In recent sermons I have talked about how God’s new creation is bursting forth right in the middle of this one. In other words, the biblical story is not headed toward the destruction of earth in favor of existence some other place. Rather, God is working to restore and redeem this world and he is using you and I to do it! That is a big and beautiful picture with cosmic implications. There is, however, a very personal side to this new creation as well – and it is revealed in your temptation.

The New Testament shows us that one of Jesus’ primary messages was “the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This does not mean, “Repent, so you can get to heaven,” but rather, “God’s final rule is breaking in right now, repent and choose to live according to His way!” It was Christ’s declaration that evil would be defeated and the world would be put back to right.

The implication of this is that there was another power in charge – death and evil. If Jesus was going to bring God’s rescuing rule to earth, that present power had to be defeated, and that is precisely what he did on the cross and through the resurrection. However, this victory was not just cosmic; for Christ it was also personal. In order for Christ to rescue the world, he would first have to face the enemy one-on-one through his temptations in the wilderness.

His three temptations, like all temptations, were a distortion of something good. Bread is good and Jesus would later take a little bread and feed a multitude. Here, he is tempted to do the same thing, but only for himself. Jesus knew his vocation as Savior to die for the world – that was good. The distortion was to do a crazy stunt to attract Messiah-attention and use God’s power as a magic show. Jesus is the “king of the Jews” and the one who will rescue the world, but the path he must walk to get there is what the Devil wanted to call into question.

With each temptation the Enemy distorts a good thing and turns it evil. Mysteriously, you are I are called into this drama. Not just to remind ourselves that we should know God’s Word so we can resist temptation (although that is certainly part of it), but because each time we are tempted we have an opportunity to live out God’s new creation right here and now. Heaven’s rule is being established here on earth and we have an opportunity to live out that reality by resisting the temptation and doing the thing that is truly good. Often, temptation does not come to us as an obvious evil, but rather as a good thing accomplished in the wrong way or for the wrong reason. This is the Enemy’s trick.

The point is this: the cosmic size and force of God’s new creation comes to bear one action at a time. As author N.T. Wright points out, “Every successful fight against temptation is one more step on the road to the ultimate victory.”

May you come to see your temptation as an opportunity to affirm and live out God’s new creation right here and now.

(You can listen to recent messages here.)