In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit
Satan loves to trap you when you’re weak. That’s when he went after Jesus. Our Lord fasted for forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. It wouldn’t take much to turn stones into bread. What’s a little snack going to hurt after forty days and forty nights of eating less?
What’s a little sin going to hurt after the “downer” of Ash Wednesday? Sure, I’m penitent. I know I’m a sinner. I know what I deserve because of my sins. I know I should repent and believe in Jesus as my Savior from sin, death, and hell. But the temptation is too much. I’ve got to have a little more of what hurts me. After all, I’ve been good the last few days. What’s it going to hurt?
How about eternal life for starters? When your ears hear Satan’s siren songs more clearly than our Lord’s promise of eternal life, you are in danger of eternal life spent in torment rather than paradise. You cling to the ministry of death written on tablets of cold stone rather than the ministry of life written in the blood of the Lamb of God. You would rather dwell in the shelter of the lion and the adder rather than the shelter of the Most High.
It’s hard to live by someone else’s Word, especially when that Word kills and gives life. No one enjoys hearing a Word that kills what you think is fun. The Word of the Lord tastes worse than Brussels sprouts when you are used to eating the filet mignon Satan puts in front of you. The Living Bread that comes down from heaven longs to feed you with the pure milk of the Word. But you enjoy pigging out on spiritual junk food that makes you satisfied with full bellies of lies and half-truths from Satan’s word.
For example: the Lord God says there will be suffering in this life. No one wants to suffer! Satan says God wants you to suffer because He doesn’t really love you. If He really loved you, He’d give you your best life now. He would take all the pain and anguish that ruins your life and make it go away forever. Heaven can wait. Happy days are here again, not courtesy of God.
It’s hard to suffer temptation. Satan hits you where it hurts. It could be the battle of the bulging waist line. It might be the bottle you love to crawl into when the road gets rocky. Perhaps it’s the siren call of better things to do on the weekend. You work hard for the money. You need to kick back for a while. Why bother getting dressed up for an hour or two each weekend when you can keep on your lazy clothes and do nothing. I don’t need to go to church to prove to anyone that I’m a Christian. I have a Bible. I remember my confirmation verse. It is enough.
It’s hard to serve one Master. Jesus says so in the Sermon on the Mount: No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. There are too many gods today. Blessed Martin Luther says in the Large Catechism that a god is whatever you cling to above everything else. When the urge to sin strikes, it’s very easy to discover who, or what, is your god. Many times it’s not the God Who gives you all good things as a heritage.
You’re not alone in your struggle to overcome temptation and sin. Jesus was there too. Satan comes after our Lord as a man, expecting Him to use a little “divine magic” to show him who He is. Jesus refuses to use His divine nature. He doesn’t perform tricks. He doesn’t give in to Satan’s lies. There are no “ifs” with Jesus. He’s the Son of God. He’s stronger than the tempter. The Word beats back Satan.
It’s hard to fathom that consonants and vowels breathed out by God with skin and bones destroy the temptations of the devil. That’s why you and I struggle with Matthew chapter four. Why not call down a lightning bolt from heaven? Why not finish Satan off for once and for all? If it were so, then there is no need for the cross.
Jesus suffers as a man Who is also God. Jesus went through much worse than struggling with sexual sins or a gambling addiction. Unlike our battles with temptation, Jesus overcomes temptation with the Word.
It is written is more than citing a source, it’s the source of forgiveness, life, and salvation. It is written that David destroyed Goliath with one stone slung at his forehead. It is written that Paul knew God’s grace was sufficient for him, for God’s power is made perfect in his weakness. It is written that the Word made flesh speaks the Word and stops Satan dead in his tracks. Adam and Eve’s sin of trusting the tempter is undone. Our sin of fearing, loving, and trusting everything and everyone else above God is undone. Jesus takes up the sword of the Spirit and cuts the Gordian knot that binds us to death and hell. You are free.
The angels minister to you today. They send you the Bread of Life proclaimed from this pulpit. This Bread satisfies your every need. This Bread washes away your sin and gives you life together with the heavenly Father forever. This Bread pours life down your throat in His Supper. This Bread absolves your sins, separating you from them as far as the east is from the west.
This Bread opens your lips, your hands, your hearts, and your minds to show forth the love of God in Christ Jesus through your station in life. There will be tribulations. There will be tests of patience. There will be needs, disasters, tumults, and sleepless nights. When those times come, call upon the Lord. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge. The Rock of Ages is a Mighty Fortress. He will never let you go, even in your weakest hour. Believe it for the sake of the Living Word, Jesus Christ, our Savior.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit -- Rev. David M. Juhl Our Savior Evangelical-Lutheran Church Momence, IL http://oselcmomence.googlepages.com ___________________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_ _attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author, as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster. Subscribe? Send ANY note to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe? Send ANY note to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archive? <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> For more information on this or other lists offered by Confess And Teach For Unity, you can contact the CAT 41 list administrator at: Rev. Fr. Eric J. Stefanski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
