14 February 2016
St. Athanasius Lutheran Church
Lent 1
Vienna,
VA
Jesu Juva
“The Love of God For You”
Text: Luke 4:1-13 (Romans
10:8b-13)
Grace, mercy, and peace
to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ.
Amen.
On this Valentine’s Day, it is good to consider
the question: How does God show His love for you? Don’t expect flowers or
chocolates or anything else of this world . . . For God so loved the world
that He gave His only Son (John 3:16).
This past week, in Morning Prayer, we read what
an early church theologian named Hilary of Poitiers said about this. Hilary
said:
God,
who loved the world, gave His only-begotten Son as a manifest token of His
love. If the evidence of His love is this, that He bestowed a creature upon
creatures, gave a worldly being on the world’s behalf, granted one raised up from nothing for the redemption of objects equally
raised up from nothing, this cheap and petty sacrifice is a poor assurance of
His favor toward us. Gifts of price are the evidence of affection, the
greatness of the surrender of the greatness of the love. God, who loved the
world, gave not an adopted Son, but His own, His only-begotten Son. . . .
Herein is the proof of His love and affection . . .
So it is not things of this world and life that
are signs of God’s favor. It is not wealth or health or whatever of this world
you’ve been praying for, that, if God really loves you, you’ll receive. No. You
have been given something far greater than any of that which so easily comes
and goes. The Father gave His only Son for you. The Son left His Father and
became flesh for you. For poor you, sinful you, rebellious
you. Because He loves you. Simply
because He wants you to be with Him forever.
And today, we hear of that Son, Jesus, here for
you, and in love, fighting for you. He is in the wilderness, where there is no
food, no flowers, no nothing. It is the anti-Eden, the place of barrenness,
dryness, and death. It is our place. God did not create the wilderness. The
wilderness is the place we have made . . . because of our sin. The stripping away of God’s good gifts and creation. The place of hunger and thirst . . . and evil.
So that’s where Jesus is for you. He does not
happen there by chance. He was led there, by the Spirit. Still - literally! -
wet behind the ears from the water of His baptism, He is led out to begin what
He has come to do. He enters the battlefield, to confront the evil one; to be
tempted. He fasts 40 days and 40 nights and - as Luke so casually remarks - he
was hungry. And so satan
pounces . . .
If you are the Son of God, command this stone to
become bread.
It seems like such a little thing, doesn’t it?
But maybe it is the littlest things that are the largest temptations and the
greatest dangers. The things that seem inconsequential.
The things no one else notices. The things we can so easily do and get away
with. The things that aren’t the really big sins at all . . . that are just, well, like this. Little words, little
disobedience, little taking, little glances, little forays to forbidden fruit .
. .
But satan
knows how deadly all sin is, even the sins we think just a part of life.
And Jesus knows it, too. There are no little sins with God. No “it doesn’t
matter” sins. No harmless sins. The things of this world that we hunger and
thirst for lead us away from God. And so as deadly as that forbidden fruit was
in the Garden to Adam and Eve, so deadly is this to Jesus. And
if Jesus, then to us. For if He falls, we fall. If He fails, there is no
hope for us. Such a little thing . . . but with such big
consequences.
But Jesus hungers and thirsts not for the things
of this world, as we. He hungers and thirsts for righteousness (Matthew 5:6). The
righteousness of God and your righteousness. So this little temptation
is met by a strong rejection. It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread
alone.’ Life is given and sustained by God.
Well, undaunted - for satan does not easily daunt - he takes Jesus
and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. What
does that mean? What exactly did he show Jesus? The
magnificent palaces of old? The glory of Rome?
But maybe all the kingdoms of the world also include the big
cities of today, the advances of technology, the seven wonders of both the
ancient and modern worlds . . .
Actually, I don’t think it was any of that. For none of that matters to Jesus. None of that impresses
the one who came down from the glory of heaven, where the streets are paved
with gold and the foundations are precious stones and there are myriad upon
myriad of angels. All that would simply bring a yawn to Jesus.
But what would grab Jesus’ attention are all
the people in all the kingdoms of the world. All the people He came to
save. All those poor people out there, oppressed by sin and evil, bent low
under heavy burdens, struggling, crying, suffering. It’s you, satan shows Jesus. . . . So trade. You worship me and I’ll let them go.
He’s lying, of course. If satan can take down Jesus, take down God in the
flesh, all will be his! . . . There’s a kernal of
truth, though. Jesus did come to trade - but not by giving Himself into satan’s hands and plans, but by
giving Himself into His Father’s hands, on the cross. By taking your sin and
giving you His forgiveness. By taking your death and giving you His life. By
taking your hell and giving you His kingdom. And by doing so,
winning all for His Father.
You see, the freedom satan promises is just slavery to sin in disguise.
Better is to be a child of God and under His care. So no, satan; no deal. You shall worship the Lord your
God, and him only shall you serve.
Well played, Jesus! Seeing through those
temptations . . . but let’s see if your so-called Father has the same
dedication to you as you seem to have to Him. Throw yourself down from
here, from the pinnacle of the Temple. Show me this
Father you trust. Show me this God you serve. Show me how much He loves you . .
. if He’ll really send His angels . . . if He’ll
really protect you. As I look around, I don’t see so much of that. I see so
much misery and pain and suffering. Some God! Show me! . . . Or are you
afraid? Maybe He’ll let you down . . . maybe you have some doubts after all,
hmm?
Show me. How often have those same words come from our
lips, our hearts, our minds? God, your Word isn’t good
enough - show me. God, I’m not sure - show me. God, all I see is . . . show
me that you love me.
For God so loved the world that He gave His
only-begotten Son . . .
Jesus in the manger. Jesus
in the wilderness. Jesus under the whip. Jesus on the cross. Jesus in the tomb.
There’s your proof. And then His resurrection, Jesus’ ascension, the proof that
He has defeated sin, satan,
death, and hell for you. And now Jesus in His Word, His Baptism, His
Absolution, His Body and Blood, where He is, here and now, to give that victory
to you. He has shown you . . . He is showing you .
. .
That He is the Bridegroom who with perfect love, laid down His life for you, His Bride. That He is the one
who fights for you - not against you; who fights
for you, and won. And as Paul said: everyone who believes in him will not
be put to shame . . . everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved. Will receive His victory.
You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. Jesus’ rebuke to satan is our assurance. You don’t
need to put God to the test! He has already done it all for you.
And Jesus is victorious. And the devil departed
from him until an opportune time. Satan’s not done. This isn’t over, Jesus.
I’ll be back, he says. And he was, when Jesus was in another wilderness, or
sorts - hanging on the cross, there forsaken and alone. And satan hissed at Him again the same questioning words,
this time through the very people He came to save; through the people mocking
Him: if you are the Son of God . . . save yourself . . . prove it . . . But
there, too, Jesus is faithful and dedicated, strong and steadfast. Resisting
every last temptation, and winning. He would come down from the cross. He would
stay and die to atone for your sin, rise to conquer the death that conquers
you, and with both, strip satan
of his weapons against you.
Yet still satan’s not done. For if he cannot
have Jesus, he wants you. So now, he’s after you. Lying,
deceiving, tempting, luring, making evil look good and good look evil, trying
to get you to doubt God’s love for you . . . And as you know, he’s good
at his job. Just look around, at the havoc in the world. Just look at the
trouble in your own heart.
How will you respond? How do you? Is it with God’s Word,
as Jesus did? That’s certainly a good thing, and as Christians you do. You
resist temptations. You try to do what’s right and best. I’ve seen you.
But you’ve also fallen. Lots.
You know it. Failing to do what you should. Doing what you know you should not.
Questioning God, doubting His love. Satan has won
battles against you, hasn’t he? As you sometimes sin
deliberately, sometimes impulsively, sometimes accidentally, sometimes
unknowingly, and sometimes quite viciously. The struggle goes on, in the
wilderness of this world and life.
So how good to know, as we heard today, that
we’re not alone. And that we don’t just have fellow sinners to huddle together
with and commiserate with. But that we have the victorious Son of God with
us. There He is. Here He is. For you. To fight for
you even today, putting down sin and satan
with His forgiveness and Spirit. Giving to you here the medicine and life you
need. Putting His very Body and Blood into you to cleanse you and strengthen
you for the fight. And how angry that makes satan! How unfair, he says! That he can’t just fight
you on his own terms, and you with your own strength. You can try if you want.
It’s what he wants. But the outcome won’t be good. On earth is not his
equal.
Better is to take refuge in the Mighty
Fortress. The Valiant One who came to fight for us. The One whose
by our side upon the plain, with His good gifts and Spirit. And then, though
devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not, we
fear no ill, they cannot overpower us. For in Him, our victory has been
won (LSB
#656).
That’s the love Jesus has for you. The greatest
valentine of all time, and the best you’ll ever receive. And He’s here to give
to you today. So come, let’s tick off satan a bit
more now, as our Lord turns not stones into bread, as satan
wanted, but bread and wine into His Body and Blood, as satan
hates! That as we continue in the struggle, we receive Him,
His victory, and His satan-putting-down life.
For here, with Jesus, we win.
In the Name of the
Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.