Luke.4.1-13; First Sunday in Lent; March 9, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:1–13, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is one of those texts that is so rich, so full of meaning. Here is the epic battle of good and evil played out. Here is Satan making his stand against God’s Messiah. He knows if he wins here, he wins here (in the heart). He’s confident, using the same ploys on the Second Adam, Jesus, that worked so well on the first. And it is the same in so many ways. St. Luke wants you to understand that. Just to make sure, he does what the other Gospel writers don’t do. After Jesus is baptized by John, he goes into the desert to be tempted. But in between the events, Luke sticks the genealogy of Jesus, his family tree. And it starts with Jesus and goes all the way back to Adam. Listen to the last few lines, because they are very important in setting up the understanding of this text.

the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. ” (Luke 3:36–38, ESV)

Adam, the son of God. Wow isn’t that what Satan says to Jesus. “If you are the son of God…”? Satan won his glorious victory over Adam in the garden, causing countless years of death and pain and sorrow. Now he renews the attack again. But there is a difference. Jesus wins. Satan withdraws. God stands on the field of battle victorious, as he always does, and always will. You see, this text is about Jesus. Oh, I know, you’ve probably heard this text used as a teaching on how to resist temptation when it comes. Just do what Jesus did. Just throw the right scripture at Satan and he’ll give in and you’ll win. Well, I hate to tell you this, but if you alone take the field against Satan, the outcome will be like the garden of Eden. You will lose. How do I know? Well, let’s just look at Satan’s arsenal.

First off, he tempts Jesus with material comfort. Jesus has been in the desert for forty days, and all that time he hasn’t eaten a scrap. And don’t think he got anything else easy either, because Satan has been at the temptation thing here for all forty days! Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. Satan goes after Jesus for the whole forty days and then finally here at the end we get these three. It all begins here with one of those great understatements of the Bible. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. Of course, he was hungry. He was famished. He was starving. Most people would be dead, as a matter of fact. What Satan is putting toward Jesus is necessity. Look at you and me. We fail and we aren’t even faced with death. How often do we choose our own creature comfort over other people’s dire need? Here’s a simple example. You walk past the homeless person on the street and don’t help. Oh, I know, the excuse is always the same. If you give them money, they’ll just drink it away. And so, using that excuse you don’t help. You see, we’ve already failed our temptation. And we aren’t even starving. You know God requires us to help the hungry every time we are able. Anything less is sin. That’s the difference. There is nothing in us that can resist this temptation, even when nothing is at stake. But Jesus does. He could make the manna miracle all over again. He stands up to Satan in his hunger where we fail. He defeats Satan for us. He chooses God’s way, the perfect way.

Ok what about the second temptation? Satan takes a different tact. He shows Jesus the whole world. And he lies. Well, it isn’t a complete lie. He has control of the world. He has it through fraud. He has convinced people that his way is the best way. He gives them what they want, power and authority. It is appealing, too. But he never lives up to his promises. Just look at Eve. He promised she’d be like God. He promised she’d know good and evil. She took what wasn’t hers to take and death entered her life. It should be mine, I deserve it. She thought. He played on her pride. How about you? Could you resist this temptation? No. You have failed this one already. Ever told a little white lie? You know the kind that never hurt anyone. It’s easier, than earning someone’s respect. After all you deserve to look good in other peoples’ eyes, right? The worst part is most of the time you don’t even have to lie. But you do. I’ve done it, too (but of course never to any of you!). You’ve done it for such little gain. Now, you know what God requires. He says even one time deserves death. You have to never lie to gain an advantage. Anything less is sin. That’s the difference. Jesus the temptation was the same. Why should God have to go to the cross to have what was already rightfully his. He could brush the cross aside and get what he deserves. But he doesn’t. Listen to Paul’s description.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5–8, ESV)

Then there’s the last temptation. Scholars have been arguing over this one forever. But it is quite simple. Jesus uses scripture. Satan mis-uses scripture. The temptation is this. Jesus, God’s Son, trusts God to provide all that he needs. He trusts because of God’s word of promise to him. If Jesus is such a great, trusting son, he should prove it in a bigger way than just going hungry for forty days and trusting that food is at the end. If God really wants us to trust him shouldn’t he do it in a big way, rather than such a simple way? Throw yourself down, if you really trust God to catch you. Now we have it. We claim to trust God, don’t we? And yet, our trust fails at the first sign of trouble. The paycheck runs a little thin and we wonder where the money to do what we need is going to come from. Ages ago, my sister-in-law won the Nebraska lottery. $100k. Boy, was I jealous, I could have used that kind of money. God wouldn’t it show folks your power much better if a pastor got that kind of cash? God we’ll really show your power if we all pray and you heal my friend of cancer. Ok, how about this simplest of examples. Every Sunday, God promises to make faith grow right here through the simple words of his servant. Often at this altar he provides food for faith, bread and wine, Christ himself, for you to eat and drink. We take it for granted. We think we’ve got to do something, anything to make what God does here better, bigger. It’s just too simple a miracle. It isn’t attractive enough to my friends. We don’t trust that God will do what he promises, in these simple things. Of course, we don’t trust God perfectly in all things. And yet, he requires perfect fear, love and trust in him. Anything else is sin. Anything else deserves his anger and punishment. That’s the difference. Jesus trusts God, the Father completely. He even trusts him to allow Satan to take him to the top of the temple. He could have jumped. He would have been saved. Satan wasn’t lying. But Jesus chooses instead the way of trust even though it means the way of the cross. Jesus wins with a word.

Do you see the drama here? Do you see how easily we are drawn into the story? Even though God’s struggle against Satan isn’t even a fair fight, what a story it is. It is your story and mine. Jesus isn’t out there in the desert for himself. He’s out there for you. He’s fighting and winning against Satan for you. When we listen to St. Luke’s telling we should really come away with a couple of thoughts. We should despair in our ability to do anything to be able to resist Satan. I like that saying, “when Satan bugs you, all you can do is flea!” Yea, flee to Jesus. He’s got Satan right where he belongs, hell bound. This is just chapter one in the story. There is more to come, more drama, more struggle, more Jesus! He wins. He dies on the cross for you. If you think Satan is tough in the desert, just look at Jesus deserted on the cross! When Satan departed from him until an opportune time, that was it. Just listen to him speaking there.

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39, ESV)

But he stays on the cross. Deserted by God the Father, he is our sin. He is our punishment. He wins by dying and rising again from our death! That’s the other thing you should see here. We are such great sinners, but we have such a great Savior. He

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ” (Titus 3:5–7, ESV)

My dear Christian friends, Satan is out there and he’s going to try to put you through the ringer. But he is like a dog without teeth. He has no power over you anymore because Jesus has defeated him. He’s all growl and no bite for those whose faith is in the one who stands on the battlefield alone and victorious. That’s Jesus your Savior. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:20b-21; Ash Wednesday; March 5, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lent begins with ashes, solemn hymns and repentance. Repentance is sometimes the hardest to understand. We want to see the joy of Jesus’ victory over sin. We don’t really like the phrase “poor miserable sinner” in our Sunday morning confession. We want the joy, God’s children should be filled with joy always, because of all the Jesus has done. But, in Lent, with its focus on repentance, we believe that joy must be set aside.

Well, Lent is indeed about solemn reflection on our sin. But in that reflection, there is reason for great joy. In that repentance there is overwhelming thanksgiving for what Jesus has done. If there is no joy in the forgiveness won for us by Jesus on the cross, we are missing the point.

Remember that Jesus himself calls for repentance.

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17, ESV)

The need for repentance didn’t end with the coming of his kingdom, we are still sinners. Luther says, of this verse, in the 95 Thesis (1517):

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.

So, let’s talk about what repentance is, the Augsburg Confession says in Article XII that repentance has two parts. First, contrition, genuine sorrow over sin. Second, faith in Christ’s forgiveness, that is, trust in God’s mercy through Jesus. In the Large Catechism Luther doubles down:

Thus a Christian’s entire life is nothing else than a daily baptism, begun once and continuing ever after.

He ties repentance directly to Holy Baptism, a continual drowning of the old sinful nature and a daily rising of the Christian to new life in Christ.

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4, ESV)

The verb buried (συνθάπτω) is passive. Meaning that the burying is done by God, not human beings. And it also is a onetime completed action (aorist). One Lord, one faith, one baptism Ephesians 4:5 emphasizes it. God has buried us in baptism one time. The result of that burying is that we live in it every day as an ongoing fact. For Luther, that means living everyday as a repentant, baptized child of God. And that brings us to our text. 2 Corinthians 5:20b-21, Paul writes:

We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20b–21, ESV)

He starts with be reconciled to God. If you hear be baptized you are right. Paul uses the verb reconciled as passive, again, the work of God, and a onetime completed action (aorist) with its result ongoing in our lives. The tie to Holy Baptism is very strong. God reconciles you. It is a fact of the past in your baptism. Here he urges people to take advantage of what God offers. If you are already baptized, he is urging you to live in the ongoing result of it. In other words, live in repentance.

So, where is the joy? Well, that’s what the second part of the text is about.

For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God.

Paul is describing in a few short words what happens to you because of faith in Jesus through Holy Baptism. For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin… Jesus because sin. It was not his own but the sin of the whole world for all time. Jesus became the greatest sinner of all time, even though he personally knew no sin. The cross is in focus here. Jesus suspended between heaven and earth on that cold day so many years ago. Jesus crying out to the Father,

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? (Psalm 22:1, ESV) (אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזַבְתָּנִי)

As God must do to all sinners, as the greatest sinner of all time, Jesus was forsaken to death and hell. The Father turned away from his only son and allowed the punishment for all that sin to fall on his shoulders. Jesus suffered our hell on the cross. His death, in Holy Baptism, becomes our death. He became our sin, all of it, from the little white lies you tell every day, to ignoring the needs of your neighbor, acting in your own self-interest, and on and on the list of sins goes. Every single one of your sins is laid on Jesus’ outstretched arms. The punishment is dealt out with prejudice. Where is the joy in this? Do you think that Barabbas wasn’t overjoyed at not having to die when the crowd chose him over Jesus? It is a very joyful thing not to have to face the eternal consequences of sin. What we faced was eternal rejection by God, the Father. Eternity in hell. Jesus hung in our place and took it from us. If that isn’t enough to elicit joy, I don’t know what is.

Repentance is recognition of Jesus for you. Jesus’ willingness to die for a poor miserable sinner, who doesn’t deserve any of his grace. Repentance is seeing your sin for what it is, damnable, and seeing the forgiveness Jesus gives you freely through faith in the for you of what he did.

But there is more, with God, there always is.

…so that in [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus takes our sin on himself, and he gives us his righteousness. When we are baptized, God gives us righteousness. It isn’t ours but it belongs to Jesus. And just as Jesus is made sin, we become righteous. It’s not a slight of hand, but a sure and real transaction. Think of an accounting register. Our debt of sin, written in red, doesn’t balance. It is moved to Jesus’ account. He becomes sin. Our debt is removed, the balance is even. But even more miraculously we become righteous. Jesus’ righteousness, all that he did in his life, from never lying, to not ignoring the needs of his neighbor, and acting in your interest, on and on goes his list of righteous deeds. It is far from a fair exchange. But it is ours. And that is how God sees now you through faith in his only son. God sees you as righteous. You are righteous because God has declared it so in Holy Baptism.

So, what about the solemn reflection? Well, you still sin every day. It is the curse of life on earth. It is the curse of being born human, with a sinful nature. It is the curse of Satan continually pointing out our sin and saying, “God can’t forgive that!”

In his commentary on Galatians, Luther writes:

When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares that we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where He is, there I shall be also.’ (Luther’s Works, Vol. 26, p. 196–197)

That is repentance. That is the Christian’s whole life lived in repentance. It is the joy of repentance. “I admit I deserve death and hell, but Jesus was made to be sin for me, he gave me his righteousness, and now God sees me a sinless.”

So, repent! Confess your sins, and in joy receive the forgiveness that Jesus offers. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Transfiguration of Our Lord; March 2, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

1Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4And the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” 5So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, 6and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. 7Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. 8And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. 9And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. 10And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. Deuteronomy 34:1-12 (ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” Over the past few years we’ve begun to view some emergency workers, like firemen and paramedics, and soldiers as heroes, and that’s very good and long overdue. At first, I was going to start this sermon by saying, “Everyone needs a hero.” But, as I was doing some research, I found out the really, here in America, we don’t have any heroes anymore. James Patterson and Peter Kim say in their book The Day America Told the Truth that 70 percent of Americans have no living heroes. So, that kind of killed my first premise. It’s sad, in a way, because one of the important things about heroes is the desire to be like them. The desire to do what they do and do it well. Call it inspiration, or leadership.

On the other hand, maybe it’s not that we don’t need heroes, maybe we just don’t have them. Well, the bible is full of heroes. If you’re looking for a hero maybe, you could go there. Just look at Samson, who was so strong he brought down a whole building with his bare hands. Or Isaiah who preached, and preached, and preached, even though almost everyone ignored everything he said. Job who endured more suffering in his single life than most collections of a hundred people. Or St. Paul, who went from God’s enemy to His greatest preacher, and endured beatings and imprisonment for bringing God’s message.

What makes a hero a hero? Is it merely a matter of timing, a matter of 5 minutes as Emerson says? How do these heroes of the bible become such strong heroes? And since we do have so many, and heroes are to be emulated, how is it that we do that?

Well, let’s consider a biblical example. Really the first and arguably one of the most important biblical heroes is Moses. That’s what our text is about: And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses…

Moses was a hero. Maybe we don’t think of that at first but certainly the people of Israel always viewed him that way. And for good reason, just look at his list of qualifications. He knew God face to face. He talked directly to God, spoke his mind and even changed God’s mind about punishing the people. He had God’s trust, too. God spoke to him directly and clearly. And he saw God’s glory. Now that’s heroic, considering everyone else in the world would have dropped down dead on the spot. Now on top of all of that there was

none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

That’s clearly hero status.

But there’s another side to this hero, too. First, remember his beginning, that crying baby floating helplessly in a raft / bassinet. And he was nursed by a hired hand. That’s a very unsure beginning for a hero. And look at this passage that is written in Numbers 12:3:

Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:3, ESV)

And in case you are wondering what the word “meek” means Webster says it means

“soft”; “deficient in spirit and courage : SUBMISSIVE” AND “not violent or strong : MODERATE”

And in the end, God didn’t even let him into the land he promised the people because Moses had gotten angry and sinned against God. That doesn’t sound much like a hero, does it?

Actually, it looks like Moses was a pretty ordinary man. Actually, that first quote by Emerson,

“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer,”

might seem to fit Moses well. Really, in Moses’ case, the difference isn’t time, but the difference is God. God is the one who enabled this ordinary man named Moses to do such great things. God chose him, selected him out for God’s own purposes. And don’t forget the sin. Moses was a sinful man just like you and me. His sin prevented him from entering the Promised Land. Moses was both an ordinary man and a sinful man. And yet, God used him in big ways, to accomplish what God wanted done. God’s power and purpose made Moses a hero of faith.

Are you and I “hero material?” Well, just like Moses we are ordinary people. Some of us are meek, quiet and reserved. Some of us are bold and assertive. But we are all human beings with varied gifts and varied strengths and varied weaknesses. And most important to remember, we have all sinned against God in many ways (and often!). I’m sure you’ve heard the prayer:

Dear Lord, So Far Today God, I've Done Alright. I Haven't Gossiped, Lost My Temper, Been Greedy, Grumpy, Nasty, Selfish Or Over-Indulged. I'm Very Thankful For That, But In A Few Minutes I'm Going To Get Out Of Bed, And Then I Really going to Need Your Help. Amen.

We laugh because it’s true. But really, we even sin in our sleep, we can’t help it because sin is a part of our nature. The question for us today is, “if we are so ordinary and so sinful can God use us like He used Moses?” and the rational answer is “No! of course not!” Who among us sitting here could ever possibly live up to a hero like Moses? But the real answer has nothing to do with logic or rational thought. The real point is not who we are but who God is. The real point is not our abilities, but God’s power. God is the one who raises up people to do His will. He chooses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. But even when we are raised up, we still miss the mark that He requires, we still fall far short of His expectations.

There is someone we are told about in the bible who is a real hero. Jesus did what no human being could ever do. He lived up to God’s every expectation perfectly. So perfectly, in fact, that because of His perfect life, you and I are forgiven of our imperfections. Because He took our sin to the cross and was punished there for us, and He is even a hero over death. He beat it by rising again. It is the life, death and resurrection of our Hero, Jesus that gives us life and salvation! In Jesus, we see God face to face, just like Moses did. We see Him right here in His Word and in His very presence in Body and Blood in Holy Communion. In Christ we can bear God’s presence, He is with us in this place just as He promised to be whenever we gather in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In Jesus Christ we, even though we live in sin every day, even though we regularly miss the mark, we are brought to God in clean and transfigured robes of perfection. It’s not our perfection but the perfection of Jesus, given to us in Baptism.

So, to that list of Heroes of Faith that I made earlier, you know, David, Samson, Job, Isaiah, you may as well add your name to that list. Because you and I are heroes of the faith. Hey, it’s not because of our own strength or power, it’s not because of anything here in our hearts. It’s because of the Real Hero. It’s because of Jesus who stood on the mountain shining like the sun and took His road to the cross to remove our sin. He was transfigured in glory and leaves that mountain to complete His work for us. When we fall, He picks us up. When our strength fades, He gives His to us. When we fail, He forgives and embraces us.

That means that no matter what, in everything you do, you can be a hero. But you’re a hero not because you’ve got the strength to do it but because Jesus has chosen you and works in you in the things you do every day.

Heroes of the Faith are heroes because of Jesus has done His work and gives us His power through the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.