“Satan Our Adversary, Christ our Advocate” 1 Peter 5:6-11, June ’14 Easter 7A

1.            Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The message from God’s Word this 7^th Sunday of Easter is taken from 1 Peter 5:6-11 and is entitled, “Satan our Adversary, Christ our Advocate,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.            Do you wonder why your life is often a struggle? Do you wonder why your problems don’t just vanish even though you go to church and pray? Do you groan because of the carelessness, lovelessness, or recklessness of people in your family? Do you wonder why you still find certain sins so fascinating even when you’ve been burned by them before? Well, says Peter, wake up and realize what you’re up against in your life: you have a fearsome enemy, one of the greatest of the spirit world, a dragon whose spiky tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky, that is, seduced other angels to join his rebellious conspiracy as Revelation 12:3-4 tells us. What a dreadful thought—this evil, worldwide, powerful spirit is committed to dragging you off to hell too.  Satan is indeed our adversary who is out to harm us.

3.            How sad it is then that there are so many people today who deny the Devil’s existence.  During the Middle Ages, the common people were aware of the presence and power of the supernatural. They were especially sensitive to the reality of the Devil and sought ways to attack him where he’s most vulnerable. After determining that Satan’s pride was a good avenue of attack, the Evil One was routinely depicted as having horns, cloven feet, and other such things that we normally associate with cartoon illustrations of the Devil today. It was thought that these caricatures would weaken Satan by deflating his pride.

4.            Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the origin of this depiction of the Devil and, having seen only this silly illustration of Satan, don’t take him seriously at all. This is the first mistake we can make whenever we consider the Devil. For as today’s passage indicates, the Evil One is real indeed, and he’s looking for those whom he may devour.  1 Peter 5:6-11 says, “⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ⁸Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

5.            We can also make the mistake of ascribing too much power to Satan, viewing him as if he is a being on par with God. But, Scripture knows no such dualism. Compared to our Creator the Devil is nothing — merely a creature who is subject ultimately to  God’s rule and reign as Job chapters 1 & 2 tells us. Nevertheless, the Evil One is mighty and we shouldn’t underestimate him.

6.            The Bible gives us significant information about the nature of the Devil. He’s our Adversary (1 Peter 5:8), the chief enemy of God’s people and therefore the archfoe of God. Satan is crafty and subtle (Gen. 3:1a).  The Devil tries to emphasize what God has forbidden rather than the true liberty found within the boundaries of His law James 1:25. Jesus says that Satan our Adversary is the “father of lies” (John 8:44) who tempts us to believe our desires should always take first place and that we have every right to throw off God’s rule. Finally, Satan is powerful, more than a match for even the great Simon Peter when the apostle placed confidence in himself as we read about in Luke 22:31–34,54–62.

7.            But here’s the good news: Jesus our Advocate, the descendant of the woman, prophesied in Genesis 3:15 in the Garden of Eden, has crushed the serpent’s head. Despite the Devil’s strength and our relative weakness, in Jesus our Advocate, we have all we need to ward off the Devil’s assaults. Satan’s power to accuse (that’s what the name devil actually means) is broken, for Christ has forgiven all sin. Satan’s power to control and manipulate is broken, because the Holy Spirit lives in us through His Holy Word and Sacraments and shares his strength with us. And now comes the great promise—Jesus our Advocate shares with you his power to rebuke Satan, and Satan has to obey you! As James says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (4:7). One little word can indeed fell him, the word of the gospel, that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Stand firm in that faith, and remember that as you suffer, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with you. And when you are suffering and being tempted by the
Devil, remember that your brothers and sisters in faith all over the world are suffering too as they wait for Christ to return and create a new heaven and a new earth.

8.            But, when you’re suffering and being tempted by the Devil, maybe there are those times that you feel that Jesus your Advocate is far away from you and unable to help you.  Do you remember Monty Python?  In the classic comedy movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, King Arthur and his knights aren't exactly models of courage and stamina. When confronted with a threat, they flee. "Run away!" they shout to each other.

9.            We just celebrated the Ascension of our Lord Jesus into Heaven.  Does Jesus’ Ascension make you feel He "ran away" from a messy world full of pain and problems? Not at all. Jesus’ ascension capped off everything that he had accomplished. It wasn't a retreat, but rather the royal procession to his heavenly coronation as King of kings and Lord of lords. From his throne above he now rules over all things to bless and benefit the believers. 

10.        Jesus’ ascension guarantees that our prayers will be favorably received.  It means that we have an Advocate to the Father to speak on our behalf for our good.  Hebrews 4 tells us, "Since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

11.        Though temporarily absent in body, Jesus is always with us in spirit.  In fact, He’s physically present with us in His body and blood in the bread and the wine in the Lord’s Supper to give us the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation we need to support us against the attacks of the Devil, our Adversary. And, Jesus will return to earth the same way he left. In the meantime, he wants us to know he's in charge. He's here. He cares. He helps.  The same God who called you to eternal glory through the gospel will not let your sufferings go on one minute longer than he allows, and he already has his plan of relief ready to go. From God’s point of view, your sufferings last just a little while, for at just the right time our loving Father will come with strength and restoration.  Thanks be to God that we have an Advocate to God our Heavenly Father, who fights for us and has defeated the old evil foe, the Devil our Adversary.  Praise God that Jesus lives and rules and reigns to all eternity!  Amen.