Rev. Dr. Joel D. Biermann
Psalm 143: 3, 9, 12
June 25, 2017 3rd Sunday after Pentecost
Do Christians have enemies? As you think about that, consider our text. David, it seems, had enemies. So, did St. Paul; he was even able to name names of his enemies in some of his letters. Early Christians knew that they had enemies: you can spot your enemy rather easily when he’s trying to toss you into the arena with lions. Martin Luther was quite clear about the enemies he had to battle as he fought to make the gospel clear. Ask any of these people who their enemies were, and they wouldn’t need to think twice. There was no question about it. So, why is it that so many Christians, today, are so often hesitant to name their enemies, or even to admit that they might have an enemy? If I were to ask you who your personal, day-to-day, enemies were, many of you would probably give me a surprised or maybe a confused look. “Enemies? I don’t have any enemies!” Somehow, it just doesn’t seem right for Christians to have enemies. It’s true of course, that the Bile tells us to do our best to get along with everyone, and we’re instructed to pray for and even to love our enemies. But this hardly equates to not having any enemies, actually it’s worth remembering that to love an enemy, you’ve got to have an enemy. The consistent assumption throughout the Bible is that God’s people are going to have enemies. There will be those who are bent on the destruction of God’s people. Which means, of course, that you yes, even you, have enemies.
Now that’s it’s OK to admit that you have enemies, be careful, though, not to be too hasty trying to single out those enemies. You might end up labeling the wrong people as your enemy. Your enemy is not the guy in the oversized SUV who forces you onto the shoulder as you try to merge onto I-64. Your enemy is not the boss with high expectations that even cut into your time away from the office. Your enemy is not the neighbor with the dog who barks around the clock, or the rooster who crows with abandon, whose car is always parked in front of your house, or whose lawn never gets cut when it should. Your enemy is not your spouse who gently but consistently helps you remember that bad habit you are trying to break, or who points you in the right direction when you just want to feel sorry for yourself. Your enemy is not your parents who keep tabs on you and work hard to stay involved in your life. Your enemy is not your child who challenges almost every word out of your mouth.
It’s a sorry reality that we too often spend too much time, energy, and thought plotting and fighting desperate battles against people who aren’t our enemies at all. Your enemy is not someone who does something you may not like, or who puts you in uncomfortable situations. And your enemy is most certainly not someone who is trying to help you become more and more what God wants you to be. Your brothers and sisters in Christ are never your enemies. They may disagree with you, and even oppose your ideas, plans, and agenda, but other Christians are not ever your enemy. None of these people are your enemy because none of them is bent on your eternal destruction. None of them really wants to see you go to Hell. But your true enemy does. Your enemy is God’s enemy. Your enemy is Satan himself.
But, of course, Satan doesn’t fight alone. There is more than one name on the list of those who are enemies of God’s people. Satan has a demonic host at his side, along with countless flesh and blood incarnations of those who share his goals and seek the downfall of Christian people. And, yes, sad to say, there are even times when fellow believers are deceived and end up playing a role in some sinister game hatched by Satan. There are times when other believers, even other members of your own family become tools of Satan and actually attack you and your faith. But, those temporary agents of Satan aren’t the real enemy. The real enemy, the one who rages against you simply because you belong to Christ, is Satan. He’s the one you need to resist. He’s the one you need to fight. Before you throw yourself into battle against your enemy, make sure you are fighting the right enemy. The church endures far too many casualties from friendly-fire. Marriages turn into an ugly business when husbands and wives square off, each convinced that the other is the enemy. Families become bloody battlefields where the wounds are self-inflicted. Don’t turn your weapons on your friends and allies. You need to keep the real enemy in your sights.
Satan has so many agents at work in this world. Elected officials, popular celebrities, successful writers, even fellow employees, Satan has warriors among all of these groups. Some of them are intentional and obvious in the battle they wage, others are more subtle. You need to pay attention to all of them and be aware of their work. To deny their existence is to be lulled into a false sense of security; and this breeds an apathy and nonchalance that are devastating. A country at war lives with a heightened sense of vigilance and purpose. A soldier preparing for battle is keenly alert, muscles taut, every nerve on edge. Failing to recognize the enemy leads to carelessness and vulnerability. Christians cannot afford to think that they have no enemies. Satan and his forces are much too real to ignore. You must engage the enemy.
Be careful, though. Don’t make the mistake of only looking over your shoulder or behind the door, or in the ranks of professors, politicians, or the press to find your enemies. Don’t think for a minute that your enemy is only somewhere “out there.” No, your enemy is closer than you might expect. Your enemy is uncomfortably, frightfully near. If you’ve been to Disney’s Magic Kingdom, you’ve been to the Haunted Mansion, which is less frightening than it is entertaining—except for the very end of the ride…you know, that part when the deep voice reads the script through the speaker in your own personal “Doom Buggy” and warns you about the possibility of “hitch-hiking ghosts.” About that same time your car is twisted toward a wall of mirrors, and of course, there in your own buggy with you is one or two holographic ghosts riding along. But, the intriguing, potentially disarming, and maybe even frightening thing happens when the ghost that is seen reflected in the mirror is inadvertently superimposed right on top of a real person in the car. The ghost and the guest are indistinguishable. It’s a startling and an accurate image.
There is abundant truth in the old adage from the Pogo comic strip: “We have met the enemy and he is us!” You know it is true. The enemy who seriously threatens your relationship with God, the enemy that is often most detrimental to your continued life with Christ, is your own flesh. King David had many wild and dangerous adventures during his life. He took on many enemies. But who was his worst and most deadly enemy? It wasn’t Goliath. David was not on the precipice of Hell as he strode into battle against the giant Philistine…on that day, he was just fine—spiritually secure, he was trusting in God completely. Saul was not David’s worst enemy either. David wasn’t far from God or fleeing from God’s grace as he was on the run from Saul and hiding in the caves of the Judean wilderness. During those hard days, David was praying incessantly. And, David’s faith wasn’t fading fast as he fled Jerusalem during the rebellion led by his own son, Absalom. Even then, David was turning to God and praying and thanking God for his mercy. No, David’s greatest danger came when no one was coming after him with weapons drawn and when no one was conspiring against his reign in Jerusalem. It was during his self-created mess with Bathsheba and her husband Uriah, that his own flesh led him away from God into the deepening trap of ever-expanding sin. Then, David was in real danger. That’s when his relationship with God was on the line. It was during the disastrous days of willful and unrepentant sin that David was in great peril. His relationship with God dried up, and he was rushing forward at full speed on the highway to hell. It was his own flesh that almost destroyed him. The enemy that most needs to concern you is the same. “I have met the enemy, and he, and she, is me.” You have met the enemy, and he is you. You are the one with the black hat. The most dangerous incarnation of Satan is your own sinful flesh. The identity of your enemy is clear-cut: your enemy is you.
David pleaded with God. He ardently prayed for the destruction of his enemies. “In your unfailing love, silence my enemies,” he begged God, “destroy all my foes.” God answered that prayer. He answered it, finally and fully on Good Friday. The battle was waged in David’s own city. And just outside the city’s walls, the fight was finished. David’s greater heir, David’s Lord fought the battle and won. He smashed the head of the serpent. The enemy was destroyed. The old dragon slain. That’s what happened on the cross on that Friday. And now, the same fate awaits every enemy. Jesus the conqueror of Calvary, is not finished fighting. No enemy is going to survive. Jesus, the rider on the white horse in John’s Apocalypse, is king of kings and lord of lords, and he boldly goes into battle and utterly destroys every enemy of God’s kingdom.
So it is that Christ who vanquishes the old evil foe, will also lay low the old Adam the old Eve in each of us. He is going to conquer your sinful flesh. It will happen He has promised it. The flooding waters of Baptism will tumble down over your corrupt, sinful nature, and the familiar and foul old enemy will be drowned finally and forever. No enemy can survive a fight with the dragon-slayer of Calvary. He conquers every foe—those without, and those within. So, pray with David for the downfall and the destruction of your enemies. And know that when you pray it, you are praying also for the destruction of your own sinful flesh. It is a prayer that God will certainly answer. He will destroy every enemy. He will destroy your own flesh…only to make you brand new again on the Last Day.
You know who your enemy is. You know where the black hat belongs. You know that your own worst enemy, the one who threatens to drag you away from God is the one who lies within you. A glance in God’s mirror, the law, always confirms the truth. Look in the law’s mirror and you will see that the black hat rests on your own head. Like it or not, you do know your enemy. But, you also know the one who conquers, the one who rides the white horse and overcomes all the black forces of Satan and hell and your own dark sinful heart. You know your Lord, your Protector, your Victor, your Warrior, your Hero, your conquering King. You know Jesus, and before him, no enemy can stand. Amen.