In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but… against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 6:12). Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). This is the battle cry of Lent.
And so it was that our Lord did battle with the devil. Our Lord went into the wilderness for 40 days after His Baptism, after the Holy Spirit descended and remained upon Him, after His Father spoke from heaven: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led up by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.
We are shown three of the Devil’s temptations for Jesus. And we could probably give many examples of how the Devil tempts us. But the truth is the Devil has only one temptation trick. It’s the same one he used against Adam and Eve. The Devil’s temptation for Adam and Eve was to get them to doubt God’s Word. He asked a question. He wanted them to discuss theology with him: “Did God really say you can’t eat from this tree? Do you think He really meant it? Why wouldn’t God want you to have the fruit from this tree? It’s so good looking and it will make you more like God! …Oh is that it? Maybe God is holding out on you. Maybe God just wants to keep you in your place. If God really is good, then He would want you to have this.”
And the Devil repeated his one temptation trick with Jesus too: “If you are the Son of God, then make some bread for Yourself. Jump off the Temple and show us how much God loves you. Did God really say that You are His Son and that He’s well pleased with You? Are You sure You heard Him right back at Your Baptism? It sure doesn’t seem like You’re God’s Son, Jesus. It sure doesn’t seem like He cares for you. You’re suffering here in the wilderness. God has left You here to die. Sounds like God is holding out on you. Come on, Jesus, show Your power. Make the bread. Command the angels. Get glory the easy way. Do it Your own way.”
The Devil tries to dress up his temptations. He tries to trick and lead astray along different paths. He tries to convince that he has something new, something we don’t have, something we really need or will really enjoy. But He only has the one trick: Get them to doubt God’s Word.
And yet, through all the temptations, Jesus never doubted His Father. He knew that His Father was never holding–out on Him. Jesus trusted the Word that He heard from His Father at His Baptism: “You are My beloved Son. I am pleased with You.” And Jesus didn’t give the Devil the satisfaction of answering his questions or debating with him. Jesus simply quoted God’s Word. He kept faith that His Father is good and that He gives Him all things.
And so it is that a Christian goes into the wilderness of this life after his Baptism. After the Holy Spirit descends and remains upon him, after his Father speaks from heaven: “This is My beloved child, with whom I am well pleased.” Then the Christian is led by the Holy Spirit, and at the same time, is tempted by the Devil. Being made a child of God makes you an automatic enemy of the Devil. Once you’re baptized he will not ignore you. The Holy Spirit covers you in the armor of Your Lord, marks you with the cross, the banner of Your King, and puts you on the frontline of the battle against an army of demons. And so, as a Christian goes through the wilderness of this world he is constantly attacked by the temptations of the Devil. But remember, the Devil really has only one trick: he wants you to doubt God’s Word. He wants you to think God is holding out on you, that God is not pleased with you, that God is really not good.
The thing is, the Devil is happy to let you have a Bible in your home, so long as it stays on the shelf, and you don’t read it or teach it to your children. The Devil is even fine with you going to church, so long as when there is a scheduling conflict you choose the other activities over hearing God’s Word. Or if you do make the effort to come to church, don’t make it because God’s Word is the most precious thing on earth, but come because they’re serving food after the service or there’s something fun for the kids to do. The Devil will even use Scripture to make you doubt God’s Word. Rather, he misuses it. He can quote the Bible as well as any pastor. And he will often use other Christian churches and teachers to smuggle his lies in with a little bit of the truth. He’ll let you think you’re hearing about Jesus because it’s coming from people who claim to be Christians. But if they deny any part of God’s Word, they’re really only talking about themselves, their own thoughts and feelings.
The Devil is content to let you worship Jesus, so long as you worship some other stuff on the side. Because when Jesus is one among many idols, then you don’t really have Jesus either. “Don’t take God’s Word too seriously,” says the Devil. “There’s so many other things worth having. And besides if God really is good, then He would want you to have those other things. If God’s Word was true, then He would show that it makes a difference in your life.”
This is where we cannot rely on our thinking, our feelings, or our efforts. Christians must cling to God’s Word the way Jesus did. It is not enough to say you believe His Word in general. His Word must be heard. It must be preached. His Word must be confessed. Here’s an example of why learning by heart Bible verses, hymns, and the Catechism is essential. We need to use God’s Word. When the Devil tempts us, it does no good to argue with him. Instead just fall back on God’s Word and speak it out loud. It’s the only real weapon we have in this fight. Simply quote it. Pray it. Confess it: “God is good. He is my Father. He gives me all that is good for me. I trust what He says no matter what.”
However, although God’s Word is our sword and cannot be broken, on our own we do not have the power to wield it. Against the Devil’s power we are puny, helpless. We cannot meet the Devil in battle the way Jesus did. We do not keep perfect faith. All men fail. And yet there is one Man who did not.
At Christmas we confess our God is a man. But He was not only born a man. Lent and Holy Week confess how our God lived and suffered as a man. He did not always use His divine power. He humbled Himself. He was weak and hungry and thirsty. Ultimately, His Father turned His gracious face away from Him. And the angels did not save Him from the soldiers’ lashes or nails. But this does not mean that God was bad to Him or did not love Him. It was God’s loving will for the Son to suffer in this way, and the Son bore this suffering willingly, gladly, lovingly, so that He can give us all good things.
Our God, the true and perfect Man, Jesus Christ, is like us. He’s able to sympathize with your weaknesses. In every way that you are tempted, Jesus was tempted, yet He did not sin (Heb. 4:15). That means Jesus won! He beat the devil, and so He made satisfaction for the sins of the world. As a true man He never doubts His Father’s Word. As a true man He never loses faith. By His faithful death, Jesus was victorious over the Devil and all his temptations and doubts. And so after His death, Jesus was vindicated, proven right, declared righteous. And His Father kept His Word and raised Him up.
So, your Lord Jesus declares to you, “You see, God is not holding–out on you. Your God has never kept back Himself or any good thing from you. He gives you everything that’s good for you. I give you everything good for you. I understand your weakness, and so I give Myself, the greatest good, for you. I am yours—your sacrifice for sin, your holiness, your victory. Now you must know that your God is always giving Himself to you. That is His love, that is My love. Your God loves you and is pleased with you. Your God is good and the Devil has lost.”
This Man—risen in glory and seated at the Father’s right hand—this Man now always uses His full divine power. He won, and He won for you. He uses His power for you and fights for you. The Lord Jesus has won the war by His death and resurrection. And although the Devil still tries to attack you, as you make your way across the battlefield in the wilderness, the Devil cannot harm any who are marked by the Lord Jesus and call upon His name.
The Devil can be driven away with just One little word, the little Word your God speaks to you: the Word you hear and believe and confess, the Word you quote and sing and pray and carry in your heart and mind, the Word that gives you God Himself, as well as all good things. Your God is good and His Word is true.
In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.
Preached at Trinity, Clinton, IA & Immanuel, Charlotte, IA
