Third Sunday in Lent (2024)

Luke 11:14-28

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, today in our Gospel Lesson Jesus’ opponents seek to discredit him. After casting a demon out of a man who was mute, they claimed that he was doing the work of the devil, and they kept testing him and seeking signs from heaven as proof that He wasn’t an agent of satan in their midst. We witness today the depth and the power of sin, and the grip that it has on our life, our minds, and our hearts.

The Kingdom of Satan

Satan claimed mankind as his prize.

The fall into sin meant that Adam had sold our birthright for a piece of fruit. Until that point, there was a still a sinless perfect man that could have saved his wife, but Adam threw away the knowledge of good to instead embrace evil.

The Palace is Satan’s Kingdom.

This Kingdom is what surrounds us and into which each of us is now born. The Scriptures speak of Satan as the ruler of this world, for He sought to tear away from the creator, His creation and to bring about the destruction of all things through the power of sin.

We were slaves to sin, and could not free ourselves.

When people first hear this, they think no this cannot be. We say, I’ve never been a slave? My children are not born slaves, this is ridiculous. Do you have to teach a child how to do what’s wrong? No. That comes naturally. If you are so free from sin, or have the power to free yourself from this slavery. Then stop your sins, look at what it says in Ephesians, stop the foolish talk, the cursing, the swearing, speak no more lies, don’t begrudge your neighbor their good fortune, remove all sexual immorality from your life, and covetousness. Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect, for if you are no slave to sin, then you should be able to do this all without even becoming puffed up by pride. It is easy to think we don’t have any chains so long as we never attempt to move. Then you will see the strength of the chains with which satan has bound us, and how he has arrayed the world against God’s people.

Satan’s Kingdom is Not Divided

With all the different religions, they appear divided.

Indeed if you look at all the religions of the world throughout time, they appear quite varied. You have different gods, different teachings, practices, holy books, and the list goes on, and they even will go to war with each other, and try to convert one another to their beliefs. However,

They are united in a single goal.

This isn’t to lead a good life, or to be kind to your neighbor, or to bring the world under the rule of one religion to unify all mankind. Their single goal and purpose is ...

To lead you away from Jesus.

That is the ultimate goal adn purpose of all of these religions, there are even some that will mention Jesus and talk about him, but you will notice that they never talk about him as a savior, they won’t talk about him as the Son of God. But as a good example, a good teacher, a lover of mankind, but whenever you talk about him as God and Lord, they will shy away.

They are an army of fallen angels.

That is who sits behind all the various religions of the world. That is what sits behind hinduism, buddhism, taoism, islam, new age, wicca and the like. We have no question that some of them were visited by heavenly beings, they just werne’t good ones. Satan has built a vast palace to hide away his stolen goods and to keep people away from Christ.

Jesus is Stronger

This is why they fear Him.

They don’t want the true Jesus in their midst, they don’t want to see him walk up to the palace, because what Christ brings is something far stronger than Satan and all his force can overcome.

Satan’s armor is lies, but Jesus is the truth.

That truth shines like a beacon in the darkness. It calls people back from sin, and gives to them healing and life eternal. It restores them to God, and that is the opposite of what Satan desires. This is why Jesus came to earth.

Jesus overcomes Satan to rescue you.

Jesus saw you wrapped in the darkness of sin, saw you while you were a poor miserable sinner, who was fed numerous lies, and was left with guilt, and shame for the things that had done. He saw you in your struggles to do what’s right, and how you failed to be good enough and to right the wrongs you had committed. He threw Satan aside, and reached down undid your chains, and called you his brother, his sister, and lead you out of that palace of darkness.

You now belong to the light.

For Jesus purchased and won you for the Kingdom of God. We don’t get to own ourselves, but you now belong to God which is far greater than belong to the kingdom of Satan.

Jesus Saved Us From Darkness

It is hard to live in the light.

If you are in the darkness, you can try to hide your shame, your warts, you can look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are beautiful, and no one else can say you’re wrong. Jesus brought us into the light and the truth.

We are to walk in love.

The world knows this, and this is why they avoid it, and condemn Christians when they fail. Then they try to use that to drag us back into their way of living and doing things. We can’t lie

The darkness is tempting.

Instead of having to admit that I haven’t lived up to what’s right, I can claim ignorance, or the point the finger at someone else. It’s how we are used to living. Ask any recovering addict, even though they know where they are at now is better, is it tempting to go back to the familiar.

Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice to save you.

If someone suffers for you, bleeds for you, and brings you out of an awful place. What greater love is there then that a man lays down his life for his friends? Christ bore all that suffering for you, Satan nor his legion suffered for you, they only want you to suffer. Don’t go back into the darkness where they can hide the evil that they will work against you.

Satan Will Not Quit

Satan’s aim is to separate you from Jesus.

That has been his work since the beginning and he works at it diligently. Make no mistake he is practiced at his art, and crafty. Think of the lengths he has gone to in order to keep the world chasing its own tail. Satan wants to keep mankind away from Jesus.

He prowls around like a roaring lion.

He is seeking to someone to devour. He will roar fiercely and try to get you to flee from your shepherd, for if you are a sheep, can the shepherd really keep you safe, from a terrible roar like that? If Satan can get you into a panic, that’s all good, but

If that doesn’t work, he will promise you the world.

All the treasures and all the ease, that all these other people have on the outside. He will wait until you are well within his grasp before he points the chains on you. Don’t try to outwit, or make a deal with him, for we have one who is stronger than Satan. Jesus Christ our Lord.

In our lesson today, that’s what Jesus is doing for these people, setting them free from Satan’s grasp. Jesus has also set you free for wherever the Word of Gospel is proclaimed, wherever sins are forgiven by the means of grace, the chains come off. That’s what happened this morning in confession and absolution, it’s what will happen again at the altar, and it is what you can share with others who find themselves in the darkness. There is one who will set you free from sin, the shame, and the guilt and loves you enough to take on your suffering so that you might live with him. It is the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. In His name. Amen.