Lent 3, 2016
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
“God is faithful”
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3) The Lord also spoke to Isaac: “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (Genesis 26:3-5) And the Lord spoke to Jacob: "Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:14-15)
What can we say about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? They are all fathers of the faith and the fathers of the nation of Israel. To all three God promised to bless them, make their family into a great nation, give them a land of their own, and bless all the families of the earth through them. God is faithful. God indeed blessed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God made their family large and great…the Israelites. God blessed all nations through them…the gift of a Savior born in the lineage of King David: Christ Jesus the Lord. God is faithful.
“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness." (1 Corinthians 10:1-5)
God had rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He watched over them, guarded them, and preserved them. He gave them food and drink. He protected them as a great cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He showed them great signs and wonders through the plagues, parting the red sea, providing quail and manna, and water from rock. God blessed these people. He took them to the land He had promised to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. But they did not believe. God would punish these people in the wilderness. For their wickedness they would not step foot in the promised land. But God was faithful. He would still lead their children to the promised land…they would still be given a land flowing with milk and honey. The Savior would still be born.
Though His chosen people would continually fall into disbelief, follow false idols, and reject the true God…God was faithful. Eventually the people of Israel would become so wicked that they were destroyed. Jerusalem and its temple were left in ruins while the people were taken captive by the Babylonians. The nation of Israel would never be the same. But God was faithful. God had promised them a land of their own…that He would bless them and protect them…as long as they remained faithful. While God was faithful…His people were not. While the nation of Israel crumbled…and their land was taken away…God remained faithful, remembered His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…and sent us His Son to be our Savior.
God is faithful in His promises to you. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:21) “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28)
God is faithful in His promises. He promises us eternal life in heaven. He promises us forgiveness of sins and to be with us always. He promises us so many good things found throughout Scripture. He promises us these blessings even as we are unfaithful…just like our spiritual parents…the Israelites. We too doubt our Lord’s promises. We doubt our Lord’s Word found in Holy Scripture. We doubt the miracles He performs daily in our lives. We seek false gods…money, fame, prestige…and other false gods of our wants and desires. We are unfaithful.
As Saint Paul warns us: “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.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 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. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 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." (1 Corinthians 10:7-13)
God is faithful. He has faithfully sent us His Son to be our Savior. Jesus remained faithful unto death on the cross that we would be forgiven. While we are unfaithful Christ is faithful. As we fall into sin Jesus remained sinless. While we deserve God’s wrath upon…Jesus endured the wrath of God that we would be saved. God is faithful. He has sent us a Savior to die for us. Jesus gives us His very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. We have been baptized into Christ Jesus…which saves you…so that we will be raised just as Jesus rose from the dead. God is faithful. We know His faithfulness…as we look to the cross…and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord. God is faithful. He is faithful to His children whom He loves so very much. He is faithful to you…His dear children. Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
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