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When a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.
᛭ INI ᛭
We’re on our last week of hear about how Christ defeats the devil. He withstood every single temptation. In the wilderness He was the better Adam and never gave in when tempted. Last week He cast the demon out of the Canaanite woman’s daughter—from a distance even! Now, we get Christ toe to toe with a demon who was mute, and He exorcized that demon no problem.
In all these ways Christ goes into the devil’s territory and defeats him. Why does Christ do this? What’s His goal? His goal isn’t regime change, rather it’s to take back what’s rightfully His. He had given mankind the whole world: “fill the earth and subdue it,” was the command to Adam. Adam and Eve rebelled and in so doing handed the keys over to the devil, but only a Son of Adam can rightfully claim back the throne. So the eternal Son of God comes, is born of the virgin Mary to do it. And His goal is you.
“For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven.” He came FOR YOU. He came to rescue you, not only from sin, death, and hell. He came to rescue you from the ancient enemy, the devil. Christ came not only to rescue you from the devil and his devilish horde, but He also came to give you something, to shower it upon you, to give you an overflowing amount—in a word to spoil you.
Altogether, on this last Sunday of seeing Satan surrender before Christ, we see clearly that
CHRIST HAS DESPOILED THE DEVIL OF YOU, AND NOW SPOILS YOU WITH HIS WORD.
(I. Christ despoiled the devil.)
Christ despoiled the devil. He became in Adam’s rebellion the prince of this world. (Eph 2) He is the ruler of this world. (Jn 12) Christ promised that the devil “will be cast out.” (Jn 12) He promises that the “ruler of this world is judged.” (Jn 16) The devil tried to come at Christ, but it didn’t work. As Christ promised: “The ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me.” (Jn 14)
Oh, how he tried though! “All these I will give you, if you bow down and worship me.” (Mt 4) “Going to the cross will never happen to you!” (Mt 16) “Come down from the cross and we’ll believe in you!” (Jn 27) But no matter what Christ wouldn’t turn away. “For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, despising its shame, and now He is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12) “By death Christ destroyed him who held the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Heb 4) “When Christ was pierced for your transgressions, when He was crushed for your iniquities, when the chastisement for your peace was upon Him, when His wounds healed you,” (Is 53) then Satan was given a mortal wounded that will never recover. (Rev 13)
See how Christ bound the devil more firmly than the nails that held Christ, more permanently than even death itself! Christ risen from the dead, now rules all things in heaven and on earth. The devil may be a lion looking for someone to devour (1-Pet 5), but Christ is the Almighty Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Christ took away the devil’s spoils and made them His own, claimed them back again as His own. The rebellion is now over, and you have been ransomed. For you and I, mankind, are the spoils that Christ sought. Think of it! The eternal, almighty God thought of nothing else that He wanted more of than sinners! He wants to be praised forever by restored rebels, who sided with Satan, whose flesh daily and much sides with rebellion—sin, Satan, and society!
(Transition.)
CHRIST HAS DESPOILED THE DEVIL OF YOU. You are Christ’s. Then why is the devil still around? Well, he’s still fighting a lost war. He might be tricky, but he’s not all that smart… The fight the devil is waging is like the Battle of New Orleans, which was fought after the War of 1812 was over. The devil’s an annoying insurgent to the LORD, but to us he’s still a powerful foe.
And so Christ isn’t done. CHRIST HASn’t only DESPOILED THE DEVIL OF YOU. HE SPOILS YOU. HE SPOILS YOU WITH HIS WORD.
(II. Christ spoils you with His Word.)
Yes, CHRIST SPOILS YOU WITH HIS WORD, that is, He gives and He gives and He gives some more! The LORD continually gives His Word. This is why Christ Himself says, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!” For those who keep Christ Word, love it, cherish it, hold on to it and protect it will indeed be blessed. They will be blessed in this life and, more importantly, in the life of the world to come.
There is, of course, the Law of God to kill and curb our flesh by showing us not only our sin but how to live a life that pleases God. (We ought to do that.) But more importantly when we think about the Word of God, we must “return to the Gospel, which does not give us counsel and aid against sin in only one way. God is superabundantly generous in His grace: First, through the spoken Word, by which the forgiveness of sins is preached in the whole world. … Second, through Baptism. Third, through the holy Sacrament of the Altar. Fourth, through the Power of the Keys. Also through the mutual conversation and consolation of brethren, ‘Where two or three are gathered.’ (Mt 18)” (SA-III IV)
The devil can’t stand the Word of God! It’s why he seeks to silence it. It’s why he tempts us not to read it, to set it aside, to ignore parts of it—or all of it! We ought to rejoice and read “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20) Beware, your flesh hates the Word, fails to remember it, doesn’t want to take it to heart. This is why a Christian who’s not in the Word is eventually no Christian at all! Beware the devil and schemes to steal the Word away and steal you back as his own…
Only the Spirit works a proper desire for the Word of God, settles it in your heart, that we take it up to fight the devil. And when you don’t have your “Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph 6), take up the Catechism. The Catechism’s also called “Enchiridion.” (Greek word, means “dagger.”) Quick draw on the devil! The Bible’s a rifle, the Catechism a derringer.
“[10] Catechism study’s a most effective help against the devil, the world, the flesh, and all evil thoughts. It helps to be occupied with God’s Word, to speak it, and meditate on it, just as the first Psalm declares people blessed who meditate on God’s Law day and night (Ps 1). Certainly you will not release a stronger … repellant against the devil than to be engaged by God’s commandments and words, and speak, sing, or think them. …
[11] Now, for this reason alone you ought gladly to read, speak, think, and use these things, even if you had no other profit and fruit from them than driving away the devil and evil thoughts by doing so. For he cannot hear or endure God’s Word. God’s Word is not like some other silly [story or book]. But as St. Paul says in Romans 1, it’s “the power of God.” Yes it’s really the power of God that gives the devil burning pain and strengthens, comforts, and helps us beyond measure.
[12] [Why say any more?] If I were to list all the profit and fruit God’s Word produces, where would I get enough … time? The devil is called the master of a thousand arts. But what shall we call God’s Word, which drives away and brings to nothing this master of a thousand arts with all his arts and power? The Word must indeed be the master of more than a hundred thousand arts. [13] And shall we easily despise such power, profit, strength, and fruit? … We not only need all this every day just as we need our daily bread, but we must also daily use it against the daily and unending attacks and lurking of the devil, the master of a thousand arts.” (LC Preface)
“Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it” indeed!
(Conclusion.)
CHRIST HAS DESPOILED THE DEVIL OF YOU, AND NOW HE SPOILS YOU WITH HIS WORD.
He did that in His death and resurrection. By His Word He keeps on despoiling the devil. Christ baptized you into His Kingdom. AND NOW HE SPOILS YOU WITH HIS WORD. That you would be His treasured possession forever.
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