Second Sunday in Lent 2/21/10 Text: Luke 4:1-13 Title For us.
Second Sunday in Lent
2/21/10
Text: Luke 4:1-13
Title: For Us.
Over many generations musicians during times of war have composed war songs. They would compose songs designed to get soldiers and civilians ready to take up arms when there is a common enemy to fight. Some of the songs would be about the glory of giving of one’s life for the common good, for we all know too well that keeping peace many times means dying for peace.
The Church for countless generations also sang “spiritual war songs”. Our Lutheran Service Book still has a section called “Church Militant”. Lutheran “fight songs” you could call them. “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”; “Preserve Your Word, O Savior”; “Stand Up For Jesus!” and “Fight the Good Fight”; just to name a few.
I firmly believe that, for the most part, the vast majority of Christians have lost the sense of spiritual warfare. Satan is now ignored; demons are laughed at; God’s Word is rarely taken seriously. You can tell that by the lack of attendance in Bible study classes and personal devotion time. Christianity, for the most part has forgotten that Jesus entered into the war against Satan on our behalf. And that even though the cross and grave are empty, the war still rages on. Satan is not going to win in the end, but he still looks for an opportune time to tempt you into believing you don’t need Jesus to survive in this world and when he sees the opportunity he pounces, seldom directly, and therein lays the danger of temptation, for they are often half-truths and lies.
That brings me to what I want to talk to you about today “The temptation of Jesus”. To better understand what is happening in this particular story of Jesus we need to look back at the first book of the Bible, chapter 3 verses 1 through 13. There we see Satan is talking to Eve. "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" With those words he put doubt in her mind. Maybe God really did not say that.” Then Eve says that she will die and the serpent replies with, “You will not surely die.” More doubt about what God really said. Then he continues with, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." In those words he implies that God is holding out on her and thus cannot be trusted. He has her in his grip.
Now that Eve is doubting God’s word all she needs now is an excuse to do what God has told her and Adam not to do. She sees that fruit was good for food, and it sure looked good, and surely God would not have put something that looks so good there if he did not want her to enjoy it. Plus, if she eats it she will know what God knows, surely God would like that. So she ate and gave some to Adam and everything, as we all know, went downhill from there.
Sometime later God comes by for his daily visit and finds them hiding. Of course Adam blames Eve and Eve blames Satan, but in their blaming they are actually blaming God, for if he had not made the fruit in the first place they would not be in the mess they are.
Adam and Eve who had a wonderful intimate relationship with God are now separated from him by what they had done. God in being just could not let their disobedience go unpunished, so they were booted out of the garden and sentenced to live a life of brokenness and death.
But God did not walk away from them. God wanted to restore the relationship he had with them. And the only way it could be restored was for someone to die on their behalf. Justice had to be done. This someone would have to live the life they could not, and then, even though he had not sinned against God he had to, of his own free will, take the wrath of God on himself. The problem was who was going to be able to do it, for all of his human creation would be sinners.
So God came to us born of a woman, but not of a man and in a way that we cannot understand became fully human while being fully God. In his humanity he lived the same lives we all live. He had to learn how to walk, and talk. He had to learn the Torah and how to be a carpenter. He cried. He mourned over his people that would not accept his wonderful act. And as we journey with him toward Good Friday during this Lenten season he will die, an innocent man, for us, so that when our time comes to stand before God we will be declared righteous. Not because of anything we have done, for there is nothing that we can do to satisfy God’s demands, but because of Jesus death.
Just having come from the Mount of Transfiguration where God’s voice said, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him”, Jesus is tempted for 40 days in the desert. This event is reminiscent of Israel’s journey out of Egypt through the desert for 40 years where, like Adam and Eve, and all people since, they failed to trust in God to care for them.
We are not told except for the last three what other temptations Satan used against Jesus during those 40 days, but they were no doubt temptations that we are all tempted with. When Satan thinks Jesus is at his weakest he brings up the line that condemned Adam and Eve to their life of sorrow; that condemns us to our lives of sorrow. He says to Jesus, “If you are…” In other words; “Jesus did God really say that?” Doubt worked in the past, so why not now?
Jesus did not fall for that, for in his being tempted he is doing what Adam and Eve, what the people of Israel in their trek across the desert could not do, and what we cannot do. He fully trusts the Father. Jesus in trusting the Father is not going to be tempted. He is not going to turn stones into bread to satisfy his hunger, for he knew that this temptation was not about satisfying his hunger. None of the temptations were about what Satan was promising. The temptations were about whether or not Jesus trusted in God’s promises to take care of him.
You, as I am, are fully aware of the promises of Satan, “Just trust in me and you will have bread to satisfy your hunger. Just trust in me and you will have all the wonderful things of the world. Just trust in me and you will be glorified. Just trust in me. Satan lied to Adam and Eve. He is lying to Jesus and he lies to us. Satan is a liar and can’t be trusted, but boy do we like to listen to him.
Satan will very seldom, if ever attack you with a terrible sin. He would rather warp God’s Word as he did to Adam and Eve and Jesus. He likes to tell Christians his favorite half-truth, “Your forgiven, so it is alright to tell that little white lie”; a lie. “It is alright to take what is not yours or to covet what others have”; a lie. “It is alright to use other people for your own gain”; a lie. “It is alright to get back at someone if they have hurt you”; a lie. “It is alright to gossip, especially if what you are gossiping about is true”; a lie. “It is alright to not pray, or study God’s Word, or worship God in fellowship with others”; all lies. “It is alright to not use your money and talents that God has given you to support the body of Christ that you belong to”; a lie. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
For the next 40 days we will walk with Jesus to Gethsemane and the cross. We will not suffer and die, as he did because he has already done that. But we will, in studying his Word, and faithfully attending Sunday and Wednesday worship services come to a better understanding of who he is and what he has done for us. For in his life, death, and resurrection he made it possible for us to be restored into the relationship with God that God intended us to be in, in the beginning.
The price has been paid. We will not be condemned when we come face to face with God because as Psalm 143:13 tells us, “The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.” Even though we know that God is true to his words we still live in brokenness.
And so we still have to march into battle against Satan daily. Not alone, but with Christ, for in our baptism we have put on his armor and it will protect us, so that on that glorious resurrection day we will rise from our graves to live, as he originally intended, in perfect fellowship with him and each other. Amen
2/21/10
Text: Luke 4:1-13
Title: For Us.
Over many generations musicians during times of war have composed war songs. They would compose songs designed to get soldiers and civilians ready to take up arms when there is a common enemy to fight. Some of the songs would be about the glory of giving of one’s life for the common good, for we all know too well that keeping peace many times means dying for peace.
The Church for countless generations also sang “spiritual war songs”. Our Lutheran Service Book still has a section called “Church Militant”. Lutheran “fight songs” you could call them. “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”; “Preserve Your Word, O Savior”; “Stand Up For Jesus!” and “Fight the Good Fight”; just to name a few.
I firmly believe that, for the most part, the vast majority of Christians have lost the sense of spiritual warfare. Satan is now ignored; demons are laughed at; God’s Word is rarely taken seriously. You can tell that by the lack of attendance in Bible study classes and personal devotion time. Christianity, for the most part has forgotten that Jesus entered into the war against Satan on our behalf. And that even though the cross and grave are empty, the war still rages on. Satan is not going to win in the end, but he still looks for an opportune time to tempt you into believing you don’t need Jesus to survive in this world and when he sees the opportunity he pounces, seldom directly, and therein lays the danger of temptation, for they are often half-truths and lies.
That brings me to what I want to talk to you about today “The temptation of Jesus”. To better understand what is happening in this particular story of Jesus we need to look back at the first book of the Bible, chapter 3 verses 1 through 13. There we see Satan is talking to Eve. "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" With those words he put doubt in her mind. Maybe God really did not say that.” Then Eve says that she will die and the serpent replies with, “You will not surely die.” More doubt about what God really said. Then he continues with, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." In those words he implies that God is holding out on her and thus cannot be trusted. He has her in his grip.
Now that Eve is doubting God’s word all she needs now is an excuse to do what God has told her and Adam not to do. She sees that fruit was good for food, and it sure looked good, and surely God would not have put something that looks so good there if he did not want her to enjoy it. Plus, if she eats it she will know what God knows, surely God would like that. So she ate and gave some to Adam and everything, as we all know, went downhill from there.
Sometime later God comes by for his daily visit and finds them hiding. Of course Adam blames Eve and Eve blames Satan, but in their blaming they are actually blaming God, for if he had not made the fruit in the first place they would not be in the mess they are.
Adam and Eve who had a wonderful intimate relationship with God are now separated from him by what they had done. God in being just could not let their disobedience go unpunished, so they were booted out of the garden and sentenced to live a life of brokenness and death.
But God did not walk away from them. God wanted to restore the relationship he had with them. And the only way it could be restored was for someone to die on their behalf. Justice had to be done. This someone would have to live the life they could not, and then, even though he had not sinned against God he had to, of his own free will, take the wrath of God on himself. The problem was who was going to be able to do it, for all of his human creation would be sinners.
So God came to us born of a woman, but not of a man and in a way that we cannot understand became fully human while being fully God. In his humanity he lived the same lives we all live. He had to learn how to walk, and talk. He had to learn the Torah and how to be a carpenter. He cried. He mourned over his people that would not accept his wonderful act. And as we journey with him toward Good Friday during this Lenten season he will die, an innocent man, for us, so that when our time comes to stand before God we will be declared righteous. Not because of anything we have done, for there is nothing that we can do to satisfy God’s demands, but because of Jesus death.
Just having come from the Mount of Transfiguration where God’s voice said, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him”, Jesus is tempted for 40 days in the desert. This event is reminiscent of Israel’s journey out of Egypt through the desert for 40 years where, like Adam and Eve, and all people since, they failed to trust in God to care for them.
We are not told except for the last three what other temptations Satan used against Jesus during those 40 days, but they were no doubt temptations that we are all tempted with. When Satan thinks Jesus is at his weakest he brings up the line that condemned Adam and Eve to their life of sorrow; that condemns us to our lives of sorrow. He says to Jesus, “If you are…” In other words; “Jesus did God really say that?” Doubt worked in the past, so why not now?
Jesus did not fall for that, for in his being tempted he is doing what Adam and Eve, what the people of Israel in their trek across the desert could not do, and what we cannot do. He fully trusts the Father. Jesus in trusting the Father is not going to be tempted. He is not going to turn stones into bread to satisfy his hunger, for he knew that this temptation was not about satisfying his hunger. None of the temptations were about what Satan was promising. The temptations were about whether or not Jesus trusted in God’s promises to take care of him.
You, as I am, are fully aware of the promises of Satan, “Just trust in me and you will have bread to satisfy your hunger. Just trust in me and you will have all the wonderful things of the world. Just trust in me and you will be glorified. Just trust in me. Satan lied to Adam and Eve. He is lying to Jesus and he lies to us. Satan is a liar and can’t be trusted, but boy do we like to listen to him.
Satan will very seldom, if ever attack you with a terrible sin. He would rather warp God’s Word as he did to Adam and Eve and Jesus. He likes to tell Christians his favorite half-truth, “Your forgiven, so it is alright to tell that little white lie”; a lie. “It is alright to take what is not yours or to covet what others have”; a lie. “It is alright to use other people for your own gain”; a lie. “It is alright to get back at someone if they have hurt you”; a lie. “It is alright to gossip, especially if what you are gossiping about is true”; a lie. “It is alright to not pray, or study God’s Word, or worship God in fellowship with others”; all lies. “It is alright to not use your money and talents that God has given you to support the body of Christ that you belong to”; a lie. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
For the next 40 days we will walk with Jesus to Gethsemane and the cross. We will not suffer and die, as he did because he has already done that. But we will, in studying his Word, and faithfully attending Sunday and Wednesday worship services come to a better understanding of who he is and what he has done for us. For in his life, death, and resurrection he made it possible for us to be restored into the relationship with God that God intended us to be in, in the beginning.
The price has been paid. We will not be condemned when we come face to face with God because as Psalm 143:13 tells us, “The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.” Even though we know that God is true to his words we still live in brokenness.
And so we still have to march into battle against Satan daily. Not alone, but with Christ, for in our baptism we have put on his armor and it will protect us, so that on that glorious resurrection day we will rise from our graves to live, as he originally intended, in perfect fellowship with him and each other. Amen
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 12:47 PM
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