The Sunday Bible Readings and Prayers for Sunday, March 6, 2022 — First Sunday in Lent

 

The Temptation of Jesus

The Sunday Bible Readings and Prayers
Sunday, March 6, 2022
First Sunday in Lent
Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16;

Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13
with commentaries from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

The Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness

In this clip, from Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts, "The Gospels", after being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus travels to the Judean wilderness for 40 days of isolation and preparation for his earthly ministry.

Introduction & Theme

Saved from Egypt (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)
God Shall Keep You (Psalm 91:1-2 9-16)
You Will be Saved (Romans 10:8b-13)
The Temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:1-13)

Salvation comes from God. This theme runs through each of today’s readings. With a call to remember God freeing the Hebrew people from bondage in Egypt, Deuteronomy records the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring Israel into the promised land. The psalmist rejoices that God blesses the faithful with refuge and strength. In Romans, Paul promises salvation to all who believe in Christ Jesus with their hearts, and to all who profess this belief with their lips. In Luke, Jesus is tempted by the devil after fasting in the wilderness, but resists by putting God’s priorities ahead of human calculations.

Opening Prayer
(Deuteronomy 26, Romans 10:13)

Faithful One, the promises you made to our ancestors continue even to this day. We too share the bounty of your blessings, dwelling in a land flowing with milk and honey. Burn the truth of Paul’s words into our very souls: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Amen.

Call to Confession
(Deuteronomy 26, Psalm 91, Luke 4)

Your ways, Merciful One, always lead to life. When our faith falters, and when we forget the promises you have made, remind us of your steadfast love. When our strength fails us in the wilderness of life, and when temptations threaten to lead us astray, remind us of Christ’s faithfulness. When our world seems imperiled by forces beyond our control, remind us that you are our refuge and strength. In Christ’s name, we pray for your presence, as we journey this Lenten journey with him all the way to the cross. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon
(Romans 10)

All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Trust the promises of God. Believe in Christ Jesus with your whole heart. Confess what the Spirit has done for you and you will abide in life everlasting.

Today’s Verse-of-the-Day:
Isaiah 25:1

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

Praise the Lord often, regardless of your circumstances. Many people exalt Him only when something good happens to them or when they receive an unexpected blessing—but the Lord is worthy of our adoration at all times, in all circumstances.

Today’s Lectionary Readings:
From the Pentateuch
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Saved from Egypt

26:1 When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2 take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. 5 Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. 7 Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

Commentary

Confession in offering the first-fruits.

When God has made good his promises to us, he expects we should own it to the honor of his faithfulness. And our creature comforts are doubly sweet, when we see them flowing from the fountain of the promise. The person who offered his first-fruits, must remember and own the mean origin of that nation, of which he was a member. A Syrian ready to perish was my father. Jacob is here called a Syrian. Their nation in its infancy sojourned in Egypt as strangers, they served there as slaves. They were a poor, despised, oppressed people in Egypt; and though become rich and great, had no reason to be proud, secure, or forgetful of God. He must thankfully acknowledge God's great goodness to Israel. The comfort we have in our own enjoyments, should lead us to be thankful for our share in public peace and plenty; and with present mercies we should bless the Lord for the former mercies we remember, and the further mercies we expect and hope for. He must offer his basket of first-fruits. Whatever good thing God gives us, it is his will that we make the most comfortable use we can of it, tracing the streams to the Fountain of all consolation.

From the Psalter
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
God Shall Keep You

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
     will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
     my God, in whom I trust.”

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
     and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
      no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
      to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
      so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
      you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
      I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
      I will be with him in trouble,
      I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
      and show him my salvation.”

Commentary

The protection, comfort, and care of God (1-2). Their favor with Him (9-16).

Verses 1-2: He that by faith chooses God for his protector, shall find all in him that he needs or can desire. And those who have found the comfort of making the Lord their refuge, cannot but desire that others may do so.

Verses 9-16: Whatever happens, nothing shall hurt the believer; though trouble and affliction befall, it shall come, not for his hurt, but for good, though for the present it be not joyous but grievous. Those who rightly know God, will set their love upon him. They by prayer constantly call upon him. His promise is, that he will in due time deliver the believer out of trouble, and in the mean time be with him in trouble. The Lord will manage all his worldly concerns, and preserve his life on earth, so long as it shall be good for him. For encouragement in this he looks unto Jesus. He shall live long enough; till he has done the work he was sent into this world for, and is ready for heaven. Who would wish to live a day longer than God has some work to do, either by him or upon him? A man may die young, yet be satisfied with living. But a wicked man is not satisfied even with long life. At length the believer's conflict ends; he has done for ever with trouble, sin, and temptation.

From the Epistles
Romans 10:8b-13
You Will be Saved

10:8b “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Commentary

How God’s righteousness is gained by faith.

Verses 8-11: If a man confessed faith in Jesus, as the Lord and Savior of lost sinners, and really believed in his heart that God had raised him from the dead, thus showing that he had accepted the atonement, he should be saved by the righteousness of Christ, imputed to him through faith. But no faith is justifying which is not powerful in sanctifying the heart, and regulating all its affections by the love of Christ. We must devote and give up to God our souls and our bodies: our souls in believing with the heart, and our bodies in confessing with the mouth. The believer shall never have cause to repent his confident trust in the Lord Jesus. Of such faith no sinner shall be ashamed before God; and he ought to glory in it before men.

Verses 12-13: There is not one God to the Jews, more kind, and another to the Gentiles, who is less kind; the Lord is a Father to all men. The promise is the same to all, who call on the name of the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, as God manifest in the flesh. All believers thus call upon the Lord Jesus, and none else will do so humbly or sincerely.

Today’s Gospel Reading
Luke 4:1-13
The Temptation of Jesus

4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:

   “‘He will command his angels concerning you
      to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
      so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Commentary

The temptation of Christ.

Christ's being led into the wilderness gave an advantage to the tempter; for there he was alone, none were with him by whose prayers and advice he might be helped in the hour of temptation. He who knew his own strength might give Satan advantage; but we may not, who know our own weakness. Being in all things made like unto his brethren, Jesus would, like the other children of God, live in dependence upon the Divine Providence and promise. The word of God is our sword, and faith in that word is our shield. God has many ways of providing for his people, and therefore is at all times to be depended upon in the way of duty. All Satan's promises are deceitful; and if he is permitted to have any influence in disposing of the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, he uses them as baits to ensnare men to destruction. We should reject at once and with abhorrence, every opportunity of sinful gain or advancement, as a price offered for our souls; we should seek riches, honors, and happiness in the worship and service of God only. Christ will not worship Satan; nor, when he has the kingdoms of the world delivered to him by his Father, will he suffer any remains of the worship of the devil to continue in them. Satan also tempted Jesus to be his own murderer, by unfitting confidence in his Father's protection, such as he had no warrant for. Let not any abuse of Scripture by Satan or by men abate our esteem, or cause us to abandon its use; but let us study it still, seek to know it, and seek our defense from it in all kinds of assaults. Let this word dwell richly in us, for it is our life. Our victorious Redeemer conquered, not for himself only, but for us also. The devil ended all the temptation. Christ let him try all his force, and defeated him. Satan saw it was to no purpose to attack Christ, who had nothing in him for his fiery darts to fasten upon. And if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Yet he departed but till the season when he was again to be let loose upon Jesus, not as a tempter, to draw him to sin, and so to strike at his head, at which he now aimed and was wholly defeated in; but as a persecutor, to bring Christ to suffer, and so to bruise his heel, which it was told him, he should have to do, and would do, though it would be the breaking of his own head, Genesis 3:15. Though Satan depart for a season, we shall never be out of his reach till removed from this present evil world.

Here end the Readings

The Nicene Creed

• We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

• And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.

• And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Holy Communion

A nondenominational serving of bread and wine

Though no video can truly replace the experience of celebrating together in our places of worship, we know that where two or more are gathered, the Lord is present. This table is open to all who recognize Jesus Christ as healer and redeemer. This table is open to all who work to bring God’s Kingdom here on earth. No one is turned away because of life circumstances. No one is barred from this table. No one seeking God’s abundant grace and mercy is turned aside. We see before us the abundance that a life of faith offers as we respond to God’s everlasting mercy in prayer and deed.

Benediction

The journey has begun. God is with you. Go forth to learn, to teach, to serve. Go bringing peace and hope to all in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

As Christians, we constantly battle with the urge to sin. Why is that? Because sin feels good! It’s easier to live a sinful life than a life for Christ. This has been ingrained in us since the garden. But while that life may be “easier”, scripture makes it clear that living a life of sin leads to death and and separation from God. We are called to live abundantly for the glory of God and have eternal life with him. So as humans, how do we fight back against sin? We all struggle with something.

Today’s Lectionary Readings are selected from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, a three-year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2022, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2021 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org. The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Commentaries from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible.