Doing Battle with the Enemy 5-4-08 1 Peter 5:6-11
Rev. Michael A. Trask
He is known by many names: Satan, The Devil, the serpent, the accuser, the Great Dragon, the tempter, the evil one, and so on. Jesus sent him packing by quoting the scripture during his 40 day ordeal in the desert. He was thoroughly trounced by Jesus at the cross and the empty tomb. It was there that Jesus dealt with sin and death and hell. By his perfect life lived for us; by his suffering; by his rising to life again Jesus defeated this one who would otherwise destroy us. Satan threw everything he possibly could at Jesus, but unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus would not give in, Satan is defeated and now knows that his time is short and he’s going to do all he can to muck up the works. At this moment the devil is operating on plan B. Plan A was to derail the messiah and prevent him from completing his mission. Plan B is to derail you who have come to believe and trust in him. I know, you thought that the devil focused on criminals, murderers, drug addicts and people who do horribly bad things. But he’s smarter than that! He’s already got those folks under his control! He’s already got them bagged and tagged and heading for the abyss. What he really wants now is you; you who are even now living in the freedom of Christ Jesus! In the Text, Peter says that the Devil is like a roaring hungry lion, prowling about; with the aim of devouring (knocking down, ripping, gnawing, swallowing digesting) those who are on the side of the Lord. He wants you and me to join the long column of people that is even now marching into the maw of everlasting death. But don’t despair and do not be overly frightened. Jesus not only has prayed for our protection in today’s Gospel lesson, but he’s also has given us everything we need to stand firm against the wiles of our enemy the devil. In today’s Epistle lesson, Peter encourages us to avail ourselves to all that God has given us. Peter says,“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” Right at the get go, you might be wondering “How does humbling myself help me in the fight against Satan?” “Shouldn’t I be at my proudest and best?” “Shouldn’t my self-esteem be at it’s peak as I go into battle?” Your thinking in earthly terms. If you were stepping into a boxing ring, what you suggest might be appropriate, but our battle is not against flesh and blood. It’s spiritual. Our enemy seeks to wrench us away from the Lord in the same way he always has: by cajoling us to break God’s law! And we already come tilted in that direction. We’re sinful. We are, by nature, sinful. That’s our weakness. And guess what: the Devil is going to go for our weaknesses! He doesn’t fight fair. He has no notion of good sportsmanship, He’s going to attack you where you are weakest! He’s going to attack you where sin has been allowed to fester and grow. Each person is different, of course. Each person has different Each person has different weaknesses. How about you? what sort of weaknesses do you have? Alcohol? Sex? Self-infatuation? Vanity? Arrogance? Love of money? Love of things? What is it that is festering in your heart even now? Satan will use it to mess with you and mess with your life! So much better to Confess it to the Lord! So much better to Humble yourself right now. By the blood of Jesus you will be cleansed and healed. What was weak will be shored up and strengthened! “Humble yourselves, therefore under God’s might hand, and he will lift you up in due time.” That’s the first thing that Peter says, What’s the next? Your gonna like this: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Okay, so in preparation for battle against our enemy, we first humble ourselves and get rid of our sins, next we cast off our anxiety. What’s Anxiety? It’s worry. Worry about how things are going to be for you. A person suffering from anxiety has forgotten something very important: that God is in charge and he loves you very much. Peter says “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”. You can give your worries to God rather than keep them all to yourself. Think of your worries as rocks that you carry in a back back. Some times you got a lot of rocks in your backpack don’t you. The backpack pulls you downward; puts a strained expression on your face; makes your feet drag. Peter says cast, your anxiety on him...give him your rocks! Take them out of your backpack and put it on the Lord. He wants you to do that. He invites you to do that. Let God be God for once! Let God hold the weight of the world. That’s his job not yours. And when you get rid of that load, you’ll be in a much better position to do battle against the enemy. You won’t be reeling or leaning or falling to one side because of the weightiness of your life. You’ll be light, nimble, and ready to fight. Okay, so in our fight against the evil one, we make a start by Humbling ourselves; we continue onward by casting our anxiety on him. What’s next? Peter says: “Be self-controlled and alert!” This is where it gets kind of cool; this is where our forgiven hearts and minds begin to agree with God and work in concert with him in taking strides against our enemy. Far too many people see themselves as prisoner to their own foibles and ill-formed passions. So many people throw up there hands with regard to some sinful behavior they engage in and they say well I can’t help it! I can’t stop! I’m hopeless! But they’re so very wrong! Jesus redeems us! Jesus lifts us up. Jesus helps to stand Do you remember the story of David and Goliath? All of Israel was frightened out of it’s wits by this Big oaf named Goliath who was the champion of the Philistines, their enemy. Up comes young faithful David, he said “I’ll do it.” He then proceeds to go at the giant with a slingshot. Defeats him totally. But here’s the interesting part. When the people of Israel saw this....the scripture says the rose with shout and pursued the philistines with gusto and mopped ‘em all up. Now in a similar way, the big giant who frightened us is Satan, but faithful Jesus, the descendant of David defeated him once and for all. We now, like Israel before us can rise with a shout and not only defend ourselves but even go on the offensive and regain lost territory in our lives. We can get control of ourselves! Jesus has already whooped the big giant for us! Change in our lives is not the insurmountable barrier so many make it out to be. We can change by exercising self-control. We can reestablish self-control because he has given our selves back to us. By his blood he has purchased and won us from all sin, death, and the power of the devil. We don’t have to submit to the temptations that come our way. It’s not a given that we will fail. Humble yourselves, Cast all your anxiety on him, exercise self control. This is how we do battle against the evil one. And Jesus gives us all we need to do it! There is one final note: Don’t think that you are so very unique in your troubles. You are not alone! Peter says “You know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” It’s not just you, it’s all of us. All of us suffer from the attacks of Satan during our lives. But know this. It’s not going to last forever. Peter refers to this whole period of temptation which is our lives to “a little while”. It’s hard for us to even conceive of isn’t it: that our lives on earth are but “a little while”. But really that’s what it is compared to the eternal bliss that awaits us in Christ. We will leave this world battered and battle scared, but in the world that is to come we will be restored even as Jesus was restored in his resurrection. So stand firm. Be faithful unto death and he will give you the crown of life. AMEN |
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