“TRUTH CONQUERS LIAR”
Saint Matthew 4: 1-11
Invocavit: 6 March Anno Domini 2022
Fr Jay Watson, SSP
Those who thought being a Christian would be easier or “better” in terms of comfort or life-style than being a pagan, were wrong and are wrong.
Those who reject The Lord should never have to worry about doing bad things—other than avoiding punishments from various governmental authorities, cuckholded husbands, and other gangsters. Those who reject Christianity should not struggle with temptations or bad habits. They should do what feels good to them and party “hearty” till it’s over.
If you don’t pay attention to Jesus during the week are you really hearing ANYTHING He says to you on Sunday? If you don’t obey The Commandments Monday through Saturday does it do you much good that you can nod your head when they’re mentioned during a homily—usually thinking “way to give it to that other guy, pastor!” Satan is not omnipotent but he's strong, stronger than you or the pagans. Satan is not omniscient but he’s wily and still quite the tactician, better at spiritual Chess than you or the heathens. Satan is not omnipresent but he moves quickly and also has an army of demons that are drawn to all flesh like a swarm of hellish mosquitos.
The unbelievers are easy “marks” for the devil. They’re already in his camp—a little available fleshly and mental satisfaction now and then—good enough. But for you, for the Christian, life is warfare and you are attacked viciously, ferociously, and daily. If you haven’t noticed it or felt it, why haven’t you come to Private Confession?
This is Lent.
War is not just declared it is raging.
Just because you know that The Lord has won the overall war doesn’t mean that there is not great danger during the constant battles still very, very “hot.”
The doctrine of “Election” is the Lord’s. The predestinated of Christ, by Christ, are chosen and will be saved. The mind of The Trinity: IS. What we are dealing with is both our duty as Christians, and our own Sanctification—which, isn’t even our “own,” but rather Christ active in us!
You will do what Adam did. You will succumb to temptation and sin. You will do what the Hebrews did, and Moses too for that matter. You will fall to temptation and trespass against God. The Israelites couldn’t wait 40 days for the Law-Giver to come back from the dark cloud covered summit. They were punished temporally—many, many died. The Israelites were spooked and “put off” at the prospect of confronting the large Canaanite tribes (“they’re taller than us and have ‘walled’ settlements). They were punished temporally—40 years of wilderness wandering. Peter, James, and John could not refrain from sinning for one hour while The Christ prayed at Gethsemane, nor could Peter go a late-evening—into early morning—without denying His Lord three times!
There really is no need to chastise you with The Law. Well, of course, there ALWAYS is, but I pray that The Holy Spirit does convict you of what you’ve done; not loving The Lord with your whole heart and not loving your neighbor as yourself; of living as if God didn’t really matter that much to you this week past.
The Lenten battles, your Lenten battles are fought, NOW, right now by you, yes, in a very limited way. They are rather fought and won by Jesus. You participate by Jesus having you IN HIM. You are in Him because He has + baptized you. His Words are in your ears. His Word will be on your tongue.
The Lord was not rash. He was no caricature of a “tough-guy” looking for a fight. He was disciplined and obedient to His orders, His “order” as Messiah. He loved His Father and The Word of God. He was that very Word of God in flesh and blood. He was, and remains, The Second Adam—fixing all the mistakes, sins, and treasonous “doings” of first Adam, and of first Adam’s descendants—the Hebrews, and all of you!
“Jesus [was] led up of The Spirit into the wilderness.” The Father sent The Son by The Holy Ghost. Sounds a lot like the Invocation, doesn’t it? You are + Baptized. Where Jesus goes, He carries you with Him, IN HIM.
The Truth did combat with the liar. Mercy battled the murderer—not for His own sinless and perfect Divine nature, nor for His sinless and perfect Human Nature, but for your fallen, feckless, and fractious nature. Yes, you probably won’t fast at all during Lent, or pray more, or Study and meditate more on Scripture. You won’t necessarily give alms or forgive like you should. Jesus will. Jesus does.
He “fasted forty days and forty nights.” No food or water for The Lord [Ex. 34.28]. He WAS The Food of God, The Manna of Mercy. He WAS The Living Water—Water from Himself, The Rock cleft for you.
The Lord God did not use His power to defeat the liar. The Lord is The Truth. He did not resort to glory, “bigness,” consensus building, Voters’ Assemblies and their 51% democracy. The Lord did not try to out-argue the liar with facts and figures and comprehensive Lutheran dogmatics. The Truth simply spoke Truth. He spoke His own words that He had caused to be written by Moses and David, for Christ is The Word, and The Word is Truth no matter how the liar, lies, and no matter who, or how many, believe the lies.
So, when you are tempted to eat, to indulge in, to dine on the corrupt sewage of the world because you “think” you’re hungry. Well, DON’T, of course. Don’t sin. But believe and hold on to Jesus Who did not fall for the lie that you fall for. Jesus spoke The Word of God—full stop, period. He did it three times to three very creative worship traps. Even when Satan “quotes” scripture to Jesus, Satan by taking the Psalm out of context, is lying. False teachers are always lying when they mis-apply God’s Sacred Words.
The point. The point is Jesus Who didn’t just speak the Truth but WAS The Truth at the point of spikes, metal-imbedded in whip ends, and Roman Soldiers spear-head.
Stop lying—most definitely, all lies, all so-called “white lies,” they all come from the devil. Repent of your falseness even your lies to yourself. And then during Lententide confess, that IN CHRIST, buried with Him in Baptism, His true courage in obeying and suffering, and not just telling The Truth, but being The Truth—has given you victory.
“Though devils all the world shall fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not, we fear no ill, they shall not over-power us. This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will, he can harm us none, he’s judged; the deed is done; one little word (LIAR) can fell him.”
[TLH # 262]
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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