SERM: Matthew 4:1–11, Lent1, LSB One-Year
Your Lord Leads You through this World to the World to Come First Sunday in Lent Invocabit Commemoration of Valentine, Martyr February 14, 2016 Matthew 4:1–11 If you are certain that you have salvation and yet struggle with the daily grind of temptation and sin, then you have a sense of the tension of being a Christian. One is either saved or not. And for those who believe Jesus is Lord and believe that heaven is their home, it’s hard to come to terms with the weakness we experience in this life. How many times have you said the wrong thing to a loved one and wish you could take it back? How often do you feel emboldened to fight off temptation only to fall into it so easily before you’re even aware of it happening? How many times do you feel invigorated to take time to help others only to place your time and effort to more pressing matters? If you recognize the struggle of these things and are uneasy about it, then you are seeing that being a Christian isn’t as easy as you might wish it to be. You are seeing that far from removing you from trials and unease you often find yourself struggling even more so. The Bible doesn’t help you out much here if you are looking to be relieved of this tension. The Bible actually goes out of the way to drive home the tension that characterizes the person who is saved and living new life in Christ. That may not seem comforting. But there’s more comfort in this than there appears. In the Collect of the Day we prayed our Lord to lead us through this world to the world come. Heaven is indeed the destination, but it’s a long road there, isn’t it? It’s a difficult road. As you live you get closer and closer to the glory of the world to come, but along the way you endure the pain of heartbreak and the sting of loved ones and the guilt of hurting those you love. The road is long and in the tension of the now of full salvation but the not yet of the full glory of it. It’s tempting to want to resolve this tension. But you know that’s not going to happen. In this life you will continue to sin and struggle against sin. The world will continue to entice you to the ways of fulfilling your desires. The devil will continue to attack you. When you die and are brought into the eternal glory of heaven, there will be no more tension. Instead of seeking to be rid of the tension, seek your Lord who will lead you through it and guide you. Getting rid of the tension won’t help anything, trusting in your Lord will. On the First Sunday in Lent we are shown the way He deals with this tension. Jesus had not even begun His three years of ministry and He was led out into the desert to be tempted by the devil. It’s not that the devil just happened to tempt Jesus. This was a calculated action on the part of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus had come on the scene to begin His three year ministry He did something that seemed not quit right. He went up to John the Baptist, who had been preaching and Baptizing, and asked John to Baptize Him. This is how Jesus was ordained into His ministry. He who had no sin was Baptized in order to fulfill all righteousness. He went down into those Baptismal waters in solidarity with us. The heavens were opened and the Holy Sprit descended on Him. The voice of the Heavenly Father spoke, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” This is where you see the tension of your life in Christ. It was exhibited by Him. In your Baptism, the Heavenly Father declared you to be His beloved son, His beloved daughter. In your Baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon you and gave you new life in Christ. And then you know what happened? You were led out into the wilderness of this world where you are tempted by the devil. Satan has it out for you because you are a child of God. Your Baptism is a mark on you and what the devil sees is a bulls eye. What is happening to you, though, isn’t anything new. Jesus Himself endured this. No sooner was Jesus Baptized, the Holy Sprit descending on Him, the Father declaring Him His beloved Son, than the Holy Spirit led Him out into the desert to be tempted by the devil. This, of course, was fine by Satan. He jumped at this chance to take Jesus down. And it worked well for him that Jesus decided to fast during the forty days He was out there. A person in a weakened state is a prime target for the cunning tactics of the devil. Satan knew who Jesus was. He had heard the statement of the Father to His Son, “This is My beloved Son.” So that’s a good place to start. He said to Jesus, “So, if You are the Son of God, then tell these stones to become bread. That should be easy enough of a solution to being hungry and needing food. If you’re the Son of God You should be able to easily do it. This is an opportunity to prove You are who Your Father says You are. If You’re the Son of God, why should You go hungry and stay in this weakened state?” But Satan can never stand against the one who trusts in the Lord. Jesus was indeed the Son of God. But far
SERM: Matthew 4:1-11, Lent1, LSB One-Year
Has God Really Said? First Sunday in Lent March 9, 2014 Matthew 4:1-11 He was there. He saw it all. And he was listening. He is a very good listener. Better than you and I are. He was there, listening as God was speaking to Adam. I give you everything. It's all yours. All that I have created is for you and your benefit. There's one thing I reserve, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This I withhold from you for your benefit. He heard all of this and he was listening intently as God spoke it to Adam. Adam didn't know he was there. Adam couldn't see him, but he was there. We see in the Genesis account that God was speaking to Adam but it's not expressly stated that Satan was present. But we know he was there. And he was listening. He let each word of God sink deeply into his soul. Satan knows how to listen. He takes every word God says seriously. He knows what it means better than we do. We know he was there and we know he was listening because he quoted God when he spoke to Eve. Has God really said? Satan cares deeply about the Word of God because he wants to use it for the opposite purpose for which God uses it. That's why the devil is so intent on listening to every word that comes from the mouth of God. He needs to hear God's word so that he can then twist it ever so slightly in order to plant doubt into our mind. There was another occasion. Nobody could see him, but he was there. The crowds were watching Jesus being Baptized by John. Satan couldn't be seen, but he was present. And he was listening. He listened to the word the Father spoke of His Son. He heard every word: This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. The crowds heard the voice. They saw the Spirit descending as a dove. But they didn't see Satan. But he was there, listening. We don't spend much time thinking about the power Satan has. And we never ought to ascribe more to Satan than what the Bible does. At the same time, we also never ought to downplay what the Bible shows us of him. Satan is a fallen angel. He has power you and I don't have. He is a spiritual being, as are the angels, able to move throughout time and space without being bound by time and space. Thus angels appear in forms accessible to us, such as Gabriel did when he appeared to Mary or such as in a vision to Joseph. Angels are powerful beings. They are soldiers who work for us on God's behalf. But Satan and the fallen angels, the demons, they are the enemy soldiers. They seek us out in order to destroy. And so Satan was right there to act toward Adam and Eve's downfall. He was right there in the wilderness to try to make Jesus fall. The Bible teaches that faith is an utter trust and belief in the Triune God. This is where Adam and Eve fell miserably short. One thing was withheld from them and it is the one thing they lusted after. It was readily apparent to them that all things were at their disposal! And that is no hyperbole; all things, freely given them by God. They truly had it all. Satan knew this. How could he top that? How could he entice Adam and Eve with anything better than that? Well, he heard God's word to them. There's no better way to undo God's word than to take that very word and twist it. Has God really said? Did God say you can't eat of any tree of the Garden? Now, I know God loves you, after all, look at everything He has given you! But could it be that He's holding out on you? Is there any good reason you can't truly have it all? After all, if you eat of that tree He has withheld from you--and just let that sink in for a moment, what reason could there be for Him to keep anything from you?--if you eat from that tree, and you have to admit, it looks really good and juicy, God knows that you will be just like Him. You'll know everything, just like Him. Now maybe it's just me, but it sounds like God is keeping all that for Himself, and maybe, just maybe, He doesn't love you as much as He has let on. God had called Adam and Eve to trust in Him. Instead, they listened to Satan. What about you? What will it be? Will it be faith? Or will it be what you see, which when you really look at it, doesn't look nearly so great as God has made it out to be. You look at your life, your circumstances, the difficulties, the failings, the letdowns. Your life as a Christian in this life is not exactly paradise. Has God really said He gives you all things? Has He really said He is with you in everything? Could it be rather that God is holding out on you? What will it be? Will it be holding firmly to God's Word, no matter the circumstances, no matter how much things may look like they're not as great as God has led you to believe? Or will it be listening to those enticing words of Satan in which he masterfully uses God's very own words and twists them to induce you to doubt? It is stark irony that the one eternally opposed to God and His Word is the most intent listener of it. Satan not only is opposed to God, but to you. The Bible is clear, Satan
