Sermons for the Month
Tempted to Recall God's Faithfulness
DATE: March 11th, 2007
SERVICE: Third Sunday in Lent
TEXT: I Corinthians 10:1-13“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN Is anyone here immune to temptation? The Apostle Paul would say that's not possible for human beings. Remember his warning from today's second lesson? "So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall." If we are going to be successful as a Christian community, and in our walk as individual Christians, it would be a good idea to be honest about that fact of life. None of us is immune to temptation. In the reading from First Corinthians Paul is warning the Christians at Corinth that temptation is temptation; no one can avoid it. So, he advises, Christians must be vigilant about how they live. To make his point he uses the well-known story of the people of Israel in the wilderness, the accounts of the Exodus provide a warning even to the many Corinthian believers who are not Jews. He reminds them of how God acted so clearly on behalf of the Israelites, using four examples. First there is the fact that as they were brought out of slavery in Egypt, the Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way. (Exodus 13:21) And, as the approached the Red Sea, with the armies of the Pharaoh on their heals, the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the Israelites, protecting them through the night. (Exodus 14:19) Then, Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and (isn't this powerfully poetic language?) the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land so that Israelites could pass through it. (Exodus 14:21) There, Paul says, the people of Israel were baptized into Moses, in other words they were claimed as God's children, and as the story progressed they were fed by the hand of God, just as we are offered food for our faith journeys in Holy Communion. When they were hungry God provided quails in the evening and a flaky substance that was their bread in the morning (Exodus 16:13). And, their thirst was quenched when Moses struck a rock and the water poured out. (Exodus 17:6) Yet, in the midst of all this Divine provision the people doubt God's love for them and ask, "Is the Lord among us or not?" (Exodus 17:7) They enjoyed all the elements of care and safety that God provided, but their faithfulness and devotion to God was weak. So, many of them did not survive the wilderness. (1) Paul then reminds the Corinthians of the negative example that the Israelites set. In spite of God's tangible love - when Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to confer with God - they needed something to sooth their anxiety, so they created a god, a golden calf, to worship. (Exodus 32:1-6) Later, in spite of God's tangible love they worshipped the god Ba'al in the land of Moab and - as we would say today - "hooked up" with the women there. (Numbers 25:1-9) Again, in spite of God's tangible love, the people became impatient on the way saying, "Why have you brought us up out or Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." (Numbers 21:5) And, finally, in spite of God's tangible love Moses called the place where water flowed out of the rock Massah, which means test, and Meribah, which means quarrel, because the people tested the Lord and quarreled with their Provider at the very place of provision. (Exodus 17:7) And those are just a few examples of their lack of faith and devotion in the face of God's tangible love. Isn't that just like people? So, Paul says, don't be too sure of yourselves. You too could profess your faith and loyalty to God, but then be tempted to indulge in anti-God attitudes and behaviors. For this, God has little patience. "So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall." During Lent we are compelled to consider that which makes us uncomfortable, like this warning on temptation from I Corinthians. It's important for us to remember the reason for the warning, the reason Paul brought this up in the first place. If we want to be successful as a Christian community, and as individual Christians, how we live out our faith is important. It's not what saves us, but it is what draws people to us. Yesterday at the Church Council Retreat we did a Bible Study on the early Christian church in Jerusalem as it is described in Acts 2 and discovered that of the five priorities that were practiced by the early church, that caused it to develop into a mature, reproductive congregation, one was outreach. As they heard about Jesus, prayed together and shared their lives in community, the result was outreach. In other words, if people had needs, those needs were met by the sacrifice of others. And, the text says very clearly that the way they expressed their glad and generous hearts created goodwill toward them among those who observed this new body of believers. How they lived as the world watched brought people to them, and God added to their number those who were being saved. (Acts 2:43-47) So, how we deal with temptation is vital, and the first step is to admit that we are tempted. For example, I have to acknowledge that I'm tempted by the desire to be right. In fact, we have a joke among the staff not to question the pastor because she's always right. And, I'm tempted to accomplish all those things on my list, no matter what. Now, both of those behaviors have their advantages, which is why they are so tempting. The fact is, though, that each temptation could get in the way of God's will being accomplished because I'm focusing on my will. You each have your own temptations with which to deal. Are you able to pause for a moment this morning to admit what they are? Like the people of Israel, what are you tempted to worship instead of God? What poor choices do you make in order to be accepted? How do you doubt God's provision and question the direction God is leading you? How do you claim to be loyal and faithful, but engage in anti-God attitudes and behaviors? And, what message does that give to those around you who do not know Jesus, and wonder if you do? As we consider these challenging questions, let me offer some good news through the Apostle Paul. Even though his words seem harsh, he adds a hopeful promise in verse 13. "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it." It's a great verse; it's also one that is taken out of context more often than not. These words are not directed toward those who are going through tough times, like a time of illness, or loss, or some other tragedy. There are many, many other verses in the Bible that address those difficult times. Instead, the issue that this verse speaks to is temptation. Paul is saying, first of all, that whatever testing we may face, whatever comes along that may tempt us to adopt attitudes and behaviors that reject God, it's nothing new. This dilemma is as old as humanity itself. Second, he reminds us that God is faithful even when we are not. And, third, we are assured that as we honestly struggle with temptation, there is a way out, and it has two "faces". One is the face of Jesus, and what we learn from him. The other is the face of the Holy Spirit. We are not on our own; in baptism we received the gift of the Holy Spirit which empowers us to identify and to endure temptation, so that we do not give in to it, and instead walk in the way of our Lord. Then, as we walk, we show that it is possible to turn toward God rather than giving in to our own inclinations, and you can bet that will make an impression. Of course we all are tempted, but the good news is that God is faithful and we have a way out that will, ironically, create a way in to experience God's tangible love.
AMEN
(1) Lent 2007: Bound for Golgatha by Randy Cross, 2006 by Abingdon Press, pgs. 25-28