Posted on Sunday, March 1, 2009
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INVOCABIT

The Fist Sunday in Lent

1 March Anno + Domini 2009

 "Jesus Christ Alone Defeats the Devil”

Matthew 4:1-11

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Satan, the old evil foe, that rebellious and fallen angel, is a very powerful enemy of the children of God.  He is far more powerful than the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve.  Do not think otherwise.  Do not think that you can confront Satan on your own.  You will lose.  He will chew you up and spit you out.  And, he will do so in such a cunning and deceitful way that he will allow you to emerge from the skirmish believing that you have been the victor.  That's his goal - to stroke your pride and enhance your ego.  If he can get you to think highly of yourself; to think that you can handle things on your own, then he has succeeded.   

Consider his tactics in the Garden.  He doesn't approach Eve as the vile fallen angel that he is, but hides his identity behind the form of a serpent.  And, he doesn't scream obscenities about God at Eve, but merely plants the seed of doubt by asking subtle, but deceiving questions.  "Did God really say?” is the devil's most powerful weapon.  And, once he has his victim beginning to doubt, he moves in for the kill.  But notice that, even now, he doesn't rant and rave and carry on like a God-hating lunatic.  No, he merely harvests the seed of doubt his deceptive questions successfully planted.  He gives that doubt a conclusion that seems reasonable.  "You won't die.  God doesn't want you to eat the fruit of that tree because He knows that you will be just like Him.  God is holding out on you.” 

So Eve looks at the tree and its fruit.  The fruit looks delicious.  It doesn't look like it will do her any harm.  Why has God forbidden it?  Maybe the serpent's right.  Maybe God is holding out on them.  And so, she eats.  It tastes good.  She doesn't drop dead.  The serpent was right, after all, she concludes.  So she gives some to her husband, who was with her.  And, he eats, too.  And, in the background, the serpent can be seen wearing a satisfying grin.  Satan has accomplished his mission.  He deceived God's children and, believing his lies, they brought sin into the world.  Nothing would ever be the same now.  God's good creation was now corrupted.  The perfect relationship He had with His children was destroyed.  The perfect relationship Adam and Even had with each other was rent asunder.  They now knew shame and guilt, jealousy and pride.  God was holding out on them.  The devil was right about that.  God didn't want His children to know and experience evil.  He wanted them to know only good and perfection.  He didn't want them to dwell in a broken world, full of pain and suffering.  He wanted them to live in Paradise, where there was no pain and suffering.  He wanted them to experience eternal bliss, peace, and comfort.  He didn't want them to die.  He was holding out on them.  He wanted them to live forever. 

The temptation for us is to look back on the Garden and think that we would've done things differently than Adam and Eve.  If we were there, we would've told that serpent to take a hike.  But, just that very thought reveals how far we've fallen.  And, to look back with condescending and judgmental eyes upon Adam and Eve is to fail to recognize how often we have succumbed to the devil's temptations ourselves.  How many times have we fallen hook, line, and sinker to his deceptions?  And, what's worse, we know exactly how Satan operates.  We have his playbook and we still fall prey to his temptations.  For he hasn't changed.  Why change?  You don't fix what ain't broke.  "Did God really say?” is just as effective today as it was in the Garden.  "Did God really say that all lies - all of them - are sinful?  Surely that little white fib will do you know harm.”  "Did God really say that having sexual relations outside of marriage is wrong?  Surely he won't mind as long as you love one another.”  "Did God really say to fear, love, and trust in Him above all things?  Surely He didn't mean all things.”  "Did God really say to love all your brothers and sisters in Christ?  Surely He doesn't expect you to love those people.” 

The sobering truth of the matter is that there have been many times when we all have fallen prey to the devil's temptations.  We have - all of us - time and time again failed to remain steadfast in the Word of the Lord.  We have chosen our own way, followed our own wants and desires, believing that doing so would not harm us, for the fruit of our sins looked pleasurable to our eyes and the results of our sinful activities do not often reveal their devastation.  In fact, that is our greatest sin of all, that we think we get away with our sins.  We think they're harmless, for we don't drop dead right away.  On the contrary, fulfilling our sinful desires often feels good.  "See,” the devil says, "I told you no harm would come to you.” 

This is the holy season of Lent, dear friends.  It is a time for us to take stock of our lives, to examine ourselves in relation to our Lord's commands and see just how we're doing.  And, if we do so - if we truly do so - we will see just how much we're lacking.  There is not a single person here today who has not succumbed to the devil's temptations.  Repent!  The devil has bewitched you.  He is a liar.  You have not gotten away with anything.  The Lord knows all.  He knows your hearts.  He knows your thoughts.  He knows what you do in the darkness every bit as much as He knows what you do in the light.  You cannot hide from Him.  You cannot mock Him.  Stop receiving His grace in vain, as St. Paul says.  Repent!  Now is the day of salvation.  Now.  Not tomorrow, not ten years from now.  Do not think that there will be a time later to repent, after you have fulfilled all your sinful wants and desires.  And, do not think that you can win the battle with Satan on your own.  You're too weak.  You will lose.  You have already lost that battle many times over.  Repent! 

The Good News is that there is One who stands in our stead and defeats the devil in our place.  He is the Valiant One who fights for us.  Ask ye, who is this?  Jesus Christ it is, of Sabaoth Lord, and there's none other God.  He holds the field forever. 

Immediately following His Baptism, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to do what you cannot - to faithfully withstand the temptations and assaults of the devil in your place.  He does not enter the wilderness to show you the way, but to be the Way for you.  Satan is no match for Jesus.  His deceptive tricks don't work on Him.  He tries in vain to trap Jesus with His own Word.  But Jesus is the Word Incarnate; He will not be trapped.  Jesus will not succumb to the hunger of His belly.  He will not put God to the test.  He will not choose earthly kingdoms and, thus, forsake His mission.  Be gone, Satan!  You are barking up the wrong tree here.  This Second Adam will not fail like the first Adam did. 

Dear friends in Christ, in Jesus you have a Savior who knows your struggles and is able to sympathize with your weaknesses, for He was in all points tempted as you are.  Do not think that the devil pestered Him for a bit in the wilderness and then left Him alone.  Satan was there throughout Jesus' earthly ministry, assaulting Him with his lies and deceptions the whole time.  The most powerful temptations of Satan came not in the wilderness, but in Gethsemane and at Calvary.  There, in the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus knelt and prayed to His Father in heaven, He was tempted by the devil to the point of sweating blood.  But, He prevailed.  "Nevertheless, Thy will be done, Father.”  And, as Jesus hung in agonizing pain on the cross, Satan's final assault came via the mouths of those mocking Jesus, saying, "If You are the Son of God, save Yourself, and come down from that cross.”  But, Jesus prevailed.  "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” 

In the end, Jesus overcame the devil fully and finally by allowing the devil to overcome Him.  The final battle of the cross sealed Jesus' victory, for there Jesus accomplished His mission by suffering and dying in the place of all sinners of all time - by suffering and dying in your place for your sins.  There, on the cross, dear friends, the Sinless One, the One who never fell to any of the devil's temptations, became sin for you.  He took all your failures - all the world's failures - to withstand the devil upon Himself and died with those failures, burying them in the tomb. 

Look to Jesus, dear friends, not as an example to follow, or at least not merely as an example to follow, as if you possibly could anyway, but look to Him as your refuge and Mighty Fortress.  You do have a powerful enemy in the devil.  He longs to have you, to devour you, to take you away from the salvation won for you; an enemy so powerful you could never defeat him on your own.  Do not underestimate Satan.  Do not try to tangle with him on your own.  Instead, look to the One who defeated Him in your place.  Cling to Him.  Trust in Him.  Then, and only then, are you safe from the devil's assaults, for as long as Jesus is in between you and the devil, you have nothing to fear. 

Come, then, once again, and receive Jesus.  Come to the Table He prepares in the midst of your enemies of sin, death, and the devil.  Come and receive the Bread of Life, the very Body and Blood of the Word Incarnate, which rains down from heaven and takes up residence in the bread and wine upon the holy altar.  This is the sustenance you need as you travel through the wilderness of this sinful world.  The devil will continue to tempt you, but the Word of the Lord which fills your ears and is placed upon your tongue and pressed to your lips - that Word is all the strength you need.  That Word is the One who felled the devil, the One who won your salvation, the One who sets you free and strengthens you to go in peace and to live for Him and neighbor.  Believe it, and receive it, dear friends.  In Jesus' Holy and Precious Name.  Amen.

Now the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting.  Amen.