Home Board Calendar Sunday Messages News Links Contact Us

Unity Church of Castro Valley

Sunday Message for March 4, 2007

Apart from the World

Today is the second Sunday of Lent.  The word Lent comes from a word meaning “lengthen.”  It probably refers to the lengthening daylight of this season.  These days may seem longer as we remember, as we prepare, as we begin go apart from the world to reflect on the journey.  As we move into this season, remembering that we are earthly creatures, made of dust, we pray for strength for the journey and for endurance to wrestle a blessing from these days.

JESUS IN THE WILDERNESS

Many religions mark the beginning of Lent by putting ashes on congregants’ foreheads.  This is to remind us that we are still dust, or still in the material body.  But this is not a negative – wisdom marks our foreheads with ashes as we begin the journey through Lent.  Our inner wisdom intuits what these forty days may hold in store for us and tries to prepare us.

In the physical world Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, (Mark 1:12) “And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.”  He went apart from the world for 40 days.

When Jesus was baptized by John the Holy Spirit descended on him and he realized his true identity at a much deeper level than ever before.  (Matthew 3:17) “And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

This realization of a higher consciousness drives us apart from the world to do some real inner searching.  We need time to try on this new knowing and sort out all our old thinking.  This is what the Lenten season is for – for us to take the time apart from the world to do the inner searching and move into a higher consciousness of who we really are.

Jesus’ experiences in the wilderness are to show us how to deal with the thoughts and desires of the material world, and to place them in the proper perspective.  It requires spiritual discernment and a devotion to the highest Truth to meet and overcome the temptations of the worldly consciousness.

So in this Lenten season we should ask ourselves: In what way is God inviting me to live my Divine Nature? What limited ways of seeing myself am I ready to shed to make way for my greater experience of myself?

It says in scripture that Jesus went into the wilderness (Luke 4:2) “where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.”  Understand that this story is an allegory. The Devil represents the adverse consciousness that has been built up in ignorance and disregard of the divine law.  Jesus had taken on the limitations of the material man and was tempted just like we are.  He, too, had to face the errors of race consciousness. 

Jesus went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days.  We need to spend Lent in denial of the material demands.  In our thoughts, we need to live above the material needs.  Fasting is more about giving up negative thinking than it is about giving up food.  It is a fast of the lower consciousness to give way to the higher consciousness.

(Matthew 4:2) “He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished,” which shoots down our magical child thinking.  We cannot go through Lent and forever be healed from all material thinking.  We can rise in consciousness, we can have new and higher realizations, but we do live in a material body.  There is always a return to material consciousness.  Even Jesus was hungry after a 40 day fast.

THE THREE TEMPTATIONS

Three temptations were presented to Jesus, and he met them within his own consciousness, even as we must do.  They are typical of the enticements that come to us when we realize that we have access to spiritual power.  Jesus is our great teacher, and his experience shows us how these temptations should be met.

1.  The first temptation is in (Matthew 4:3-4) “The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

God prospers those who trust and obey Him.  This is shown many times in the Bible.  But to center our whole attention on substance in the form of material supply defeats the purpose of spirituality.  The temptation to turn stones to bread comes from our material consciousness.  We can not satisfy the soul with materiality, but must look for the bread that comes from heaven, the Word of God.  We must feed our soul with new truths daily, so that we can grow in spiritual ways.

So ask yourselves this Lenten season:  What is my relationship to the material world and prosperity?  Do I fret and
worry or do I rely on God as my Source?

2.  The second temptation is in (Matthew 4:5-7) “Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 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.' " Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "

There was a belief among the Jews that the Messiah would appear in some spectacular manner.  But if Jesus had done this he would have called immediate attention to himself.  Whereas his desire was to serve mankind.

Charles Fillmore wrote that this temptation “means that no display of spiritual power for personal glory should be made.”  We don’t heal someone with the thought in mind to prove that Truth “works.”  We don’t attempt any good for the purpose of convincing others that it can be done. 

So ask yourselves this Lenten season:  What is the level of my self-esteem, my self-love, my self-valuing?  Is who I
am good enough to live fully in the world or do I have to wear an impressive mask?

3.  The third temptation is in (Matthew 4:8-10) “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' "

We should never allow ourselves to be run by our material consciousness.  It promises power that it cannot give and if we yield to its voice it will pave the way for our own destruction.

Charles Fillmore writes, “To worship the Devil is to worship personality; to live in personal consciousness and give it the substance of our life and thought.”  Whenever we are tempted to use our spiritual faculties and powers for personal ambitions, we need to remember that there is only one worthy of our worship and service, God.  To serve God we need to build up spiritually in mind, body, and in our affairs.

So ask yourselves this Lenten season:  Where does my sense of power and security come from?  Do I need to exercise control over other people/conditions in order to feel safe and competent or do I work for self-mastery and self-responsibility in order to accomplish my God-given dreams?

Jesus met each of the three types of temptation by speaking the word of Truth.  It is helpful to memorize some of the verses and promises that we find in the Bible.  These are really affirmations of Truth, and by contemplating them our mind becomes filled with spiritual ideas.  When confronted with temptation these ideas then come readily to mind.

Jesus affirmed,
(Matthew 4:4) “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 
(Matthew 4:7) “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” 
(Matthew 4:10) “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

When we hold to these affirmations the strength of the Almighty moves through us and we are able to rise above negative conditions.

OUR DEVIL AND ANGELS

(Matthew 4:11) “Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.” 

When we realize our unity with God and know that we achieve development only through singleness of mind and heart, the Devil (the material mind) leaves us, and we are content to worship God only.  Then “angels,” which are our perceptive qualities quickened to the higher level of Spirit, minister to us.  We all have to gain self-understanding and self-dominion for ourselves through God.

When we overcome temptations, we experience release in mind and body and feel the peace and comfort of Spirit.  The overcoming of temptation is our own choosing.  It is not selfish, even though it may seem to be a claiming of the good that is ours by divine right.  It is the way of righteousness, and we have chosen it, since we love God.

GO APART

But these 40 days in the desert wasn’t the only time that Jesus went apart from the world.  Anytime he needed to reconnect with God and get his perspective back, he would take time for himself.

The disciples would turn around and Jesus would go missing.  No one would know where he was.  He would disappear, go up into the mountains, and pray all night.

This is a practice that we need to remember to do for ourselves.  The world can wear you down when you are in it all the time.  So remember to disappear, go up on a mountain (which means to raise in consciousness), and spend time just with God.

SCRIPTURE: Mark 1:12-13; Matthew 3:17; Luke 4:1-13; Matthew 4:1-11

REFERENCE: Your Hope of Glory Elizabeth Sand Turner; Sacred Journeys Jan L Richardson;
           Metaphysical Dictionary Charles Fillmore

Last updated March 4, 2007