FEBRUARY 10, 2008  SERMON ARCHIVE

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The text before us for our meditation today is the Gospel reading from Matthew 4:1-11. There we read these words:

(Mat 4:1-11 NIV) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. {2} After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. {3} The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." {4} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" {5} Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. {6} "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {7} Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {8} Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. {9} "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." {10} Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" {11} Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him

Dear Friends in Christ!

The first Sunday in Lent always has as the appointed Gospel reading the account of Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness at the hands of Satan himself. Because of that, the reading from Matthew 4 is no doubt quite familiar. Jesus is lead by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. There He undergoes three different temptations, three tests of the devil, if you will.

First, He is tempted to exalt Himself, proving He is the Son of God by turning stones into bread. Second, He is tempted to put His Father to the test by throwing Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple to see if the angels will be given charge concerning Him. And third, He is tempted with the allure of the all of the kingdoms of the world if He will but bow down and worship Satan.

Three different temptations each of which were ably met with a strong rebuke from God’s Word. "It is written, " Those words alone offer a solid foundation upon which build ones house, upon which to set one’s hope. "It is written,’Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." "It is written, ’You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." And finally, "It is written,’You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only."

And so in the strength of the Word, Jesus stood against the wiles of the devil and Satan left Him, "and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. ‘ Lent always begins with this thought provoking, and some in ways, puzzling passage of Scripture. Have you ever wondered about Jesus being led into the wilderness for the sole purpose of being tempted by Satan. Have you ever wondered how Jesus, who by the way could not sin, could even be tempted. Have you ever wondered how it could be a temptation to Jesus for Satan to offer Him all of the kingdoms of the world, when Jesus already was and is the possessor of all that has been made.

The mysteries of the faith are deeper than our limited understanding, and so rightfully we find ourselves bowing before our God, confessing those things that we simply cannot explain or even comprehend. We confess here, for instance, that the Spirit of God did in deed lead the only-begotten Son of the Father into the wilderness for a fierce spiritual battle. We confess too that though Jesus could not sin, in that God cannot sin, He none the less was tempted in every way as we are, and yet without sin. These are the mysteries of our faith, and we must be content to confess them even though we have little understanding of them.

Generally the account of Jesus’s temptation is treated as instructive as to how we are to handle temptation in our own lives. I must admit that on the many occasions I have preached on this text, I have nearly always emphasized this aspect of the temptation, that Jesus stood against the wiles of the devil simply by quoting, and believing the clear Word of God, and that it is therefore our call as well to know the Word and in knowing the Word to fend off the fiery darts of the tempter with that Word.

Jesus’s victory in the wilderness is certainly instructive. It does give us the mechanics of how to fight against the powers, the principalities and the spiritual forces of darkness in heavenly places. If we do not know and carry the Word of God in our hearts we are but wounded prey destined to be devoured by the evil one. His power we must not underestimate for as we sing in that great Reformation hymn of Martin Luther "....the old evil foe now means deadly woe; deep guile and great might are his dread arms in fight; On earth is not his equal."

Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness is more than instructive though, for as we also sing in that song, "...with might of ours can naught be done, Soon were our loss effected; but for us fights the valiant One, whom God Himself elected. Ask ye, Who is this? Jesus Christ it is, Of Sabbaoth Lord, And there’s none other God; He holds the field for ever."

I want to take you back for just a moment to the previous chapter in Matthew’s Gospel. It was there that we read about Jesus being baptized in the Jordan river. It was there too that the heavens parted and the voice from heaven said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

One of the purposes of that event was to establish or confirm who Jesus was and is. "This is My beloved Son," the voice said. "This is the great I AM, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, this is the second person of the Divine Trinity revealed with the other two persons in His baptism."

Immediately after His baptism Jesus is lead into the wilderness to face the devil. There His faithfulness would be put to the test. This is indeed the only-begotten Son of the Father. But, will He do that which Adam and Eve could not do? Will He be faithful to the Word of His Father? Will He do that which Israel could not do?

Will He fear, love and trust in His Father above all things? Will He do that which you and I could not do? Will He stand face to face with the devil and extinguish every fiery dart that the devil hurls His way?

One of the reasons that this passage from Matthew 4 is so appropriate to begin the season of Lent is because it affords us the opportunity to consider our own faithfulness before God. It affords us the opportunity to examine our own hearts, to put aside the trappings of the day, and to just stop and think. Jesus was completely faithful to the will of His Father.

"How faithful have I been? If I am a husband or wife, have I been faithful to that high calling into which God has placed me? If I am father or mother, or a grandfather or a grandmother, have I been faithful to the family entrusted to my care? Have I been faithful to the body of Christ, to the fellowship of believers here at Zion/St. Andrew? Have I been faithful with the Word of God that My Lord has so graciously placed into my hands? Have I been faithful with my duties to the state?

How faithful have you been, dear friends?

Jesus’s faithfulness was certainly tested in the wilderness. Satan was not so concerned about who Jesus was, in fact he knew he was the Son of God, but he was concerned about whether or not He would do what Adam and Eve couldn’t do, and whether or not He would do what Israel couldn’t do, and whether or not He would do what all of humanity couldn’t do, namely, follow the will of the Father perfectly.

Perhaps now we better understand Jesus’s anguishing prayer in the garden the night of His arrest, when, as Luke says, "He sweat became as great drops of blood." "Father (He said), if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."

Very soon, my friends, you will have completed yet another Lenten journey, and you will find yourself sitting in the darkness of this sanctuary, reflecting on the meaning of Good Friday. You will remember then that Jesus‘s death on that cursed cross was for you. Yes, "how strange is this great paradox to ponder; the shepherd dies for sheep who love to wander; the master pays the debt his servants owe him, who would not know him."

As you make your way to the cross, in the interim remember too that your salvation, your acceptance by the Father in the heaven, is granted by the perfect life, and obedience of Jesus. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and He defeated Satan there for you. The battle was fierce but the victory was His, the victory was yours. Indeed, "fear not the hordes of hell, here is Emmanuel. Hail the Savior! The strong foes yield to Christ, our shield, And we, the victors, hold the field."

Have you been perfectly faithful to your heavenly Father? Have you been perfectly faithful in the calling, or the station in life in which God has place you? If your answer is yes to those questions the tempter has made great strides in your life. If, on the other hand, the answer is no, the Son of God stands for you as the Valiant One whom God Himself elected - He stands in your stead, and His victory over temptation is your victory over temptation.

Remember, Christ is Risen. In Jesus‘s name. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.