Matthew 4:1-11
The Defeat of the Devil
Lent 1 Invocabit
March 5, 2017
Zion Lutheran Church + Nampa, ID
Maybe the greatest trick the devil ever pulled is convincing the world that he does not exist. So the saying goes (the movie, The Usual Suspects), and there is truth in this saying. In our postmodern American culture, the devil is treated more as a cartoon caricature or a horror movie monster. Make no mistake. The devil is real. And he is evil. The devil’s portrayal in movies is simply not true, that of horns and spiked tail, or a misunderstood rebel. He is an angel, a created spirit but no body, and an evil angel at that. He rebelled against God after creation and before Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit.
Satan tempted Adam and Eve by twisting God’s Word and promises, and they sinned. All of creation suffers the consequences of that first sin, that of death. But the devil isn’t satisfied with bringing everything down. He has the gall to tempt even the Son of God, but the second Adam stands where the first Adam falls. Led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus is taken out to the wilderness for this very purpose.
Three times the devil tempted the Son of God, using a twisted version God’s word to try to lead Jesus down the same road that the devil himself took. Yet Jesus would have none of it. Christ began His ministry defeating Satan in the wilderness; He ended it defeating Satan on the cross. Weak, naked, suffering, dying, He conquered sin, death, and the devil by the shedding of His blood. Dying, He triumphed over Satan, and in rising again three days later He declared His victory. Jesus did this all for the sake of Adam and Eve, for the sake of all Israel, the sake of you.
As a Christian, the devil takes special interest in you. The devil is stubborn, and prideful, and will not go down without a fight and an attempt to drag as many down with him as he can. You are surrounded by him and the other angels who followed his path of rebellion. The devil’s lies are subtle. He tells you exactly what you want to think about yourself so that you place you trust in lies instead of the truth, to trust in yourself and not in Christ. John 8:44 tells us that after he rebelled against God, Satan did not continue to stand in the truth. He turned away from God and His truth in Christ and turned to a lie and became corrupted and thoroughly evil. Pride and concept were the devil’s sin (1 Timothy 3:6).
It is no wonder then that this is how he tempts people. The devil desires to snatch God’s Word out of human hearts by doubt and deceit (Luke 8:12). And he will slowly squeeze you to death, suffocating your life right out of you before you realize what is happening. Like a snake, he slithers his way into your life, working those subtle lies, either has you rationalizing your sins and believing you deserve God’s grace because of your works or despairing because your sins are great and they are many. We might overcome one, yet there is another one is quick to take its place. You cannot fight the devil alone. If you try, you will lose. You will die. And you will share in your portion of hell with him.
As strong as we like to pretend we are in front of other people, you and I both know the truth. When push comes to shove, we will fall just like Adam and Eve did. We don’t have the strength. We pray that God would lead us not into temptation, then we often fall when temptation comes.
The devil is a tempter, a liar, a deceiver, a murderer, and an accuser. First, the devil leads us into temptation. Then, by his deceptions, he leads us into sin. Then, after we fall prey to the temptations and the deceptions, he accuses us of sin and evil. He whispers into our ears that we are unworthy of God’s love, that we are not good enough and never will be. And he is right! These are true accusations against us. Yes, the devil’s accusations are true. We are sinful. We do not deserve God’s love or His favor or His salvation.
Though Satan continues to make true accusations against God’s saints, these accusations no longer stand against God’s elect. While our willpower against temptation fails, Jesus’ does not. For Jesus’ sake, we are declared righteous, justified by grace through faith in Christ. For Jesus’ sake, our sin is forgiven. For Jesus’ sake, God leads us through temptation and delivers us from the evil one. The great accuser can no longer accuse us, for Christ, by His perfect life and His atoning death, took away the guilt and shame of the world. As St. Paul says in Romans 8:1, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
You are now dressed in His victory. God clothed Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness. Christ clothes you to cover your sin. Baptized into Christ, your sinful nakedness, your shame and guilt before God is covered. That clothing is armor against the attacks of the devil, Christ’s baptismal armor. You are at war. Temptations are sure to come, and when they do, do not resist the Holy Spirit. Cling to Christ and to His Word. Resist the devil, not by your own will power or strength, but turn to Christ’s will and His strength. Jesus is our substitute who defeated Satan for us, setting us free from sin, it’s consequence of death, and from the power of the devil. Remember your baptism, and be strengthened by the Lord’s body and blood. As Luther rightly comments in his Large Catechism, “If you could see how many knives, darts, are at every moment aimed at you, you would be glad to come to the sacrament as often as possible” (LC V 82).
The devil continues to rage, he continues in his lies, but it will not last forever. Make no mistake, he is still dangerous. But he is defeated. In the desert, upon the cross, in the proclaiming of Christ and His Gospel, and in the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper there is victory, not just proclaimed, but delivered. For you. For forgiveness. for strength. For eternal life with Christ.