Sermon -- 3rd Sunday in Lent (March 20, 2022)

1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13

JESUS IS THE PERFECT HOPE FOR COMMON SINNERS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     If you had a history teacher with a sense of humor, you may have heard him say, “Those who do not learn history are condemned to repeat it.”  This is true regarding our Christian faith, too.  When St. Paul wrote about the Israelites in the Old Testament, he commented, “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” (1 Corinthians 10:6).  The people St. Paul referred to were not strangers to the Lord and his promises.  They all had the advantage of the Lord’s covenant and care.  Five times, St. Paul noted that they all received the Lord’s benefits.  And yet, “with most of them God was not pleased” (1 Corinthians 10:5).  Understand the history, and heed the warning.

     The history of Israel is sadly redundant.  It is very pronounced in the book of Judges.  The cycle repeats over and over.  Again Israel did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.  So the Lord handed Israel over to an oppressing nation.  After years of hardship, the people of Israel finally cried out to the Lord.  In his mercy, the Lord raised up a deliverer who drove out the invading nation.  For as long as that judge was alive, the people remained faithful to the Lord.  But then the judge died.  They people became negligent.  They did not listen to or follow the word of the Lord.  So, again, Israel did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.  That sad pattern continues through the history of the world.  If you do not pay heed to the lessons of history, you are condemned to repeat them.

     If God’s people in the past could fall away from the faith, God’s people today can also fall away.  There is nothing special about us that sets us free from the temptations that caused the people of the past to fall.  St. Paul wrote, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13).  We are common sinners who endure temptations that are common.  All people are afflicted with temptations no matter what age you live in or what age you are.  Temptations are tailored to you.  You and I might not face the same temptations.  What is a great temptation to me might not bother you at all, and what tempts you might be unappealing to me.  The devil knows our weaknesses and preys on them.  If you are contemplating or drawn to something that you know God forbids, you are not special.  Perhaps not everyone is tempted that way, but you are not the only one who is.  “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

     We are all afflicted by temptations.  The devil continually sows seeds of doubt and deception in our hearts.  He teaches us to question everything about God, his word, his grace, and our place in his kingdom.  He wants us to displace our trust.  He did that with Simon Peter on the night Jesus was betrayed.  Jesus had warned Peter that he would deny him three times that night.  But Peter was so confident in his own strength and faith that he refused to believe it.  He boasted, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”  “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you” (Matthew 26:33,35)!  You know how that evening ended.  Peter’s faith in his own strength proved disastrous as he denied three times that he was a disciple of Jesus.  “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” (1 Corinthians 10:11).  Learn from the history so that you are not condemned to repeat it.

     The fact that you are enduring temptations is not unusual.  The devil tries to deceive you.  Worldly attitudes promote greed, pride, and debauchery.  Your own sinful flesh finds sins beneficial and entertaining.  You give into them because you like them.  You defend them because you don’t want to give them up.  This is common for all people, and we are common sinners like all others. 

     Not only does the devil entice you into great and shameful sins, he will also lead you into despair.  The despair may come from being consumed by your guilt, as it happened with Judas Iscariot after he betrayed Jesus.  Judas’ solution was to kill himself.  If you have ever toyed with that idea, you are not unique.  This temptation is common.  Or despair may come from excessive sorrow over sins, as it happened with Simon Peter after he denied Jesus.  Peter wondered if there was a place for him any longer in the kingdom of God, much less as an apostle.  If you have ever wondered if God really loves you or desires you because of your sins, you are not unique.  That temptation is common, too.  But if you have thought that God is done with you or that you should kill yourself, know for certain that it is not your Lord Jesus Christ who is telling you that.

     “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.  Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12).  When we recognize that the saints of the past fell hard, we should make sure that we have a proper humility about ourselves.  That’s why we begin each Divine Service with a confession of sins.  We do not do it for God’s sake; we do it for ours.  We must never forget that we are common sinners.  We must never forget that we are prone to temptation.  We must never forget that we need a Savior because we have no hope of our own that could save us.  If you confess you are a common sinner, then you have everything in common with the sinners of the past.

     Those who do not learn history are condemned to repeat it.  Like sinners from the past, we too may be tempted to take pride in ourselves—thinking that we will stand firm because of our church attendance, because of our offerings, or because we know how to behave in front of the right people.  While those are good works, they don’t save.  Consider this: Gracelynn cannot boast of church attendance, offerings, or proper behavior.  And yet, she is saved.  That’s because our hope is not in how much we are doing for Jesus.  Our hope is in how much Jesus has done for us.  Jesus is the perfect hope for the common sinner. 

     Jesus is your perfect hope because he knows what it is to be tempted.  The Bible says that Jesus “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).  So, Jesus is sympathetic toward you.  He knows that you are a sinner, but he does not despise you.  He knows your weaknesses, but he does not disown you.  He knows that you have given in when you should have fought harder, but he does not forsake you.  Jesus remains your Savior. 

     Jesus is the perfect hope for common sinners.  What’s more, he extends you a promise through the apostle Paul.  St. Paul assures you, “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” (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Some temptations can be avoided.  The recovering alcoholic knows he cannot go into a tavern.  He may even need to cut ties with old drinking buddies.  But no one can escape all temptations.  Martin Luther compared temptations to birds.  He said, “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.”  In other words, temptations are bound to come, but it does not mean that you have to give into them.  And you should not even give time to fantasizing or them, lest they roost in your mind.  The longer you contemplate them, the more tempting they will be.

     All people have given in to temptation; Jesus is the one man who did not.  He exposed Satan’s lies for what they were.  He rejected Satan’s deceptive reasoning and seductive promises.  He overcame every temptation.  He did this for you so that you can flee to Jesus whenever you are being tempted.  Who better than Jesus to call upon when you are tempted or tormented or troubled?  Jesus is sympathetic to your weaknesses.  He is always a refuge for sinners.  Jesus is stronger than the devil and has overcome him.  And Jesus is faithful to you.  He does not let you try to stand against temptation by your own wisdom and wit, strength and savvy.  He summons you, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15).  If Jesus drove out the demons who physically possessed people, will he not also drive away the demons who tempt and torment you?

     Even if you fall into temptation, Jesus is still the perfect hope for the common sinner.  Jesus is the way out of sin, for he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  All our sins were piled onto Jesus.  The Righteous One was slain on behalf of the unrighteous so that we can stand before God without fear of condemnation.  Jesus endured our condemnation for us when he was crucified.  That is the way out of your sin—through Jesus Christ. 

     Jesus is the perfect hope for the common sinner.  He bestows forgiveness when the word of God is preached, which is why we come to hear it.  He grants new life in the waters of baptism, which is why Gracelynn was baptized and why we have comfort in our own baptisms.  He delivers to you the body and blood which have atoned for your sins in the Holy Supper.  And we have yet one more promise: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  We don’t have to pretend before God.  We don’t have to invent virtues or present resumes.  We can be honest and admit that we are common sinners with guilt that is common to all mankind.  We can do this because we know that we have a merciful God.  He is faithful—he acquits us of all guilt for the sake of Jesus.  And he is just—he will not punish us for sins that have already been paid for.  This is why Jesus is the perfect hope for common sinners. 

     If you do not learn from history, you are condemned to repeat it.  The history of God’s people is that some fall away from the grace of God because they loved their sins and would not repent.  Learn the lesson.  You and I cannot stand on our own.  We fall into sin often.  But the Lord has set us on the Rock that does not move, and that Rock is Christ.  Even if we tremble in weakness or cower in fear, the Rock of our salvation remains firm.  He is your strength, your refuge, and your perfect hope.  The Lord Jesus does not even regard you as a common sinner.  Because you have been baptized into his name, he declares you to be his beloved saint.  This is the grace that allows you to stand before the Lord and to dwell in his kingdom forever.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.