Genesis 3:1-21/Hebrews 4:14-16/St Matthew 4:1-11
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
If you are trying to beat the devil on your own, you’re fighting a losing battle. And if you give into him, you’ve already lost. He is crafty and enticing, savvy and subtle, deceptive and dangerous. He’s got the sinful world on his side and a hoard of demons; and your own heart and mind are perverted by your native sin and unbelief. The odds are stacked against you.
The good news is that Jesus has defeated the devil on your behalf. And He who is in you by faith is grater than he who is in the world. The Lord Jesus Christ, the beloved and well-pleasing Son of God, has been tempted in all the ways that you are, but He has not sinned.
What He has done, though, is to bear your sins in His own body along with all their deadly and damnable consequences, even to His Crucifixion. All of your sins have been dealt with and done away with. The innocence and righteousness of Christ cover you entirely and Satan has no legitimate claims on you. That’s why he was so desperate to tempt Jesus away from the Cross and why he’s so frantic now in his efforts to seduce you away from Christ Jesus and His Cross.
When you hide yourself in Christ by faith, when you find your rest and peace within His wounds, then you dwell in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the safety under the shadow of the Almighty while that old serpent, the devil, lies trampled underfoot, along with sin and death. For in the New Adam, Jesus Christ, God has provided every good thing for you - all that you need for faith and life forever with Him.
Only do not reach for the forbidden fruit, for that which God has not given but has warned you against. Do not listen to the voice of the devil who lies through his teeth with his forked tongue and who calls into question the sure and certain Word of the Lord. For you live - really live - by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God, that is, by the Bread of Life from heaven, this Word made Flesh, the Word of Christ. He is your Lord and Savior, your God in whom you are to fear, love, and trust above all things. He is your true Meat and Drink indeed. And He feeds you from the Cross, which means that He feeds and shelters you by way of His Cross, which, for now, is often with adversity and sorrow.
In contrast to and competition with this Food of the Cross, the devil presents you with pretty fruit that is delightful and desirable, which appears to be good and wise and advantageous.
So the question is, for which are you hungry? What do you choose to eat? Do you reach for the Tree of the Cross or for the knowledge of good and evil?
How often do you make excuses for yourself, rationalizations, and conspire to take bread for yourself that God has not provided? Do you suppose that you know better or that you can handle it? Or that you are the exception to the rules? So you take and eat what God has forbidden, which brings death and the devil with it.
Repent of your misplaces appetite and gluttonous idolatry. Hunger instead for the Lord, for Christ and His Word. Seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all that you need for life everlasting with by yours through Him, given you in this life, with and under the Cross. Hunger for God. Receive Him by His grace, through faith in Christ, according to His Word and not by any efforts of your own.
For the way in which you are to go through this wilderness of life is not one of your own design or choosing. Rather, walk within the God-given vocations in life, whether glamorous or mundane, tedious or exciting. As a disciple of Christ Jesus, take up the Cross in faith and bear it in love for those whom God has positioned in relation to you. Honor your father and mother. Love and cherish your own husband or wife, and be faithful in all things. Be satisfied with whatever you are given.
For your life is sanctified by Christ, by His Word and Spirit, by faith and prayer; not by impressing the world with grand achievements. It is not what you accomplish, but what you receive from Christ that avails before your Father in heaven. It is the righteousness and faithfulness of Christ Jesus, not your own works and ways, which sustain you unto life everlasting.
Don’t trade that for anything! Neither for a bowl of porridge nor for all the kingdoms and power and glory of the world. You should know better. You should know that the wicked devil, the sinful world, and your own covetous flesh are lying to you. Why do you fall for it? Why do you buy into the scam?
Why do you keep reaching for that which God has not given you? Why do you bend your knee before the ruler of this world, while refusing to humble yourself under the almighty hand of God? Bowing down to toys and entertainment, frivolity and the self-gratification of men. Why? Because your heart burns with desire for that which God has not given and for that which is not God. Because you want to be in charge and call the shots and make a life and name for yourself.
You want to be God.
And in so doing, you make any enemy of the one, true God, even though He is your Savior. And you harden your heart against your neighbor because you make everyone your opponent and competitor. You resent what God has given to your neighbor and what is worse, you grave what your neighbor has acquired by his sins.
With such a sinful heart you are no match for Satan. It really is a losing battle and you’ve lost even before you’ve begun. The serpent so beguiles you to sin, and then he stands, the first in line to accuse you and press charges. You are left naked and afraid, guilty and ashamed. You try to run, but you can’t escape. You try to hide, but there’s nowhere to go.
Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God that He searches you and find you. He exposes you to His light and speaks His Word to you. You would be lost and gone forever if He didn’t. You are not better off without Him. Yes, His Law judges and condemns and punishes your sin, but His Law is not His last or final Word concerning you. He crushes the devil’s head, not yours. And He does so - He beats the devil - for you by taking all your guilt and punishment into Himself!
He has taken your nakedness and shame upon Himself. He has suffered your death and damnation in your stead. All of this upon the Tree of the Cross. Even though He alone is without sin; He has not given into any temptation; still He suffers and dies in perfect righteousness, innocence and blessedness, in steadfast faith toward God and in fervent love for His neighbor - which is you! He does this all for you! He goes to the Cross voluntarily, in humble obedience to His Father for your sake, in order to save you.
It is from His Cross that He washes you with tender care, so that you are clean, in body and soul, heart and conscience. It is from His Cross that He clothes you with Himself, giving you the garment of His own Life and Righteousness.
It is from His Cross, the Tree of Life, that He feeds you with His Body and Blood. Here is the fruit that God has not forbidden, but gives you freely for the forgiveness of all your sins and the strengthening of your faith, that you may live forever.
He knows that you are weak and frail and helpless. He knows that you are weary and worn. He is the Great High Priest who sympathizes with you because He has been in your shoes, in your skin, in your wilderness, your long, weary 40 days and your dark and dreary 40 nights.
He has been there for you and He is still here with you. Not simply to help you, which He does, but to save you. He stands beside you on the plain with His good gifts and Spirit. It is no angel, but Christ Himself who ministers to you. He forgives your every sin, every fall into temptation. And He does it by returning you to your Baptism, to the Word and promises of God. You are a beloved son of God, for Jesus’ sake. His Father is your Father and He is well—pleased with you.
Don’t look at your sin and failings. He doesn’t. Don’t listen to the devil, but hear the Word of Christ. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will not life to you or fail you. You shall not die, but live.
See here, He feeds you. Take and eat. Drink from His Cup of Salvation. It may not look like much, but here is true Wisdom. It is the best of foods, the finest of wines. It is given and poured out for you. As great as your trespasses have been, this gift and grace of God in Christ Jesus is greater! Here the Lord is your refuge, the Most High your habitation. Welcome home!
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
If you are trying to beat the devil on your own, you’re fighting a losing battle. And if you give into him, you’ve already lost. He is crafty and enticing, savvy and subtle, deceptive and dangerous. He’s got the sinful world on his side and a hoard of demons; and your own heart and mind are perverted by your native sin and unbelief. The odds are stacked against you.
The good news is that Jesus has defeated the devil on your behalf. And He who is in you by faith is grater than he who is in the world. The Lord Jesus Christ, the beloved and well-pleasing Son of God, has been tempted in all the ways that you are, but He has not sinned.
What He has done, though, is to bear your sins in His own body along with all their deadly and damnable consequences, even to His Crucifixion. All of your sins have been dealt with and done away with. The innocence and righteousness of Christ cover you entirely and Satan has no legitimate claims on you. That’s why he was so desperate to tempt Jesus away from the Cross and why he’s so frantic now in his efforts to seduce you away from Christ Jesus and His Cross.
When you hide yourself in Christ by faith, when you find your rest and peace within His wounds, then you dwell in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the safety under the shadow of the Almighty while that old serpent, the devil, lies trampled underfoot, along with sin and death. For in the New Adam, Jesus Christ, God has provided every good thing for you - all that you need for faith and life forever with Him.
Only do not reach for the forbidden fruit, for that which God has not given but has warned you against. Do not listen to the voice of the devil who lies through his teeth with his forked tongue and who calls into question the sure and certain Word of the Lord. For you live - really live - by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God, that is, by the Bread of Life from heaven, this Word made Flesh, the Word of Christ. He is your Lord and Savior, your God in whom you are to fear, love, and trust above all things. He is your true Meat and Drink indeed. And He feeds you from the Cross, which means that He feeds and shelters you by way of His Cross, which, for now, is often with adversity and sorrow.
In contrast to and competition with this Food of the Cross, the devil presents you with pretty fruit that is delightful and desirable, which appears to be good and wise and advantageous.
So the question is, for which are you hungry? What do you choose to eat? Do you reach for the Tree of the Cross or for the knowledge of good and evil?
How often do you make excuses for yourself, rationalizations, and conspire to take bread for yourself that God has not provided? Do you suppose that you know better or that you can handle it? Or that you are the exception to the rules? So you take and eat what God has forbidden, which brings death and the devil with it.
Repent of your misplaces appetite and gluttonous idolatry. Hunger instead for the Lord, for Christ and His Word. Seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all that you need for life everlasting with by yours through Him, given you in this life, with and under the Cross. Hunger for God. Receive Him by His grace, through faith in Christ, according to His Word and not by any efforts of your own.
For the way in which you are to go through this wilderness of life is not one of your own design or choosing. Rather, walk within the God-given vocations in life, whether glamorous or mundane, tedious or exciting. As a disciple of Christ Jesus, take up the Cross in faith and bear it in love for those whom God has positioned in relation to you. Honor your father and mother. Love and cherish your own husband or wife, and be faithful in all things. Be satisfied with whatever you are given.
For your life is sanctified by Christ, by His Word and Spirit, by faith and prayer; not by impressing the world with grand achievements. It is not what you accomplish, but what you receive from Christ that avails before your Father in heaven. It is the righteousness and faithfulness of Christ Jesus, not your own works and ways, which sustain you unto life everlasting.
Don’t trade that for anything! Neither for a bowl of porridge nor for all the kingdoms and power and glory of the world. You should know better. You should know that the wicked devil, the sinful world, and your own covetous flesh are lying to you. Why do you fall for it? Why do you buy into the scam?
Why do you keep reaching for that which God has not given you? Why do you bend your knee before the ruler of this world, while refusing to humble yourself under the almighty hand of God? Bowing down to toys and entertainment, frivolity and the self-gratification of men. Why? Because your heart burns with desire for that which God has not given and for that which is not God. Because you want to be in charge and call the shots and make a life and name for yourself.
You want to be God.
And in so doing, you make any enemy of the one, true God, even though He is your Savior. And you harden your heart against your neighbor because you make everyone your opponent and competitor. You resent what God has given to your neighbor and what is worse, you grave what your neighbor has acquired by his sins.
With such a sinful heart you are no match for Satan. It really is a losing battle and you’ve lost even before you’ve begun. The serpent so beguiles you to sin, and then he stands, the first in line to accuse you and press charges. You are left naked and afraid, guilty and ashamed. You try to run, but you can’t escape. You try to hide, but there’s nowhere to go.
Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God that He searches you and find you. He exposes you to His light and speaks His Word to you. You would be lost and gone forever if He didn’t. You are not better off without Him. Yes, His Law judges and condemns and punishes your sin, but His Law is not His last or final Word concerning you. He crushes the devil’s head, not yours. And He does so - He beats the devil - for you by taking all your guilt and punishment into Himself!
He has taken your nakedness and shame upon Himself. He has suffered your death and damnation in your stead. All of this upon the Tree of the Cross. Even though He alone is without sin; He has not given into any temptation; still He suffers and dies in perfect righteousness, innocence and blessedness, in steadfast faith toward God and in fervent love for His neighbor - which is you! He does this all for you! He goes to the Cross voluntarily, in humble obedience to His Father for your sake, in order to save you.
It is from His Cross that He washes you with tender care, so that you are clean, in body and soul, heart and conscience. It is from His Cross that He clothes you with Himself, giving you the garment of His own Life and Righteousness.
It is from His Cross, the Tree of Life, that He feeds you with His Body and Blood. Here is the fruit that God has not forbidden, but gives you freely for the forgiveness of all your sins and the strengthening of your faith, that you may live forever.
He knows that you are weak and frail and helpless. He knows that you are weary and worn. He is the Great High Priest who sympathizes with you because He has been in your shoes, in your skin, in your wilderness, your long, weary 40 days and your dark and dreary 40 nights.
He has been there for you and He is still here with you. Not simply to help you, which He does, but to save you. He stands beside you on the plain with His good gifts and Spirit. It is no angel, but Christ Himself who ministers to you. He forgives your every sin, every fall into temptation. And He does it by returning you to your Baptism, to the Word and promises of God. You are a beloved son of God, for Jesus’ sake. His Father is your Father and He is well—pleased with you.
Don’t look at your sin and failings. He doesn’t. Don’t listen to the devil, but hear the Word of Christ. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will not life to you or fail you. You shall not die, but live.
See here, He feeds you. Take and eat. Drink from His Cup of Salvation. It may not look like much, but here is true Wisdom. It is the best of foods, the finest of wines. It is given and poured out for you. As great as your trespasses have been, this gift and grace of God in Christ Jesus is greater! Here the Lord is your refuge, the Most High your habitation. Welcome home!
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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