Trinity Sermon

The Christian life is very simple. Not easy, but simple. The Christian life is simple in this way: you don’t have to guess what God expects. God has spoken His commandments. He’s revealed precisely how He designed creation to work. And God has even used mortal men to write down His acts in history. Simple.

Think about our Old Testament reading for a moment. After God had created everything, after God made Adam from the dust of the ground, and after God formed Eve from Adam’s side, God told Adam one, simple, command: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). Talk about simple. Adam and Eve were sinless. God had provided everything for them. He gave them work, companionship, a home, a purpose. God even told them how they could honor and worship Him: by keeping that one simple commandment. How hard could it be?

But then the Devil came and tempted. How did that serpent attack? He pointed to the food on the tree, appealing to their bellies. What’s one bite? Then, he made them question God’s Word: “Did God really say?” Finally, he tempted them with the potential to be gods themselves, knowing good and evil. God’s initial commandment to Adam and Eve was oh so simple. But when temptation comes, the Christian life is not easy.

To our advantage, though, Satan is a simpleton. Resisting him is not always so easy, but we know where and how he attacks. Even after so many thousands of years of practice, he hasn’t developed other temptations beyond these three. How do we know this?

Jesus was tempted in the exact same way as Adam and Eve. Food. God’s Word. Divine glory. How does this play out?

After being baptized by John in the Jordan River, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. He fasted from all food for forty days and forty nights, and then He was hungry. The devil came to Jesus at that point and tempted Jesus with food. What’s sinful about food? Nothing really. On its own, food is one of God’s wonderful gifts, used for nourishing our bodies and bringing families together around the table. So what’s the temptation that Satan is driving at?


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Genesis 3:1-21 Hebrews 4:14-16 St. Matthew 4:1-11 February 26, 2023 +INJ+ Amen. The Christian life is very simple. Not easy, but simple. The Christian life is simple in this way: you don’t have to guess what God expects. God has spoken His commandments. He’s revealed precisely how He designed creation to work. And God has even used mortal men to write down His acts in history. Simple. Think about our Old Testament reading for a moment. After God had created everything, after God made Adam from the dust of the ground, and after God formed Eve from Adam’s side, God told Adam one, simple, command: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). Talk about simple. Adam and Eve were sinless. God had provided everything for them. He gave them work, companionship, a home, a purpose. God even told them how they could honor and worship Him: by keeping that one simple commandment. How hard could it be? But then the Devil came and tempted. How did that serpent attack? He pointed to the food on the tree, appealing to their bellies. What’s one bite? Then, he made them question God’s Word: “Did God really say?” Finally, he tempted them with the potential to be gods themselves, knowing good and evil. God’s initial commandment to Adam and Eve was oh so simple. But when temptation comes, the Christian life is not easy. To our advantage, though, Satan is a simpleton. Resisting him is not always so easy, but we know where and how he attacks. Even after so many thousands of years of practice, he hasn’t developed other temptations beyond these three. How do we know this? Jesus was tempted in the exact same way as Adam and Eve. Food. God’s Word. Divine glory. How does this play out? After being baptized by John in the Jordan River, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. He fasted from all food for forty days and forty nights, and then He was hungry. The devil came to Jesus at that point and tempted Jesus with food. What’s sinful about food? Nothing really. On its own, food is one of God’s wonderful gifts, used for nourishing our bodies and bringing families together around the table. So what’s the temptation that Satan is driving at? Look again at Satan’s words that began the temptation: “If you are the Son of God” (Matt. 4:3). Food is the distraction here. Satan is really tempting Jesus to doubt the simple words He had just heard at His baptism, “This is my beloved Son” (Matt. 3:17). Satan is tempting Jesus to doubt the Christian life. It’s like he’s saying, “Okay Jesus, you’re baptized. Now what? God has led you out into the wilderness. He’s letting you go hungry. He’s letting you feel pain. Is this really what a Son of God should expect from the Almighty?” Or, as another pastor once preached, “Yes, trust in God, and do not cook anything; just wait until a roasted chicken flies into Your mouth. Now tell me how You have a God who cares for You. Where now is Your heavenly Father, who cares for You?”[1] Food is part of the temptation, yes. Greed is part of the devil’s temptation, yes. Selfish use of divine power is Satan’s goal, yes. But the greater temptation focuses on God’s plain and simple word spoken at Baptism. The devil misleads Jesus towards a theology of glory, towards thinking that a baptized Son of God should never go hungry or ever feel pain. In reply, Jesus says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). That includes hunger and suffering, if God wills it. Next, the devil took Jesus to the holy city and up to the pinnacle of the temple. After all, Jesus said that He would live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, so the devil would give Jesus words from the mouth of God, words from the book of Psalms. In Eden, the serpent had only single, simple command to skew, but now he had a whole Old Testament’s worth of material to twist. Don’t miss the very spiritual markers in this second temptation. They’re in the holy city, at the temple, the place of sacrifice, intercession, and forgiveness. And they’re talking about Scripture. This is an important place where Christians are tempted. God’s Word is so simple and clear, but listening to it, understanding it, and living by it are not easy tasks. We don’t help ourselves when we intentionally avoid or forego things like Sunday School and Bible study. We don’t help our children when we fail to read or pray with them at home on a regular basis. When we don’t know Scripture, when we don’t commit it to heart or know basic Bible stories, we make it all too easy for Satan to ask, “Did God really say?” We must repent. But Jesus was not so easily fooled. Satan twists Scripture, but Jesus is the content, the source and purpose, the living and beating heart of Scripture. Jesus would not, did not, and will not doubt. “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test,” he said (Matt. 4:7). Simple. For the final, desperate temptation, the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and promised Him honor, glory, power, and dominion – if only Jesus would fall down and worship him. There are two parts to this. First, this temptation builds off of the previous one. Who is the ‘Lord your God’? Is it the one, true God, our Father who art in heaven? Or is the ‘lord your god’ something else? Satan knew who Jesus was. Perhaps Satan even suspected, in part, what Jesus had come to do. The second part of this temptation is that Satan wants Jesus to buy all the kingdoms of the world apart from the cross. “Just worship me, Jesus. You don’t have to suffer. You don’t have to die. You don’t have to sacrifice Yourself for ungrateful sinners. You just have to bend the knee.” So simple. So easy. Why not? But Jesus would not bend the knee. He did not take the easy route. He was presented food but clung to God’s Word. He was challenged about God’s Word and quoted it back better to that ancient liar. Finally, Jesus was tempted to take divine glory from all the kingdoms of the all the world, but He would not worship or listen to anything or anyone other than His heavenly Father. Why does all this matter to you? On one hand, we can say that Jesus lives the perfect life that you can’t. This is something in theology called the “Moral Theory of the Atonement.” In a nutshell, Jesus lives the perfect moral life that you never could. This is important, for sure, but I don’t think it’s the most important part of this text on this Sunday. More important is the acknowledgement of temptation and sin in this world. We all hope and trust that God is ‘better’ than us, however you want to say that. But is there more comfort in God’s power and sovereignty, or in God’s suffering and passion? If you rely on God’s sovereignty, then why doesn’t He just snap His fingers and make all your problems go away? Doesn’t He have the power? Wouldn’t that be so simple and so easy for everyone involved? But God doesn’t do that. You still have temptations. You still have failures. You still have sin. What comfort is there then? “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” (Heb. 4:15). Here’s the comfort: Jesus knows, understands, and sympathizes with each and every one of your temptations. When you are tempted, don’t give up like someone who’s already defeated. Instead, know that you’re being tempted by someone who has already been defeated. “Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not we fear no ill; they shall not overpower 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 can fell him” (LSB 656:3). When you sin, when you are tempted, repent. That’s the Christian life. Repentance is so simple. Not easy, but simple. When you repent, you don’t face your demons alone. Instead, they have to face Jesus alone. So let repentance be daily. Daily repent and cling to the simple words and water of your baptism, where the demons were cast out and the Holy Spirit entered in. Cling to God’s Word and from it learn how Jesus has triumphed. Cling to the cross, to Jesus’ death and resurrection. That’s where He fully and finally silenced Satan. To God alone be all the praise and glory both now and forevermore. Amen. [1] Martin Luther, “Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent” in A Year in the Gospels with Martin Luther vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2018): 359. Pastor Schultz Trinity Lutheran Church Paola, Kansas Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

Look again at Satan’s words that began the temptation: “If you are the Son of God” (Matt. 4:3). Food is the distraction here. Satan is really tempting Jesus to doubt the simple words He had just heard at His baptism, “This is my beloved Son” (Matt. 3:17). Satan is tempting Jesus to doubt the Christian life. It’s like he’s saying, “Okay Jesus, you’re baptized. Now what? God has led you out into the wilderness. He’s letting you go hungry. He’s letting you feel pain. Is this really what a Son of God should expect from the Almighty?” Or, as another pastor once preached, “Yes, trust in God, and do not cook anything; just wait until a roasted chicken flies into Your mouth. Now tell me how You have a God who cares for You. Where now is Your heavenly Father, who cares for You?”[1]

Food is part of the temptation, yes. Greed is part of the devil’s temptation, yes. Selfish use of divine power is Satan’s goal, yes. But the greater temptation focuses on God’s plain and simple word spoken at Baptism. The devil misleads Jesus towards a theology of glory, towards thinking that a baptized Son of God should never go hungry or ever feel pain. In reply, Jesus says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). That includes hunger and suffering, if God wills it.

Next, the devil took Jesus to the holy city and up to the pinnacle of the temple. After all, Jesus said that He would live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, so the devil would give Jesus words from the mouth of God, words from the book of Psalms. In Eden, the serpent had only single, simple command to skew, but now he had a whole Old Testament’s worth of material to twist.

Don’t miss the very spiritual markers in this second temptation. They’re in the holy city, at the temple, the place of sacrifice, intercession, and forgiveness. And they’re talking about Scripture. This is an important place where Christians are tempted. God’s Word is so simple and clear, but listening to it, understanding it, and living by it are not easy tasks. We don’t help ourselves when we intentionally avoid or forego things like Sunday School and Bible study. We don’t help our children when we fail to read or pray with them at home on a regular basis. When we don’t know Scripture, when we don’t commit it to heart or know basic Bible stories, we make it all too easy for Satan to ask, “Did God really say?” We must repent.

But Jesus was not so easily fooled. Satan twists Scripture, but Jesus is the content, the source and purpose, the living and beating heart of Scripture. Jesus would not, did not, and will not doubt. “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test,” he said (Matt. 4:7). Simple.

For the final, desperate temptation, the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and promised Him honor, glory, power, and dominion – if only Jesus would fall down and worship him. There are two parts to this. First, this temptation builds off of the previous one. Who is the ‘Lord your God’? Is it the one, true God, our Father who art in heaven? Or is the ‘lord your god’ something else? Satan knew who Jesus was. Perhaps Satan even suspected, in part, what Jesus had come to do. The second part of this temptation is that Satan wants Jesus to buy all the kingdoms of the world apart from the cross. “Just worship me, Jesus. You don’t have to suffer. You don’t have to die. You don’t have to sacrifice Yourself for ungrateful sinners. You just have to bend the knee.” So simple. So easy. Why not?

But Jesus would not bend the knee. He did not take the easy route. He was presented food but clung to God’s Word. He was challenged about God’s Word and quoted it back better to that ancient liar. Finally, Jesus was tempted to take divine glory from all the kingdoms of the all the world, but He would not worship or listen to anything or anyone other than His heavenly Father.

Why does all this matter to you? On one hand, we can say that Jesus lives the perfect life that you can’t. This is something in theology called the “Moral Theory of the Atonement.” In a nutshell, Jesus lives the perfect moral life that you never could. This is important, for sure, but I don’t think it’s the most important part of this text on this Sunday.

More important is the acknowledgement of temptation and sin in this world. We all hope and trust that God is ‘better’ than us, however you want to say that. But is there more comfort in God’s power and sovereignty, or in God’s suffering and passion? If you rely on God’s sovereignty, then why doesn’t He just snap His fingers and make all your problems go away? Doesn’t He have the power? Wouldn’t that be so simple and so easy for everyone involved? But God doesn’t do that. You still have temptations. You still have failures. You still have sin. What comfort is there then?

“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” (Heb. 4:15). Here’s the comfort: Jesus knows, understands, and sympathizes with each and every one of your temptations. When you are tempted, don’t give up like someone who’s already defeated. Instead, know that you’re being tempted by someone who has already been defeated. “Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not we fear no ill; they shall not overpower 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 can fell him” (LSB 656:3).

When you sin, when you are tempted, repent. That’s the Christian life. Repentance is so simple. Not easy, but simple. When you repent, you don’t face your demons alone. Instead, they have to face Jesus alone. So let repentance be daily. Daily repent and cling to the simple words and water of your baptism, where the demons were cast out and the Holy Spirit entered in. Cling to God’s Word and from it learn how Jesus has triumphed. Cling to the cross, to Jesus’ death and resurrection. That’s where He fully and finally silenced Satan.

[1] Martin Luther, “Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent” in A Year in the Gospels with Martin Luther vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2018): 359.

Pastor Schultz Trinity Lutheran Church Paola, Kansas

Pastor Schultz
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas