4th

Sunday in Lent
March 15, 2015

Numbers 21:49
The Bronze Serpent
4
From Mount Hor athey set out by the way to the Red Sea, bto go
around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the
way. 5 And the people cspoke against God and against Moses, dWhy
have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For
there is no food and no water, and ewe loathe this worthless
food. 6 fThen the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people,
and gthey bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 hAnd
the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have
spoken against the LORD and against you. iPray to the LORD, that he
take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the
people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent and set
it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall
live. 9 So Moses made a bronze3 serpent and set it on a pole. And if a
serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
Ephesians 2:110
And you were kdead in the trespasses and sins 2 lin which you once
walked, following the course of this world, following mthe prince of
the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in nthe sons of
disobedience 3 among whom we all once lived in othe passions of
our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body1 and the mind,
and pwere by nature qchildren of wrath, like the rest of
mankind.2 4 But3 God, being rrich in mercy, sbecause of the great love
with which he loved us, 5 even twhen we were dead in our
trespasses, umade us alive together with Christvby grace you have
been saved 6 and raised us up with him andwseated us with him in
the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he
might show the immeasurable xriches of his grace in ykindness toward
us in Christ Jesus. 8 For zby grace you have been saved athrough faith.
And this is bnot your own doing; cit is the gift of God, 9 dnot a result
of works, eso that no one may boast. 10 For fwe are his

4th Sunday in Lent

March 15, 2015

workmanship, gcreated in Christ Jesus hfor good works, iwhich God

prepared beforehand,jthat we should walk in them.
John 3:15-21
And das Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the
Son of Man ebe lifted up, 15 that whoever believes fin him gmay have
eternal life.8
For God So Loved the World
16

For hGod so loved ithe world,9 jthat he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not kperish but have eternal
life. 17 For lGod did not send his Son into the world mto condemn the
world, but in order that the world might be saved through
him. 18 nWhoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever
does not believe is condemned already, because he has not obelieved
in the name of the only Son of God. 19 pAnd this is the judgment: qthe
light has come into the world, and rpeople loved the darkness rather
than the light because stheir works were evil. 20 tFor everyone who
does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the
light, ulest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever vdoes what is
true wcomes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works
have been carried out in God.
A Change in Heart, A Change in Perspective
One Sunday morning, the Lutheran pastor noticed Ole
standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque.
It was covered with names and small American flags mounted
on either side of it. The old Norwegian had been staring at the
plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside
Ole, and said quietly, 'Good morning Ole.'

4th Sunday in Lent

March 15, 2015

'Good morning Pastor,' he replied, still focused on the plaque.

'Pastor, vat is dis?' The pastor said, 'Well, it's a memorial to all
the men and women who died in the service. Soberly, they just
stood together, staring at the large plaque.
Finally, Ole's voice, barely audible and trembling with fear
asked, 'Vich service, da 8:30 or da 10:45?
Perspectives and misunderstandings in all seriousness abound in the
church. Sometimes we are not all on the same page. We miss the
point, the opportunities. Soon these feelings somehow become
complaints and if only-s
Face it, complaining just comes easier. It can be so easy to
complain about our weather, our surroundings, our station in
life, our jobs, our church We dont have a full Sunday school,
our pews are emptier than what they ever have been Wasnt
life so much easier 50 years ago.
We ask each other loaded questions. Call it caf conversations. So
hows it going there Ole? Vell, let me tell ya (NO PLEASE
DONT TELL ME)
Even if we realize that we are one of the richest nations on this
planet, that basically life is not as bad as we seem to see it, that even
though our congregations may be smaller we have a greater chance at
intimately connecting now more than ever before our spiritual
blindness and attitude can surely cloud how we see things. Rather
than seeing the blessings raining down on us we see God as the grand
party pooper, that the Lord is somehow smiting us, that times were
far better years ago.
We fear change more than ever. It takes risk to believe that God is
up to something good and new. It means letting go of something in
order to embrace the new that God has planned. It means listening

4th Sunday in Lent

March 15, 2015

to the voice of God that speaks to our hearts today, Do you trust
me?
The root issue is exposed to us well in the Old Testament today.
The failure to trust God (and Gods intermediary, Moses, is the
basic issue. The aim of Moses was for the people to move forward
trusting that God would keep the divine commitment to lead them to
a new land. When God asks you today Do you trust me?
what will your answer be?
God provided for His beloved people in the wilderness. Food,
shelter, and a hope for a new day and yet they found time to
complain. They didnt like the food God provided. 5 And the
people cspoke against God and against Moses, dWhy have you
brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no
food and no water, and ewe loathe this worthless food. You see we
are bent towards this way of being. In our loathing we miss the
point. We cannot even see the blessings of God raining down
on us in the midst of the storms that beat against the doors of
our hearts.
Its time to allow God to break and mold us, shape our hearts and
renew our minds. We need to be open to how he will use us in new
and exciting ways. Change our hearts O God, make it ever new
may we yield to your guidance kind and Good Shepherd.
APPLICATION
1. Its time to refocus and reimagine what the almighty can do!
When was the last time you were excited about church?
What gets you excited about ministry?
Where do you see God leading us as a parish?

4th Sunday in Lent

March 15, 2015

We need to refocus and look up to the one raised up on the cross

who gave us life. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert
that we may gaze on Christ and LIVE.
And the LORD said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent and set it on a
pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live. 9 So
Moses made a bronze3 serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent
bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
Look on Jesus beloved and LIVE. Not to a system, a denomination,
or social cause, but look on the Savior who died for your sins and
you will live.
2. We are called to preach the only way that grants salvation.
Perhaps overstated this truth of scripture bears repeating today:
8
For zby grace you have been saved athrough faith. And this
is bnot your own doing; cit is the gift of God, 9 dnot a result of
works, eso that no one may boast.
Can you do napkin evangelism? Nicodemus thought that being a
good Jew would yield salvation. Some Christians are still confused
about this reality. That if only work harder, believe better, have
stronger faith, do more acts of social justice that these things
together will add up to something great and grant me eternal life.
Jesus did not die on the cross for this friends. He died for our sins.
Thats it. He did so that the great divide between our old Adam, our
hell bent way of living way find peace with God the Father once
again.
Luther offers this in a sermon based on the Gospel: Christs words
mean: My dear Nicodemus, withdraw your thoughts entirely from
your own legal righteousness and holiness, and that of all other men,
and be careful not to try to enter the kingdom of God by their merit.
All ability of men, no matter how wise, learned and holy they are, is

4th Sunday in Lent

March 15, 2015

of no avail. It is determined with God from the beginning that no

man can enter heaven as he is descended from Adam. Face it we
are in trouble. From the beginning thanks to Adam (origin sin)
and our continued rebellion (sins will still commit) we cannot
earn back our salvation.
3. As Lutherans we have a great opportunity to make room for the
Gospel!
The reminder of the law and its demands is all around us. From the
speeding ticket we may get for going 10 over, the evidence of our
broken relationships, an unkind word spoken in anger, a missed
opportunity. But is that the final word?
And you were kdead in the trespasses and sins 2 lin which you
once walked, following the course of this world, following mthe
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in nthe
sons of disobedience 3 among whom we all once lived in othe
passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body1 and the
mind, and pwere by nature qchildren of wrath, like the rest of
mankind.2 4 But3 God, being rrich in mercy, sbecause of the great
love with which he loved us, 5 even twhen we were dead in our
trespasses, umade us alive together with Christvby grace you
have been saved 6 and raised us up with him andwseated us with
him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming
ages he might show the immeasurable xriches of his grace
in ykindness toward us in Christ Jesus. SIN DEATH AND THE
DEVIL DO NOT HAVE THE FINAL WORDS. DO YOU
RENOUNCE THE FORCES OF EVIL, THE DEVIL AND ALL
HIS EMPTY PROMISES SAY TOGETHER I DO!
Allow the Gospel to wash over you today like a raging flood filling
your broken heart with the promise of eternal life. Hear these words
from Christ in the Gospel today anew:

4th Sunday in Lent

March 15, 2015

16

For hGod so loved ithe world,9 jthat he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not kperish but have eternal
life. 17 For lGod did not send his Son into the world mto condemn the
world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Yes, Jesus loves me he loves you, he loves everyone in Gonvick.
Now lets go share that word!