NO? DO YOU MEAN IT?

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

Matthew 4:1-11
                                                                                                            Dn. Wendewosen

One of the few really helpful pieces of child rearing advice I got when our children were toddlers actually came from my own mother. “Don’t say ‘NO’ unless you mean it,” she said, “and then say it like you meant it.”

+ Well, our Lord Jesus meant it when He said “NO” to each of the temptations that came to Him in the wilderness. He said “NO” so clearly to Satan’s offers of spectacular economic, political, and spiritual powers.

Some examples of sinful pleasures that are approved by society include unmarried (in Church) men and women living together, premarital sex (fornication), having children out of wedlock, and homosexuality. The Word of the Lord Jesus says “NO” to these sinful behaviors (Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 6:9-7:2; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8; Matthew 19:9; Romans 1:18-32, 3:4).

+ Here, at the beginning of His ministry, Christ defines Himself and His work, as fully Man and fully God, by what He gives up, what He rejects, and what He will not do: “I will not use my power to serve myself; I will not use my power to intimidate people or to test God; I will not use my power to control or exploit others.”

Saying” NO”-THE IMPACT

+ The impact of all of these “NO’s,” is to make room for a great many “YES’s.” The decision not to serve Himself opened up the possibilities of serving others; the decision not to intimidate others opened up the possibility of developing relationships of truth and understanding, and the decision not to control and exploit others resulted in new models of working together collaboratively and cooperatively.

+ That is the curious thing about saying “NO.” Every time we say “NO” or set a limit, we create space for something greater. We know this is true in the simplest form from our daily lives. Cleaning out a drawer or a closet makes it possible to easily use and enjoy the things that remain. Letting go of an old habit makes it possible to add interesting and healthy new activities to our days. Ending an unsatisfactory relationship makes room for us to invest ourselves into connections that are mutually nurturing and positive. On a personal level, saying “NO” is often a way of renewing our spirits and moving forward.

+ Saying “NO” can also be a powerful part of our understanding of God’s teaching. By specifying the characteristics that do not describe God, we begin to understand more about what God might be like.

+ As we say “NO” to the damaging life style that society approves, we begin to give ourselves a chance to accept God’s teaching that was once considered inconvenient, and unpopular.

+ Saying “NO” to society’s false teachings makes room for our faith in the living God, who always goes ahead of us, speaking, calling, and creating. We believe that God yearns for us to understand Him more fully and to love Him more deeply. God speaks in many ways and through many voices.

+ Saying “NO” is not only about repentance; it is also about offering resistance to unhealthy senses. Sometimes – often when we are weary, stressed, confused, or defensive – we use the word “NO” to resist change. It becomes our way of supporting and defending the way things have always been done, even if those ways have not led to the results we hope for. That sort of “NO” and that sort of “resistance” are wearing on people.

+ The “NO” that resists evil and injustice makes space for compassion, healing, and justice to be planted.

We all need each other for we are members in the Body of Christ (Romans 12). We need all the help we can get. Saying “NO” takes courage and vision and prayerful discernment. We need our faith community to help us acknowledge our selfishness and ambition and instead to envision selflessness and compassion. We need our faith community to hear us and support us when we speak the truth. We need our faith community to console us when our efforts fail and our motives are questioned and we are weary. Christianity is not a solitary journey; it is a trip that we undertake together. Together we can discern what we need to say “NO” to, and together we can say it like we mean it.

Be humble!

Mr. Newy Kassaha

There are many disciples pf Christ who can justly claim that they are indifferent to material possessions. They happily live in simple dwellings, wear rough woolen clothes, eat plain foods, and give away the bulk of their fortunes. These same people can claim that they are un concerned with worldly power.

They happily work in the most humble capacities, performing menial tasks, with no desire for high ranking titles. But there may still be one earthly attribute to which they cling reputation.

They may wish to be regarded by others as virtuous. They may go to be admired for their charity, their honesty, their integrities and their self - deilal. They may not actually draw people’s attention to these qualities, but they are pleased to know that others respect them. Thus when some one falsely accuses them of some wrongdoing, they react with furious indignation. They protect their reputation with the same ferocity as the rich people protect their gold. Giving up material possessions and wordly power is easy in comparison with giving up reputation. To be falsely accused and yet to remain spiritually undisturbed is the ultimate test of faith.

Let us reflect on the example of our Lord Jesus, who in his great Love for us, “Made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and came in the likeness of men” /Rhilippins 27/.

To our shame we who are mere men can not help but to exalt ourselves in our own minds to the status of angles. Yet, our Lord, the king of kings, Jesus christ was set on glory of God and on the salivation of all men, rather than His own glory. He, being surrounded by hosts of angles, the cherubim and the seraphim, “did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. He, being found in appearance as a man, humbled Himself and became obedient, even to the point of death, even the death of the cross” /philp. 2:5-7/.

How great is the Love of Christ that He would not take His glory and the praises of heaven in to consideration when He took flesh and dwelt among us, the sinful?

As the great teacher, st. John ehiysostm, said, “Giving up material possession and worldly power is easy in comparison with giving up reputation. ’’ Many times we find ourselves committing too difficult ascetical practices in the fast and great deeds are only commendable when one’s sole motivation in so doing is to proclaim, ‘’ Christ is all in all” we are nothing, but He is every thing . We must give out of our gratitude for God’s great love that He showed to each and every one of us on the cross.

He bore our suffering and chose the cross to be His throne so that we called be" enthroned in the heavenly place in Christ Jesus" /Ephesins 2:6/.

There are few people who are indifferent to the praise of others Christ reprimanded the Pharisees for their public displays of devotion /Luke 16 15 16/ Let us   re-evaluate the lives we live and put off our pride and self. Let us return to offering our lives to Jesus in humility and out of love for Him and not for ourselves. For as it is written,’’ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who ,being in the form of God, but made Himself of no bond servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” Plip. 2:5-8

May God give us the wisdom to say with St. Paul at every juncture in our lives “I have been crucified with cross it is no longer.  I who live but Christ live in me ’’ Gel.2:20. The purpose of my life is to carry out Christ’s desire for me. It takes great faith not to care for the respect and honor of others but to give to the Lord solely upon the desire of glorifying him.

May God Bless us, Amen.