Third Sunday in Lent

Lent III Exodus 8:16-24 Ephesians 5:1-9 Luke 11:14-28 #4 Pastor James Peterson 03/20/2022 Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The theme for this morning's sermon is this: Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. Dearly beloved, there is a battle waged between God and the devil. It is the battle for your soul. To be sure, the battle is old as Adam and Eve in the Garden, as old as Christ and the devil in the wilderness. It doesn't get any more Lenten themed than this. But those aren't the readings this morning. No, the Old Testament Reading does show us a familiar story today though. It is the battle between Moses and Pharaoh, between God and the devil. For you see, the plagues are judgments against sin and unbelief, but they are deliverance for the people of God from slavery. The plagues are both Law and Gospel, as we Lutherans like to think about it. As the flies fly and gnats bite, God shows His power over the devil to Pharaoh, to Egypt, to Moses, and to God's people. In this great battle over souls, God wins and the devil is defeated. Praise the Lord, the Lord who delivered us. But by the time of our Gospel reading today, the battle was still raging on. God vs the devil. 1500 years later people still believed that there were spiritual forces at work in the world. When the people could not understand what Jesus was doing, they called Him the devil, Beelzebul, the Lord of the flies. What an insult! What a blasphemy! What unbelief! That God is the devil. That enemies were now friends. That the battle waged was now peace between the allies. Jesus knew that wasn't true. How could a kingdom divided against itself stand? How could the devil fight the devil? How could this battle over souls possibly end up with God the loser? Kingdoms cannot stand. The devil will not defeat himself. And your Lord Jesus Christ cannot and did not lose. Although today's world seeks to downplay it and ignore it, I can tell you without a doubt, the devil still is at work trying to deceive, mislead, and tempt every single person on the earth. He still wants to steal, kill, and destroy the flock of God. Look around; it is easy to see. But never forget this: that it is this battle that makes the cross of Christ so comforting. The promised Victor was declared to Adam and Eve in the garden. The prophecy was assured when Christ overcame the devil in the wilderness. And the victory was won for you by Christ on the cross. It is finished. Simply said. Profoundly true. That your God is no loser, but the stronger man who overcomes the strong man and wins the death match. Your Lord does not lead you into temptation, but He does certainly deliver you from the evil one. I tell the confirmands frequently that I am preparing them for battle, with the sword of the spirit and the shield of faith. We all know the battles we face in our own culture today, and we all must pray for one another no matter our age or situation, that we will remain faithful unto death. In this way, we are Christians. For "Christian" means "a little Christ." This is why we are marked by His cross with the water and the Word. This is why we are nourished with His Body and His Blood. For it is this that strengthens and preserves us to life everlasting. It is this training that keeps us strong in the Lord against all the fiery darts of the evil one. Do not forget it: your Lord Jesus Christ has conquered sin, death, and the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but His holy, precious blood and innocent suffering and death. That you would be His own people. This is why Jesus corrects the crowd. While they are praising Mary in the greatest "your mama" moment in history, Jesus says what we must consider to be so precious: Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. This is us, and this is our strength, that we have heard the Word and believed. Our children hear the Word of God in the children's sermon and at Sunday school and when we teach them the faith in our homes. Our confirmands hear the Word and take notes and wrestle with the Scriptures with their pastor. We come to this church for one reason and one reason only, to hear the Word of God and keep it. And this we shall do, as St. Paul says, that we will be imitators of God, be little Christs in the world. Not that we love the world, but that we walk in love as Christ loved us, and gave Himself up for us. He sacrificed even life itself to offer life itself to us forever. Onward, Christian soldiers, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Trained with the Sword of the Spirit and defended by the shield of faith, we know the battle is won by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God defeated the devil with the plagues and delivered His people. Then He cast out the demons and crushed the serpent's head at the cross. And you can be certain, that the saints will go marching in, marching right on in to heavenly glory. In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.