Look to the Lord and Live! (Numbers 21:4-9)

March 4, 2012

Dear friends in Christ.

Back in 1896 when the first modern day Olympic Games were held, weightlifting was included, though it wasn’t an event in its own right as it is today.  Instead, it was originally held as part of the Field event, which was the predecessor to today’s Track and Field or Athletics event.  Because of this, weightlifting was not regularly a part of the Olympics until 1920, when fourteen nations competed.  Though there have been a number of different types of weight lifting competitions through the years, today there are only two types of lift competitions—the snatch and the clean and jerk.  Though similar, the essence of the snatch is to lift the barbell from the platform to locked arms overhead in a smooth continuous movement, while in the clean and jerk competitors first lift the barbell from the floor to chest height and then lift it up to locked arms overhead.  But regardless of which style lift a competitor is performing, each one knows just how important it is to find a specific point to focus on during the lift, for by looking intently at that single point, a weight lifter is able to focus all his attention on the task of successfully lifting the weight he has chosen to lift.  Well, in our lesson today, our Lord is calling on us to do the very same thing.  He is calling on us to look to him and live.  He is calling on us to move the eyes of our faith from the things of this world and focus them on him so that we might live. 

Look to the Lord and live!  Truthfully, this is all that the Lord really wanted from his people, Israel, as he led them through the wilderness on their way to the land of Canaan.  However, looking to the Lord and guarding their lives against sin seemed to be the very last thing that thing that the Israelites wanted to do.  For as you know, the Israelites were famous for their  grumbling and complaining against the Lord as well as their stubborn refusal to follow his will in just about every situation.  In fact, this is exactly what Moses is revealing to us in our lesson today as he writes: “They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” 6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died." (Numbers 21:4–6, NIV84)

Sadly, it seems that whenever the going got too tough, or the way to the Promised Land was just too long, rather than guarding against sin and following the Lord’s will, the people embraced their sin and complained against him.  It seems that whenever even the slightest thing went wrong the people stopped looking to the Lord and looked at themselves as they complained about the things that they didn’t have.  Yet, before we go and judge the Israelites too harshly, we have to ask ourselves if we are any different than they were.  If we are honest with ourselves, then we will immediately realize that we are no different than they were.  For how often doesn’t it happen that whenever the going gets too tough or slightest thing goes wrong, we, like they, fail to look to the Lord?  How often don’t we fail to guard ourselves against our sins, and begin to complain and wail against the Lord just as they did.

Just think about it.  Though we haven’t had much to complain about when it comes to snow or ice, how often haven’t we been surprised by the cold temperatures and began complaining about them?  Or how often don’t we complain about traffic and road construction?  How often don’t we complain about mosquitoes, lady bugs, and box elder bugs?  How often don’t we complain about taxes, insurance, and the costs of prescription drugs?  How often don’t we complain about our jobs?  How often don’t we complain about our homes, or our friends, or our families?  How often don’t we complain about our church, or our pastor, or our childcare, or each other?  How often don’t we complain about our synod schools, or our synod officials.  In short, How often don’t we fail to guard our lives from sin by complain about anything and everything that crosses our minds?  How often don’t we have opened the floodgates and allowed our sins to pour out before the Lord our God?  So often we have failed to guard our lives from sin and have failed to look to the Lord who saves us! 

In fact, if there ever was a people who deserved the Lord’s wrath more than the Israelites, it is us.  If there ever was a people who deserved the Lord to unleash poisonous serpents in their mist, then we would have to stand up and declare that we deserve it.  For the truth is, even though we know exactly what the Lord’s will is for our lives, we have done the exact opposite on just about every occasion.  But even though the Lord has not sent poisonous snakes among us to chastise us as he did with his people, he still uses the tool of his law to turn us back to him.  Sometimes all it takes is the prick of our consciences constantly reminding us how we failed the Lord before we turn to him in repentance.  Sometimes it takes the heavy hand of his commandments pressing down on our backs before we recognize what we have done.  But then there are the times that it takes the full 16 ton weight of God’s Law falling on us and crushing us to the ground before like so many of the Warner Brothers cartoon characters before we realize how we have completely failed to look to the Lord and guard our lives from sin.  But even though it might take the full weight of God’s Law to crush us to dust and make us realize how horribly we have sinned against the Lord, when that realization finally comes, it is the Lord who gently speaks to us and tells us, “Turn to me for forgiveness.  Look to me and live!

Look to the Lord and live!  Turn to the Lord for forgiveness!  These two short phrases form the point of what the Lord was saying to his people when he sent the poisonous snakes among them.  For in the same way that he sometimes crushes us with the full weight of the Law, the Lord intended to crush his people with the full weight of the consequence of their sin, and recognize it they did.  When the people saw how those who were bitten by the snakes died, they quickly realized their sins and turned to the Lord for forgiveness as Moses tells us, “The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived." (Numbers 21:7–9, NIV84)

When the Israelites turned to the Lord for forgiveness, the Lord not only forgave them; he also gave them tangible assurance that if they looked to him in faith they would live.  This is why the Lord had Moses set up the bronze serpent for the people and tell them that if they were bitten, they could look at this snake and live.  He did this to give them a visual reminder of what faith was all about.  For just as the forgiveness of sins came to the people Israel through faith in the Lord God, healing from the fatal snake bites came only from looking at the bronze serpent with their eyes, and looking past it, with the eyes of faith, to the Lord so that they might live.

We have the same assurance from the Lord our God today!  For when we realize the enormity of our sins against the Lord and turn to the Lord for forgiveness, it is the Lord who says, “Look to me and live!”  For in the same way that the Lord gave tangible assurance to the Israelites of the forgiveness of their sins, the Lord has given us the same tangible assurance of the forgiveness of our sins through his Son, Jesus Christ our Savior.  For in the same way that Moses lifted up that bronze snake in the desert, so also has God the Father lifted up his Son, Jesus Christ, in the desert of Golgotha, for the forgiveness of all of our sins.  In the same way that those who looked at that snake with the eyes of faith lived, we who have been bitten by the poisonous vipers of our sins, and have been crushed by the full weight of God’s law, have looked to the Lord our Savior, and have lived.  We have looked to the Lord our Savior who was lifted up on the cross, sacrificed for our sins, and raised to life on the third day, and we are assured that we have received the forgiveness that he won for us.  Now, whenever we look at the cross, we don’t see a broken and dying Savior, but we see the Savior who conquered sin and death by his death and resurrection.  Now, when we look at the cross, we don’t see a device for execution, we see a symbol of comfort and hope.  For whenever we look at the cross, we see more than just two pieces of wood.  We see our Savior to whom we turn for the forgiveness of sins.  We see our Lord to whom we can look and live.

What a great comfort it is for us to look to the Lord our God and focus the eyes of our faith on him.  For in the same way that weight lifters focus all their attention on a single point so that they might successfully lift the weight they are lifting, we who now look to the Lord in faith know that we will live.  Though we may not always be successful at guarding our lives against sin, we know that when we turn to the Lord in repentance he will forgive us, and having been forgiven, we will seek to look to him once more so that we might continue to live for him.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

Behold the Champion of the World! (Mark 1:12-15)

February 26, 2012

  

Dear friends in Christ.

This summer the eyes of the world will turn to London as champions from every nation on earth gather to compete in the games of the 30th Olympiad.  Each athlete will come prepared and ready to give everything they have, to leave it all out on the field, in the hopes that they might have the opportunity to stand on the victor’s platform, have the gold medal placed around their necks, hear their national anthem played, and receive the title of “Champion of the World.”  Though I’m not certain that Champion of the World is an official title for the winner of the gold medal, if you think about it, the title is indeed fitting.  For the goal of each national champion who competes in the games is to come home with the gold as the champion who beat all the other champions; the champion who has become the champion of the world.  Well, in our lesson today, we see another champion step into the ring of competition, for we see Jesus as he is about to go head to head with satan for the title of “Champion of the World!”

Now, as we meet Jesus in our lesson this morning, he is willingly stepping into the boxing ring of the wilderness as it were, to go head to head with satan in a 40 day winner takes all battle.  This is the battle royal that took place immediately after Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and the Holy Spirit led him out into the wilderness to be tempted, as Mark tells us in our lesson today: 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. 14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”" (Mark 1:12–15, NIV84)

In some ways the bout that was about to take place could easily be described in the manner of two heavy weight champions approaching the ring to do battle knowing that the winner would be declared champion and take home the belt.  We’ve seen scenes like this countless time in movies, TV shows, and maybe some of you have seen it in person in an actual boxing ring.  We’ve all seen it, the procession of the fighters to the ring.  We’ve seen them in their warm up robs, surrounded by their entourage as well as security.  We’ve seen them walk into the ring, sometimes strut to the ring, with all those people following, often times being led to the ring by the coach.  We are all very familiar with how the announce will excite the crowd as he announces each fighter, which corners they are in, and which is the defending the title.  But today, as our Champion approached the ring of the wilderness, there were no security guards; there was no entourage.  There was only Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit.  Even the announcers were absent from the spectacular battle that was going to be waged here.  Though it is true that God the Father had announced Jesus as his Son whom he loved just minutes before the Holy Spirit led him out, none of the people who had witnessed Jesus’ baptism moments earlier had any clue of what was coming.

Yet this was the way Jesus wanted it.  For it was there, in the wilderness, that our Champion stepped into the ring and went head to head with satan, not just for 15 rounds, but for 40 days; for 960 hours of temptation.  But unlike boxing matches that start so civilly with the ringing of a bell, this fight began as soon as Jesus stepped into the ring.  From that moment on, satan began a barrage of temptations that did not let up or ease off until the very end of the 40 days.  Though we are very familiar with the temptations of turning rocks into bread, throwing oneself off the temple, and bowing down and worshiping satan, which the other Gospel writers include, Mark, by not listing any of the temptations, makes the point that satan continued with one temptation after another for the entire 40 days that Jesus was in the wilderness.  In the same way that a boxer who gains the advantage will continually pummel his opponent until he is knocked out, the ref stops him, or the bell rings, satan came at Jesus with everything he had hoping to knock Jesus out by tempting him to sin.  But our Champion never once gave into any one of the temptations that satan offered, and he won the battle for you and me.

As Jesus went head to head with our enemy the devil, our champion thoroughly and completely defeated satan in the wilderness.  Though Jesus had “weakened” himself, in satan’s opinion by taking on human flesh and blood, our Champion held his ground as a human being, perfectly following and keeping God’s holy law in our place!  Though Jesus had “weakened” himself, in satan’s opinion, by not making use of his divine powers and was tempted in every way, just as we are, he remained faithful to the Lord his God and remained our sinless Savior.  Though Jesus had weakened himself physically by fasting during the 40 days that he was out there, he proved that he was indeed the Champion of the World by sending satan running when the 40 days were over.  Though satan continually popped up during the remaining days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, our Champion never once fell prey to those temptations.  Our Champion won the victory!

Now, if there was ever a fighter who never let you forget that he was the best, that fighter would have to be Muhammad Ali.  For, from what I have come to know about him from TV and the Internet, he was one of the most vocal fighters when it came to the subject of his talent, his style, and his incredible record of wins.  Well, in many ways, this is what Jesus, our Champion, was all about after he defeated our enemy in the wilderness.  For after that battle was over, Jesus came out spreading the news of his victory.  Mark tells us in verse 14, “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”" (Mark 1:14–15, NIV84)

Though Mark skips over almost an entire year of Jesus’ life with these verses, our Champion’s message of victory sums up what Jesus was up to during that time.  For before John was put into prison, Jesus went throughout Jerusalem and Judea preaching and teaching the same message.  He traveled from town to town and village preaching that same message of victory, “Repent and believe the good news!”  No matter where Jesus traveled, he proclaimed his victory to the people wherever he was so that they might put their faith in him and receive the blessings of victory that their Champion had won.

It is this same beautiful message of victory that Jesus, our Champion is proclaiming to us today.  For through these simple words, recorded by the Evangelist Mark, we are assured that Jesus has indeed won the victory over satan for us.  We are assured that though our enemy came at Jesus again and again in the wilderness, Jesus never once fell for the temptations.  We are assured that he won the victory by never sinning.  Though it would be about two more years until Jesus went to the cross, he could rightly tell the people that he had won the victory.  For it was Jesus our Champion who threw satan out of heaven when he rebelled.  It was Jesus, our Champion, who defeated satan in the wilderness.  It was Jesus, our Champion, who defeated satan’s every attempt to steer him off course, and it was Jesus, our Champion who completely won the victory over our enemy when he went to the cross. 

For it was there on that cross that our Champion stood his ground and died to win the full and final victory over satan, forever.  It was there on the cross that Jesus, the Son of God, was rejected by God himself!  It was there, on that cross, that Jesus endured the pain and suffering of eternal damnation as he who is God was cast out of God’s presence!  It was there, on that cross that our God who cannot die, gave his life for sinners, and died to pay the price of our sins!  It was there, on that cross, that Jesus our Champion won the victory over satan forever!  This entire message of victory, which we know so well was wrapped up in the message of victory that our Champion brought to the people of Israel, and this is the message of victory that we now take to the world!

Now that we have been reminded of the victory our Savior won for us, it is our mission to go out and spread that message of victory to the world.  It is our mission to climb up to the highest heights and announce to all the world that Jesus is truly the Champion of the World whose victory over the devil gives all people the forgiveness of sins.  It is our mission to take that message to every single person who does not know Jesus or the things he has done for them.  So let us do just that!  Make the effort this week to tell even just one person about Jesus Christ, the Savior and Champion of the World.  As you talk to your friends and co-workers this week, invite them to come and worship with us next week.  As you sit down to dinner with your families make sure you turn off the TV for even just one meal and talk to each other about what Jesus did for you.  Only don’t do nothing, letting this opportunity pass you buy, rather make it your personal goal that each time you talk to someone, that person will learn about the victory that Christ our Champion won for him and all the world.

Though Jesus didn’t win that title by competing in any type of Olympic games, we know that he is truly our Champion.  For he is the one who went head to head with our enemy the devil, he is the one who won the victory over satan, and he is the who has assured us of that victory so that we, like him, can spread the news to all the world.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN