Choosing Christ at The Crossroads, #1
(First Sunday in Lent) In August of 2002, the Associated Press carried a story from Los Angeles about a would-be carjacker who made some seriously bad choices. Tyron Jermaine Hogan had already stolen the car of an elderly couple earlier that August morning, and had gotten away scot-free. So Hogan was probably feeling a little cocky when he reached inside an occupied van and tried to steal the driver's keys. Bad decision. The van belonged to the Florida International University judo club. The club members promptly beat the stuffing out of Hogan and turned him in to the police. (1)
This story certainly qualifies Tyrone Jermaine Hogan as a poster boy for bad choices. But we are all susceptible to making bad choices at times, whether out of haste, foolishness, or lack of information.
Dr. Phillip McGraw, who became famous as a counselor on The Oprah Winfrey Show, tells a story from his own life to illustrate the importance of making wise choices. Throughout his high school years, McGraw's best friend was a young man named Dean. McGraw and Dean did everything together, from taking the same classes to working at the same warehouse. But their paths separated after high school. Dean got married and continued to work at the warehouse. His priority now was supporting a family. McGraw went away to college and got his degree. For a while, McGraw and his friends envied Dean, who earned enough money to buy a nice car and rent his own apartment. Eventually, Dean and McGraw lost contact.
Ten years later, they met again. Dean was divorced now and was working a low-level job. Little else had changed in his life. McGraw was now Dr. Phillip McGraw.
What happened? asked Dean. How had these two men ended up at such different places in their lives? And that question can be answered in one word: choices. (2)
Today we are beginning a new sermon series for the Lenten season titled CHOOSING CHRIST AT THE CROSSROADS. Those of us who have been followers of Christ for more than a year or two can look back at significant moments in our lives when we were called upon to choose Christ's way or our own way. Maybe the decision involved our choice of marriage partners, our choice of jobs, our choice of priorities, a choice of giving in to or resisting temptation. If we can't recall any "crossroads moments" in our lives, then we need to examine whether our faith has any impact on our daily lives. Our faith should make us uncomfortable with some aspects of our society.
And the Lenten season is a perfect time to confront this question of choices, because this is the season in which we remember Jesus' sacrifice for us. It is a time to realign our lives with a Savior who made the ultimate choice, the choice to lay down his life on our behalf. It is not too much to ask that we be willing to make some tough choices for our own faith.
Our Bible passage for today is about a "crossroads moment" in Jesus' life when he had to make a significant choice. Jesus had just received the "seal of approval," if you will, 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 had committed no sins. His baptism, instead, was sign and symbol to others of what they needed to do to become one of his followers. Jesus' baptism was also a way to begin his new life in the ministry.
Can't you see the sunlight on the water, the dove fluttering overhead, the triumphant announcement by a heavenly voice? What a glorious start to Jesus' ministry!
And then, Mark records these words: "And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness." This was no mountaintop retreat center where Jesus formulated his five-year plan for the church. The wilderness was barren and dangerous and isolated. Mark writes that, "He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him." Forty days in a wasteland, threatened by wild beasts and tempted by Satan.
An amusing sign in front of a service station reads, "Come in! Let us shock, tire, break and exhaust you." (3)
That was Satan's plan for Jesus--to shock, tire, break and exhaust him. 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? Like the process of tempering steel makes it stronger, JESUS HAD TO FACE A TIME OF CHALLENGE AND CRISIS IN ORDER TO PREPARE HIMSELF FOR MINISTRY. Satan was offering Jesus a choice: surrender or significance? This was Jesus' "crossroads moment."
A woman named Rudy Galdonik shares how God encouraged her at a "crossroads moment" in her life. Due to her partner's mismanagement, Rudy's business was on the verge of collapse. She and her husband were facing financial ruin if the business folded. But as she drove from her office that day, Rudy tuned in to a Christian radio station. And the preacher's message that day spoke directly to Rudy Galdonik's need. He said, "Just remember that today's challenges and crises are tomorrow's credentials." With those words of encouragement, Rudy and her husband rallied the staff around their new business plan. In less than a year, their business was out of debt and growing. (4)
"Today's challenges and crises are tomorrow's credentials." Jesus faced down the most seductive lies in Satan's arsenal, and he did it by relying solely on God's word. And when Jesus emerged from the desert, he did so in triumph, ready to preach the good news of the coming of God's kingdom. Jesus had shown that he was fully ready for the ministry to which God had called him. By enduring this challenge, he had earned his credentials.
A few years ago, there were scattered articles in the news media about some parents' struggles to keep their kids away from drugs. The crux of the problem seemed to be that many of these parents had experimented with drugs in their teen years. And now the chickens had come home to roost, so to speak. A generation later, illegal drugs are more potent, more varied, more dangerous, and more available than ever. Yet these parents were having problems discussing the issue of drug use with their kids. Because they had given in to temptation, they lacked the moral authority to give their children proper direction. That is one dangerous side effect of sin: it saps our spiritual power and moral authority. Jesus' message and his ministry gained their power from his time of trial in the desert.
AND JESUS ENDURED HIS TRIALS IN THE WILDERNESS SO THAT HE COULD PROVIDE EVER-PRESENT HELP IN OUR 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: will we choose to follow Christ's example or our own desires? Will we face up to the challenge, or will we give in to our weakness?
Pastor Tommy Barnett tells a revealing story of an encounter with rock-and-roll icon Elvis Presley many years ago. Elvis was in the congregation at a church where Barnett was speaking. Elvis seemed moved by the sermon, and wanted to talk to Barnett afterwards. Elvis grew up a deeply religious young man. 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 is an honest question many people might ask: What if I renounce this illicit relationship and find that serving God won't bring joy to my heart? What if I give up this destructive habit and find that serving God won't bring joy to my heart? What if I let go of my poisonous attitudes and find that serving God won't bring joy to my heart? Of course, we all know what show business did to the king of rock-and-roll. It did what it has done to so many other talented young stars. (5)
At a crossroads moment, Elvis Presley chose to follow his own desires. Eventually, those desires devoured his very 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 and surrounding society. The Romans invented the barbaric practice of sending unarmed Christians into the arena with hungry lions as a form of entertainment. Keep the faith and face persecution and death. Renounce your faith and melt back into the anonymous crowd of Roman citizens. What a choice to make!
McKenna pictures the believers gathered in a secret meeting, hungrily reading over Mark's letter to them, searching for some 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 in--just as they were. And yet he endured. (6) 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 and testing also.
At the age of 25, champion racing cyclist Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with "advanced testicular cancer." With aggressive medical treatment, Armstrong's cancer went into remission. At first, he responded to this good news by becoming, in his own words, self-indulgent. He decided to live every day as if it were his last. 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, confronted him. 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?
Kristin's question forced Lance to consider the purpose of his life. Did he endure cancer in order to become an unmotivated couch potato? Lance soon returned to his training. This past spring, he won his third Tour de France championship. (7)
In our choices lies our destiny. Who we are ten years from now will be decided by the choices we make today. But no choice is more crucial, more central, or more influential than our choice to follow Christ. It will affect our priorities, our values, our plans, and our attitudes more than any other choice we will ever make. Will we stand firm in the face of testing? Will we, like Christ, gain the power and assurance that comes from godliness?
You may have made numerous bad choices in the past. We all have. The season of Lent reminds us that the first message of Jesus' ministry was to "Repent." Literally, "to change your mind." To change your direction. That is the challenge Jesus lays before us today. I pray that you will choose his way for your life.
1. "Carjacker Targets Van With Judo Club" by Kate Berry. Copyright 2002, The Associated Press.
2. "The Crossroads of You" by Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D., O, The Oprah Magazine, Jan. 2002, p.30.
3. Contributed by Jon B. Cox, Reader's Digest, June 2002, p.115.
4. Stories of God's Abundance for a More Joyful Life, compiled by Kathy Collard Miller (Lancaster, PA: Starburst Publishers, 1999), pp.155-156.
5. Tommy Barnett. Adventure Yourself (Lake Mary, FL: Creation House, 2000), p. 126.
6. David L. McKenna. The Communicator's Commentary: Mark, edited by Lloyd J. Ogilvie (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982), pp. 39-40.
7. "Tour de Force" by Lance Armstrong, Reader's Digest, June 2002, pp. 51-54.