WEBVTT 00:00.970 --> 00:04.186 Grace to you in peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, 00:04.218 --> 00:05.440 Jesus the Christ. 00:08.210 --> 00:14.302 I'm not sure an exegete is allowed to do this, but our text this 00:14.356 --> 00:17.630 morning is the hymn that we just sang. 00:18.770 --> 00:24.574 And to be a little bit more bold, open up your hymnal and turn one 00:24.612 --> 00:30.966 more page to the text and tune that I grew up with 657. 00:31.068 --> 00:33.766 So if you want to be able to follow along with the words and you have 00:33.788 --> 00:39.206 the old TLH memorized, you need to be on page 657 to work with the 00:39.228 --> 00:43.514 text, as I'm going to work with it. Now, don't fear, we will certainly 00:43.712 --> 00:45.114 feature Matthew four. 00:45.152 --> 00:48.506 And I'm going to reference Genesis three that you probably heard on 00:48.528 --> 00:48.950 Sunday. 00:49.030 --> 00:52.300 And I'll also bring up Romans five that we heard a few moments ago. 00:53.950 --> 01:00.014 Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, we're a week into this long 01:00.132 --> 01:01.482 journey of Lent. 01:01.546 --> 01:06.930 The white paraments are gone, replaced with Penitential purple. 01:07.750 --> 01:12.290 We didn't sing the alleluia before the Gospel. 01:12.870 --> 01:16.790 We didn't sing a hymn of praise. 01:18.970 --> 01:21.510 We sang a piece 01:23.610 --> 01:28.250 instead of the alleluia, we sang a piece that reflects the season. 01:29.630 --> 01:34.934 Return to the Lord your God repent because he's gracious and merciful, 01:34.982 --> 01:38.154 slow to anger, abounding and steadfast love. 01:38.272 --> 01:42.702 All of these changes, meaningful changes as we move into this 01:42.756 --> 01:45.230 Penitential season and its ponderings. 01:46.770 --> 01:49.310 And then we sang this hymn. 01:49.970 --> 01:51.626 A triumphant hymn. 01:51.658 --> 01:56.074 A Mighty Fortress is Our God, a triumphant and stirring hymn. 01:56.132 --> 01:59.954 That seems a little bit out of place as we're walking through this 01:59.992 --> 02:01.860 somber season, doesn't it? 02:03.590 --> 02:04.814 But it's not a mistake. 02:04.862 --> 02:05.730 It's not like Dr. 02:05.800 --> 02:09.765 Vieker got a wild hair and decided already one week in we needed to do 02:09.788 --> 02:11.270 something a bit more up 02:11.340 --> 02:11.622 beat. 02:11.676 --> 02:17.126 No, it is the suggested hymn for week one, the first Sunday in 02:17.148 --> 02:17.886 Lent. 02:17.938 --> 02:21.100 But why? 02:22.510 --> 02:25.674 Why A Mighty Fortress on a day like today? 02:25.712 --> 02:27.462 Well, that's what we're going to explore. 02:27.526 --> 02:30.862 And so I invite you, if you haven't already, to have your hymnal open 02:30.916 --> 02:32.400 to 657. 02:33.890 --> 02:39.262 The words that begin this hymn might seem a bit out of place so early 02:39.316 --> 02:39.822 in lent. 02:39.876 --> 02:43.402 A mighty fortress is our God, a sword and shield 02:43.466 --> 02:48.670 victorious he breaks the cruel oppressor's rod and wins salvation 02:49.010 --> 02:49.950 glorious. 02:51.490 --> 02:55.814 But as we travel into the verse, maybe these next words seem seem more 02:55.852 --> 02:56.630 fitting. 02:58.170 --> 02:59.570 The old Satanic 03:00.090 --> 03:07.310 foe has sworn to work us woe. With craft and dreadful might 03:07.380 --> 03:10.154 he arms himself to fight on earth 03:10.202 --> 03:12.190 he has no equal. 03:12.770 --> 03:16.880 And that's exactly what we hear in Genesis chapter three. 03:17.250 --> 03:22.158 And hopefully you heard this text on Sunday. From the very early 03:22.244 --> 03:23.578 chapters of Genesis 03:23.674 --> 03:29.702 we know how God lovingly created Adam and Eve how he provided for all 03:29.756 --> 03:36.726 of their needs, reserving for himself just one tree by which they 03:36.748 --> 03:39.500 could honor, obey and worship him. 03:39.950 --> 03:42.780 They had everything they could possibly need. 03:44.829 --> 03:51.726 But then the old Satanic foe came slithering into the garden and with 03:51.748 --> 03:58.030 his tricky tongue he introduced doubt and greed. 03:58.930 --> 04:03.074 He caused them to desire more for themselves than God had given them. 04:03.112 --> 04:04.914 Though they had everything they needed. 04:05.031 --> 04:07.742 And being deceived, they were disobedient. 04:07.886 --> 04:09.757 They took, they ate. 04:09.853 --> 04:12.100 And you know the result. 04:13.350 --> 04:15.750 Our epistle lesson today makes it very clear. 04:15.820 --> 04:20.742 Sin entered the world through this one man and death through sin and 04:20.796 --> 04:23.880 death came to all. 04:25.610 --> 04:31.210 The result of one trespass was condemnation for all of mankind. 04:33.070 --> 04:38.540 You, me, everyone. 04:40.450 --> 04:44.830 Since that time, we've all been embattled by the deceiver. 04:45.170 --> 04:49.422 Each and every day we're attacked by Satan as we are beset with his 04:49.476 --> 04:54.946 temptations enticements to go against the good and gracious will of 04:54.968 --> 04:56.130 our creator. 04:56.790 --> 05:00.606 Each and every one of us faces these temptations daily that are placed 05:00.638 --> 05:04.478 in our path by the old Satanic foe, the devil the deceiver. 05:04.574 --> 05:08.854 He deceived Adam and Eve and brought ruin upon us all. 05:08.892 --> 05:13.334 And now he and his hordes continue to work their ruination that has 05:13.372 --> 05:14.150 begun. 05:15.930 --> 05:19.580 What are the temptations in your life? 05:21.550 --> 05:28.346 How are you being enticed away from the good and perfect will of your 05:28.368 --> 05:29.450 God and Father? 05:32.130 --> 05:36.813 So much of the world around us, so much of what this world would have 05:36.852 --> 05:38.894 us believe is being used. 05:39.012 --> 05:43.642 It's nothing more than temptations by the devil that we might depart 05:43.706 --> 05:45.982 from God's goodwill for our lives. 05:46.116 --> 05:49.520 It feels like the corrupted creation is on his side. 05:50.770 --> 05:53.230 He can be cunning, he can be crafting. 05:54.050 --> 05:58.610 He can be very patient as he tries to lead us astray. 06:00.730 --> 06:04.926 He leads us into conversations or situations that call into question 06:05.028 --> 06:08.800 all that we've learned to be good and right from God's Word. 06:10.610 --> 06:14.800 He does his best to make us think there are more gray areas out there 06:15.170 --> 06:16.560 than there really are. 06:17.250 --> 06:22.302 He shows us the apparent pleasures and glory that come when we do what 06:22.356 --> 06:27.638 we want, where we want, when we want, with whomever we want, 06:27.804 --> 06:31.590 effectively worshipping ourselves. 06:33.770 --> 06:39.826 Satan is for tolerance, because if we tolerate his errors, his errors 06:39.858 --> 06:43.180 will multiply and entrap more and more. 06:44.750 --> 06:52.294 He certainly does not want us living and delving into and breathing 06:52.342 --> 06:58.046 the word of God, trying to apply it to our lives, trying to apply it 06:58.068 --> 06:59.466 to our present day situations. 06:59.498 --> 07:03.326 He'd rather we thought of it as some old, worn out book, socially 07:03.358 --> 07:05.726 conditioned, according to the times in which it was written. 07:05.758 --> 07:11.186 Whenever that might have been. No longer relevant for enlightened women 07:11.288 --> 07:13.620 and men like us. 07:14.950 --> 07:19.698 But God, through Peter, says, be alert, be self controlled. 07:19.874 --> 07:23.970 Your enemy, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking 07:24.050 --> 07:25.430 someone to devour. 07:25.770 --> 07:29.530 Yes, he's on the prowl, and he wants you and his den. 07:30.990 --> 07:32.954 But take a look at verse two. 07:33.152 --> 07:34.837 Stanza two of the hymn. 07:34.933 --> 07:38.380 Luther says no strength of ours can match his might. 07:38.990 --> 07:42.010 We would be lost, rejected. 07:42.830 --> 07:44.174 And we know that's true. 07:44.212 --> 07:45.885 That's our condition on our own. 07:45.908 --> 07:47.226 But that's not the end of the verse. 07:47.258 --> 07:51.546 Once again, Luther continues but now a champion comes to fight whom 07:51.578 --> 07:53.890 God himself elected. 07:54.790 --> 07:56.900 You ask who this may be? 07:57.430 --> 07:59.230 The Lord of Hosts 07:59.310 --> 08:00.260 is He. 08:01.030 --> 08:02.558 Christ Jesus. 08:02.654 --> 08:04.974 Mighty Lord, God's only Son 08:05.032 --> 08:09.190 adored, He holds the field victorious. 08:10.810 --> 08:15.666 Yes, apart from Jesus, you and I would be doomed to Satan's deceptive 08:15.778 --> 08:16.102 power. 08:16.156 --> 08:19.690 But God does not leave us in that deceiver's power. 08:19.760 --> 08:27.034 Instead, he sends His Son into our flesh to be obedient, to do what we 08:27.072 --> 08:31.100 don't and really can't do on our own. 08:32.370 --> 08:37.294 And this is what we see in Matthew's gospel. Just before our text 08:37.332 --> 08:39.626 for today, we see the baptism of Jesus. 08:39.738 --> 08:43.642 John is out calling people to repentance and administering a baptism 08:43.706 --> 08:44.569 of repentance. 08:44.650 --> 08:50.782 And Jesus, the virgin born sinless, son of David's, son of God, comes 08:50.915 --> 08:52.990 to that baptism. 08:55.290 --> 08:57.590 He doesn't need to be baptized. 08:59.050 --> 08:59.700 He has nothing 09:00.570 --> 09:06.762 to repent, but associating Himself with us and with our sin. 09:06.826 --> 09:12.014 He submits himself and insists on being baptized by John. 09:12.132 --> 09:16.202 And immediately he comes up out of the water and the heavens are rent 09:16.266 --> 09:16.826 asunder. 09:16.858 --> 09:21.322 And he sees the Spirit coming upon him and the Father's voice, 09:21.386 --> 09:27.058 declaring, this is my beloved Son in who I am well pleased. 09:27.154 --> 09:30.674 And straight away, Jesus is taken up by the Spirit. 09:30.722 --> 09:34.662 This is God's plan, taken by the Spirit into the wilderness in order 09:34.716 --> 09:35.890 to be tempted. 09:36.050 --> 09:38.810 Tempted by Satan. 09:40.670 --> 09:46.010 Centuries before, Israel had passed through the waters. 09:47.070 --> 09:50.910 God had brought them out of the waters and into the wilderness. 09:52.290 --> 09:58.026 But there, like Adam and Eve before them, they succumbed to all sorts 09:58.058 --> 10:01.694 of temptation, even though God provided them with all that they could 10:01.732 --> 10:02.640 want or need. 10:04.550 --> 10:10.046 And now the very Son of God is in the wilderness for the expressed 10:10.158 --> 10:13.730 purpose of being tempted by Satan. 10:15.350 --> 10:17.714 40 days and 40 nights of fasting. 10:17.762 --> 10:23.014 Jesus is hungry, and the tempter comes tempting him to turn stones to 10:23.052 --> 10:23.750 bread. 10:24.569 --> 10:27.678 And next, the deceiver does what he did all the way back in Genesis 10:27.714 --> 10:27.914 three. 10:27.952 --> 10:32.922 He twists the words of God and tries to deceive Jesus into testing God 10:32.976 --> 10:34.826 the Father's care for him. 10:34.928 --> 10:41.758 And finally, the temper attempts to tempt the submissive Son of God 10:41.924 --> 10:45.726 into claiming for himself all the glory and kingdoms of the world if 10:45.748 --> 10:49.790 he would just bow down and worship Satan. 10:50.930 --> 10:55.474 In all of this, the deceiver is attempting to derail Jesus from his 10:55.512 --> 10:57.054 very mission. 10:57.182 --> 10:59.682 You see, Satan knows who Jesus is. 10:59.816 --> 11:02.290 Satan knows why Jesus has come. 11:02.360 --> 11:11.014 And if he can just get Jesus off track. If he can just get Jesus to 11:11.052 --> 11:18.006 deny who he is and why he's come. If he can get Jesus to give in to 11:18.028 --> 11:21.740 temptation, then he's won. 11:23.870 --> 11:28.346 But Jesus resists the temptations of the evil one. 11:28.528 --> 11:31.838 Jesus is obedient where others have not been. 11:31.924 --> 11:35.694 Jesus backs his obedience, quoting the very word of God. 11:35.732 --> 11:38.218 And in this way, Jesus is victorious. 11:38.314 --> 11:42.910 He remains on track, on the path the Father has set out for him. 11:42.980 --> 11:50.010 A path not to glory, at least not yet, but a path to more temptation. 11:50.090 --> 11:53.390 You can see that again at the end of Matthew's gospel. 11:54.450 --> 11:59.730 A path to suffering and death and the grave. 12:01.850 --> 12:07.754 In the place of Adam and Eve, in the place of rebellious and sinful 12:07.802 --> 12:13.242 Israel in the place of rebellious and sinful 12:13.306 --> 12:20.426 you and me. Would have been easier for Jesus just to give in, wouldn't 12:20.458 --> 12:20.942 it? 12:21.076 --> 12:27.714 To satisfy his hunger, using his power. To test his Father, or to grab 12:27.762 --> 12:32.370 onto and change allegiances for kingdoms and for glory. 12:32.450 --> 12:34.710 But Jesus was obedient. 12:35.690 --> 12:37.342 Jesus resisted. 12:37.426 --> 12:38.886 Jesus was victorious. 12:38.998 --> 12:40.934 And so we sing with Luther. 12:40.982 --> 12:42.940 You ask who this may be? 12:44.110 --> 12:49.674 The Lord of hosts is Hhe Jesus Christ, mighty Lord, God's only Son 12:49.712 --> 12:53.550 adored, He holds the field victorious. 12:57.630 --> 12:59.340 So what does that mean for you 13:00.270 --> 13:01.180 for me? 13:02.110 --> 13:04.300 That takes us into stanza three. 13:05.069 --> 13:08.606 The hordes of devils fill the land, all threatening to devour us. 13:08.628 --> 13:09.582 We tremble not 13:09.636 --> 13:10.798 unmoved we stand. 13:10.884 --> 13:12.606 They cannot overpower us. 13:12.708 --> 13:16.362 Let this world's tyrant rage in battle 13:16.426 --> 13:17.338 we'll engage. 13:17.434 --> 13:22.750 His might is doomed to fail God's judgment what must prevail. 13:22.910 --> 13:25.780 One little word subdues him. 13:27.830 --> 13:33.026 We are subjected to so many temptations of the deceiver. Hordes of 13:33.048 --> 13:36.086 devils all around us even if we don't recognize and see them. 13:36.108 --> 13:40.086 They fill the land threatening to devour us, wanting to deceive us 13:40.188 --> 13:44.346 away from the good and gracious will of our God and Father into the 13:44.367 --> 13:48.634 hands of the devil. Trying to get us to think the things of men rather 13:48.672 --> 13:50.970 than the things of our Father. 13:52.270 --> 13:56.430 And yet we don't have to fear. 13:57.330 --> 14:01.322 We can stand unmoved assured that the devil and his minions cannot 14:01.386 --> 14:02.350 overpower us. 14:02.420 --> 14:04.090 Let the tyrant rage. 14:04.170 --> 14:09.646 Luther says, in battle will engage his might is doomed to fail. 14:09.758 --> 14:12.174 God's judgment must prevail. 14:12.302 --> 14:13.330 One little word 14:13.400 --> 14:14.500 subdues him. 14:16.710 --> 14:17.940 One little word. 14:19.930 --> 14:23.734 We often misread Matthew four 14:23.771 --> 14:28.774 I think. We misread it thinking that somehow you and I have to learn 14:28.812 --> 14:33.394 all sorts of Bible passages so that, like Jesus, somehow we can throw 14:33.442 --> 14:35.746 them back at the devil as we face temptation. 14:35.858 --> 14:37.260 Now, don't get me wrong. 14:38.510 --> 14:39.925 You should know the scriptures. 14:40.038 --> 14:42.746 It should be in your head, it should be in your heart, it should be on 14:42.768 --> 14:44.250 the tip of your tongue. 14:45.150 --> 14:47.980 But one little word subdues him. 14:50.030 --> 14:50.970 Jesus. 14:52.910 --> 14:55.050 Jesus the obedient one. 14:55.120 --> 14:57.050 Jesus the victor. 14:57.510 --> 14:59.790 Jesus the one who gives the victory 15:00.170 --> 15:01.422 to those who are His. 15:01.476 --> 15:08.462 As our Romans passage says today, through one man's obedience, the 15:08.516 --> 15:11.310 many are made righteous. 15:12.930 --> 15:16.880 By his obedience, righteousness comes to you. 15:17.650 --> 15:24.910 Water and word, body and blood, the one man Jesus. 15:26.730 --> 15:31.702 Luther ends stanza three with that one little word, the word 15:31.756 --> 15:32.386 incarnate. 15:32.418 --> 15:35.686 But then as you look at the beginning of stanza four, he's back at the 15:35.708 --> 15:37.090 word, the word that abides. 15:37.170 --> 15:40.090 And we have to ask ourselves, is this Jesus? 15:41.310 --> 15:44.330 Is this the written word, the Scriptures? 15:45.710 --> 15:47.354 Is this the Lutheran answer? 15:47.472 --> 15:48.140 Yes. 15:49.550 --> 15:54.734 I think here Luther has switched to the written and proclaimed word, 15:54.852 --> 15:59.322 for it is feared by some, for it is the sword of the Spirit. 15:59.386 --> 16:01.870 Truly, God is fighting by our side, 16:01.940 --> 16:06.930 Luther says. He's so confident about these words that he penned these 16:07.000 --> 16:14.290 words. Were they to take our house, goods, honor, child, spouse. 16:14.890 --> 16:20.680 Though life be wrenched away, they cannot win the day. 16:22.010 --> 16:31.580 The kingdom ours remains. On either side of the baptism and temptation 16:31.660 --> 16:38.832 in Matthew's gospel, in close proximity, we hear John and we hear 16:38.886 --> 16:40.156 Jesus repent. 16:40.268 --> 16:44.470 They both say, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 16:46.920 --> 16:52.964 In this penitential season we enter it, we continue through it with 16:53.002 --> 16:55.248 both of these thoughts in mind. 16:55.434 --> 17:01.704 Yes, we're called to consider our sins and to repent, but we're also 17:01.822 --> 17:06.455 reminded, reminded that the kingdom is at hand. 17:06.637 --> 17:13.372 And the King is Jesus, the obedient Son, the obedient victor, who 17:13.425 --> 17:19.099 gives to you His victory. 17:20.400 --> 17:24.695 And if His victory is yours, His kingdom is yours. 17:24.808 --> 17:28.860 The kingdom is ours forever. 17:31.440 --> 17:40.756 So in a somber season of reflection, let's sing A Mighty Fortress, for 17:40.778 --> 17:42.820 the kingdom is ours forever. 17:43.320 --> 17:45.936 In the name of Jesus. 17:46.048 --> 17:46.900 Amen. 17:47.320 --> 17:50.196 Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep our 17:50.218 --> 17:54.724 hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, the obedient victor, now until life 17:54.762 --> 17:55.664 everlasting. 17:55.792 --> 17:56.160 Amen.