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Today’s Bible Verse: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” — Matthew 4:1 Matthew 4:1 reminds us that being led by God doesn’t mean we’ll avoid difficult seasons. Even Jesus, led by the Spirit, entered the wilderness and faced temptation. This verse reframes hardship: struggle is not proof of failure—it can be part of God’s purposeful leading. Want to listen without ads? Become a BibleStudyTools.com PLUS Member today: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe MEET YOUR HOST: Dr. Kyle Norman at https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, located in Kamloops BC, Canada. He holds a doctorate in Spiritual formation and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and retreat leader. His writing can be found at Christianity.com, crosswalk.com, ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada, and many others. Rev. Norman has 20 years of pastoral experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual discouragement.Find more from Rev. Norman at revkylenorman.ca This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. “Whether we’re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
Matthew 4:1-11At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desertto be tempted by the devil.He fasted for forty days and forty nights,and afterwards he was hungry.The tempter approached and said to him,“If you are the Son of God,command that these stones become loaves of bread.”He said in reply,“It is written:One does not live on bread alone,but on every word that comes forthfrom the mouth of God.”Then the devil took him to the holy city,and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.For it is written:He will command his angels concerning youand with their hands they will support you,lest you dash your foot against a stone.”Jesus answered him,“Again it is written,You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,and he said to him, ""All these I shall give to you,if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”At this, Jesus said to him,“Get away, Satan!It is written:The Lord, your God, shall you worshipand him alone shall you serve.”Then the devil left him and, behold,angels came and ministered to him.
Matthew 4:1-11At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desertto be tempted by the devil.He fasted for forty days and forty nights,and afterwards he was hungry.The tempter approached and said to him,“If you are the Son of God,command that these stones become loaves of bread.”He said in reply,“It is written:One does not live on bread alone,but on every word that comes forthfrom the mouth of God.”Then the devil took him to the holy city,and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.For it is written:He will command his angels concerning youand with their hands they will support you,lest you dash your foot against a stone.”Jesus answered him,“Again it is written,You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,and he said to him, ""All these I shall give to you,if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”At this, Jesus said to him,“Get away, Satan!It is written:The Lord, your God, shall you worshipand him alone shall you serve.”Then the devil left him and, behold,angels came and ministered to him.
Matthew 4:1-11At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desertto be tempted by the devil.He fasted for forty days and forty nights,and afterwards he was hungry.The tempter approached and said to him,“If you are the Son of God,command that these stones become loaves of bread.”He said in reply,“It is written:One does not live on bread alone,but on every word that comes forthfrom the mouth of God.”Then the devil took him to the holy city,and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.For it is written:He will command his angels concerning youand with their hands they will support you,lest you dash your foot against a stone.”Jesus answered him,“Again it is written,You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,and he said to him, ""All these I shall give to you,if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”At this, Jesus said to him,“Get away, Satan!It is written:The Lord, your God, shall you worshipand him alone shall you serve.”Then the devil left him and, behold,angels came and ministered to him.
In this message we contrast Genesis 3 with Matthew 4. Adam and Eve show us what not to do, but Jesus shows us what should be done. We explore the temptation of Jesus and what it means to live fully engaged in our faith. Discover how Jesus remained alert to the enemy's schemes, armed with God's Word, and aligned with the Father's will. Learn how to spot spiritual deception, stand firm in truth, and follow Christ with wholehearted obedience.
The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Genesis 3, in which Eve is tempted, and on Matthew 4, in which Jesus is. Where all humans stumble, Christ stands firm.
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This week, we launched our Lent Series looking at Lent as Resistance by exploring how we resist empire. How might God be affirming and re-affirming our inherent Belovedness and inviting us to resist empire that tries to take that away?
“Resist" MATTHEW 4:1-11 Rev. Ken Buck
Jesus' wilderness testing reminds us that temptation doesn't usually look dark or dramatic — it often sounds reasonable and feels justified. While we may never face the temptations Jesus faced, we all know the pull of pride, control, fear, and self-centeredness. This message invites us to use Lent as a season of honest reflection, naming the small daily compromises that quietly shape who we are becoming.
The temptation isn't to want bad things. The temptation is to want good things so badly that we'll accept any path that gets us there. Safety. Order. Security. Provision. These are real goods. The question is whether the path to them builds the kind of community we actually want to live in, or whether it produces the desired outcome but poisons the groundwater. Subscribe to us on iTunes! Sermon text: web | doc
----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m. https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService
Jesus' central message throughout Matthew's Gospel is that the kingdom of heaven has arrived. When God's kingdom shows up, three transformative things happen: it arrives in the person of Jesus, it forms a community of followers, and it confronts every form of evil. Jesus begins his ministry by calling ordinary fishermen to follow him immediately, demonstrating that the kingdom requires complete commitment, not partial allegiance. Through teaching, preaching, and healing, Jesus systematically confronts the lies we believe, the decisions we avoid, and every power of darkness that breaks God's image bearers. The kingdom offers comprehensive restoration to all who come to Jesus, especially the broken, poor, and marginalized.
----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m. https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService
This is Wade's sermon at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI for Lent 1. We'd love to have you join us at Resurrection for a Sunday Divine Service sometime at 9am. As always, if you are enjoying the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two! If you'd like to contact us we can be reached at podcast@LetTheBirdFly.com, or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com.
In this sermon, The Rev. Jacob Smith weaves together all three lectionary reading in order to illustrate the Good News of Lent and the meaning of Jesus in the wilderness for you.
Recorded Sunday, February 22, 2026 at St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church in Bangor, Wisconsin. "Like" us on Facebook!!
On Embodiment Sundays during Lent we are walking through the sacred texts with Lectio Divina, an ancient practice that helps us slowly and prayerfully attend to and respond to the word of God. Together, let's center ourselves in God's presence as we gather separate yet together in Spirit.
Text: Matthew 4:18-22 Speaker: Coby Wilbanks Date: February 22, 2026
EPISODE OVERVIEW In this first installment of our Lenten series on The Seven Deadly Sins, Deacon Chris explores the spiritual roots of gluttony and greed. Through the lens of Genesis and the Temptation of Jesus in the desert, we discover that the real battle is not about food or money — it is about trust. Temptation begins when we believe God is small. From there, we grasp for substitutes. This episode challenges us to examine: How we use comfort to numb deeper hunger How we cling to control instead of trusting the Father How Lent can enlarge our desire for God KEY TAKEAWAYS Hunger is not sinful — it can be holy. Gluttony is the refusal to be empty. Greed is the fear of dependence. The devil tempts us to live as orphans. Jesus overcomes temptation by remaining the Son. Freedom begins with a pause and a simple prayer. PRACTICAL CHALLENGE Before reaching for your default comfort, pray: “Jesus, what am I really hungry for?” Wait five minutes. Reclaim your freedom. SCRIPTURE REFERENCES Genesis 3:1–7 Romans 5:12–19 Matthew 4:1–11
This episode features a guest sermon from Nick Moser, a member of the Board of Directors of Lutherans Outdoors in South Dakota.
Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17, 25-3:7; Romans 5:12-21; Matthew 4:1-11
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Readings: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 | Romans 5:12-19 | Matthew 4:1-11 | Psalm 32. Preached for the First Sunday in Lent (2026-02-22).
Readings: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 | Romans 5:12-19 | Matthew 4:1-11 | Psalm 32. Preached for the First Sunday in Lent (2026-02-22).
1st Sunday in Lent, Year A
A sermon on Matthew 4:1-11.
At the beginning of Lent, we turn to Jesus' forty days in the wilderness. Immediately after his baptism—after the voice from heaven names him “beloved”—Jesus is led into a season of testing. This sermon explores how the temptation narrative is less about spectacle and more about identity: Who is Jesus, and what kind of Messiah will he be? Drawing on Deuteronomy, the Exodus story, and Philippians 2, we consider how Jesus resists coercive power, refuses to exploit divine authority, and chooses the path of humility and love. His responses in the wilderness reveal a Messiah grounded in tradition, shaped by Scripture, and committed to abundant life for others. As we begin our Lenten series Blinded, we reflect on what keeps us from seeing clearly—decision fatigue, cultural pressures, the lure of power, and the noise that drowns out the quieter way of Christ. Like hikers watching for blazes on the trail, we are invited to remember who we are and to act accordingly: beloved people called to walk the path of mercy, humility, and love.
Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent (A) Sunday, 22 February A+D 2026 Rev. Matthew D. Ruesch
2/22/26 - Message by Pastor Eric Robinson
Pastor Dan Bodin ~ First Sunday in Lent Old Testament: Genesis 3:1-21 Epistle: Romans 5:12-19 Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11 The post February 22, 2026 ~ “From the Garden to the Cross” ~ Genesis 3:1-21 & Matthew 4:1-11 appeared first on Beautiful Savior Fargo.
The Good News is that God's love for us in Jesus Christ catches us by surprise – because God always loves us and the whole world more. What Jesus does in his testing in the wilderness and at the wedding at Cana should catch us by surprise. It's not the way the world works – but it points us to the way the world ought to be.
Guest Speaker: Dave Skahen
Jesus' temptation in the desert should not come as a surprise for us. For him to be our substitute and representative, he must undo where Adam failed. In the Garden, Adam gave in to temptation and sinned. In the wilderness, Jesus said ‘No,' and resisted Satan. He then cast him away from himself. Jesus does this for us that we might have a remedy to temptation and sin and be renewed from the results of our sinfulness.Image: Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Message from Lyndsay Slocum on February 22, 2026
February 22, 2026 / Series: The Work of Imagination, week 1 / Season: Lent 1
In Matthew 4:23–25, Jesus travels throughout Galilee teaching the Good News and healing every kind of sickness. This 2 Minute Disciple devotional invites us to receive His healing and share His hope with others.
What happens when the devil quotes Scripture?On the First Sunday of Lent, we enter the wilderness with Christ in Matthew 4:1–11. This Gospel is not only about resisting temptation. It is about identity. It is about discernment. It is about how evil often disguises itself in holy language.The Spirit leads Jesus into the desert. Not for performance. Not for self improvement. For formation. In the wilderness the enemy does something unsettling. He quotes Psalm 91.This episode of Mass Prep explores why Lent begins with the question “If you are the Son of God.” It reflects on how Scripture can be misused when severed from trust. It considers why temptation often sounds spiritual, reasonable, even biblical. And it looks at how ordered worship drives confusion away and why consolation comes after obedience.Let's prepare our hearts for Mass.
----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m. https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService
On this First Sunday in Lent, we follow Jesus into the wilderness where the Spirit leads him—not by accident, but on purpose—into confrontation with sin, death, and the devil. In this episode we wrestle with why God would lead his beloved Son into temptation, how Satan's ancient strategy is still to plant doubt in God's promise, and why Jesus answers not with clever arguments but with the steady certainty of the Word. Following the insight of Gerhard Forde that Christ goes ahead of us and not instead of us, we see that where we put God on trial, Jesus trusts God's promise—so that his victory becomes mercy for sinners like us.LENT CHALLENGE GRANTDouble your impact this Lenten season: if you sponsor an episode of Scripture First, a generous donor has agreed to double your donation. We greatly appreciate your support of the show. Thank you for considering. Learn more at lutherhouseofstudy.org/donateCARE OF SOULS - ADDICTIONIn Care of Souls, a special mini-series podcast from Luther House of Study, Lutheran pastors and theologians come together to explore the deeply personal and pastoral task of preaching to and caring for those struggling with life's challenging situations: addiction, death, family disharmony, and more. Rooted in the theology of the cross and the Lutheran tradition of radical grace, this series offers both theological depth and practical guidance for pastors, church workers, and lay leaders.With conversations, real-life stories, and reflections from the front lines of ministry, Care of Souls equips listeners to enter the broken places of addiction not with easy answers, but with the crucified and risen Christ.Because in the end, it's not about fixing people—it's about preaching the Gospel.Listen to Care of Souls wherever you listen to podcasts or on the Luther House website: Care of Souls - AddictionGOSPEL Matthew 4:1-11 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' " 11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. Support the showInterested in sponsoring an episode of Scripture First?Email Sarah at sarah@lhos.org or visit our donation page: lutherhouseofstudy.org/donate