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LUKE 4:1-13
JESUS CONQUERS THE OLD EVIL FOE.
In
the name + of Jesus.
Temptations are always attractive. Even though temptations
are directly opposed to the word of God, you still believe the reasons you give
for giving into them. Even though Satan lures you into death and hell by
the sins you commit, you are still seduced by them. Even though you know
that Satan lies to you, you find his arguments persuasive. Even though
you know that God has only your best interests at heart and the devil not only
would just assume you go to hell but actually strives to get you there, when
the devil tempts you, you still find his temptations attractive.
Now, on the one hand, you are not different from anyone else in these
matters. Though some specific temptations are more appealing to you than
others, you and I are easily seduced. It has nothing to do with
ignorance, either. You know that your sins are wicked. You know
that you should be devoted only to that which is good and that you should fight
against and flee from everything that is wicked. And yet, you still had
good reason to confess your sins this morning. Temptations are always
attractive. We are all still attracted by them. And we all have
earned God’s divine wrath for turning from him and for giving into them.
So, on the one hand, your situation is common with all mankind. On the
other hand, that does not excuse you. All have sinned. All deserve
wrath. All are lost.
Satan is called the prince of this world, and it is because he has claim on all
people in this world. He laid that claim when he seduced Adam and Eve to
forsake the word of God for his lies. It has been this way ever since.
All
mankind fell in Adam’s fall. One common sin infects us all. But Christ,
the second Adam came, (All Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall, CW 378:1,4) who for us
men and for our salvation became man. (Nicene Creed)
Jesus has come to do what no man has done. He has come to render to God
the obedience he demands, to do the good God wants and to turn from the evil
that God forbids. Man must keep the Law, and Jesus has become man to do
just that.
Just as Satan did not leave the first Adam alone, so he did not leave Jesus
alone. Nor was Jesus looking to avoid the battle. Immediately after
Jesus was baptized, the Spirit took him into the wilderness for the purpose of
being tempted. For forty days, Jesus fasted and prayed. Satan came
to Jesus when he was weak and hungry. Satan does not play nice, not even
with Jesus.
When the Israelites were in the wilderness,
the Lord had provided them with bread, miraculously producing manna every
day. Satan would have reasoned: “If
the Father calls you his Son, why wouldn’t God provide bread for you as he did
for Israel
Jesus was not merely doing battle with Satan just to overcome him. He was
doing battle over you. He came to win you, snatching you from sin, from
death, and from the devil so that you would be forgiven for your sins, raised
from the grave, and have eternal life. To redeem you, Jesus not only had
to overcome temptation and render perfect obedience, he also had to suffer and
die for your disobedience. Yes, he would crush the serpent’s head, but he
would be struck in the heel as well. He would suffer and die. He
would absorb all the divine wrath. Jesus knew how difficult this would
be. He knew the sufferings and anguish that were waiting for him.
The devil knew it too. Therefore, the prince of this world offered Jesus
a way out. He offered him the world that he so loved and had come to
save.
You and I also prefer the easy way
out. Rather than feel the weight of the cross, rather than suffer for the
sake of doing good, rather than face ridicule or lose friends for refusing to
give in to sins, we find it easier to give in. How easy it is to give in
to our friends, to give in to what is popular, and to accept what our society
has decided is okay. It is easy because,
when we give in, our friends and this world will applaud. How easy it is to give our sinful nature
whatever it desires. We even reason that
if we give in to our sinful desires, our flesh will be content and we can do
better next time. It sounds easy, but it
is wrong. The flesh will not be
content. It will demand more. The
easy way out is no way out at all. The gate is wide and the way is easy that
leads to destruction. (Matthew 7:13)
Repent.
Satan offered Jesus the way out. “All
you have to do to have this world, to claim these people, and to avoid
suffering for them is to bow down and worship me. Understand, Jesus, if
you do not fall to your knees in a rather painless gesture now, you will be on
your knees later in pain and sorrow and anguish. You will be begging not
to drink the cup of God’s wrath. Your Father’s word means that you go to
your knees in torment. My word offers you to fall to your knees quick and
easy. Don’t be a fool Jesus. Take the easy road.” But
Jesus conquered the Old Evil Foe. Jesus did not buy the lie. He
held true to the true word: “It is
written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve.’”
(Luke 4:8) Jesus conquered the Old Evil Foe.
Finally,
Satan attacked Jesus with his own weapon—the word of God. Satan knows the Scriptures better than you
do, and he will twist them to deceive you.
The Lord Jesus, however, was not deceived. Jesus was not swayed by the devil’s
misapplication of Scripture. Jesus
conquered the Old Evil Foe.
Now certainly one of the lessons we learn from this is to take our stand
against our own temptations by fleeing to the word of God. Adam and Eve gave into their temptation
because they did not honor the word of the Lord. If they had stood firm on God’s word, they
would not have fallen into sin.
Likewise, God’s word is the weapon that we use to fight off temptation. This word shows us what God has deemed good
or evil, and this word encourages us to remain strong in faithful and godly
living so that we are not ensnared by our sins again.
Yet, for all of our good intentions, we still find ourselves needing to
confess our sins. We are frustrated, and
even ashamed, that we have fallen into temptation again. They are still attractive, and Satan still
does not play nice.
Your victory does not come from trying harder. Victory comes from the Valiant One whom God
himself elected. Jesus Christ has
conquered the Old Evil Foe. Jesus has
supplied the holy and godly obedience that God demands of you. And Jesus has supplied to you that
righteousness through your baptism. Daily,
you flee back to your baptism by repenting of your sins. You put your sin to death, and God raises you
up as a new creation. He works in you to
love and to do what is good and to despise what is evil so that you do not
return to it.
While temptations may seem attractive, you know that they lead to death
and damnation. Your Savior, Jesus
Christ, however, has conquered the Old Evil Foe. His word promises a greater blessing and an
everlasting life. Just as any person would
flee into a safe place when disaster is striking his city, so you also flee to
Jesus when temptations come. He is your
refuge from sin, death, and the devil.
For, he supplies victory over sin by his work for you, victory over temptations
by his work in you, and victory forever by the resurrection to eternal
life. He has conquered the Old Evil Foe,
and he gives his victory to you.
In the name of the Father and of the Son +
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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