| Redeemer Lutheran Church 1084 W. Bullard Ave. Fresno, CA 93711 Phone: (559) 439-8500 Fax: (559) 439-8585 office@redeemerfresno.com The Reverend Clarence Eisberg Phone: (209) 725-9082 Cell: (209) 631-3108 pastor@redeemerfresno.com Worship ~ 8:30 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Family Ministries ~ 10:00 a.m. Holy Communion ~ 2nd & 4th Sundays |
| Connecting People to Jesus and to One Another! www.lcms.org |
The Reverend Clarence Eisberg |
March 13, 2011 |
“The Cross of Jesus, The Conquest of Evil" |
| I always wonder how it is impossible for some people to read the New Testament and fail to understand why Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the grave. And yet the Jesus Seminar people do this all the time. Hebrews 2:14 clearly states: “Since (human beings) are made of flesh and blood it is logical that (God the Creator) in the person of by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death… that is the devil… and thus free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” It’s just too foolish for some people. Yet I know only the Holy Spirit can open one’s heart to believe the words of the Apostle John when he wrote: “Jesus did many miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples which are not recorded in this book but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and by believing you may have life in His name.” Look at Jesus skewered to the cross, robbed of freedom of movement, strung up with nails or ropes or both, pinned there powerless. To so many people it appears to be total defeat. Jesus was crushed by the ruthless power of Rome. But the Bible tells us He himself was crushing the serpent’s head. (Gen. 3:15) David Kupelian I his book “How Evil Works” writes: “Today, we understand the physics of an expanding universe and the mysterious behavior of quarks. We know how to create vaccines and customized genetics. We know how to replace body parts and build space robots. Our knowledge of life and the universe continues to grow dramatically in every field except one. We don’t understand evil. What it is. How it works and why so routinely and effortlessly it ruins our lives. Despite the human race’s extraordinary capacity for invention and progress we have a millennia old blind spot in this one areas.” Why are so many Americans forsaking Christianity and Judaism in favor of witchcraft and other Pagan or New Age practices? Why do people believe “big lies”? In recent years Atheism has moved from the fringe of society to a confident, unapologetic and increasing vocal minority mocking religion? Why is militant Atheism becoming a badge of honor? Why did so many people drink the poison cool-aid in Jonestown? Why do so many believe they can channel the power of “mother earth” and change events in their daily lives? Why? Because the “Big Lie” says we can be our own “god”. This exactly what happened in the biblical garden. Remember the story? God created Adam and Eve and gave them the test of obedience. “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden but you must not eat from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil…. For when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16,17 God gave a choice between good and evil. It was a test of love. Animals have no such choice. Sharks may be killing-eating machines… but being fearsome creatures is their nature. There is no choice involved and nothing evil about it. The only creature with a choice is mankind, who can do one of two things about that little bit of the “image of God” inside our being. We can appreciate the true God and learn to live in obedience to the “still small voice of conscience” or we can ignore that voice and attempt to be our own god. Satan in the form of the serpent approached Eve and said “Surely you will not die…for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil….. And she gave some to her husband who was with her.” Genesis 3:6 Adam was with Eve when she at the forbidden fruit. Bear in mind Eve was not present when God told Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Yet when the serpent tempts Eve, Adam who is with her does not speak up! He remains silent and watches Eve as she takes the forbidden fruit and eats it. Remember God told them they would die if they ate the forbidden fruit. Only after Adam sees that Eve is still alive does he take some from her and eats it himself. He used her as a human guinea pig to test God’s command. What a man! Adam and Eve could not resist the “big lie” that they would be “as god”. We have been falling for the same lie ever since. This is the flaw in Eastern and New Age religions. They all claim we are gods… or that we will become “one” with the “divine” if we follow the seven fold path… or we just have to discover the “divine” within or being. Nancy Leigh DeMos wrote this about Adam and Eve’s act of disobedience. “When we find something at the store that we like, one of the first things we do is look at the price tag. Wouldn’t it be nice if we understood the cost of sin right up front? If the forbidden fruit would have been rotten and crawling with worms, do you think Eve would have taken a bite? No. “When Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was good and pleasing to the eye… and desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She acted on her immediate desires without looking at the price tag.” Would any young person experiment with drugs or alcohol if they could see where the journey may end? Ignoring “God’s command changes everything. The serpent pays for its crime. Adam and Eve pay for their crimes. The ground is cursed. To Adam God said cursed is the ground because of you. It will now produce thorns and thistles. Through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life and you will return to dust for you were created from the dust of the earth. The garden had been a place of joy. Now it is no longer a joy to maintain…and we pollute and trash the very earth and water we need for healthy living. There is now the loss of intimacy, harmony and peace, not only between Adam and Eve, but between them and their creator. Cain kills Abel. The lion and lamb no longer lie down together.\ Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden. That’s where many people live today.. In a state of brokenness, seeking harmony but finding alienation. They want love but find broken marriages, broken bodies, broken neighborhoods. This was not God’s original intent. Are we really any different? Why do we believe the “big lie”? Why do we disobey God? Well, somebody said: “The devil made me do it.” If you are old enough you can remember those words were made famous by the character “Geraldine” created by the comedian Flip Wilson. Geraldine’s husband asks: “Why did you by the new dress? “Well, honey the devil made me do it.” “Didn’t you say: “Get behind me Satan.” “Yes, but he said it looked good in back too!” Bad theology… but all through the bible we see the devil in a constant spiritual war with God over the souls of men, women and children. He tempts us to be and act selfishly. You and I make the choice whether to give in or resist. How then does God restore harmony, peace and friendship with those who are created in His own image? How does God win victory over Satan freeing men, women and children from the fear of death? How does God provide the gift of eternal life beyond life on this blue marble floating in space? The conquest and decisive defeat of Satan began in the Garden of Eden. Stage one. The conquest predicted. God forgives Adam and Eve. Through the shedding of blood he covered their nakedness. God himself predicts the coming destruction of Satan. “I will put enmity between you and the woman and He will crush your head and you will strike his heal.” (Genesis 3:15) The angel also announced to Joseph: “You shall name the child Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.” Stage two. The conquest of evil was visually demonstrated in the ministry of Jesus. Satan knew who Jesus was. He made different attempts to get rid of Jesus. He used Herod to murder the children in Bethlehem. He approached Jesus in the wilderness, tempting Jesus to avoid the cross. When that did not work, after Jesus fed the 5,000 with bread and fish, Satan used the crowds try to make Jesus king by force. Satan and His legions of demons knew the battle was engaged. Listen to the confrontation in the synagogue in Capernaum. (Mark 1:21 read) Stage three. The most decisive conquest of Evil took place at the cross. In Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae he brings together both the forgiveness of sins and the cosmic overthrow of Satan and demonic powers. “God forgave us all our sins, He canceled the written code with its regulations that stood opposed to us.. He took it away, nailing it to the cross… there he disarmed the powers and authorities (of evil. He triumphed over them by the cross. Stage four. The conquest and defeat of Satan was confirmed and announced by the angel at the empty tomb. The women who had followed Jesus knew the place where Joseph of Ariamthea had placed the body of Jesus after Pilate gave permission to remove it from the cross. When they arrived in the garden they saw two angels who said: “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here. He has risen just as he said.” “The work of Jesus bearing the sins of the world was finished on the cross. There he won the victory over the devil, sin and death. The resurrection vindicated the Jesus whom men had rejected, declaring with power that He was the Son of God. If he had not been raised from the dead our preaching would be futile.” He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Rev. John Stott has a classic phrase which speaks to our reality as we live in this world waiting for the glorious return of Jesus from heaven. “For though the devil has been defeated, He has not conceded defeat. Although He has been overthrown, he has not yet been eliminated.” (p. 139) (reference back to the comment of the demon in Mark 1...they thought their confrontation with Jesus in the flesh was their final end.) Paul tells us that sin is the “sting” of death, that is why death is painful and poisonous. It is sin which causes death, and which after death brings the judgment. Hence our fear of it. But Christ has died for our sins and taken them away. Now we are forgiven. God has promised to remember our sins no more… because by faith in Jesus we have obtained peace with God our creator. What then should be the Christian’s attitude to death? It is still an enemy, unnatural, unpleasant and undignified in fact it is the last enemy to be destroyed. Yet it is a defeated enemy. For Christ has taken away our sins and transferred to all who believe His righteousness. Jesus summed it up when he spoke these words: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whosoever lives and believes in me will never die.” |