Christ.

So those three principles running through the business of relating to our employers, I suspect they would touch on many other areas of our lives as well, but at least in this area. Special approval from God for the willingness to bear the slight that I don't deserve. Finding of a creative alternative in order to satisfy the wishes of those in authority above me and yet remain true in the way that I do that to my relationship with God.

And thirdly, looking for the hand of God even in the midst of adversity. Servants, Peter says, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the kind and gentle, but also to the overbearing. Dare to believe that God would use you in the midst of that circumstance as well as what He's doing in your life.

You might be the agent of change to win the heart of that employer, to bless those around you, and at the very least to be an example to fellow believers. Right there on our job. right there in the midst of everyday nitty-gritty circumstance, would be the opportunity for casting ourselves on the mercy and grace of God, just as the Lord Jesus Himself did there in the wilderness.

Let's bow our heads and pray together. Heavenly Father, we wouldn't look for slights and setbacks. In fact, we dare to believe that as we do our work honestly, with integrity, you'll bless it and us.

But Lord, all of us from time to time in various ways will find ourselves under the principle that Peter's been articulating to us. And we would pray for a special anointing of Your grace to bear that adversity, whatever it might be, that disappointment, that setback, patiently, expectantly, and joyfully. And that You would turn that little mini wilderness experience into an occasion of blessing, both in our lives and in those around us.

And so give us the grace to be the sort of employees who would bring honor and credit to your name for Christ's sake. Amen. Amen.