"Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!"
The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
The people were all so amazed that they asked each other,
"What is this? A new teaching - and with authority!
He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him."
News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Mark 1: 25 – 28
Jesus is in Control
This Epiphany season we have seen how God reveals Himself to us as Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, Savior of the world, the promised Messiah!
In each of the lessons during Epiphany, we have witnessed Jesus exercising his control over all of creation. Last week we saw how He has control of nature as He told His followers to drop their nets into the sea, after they had already “been there and done that” without catching many fish. We saw them pull up the nets full to overflowing!
Before that – the physical world, as He turned water into wine.
This weekend, Jesus showed that even demons must obey Him!
Jesus is showing us his control over those things unseen –
namely, the devil and all his works and ways.
This is no “clash of the titans”, as Vicar pointed out Sunday, no Super Bowl match up.
No, the devil has been defeated by Jesus Christ through His person, suffering, death and resurrection on our behalf! We have been freed from the power of the devil. God the Holy Spirit has grafted and adopted us as Children of the Heavenly Father by uniting us with the person and work of Christ in our Baptisms. We now belong to Him.
This week, whatever the devil may be using to try and weaken you, or make you doubt that God cares for you and has control over your life; anxiety about our finances, our relationships, and our health are just a few, turn your attention to the Christ on the cross. It is the message of God's saving love through Jesus Christ that strengthens our faith, and our “nets” - our lives - will be filled to overflowing with His peace, strength, grace and love!
The message of Christ's person, suffering, death, and resurrection will help restore your faith that you might remember that God is in control.
He has defeated sin, death, and Satan through Christ
and we have nothing to fear!
Martin Luther:
I believe that Jesus Christ is truly God, born of the Father in
eternity and also truly man, born of the Virgin Mary. He is my
Lord! He redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, bought and won
me from all sins, death and the authority of the Devil. It did not
cost Him gold or silver, but His holy, precious blood, His innocent
body -- His death! Because of this, I am His very own, will live
under Him in His kingdom and serve Him righteously, innocently and
blessedly forever, just as He is risen from death, lives and reigns
forever. Yes, this is true.
AMEN!
'God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It" ( #844 Hymnal Supplement '98) Below is Verse 2 of a song Joyce Faulstick taught to all the kids attending VBS over the years:
Satan hear this proclamation: I am baptized into Christ!
Drop your ugly accusation. I am not so soon enticed.
Now that into the font I've traveled, all your might has come unraveled.
And against your tyranny, God, my Lord unites with me!
With explanation from the LCMS Worship web site:
Since we belong to Christ and have the assurance that no one can snatch us out of the Father's hand (BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: John 10:28-29), the devil has to rely on other means of subverting our faith. Though our sins are completely forgiven, Satan reminds us of them. He loves to accuse us and to cause us to doubt God's forgiveness.
But Satan, hear this: I am baptized in Christ! The language becomes even more blatant at the words, "Drop your ugly accusation." We don't have to listen to the devil's lies and deceptions anymore, because in our Baptism we've journeyed through death to life.
As for that tyrant, the jailer who would bind us in his hellish prison--his hold on us has been unraveled. Let Satan roar as loudly as he wants (BibleGateway.com - Passage Lookup: 1 peter 5:8
; if the triune God has united with me in this gracious water of life, then what is there to fear? Let the devil rant and rave all he wants; he's been judged. (See stanza 3 of Luther's hymn, "A Mighty Fortress.")
ON TIME! Mid-Week BOOST
