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Escape – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity

1 Corinthians 10:6-13

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.” 8We 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.

When you’re nearing the end of a task or a project, that’s not the time to get lazy, sloppy, or careless. As you get near to the goal, you need to pay close attention to what you’re doing and finish strong and make sure that you are doing things right. You’ve maybe seen replays from football games where a receiver or kick returner makes an amazing play, outruns the defense, and is about to cross the goal line. But he starts celebrating a few inches too soon and drops the ball right before the endzone. That one, careless act erases everything that he did before.

Well, here, Paul says that the end (τέλος, ‘the completion’) of the ages has come (1 Co. 10:11). And remember, he’s saying this to Christians nearly 2,000 years ago. Since it was true way back then then, it’s even truer now. Paul is encouraging us to finish strong and cross the goal line. He says, “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall,” (1 Co. 10:12). In other words, don’t fall away, don’t fumble the ball, when you are so close to Christ’s return.

Plain as day, Paul tells us exactly what might drag us down and cause us to fall. In the opening verses of 1 Co. 10, he invites us to think about all the ways God’s people sinned, rebelled, and were judged after God had delivered from slavery in Egypt. He reminds us how they fell into idolatry, sexual immorality, and grumbling, causing them to be destroyed. Paul says that those things took place as examples for us.

Even though they had had God’s protection under the cloud, even though they had God’s miraculous deliverance and passed through the sea, even though they were all baptized in the cloud and in the sea, even though they ate the same spiritual food we eat and drink the same spiritual drink we drink – even though they had all those blessings from God, they were overthrown. So, Paul warns us to not be like them. To not be idolatrous, going after our own golden calves, and to not indulge in sexual immorality. To not put Christ to the test and become destroyed.

We need to learn from their example so that we don’t stumble and fall into temptation and sin right before the end of the ages. Christ is returning, and we need to persevere. If you think that you stand on your own, repent. You’re in big trouble and are about to fall (1 Co. 10:12).

Paul concludes here in v. 13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. But 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.”

So according to Scripture, we need to learn from from the failures of others, because we are also prone to fall. We face the same temptations they did, but God is – and always will be– faithful to provide the way of escape. Often in ways that we don’t expect.

Everyone faces the same temptations. Now, being tempted is not a sin. But coveting is a sin. That’s why God gives us the final two Commandments about coveting. Coveting is the stealth bomber of sin. It flies under the radar of your conscience. Your conscience usually detects the sins that you commit in an outward way. But the sin of coveting is committed in an inward way.

You might feel guilty about replying to your spouse or someone else in an angry way that is rude and inconsiderate. But you might not be too troubled about feeling anger if you don’t let that anger out. To be clear, both of those are sins need forgiveness. Both need repentance and faith. But the 9th and 10th Commandments about coveting show that God’s Law governs even our inner thoughts, feelings, and emotions. You’ve heard this before, but it’s worth repeating over and over again. Scripture equates coveting with idolatry (Col. 3:5; Eph. 5:5).

Coveting is, basically, saying, “God, You messed up. That thing over there should be mine over here.” When we realize that coveting is idolatry and is how we place ourselves above God, then coveting becomes gross and disgusting. Don’t falsely desire what God hasn’t given you. Let God be God.

So, the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh always tempt us first to covet. They will put things in front of us that we think should be ours. Coveting is the way in which we begin to break any/all of the commandments.

But look closely at verse 13, and you’ll see three comforting truths:

First, the temptations that you face are not unique. Yes, the devil, the world, and our own flesh will individually tailor certain temptations to each of us. But everyone is tempted by the same things. Maybe in different ways, maybe through different processes, but the things that tempt you are the same things that tempt others as well.

Second, God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability. God knows precisely how much weight, how much pressure, of temptation you can bear. Imagine temptations as ropes or chains that the devil would use in order to pull you toward sin. Satan cannot use ropes or chains that are too strong for you. God simply doesn’t allow it. Those chains of temptation will completely snap at the exact weight that God Himself has determined. But also, realize what that means: 

Whenever you or I sin, we aren’t pulled into that sin by forces stronger than us. No. We just didn’t fight back long or hard enough for those cords to break. In other words, when we sin, we jump headfirst into those pits. So, fight back. Fighting temptation isn’t just a mortal combat for your physical life. It’s an eternal combat for your soul. If you want to see the chains of temptation snap, just read Mt. 4 or Lk. 4 to see how Jesus resists the devil’s temptations.

The third promise that God gives here in v. 13 is that God will provide the way of escape. You have an escape out of temptation. Sometimes, people will misconstrue v. 13 and say things like, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” On the one hand that’s true, but it’s only half true. And half-truths are often worse than blatant lies. That phrase places all the weight of fighting temptation on you and your own psychological capabilities. That phrase is basically saying, “You just need to be mentally strong enough to handle it.” Well, God gives something much better than that. He gives a way of escape.

Think of Joseph. Joseph gets attacked by his brothers and thrown into a pit, but Joseph can’t handle staying in the pit the rest of his life. So, God gives an escape, and that escape is that he is sold as a servant to Potiphar in Egypt (Gen. 37:28; 39:1). Later, Joseph can’t handle Potiphar’s wife asking him day after day to fornicate with her. So, God gives Joseph another escape by putting him safely into an Egyptian prison (Gen. 39:7-20).

In Joseph’s life, we see that God causes all things – even things we think are bad or horrible – to work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Ro. 8:28). 

In every temptation, God gives a way of escape. I know that example of Joseph might not be comforting, so think of Paul himself. In 2 Cor. 12:7-10, he talks about having a thorn in his flesh. He prays three times that God would remove that thorn, but God’s response is simply, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

It may be that your escape from temptation is only going to come through other trials, like it was for Joseph. Or, it may be that your escape from temptation is God’s promise of His continual grace, like it was for Paul. But ultimately, your way of escape is coming because Christ is returning.

Believer, Christ is returning to bring you to the new creation. The end/completion of the ages and the resurrection of the body is the ultimate escape from temptation. So, press on in your fight against temptation and sin.

Rose, that brings me to you. Rose, today you are baptized, not just into Moses, but into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now, Rose, you bear His name (Mt. 28:19). Persist. Persevere. Fight against the temptations that the devil, world, and your own flesh will throw at you.

And all you dear saints, you fight too. To strengthen you in that fight, Jesus now invites you to His table. Here, He delivers His Body and Blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of all your sin. Here, you receive God’s grace and mercy. Here, you see God’s faithfulness to you. Resist, fight, flee temptation because the end of all things is at hand. Amen.

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

The Bearing Lamb – Sermon on John 1:19-29 for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

John 1:19–29

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 

24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The first few verses of this text are a little frustrating. A bunch of priests and Levites come to John the Baptizer and ask him, “Who are you?” John answers with a negative statement, “I am not the Christ.” I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation similar to this.

Imagine you’re at, say, your spouse’s company Christmas party. You don’t know many of the people there. You know a lot of names because your spouse talks about all those coworkers, but you don’t really know them. Imagine your spouse is off in a corner talking to those coworkers leaving you with the other spouses of those coworkers. Things are a little awkward, so you try to strike up a conversation with someone. You lean over and ask, “What do you do for a living?” and get the reply, “I’m not the President of the USA.” You’d probably be looking for another conversation. 

That is how John replies. But these priests and Levites have come on a mission. They’ve been sent to figure out just who John is. So, they start aiming at all sorts of targets. “Are you Elijah?” “I am not.” “Ok. Are you the prophet?” “Nope.” “Argh. Who are you? Give us something. We have to give a report.”

Finally, John opens up, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (Is. 40:3). There, John is doing what he was sent to do; he points people to Jesus. And John keeps talking about Jesus like an excited kid, “Among you stands One you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” Then, the next day, John really gets going. He sees Jesus coming toward him and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

That is the most beautiful sermon you could ever hear, but I want to press in on it a little bit more. The words are familiar, but just like all the words of Scripture, there is always more to learn, more glean from those simple words. Today, focus on two of those words “takes away” (in Greek is actually only one word). That translation is a bit vague and nebulous.

You might think that is referring to what Jesus does on the cross, and in a sense, that is right. Jesus brings your sins to the cross and buries them by His death. But what John the Baptizer says here is a lot more specific than our translation makes it sound.

Nearly every English translation uses the phrase, “takes away.” The word there is a common one, and in a lot of places it’s a slam dunk that it means “take away.” In Luke 6:29-30, Jesus uses this word twice. He says if someone ‘takes away’ (same word) your coat, give him your shirt as well, and if someone ‘takes away’ your goods do not demand them back. In the parable of the Sower and the Seed, Jesus talks about the seed that falls along the path and the birds come and take it away (Lk. 8:12).

But this word also can clearly mean ‘to carry’ or ‘bear’ something. Jesus uses it in that way in Mt. 16:24 where He says, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up (there’s the word) his cross and follow Me.” There, Jesus isn’t saying that you should first take away your cross and then follow Him. He means that you pick up your cross, that you bear the weight and load of your cross, and you follow Him. That’s the idea of what John is saying here.

And John uses this word in the present tense. John points to Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who is bearing the sin of the world.” Jesus is the sin-bearing Lamb of God. For about three and a half years, starting at His Baptism and ending on Good Friday, Jesus bore and carried the weight and load of the guilt and sin of humanity.

The Bible talks about your sin and my sin in a lot of different ways: darkness, death, blindness, slavery, debt, alienation from and animosity toward God. The Bible talks about your sin being dirty, stinky, rotten. But here sin is described as heavy, as a weight bearing down on your soul (see also Heb. 12:1). The sins you and I have committed and the sins that have been committed against you, Jesus bears and carries them all.

Maybe, you remember the third verse of the hymn “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” 
“And ye, beneath life’s crushing load
whose forms are bending low,
who walk along the climbing way,
with painful steps and slow,
look now, for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing;
O rest beside the weary road,
and hear the angels sing.” 

I just wish that verse was a little more clear about why those glad and golden hours come. They come because Jesus, the Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world, has lifted that crushing load. He has taken those sins and carried them.

That load of sin, that crushing burden, is taken from you by Christ. If you read on after our text, you’ll hear why John can say this. John saw the Spirit descend like a dove and remain on Jesus at His Baptism (Jn. 1:32). From that experience of being the one who Baptized Jesus, John knew that Jesus was the One whom God had promised would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). John knew that Jesus was the scapegoat who would bear and carry the sins of all humanity into His grave (Lev. 16:21-22), which is now and forever empty.

John knew Isaiah’s message that God would send One who would bear our griefs, carry our sorrows, and have the iniquity of us all laid on Him (Is. 53:4-5). That One is Jesus. He is the Lamb of God who bears and carries the sins of the whole world.

This call from John is for all of you, for your hears to hear, “Behold the Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world.”

You see, your sin, my sin, all sin, has a place, a location. Sin is either on you, and you have to bear and carry its guilt for all eternity, or that sin is on Christ, the Lamb of God, who has already borne it for you. Why, why, would you keep carrying it? You can, sadly, you can continue to carry your sin. If you refuse to believe in Christ, that burden can remain on you. But that would be, frankly, foolish. Jesus has carried it for you. Believe that, and be unburdened. Through faith, your sin is on Christ, and you are saved.

Dear Iris, today you are Baptized. Today, Jesus has joined you to Himself by placing His name upon you (Mt. 28:19). Iris, Jesus, the sin-bearing Lamb of God, has lifted that burden and has now clothed you in His righteousness (Gal. 3:27), and you have been born of God (Jn. 3:3, 5). Iris, continue believing that.

Iris and all you here, know and believe that God is for you. He is on your side. Christ has done what you could not do for yourself. He has borne your sins. He bore, carried, and dealt with them once for all, for you. 

So, be unburdened, Jesus has come to save you by being the sin-bearing Lamb for you. Amen.

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