Jesus Has Defeated the Devil and Released Us from the
Bondage of Sin and Death
The devil deceived us, enticing us to disregard and disobey
the Word of God, and driving us to hide “from the presence of the Lord God.”
But the Lord in His mercy promised a Savior, who would set Himself against the
devil on our behalf (Gen 3:8–15). The “stronger
Man” come, the incarnate Son of God, conceived and born of the Woman. He “first
binds the strong man,” Satan, by atoning for the sins of the world, thereby
removing the condemnation of the Law and the fear of death (Mark 3:27). Now He
plunders the devil’s house by calling all men to repent. Though He appears to
be “out of His mind” (Mark 3:21), He fulfills the will of God and makes
of us His own brothers and sisters. Therefore, “we do not lose heart,”
despite the suffering, sin and death that we experience in this fallen world. “He
who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus.” By His grace, we
are “being renewed day by day.” For the Gospel is daily bringing us into
His presence, not for punishment, but for “an eternal weight of glory”
(2 Cor 4:14–17).
Collect for Pentecost 2: Almighty and eternal God, Your Son
Jesus triumphed over the prince of demons and freed us from bondage to sin.
Help us to stand firm against every assault of Satan, and enable us always to
do Your will; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Prayer for deliverance from sin: We implore You, O Lord, in
Your kindness to show us Your great mercy that we may be set free from our sins
and rescued from the punishments that we rightfully deserve; through Jesus
Christ, Your Son, our Lord,
Prayer for pardon, growth in grace, and divine protection: O
Lord, our God, we acknowledge Your great goodness toward us and praise You for
the mercy and grace that our eyes have seen, our ears have heard, and our
hearts have known. We sincerely repent of the sins of this day and those in the
past. Pardon our offenses, correct and reform what is lacking in us, and help
us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Inscribe Your law upon our hearts, and equip us to serve You with holy and
blameless lives. May each day remind us of the coming of the night when no one
can work. In the emptiness of this present age keep us united by a living faith
through the power of Your Holy Spirit with Him who is the resurrection and the
life, that we may escape the eternal bitter pains of condemnation.
By Your Holy Spirit bless the preaching of Your Word and the
administration of Your Sacraments. Preserve these gifts to us and to all
Christians. Guard and protect us from all dangers to body and soul. Grant that
we may with faithful perseverance receive from You our sorrows as well as our
joys, knowing that health and sickness, riches and poverty, and all things come
by permission of Your fatherly hand. Keep us this day under Your protective
care and preserve us, securely trusting in Your everlasting goodness and love,
for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord,
Monday, 4 June 2012—Psalm
28:7–9 ; Antiphon: Psalm 28:6 —Sunday’s Introit is a portion of a
psalm by David, who, in the midst of adversity, realizes that he is unable to
protect and preserve himself. His salvation is dependent on the Lord. Though we
may not be facing the kind of earthly enemies which David did, as sinners, the
preaching of the Law shows us that we are unable to save ourselves from our
enemies: the devil, the world, and even our own flesh. With David, we exult in
the Lord, who has brought us salvation from the consequences of our sin and
continues to protect us from our enemies.
Tuesday, 5 June 2012—Psalm
130 —Psalm is a well-known penitential psalm. The
superscript reads A Song of Ascents; that is, it was sung by pilgrims as
they went up to Jerusalem for a festival observance. By the singing of this
psalm, they reminded each other that, with the Lord, there is forgiveness,
and encouraging one another to hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is
steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption.
Wednesday, 6 June
2012—Genesis 3:8–15 —When
Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, their relationship with God their
Creator changed entirely. No longer did they wish to be in His presence; like
disobedient children, they sought to be anywhere but. Nevertheless, the Lord
sought them out. And when He cursed the serpent and the devil who spoke through
the serpent, He made sure Adam and Eve also heard the blessing—the promise of a
Deliverer, one who would redeem them from the consequence of their sin: I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her
offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. This
promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our Savior, who defeated the devil by His
death on the cross, and claims us as His own.
Thursday, 7 June 2012—2 Corinthians 4:13—5:1 —For the next several weeks,
our Epistle readings will be taken from St Paul’s second letter to the Church
at Corinth. This was a congregation which was beset by many problems; among
them were false teachers in the congregation who questioned Paul’s authority
and used the preaching of the Gospel solely for their own monetary benefit. It
seems that they pointed to Paul’s hardships and tribulations as indicating his
lack of authority. Paul looks past the physical and points to the saving
message of the Gospel. That is what is important: the message, not the man.
Paul looks forward to eternity in heaven, even as he knows that the Gospel will
continue to be proclaimed.
Friday, 8 June 2012—Mark 3:20–35 —Jesus faces opposition from
His family, who think that He is delusional, and also—especially—from the
religious leaders of His day, who accuse Him of being possessed by the devil. Jesus
shows the illogic of their accusation, and then turns the tables: it is not He
that is under the dominion of Satan, but they, for they have rejected the
Deliverer promised in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15 ). The Holy Spirit is sent forth into the world
to proclaim the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ; those who reject Him
blaspheme the Holy Spirit, and consign themselves to everlasting punishment.
Saturday, 9 June 2012—How
are we to withstand the evil schemes of the devil? The hymn of the day, Rise!
To Arms! With Prayers Employ You (LSB #668), gives the answer: Pray to the Lord
that He would give us the strength to withstand Satan. And so He has: we have
the Word of God, the weapon glorious. The Word of God arms us for spiritual
battle, for it tells of Christ, who has already won the victory.
Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia
Publishing House
The Revd Jeffrey M. Keuning, Pastor St John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Csey IA and Zion Lutheran Church., Decter, IA
Artwork by Ed Riojas, ©Higher Things
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