MATTHEW 18:1-11 No thief or murderer would sit still while the police were surrounding his hideout, ready

to storm in with a battering ram and take him into custody. So we are in no way surprised that Satan fights mightily against Jesus. Jesus has invaded Satan the strong man's castle and stolen from him his possessions, the souls of people whom God by Holy Baptism has delivered from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the Son of his love. Satan fights with all his might; he is filled with fury, for he knows that his time is short. But in this battle, in which our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, there is an army that fights for us. That army is the archangel Michael and the holy angels. The angel Secret Service forms a phalanx of protection around us Christians, especially around our little children. Each of us has angels assigned to us personally, to guard us from the devil and his demons, who seek to lead us away from Jesus by deceiving us, and leading us into false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins. But Jesus already has conquered the devil. One little Word can fell him. Jesus spoke that little Word on Good Friday. From the midst of the gloom that veiled the skies oer the dreadful sacrifice, Jesus speaks the little Word that sends Satan screaming and scrambling in defeat: It is finished. The Holy Scriptures tell us that Michael the archangel defends Christ's church, especially at times when powerful forces of Satan and men in league with Satan are allied against Christ's kingdom. Just at the moments when it seems the Christian Church is on the very edge of annihilation, St. Michael swoops down from God's throne room in heaven to preserve, protect and defend Christ's endangered little flock. You are a member of Christs flock, for Christs name has been placed upon you at the baptismal font. God has adopted you as his child. But just as Satan hated Jesus, the Son of God, and tried to destroy Jesus even in his cradle, so Satan tries to destroy you. Satan is the Herod and the Pharaoh, who wants to kill you, and who wants to kill your little children, physically, but especially spiritually. So Satan fills the world with people and with things that lead you into sin. These offenses must come, says Jesus. We will not be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease. Contrary to Joel Osteen and every false teacher who peddles the snake oil that Christians will be healthy and wealthy, the world is our enemy. This fallen world is the devils ally. Temptations to sin are so serious and so numerous that we may have to resort to great lengths to fight and overcome temptation. We may have to radically amputate things that cause us to sin. Jesus tells us: If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. Now, Jesus isnt literally telling us to cut off body parts. After all, a blind man can still sin, and a man with no hands can still sin. What needs to be cut off is not a hand or a foot. What needs to be plucked out isnt an eye. Our sinful heart needs to be cut out of us. The heart that is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked must be plucked out of us. And Jesus the Great Physician has performed that surgery for us. He has removed from us our

heart of stone and given us a heart of flesh. He did this heart transplant in Holy Baptism. Through the Gospel connected with the water, Jesus forgave you all your sins. The Holy Spirit came to live in your heart, to make you a living temple, in which God dwells. Satan cannot dwell in Gods temple. But he will do all he can to defile the temple. He will tempt you to offer the parts of your body in slavery to sin. He will tempt you to commit the sins in which the world delights. Chief among these will be sins of sexual immorality. Sins of sexual immorality grieve the Holy Spirit of God. They defile the temple of your body. Our young people are especially subject to these temptations. Remember, Jesus has told us this morning that Satan especially aims his attacks at our children, whom Jesus calls the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Little children are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven because they have a trusting, child-like faith. Their human reason doesnt get in the way of their trust in Jesus. This is why they are role models of faith for every one of us. Christian, pray that you may be blessed by Jesus with the faith of a little child, which clings to Jesus and to every Word Jesus says, without letting grown up human reason get in the way of trusting every Word that God says in his Word! Our little children need the strength Jesus provides, so they can remain faithful to Jesus. Jesus provides the full armor of God through his Word and Sacrament. Parents, you are guilty of an extremely serious sin when you fail to bring your children to Jesus in the water of Holy Baptism. Baptism should never be delayed. Jesus pronounces his goosebump inducing condemnation against anyone who keeps a little child from Jesus, or who causes a little child to fall into sin: It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. All who keep their children from the water of baptism will wish that they could be immersed in the ocean to hide them, rather than face Jesus wrath on Judgment Day. Do not delay to have your child baptized promptly. Do not for any reason fail to bring your child regularly to hear Gods Word in church, in Sunday School, and in catechism classes. We often hear parents say, Im not going to give my child any Christian instruction. I dont want to ram religion down my childs throat. Ill let him decide what he wants to do with it when hes older. That is thinking direct from hell! All who think or say this are agents of Satan. God has commanded parents to bring up their children in the nurture and instruction of the Lord. It is spiritual child abuse to keep your child from hearing Gods Word. It is worse than withholding food and water from your child. Withholding food and water will only kill the childs body; withholding the food and water of Gods Word will kill a childs soul. Jesus doesnt want that to happen to any of his children. For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost. His great love for his Father and for us moved him to become a little child in Bethlehem, so that he could obey the Law fully in our place. His love moved him to remain at the temple for three days when he was 12 years old. He kept the Third and Fourth Commandments for all the sins of spiritual neglect you have ever committed. He suffered and died on the cross to cover our sins with his precious blood. He descended into hell and proclaimed his victory over Satan. He rose from the dead to proclaim his victory to us. He provides his church with pastors and teachers to administer his Word and Sacraments to strengthen and preserve us in the true faith. Those are the words from Jesus youre about to hear at his altar. His body and his blood will strengthen and preserve you in the true faith unto life everlasting. Jesus body and blood, which you are about to eat and drink, assure you that you have the victory over Satan and the spiritual forces of evil which Jesus won for you.