Calvary Lutheran Church

Oh, Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us and grant us your peace. Amen.

Luke 4:1-13

Dear Christian Friends:

            Those of you who are suffering from football withdrawal pains, I have a football story for you. Back in the days when Vince Lombardi was the coach for the Green Bay Packers, the team went into the locker room at half-time down by a lot of points. They had played miserably. They had missed tackles, failed to block, thrown interceptions. When everyone was settled down and seated, Vince Lombardi stood in front of them, picked up a football in his hand, showed it for everyone to see, and started by saying, “Men, this is a football.” In other words, “We need to go back and review the basic fundaments of this game, because obviously you have forgotten them.”

            Perhaps, on this first Sunday in Lent, a season of self-examination and repentance, we need to go back and review the basic fundaments of our faith which we may have forgotten. If that is the case, then, ladies and gentlemen,  

“This Is a Christian”

            What does it mean to be a Christian? Well, just like being an American means you live in America, just like being a vegetarian means that you eat only vegetables, so being a Christian means that you are a follower of Christ. Yes, you have a job, you go to school, you raise a family, you cook meals, you do laundry, you buy things, you do things, you enjoy entertainment, but all of that is secondary to your first calling, that is, to follow Christ. How ridiculous to call yourself a “Christian” and then live only for yourself.

            So what does it mean to follow Christ? Back in Jesus’ day it was possible to literally follow Christ. Those who did were called “disciples.” But even literally following Christ did not necessarily make you a true disciple. Jesus once said to his disciples, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31). So being a follower of Christ means to learn and believe and hold to Christ and his teaching—who he is, what he has done, what he promises.

            And knowing that truth, then sets you free. By the power of the Holy Spirit working through his Word and sacraments, faith in Christ as Savior is established and maintained. And where there is faith in Christ, there is forgiveness of sins. Where there is forgiveness of sins, there peace with God. Where there is peace with God there is freedom from sin, death, and hell. And where there is freedom from sin, death, and hell, there is eternal salvation. This is a Christian—growing in the truth concerning our Lord Jesus Christ and enjoying peace with God through faith in Christ Jesus.

            Secondly, Jesus also told his disciples, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). Once we know Christ and his love, then we respond in love to him. But how can we show love for Christ? He is not with us physically like he was with those first century believers. We can’t wet his feet with our tears, wipe them with our hair, and pour expensive perfume on them like the sinful woman did in the home of a Pharisee. We can’t carry his cross down the Via Dolorosa to Calvary like Simon of Cyrene did. We cannot lay his dead body in our own carved-out tomb like Joseph of Arimathea did. But we can show him our love by striving to obey what he commands. John wrote in his first epistle, “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother or sister” (1 John 3:10). So this is a Christian. Whether young or old, healthy or sick, wealthy or poor, they will know that we are Christians by our love—love for Christ and love for one another.

            You would think that holding to Christ’s teaching and obeying what he commands would be easy once we became his followers. But it is not. And the reason is what we call “temptations.” We often make fun about temptation. We use the word for all sorts of mundane things like how we are tempted by chocolate or tempted to sleep in in the morning.  But temptation is serious business. When we fall into temptation, we are sinning against God. David wrote “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4). The Bible has different names for the fall into temptation—sin, iniquity, transgressions, wickedness—but it all means the same. It is rebellion against the living God, our creator.

            So how do you overcome temptation? Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation.” Luther’s explanation is this,

            God surely tempts no one to sin, but we pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world, and our flesh may not deceive us or lead us into false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins; and though we are tempted by them, we pray that we may overcome and win the victory.”

            The way to overcome temptation is, first of all, to know that it brings false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins. Paul wrote, “There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Romans 2:9). It doesn’t matter whether you are a believer or not, all sin has consequences. And sin has a way of taking over our lives and making us prisoners in our own bodies. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Oh, sin appears attractive at first, but it has a way of turning on us and making us slaves to its demands.

             But the second way to overcome temptation is to know its sources. There are three. The first is the devil and his demons. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). Have you been tempted by any talking snakes lately like Eve was? Probably not. Satan is a bit more subtle today than he was in the Garden of Eden when everything was new. But he is no less active. If Satan was bold enough to tempt the Son of God in our Gospel lesson, he is certainly not afraid to attack you and me, who are much easier prey.

            We are told that when Judas went to the chief priest to discuss how he might betray Jesus, Satan entered Judas’ heart. It was a direct, frontal attack. When Peter tried to discourage Jesus from talking about his death, Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan” (Mark 8:33). Jesus recognized that Peter was being influenced by Satan. Just hours before Peter denied that he knew the Lord, Jesus said to him, “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31). Satan had his eyes of Peter, and Jesus knew it. Jesus said he would pray for Peter that he not lose his faith.

            But usually Satan and his demons use people and circumstances to bring on temptation. He uses unbelievers to slander believers as he did with the Pharisees who slandered the blind man whom Jesus healed. He uses false teachers to rob believers of the pure gospel as he did with the Judaizers in the congregation at Galatia. And he attacks at our most vulnerable weaknesses. Maybe our weakness is worry or fear or insecurity or anger, or lust. Jesus weakness in the Gospel lesson was hunger. Jesus had not eaten for forty days, and Satan said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Luke 4:3). In other words, “If you really think that God is your Father who cares for you, then prove it by eliminating your suffering.” The temptation was to doubt God’s goodness.

            But Satan is not God. He is not all-knowing, he is not all-powerful. One little word from God’s Word can fell him, as Luther would say. Jesus said, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone’” (Luke 4:4). So much for that temptation.

            But a second source of temptation is simply the world—the people, the things, the circumstances—around us. John wrote, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15). What or who is the world? It is everything. Absolutely everything and everyone in the world can become, they don’t have to, there are lots of things in the world that are good in and of themselves, but they can become a source of temptation if we put them before Christ. Suddenly the world crowds out the Lord. There is no time for worship or prayer or service or giving. We spend our time with television and Internet and social media and work and sports, and we have no time left for serving our Lord or others. We spend ourselves silly on food and drink, house and home, clothing and shoes, and entertainment until there is nothing left for giving our basket of thanksgiving to the Lord.

            And the world has found its way into the church as well. The church of today has been described as the cult of the personality. People attach themselves of a church because of the preacher or the entertainment or the promise of physical blessings or healings. Jesus said to the congregation at Ephesus, “You have forsaken your first love” (Revelation 2:4). The first love of any church is Christ and his Word, but the world has taken its place. This was the temptation that Satan also had for Jesus. “He took him to a high place and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. And he said, ’I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. So if you worship me, it will all be yours’” (Luke 4:5-7). Jesus answered, “It is written: worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Jesus was not phased by the things of the world.

            But finally, temptation comes not just from Satan, not just from the world, but inside ourselves, our own sinful nature. Jesus said, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:19). Whatever would lead a person to murder 17 students in a high school in Florida? Hatred, revenge, anger in the heart. Whatever would lead a person to adultery and sexual immorality? Lust, sensuality, sexual addiction in the heart. Whatever would lead to theft? Greed, jealousy, envy in the heart. Whatever would lead a person to false testimony, lying, slander? Pride, arrogance, self-importance in the heart.

            This was the devil’s final temptation. He appealed to Jesus’ pride as the Son of God, “Look you can do anything you want and your Father will have to protect you. Throw yourself off this highest point of the temple, and he will see to it that you won’t even hurt yourself. Think of the splash you will make, think of the publicity you will gain.” Jesus said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (Luke 4:12). It all begins right here in the heart. If the heart is pure the body is pure. Paul wrote, “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure” (Titus 1:15).

            If we are ever to have a pure heart, if we are ever to resist temptation from the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature, we need Jesus’ help, and we have it. Luther wrote, “and though we are tempted by them, we pray that we may overcome and win the victory.” We overcome and win the victory by putting on the six pieces of the armor of God, five are defensive and one is offensive. Paul lists the armor of God in his letter to the Ephesians chapter 6. They are the “belt of truth,” remember, the truth sets you free; secondly, the “breastplate of righteousness,” remember, do what is right; the “feet fitted with readiness,” be alert for the devil who is like a roaring lion; the “shield of faith,” faith conquers all; the helmet of salvation, focus on the goal—heaven; and, finally, the offensive armor, the “sword of the Spirit,” which is the Word. That’s what Jesus used against the devil in every temptation.

            This Word is about Jesus who knows what we are going through. Jesus was tempted in every way as we are yet without sin. And he is near to each of us to help overcome temptation and sin. James wrote, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you, come near to God, and he will come near to you” (James 4:7).  

            While distributing postcards this past week, there was a little sign on the door of one of the homes which read, “Ask, and it will be giving you, seek, and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened to you,” signed: the name of the family living there—a quote from Jesus’ words in Matthew 7). It was probably mean as a joke. It certainly was not a good application of Jesus’ words. But I was tempted to write a note back from Revelation 3 and put it on the door, “Here I am, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me,” (Revelation 3:20), signed: Jesus. That is no joke. Yes, Jesus is that near to each of us to help us in times of temptation. Amen.