Sermon 10th March 2024 – 4th Sunday in Lent
Text: John 3:14-21 – the sting
of sin.
We have an interesting set of
readings today which are intimately linked but seemingly totally opposite in
understanding. In the Gospel reading we have what would be the most well known
and most quoted bible text – John 3:16. For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him may not perish but may have eternal life. A verse of pure grace of God’s
love without anything required of us. Much like what St Paul says in the
Ephesians reading today: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and
this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- not the result of works, so
that no one may boast.
But, Jesus prefaces his
statement of God’s grace in the Gospel reading by referring to our Old
Testament reading: Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so
must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal
life.
If you’re not that familiar
with the Old Testament and not sure what Jesus is referring to - what a bizarre
story to link with God’s grace. The people of Israel were grumbling about God
and Moses that there was no water or food so the Lord sent poisonous snakes
among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. Wow,
not very gracious. But then, the people acknowledged their sin and asked Moses
to pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us. God commands Moses: Make
a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall
look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a
pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent
of bronze and live.
There doesn’t seem to be a lot
of grace in this situation either as the snakes still bit the people – the
bronze serpent just stopped the venom from killing them. Why didn’t God just
take away the serpents? I guess it’s because it’s a prophecy of what will
happen under Christ. Yes, Jesus will die for our sins and we will receive
healing through eternal life as John 3:16 promises. But the effects of sin will
remain and sting until Jesus returns and finally puts away sin, death and the
devil into the lake of fire as described in the Book of Revelation.
We get a hint of that sting of
sin that remains from St Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 – known as the resurrection
chapter that while death has already been defeated the sting of sin remains. The
sting of the serpent’s bite – the serpent that lured Adam and Eve away from
God’s grace to the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. At
the end of that Chapter Paul writes: When the perishable has been clothed with
the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is
written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O
death, is your sting?” Paul says, the
sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God!
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice Paul talks about
the victory, but victory is over death through Christ that we have NOW, but not
the removal sin’s sting. Listen again: Where, O death, is your victory? Where,
O death, is your sting?” But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn’t mention the removal of the sting of sin but
acknowledges that the sting of death is sin that remains even though we have
victory over death through Jesus’ death.
And so our readings today
focus on trying to walk away from sin which even though as Christians we know
that we are forgiven that sin can still cause its harm in our lives. It is very
easy to trivialize sin as if it’s not really that harmful. And rather than
avoiding sin we can often give in to sin feeling we can just come to God –
confess our sins, receive Holy Communion, and that’s about it. But Paul
particularly speaks about the very active force of sin that is constantly
working to undermine our faith and to undermine our relationship with God. He
says: You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived,
following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the
air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient.
Paul certainly knows the
difficulties in life regarding sin even though he knew he was forgiven and
saved. Remember what he once said: I do not understand what I do. For what I
want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. He also knows that Satan attacks
where we are most vulnerable which Paul calls the passions of our flesh,
following the desires of flesh and senses. That’s where Satan strikes and
stings. Where even the most faithful and strongest loyal Christians have been
lured. And despite a lifetime of service to the Lord with that one indiscretion
have seen their lives ruined – relationship ruined in a moment of passion or
bad decision. And in these days of social media someone will snap a picture and
share it – record it without your knowledge and post it somewhere. And despite
the grace of God that comes through forgiveness – the sting of sin will remain.
So as we continue our Lenten
journey let us remember why Jesus had to take this journey – because of our
sin. Let us never underestimate the damage sin can do to us and others as the
sting of death continues to bite at our heals as did the serpents in our Old
Testament. But let us remember the very first prophecy of grace in Genesis
chapter 3 where God says to the serpent: “Because you have done this, “Cursed
are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between
you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your
head, and you will strike his heel.”
Satan works hard as he
continues to strike our heels but let us remember the victory that Jesus has
won for us as he has crushed the head of Satan. Let us remember that God loves
us so much that he sent Jesus to defeat sin, death and the devil and that
through Jesus: We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ
Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
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