Lent 1 (Invocabit)
Matthew 4:1-11
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I want to begin today by highlighting some of the first battles throughout American history.
So, to begin, the first battle of the Revolutionary War was the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.
The first battle of the Civil War was the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, in April 1861.
The first battle of WWI occurred at Liege in August 1914.
The first battle of WWII was the Battle of Westerplatte in September of 1939. But America didn’t formally enter the war until December 1941.
The first battle of the Korean War happened in Seoul, South Korea, also before the Americans entered the fray.
While the initial battle of the Vietnam War for American forces was the Battle of Ia Drang in November 1965, the first battle of the Vietnam War was the Battle of Ap Bac in January 1963.
The war on terror started in Afghanistan in November 2001, but major ground troops didn’t enter active combat until Operation Anaconda in March 2002. (I was there)
So, what’s the point of all of this?
In war, there are many battles, and these often begin before the war officially starts, but few wars are ever won or finished in a single battle.
The season of Lent leads us to the battle of Calvary, where Jesus, the victor, will be nailed to the cross for the sins of the world. But this battle and war began long before that first Holy Week.
Today, we hear of two such battles in the Old Testament reading and the Gospel.
In the Old Testament reading, the first battle and conflict in Scripture occurs between your first parents and the serpent. It began with the temptation of the devil as he said to Eve, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’”
It all began with temptation, a desire for what was not given to Adam and Eve, along with pride and the wish to be like God, rejecting the Creator’s Word and instruction.
Sadly, this is just the first conflict of many, as Adam and Eve will turn against one another in an instant, as Adam’s first response to the fall was to say, “The woman you gave me, it’s her fault.”
This sin of Adam and Eve was passed down to their sons as well, as pride and insecurity tempted and led Cain to rise up and kill his brother, Abel.
Sadly, you are no different from this first family, as you experience deeply personal and interpersonal battles throughout your life.
When alcohol, drugs, gambling, the overuse of technology, or pornography become not just temptations but full-blown addictions, you are quick to refuse blame for turning to these vices—similar to Adam—blaming the bad company who tempted you or the husband or wife whom you believe pushed you to seek fulfillment in these ways, due to fractured and unfulfilled expectations and relationships.
In reality, if we’re being honest, we are like Adam, blaming God for our troubles, saying, “The woman you gave me, it’s her fault.”
We blame God for the temptations and conflicts of our lives.
But St. James writes in his epistle,
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13-15)
This final verse captures the struggle with temptation perfectly and how sin is born out of temptation and finds a home within your heart,
Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13-15)
Temptations throughout life begin within you, the old Adam, the sinful man that dwells within your heart, and for this reason, your true enemy in all of this is not your husband or wife, your brother or sister, a father or mother, it’s you.
Why, because, like Adam and Eve, you do not listen, hear, or obey God’s Word.
You don’t.
In a fantastic way, St. James follows up his words regarding temptation by saying,
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:19-21)
If only you and I were so eager to be quick to hear and slow to speak, how much more could we communicate with each other and have love one another. How much more would we be able to hear and receive the Word of God, which, as St. James says, is able to save your souls?
Ultimately, the struggles and conflicts of life persist because we continually turn away from God’s Word and instruction and because of this, we are not only fighting against alcohol, drugs, gambling, technology, pornography, insert your vice here, or each other; we are also engaged in an ongoing battle with the devil, who seeks to entice you away from your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
And in the Gospel reading this morning, you received a glimpse into just one of many battles Jesus had in a greater war with the devil.
The devil’s temptations were presented to Jesus, but He did not give in or turn away from His Father’s Word. He confessed it and clung to it with all His heart.
Jesus does what your first father, Adam, did not—He obeyed His heavenly Father’s voice.
In fact, Jesus obeyed His Father’s voice and will, even to the cross of Calvary, where He not only won the battle, but won the war for you.
In His death and resurrection, He defeated sin, death, and the devil.
So, what should you do with all the battles and conflicts in your life this Lenten season? Bring them to where the spoils of war and the benefits of the cross are present for you. Bring them to the font of Holy Baptism, where Christ drowns the temptations of the Old Adam within you, unites you in the peace of Christ’s forgiveness in the absolution as you stand side by side with your brothers and sisters, and feeds your souls in the holy supper of your Lord, receiving eternal life.
Come to the cross this Lenten season, my friends, and receive God’s precious Word, a Word that will sustain you and put an end to all the battles of your heart and lead you to new life in Christ. +INJ+
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
