LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:00	[Music]
0:16	hello today let’s talk about your fight
0:21	with the
0:22	Devil the text before us is Mark 1: 21-
0:28	28 Jesus heals the man with the unclean
0:33	Spirit but before we get started I need
0:36	to address something you see I fear yes
0:41	I believe that’s the correct word I fear
0:44	that we modern Christians may all too
0:47	easily distance ourselves from the issue
0:50	before us a person is attacked by a
0:53	demon an unclean spirit and we may think
0:57	well what does that have to do with me I
0:59	I guess it’s possible that an unclean
1:02	Spirit roamed the Earth 2,000 years ago
1:05	but I’m not aware of any unclean spirits
1:07	living around these parts
1:09	today
1:11	h
1:13	right and you’ll probably agree that
1:16	Adam and Eve were set upon by the devil
1:19	in the form of a snake you may think
1:21	that those two Adam and Eve the first
1:23	humans alive were obviously extremely
1:27	naive they had no worldly experience
1:30	like you do you would never make the
1:32	mistake that they did
1:35	H
1:37	right and then there’s the gospel text
1:39	for today Jesus goes to church there’s a
1:42	man with an unclean Spirit who cries out
1:44	what do we have to do with you Jesus of
1:47	Nazareth have you come to destroy us I
1:49	know who you are the Holy One of God and
1:53	you may be
1:54	thinking well I can’t remember the last
1:57	time that a man with an unclean Spirit
1:59	disrupts at our church service H
2:03	right
2:05	well you may be right maybe this gospel
2:09	lesson doesn’t have much to do with you
2:12	H
2:15	right but let’s take a look anyway shall
2:19	we point
2:21	one human
2:24	Frailty God told our first parents not
2:27	to eat of the tree in the middle of the
2:29	garden
2:30	or they would surely die of course we
2:35	don’t know how long they were able to
2:37	walk with God in the cool of the day it
2:39	must have been
2:41	glorious but at some
2:43	point they broke the Commandment of God
2:47	how did they do
2:49	that the serpent said to Eve indeed has
2:53	God said You shall not eat from any tree
2:56	of the garden and Eve said from the
2:59	fruit of the trees of the garden we may
3:01	eat good
3:04	eve but then Eve said something that was
3:06	not quite
3:07	right but from the fruit of the tree
3:10	which is in the middle of the garden God
3:12	has said You shall not eat from it or
3:15	touch it lest you
3:18	die did you catch that Eve is not quite
3:21	right because God did not say that
3:24	exactly Eve actually added to God’s word
3:28	God had said not to eat of the tree in
3:30	the middle of the garden but Eve added
3:33	or touch
3:34	it now why did she do
3:36	that why did she make God’s word more
3:39	harsh more legalistic than it actually
3:43	was the point is that she added to God’s
3:47	word and made it say something
3:51	else if you’re honest you may find that
3:54	in your own life that you have added to
3:57	God’s word on occasion
4:00	perhaps there was something in Scripture
4:02	that you didn’t understand or didn’t
4:04	make
4:06	sense so you added a little something to
4:08	make it more reasonable instead of
4:11	letting the mystery stand maybe you
4:14	smoothed it over with a bit of your own
4:16	logic or
4:18	reason is that
4:21	possible but that’s not all that Eve did
4:24	God had said that in the day that they
4:26	eat of the
4:27	tree you shall surely die it is stated
4:32	very clearly in the original
4:34	Hebrew
4:36	however Eve softened the word of God a
4:39	bit when she
4:42	recounted God’s word to the
4:44	devil she said that if they ate they
4:48	would
4:49	die but God’s word was weakened in that
4:53	way so much so that when Luther
4:55	translated her word that she spoke to
4:58	the serpent Luther Luther translated it
5:01	this way God has said You shall not eat
5:04	from it or touch it lest you per chance
5:08	die oh per chance you may die well
5:13	that’s that’s not what God said why did
5:16	Eve change God’s
5:19	word maybe Eve was thinking well what
5:22	kind of a God would be that harsh to me
5:24	that he would kill me if I just ate a
5:27	piece of fruit surely not my God my God
5:31	is too kind and loving my God walks with
5:34	me and talks with me my God would never
5:36	say that to
5:38	me so Eve changed what God said it’s
5:42	very interesting isn’t it Eve adds to
5:45	God’s word and makes it more harsh but
5:47	it’s reasonable then Eve subtracts from
5:50	God’s word and makes it more kind but
5:52	it’s
5:54	reasonable but it’s not what God
5:58	Said of course of course the devil
6:00	jumped on that opportunity the devil
6:02	contradicted the word of God you shall
6:04	not surely die God knows that when you
6:07	eat of that tree you will be like God
6:11	you want to be like God don’t
6:15	you what happens when you change God’s
6:17	word and make it sound more like what
6:20	you
6:21	want what happens when you change your
6:23	behavior and make it be more like what
6:26	you
6:28	want you you know what God calls such
6:30	adjustment of his
6:32	word
6:35	Disobedience he calls it
6:38	sin
6:41	right have you ever done
6:43	that do you think that the devil may
6:45	have had something to do with
6:48	that point two the devil’s tactics
6:52	perhaps we did learn something from the
6:54	account of the temptation of Adam and
6:56	Eve and now I wonder if we might learn
6:58	something from the account
6:59	of the temptation of our Lord Jesus the
7:03	devil confronted Jesus after the Lord
7:05	had been fasting and praying for 40 days
7:08	and 40 nights the Temptation was
7:11	straightforward a Temptation for
7:14	physical
7:15	relief or physical desire Jesus was
7:19	starving and the devil said turn the
7:21	stones into
7:23	Bread have you ever experienced that
7:26	kind of Temptation no you say I don’t
7:29	think so
7:30	but have you been tempted to want
7:32	something that was a physical relief or
7:36	a physical
7:38	desire a new car A new
7:42	dress you want a hairstyle like he has
7:45	or a figure like she has you just want
7:48	it it’s not so bad to want something is
7:51	it it’s I mean it’s just bread it’s just
7:54	a dress it’s just attention or
7:58	approval it’s just a friend that you
8:00	want or a spouse that you’d like to
8:03	have you want what he has and it’s not
8:06	fair because he has what you should have
8:09	so the devil offers to provide it for
8:12	you you can have what you want here it’s
8:16	yours for a price or what is the price
8:21	Envy
8:23	jealousy anger
8:26	conniving immorality
8:30	guilt but Jesus says that he will not
8:33	live that way instead he will live by
8:35	every word that proceeds from the mouth
8:38	of
8:40	God wish I would say
8:43	that the devil took Jesus to the holy
8:46	city and the Pinnacle of the temple
8:47	throw yourself down the angels will
8:49	catch you the devil quoted scripture to
8:52	the Lord he will give his angels charge
8:55	concerning you and on your hands they
8:57	will bear you up lest you strike your
8:59	foot against a
9:01	stone if you really are the Son of God
9:05	well God will catch you if God really
9:08	loves you he will answer your prayers
9:11	look God will do what you want because
9:14	God is love God will bless you I mean if
9:18	he really is
9:21	God the devil shows
9:23	doubt you see the devil wants you to
9:27	mistrust God
9:29	but Jesus will not play that game either
9:33	you shall not put the Lord your God to
9:35	the test said the
9:37	Lord wish I would say
9:41	that then the devil took Jesus to a very
9:44	high mountain and showed him all the
9:45	kingdoms of the world all these I will
9:48	give to you if you fall down and worship
9:51	me as the devil ever said that kind of
9:54	thing to
9:55	you
9:58	no what what do you
10:00	worship what do you want more than
10:03	anything what do you dream
10:05	about what do you keep in a secret place
10:08	and bring out for your own private
10:10	attention and personal fantasy what
10:13	secret God does the devil offer to
10:19	you have you become so comfortable with
10:22	it that you cannot imagine being you
10:26	without it do you live for
10:29	it would you die for
10:32	it has it become the god that you
10:35	secretly
10:36	worship Jesus answered the devil you
10:38	shall Worship the Lord your God and
10:41	serve him
10:43	only wish I would say
10:46	that point three your fight with the
10:51	devil
10:53	okay we may not be more advanced than
10:56	Adam and Eve sometimes Maybe we are
10:59	willing to adjust God’s word or willing
11:02	to adjust our Behavior so that we
11:05	justify our own
11:07	Disobedience we can get comfortable with
11:10	our
11:12	sins God help
11:14	us and maybe the devil is using the same
11:17	kinds of Temptations on us that he used
11:19	on Jesus temptation to physical desire
11:23	temptation to doubt and question God
11:26	temptation to worship some things even
11:29	more than we worship
11:33	God
11:35	right but what can we learn from the
11:39	demonized man in the gospel text from
11:41	Mark what does a man with an unclean
11:43	Spirit have to do with you or
11:46	me first how do you think he got the
11:50	unclean
11:52	Spirit Well he was attacked the same way
11:55	that you are attacked the same devil did
11:58	the same things that we’ve been talking
12:01	about and I’ll bet that he was not
12:03	screaming out rejecting Jesus all in the
12:05	first
12:06	instant I’ll bet that it was a
12:09	progression of
12:11	Temptations and choices and
12:15	rejections of God’s word and sinful
12:19	thoughts and words and
12:22	deeds our enemy the devil has been
12:24	around a long time thousands and
12:27	thousands of years
12:29	he knows that he has time with you he
12:33	does not need to be inventive or
12:35	creative the same old Temptations work
12:38	again and again don’t they truth be told
12:43	when Jesus found you you were dead in
12:45	your sins and there was no way out for
12:47	you but Jesus spoke his word placed
12:51	faith in your heart made you his own
12:54	Temple where he lives he gave you the
12:57	holy spirit’s power and now with Christ
13:00	and the Holy Spirit living within you
13:03	you actually can do some things that
13:05	please God you can say yes to God and
13:08	you can say no to the
13:11	devil but you and I know that it’s a
13:14	battle every day in a world of sin
13:17	influenced by the father of sin and
13:20	carrying around your own body of sin
13:23	what hope do you really have do you
13:25	really expect that you will win the
13:28	battle against sin death and the devil I
13:31	mean really if the battle is between you
13:33	and the devil a being that has been
13:36	fighting and winning battles of
13:38	Temptation for thousands of years do you
13:41	really
13:42	think you’re going to
13:46	win
13:49	right that’s why we’re going to go back
13:52	to the Gospel reading Jesus came into a
13:55	church service you might think that
13:57	everyone there was safe and sound in the
13:59	Lord but the reality is that each of
14:01	those people had been repeatedly
14:03	harassed and tempted by the devil and
14:06	his
14:07	demons one poor fellow was horribly
14:11	demonized battered beaten terrified by
14:14	his secret War With the Enemy Jesus
14:18	walked into his church into his world
14:21	into his life the very presence of Jesus
14:25	made the devil more afraid of Jesus than
14:28	that poor fellow was afraid of the devil
14:30	the demons in the man cried out what do
14:33	we have to do with you Jesus of Nazareth
14:36	have you come to destroy us well yes
14:42	Jesus had come to destroy the devil’s
14:44	power to make a public spectacle of the
14:48	Devil by triumphing over him with the
14:51	cross yes Jesus would conquer all the
14:55	works of the enemy and yes Jesus would
15:00	loose that slave and set him
15:05	free we know who you are the Holy One Of
15:09	God be quiet you come out of
15:14	him
15:16	battle
15:19	over beloved you cannot win the battle
15:22	with the Devil by
15:23	yourself but you do not have
15:26	to the Holy One fights for you and he
15:30	will
15:31	win and in him you cannot
15:36	lose
15:37	yes please fight the good fight of Faith
15:42	please learn from God’s word how the
15:44	devil works and how to counter his
15:46	attacks be strong in the
15:48	Lord but when you fail and fail you will
15:54	remember that you belong to the Holy One
15:57	who is determined that that when it
15:59	comes to your fight with the devil Jesus
16:02	says I win
16:05	so you win
16:09	too
16:19	[Music]
16:27	amen