Monthly Archives: August 2021

The End of Judgment – Sermon on 2 Chronicles 28:8-15 for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity

2 Chronicles 28:8-15

8 The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria. 9 But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven. 10 And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your own against the Lord your God? 11Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.” 

12 Certain chiefs also of the men of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war 13 and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the Lord in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” 14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly. 15 And the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

To get at this text, we need to set the scene. The first three kings to rule over God’s people were Saul, David, and Solomon. King Solomon wasn’t that great, though. Despite all the wisdom, wealth, and fame that God gave him, Solomon went after the pagan gods of his many wives. So, God tells Solomon that He will take away the kingdom from Solomon’s son, Rehoboam (1 Kgs. 11:9-13). After Solomon’s death, God’s people were split into two kingdoms. There was the kingdom of Israel in the north who had wicked, unfaithful kings. And there was the kingdom of Judah in the south who had some kings who were faithful to God, but also many who were wicked. And, I have to admit, this time of the divided kingdoms is a confusing time.

All of 2 Ch. 28 is about the reign of Judah’s most wicked king, King Ahaz.[1] (And don’t confuse Ahaz with wicked King Ahab who ruled Israel about 140 years before Ahaz ruled Judah. Like I said, it’s hard to keep everything straight with two kingdoms and similar names.) Ahaz was the twelfth king of Judah and his reign began about 200 years after Israel and Judah split. During his reign, King Ahaz made sacrifices to all sorts of false gods. Scripture says he made these sacrifices under every green tree (2 Ch. 28:4). He even burned his own sons in an attempt to appease these false gods (2 Ch. 28:3). Because of his wickedness and idolatry, God sent judgment upon Ahaz and Judah through the kings and armies of Syria and Israel. These two armies came and killed 120,000 of Judah’s men of valor in one day (2 Ch. 28:5-6).

God brought this judgment upon the people of Judah so they would repent of their sin. Hosea, who was a prophet during the time of King Ahaz, wrote, “Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn us, that He may heal us…” (Hos. 6:1a). Dear saints, God sends judgment and punishment so that we repent and return to Him. Remember that in times of pandemics, economic trouble, terrorist activity, and when our soldiers are killed.

Now, beyond the 120,000 soldiers of Judah who were killed, the kingdom of Israel also took captive 200,000 men, women, and children and took much spoil and brought them to Israel’s capitol city which was Samaria.[2] The Israelites planned to make these captives their slaves. They were treating their relatives the same way barbarian people would treat their enemies. In the minds of these Israelites, the devastating judgment that God had doled out on the battlefield wasn’t enough. They planned to pour on more judgment by taking the people of Judah as their slaves and plundering what God had left them after their defeat.

But this obscure prophet of God named Oded stands up and basically says, “Listen, you Israelites, the reason you defeated Judah was that God was judging them through you. But now you plan on making your relatives, these fellow children of Abraham, your slaves. This is a bad idea. You Israelites aren’t any better than the people you have defeated. You have your own sins to repent of. The battle is over. Stop pouring out judgment. Send these people back before God turns His judgment upon your own heads” (2 Ch. 28:9-11).

You see, what Israel was doing to Judah happens all the time in our day. You turn on the news and see a person who was caught in some sin. Judgment has been poured out upon him – either through the court system or through that sin being made public. And what happens? Everyone starts pouring out more judgment by making that sin more public and mocking and ridiculing that person. It’s like social media was made for this very thing. God allows a sin that someone committed in the dark to come into the light, and everyone jumps on and does everything they can to spread that sin farther and farther. We see how far we can go to ruin that person’s life. We loot and pillage whatever hasn’t already been taken from that person – make him lose his job, take his friends away, and turn his family against him. We don’t think that the punishment God poured out on the battlefield was enough, so we do everything we can to add to that judgment. And we do this because we think it makes us look more righteous. We spread the sins of others as far as we can to distract from our own sins. 

My fellow failures, repent. We are all guilty of this. Any time we gossip we are doing this very thing. And I hope and pray we are all tired of it. May our conscience be a little Oded on our shoulder telling us to knock it off and repent instead of pouring out more judgment once the battle is over.

James 1:20 says, “[T]he anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” No matter how mad you get at the sins you see in this world, that anger does not make you righteous. That’s why we get so tired trying to make ourselves righteous; we know our little judgment doesn’t actually accomplish anything.

So, what does produce the righteousness of God? It’s the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus and His holy and perfect blood, shed for you on the cross. Christ takes all the wrath and judgment that our sins deserve to His grave, and in return He gives us the holiness and righteousness that God requires.

The voice of Oded prevailed in our text. The four guys mentioned in v. 12, whose names I won’t butcher again, they used the spoil that had been taken to clothe, feed, anoint, and return their kinsfolk to their home. These good Samaritans are a little picture of what Jesus, your Good Samaritan, does for you. Christ is your Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:23-37) who sees you in the ditch – bruised, bloodied, and left for dead. And in His mercy, He looks on you and pours out His love and forgiveness.

Dear Syrus, that brings me to you. Syrus, today you are Baptized. Today, Jesus has joined you to Himself. Through the waters that God placed upon your head, God clothed you in Christ (Gal. 3:15). Jesus saw you beat up by the guilt of your sin. But Christ cleaned your wounds by this washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Tit. 3:5-6). And Jesus has carried you to the inn of His Church where He has set up an all-expenses paid account where you are cared for until He returns.

And to all you dear saints, this is true for you as well. Remember that. Remember especially that whatever care, compassion, and healing you need is already paid for by Christ. And now, Christ has called you to be merciful as He has had mercy upon you (Lk. 6:36). In our Gospel lesson (Lk. 10:23-37), after Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan, He tells the lawyer, “You go, and do likewise” (Lk. 10:37).

That’s a tough calling. There will be times when, instead of being like the world and piling judgment upon judgment, you pour out the mercy that Christ has first given you. The world will see this and take advantage of you and that mercy. But don’t let that stop you from being merciful. Don’t become embittered when they harm you and try to leave you in the ditch again. Remember the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Don’t go back to your judgmental ways. 

Yes, being merciful costs you, but your account is fully covered so you don’t have to pay a thing. Instead, you can be merciful because you live in the all-inclusive inn of the holy Christian Church fully and completely paid for by your Savior who has shown you His mercy and will cover every expense for the love and care and healing and nurturing you need, from now until the day you depart this veil of tears.

Yes, there is an end to judgment, but it is only found in the mercy of Christ, your Lord and Savior. For that, God be praised. Let’s run now to His table and receive that mercy. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] See also 2 Kings 16 for more about King Ahaz’s reign.

[2] Most of the time you come across the name ‘Samaria’ in the Old Testament, it is referring to the capitol city of Israel. In the New Testament, it usually refers to the geographical region surrounding Samaria.

Confidence, Glory, Boldness, & Freedom – Sermon on 2 Corinthians 3:4-18 for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

2 Corinthians 3:4-18

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 

7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This text is all about the two main doctrines (or teachings) of Scripture: the Law and the Gospel. Whenever you read the Scriptures, Law and Gospel is what you should be looking for. Put simply, the Law tells you what you must do or be judged and condemned by God. The Gospel tells you what God has done for you in Christ to forgive you for all your sins against God’s Law. Luther once put it beautifully, “The Law says, ‘Do this,’ and it is never done. [The Gospel] says, ‘Believe this,’ and everything is already done.”

Now, this text doesn’t specifically call these two doctrines ‘Law’ and ‘Gospel.’ No, this text is a lot more colorful using other terms for Law and Gospel to describe what they do and are. So, look through the verses quickly again. In v. 6, Paul calls the Law ‘the letter’ that ‘kills.’ In v. 7, Paul calls the Law ‘the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone.’ In v. 8, the Law is called ‘the ministry of condemnation.’ In v. 14, the Law is called ‘the old covenant.’ All of these terms for the Law give us a picture and understanding of what the Law does to us. In short, the Law is exposes that we are sinners who deserve nothing but death, judgment, and condemnation from God who is our holy and just Creator.

But now, listen to the terms Paul uses to for the Gospel. In v. 6, Paul calls the Gospel ‘the new covenant… of the Spirit who gives life.’ In v. 8, it is called the ‘ministry of the [Holy] Spirit.’ In v. 9, Paul says that the Gospel is ‘the ministry of righteousness.’ So, if you want life, righteousness, and freedom from sin, you don’t look to the Law. You look only to the Gospel.

But the main thing this text is showing us is just how glorious the Gospel is by comparing the glory of the Law with the glory of the Gospel.

With that in mind, let’s consider what happened when God gave the Law on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 20). Back in Exodus 19, we hear how God instructed His people to prepare themselves for the giving of the Ten Commandments. Around three months after the people had left Egypt (v. 1), God had the people consecrate themselves for three days (v. 11). God instructed the people to set up a fence around Mt. Sinai so that no one – neither man nor beast – could touch the mountain (v. 12). The third day came with glory. There was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud descended on Mt. Sinai. There was a loud trumpet blast that caused all the Israelites to tremble (v. 16). God descended on the mountain in fire, and smoke went up like a kiln. The ground was trembling, and the sound of the trumpet kept getting louder and louder (v. 19). Moses went to the top of the mountain, and God spoke all these words:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before Me….

“Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy….

“Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

“Thou shalt not kill.

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.

“Thou shalt not steal.

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s” (Ex. 20:2-17).

In this way, God spoke His perfect will for His people, and the people responded to that glory with fear and terror. They asked that Moses would speak with them instead of God (Ex. 20:18-20; Dt. 5:22-33; and 18:15-22). When God gave the Law, His people, who were sinners, were terrified in their conscience. They were confronted with the sins they had committed. And they understood that they were under the curse of death.

When Moses came down with the Ten Commandments written by God’s finger on stone tablets, the people saw that Moses’ face was shining. Exodus 34:29-35 tells us that his face was shining was because he had been talking with God. Whenever Moses would speak with God, he would remove the veil, and after Moses told the people what God had spoken, he would put the veil back over his face again.

So, the Law came with a glory and that glory continued to radiate from Moses’ face, but that Law brought fear and terror. It brought knowledge of God’s wrath. The Law commands and forbids, terrifies and threatens, curses and condemns.

Now, you have called me here, and God has sent me, to be your pastor. Part of that calling is for me to proclaim the Law to you. That means I have to tell you, people whom I love, things that you probably don’t want to hear. I’ve been called here to tell you that the way you handled yourself in that argument with your spouse was wrong. That you are making mistakes raising your children. That skipping church for your kid’s tournament is making an idol out of your kid and making that sport an idol for your kid. God has sent me here to tell you that you are sinfully disrespectful and rude toward your parents. That even though other people laugh, your jokes are inappropriate. That the way you talk about others when they aren’t around is sinful. That you drank too much. That you should have looked away from that show, that movie, that image. That your desires are wrong. And all these sins bring nothing but misery, destruction, and God’s wrath and judgment (Ro. 3:10-18). And I need to hear that as much as you do.

Now, we need to be absolutely clear here. The Law doesn’t condemn and judge us because the Law is bad. No. The Law is good. The Law is the perfect expression of God’s holy will for your life and for my life. The reason the Law brings condemnation and death is your sinful nature – yours and mine. The Law doesn’t causeyour condemnation; instead, it simply reveals it. Yes, the Law came with glory, but it is a glory that consumes and undoes us, like it did to the prophet Isaiah (Is. 6:5).

But there is hope for us sinners because there is something more glorious than the Law. Peter, James, and John saw the glory of the Gospel as it was manifested on the mountain of transfiguration. As those three heard Jesus talk with Moses and Elijah about His exodus the disciples were afraid, but Peter understood and confessed, “Lord, it is good to be here” (Lk. 9:30-33). The Gospel came with glory as Jesus was enthroned upon the cross. The earth trembled as Christ breathed His last and gave up His spirit. The tombs were opened and the dead were restored to life (Mt. 27:50-52). The Gospel came with glory when Christ rose from the grave as the angels proclaimed His victory over death and hell (Mt. 28:1-6). The Gospel came with glory when it spread to all nations on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was given, and people saw tongues of fire on the disciples and heard the mighty, glorious acts of God – the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name, salvation, and eternal life (Act. 2). 

Again, the Law tells you exactly what you must do to have eternal life (Mt. 10:17-19; 19:16-19), but the Law doesn’t lift a finger to help you do it. That is why, as your pastor, I am here to proclaim the Law and the Gospel. Because while the Law only condemns and accuses, the Gospel runs to you with rescue and help from heaven. The Law leaves you sinking in your sins, but the Gospel takes hold of you and lifts you to firm, solid ground. The Law leaves you naked and cold, but the Gospel clothes you with the glorious robes of Christ.

The Gospel is higher and more glorious than the Law. The Gospel declares that Jesus has finished His work to save you, and His work can’t be undone. He has taken upon Himself all the burden, all the punishment, all the wrath of God that your sins deserve. Yes, you still feel the burden of your sin, but your sin doesn’t belong to you anymore. It belongs to Christ. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29) – that includes your sin as well. Now, you belong to Jesus. You are safe in Christ, and you are sufficient as you stand before God. You are not in yourself but in the sufficiency that Christ has won for you. Yes, the Gospel is higher and more glorious than the Law, and we can see that in how each was given.

But what might be the greatest and most glorious distinction between the Law and the Gospel is what Paul says in v. 11 – that the Law passes away while the Gospel remains forever. “For if what was being brought to an end came with glory,” and I can’t for the life of me figure out why our text uses the word ‘was’ there. It is in the present tense. And let me paraphrase v. 11 to make it absolutely clear, “For if [the Law, which] is being brought to an end came with glory, much more will [the Gospel which] is permanent have glory.”

Dear saints, once the Law has done its work to show you what you deserve from God, you can flee from the Law to the light of Jesus who gives you what you do not deserve – mercy, forgiveness, freedom, and eternal life. God gave the Law to chase you to Jesus, who is your refuge and strength. And safe in Christ, the Law cannot touch you. You are free, totally and absolutely free, from the Law’s judgment and condemnation.

Dear saints, because of the Gospel, you are in Christ. You now behold your Savior in His glory with unveiled face. You stand in awe of your God (Is. 29:23). You have freedom. You are being transformed into the image of Christ. Because of Jesus, and Him alone, you can be confident. You share the glory of Christ. Live boldly because of what He has done for you. Live in the freedom you have as a child of God. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Justified – Sermon on Luke 18:9-14 for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

This sermon was preached at the 2021 East Grand Forks’ Heritage Days community church service.
Because the service was held outdoors, the audio quality is sub-par.

Luke 18:9-14

9 [Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

A Pharisee and a tax collector go up to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee assumes a posture that we would recognize as prayer. He stands off by himself. He is likely looking up in thankfulness to God, but his eyes are busy scanning the other worshipers in the Temple, and his eyes look down in contempt for those who are there.

Now, we need to be careful about our animosity toward the Pharisee because he is simply doing what you and I do all the time. Remember, Jesus repeatedly warns against becoming like the Pharisees (Mt. 16:6-12; Mk. 8:15; Lk. 12:1), and Jesus wouldn’t give these warnings unless it is actually easy to become like them. But why is it easy? Why are we in danger of becoming like Pharisees?

Well, when we see others sin and when we notice the results of those sins, it confirms that good, upright behavior is beneficial to us and those around us. The stuff God calls us to do in the Ten Commandments is really good stuff, and your life is much better if you live according to God’s Commands. Think about it. When people commit adultery, do their lives get better or worse? Of course, they get worse. When people steal, they are more likely have their things stolen. If you deal drugs, your odds of getting shot, robbed, or thrown in prison are much higher.

The reality is that God didn’t just come up with a set of ten arbitrary rules. Instead, the Ten Commandments are written into the fabric of creation. When you go against the natural laws that God has woven into creation, it isn’t going to go well for you or for those around you.

And just a little side note here: Christians, we need to stand firm on the truths of the Commandments – especially that it is good to live in obedience to them. It is not loving to condone or promote the sins of others. When there is sin, we should speak of it as sin. We need to lovingly show how it hurts the individual committing that sin and how it harms those around that person.

But when you do that, you will face hostility. The world is likely going to throw Jesus’ words in your face about the speck in your neighbor’s eye and log in your own eye (Mt. 7:3-5). But don’t let them take those verses out of context! Remember, Jesus says to first remove the log in your eye so that you can see clearly and remove the speck in your neighbor’s eye. Jesus wants eyes to be free from both logs and specks. And Christ, in His mercy, has purchased forgiveness through His death and resurrection. In other words, when you point out someone’s sin, always do it in a way that points them to the freedom from and forgiveness of sin that comes only through Jesus. Amen?

Back to the Pharisee: He is there in the Temple praising himself and his own good works rather than praising God. This is so ludicrous! The Temple is the very place where God said that He would dwell with His people in order to forgive their sins. When King Solomon prayed at the dedication of the Temple, he said six times that when God’s people prayed toward the Temple that God would hear their pleas and, in His mercy, would forgive (2 Chr. 6:12-42).

But there, in the place of forgiveness, this Pharisee doesn’t want forgiveness because, in his mind, he doesn’t need forgiveness. Instead, he wants recognition, he wants accolades, he wants God’s applause. His prayer is nothing less than, “Hey, God. Look at how great I am.” Not even, “Hey, God. Look at how great You have made me.” God gets none of the credit from this Pharisee. His prayer is one of the most self-centered, self-interested, self-idolizing statements in the Scriptures.

Now, let’s consider the tax collector. The tax collector, when he looks at himself, sees nothing good, nothing worthy, nothing laudable. So, there is nothing for this tax collector to ask God for except mercy. Our translation records his prayer as, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” But this translation is weak on two points. First, it is not just ‘a sinner’; in the original Greek he says, ‘the sinner.’ The tax collector doesn’t know about any sins except his own. Second, the translation of his prayer, ‘be merciful,’ falls a bit short here.

Throughout the Gospels, many people call to Jesus, “Lord, have mercy” (Mt. 9:27, 15:22; Mk. 10:47; Lk. 17:13). That is always an excellent prayer. Praying, “Lord, have mercy,” is asking Jesus to do exactly what He has come to do. But what the tax collector in this parable actually prays is something similar but importantly different. The tax collector prays to God (lit.), “Be propitiated to me, the sinner.”

You get to have a little vocabulary lesson today. The noun ‘propitiation’ and the verb ‘propitiate’ have never been commonly used in English, but it is an extremely important Scriptural word and concept. To ‘propitiate’ means to make an atoning sacrifice. And the tax collector prays that God would be made the atoning sacrifice for him.

Remember again, this tax collector is praying in the Temple courtyard. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this word, ‘propitiation,’ was also used for the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant – the place where the high priest would sprinkle the blood on the Day of Atonement and where God promised to meet with His people (Ex. 25:22; Lev. 16). The tax collector prays that God would do that forgiveness, that mercy, that cleansing to him.

Scripture goes on to teach us that Jesus is the place where God makes the atoning sacrifice. Christ is the real mercy seat. 1 John 2:2 says, “[Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” So, when the tax collector prays, “God, be propitiated to me, the sinner,” he is praying that God would be reconciled to him by the blood of Jesus. And that is why the tax collector, who is the far greater sinner, goes home justified rather than the well-behaved Pharisee. He looks to God in faith and asks God to be exactly who God has promised to be – a merciful, forgiving God.

So, what should we learn from this parable? Of course, this parable teaches that the worst of sinners can go to heaven. We know this, but unfortunately, we can grow a little numb to it. But the main reason Jesus tells this parable is to destroy any self-righteousness and contempt we would have against other sinners.

Christ wants us to recognize are not better than other people, but, because of our sinful nature, we are always tempted to be like the Pharisee thinking the worst of others and imposing our conceived motivations behind others’ actions so we can look down on them. Stop it. Repent.

Maybe that waitress who seems to be annoyed with you was in court fighting to keep custody of her children and away from her abusive boyfriend. Maybe that driver who is completely incompetent behind the wheel is on his way home after watching his mother die. Maybe that rude, intrusive, foul-mouthed kid on the playground hasn’t gotten any love or attention from his parents in months. Don’t look down on them and treat them with contempt.

But we should also take this a step further. Remember, Jesus told this parable to those who trusted in themselves and treated others with contempt. We are so sinfully arrogant that we often take pride in being humble like the tax collector. We are mistaken if think, since the Pharisee’s pride condemns him, that it is the tax collector’s humility that sends him home justified. Too easily we switch out the good works that the Pharisee mentions – his upright living, his fasting, his tithing – with the tax collector’s humility.

When we do that, humility becomes just another good work, and we begin boasting about our humility. We quickly swap the Pharisees’ prayer with our own version, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men, self-righteous, pretentious, holier-than-thou types, or even like this Pharisee. I’ve given You my heart, dedicated my life to You, and made You my Lord.” Stop that too! A person’s humility is not what merits or earns justification.

The point Jesus is making in this parable is to not look to yourself at all. Don’t try to find some super spirituality inside of yourself – whether it’s good works or humility. The thing, the only thing, that the tax collector looks to is the mercy of Christ.

Dear saint, you look there too. Look to the cross. Look to the blood of Jesus shed for you on Calvary. Look to His death. Look to His resurrection. Look to His ascension. And know that Jesus promises that all of that is for you. Through Christ – and through Him alone – you are redeemed, forgiven, and sent to your home justified. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

This sermon is a reworked, revised, and merging from sermons preached in 2019 & 2020.

Instructions for the End of the Ages – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The first five verses of this text remind us that God is gracious to sinners. Paul invites us to think back to when God delivered His people out of slavery in Egypt. God protected His people from the scorching heat with the cloud. God Baptized His people in the Red Sea as He delivers them out of slavery and destroyed their enemies. And, just as an aside, please, note that. Paul calls the crossing of the Red Sea the Baptism of God’s people, and God didn’t demand that the infants be left out of that Baptism. A whole lot more could be said about v. 2, but we’ll leave that for another time.

God provided mana for His people after He delivered them from slavery. That heavenly bread provided for their physical bodies, but it also provided for them spiritually, teaching them to trust that God would provide for them each day. During the Exodus, God provided physical water for His people to drink, but it was also a spiritual refreshing. God does all these things, but then we come to a shocking statement in v. 5, “Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased.”

Do you remember how many of the people who passed through and the Red Sea actually reached the Promised Land? Only Joshua, Caleb, and those who were under twenty years old when they first spied out the land (Num. 14:20-35). The rest died in the wilderness as they were forced to wander for 40 years because they didn’t believe that God would bring them into the land of Canaan. But even before that happened, there were problems. In this text, Paul refers to five different times the people were tempted and rebelled against God.

The first temptation Paul mentions is in v. 6 when the people “desired evil.” It is a reference to what happened right after the people left Mt. Sinai, there were some who were tempted to go back to Egypt so they could eat meat and cucumbers (Num. 11:4-5, 31-34). I mean, seriously, cucumbers? Those foods were not evil in and of themselves. The problem was the people’s desire to go back to Egypt which meant slavery. They preferred going back to slavery over continuing to eat the food God was daily providing for them in freedom.

The second temptation to rebel that Paul refers to is the idolatry of the golden calf. The people made sacrifices to the idol and “sat down to eat and drink rose up to play” (1 Cor. 10:7, quoting Ex. 32:6). God came close to wiping out all the people, but Moses interceded for them. And God heard Moses prayer (Ex. 32:9-14).

The third temptation to rebel that Paul mentions involves sexual immorality. In Num. 25:1-18, God’s people tangled themselves up in the pagan, idolatrous, and adulterous practices with the people of Moab, and God struck down 23,000.

The fourth and fifth rebellions Paul mentions come in v. 9. The people put God to the test at the waters of Massah and Meribah (see Ex. 17:7; Dt. 16:16) when they complained that God had simply delivered them from slavery in order to kill them with thirst. And, finally, when the people complained about food again and God sent fiery serpents among them (Num. 21:4-6).

In each of those five instances, we are to see how God deals with His people who sin when they face temptation. In each of those instances, God responds with both judgment and salvation. Paul says that all five of these temptations and failings of God’s people are included in Scripture “for our instruction” and are an example for us so we are warned against falling into sin when tempted.

Because we live at the end of the ages, we need to take care that we do not become complacent or arrogant like they did. When we face the same temptations that God’s people faced during the Exodus, we need to remember that God does not let sin go unpunished. Dear saints, we can fall from grace, and we do not know when Christ will return. Because the Last Day is immanent and because we can fall from grace, we need to resist and fight against the same temptations that the Israelites faced during the Exodus.

Dear saints, this text doesn’t really have any Gospel. Don’t get me wrong, there is comfort for us here. But this text is mainly instruction for us who live at the end of the ages. So, what instructions and encouragements are here to prepare us to fight against temptation and our fallen flesh?

First, we see in all five examples of temptation, rebellion, and sin, many Israelites fell, but God always kept some from falling. In each instance, God, in His mercy, tried to save all. The only ones who fell were those who despised God’s Word and promises.

Everyone faces the same types of temptations that the Israelites faced in the Exodus. Everyone lusts – maybe not after the exact same woman or man – but everyone in this fallen flesh lusts. Everyone is tempted with anger; everyone is tempted with being untruthful; everyone is tempted with evil desires, covetousness, and idolatry; etc.

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability.” Ultimately, every temptation would be unbearable apart from God’s grace. But the ability to resist those temptations and the ways to escape sinning when tempted comes from God when we ask Him for it. That’s why v. 12 precedes v. 13. “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Because everyone is tempted, be empathetic to those who are struggling with temptations. They are being tempted by some sin you are also inclined toward, and a little bit of sympathy can go a long way to help them resist falling into sin. Everybody is suffering and struggling with sin and temptation. All Christians are bearing crosses and pain as they struggle along in this life.

The second lesson we have here is that God knows exactly what temptations you face, and He always provides a way of escape from those temptations. There is sort of backwards comfort in the fact that God knows how disgusting and selfish you are, but He loves you anyway. You can be comforted with the knowledge that you aren’t really worse than anyone else. And the best comfort this text offers us is that God always provides ways of escape.

The third lesson in these verses is that you do not have to sin when you are being tempted. You can resist your temptations and overcome them. Temptations are going to come. Jesus says in Lk. 17:1, “Temptations to sin are sure to come.” Luther was once talked about how temptations are inevitable and offered a helpful analogy. He said, “You can’t stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from making a nest in your hair.”

In light of that, let me give you a bit of advice. Think of it as a friendly suggestion. Don’t make a law of this. If it’s helpful, great; if it isn’t, don’t worry about it. Here’s the advice:

Know what your sins are and do your best to confess them individually. And please, don’t misunderstand me here. You can’t confess every sin; that’s impossible. Ps. 19:12 says, “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” In other words, you are not able to recognize absolutely every sin you commit, but God hears your pleas for mercy and answers with more grace than you have confession. Please hear that again. God gives more grace (Jam. 4:6) than what you individually confess. But the sins you know and feel in your conscience, confess them individually.

Doing this will help you recognize the moments you face the greatest temptations and fail. When you do let the bird build a nest in your hair. Confessing individual sins can help you recognize if there is a pattern of being in a situation and falling into sin. Whe you see those patterns, avoid those situations. This is good and holy work that God has given you to do.

Those are the instructions and comforts. First, God deals with both judgment and mercy with those who fall into temptation, and we should too. Second, God provides ways of escape from temptations. Third, you do not have to sin; you can fight against it.

Now, it’s time for Gospel. Remember how Jesus has taught you to pray. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches you to first pray for forgiveness then immediately pray that your Heavenly Father would not lead you into temptation. Jesus teaches you to pray this because you cannot do it yourself. Remember, Christ has been tempted in every way that you are – except without sin (Heb. 4:15). And because of the cross, God recons Christ’s righteousness and obedience as your righteousness and obedience.

Dear saints, the temptations you face are real. The sins you continually fall into are damning. Yet, God’s grace covers a multitude of sins.

Your heavenly Father does lead you, and He will never lead you into temptation (Jam. 1:13). Today, He has led you here to hear His Word. He has led to you confess your sins. God has led you to trust His forgiveness proclaimed to you for every one of your sins in the Absolution. And Your heavenly Father is leading you now to His table where He provides you Jesus’ Body and Christ’s Blood shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.

Dear saints, the end of the ages has come upon us. You and I cannot stand on our own. Let us all approach God’s throne of grace and believe Him when He says that His steadfast love never ceases and His mercies never come to an end. That love and mercy of God is new for you each and every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). And soon Jesus will return and deliver you to live forever with Him. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.