August 13, 2023 - People Who Give Affirmation Empower Those They Influence - Pastor Paul Vallee

Luke 3:21 - 4:30

There is something inside each man and woman that wants to please and be accepted by their father. It's something that God builds into each of our lives. Some struggle with this issue. Maybe they don't feel they can ever do enough to please their father and become exasperated trying. Sometimes the start of rebellion in children's hearts is an expression of a child trying to get the father's attention.

Right now, I must add this caution; not all rebellious kids result from a neglectful or thoughtless father. Remember, Adam and Eve in the garden had everything going for them, with the perfect parent and failure and sin occurred. Yet, there remains in the heart of every child a desire to be loved, accepted, and affirmed by their father just for who they are. This longing and desire does not end when the child grows up. Some middle-aged people here today are still seeking that affirmation from their fathers. There are elderly people here today who have longed to hear their fathers affirm them. This ache in the heart doesn't go away. Many people have driven themselves in various fields of life desperately trying to receive this affirmation that never came.

Today, I want to return to the very beginnings of Jesus' ministry. Just before Jesus faced some of the greatest tests of his early ministry: the temptation in the wilderness and the rejection of his ministry by his friends, family, and associates in his hometown, something powerful happened that gave Jesus precisely what he needed to face those situations. Too often, we have assumed that it's all about us, but you may not know that something deep within us needs affirmation and approval by a significant person in our lives.

Here, we come to understand the value of the Father's affirmation, how it empowered Jesus through his first great testing in the wilderness, and the following challenge in Nazareth. We will be able to respond to the Father's blessing and affirmation. So let us look at three events in Jesus' life in chronological order and discover the secret of Jesus' ability to overcome temptation and discouragement.