FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT
YEAR B
Old Testament Numbers 21:4–9
Psalm Psalm 107:1–9
Epistle Ephesians 2:1–10
Gospel John 3:14–21
GOSPEL
John 3:14–21
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.8
16 “For God so loved the world,9 that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Malady: We are broken sinners, and we like holding on
to the sins of others.
Means: Christ came into the world to die on the cross
so that he could forgive us our sins.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us
Grace, Mercy and Peace be unto you from God our Father
and Savior Jesus Christ, His Son our Lord.
AMEN
Our Focus for tonight is upon our Gospel lesson and
the Fifth Petition in the Lord’s Prayer
Out of the 4 gospel accounts of Jesus from Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John, we are presented with the last words of Jesus, 7 of
them. Now out of those seven words, we
hear words of Forgiveness and promise.
The Clearest word of Forgiveness
comes after the Roman soldiers had nailed Jesus upon the Cross
Crucifying him with a criminal on his left and a criminal upon his right and a
sign above his head, King of the Jews.
He spoke not in anger but words of forgiveness, Father forgiveness for
they know not what they do. Here Jesus
had the perfect reason to renounce all of the men and women that surrounded him
killing the son of God for their sins against God. But he did not. Would we have forgiven so easily? Humans beings like being able to hold a
grudge, because we do not let go of the sins of others easily. But Christ came into the world to die upon
the cross, not only for my sins but for the sins of all believers. For God
truly did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order
that the world might be saved through him.
Is there someone out there that you cannot stand
because of what he or she did to you?
Someone who was rude to you, that beat you up, did horrible things. Maybe it was someone that deserved to be
punished for the things they did. Maybe
it was because of a fight that you had a long time ago, or even a short time
ago. Is there someone out there that you
are harboring anger against?
As much as we feel like someone deserves what they
get, holding a grudge against them is contrary to what God has done for us,
unlimited forgiveness. We like the three
strikes and you’re out clause, but when Peter asked Jesus, How many times must
I forgive my brother, seven times? Jesus responded I tell you not 7 time, but 70
time 7 times. And when we look at
ourselves and our own track records, If we were held even to a 7 times and you’re
out clause, we would be in deep trouble.
Here again there is great need to call upon God and
pray: “Dear Father, forgive us our debts.” Not that he does not forgive sins
even apart from and before our praying; for before we prayed for it or even
thought about it, he gave us the gospel, in which there is nothing but
forgiveness. But the point here is for us to recognize and accept this
forgiveness. For the flesh in which we daily live is of such a nature that it
does not trust and believe God and is constantly aroused by evil desires and
devices, so that we sin daily in word and deed, in acts of commission and
omission. Thus our conscience becomes restless; it fears God’s wrath and
displeasure, and so it loses the comfort and confidence of the gospel.
Therefore it is necessary constantly to run to this petition and get the
comfort that will restore our conscience.
There is, however, attached to this petition a
necessary and even comforting addition, “as we forgive our debtors.” He has
promised us assurance that everything is forgiven and pardoned, as a result
that we then forgive our neighbor. For if we were to withhold forgiveness, we
would be no better than the servant who was spared from debtors prison by the
king from a great debt, and then immediately went out and beat up a man who
owed him a little, refusing to forgive a little. What arrogance to be forgive of all, but
refuse to forgive another of a little. For
just as we sin greatly against God every day and yet he forgives it all through
grace, so we also must always forgive our neighbor who does us harm, violence,
and injustice, bears malice toward us, etc. If you do not forgive, do not think
that God forgives you. But if you forgive, you have the comfort and assurance
that you are forgiven in heaven—not on account of your forgiving (for he does
it altogether freely, out of pure grace, because he has promised it, as the
gospel teaches) but instead because he has set this up for our strengthening
and assurance as a sign along with the promise that matches this petition in
Luke 6[:37*], “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Therefore Christ repeats it
immediately after the Lord’s Prayer, saying in Matthew 6[:14*], “If you forgive
others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. . . .”
The forgiveness that we speak towards our neighbor
does not come from ourselves, instead It comes through the Power of Jesus
Christ. Christ spoke words of
Forgiveness upon the cross, when we deserved only condemnation. He did not cry out, “Father cast them down
into the pits of fire and hell for they did not listen to me,” Instead he cried
out Father forgive them. Even the
criminal at his side who was being justly punished for his crimes, his earthly
sins was not without the grace of God.
When all others mocked Jesus and called out to him to save himself, this
thief recognized that he was there Justly, but Jesus was there without
sin. His only plea was “Lord Remember me,
when you come into your kingdom.” Here was a man that had no more hope of
earthly redemption, and yet the words spoken by Jesus were, Today you will be
with me in Paradise. It is a clear enactment of John 3:16 and 17, “For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved
through him. The man was already
condemned by earthly authority, was guilty in his crimes, but he repented and
believed in Jesus Christ, and Jesus responded in his full heavenly power, you
shall have eternal life. Sin death and
the devil has been conquer through the cross even for the worst of sinners.
Even though we do not deserve forgiveness, we do not
need to fear for our forgiveness, for God gives it to us through his free
grace, through the Holy Spirit who causes us to believe. Because of this full and abundant grace, we
forgive others because he has forgiven us of everything, and we should not withhold
the grace that God gives freely to us. To
Go be the glory forever and ever. AMEN
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