Robert T. Young - "If..." (March 8, 1981)

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	(loud beeping)	0:03
	(operatic singing)	0:13
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:19
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:28
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:31
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:33
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:35
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:37
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:40
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:43
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:47
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:48
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:51
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:53
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:55
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:57
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:00
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:02
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:04
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:07
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:10
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:13
	(people rustling)	1:29
	(footsteps echoing)	1:34
	(light organ music)	2:18
	(people rustling)	2:27
	(footsteps echoing)	5:00
	("Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee")	5:49
-	Grace and peace be unto you from	9:11
	God our Creator	9:13
	and Jesus Christ our Redeemer.	9:14
	The sacrifices of God are a broken heart.	9:19
	A broken and contrite heart, O God,	9:23
	we know You will not despise.	9:26
	If we confess our sins,	9:29
	Jesus Christ is faithful and just	9:31
	to forgive us our sins,	9:34
	and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.	9:36
	Let us pray.	9:40
	Be seated.	9:44
	(congregation rustling)	9:47
	O God, early in the morning do we cry unto Thee,	9:56
	help us to pray,	10:00
	and to think only of Thee.	10:02
	We cannot pray alone.	10:05
	In us there is darkness.	10:07
	But, with Thee, there is light.	10:10
	We are lonely,	10:12
	but Thou leavest us not.	10:14
	We are feeble in heart,	10:16
	but Thou leavest us not.	10:18
	We are restless,	10:20
	but, with Thee, there is peace.	10:22
	In us there is bitterness,	10:25
	but with Thee there is patience.	10:27
	Thy ways are past understanding,	10:30
	but Thou knowest the way for us.	10:34
	O Lord, our God,	10:37
	we praise and thank Thee for	10:39
	the peace of the night.	10:41
	We praise and thank Thee for this new day.	10:43
	We praise and thank Thee for all Thy goodness	10:47
	and faithfulness throughout our lives.	10:50
	Thou hast granted us many blessings.	10:54
	Now, let us accept tribulation from Thy hand.	10:57
	Surely Thou wilt not lay on us more	11:01
	than we can bear.	11:04
	Thou makest all things work together for good	11:06
	for Thy children.	11:10
	Here us, O God,	11:12
	as we pray in the name of Christ our Lord.	11:14
	(congregation rustling)	11:21
	For as the heavens are high above the earth,	11:45
	so great is God's steadfast love toward	11:49
	those who fear God.	11:52
	As far as the east is from the west,	11:54
	so far does God remove our sins from us.	11:57
	Let us give thanks for God is good,	12:02
	and God's love is everlasting.	12:05
	Thanks be to God,	12:08
	whose love creates us.	12:10
	Thanks be to God,	12:13
	whose mercy redeems us.	12:14
	Thanks be to God,	12:17
	whose grace leads us into the future.	12:19
	We welcome you this morning to worship	12:24
	here with us at the Duke University Chapel.	12:26
	We are very pleased,	12:30
	and feel certain,	12:31
	that you have noticed all of the	12:32
	Brownies and Girl Scouts in our midst.	12:34
	I did want to ask them to stand,	12:38
	but I'm afraid that would leave not	12:40
	too many people seated this morning!	12:42
	So, let us welcome you in a warm way,	12:44
	all of you who are here today representing	12:47
	Brownie, Junior Cadet,	12:50
	and Senior Girl Scout troops	12:53
	from every section of Durham	12:55
	and surrounding areas.	12:57
	We are very grateful that you are here	12:59
	to worship with us,	13:01
	to celebrate our religious life together.	13:03
	And we also welcome those of you	13:06
	parents and leaders who have chosen to come	13:08
	and share with these young girls and young women	13:11
	our faith together, this day.	13:15
	We are pleased this morning to have special	13:20
	music provided for us	13:22
	by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington	13:24
	Chamber Singers,	13:28
	directed by Dr. Joe Hickman.	13:30
	We welcome this special group to	13:33
	Duke University Chapel today,	13:34
	and look forward to their sharing	13:37
	in music with us.	13:38
	There will be a memorial service	13:43
	this afternoon for Ms. Dorothy Westerfer	13:45
	here in the chapel at three-thirty o'clock.	13:50
	Dorothy has been a member of	13:54
	Friends of The Chapel,	13:56
	and a regular attender here in the chapel	13:57
	for many years.	14:00
	We will miss her as we celebrate her life,	14:02
	and thank God for her presence among us.	14:05
	Let us pray.	14:15
	O blessed Lord,	14:22
	who has caused all Holy Scriptures	14:23
	to be written for our learning,	14:25
	grant that we may, in such wise, hear them.	14:28
	Read, mark, learn	14:31
	and inwardly digest them.	14:33
	That, by patience and comfort of	14:36
	Your Holy Word,	14:38
	we may embrace and ever hold fast	14:40
	the blessed hope of everlasting life,	14:43
	which you have given us in our Savior,	14:46
	Jesus Christ.	14:48
	Amen.	14:50
	The Old Testament lesson is from Deuteronomy	14:54
	chapter 26,	14:57
	verses 4-10.	14:59
	"Then the priest shall take the basket	15:04
	"from your hand,	15:06
	"and set it down before the altar of	15:08
	"the Lord your God.	15:10
	"And you shall may response before	15:12
	"the Lord your God.	15:14
	"A wondering Aramean was my father,	15:16
	"and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there,	15:20
	"few in number.	15:24
	"And there he became a nation,	15:25
	"great, mighty and populous.	15:28
	"And the Egyptians treated us harshly,	15:31
	"and afflicted us,	15:35
	"and laid upon us hard bondage.	15:36
	"Then we cried to the Lord,	15:39
	"the God of our fathers,	15:41
	"and The Lord heard our voice,	15:43
	"and saw our affliction,	15:45
	"our toil, and our oppression.	15:48
	"And the Lord brought us up out of Egypt	15:50
	"with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.	15:53
	"With great terror, with signs and wonders.	15:57
	"And He brought us into this place and	16:01
	"gave us this land.	16:03
	"A land flowing with milk and honey.	16:05
	"And, behold, now I bring the first of	16:09
	"the fruit of the ground,	16:11
	"which Thou, O Lord, hast given me.	16:14
	"And you shall set it down before	16:17
	"the Lord your God,	16:19
	"and worship before the Lord your God.".	16:20
	Here ends the reading from the Old Testament.	16:25
	Amen.	16:29
	The Epistle Lesson is from Romans chapter 10,	16:32
	verses 8-13.	16:36
	"But what does it say,	16:40
	"The Word is near you,	16:42
	"on your lips and in your heart.	16:44
	"That is, the Word of faith which we preach.	16:47
	"Because if you confess with your lips	16:51
	"that Jesus is Lord,	16:53
	"and believe in your heart that God raised	16:55
	"him from the dead,	16:58
	"you will be saved.	16:59
	"For man believes with his heart	17:02
	"and so is justified.	17:04
	"And he confesses with his lips	17:06
	"and so is saved.	17:08
	"The scripture says,	17:10
	"No one who believes in	17:12
	"Him will be put to shame,	17:14
	"for there is no distinction between	17:16
	"Jew and Greek.	17:18
	"The same Lord is Lord of all and	17:20
	"bestows His riches upon all	17:23
	"who call upon Him.	17:25
	"For everyone who calls upon the name of the	17:27
	"Lord will be saved.".	17:31
	Here ends the reading from The Epistle Lesson.	17:34
	(pages rustling)	17:38
	(uplifting organ music)	18:01
	(choir singing)	18:38
	♪ His strength ♪	18:55
	♪ His strength ♪	18:58
	(choir singing)	19:09
	♪ My soul is in His hand ♪	19:22
	♪ Why do ♪	19:44
	(choir singing)	19:46
	♪ And grace and mercy ♪	20:29
	(choir singing)	20:34
	[Organ Instrumental]	20:46
	[Choir Sings In A Round]	21:08
	♪ Stand firmly ♪	21:32
	♪ Stand firmly ♪	21:35
	♪ Stand firmly ♪	21:37
	(choir singing)	21:39
	♪ He'll stay thee ♪	21:53
	♪ Amen ♪	21:59
	♪ Amen ♪	22:08
	♪ Amen ♪	22:16
	♪ Amen ♪	22:29
	♪ Amen ♪	22:32
	♪ Amen ♪	22:51
	♪ Amen ♪	22:55
-	Will the congregation please	23:15
	stand for the reading of The Gospel Lesson.	23:17
	(congregation rustling)	23:21
	The Gospel Lesson is from Luke chapter four,	23:26
	verses 1-13.	23:30
	"And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit	23:33
	"returned from the Jordan and	23:36
	"was led by the Spirit for 40 days	23:38
	"in the wilderness,	23:41
	"tempted by the devil.	23:42
	"And he ate nothing in those days,	23:45
	"and when they were ended he was hungry.	23:47
	"The devil said to him,	23:50
	"If you are the Son of God,	23:52
	"command this stone to become bread.	23:54
	"And Jesus answered him,	23:58
	"It is written,	24:01
	"man shall not live by bread alone.	24:02
	"And the devil took him up	24:06
	"and showed him all the kingdoms of the world	24:08
	"in a moment of time,	24:11
	"and said to him,	24:12
	"To you I will give all this	24:14
	"authority and their glory.	24:16
	"For it has been delivered to me	24:19
	"and I give it to whom I will.	24:21
	"If you, then, will worship me	24:24
	"it shall all be yours.	24:26
	"And Jesus answered him,	24:29
	"It is written,	24:31
	"you shall worship the Lord your God,	24:33
	"and Him only shall you serve.	24:35
	"And he took him to Jerusalem,	24:39
	"and set him on the pinnacle of the temple,	24:41
	"and said to him,	24:43
	"If you are the Son of God,	24:45
	"throw yourself down from here.	24:47
	"For it is written,	24:50
	"He will give His angels charge	24:52
	"of you to guard you.	24:53
	"And on their hands they will bear you up	24:55
	"lest you strike your foot against a stone.	24:58
	"And Jesus answered him,	25:03
	"It is said,	25:06
	"You shall not tempt the Lord your God.	25:07
	"And when the devil had ended every temptation,	25:10
	"he departed from him until an opportune time"."	25:14
	Here ends the reading from The Gospel Lesson.	25:20
	Amen.	25:23
	(powerful organ music)	25:25
-	In the name of the Lord our God,	26:27
	who creates us,	26:30
	redeems us,	26:31
	and supports us.	26:33
	Amen.	26:35
	When I read the scripture lessons,	26:39
	the lectionary lessons for this particular day,	26:41
	and then realized,	26:46
	according to a telephone conversation that	26:47
	I had had concerning the fact that there	26:49
	would be a number of Girl Scouts	26:52
	here this morning,	26:54
	I wondered what one might say	26:56
	about the temptations of Jesus	27:00
	that would have any relevance at all	27:03
	to young girls and young women.	27:06
	I'm still not sure,	27:11
	but I hope that what is to be shared this morning	27:14
	will be a word for all of us.	27:18
	Young, not so young,	27:22
	and older in years.	27:24
	For all of us,	27:29
	regardless of age,	27:30
	do know what temptation is.	27:31
	First hand.	27:36
	Personally.	27:38
	Real.	27:40
	This passage of scripture tells us,	27:41
	among many other things,	27:44
	that not only do we know what temptation is,	27:46
	but so did Jesus.	27:50
	Well, you see, Jesus is the only person	27:54
	who could've told us this story	27:56
	about these particular experiences he had.	27:58
	There were no other witnesses as far as we know.	28:02
	There were no other messengers,	28:05
	there was no one else to know of these	28:07
	particular experiences of our Lord.	28:10
	Thus this story in the Gospel,	28:13
	indeed in all three of the first gospels,	28:16
	has an intimacy to it,	28:19
	and a special relationship in that it comes	28:22
	directly from the inner dwelling	28:25
	of our Lord himself.	28:28
	And intimacy to it that not all passages	28:30
	in the Gospel have.	28:32
	The words of the devil,	28:34
	and the responses of Jesus,	28:36
	could've been retold only by our Lord.	28:38
	The descriptions of the temptations,	28:42
	and Jesus' replies could've been shared	28:45
	only by our Lord.	28:49
	They would've gone unrecorded	28:52
	had Jesus chosen to keep them to himself,	28:55
	not recall them,	28:58
	not describe them,	29:00
	not re-tell them to his first disciples.	29:02
	And this raises some questions, I believe.	29:07
	Did Jesus tell of these experiences	29:09
	only to make himself look good?	29:11
	For Jesus does come out looking shining	29:13
	clean in this experience.	29:16
	Only to show us,	29:19
	the early church and us,	29:21
	how strong he was?	29:22
	Only to show, if you will,	29:24
	how different he was in being able	29:25
	to withstand temptation?	29:28
	Only to let us know that there really	29:30
	was one person who lived who refused	29:32
	to succumb to the power	29:35
	and the seductions of the tempter?	29:37
	Only to boast, or to brag,	29:40
	or to set himself apart from the rest of us?	29:42
	Were these some of the reasons that Jesus	29:47
	told of these particular experiences of his?	29:49
	No, I think not.	29:52
	Indeed, it's quite to the contrary.	29:53
	I think Jesus told these stories,	29:57
	these experiences,	29:59
	to let us know, not how good he was,	30:02
	but to know how subject	30:04
	to the power of evil he was.	30:06
	Not to show us how strong he was,	30:09
	but to show us how subject to human weakness	30:13
	he, our Lord, really was.	30:17
	Not, indeed, to reveal how different	30:20
	from us he was,	30:23
	but to show us how very much like us he is.	30:26
	Not to boast,	30:32
	or to brag,	30:33
	or to set himself apart.	30:34
	But to show how very much like us,	30:37
	how much at one with us,	30:39
	he truly was and is.	30:41
	To let us know,	30:43
	once and for all,	30:45
	that, as Hugh Prather puts it,	30:46
	"There is a place,	30:49
	"there is a place,	30:51
	"where we are not alone.".	30:52
	And that place is life.	30:57
	To let us know that our Lord is in that place,	31:02
	that the Spirit is in that place,	31:06
	and that Almighty God is in that place.	31:09
	This story was told to let the first disciples,	31:13
	and you and me,	31:16
	know that Jesus has been there too.	31:18
	The old spiritual says it	31:24
	and says it powerfully.	31:26
	"Nobody knows the trouble,	31:29
	or testing,	31:32
	or tempting, if you will,	31:33
	"Nobody knows the tempting I have seen,	31:35
	"nobody knows,	31:38
	"nobody knows but Jesus.".	31:39
	But, thank God Jesus knows.	31:43
	For each one of us,	31:48
	too, knows the	31:49
	"if only" experiences of life.	31:51
	You and I surely have not been,	31:54
	and will never be, confronted with	31:56
	"if you are the son or the daughter of God" experiences.	31:58
	But we do know the "if you are,	32:03
	"or if you are going to be,	32:06
	"or if you will only be" moments,	32:07
	and struggles, and confrontations,	32:09
	and dilemmas, and ambiguities,	32:12
	and decisions of life.	32:15
	They come to us all.	32:18
	This story is repeated from Jesus	32:21
	by the Gospel writers in the first place	32:24
	to tell us who Jesus is.	32:27
	In the gospel of Luke,	32:30
	we have just read of the beautiful,	32:32
	unforgettable splendor of the birth,	32:34
	for Luke writes "This day in the city of David,	32:36
	"unto you is born a savior	32:39
	"who is Christ the Lord.".	32:41
	John, the one who was preparing the way for Jesus	32:44
	has just spoken of "One who is mightier than I.	32:46
	"One whose sandal thongs I am not even	32:50
	"worthy to untie.".	32:53
	Jesus has just been baptized by John,	32:55
	and the Sprit of God has come down and said,	32:58
	"Thou art my beloved Son,	33:00
	"with thee I am well pleased."	33:04
	And then it says, immediately,	33:06
	"And the Spirit of the Lord	33:08
	"drove Jesus into the wilderness	33:09
	"for forty days,	33:15
	"tempted by the devil."	33:17
	Jesus is the Son of God.	33:21
	Jesus is that savior born in the city of David.	33:24
	Jesus is the Son who is blessed.	33:27
	Jesus is the one who will save us from our sins.	33:31
	How?	33:35
	By facing them and living them with us.	33:37
	By enduring them, if you will, with us.	33:42
	By struggling with us through them.	33:46
	By being with us in and through all of the	33:50
	"if you are" experiences of life.	33:53
	Yes, there is a place.	33:57
	There is a place, my friends,	34:00
	where you are not alone.	34:02
	And that place is life.	34:05
	This story is repeated by Jesus,	34:09
	from Jesus by the Gospel writers to let us know	34:14
	what kind of Messiah Jesus was,	34:17
	and is,	34:19
	and is to be.	34:20
	Jesus is not to be some sort of magician or miracle worker	34:22
	who will prove his Messiahship	34:26
	by resorting to the use of	34:29
	some special powers, or strengths,	34:31
	that he may have possessed as the Son of God	34:35
	in a special way.	34:37
	As a matter of fact,	34:39
	Jesus often refused to give the people a sign	34:40
	just because they wanted a sign.	34:42
	He said "No, I will not give you a sign."	34:44
	He often told the crowds	34:46
	and the early disciples,	34:49
	"Don't you dare tell anyone about this",	34:51
	when he had just done some great act.	34:55
	But it's not that Jesus was above doing strange,	35:01
	or powerful,	35:05
	or miracle-like things in his life,	35:06
	not at all.	35:09
	For in other places in the Gospel	35:12
	we're told that Jesus did change water into wine.	35:15
	That he did, one time, when the disciples	35:20
	were not having any luck fishing,	35:23
	he did know precisely where the disciples	35:25
	might cast their nets and get their nets filled with fish.	35:27
	The Gospels tell us that Jesus	35:32
	did walk on water.	35:35
	That he did, indeed,	35:38
	quiet and calm the raging storm.	35:39
	So, it's not that Jesus was above using his	35:44
	unique and miracle-like powers,	35:48
	he just used them always for a purpose.	35:51
	Never for show.	35:57
	Never to serve his own purposes,	35:59
	but to serve the well-being of others.	36:02
	He never used any power he had	36:05
	to gain the allegiance and the support	36:08
	of others,	36:10
	nor to gain the upper hand over others,	36:12
	nor to set himself apart from others.	36:15
	Thus Jesus' refusal to succumb	36:18
	to the temptations here,	36:21
	is not to say that he could not have acted otherwise.	36:23
	It is not to say that he would not later on	36:28
	do greater things, even than these,	36:30
	that the devil was asking him to do.	36:32
	For here Jesus, I believe,	36:35
	simply wanted to establish the fact	36:36
	at the very beginning of his ministry,	36:39
	that he was not going to resort to trickery	36:41
	or gimmickry in his ministry.	36:43
	And to let everyone know that he was going	36:45
	to rely completely upon God.	36:48
	That he was going to try to live completely	36:51
	in obedience to God's way and will.	36:55
	And that his life was given over	36:59
	completely to God,	37:01
	and to the service of others.	37:03
	Jesus, I believe,	37:06
	here, was saying and demonstrating,	37:07
	that his full and final loyalty,	37:11
	the beginning, the continuing,	37:14
	and the ending,	37:16
	was of obedience,	37:19
	uncompromising obedience to God.	37:21
	Now, if you and I were smart enough	37:26
	to figure it out,	37:29
	we would all know	37:35
	where the next "if you are"	37:38
	would come from to Him.	37:42
	For with a commitment to obey God like that,	37:47
	the cross becomes inevitable.	37:51
	With total loyalty to God,	37:56
	with total commitment to God,	37:58
	with unfailing obedience to God	38:00
	as the character of Jesus' life,	38:02
	there is no way that Jesus can help	38:04
	but end up on the cross.	38:07
	The cross	38:14
	where Jesus heard the taunts of the crowd say,	38:18
	"If you are the son of God,	38:22
	"then come down"."	38:28
	But both in the wilderness,	38:33
	and on the cross,	38:36
	Jesus stood fast	38:38
	and did not, and would not, yield.	38:40
	So goes the story of the temptations of our Lord.	38:46
	Now there's some New Testament writers who	38:52
	tell us that this experience,	38:55
	or that these experiences of Jesus,	38:57
	are not to be used as a paradigm,	39:00
	or as a pattern for our own living.	39:02
	I'm not so sure.	39:08
	As a matter of fact,	39:10
	I believe that in these experiences of Jesus,	39:12
	there may very well be an excellent pattern	39:15
	for us to note and to live by.	39:17
	I believe that there are certain	39:19
	principles that are evident in	39:21
	these experiences of Jesus,	39:23
	that we would do well to follow.	39:26
	First of all,	39:30
	be prepared.	39:32
	Be prepared for whatever life may have to offer.	39:35
	No one, not even Jesus,	39:40
	knows what tests, and trials,	39:45
	and temptations, and seductions of life,	39:48
	may confront you or me.	39:51
	Therefore, be ready.	39:54
	Know God.	40:00
	Know the Spirit of God.	40:02
	Know where the Spirit of God is leading.	40:05
	Note that it wasn't the devil	40:09
	who led Jesus into the wilderness.	40:12
	No.	40:15
	It was the Spirit of God which led Jesus	40:16
	into the wilderness.	40:19
	Make a commitment.	40:25
	A commitment that will withstand any,	40:27
	any experience that comes in life.	40:32
	Where, you see,	40:34
	somewhere between that moment when Jesus was baptized,	40:35
	when God's Spirit said "Thou art my beloved son	40:39
	"and with thee I am well pleased",	40:42
	somewhere between that moment	40:44
	and the moment of temptation,	40:45
	Jesus made a commitment.	40:47
	A commitment that stood him fast	40:51
	in the midst of whatever might come.	40:53
	So I invite you this morning,	40:56
	between the time of your baptism	40:58
	and this moment in your life,	41:01
	make some kind of commitment,	41:03
	some kind of commitment that will last	41:05
	come whatever may.	41:07
	The second principle,	41:17
	I think, that is operative here is	41:18
	simply to know who you are.	41:21
	Jesus obviously went into the desert	41:29
	for many reasons: to be alone,	41:31
	To make decisions about his life's work,	41:34
	to try to understand what it was that God	41:37
	wanted him to do,	41:38
	to think through his own values, and needs, and priorities,	41:40
	and to determine what was to be	41:42
	of ultimate importance to him in his life.	41:44
	To have time to understand himself,	41:46
	his strengths and his weakness.	41:48
	To know who he was.	41:50
	And what he could and could not,	41:52
	what he would and would not, do.	41:54
	And is it important.	41:57
	It is...	41:59
	of everlasting importance	42:03
	for us to have some understanding	42:06
	about who we are.	42:08
	About what we will and will not do,	42:11
	and what we can and can not do.	42:13
	Know yourself.	42:22
	For there will be times when	42:26
	you feel as if you are all alone.	42:28
	Not that any of us ever is all alone,	42:36
	for I believe	42:39
	just what God says when God says "I will never	42:43
	"leave you nor forsake you.".	42:47
	And God never leaves us nor forsakes us,	42:50
	but that doesn't mean that there are not times	42:54
	when we do not feel all alone.	42:56
	Just as I believe Jesus felt all alone here.	43:07
	The Spirit was with him before,	43:12
	and the Spirit was with him after,	43:14
	but you don't hear anything about the Spirit during.	43:15
	So, we'd better know something about who we are	43:28
	if we're going to endure and persevere.	43:32
	A third principle, I think,	43:38
	is that you have to take some risks.	43:40
	Risks that will not always please everyone,	43:45
	or, maybe, will not please anyone.	43:47
	This may mean taking the risk of saying "no"	43:59
	when "yes" would appear to be easier,	44:01
	and more satisfying,	44:03
	and more comforting.	44:05
	Take the risk of being different.	44:07
	Of being popular, in some instances,	44:11
	and paying a price for that.	44:14
	Or of being unpopular in other instances	44:16
	and paying a price for that also.	44:18
	Take the risk,	44:25
	even of being a do-gooder.	44:26
	Of being a goody-goody.	44:30
	Of being the nice person on the block,	44:34
	or in the classroom, or on the street,	44:37
	or on the hall, if you will.	44:40
	Take the risk of being the good person, the helpful one.	44:44
	The one who wants to do what is right.	44:48
	Why is it that being right has become so wrong?	44:50
	And there is risk involved in living for God,	44:59
	I believe.	45:02
	For no one likes anyone who is good (laughs),	45:07
	or nice, or kind,	45:10
	or caring and obedient to God	45:12
	and loving of one's neighbor.	45:14
	None of us likes anybody who lives that way	45:15
	all the time.	45:17
	No one likes anyone who is willing to	45:19
	stand up against the crowd and say "I will not get drunk.	45:22
	"I will not have sex outside marriage.	45:26
	"I will not use drugs.	45:28
	"I will not cheat in school.	45:30
	"I will not give in to the crowd, or the easy way,"	45:32
	or "I will not let my life be controlled by	45:35
	"others and their demands and their wishes.	45:37
	"I will be who God has created me to be.	45:39
	"I will be obedient	45:43
	"and faithful to God whatever the cost."	45:44
	And people don't like people like that, folks.	45:46
	Jesus risked everything to be his own person	45:54
	before God and under God,	45:57
	and you and I at some times or other,	46:00
	may be asked to risk everything	46:03
	to be the person God has called us to be,	46:06
	before God, and under God.	46:10
	Then there's a fourth principle.	46:14
	Once you resist one temptation,	46:16
	the others that come	46:18
	may be more inviting as they got	46:20
	more and more tempting for Jesus, I believe.	46:21
	They may be more inviting and more seductive,	46:24
	but, somehow, you know the experience of victory	46:26
	over one temptation,	46:29
	and you find new strength,	46:30
	and one victory over one temptation	46:32
	leads to another victory over another temptation.	46:35
	To face, to struggle with, to understand,	46:40
	to overcome one temptation,	46:43
	does indeed give new strength	46:45
	for facing the next.	46:48
	One tough time in life does prepare us	46:50
	for the next tough time.	46:54
	One heavy, or dark,	46:56
	or difficult, or demanding,	46:57
	or seductive, or tempting,	46:58
	or testing,	47:00
	one such experience like this that we face,	47:01
	and overcome,	47:04
	surely prepares us to face and overcome	47:06
	the next one.	47:08
	For a pattern is set.	47:11
	And we go on, from strength to strength,	47:13
	not in our own strength,	47:16
	but in the strength which God provides to us.	47:17
	For our weakness is made great	47:20
	through the strength and the grace of God.	47:23
	And, so, we see in this story, what happens	47:28
	when we affirm, and reaffirm,	47:30
	and affirm, and reaffirm	47:34
	our commitment to God.	47:35
	New power comes.	47:38
	New strength comes to overcome temptation.	47:40
	New support comes. New assurance comes.	47:44
	"Our real nature",	47:49
	as George Santayana once wrote,	47:50
	"is who we would discover ourselves to be	47:54
	"if we become who we are.".	47:59
	That is what temptation, and testing, and trying,	48:03
	and making decisions is all about.	48:06
	To help each of us to become who we are.	48:08
	And each of us is a child of God.	48:13
	Called to live responsibly before God.	48:16
	The tempting, the testing,	48:22
	the struggling that we face,	48:25
	is to help us prove to God how strong we are.	48:27
	It is also to help us to prove to others	48:32
	how strong we are,	48:34
	and it is also to help us to prove to ourselves	48:35
	how strong we are.	48:38
	Testing comes to confront us with some questions.	48:42
	Do we know who we are?	48:48
	Whose we are?	48:51
	Can we accept who we are?	48:54
	Can we be who God has called us to be?	48:57
	Do we believe who we really are?	49:01
	Can we trust ourselves?	49:04
	Can we trust others?	49:07
	Can we trust God?	49:10
	Can others trust us?	49:12
	Can God trust us?	49:15
	Can we really face life?	49:17
	Does life have to be clean and easy,	49:20
	sweet and simple?	49:23
	Or can we hold on in the ambiguities and perplexities,	49:24
	the tests, and the trials,	49:29
	and the pressures of life?	49:30
	How strong are we?	49:33
	Testing helps us to determine	49:37
	how strong we are.	49:41
	It seems to me that the tempter tries	49:46
	to seduce us every day.	49:49
	To turn some stone into bread.	49:53
	Or to cast ourselves down in a dangerous way,	49:57
	on the assumption that some spirit will	50:00
	take care of us.	50:02
	Or to bow ourselves down before the world.	50:04
	The temptations come to us every day.	50:11
	If you really are who you say you are.	50:15
	If you really believe what you say you believe.	50:19
	If you really want to live	50:23
	as you say you want to live.	50:25
	If, if, if.	50:28
	If living is conditional living, my friends,	50:31
	and belief in God is not conditional,	50:34
	it is to be totally unconditional.	50:37
	For one does not live by bread alone.	50:44
	You shall not tempt the Lord your God.	50:49
	You shall worship the Lord your God.	50:55
	And God, only, shall you serve.	50:59
	With unconditional commitments like that,	51:04
	we can face life.	51:08
	That place where you are not alone.	51:10
	And can then feel, I believe,	51:15
	what Jesus felt.	51:17
	For Luke goes on to write,	51:23
	"And when the devil had ended every temptation,	51:27
	"he departed from him until an opportune time.".	51:30
	And the next words are,	51:35
	"And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit.".	51:37
	This story of Jesus,	51:44
	I'm glad Jesus told it,	51:47
	and I'm glad his disciples retold it and shared it with us.	51:50
	This story of Jesus	51:54
	tells me something that is	51:56
	everlastingly important and unforgettable.	51:57
	And that is	52:06
	that the Spirit of God is before us,	52:08
	and after us,	52:13
	in every experience we face.	52:16
	And the grace of God is with us.	52:19
	Right in the midst of every experience we face.	52:24
	For, indeed, there is a place	52:30
	where you and I are never alone.	52:32
	And that place is life.	52:38
	Thanks be to God,	52:42
	forever and ever.	52:44
	Amen.	52:48
	(uplifting organ music)	52:54
	(congregation singing)	53:44
-	As the people of God,	56:27
	let us affirm what we believe.	56:29
	We believe in God,	56:33
	who has created and is creating.	56:35
	Who has come in the truly-human Jesus,	56:38
	to reconcile and make new.	56:41
	Who works in us,	56:44
	and others, by the Spirit.	56:45
	We trust God,	56:48
	who calls us to be the church,	56:50
	to celebrate life and its fullness.	56:52
	To love and serve others,	56:56
	to seek justice and resist evil.	56:58
	To proclaim Jesus,	57:01
	crucified and risen,	57:03
	our judge and our hope,	57:05
	in life,	57:07
	in death,	57:09
	in life beyond death,	57:10
	God is with us,	57:12
	we are not alone.	57:14
	Thanks be to God.	57:16
	The Lord be with you.	57:18
	[Congregation Replies]	57:21
-	Let us pray.	57:22
	O eternal Spirit,	57:37
	maker of all worlds	57:39
	and creator of our souls,	57:40
	we come to worship You today.	57:43
	Out of our littleness and partialness,	57:47
	we ask that somehow you weave us	57:50
	into your larger sense of life.	57:52
	Lead us up now from our low levels,	57:57
	and out from our narrow boundaries.	58:00
	That we may escape from our obsession	58:02
	with ourselves.	58:05
	And, loving and serving something	58:07
	greater than ourselves,	58:09
	somehow find that in You.	58:11
	Set us in the background of our own lives.	58:15
	Remind us of the families from which we come.	58:20
	The fathers and mothers who have loved us,	58:24
	the better heritage of our nation's life	58:28
	in which we share,	58:31
	those who have come as prophets and	58:33
	seers before us,	58:36
	who have seen and spoken to us,	58:38
	and those who have died as martyrs	58:41
	in the faith,	58:44
	that we might live.	58:45
	That our lives may be lifted up,	58:47
	and we may be grateful.	58:50
	O God, grant us a new vision of the	58:53
	causes we should serve.	58:55
	Justice in a generation full of wrong,	58:59
	unselfishness in a time when many are suffering,	59:02
	and peace in a day where there is violence.	59:07
	Show us that though we be little, each one,	59:11
	we can stand for the greatest truce	59:15
	that You reveal to us.	59:19
	Release us now from narrowness	59:22
	into a wide compassion and sympathy.	59:25
	Grant unto Your servants,	59:29
	so sincerely to worship You without pretense,	59:32
	and across all lines that divide us,	59:36
	that we may perform together in our worship	59:40
	an act of good will.	59:43
	Give us victory over our private prejudices,	59:47
	and our mean vindictiveness.	59:51
	For we would take into our care every	59:54
	creature of yours,	59:57
	and every condition of human kind.	59:59
	Oh God, if there are hearts here to whom	1:00:03
	such calls come in vain	1:00:06
	because they are too sorely hurt themselves,	1:00:08
	we ask your strength for them.	1:00:12
	It is not for easy and soft lives that we pray,	1:00:16
	but for great resources.	1:00:21
	Some of us are struggling against	1:00:24
	powerful temptations.	1:00:26
	Some of us feel the burden of grief and anxiety	1:00:30
	too heavy to be borne.	1:00:34
	We ask for stability,	1:00:37
	for inward reserves of spiritual power,	1:00:39
	that while the outward person is decaying,	1:00:43
	our inward person may be renewed day-by-day.	1:00:46
	And, so, in the worship in Your sanctuary,	1:00:51
	may serenity, stability, and peace,	1:00:54
	come this day to Your people.	1:00:58
	Send us out, we pray You,	1:01:01
	to face this troubled and difficult world.	1:01:03
	May we know and learn how to lay soothing hands	1:01:08
	upon places that are hurt.	1:01:12
	And, for ourselves,	1:01:15
	keep clearly in our vision all that is	1:01:17
	excellent and beautiful.	1:01:20
	O God, give us radiance,	1:01:23
	and make our faith contagious.	1:01:25
	Help us to make goodness attractive.	1:01:28
	May Christ's joy be ours,	1:01:32
	and the promise of abundant life	1:01:34
	be fulfilled in us.	1:01:37
	And may we be among those who help bring	1:01:39
	humanity to its fullness	1:01:42
	when the kingdom of God's righteousness	1:01:44
	shall come.	1:01:47
	For we ask it in the Spirit of Christ,	1:01:49
	who taught us to pray, saying,	1:01:53
	"Our Father who art in heaven,	1:01:56
	"hallowed be Thy name,	1:02:00
	"Thy kingdom come,	1:02:02
	"Thy will be done,	1:02:04
	"on earth as it is in heaven.	1:02:06
	"Give us this day our daily bread,	1:02:09
	"and forgive us our trespasses	1:02:11
	"as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:02:14
	"And lead us not into temptation,	1:02:18
	"but deliver us from evil.	1:02:20
	"For Thine is the kingdom,	1:02:23
	"and the power,	1:02:25
	"and the glory forever.".	1:02:26
	Amen.	1:02:28
	(congregation rustling)	1:02:32
	("The Lord's Prayer")	1:02:52
	♪ Father ♪	1:03:00
	♪ Father Thou who art in heaven ♪	1:03:06
	♪ Hallowed be Thy name ♪	1:03:18
	(choir singing)	1:03:28
	♪ Thy name ♪	1:03:47
	♪ Thy name ♪	1:03:49
	♪ Thy name ♪	1:03:57
	♪ Thy kingdom come ♪	1:04:25
	(choir singing)	1:04:31
	♪ Thy will be done forever ♪	1:04:51
	♪ Thy will be done ♪	1:05:01
	(choir singing)	1:05:05
	♪ As it is in heaven ♪	1:05:17
	(choir singing)	1:05:28
	♪ And forgive us ♪	1:05:40
	♪ When we have trespassed ♪	1:05:45
	(choir singing)	1:05:52
	♪ May we forever ♪	1:06:25
	(choir singing)	1:06:30
	♪ Every nation ♪	1:06:41
	♪ Every nation ♪	1:06:43
	♪ Every nation ♪	1:06:45
	♪ Every nation ♪	1:06:48
	♪ Every nation ♪	1:06:51
	♪ Father in heaven ♪	1:06:57
	♪ Our salvation ♪	1:07:04
	♪ Keep us from evil ♪	1:07:10
	♪ And from all temptation ♪	1:07:15
	♪ Keep us from evil ♪	1:07:20
	♪ And from all temptation ♪	1:07:25
	♪ And from the powers of darkness ♪	1:07:30
	(choir singing)	1:07:35
	♪ And from the powers of darkness ♪	1:07:40
	(choir singing)	1:07:46
	♪ And from the powers of darkness ♪	1:07:50
	♪ Father in heaven ♪	1:08:10
	♪ Keep us from evil ♪	1:08:16
	♪ And from all temptation ♪	1:08:21
	(choir singing)	1:08:27
	♪ Unto Thee ♪	1:08:41
	(choir singing)	1:08:44
	♪ That we may deserve Thy blessing ♪	1:08:49
	(choir singing)	1:08:55
	♪ That we may share ♪	1:08:59
	♪ That we may share peace ♪	1:09:00
	♪ Serving with devotion ♪	1:09:05
	(choir singing)	1:09:16
	♪ We bring all our sorrows ♪	1:09:44
	♪ Sorrows unto Thee ♪	1:09:48
	♪ To Thee ♪	1:09:51
	(choir singing)	1:09:53
	♪ Amen ♪	1:10:16
	♪ Amen ♪	1:10:21
	♪ Amen ♪	1:10:26
	("Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow")	1:10:40
	(congregation singing)	1:10:54
-	Open wide Your hands, O God,	1:11:37
	to receive these our gifts	1:11:40
	as symbols of ourselves.	1:11:42
	Our minds, souls, and bodies	1:11:45
	given in Your service.	1:11:47
	Amen.	1:11:49
	(uplifting organ music)	1:11:53
	(congregation singing)	1:12:20
-	And now, the blessing of God Almighty,	1:15:18
	Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer,	1:15:21
	be among you and abide with you now and evermore,	1:15:24
	Amen.	1:15:28
	(powerful organ music)	1:15:33
	(congregation rustling)	1:18:45
	(people talking)	1:18:49

Item Info

Title:

Robert T. Young - "If..." (March 8, 1981)

Description:

Sermon start time: 26:27. Sermon end time: 52:53.
The preacher discusses the story of the temptation of Jesus as an example to us, highlighting four principles we can learn from Jesus' experience and triumph with temptation. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: "If living is conditional living, and belief in God is not conditional, it is to be totally unconditional. For one does not live by bread alone. With unconditional commitments like that, we can face life."

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4cc0v78m

Date:

March 8, 1981

Speaker:

Young, Robert T., 1935-2009

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Chapter and Verse:

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Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-1144
ref7504_14v
uachapelsermaud
duke:321192
dcrau002021
ark:/87924/r4cc0v78m
b1b9d499-b900-453a-a58f-48f1f49b3bad

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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English

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United States
North Carolina
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The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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Robert T. Young - "If..." (March 8, 1981)

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