Second Adam Succeeds Where We All Have Failed

The Gospel According to Luke 4 and Jesus’ Temptation in the Wilderness

Welcome to the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church. Kungsvinger is a beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith.

Alone.

And now, here's a message from Pastor Chris Roseberg.

The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, Chapter 4. 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 will then worship me, and it will all be yours. And so 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. This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Christ’s Temptation as the Second Adam and True Israel

In the name of Jesus, Amen. The temptation of Jesus, you'll notice he went toe-to-toe with the devil and he won. Every time we go toe-to-toe with the devil it seems like we get a beating, it never seems to go well for us, starting with the first Adam all the way to us, it's really a mess.

Now to phrase, to kind of frame our sermon today and our Gospel text, I would like to use this text from Hebrews to help us understand it and govern it properly. And here's what it says in Hebrews 4, 15 and 16.

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

You'll note then that the fact that Christ went toe-to-toe with the devil, was tempted in every way that we are, is not held up against us as if Jesus were saying, look it, it's taking you thousands of years to figure out how to finally get your act together, I've had to come down here and show you how it's done, now that I've done it, it's your turn.

That's not how Jesus operates, no, that's not the point of the fact that he was tempted and yet is without sin. In fact, what the text says is that because of what Christ did, because he was tempted and is without sin, we then can have confidence and draw near to the throne of grace in order to receive mercy and help in time of need.

So that will be our governing concept as we get into our text. Now it's important to note that there are two major, and I mean major, Old Testament types and shadows in play here. The first one is that Jesus is the second Adam, and let me explain that.

It says in 1 Corinthians 15, thus it is written that the first man Adam became a living being, the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. And so the parallel between Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and the temptation that the first Adam experienced via the temptation in the garden, there's a parallel there that has to be in play, because remember, in Adam we all fall, despite the fact that the serpent goes after Eve first, and it was just absolutely calamitous for us what happened.

So the second Adam is being tempted, and you're going to note where the first Adam fails, the second Adam succeeds. The other thing that we must keep in mind is that Jesus is all of Israel squished down into one person, and so the themes of Israel, red sea, baptism, and wilderness are all in play.

Think of it this way. The children of Israel, having been baptized in the Red Sea, were then led by God into the wilderness. So too, Jesus, who is Israel, reduced down to one man, fresh out of the waters of his baptism, is led out into the wilderness to be tempted in every way that we are.

So some major concepts going on here. Think of it this way. Jesus' hair was still wet when the Holy Spirit led him out into the wilderness, is a good way to think of it. The text doesn't say that, but that's something to keep in mind, so you can see the 40 years in the wilderness, Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness, and where the people of Israel failed in their testing in the wilderness, Jesus, Israel squished down to one man, he passes in flying colors.

And so we'll keep that in mind. Now the question comes up then, what is the devil going after with Jesus? There's a very specific type of attack that the devil is engaging in, a very, very specific tactic.

The First Temptation: Doubting the Word of God and Daily Bread

And let me back up just a little bit into Luke chapter 3, because that will help us get what that context is. Here's what it says, now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven saying, you are my beloved son with you I am well pleased.

So when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, you hear the voice, the word of God, the word of the Father saying, you are my beloved son. And just like how the serpent tempted Adam and Eve, did God really say, did God really say, you shall not eat of any of the tree in the garden, that was the temptation.

In a similar way then, the devil is going after that word of God and Jesus' confidence and faith and trust in it. So Luke chapter 4 then begins, Jesus full of the Holy Spirit returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for 40 days, being tempted by the devil.

He ate nothing during those days, and when they were ended he was hungry. Now a little bit of a note, 40 days is a long day to go without food, I could barely go 40 minutes, but that's a different story.

So the devil said to Jesus, if you are the son of God, and there it is, you could rephrase that, did God really say you're the son of God, are you really?

Are you sure?

And so you'll note that everything is here designed to create in Jesus doubt regarding God's word, and thereby get Jesus to act out on those doubts, in the same way that even Adam did there a bit. So in this first temptation then, the focus is to get Jesus to doubt God's word that he's the son of God, and then prove that he's the son of God to himself, in order to assuage those doubts.

And the plan is that all he has to do is cheat a little bit during his fast, and rather than receive his bread from God, he can instead take bread for himself by flexing his divine abilities and turning a stone into bread, because Jesus has the ability to speak things into existence.

And keep this in mind, hunger is a powerful passion within us. It's a very, very powerful passion, and when we talk about passions, another word that you can use is appetites. We have an appetite for food, we have an appetite for—you name the different things we have appetites, so passions, these are very strong feelings.

And consider this, people are willing to take control of their lives and not depend upon a God in order to fill their empty bellies and to overcome the passion of hunger in ways that are quite sinful.

And so what people are willing to steal so that they don't have to experience hunger, people are willing to prostitute themselves so they don't experience hunger. People are willing to traffic other human beings in the sex trade or the slave trade in order to not experience hunger.

People lie, cheat, manipulate in order to take their food to be in charge, rather than humbly trust God and pray to him and receive from him our daily bread. That's how strong the hunger passion is within us.

And so you'll note then that this is in play. So let me ask you this, since it's Lent and this is a time of penitential reflection, what sins have you been willing to commit in order to make sure your appetites are sated rather than experience hunger or the frustration of an unsatisfied passion?

This is where the difference between Jesus and us becomes stark. Think of it this way, Ephesians 2, describing sinful humanity and all of us prior to our being brought to faith in Christ says, you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked.

Following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived, and listen to the words, we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and we were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

So you'll note then that our human passions that God put into us are now because of sin twisted and manipulated in such a way that people care only about themselves and fulfilling their desires and passions and chasing after those things.

But we are not that way, by the way. So Jesus being tempted in this way answers the devil. It's written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. In other words, Jesus trusts.

He trusts God's word that he is the son of God, and he's content then to receive what God gives to him. Besides, that word that he heard from the father in the Jordan River when he was baptized, that word that he heard from the father that he is the son of God in whom the father is well pleased, that was such a big meal as far as God's word is concerned.

It provided so much for Jesus that he was still chewing on it 40 days later. Think of it, the leftovers were still very fresh and eatable. That's a good way to think about it. Well, the devil, you can see at this point, score one, Jesus, devil zero, and this is unprecedented in human history.

The Second Temptation: Idolatry, Power, and the Lure of Utopia

So the devil took Jesus up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment, in a moment of time, and he 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'll all be yours. Now, this is the ultimate power play, if you think about it. It's as if the devil's saying, fine, Jesus, I get that you believe you're the son of God, and since you believe that's true, then let me give you all the kingdoms of the earth, and you can set everything right and solve all the world's problems.

You can eradicate poverty, you can set up a one world government and a one world religion, and create utopia here on earth. But before you can make this world a better place, you must first be willing to commit just a little bit of idolatry.

I mean, after all, who and what you worship isn't all that important, is it? Plus, the ends always justify the means. So think of all the suffering that you're going to alleviate, Jesus. Think of all the power that you're going to wield.

Think of how much better the world will be, the church will be, your job will be, your family will be, once you're in charge. So bend that knee to the devil, bend that knee to the devil, and then engage in just a little of idolatry, and then you can have the key to all the cities and the nations of the earth and their glory.

And you can finally solve all the world's problems. You'll note here that this is the temptation we all face, is it not? That temptation to seize power, to take control, to say, you know what, where everybody else has failed, I'm going to solve the problem once and for all.

This was exactly the temptation that Nazi Germany faced. They believed that their ideology and their fuhrer were finally going to bring a utopian, you know, millennia of the Third Reich, you know, of nothing but prosperity and joy and happiness.

And this is also the temptation that we face when we seize control over things that we do not have. You know, all of this involves, by the way, in one form or another, idolatry, idolatry, idolatry of self, idolatry of the government, idolatry of, well, name it, the thing you're worshiping.

But Jesus, having faced the same temptation, said to the devil, it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.

Hmm.

Jesus didn't commit the sin of idolatry in order to receive from Satan that which he knew he would be given by the Father. Remember after the resurrection, Jesus says in Matthew 28, all authority in heaven on earth has been given to me.

Given to me. So he didn't need to bend the knee to the devil. And what a strange request, anyway. I mean, really, Satan is a creature. He was created by God. Now granted, he went evil and rogue, but being created by God, does he really expect his creator to bend the knee to him and say that he's God?

That's just nonsense.

Hmm.

All right.

The Third Temptation: Testing God, Psalm 91, and the Sacraments

So, next temptation. So, the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and he 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 the stone.

Now, a little bit of a note here. We just read out a large portion of Psalm 91 at the beginning of our service, and this has nothing to do with Jesus doing amazing feats of miraculousness by jumping off of cliffs without parachutes and things like that.

That's not what that is about. And so the devil is just twisting this, and you'll note then, you know, if you are the son of God, if, if, if, come on, Jesus, how can you have so much confidence in that word that you heard?

Don't you think you should test to make sure you are the son of God? So just jump off the pinnacle of the temple. The angels will catch you. It'll be awesome, right? So here we go again. Did God really say?

Did God really say? Did God really say? And this is the temptation then to put God's word to the test. To question it. To doubt it. To scrutinize it. To create your own test to determine its validity, to see if it's true or not.

Did God really say that Jesus rose bodily from the grave? This is how the liberals talk, right? Well, maybe that's not what he meant. Did God really say that homosexuality and transgenderism are sins?

By the way, yes, he did. Did God really say that there is salvation in no one except for Jesus?

Yeah.

Did God really say that those who persist in sin and unbelief will spend an eternity in hell?

Yes.

The answer is yes to all of these. But you know, these are the things that everybody questions. Did God really say that when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ and you were raised with him and that your sins were washed away and your heart was circumcised and that God raised you to life and seated you with Christ in heavenly places?

Come on.

We all know that tap water can't do those things. There has to be a better explanation, right? Wrong. God's word gives us all the explanation we need and we need not put his word to the test. Did God really say, take, eat, this is my body given into death for the forgiveness of your sins and take, drink, this is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins?

Hmm.

If that's true, should we be able to detect, shouldn't we be able to detect human flesh and blood with our microscopes and probes if we do a scientific study on the bread.

And wine? No.

So here's the question I have for you. Which part of God's word are you doubting? Which part of God's word are you willing to concoct your own tests to determine its validity, to see if it's true for yourself and thereby you end up putting God to the test?

Hmm.

Yikes.

We all do this in one way or another. But Jesus answered, it is said, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.

Hmm.

Christ Our High Priest, the Spotless Lamb, and Confidence Before God

So coming back to our governing text, we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are and yet is without sin. And brothers and sisters, this is good news.

And the reason why this is good news has to do with the fact that because Christ did not fail, because Israel squished down to one man, because the second Adam, when tempted by the devil, did not sin, Jesus then is the spotless lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

You see, all of the sacrifices of, you know, of the Old Testament, the lambs were required to be spotless. They couldn't be lame, they couldn't be broken or anything like that. They had to be spotless.

And Jesus is sinless, spotless, the true sacrifice for our sins. He's not only our high priest, he's the actual offering himself. And so he has been tempted in every way that we have been and yet is without sin.

And that means he was worthy to be our sacrifice. He bled and died for every temptation that you gave into and every idolatry that you committed, every single sin that you committed by putting God and his word to the test.

And Jesus, unlike you and me, he never once doubted the word of God. And so because of this, our sins are now laid on him. And by faith, his perfect sinless righteousness is given to us as a gift so that we can be stand holy, forgiven, reconciled to the father.

And this is all part and parcel of the good news, which is why the next verse says, so let us then with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace. Confidence. Boy, that's kind of a word, isn't it? Let me give you the opposite of it.

If you all remember the, uh, the wizard of Oz, you know, the wizard of Oz, Dorothy, when she finally gets to see the wizard, she goes into his chamber and there's smoke and fire and loud voices and who are you?

And her and the lion and the scarecrow and the tin man are all shaking in their skin. And isn't this how, because of our sin, we think our first meeting with God will go. Walk into his royal throne room, see the glassy sea, see the rainbow, see all the things that are part of his throne room, see the cherubim covering their faces and crying, holy, holy,.

Holy.

And the smoke coming up from the altar. And you think you're going to go, ah, you know, and God's going to say, what are you doing in my presence? No, no, no, none of that. You see, we have a great high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, who in every respect was tempted as we are in this yet without sin.

And, and because of, he has bled and died for us. We can then with confidence, literally confidence stroll in with no fear, draw near to the throne of grace so that we might receive mercy, forgiveness, life, and help in time of need.

So brothers and sisters, it is good news that Jesus, having gone toe to toe with the devil comes out victorious. He's the one who defeated Satan for you and for me, and he's done what we could not do for ourselves because of our sinful condition.

So let us then with confidence, praise this mighty Jesus and thank him for his grace and thank him for his help in time of need and continue day after day to confidently draw near to him as we humbly ask for the things that we need and also ask him to forgive us as he has forgiven, as we forgive others.

What a great, amazing conquering Jesus we have in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

We confess our faith together in the words of the apostles creed. I believe in God, the Father almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty. From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.

The Prayers of the Church

We continue with the prayers of the church and as I pray, I will say these words, Lord, in your mercy, and you respond by saying, hear our prayer. Emboldened by God's promise, let us approach the Lord with the petitions of our hearts and our prayers and for every manner and condition of man.

Blessed Lord, you have established your church, endowed your church with your saving word, and granted to your people the washing of new birth and the blessed food of Christ's body and blood. Bless all pastors and servants of the church in their ministry to us.

Bless those and protect those who preach the gospel in hostile and foreign lands. Give them boldness to preach Christ and protect them. We pray for Reverend Althoff, Eileen Nassim, Galia, and the Upper Roots.

We ask that you bless all pastors and servants of the church in their ministry to us. Bless us that we may receive these means of grace for our benefit both now and for eternal salvation. Lord, in your mercy.

Almighty God, you have given us the gift of land, allowed us to use to our benefit the fruits of the earth, and bestowed upon us the privilege of labor and rest. Grant your blessing to our nation, to those who govern us in your name, and to those who defend us against our enemies.

Guide us to be a people of peace and have respect for life, from its natural beginning to its natural end, and to be generous with all your gifts. Lord, in your mercy. Gracious God, your mercies are new every morning, and yet we continue to covet what is not ours and to delight more in things than in you, the giver.

Guard us from the love of things and guide us to love you with all of our being, so that we may apply our hearts wisely to the time that you have given. For the love of neighbor and for the glory of your holy name.

Lord, in your mercy. Holy Lord, by your blessing in baptism we have a holy vocation as your people. Keep us in the midst of temptation, that we may not forget who we are as your own children. Call by your name and guard us in the day of trouble, lest we abandon your mercy for the illusion of self-control and self-sufficiency.

Lord, in your mercy. Merciful Father, you have established the home that it may be a place of blessing and love. Guide all husbands to love and serve their wives, all wives to love and serve their husbands, and both to love and serve their children.

Keep us from being put to shame by our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. Guide us to manifest in daily life the grace that has saved us. Lord, in your mercy. Lord of life, you will not abandon us in our time of need.

Grant to those afflicted in body or mind the grieving and the dying, the fullness of your gracious presence and grace to sustain them in faith and hope until you deliver them into your nearer presence.

We pray especially for Ed, Mark, Donald, John, Beatrice, Brenda, Pat, Dan, Lisa, Jean, Bob, Alice, Patty, Gloria, Janet, Susan, Paula, Stephen, Linda, Janet, Carolyn, Paula, and those whom we name before you in our hearts.

And we pray also on behalf of those whose names are unknown to us, but whose needs you know well. Lord, in your mercy. Holy Lord, all things are yours, and yet you freely give to our use all of the resources of this earth.

With our thanks, we recall those who are unemployed and underemployed, that they may find honorable work that befits your gifts and their skills, so that they may praise you with the labors of their hands, as now we offer you the tithes and offerings of a thankful people.

Lord, in your mercy. Remembering the faithful who now rest from their labors, and giving thanks for the witness and service, we pray that we may be kept holy and blameless until the day of Christ's coming.

Bring to completion all things, O Lord, especially that good work be done, begun in us in our baptism, that nothing may prevent us from being reunited with those who have gone before. Lord, in your mercy.

With angels who do your bidding and sing your praise, we offer you the prayers of your people with our faith that you will grant us all that is needful through the mercies and merits of Christ our Savior.

Amen.

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