Fourth Sunday In Lent
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series IV
The people of Israel are fed up with the hardships of
wilderness wandering. They grumble and complain about their food.
This constitutes rebellion against God's and Moses' leadership.
Their disobedience results in their being bitten by poisonous
snakes. Realizing their sin, they ask Moses to pray that God will
remove the serpents. He does not remove them, but he provides a
cure -- a mere look at a raised bronze serpent. God provides a
means of healing from the consequences of their sin.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 2:1-10 (C); Ephesians 2:4-10 (E, L, RC)
This passage deals with the grace of God which comes to us at
a time when we are dead in sin. The Christian is united with the
risen, triumphant Christ whose Father shows him the riches of his
grace in Christ. Grace is what saves us and it is received by
faith apart from works. Yet, we were created in Christ to do good
works.
Gospel: John 3:14-21 (C, E, L, RC)
This lection is of two parts. Verses 14 and 15 constitute
words of Jesus spoken to Nicodemus. Note the question marks at
the close of verse 15. Verses 16-21 are John's commentary. With
the cross in mind, John describes God's love for the world in
giving Christ that the world might be saved. It is his will to
save and not to condemn the world. Yet, some will be condemned
because they reject Christ and prefer the darkness of sin. The
love of God expressed in verse 16 has power to cause us to repent
and believe. Looking at the extent to which love will go causes
us to turn to God.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 (C) -- "O give thanks to the Lord, for he
is good." (v. 1)
Psalm 122 (E); Psalm 27:1-9 (L)
Prayer Of The Day
"God of all mercy, by your power to heal and to forgive,
graciously cleanse us from all sin and make us strong."
Hymn Of The Day
"God So Loved The World That He Gave"
Theme Of The Day: Amazing Grace
Gospel -- Love for a world of darkness.
Lesson 1 -- Recovery of a diseased people.
Lesson 2 -- Mercy for sinners.
As we enter the second half of Lent, the cross comes closer
and clearer. It is the focus of God's love. It is a love best
described as grace which is love for the undeserving and
unlovely. In the Gospel, God's love is expressed in the sending
of Christ to a world that loves darkness rather than light.
Because of rebelliousness, Judah was doomed to destruction. In
Lesson 2, Paul writes of God's mercy for those dead in sin who
are given life in Christ not by good works but by grace alone.
The Prayer harmonizes with the theme by addressing
God: "God of all mercy ... cleanse us from all sin ..." The Hymn
is based on the Gospel lesson. The Psalm expresses thanks for
God's mercy.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS Gospel: John 3:14-21
1. Whoever (vv. 15, 16). This is a vital word full of promise
and hope. "Whoever" covers every person. The cross was for
everybody's salvation. God's love in Christ is meant for every
person. There is nothing sectarian about Christianity.
Predestination and election in terms of some destined to be and
not to be saved have no part in these verses. Because of the
universal significance of Christ and the cross, Christianity
inherently must be evangelistic and missionary in order that the
good news of the cross may be known by all peoples.
2. World (vv. 16, 17, 19). "World" can be used in several
ways. It can mean creation and thus we can say, "This is my
Father's world." It can also refer to the worldliness,
godlessness and sinfulness of people. With this in mind, John
could write, "Do not love the world." In these verses "world"
refers to the people of the earth. God loves all people. Christ
dies for the people of the world.
3. Condemn (vv. 17, 18). God wills to save the world, not to
condemn it. His desire to save it is so intense that he pays the
supreme price of giving his Son to the world. God wants no one to
suffer, die, or go to hell. It is man who condemned himself and
who sends himself to hell. He does this by not believing in
Christ and by loving the darkness of sin rather than the light of
righteousness.
Lesson 1: Numbers 21:4-9
1. Impatient (v. 4). Under Moses, the Israelites left the
comforts, conveniences and luxury of Egypt. Even though they were
slaves in Egypt, conditions were not half bad compared with the
hardships of wilderness living. The people got tired of the same
kind of food month after month. Water was scarce. Some would
rather have died in Egypt than have life in the wilderness. They
began to grumble and complain against God and Moses. This
complaining insinuated that they deserved something better. In
effect they questioned the sovereignty and providence of God.
This indicated a lack of faith in God's promise of the Promised
Land.
2. Serpents (vv. 6, 9). A serpent beguiled the human race at
Eden. Serpents inflict the Israelites as punishment for their sin
of rebellion. It is a symbolic way of saying that the wages of
sin is death. As death came by a serpent, so life also came.
Healing came from looking to the upraised bronze serpent. This
strange truth was experienced again in the cross. Man put to
death the Christ, but they by that very death are saved. An
anonymous poet put it this way:
Thus, while his death my sin displays,
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon, too.
With pleasing grief, and mournful joy.
My spirit now is fill'd.
That I should such a death destroy --
Yet live by him I killed!
3. Look (v. 9). The healing of forgiveness comes simply in a
look at the upraised serpent or at the cross. Of course,
preceding the look was a confession of sin and a request for
prayer to be relieved of the punishment. The Israelites were
healed when they looked at the snake on the standard. People are
saved when they look in faith to the cross. Just a look is all it
takes. This emphasizes the truth of today's three pericopes. We
are made right with God; we are healed of our brokenness with
God; we are forgiven our sin by simply looking to God for mercy.
By grace alone we are saved.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 2:1-10
1. Grace (vv. 5, 7, 8). Repeatedly this lection mentions grace
as the source of our oneness with God. It refers to the mercy of
God in sending and sacrificing his Son for a disobedient people.
Grace is love of a special kind. It is the love expressed in
mercy for those antagonistic to God and disobedient to his laws.
It is a love given to those who do not deserve it. It is all
summed up in verse 8.
2. Raised (v. 6). In Christ God raised us who believe in him.
Why are we raised? It is because since Adam we have fallen away
from God and fallen into sin. We need to be raised to the level
of Christ. If we died with Christ, we also rise with him in
newness of life. More than that, not only have we experienced a
resurrection into the life of Christ but we have ascended with
him to the Father in the heavens. On this glorious height we see
the riches of God's grace.
3. Works (v. 10). If we are saved by grace and if we have
risen to the heights with Christ, why do we need to be concerned
about good works? In this verse we see that God created us in
Christ for good works. Though we have our heads and hearts in
heaven, our hands and feet are on earth to do God's will. Because
we live on a higher level of being with Christ, we are motivated
and empowered to do good on earth in terms of humble and obedient
service.
PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
What It Takes To Be Saved
Need: It does not seem to matter how many times people are
told about God's plan of salvation. They still insist upon living
as though the good they do will get them right with God. Many
Christians have a religion of rewards and punishments based upon
the quality and quantity of their deeds. In this sermon we again
point to God's work of reconciling us.
Outline:
a. A dark world saved by the cross -- Gospel.
b. A lost nation saved by compassion -- Lesson 1.
c. Sinners saved by mercy -- Lesson 2.
Gospel: John 3:14-21
1. Look, God loves you! 3:14-16
Need: In this sermon we take a devotional look at the cross
and find God's love in what we see. In Moses' day, healing
resulted from just looking at the bronze serpent. In like manner,
a look at the uplifted Christ brings peace with God through
healing love. This note is sounded in our hymns: 1. "O Sacred
Head, now wounded;" 2. "When I survey the wondrous cross ... See
from his head, his hands, his feet ...;" 3. "Beneath the cross of
Jesus ... Upon that cross of Jesus, mine eye at times can see
..." When Thomas Acquinas returned from worshiping at the foot of
the cross, he said, "That which I have seen today makes all that
I have written seem as trash. I shall not write another word."
Outline: Look and know God loves you.
a. Look beyond the cross -- the source of God's love -- v.
16.
b. Look to the One on the cross -- v. 14.
c. Look at the cross -- sacrifice for you -- v. 15.
2. When you say John 3:16, you've said it all! 3:16
Need: There are times when we need to get everything together
in a simple, small package. Can that be done with the 66 books of
the Bible and the total teachings of the church? John 3:16 does
it for us. Luther called the verse, "the little Bible." It is
probably the best known and most often quoted verse in the Bible.
A sermon on this great text can add up to all we know and believe
about God and our salvation.
Outline: John 3:16 says it all.
a. The nature of God -- "God so loved."
b. The object of God's love -- "the world."
120
c. The purpose of God's love -- "may have eternal life."
d. The universality of God's love -- "whoever believes in him."
3. One thing God never says. 3:16-19
Need: God is often accused of condemning people to hell. One
thing God never says even to the least and the worst of us, "Go
to hell!" It is something people say repeatedly. Never God! If
people go to hell, it is their own fault. It is God's will that
people do not go to hell. To prevent this, he gave his Son to
save us from hell.
Outline: God sends nobody to hell.
a. God's will is to save the world -- v. 16.
b. Rejection of God's will sends people to hell --
1. Lack of faith -- v. 18.
2. Love of darkness -- v. 19.
Lesson 1: Numbers 21:4-9
1. Can we make too much of the cross? 21:9
Need: There is a tendency to make too much of the cross so
that it becomes an idol. We sing about it, "In The Cross Of
Christ I Glory." We pay fabulous prices for crosses used as
jewelry. One hand-made solid gold cross is listed at $2,175. It
was not the cross but the Christ on the cross that gained our
forgiveness. When we see only the cross, we may make an idol out
of it. This happened to the bronze serpent used by Moses. Until
the time of King Hezekiah, the bronze serpent was worshiped.
Hezekiah had it destroyed. (2 Kings 18:4)
Outline: Are we making too much of the cross?
a. Yes, when we make it an idol. When we used it as a piece
of magic, as a token of violence (KKK), when we adore it for its
own sake.
b. No, when we regard it as a means to an end.
1. See beyond it to God's love.
2. Realize it is the place of redemption.
3. Live by its principle of sacrificing love.
2. Saved by a sight. 21:4-9
Need: This Lesson gives the ingredients of a people's fall and
restoration by the grace of God. It is not only the pattern for a
nation but also for an individual. It keeps happening all the
time. Thanks be to God that he always restores us as his people.
In contrast to man's impatience, we have the amazing patience of
God with sinful humanity.
Outline: The pattern of man's fall and restoration --
a. Sin -- impatience and rebellion -- vv. 4, 5.
b. Suffering -- snakes of punishment -- v. 6.
c. Salvation -- confession, prayer, deliverance -- vv. 7-9.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 2:1-10
1. God is wealthy. 2:4, 7
Need: Often we associate God with the poor, the destitute and
the suffering. This may give us the idea that God also is poor
and thus identifies with the unfortunate. In this pericope we are
reminded that God is the wealthiest of the wealthy. He is "rich
in mercy," and he demonstrated "the immeasurable riches of his
grace" in Christ. Thank God, he is rich, for out of his abundance
he shares the riches of his grace with us, resulting in our
deliverance from sin.
Outline: You have a wealthy God --
a. The nature of his wealth -- vv. 4, 7.
b. Believers share in God's wealth -- vv. 4, 8.
2. Why were you born? 2:10
Need: "Who am I?" and "Why am I here" are basic questions of
every person. The answer is in knowing God and seeing our
relationship to him. The text says we are God's
121
workmanship. We are created by God -- and created for a purpose.
Apart from God, we may never find the reason for living. Maybe we
are here because our parents had a biological accident. People
born out of wedlock may be here as the product of lust. In the
text God tells us that we were created in Christ for good works.
Outline: Why we were born --
a. To do the good work of believing in Christ.
b. To glorify God with our lives.
c. To serve God by loving people.
wilderness wandering. They grumble and complain about their food.
This constitutes rebellion against God's and Moses' leadership.
Their disobedience results in their being bitten by poisonous
snakes. Realizing their sin, they ask Moses to pray that God will
remove the serpents. He does not remove them, but he provides a
cure -- a mere look at a raised bronze serpent. God provides a
means of healing from the consequences of their sin.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 2:1-10 (C); Ephesians 2:4-10 (E, L, RC)
This passage deals with the grace of God which comes to us at
a time when we are dead in sin. The Christian is united with the
risen, triumphant Christ whose Father shows him the riches of his
grace in Christ. Grace is what saves us and it is received by
faith apart from works. Yet, we were created in Christ to do good
works.
Gospel: John 3:14-21 (C, E, L, RC)
This lection is of two parts. Verses 14 and 15 constitute
words of Jesus spoken to Nicodemus. Note the question marks at
the close of verse 15. Verses 16-21 are John's commentary. With
the cross in mind, John describes God's love for the world in
giving Christ that the world might be saved. It is his will to
save and not to condemn the world. Yet, some will be condemned
because they reject Christ and prefer the darkness of sin. The
love of God expressed in verse 16 has power to cause us to repent
and believe. Looking at the extent to which love will go causes
us to turn to God.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 (C) -- "O give thanks to the Lord, for he
is good." (v. 1)
Psalm 122 (E); Psalm 27:1-9 (L)
Prayer Of The Day
"God of all mercy, by your power to heal and to forgive,
graciously cleanse us from all sin and make us strong."
Hymn Of The Day
"God So Loved The World That He Gave"
Theme Of The Day: Amazing Grace
Gospel -- Love for a world of darkness.
Lesson 1 -- Recovery of a diseased people.
Lesson 2 -- Mercy for sinners.
As we enter the second half of Lent, the cross comes closer
and clearer. It is the focus of God's love. It is a love best
described as grace which is love for the undeserving and
unlovely. In the Gospel, God's love is expressed in the sending
of Christ to a world that loves darkness rather than light.
Because of rebelliousness, Judah was doomed to destruction. In
Lesson 2, Paul writes of God's mercy for those dead in sin who
are given life in Christ not by good works but by grace alone.
The Prayer harmonizes with the theme by addressing
God: "God of all mercy ... cleanse us from all sin ..." The Hymn
is based on the Gospel lesson. The Psalm expresses thanks for
God's mercy.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS Gospel: John 3:14-21
1. Whoever (vv. 15, 16). This is a vital word full of promise
and hope. "Whoever" covers every person. The cross was for
everybody's salvation. God's love in Christ is meant for every
person. There is nothing sectarian about Christianity.
Predestination and election in terms of some destined to be and
not to be saved have no part in these verses. Because of the
universal significance of Christ and the cross, Christianity
inherently must be evangelistic and missionary in order that the
good news of the cross may be known by all peoples.
2. World (vv. 16, 17, 19). "World" can be used in several
ways. It can mean creation and thus we can say, "This is my
Father's world." It can also refer to the worldliness,
godlessness and sinfulness of people. With this in mind, John
could write, "Do not love the world." In these verses "world"
refers to the people of the earth. God loves all people. Christ
dies for the people of the world.
3. Condemn (vv. 17, 18). God wills to save the world, not to
condemn it. His desire to save it is so intense that he pays the
supreme price of giving his Son to the world. God wants no one to
suffer, die, or go to hell. It is man who condemned himself and
who sends himself to hell. He does this by not believing in
Christ and by loving the darkness of sin rather than the light of
righteousness.
Lesson 1: Numbers 21:4-9
1. Impatient (v. 4). Under Moses, the Israelites left the
comforts, conveniences and luxury of Egypt. Even though they were
slaves in Egypt, conditions were not half bad compared with the
hardships of wilderness living. The people got tired of the same
kind of food month after month. Water was scarce. Some would
rather have died in Egypt than have life in the wilderness. They
began to grumble and complain against God and Moses. This
complaining insinuated that they deserved something better. In
effect they questioned the sovereignty and providence of God.
This indicated a lack of faith in God's promise of the Promised
Land.
2. Serpents (vv. 6, 9). A serpent beguiled the human race at
Eden. Serpents inflict the Israelites as punishment for their sin
of rebellion. It is a symbolic way of saying that the wages of
sin is death. As death came by a serpent, so life also came.
Healing came from looking to the upraised bronze serpent. This
strange truth was experienced again in the cross. Man put to
death the Christ, but they by that very death are saved. An
anonymous poet put it this way:
Thus, while his death my sin displays,
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon, too.
With pleasing grief, and mournful joy.
My spirit now is fill'd.
That I should such a death destroy --
Yet live by him I killed!
3. Look (v. 9). The healing of forgiveness comes simply in a
look at the upraised serpent or at the cross. Of course,
preceding the look was a confession of sin and a request for
prayer to be relieved of the punishment. The Israelites were
healed when they looked at the snake on the standard. People are
saved when they look in faith to the cross. Just a look is all it
takes. This emphasizes the truth of today's three pericopes. We
are made right with God; we are healed of our brokenness with
God; we are forgiven our sin by simply looking to God for mercy.
By grace alone we are saved.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 2:1-10
1. Grace (vv. 5, 7, 8). Repeatedly this lection mentions grace
as the source of our oneness with God. It refers to the mercy of
God in sending and sacrificing his Son for a disobedient people.
Grace is love of a special kind. It is the love expressed in
mercy for those antagonistic to God and disobedient to his laws.
It is a love given to those who do not deserve it. It is all
summed up in verse 8.
2. Raised (v. 6). In Christ God raised us who believe in him.
Why are we raised? It is because since Adam we have fallen away
from God and fallen into sin. We need to be raised to the level
of Christ. If we died with Christ, we also rise with him in
newness of life. More than that, not only have we experienced a
resurrection into the life of Christ but we have ascended with
him to the Father in the heavens. On this glorious height we see
the riches of God's grace.
3. Works (v. 10). If we are saved by grace and if we have
risen to the heights with Christ, why do we need to be concerned
about good works? In this verse we see that God created us in
Christ for good works. Though we have our heads and hearts in
heaven, our hands and feet are on earth to do God's will. Because
we live on a higher level of being with Christ, we are motivated
and empowered to do good on earth in terms of humble and obedient
service.
PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
What It Takes To Be Saved
Need: It does not seem to matter how many times people are
told about God's plan of salvation. They still insist upon living
as though the good they do will get them right with God. Many
Christians have a religion of rewards and punishments based upon
the quality and quantity of their deeds. In this sermon we again
point to God's work of reconciling us.
Outline:
a. A dark world saved by the cross -- Gospel.
b. A lost nation saved by compassion -- Lesson 1.
c. Sinners saved by mercy -- Lesson 2.
Gospel: John 3:14-21
1. Look, God loves you! 3:14-16
Need: In this sermon we take a devotional look at the cross
and find God's love in what we see. In Moses' day, healing
resulted from just looking at the bronze serpent. In like manner,
a look at the uplifted Christ brings peace with God through
healing love. This note is sounded in our hymns: 1. "O Sacred
Head, now wounded;" 2. "When I survey the wondrous cross ... See
from his head, his hands, his feet ...;" 3. "Beneath the cross of
Jesus ... Upon that cross of Jesus, mine eye at times can see
..." When Thomas Acquinas returned from worshiping at the foot of
the cross, he said, "That which I have seen today makes all that
I have written seem as trash. I shall not write another word."
Outline: Look and know God loves you.
a. Look beyond the cross -- the source of God's love -- v.
16.
b. Look to the One on the cross -- v. 14.
c. Look at the cross -- sacrifice for you -- v. 15.
2. When you say John 3:16, you've said it all! 3:16
Need: There are times when we need to get everything together
in a simple, small package. Can that be done with the 66 books of
the Bible and the total teachings of the church? John 3:16 does
it for us. Luther called the verse, "the little Bible." It is
probably the best known and most often quoted verse in the Bible.
A sermon on this great text can add up to all we know and believe
about God and our salvation.
Outline: John 3:16 says it all.
a. The nature of God -- "God so loved."
b. The object of God's love -- "the world."
120
c. The purpose of God's love -- "may have eternal life."
d. The universality of God's love -- "whoever believes in him."
3. One thing God never says. 3:16-19
Need: God is often accused of condemning people to hell. One
thing God never says even to the least and the worst of us, "Go
to hell!" It is something people say repeatedly. Never God! If
people go to hell, it is their own fault. It is God's will that
people do not go to hell. To prevent this, he gave his Son to
save us from hell.
Outline: God sends nobody to hell.
a. God's will is to save the world -- v. 16.
b. Rejection of God's will sends people to hell --
1. Lack of faith -- v. 18.
2. Love of darkness -- v. 19.
Lesson 1: Numbers 21:4-9
1. Can we make too much of the cross? 21:9
Need: There is a tendency to make too much of the cross so
that it becomes an idol. We sing about it, "In The Cross Of
Christ I Glory." We pay fabulous prices for crosses used as
jewelry. One hand-made solid gold cross is listed at $2,175. It
was not the cross but the Christ on the cross that gained our
forgiveness. When we see only the cross, we may make an idol out
of it. This happened to the bronze serpent used by Moses. Until
the time of King Hezekiah, the bronze serpent was worshiped.
Hezekiah had it destroyed. (2 Kings 18:4)
Outline: Are we making too much of the cross?
a. Yes, when we make it an idol. When we used it as a piece
of magic, as a token of violence (KKK), when we adore it for its
own sake.
b. No, when we regard it as a means to an end.
1. See beyond it to God's love.
2. Realize it is the place of redemption.
3. Live by its principle of sacrificing love.
2. Saved by a sight. 21:4-9
Need: This Lesson gives the ingredients of a people's fall and
restoration by the grace of God. It is not only the pattern for a
nation but also for an individual. It keeps happening all the
time. Thanks be to God that he always restores us as his people.
In contrast to man's impatience, we have the amazing patience of
God with sinful humanity.
Outline: The pattern of man's fall and restoration --
a. Sin -- impatience and rebellion -- vv. 4, 5.
b. Suffering -- snakes of punishment -- v. 6.
c. Salvation -- confession, prayer, deliverance -- vv. 7-9.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 2:1-10
1. God is wealthy. 2:4, 7
Need: Often we associate God with the poor, the destitute and
the suffering. This may give us the idea that God also is poor
and thus identifies with the unfortunate. In this pericope we are
reminded that God is the wealthiest of the wealthy. He is "rich
in mercy," and he demonstrated "the immeasurable riches of his
grace" in Christ. Thank God, he is rich, for out of his abundance
he shares the riches of his grace with us, resulting in our
deliverance from sin.
Outline: You have a wealthy God --
a. The nature of his wealth -- vv. 4, 7.
b. Believers share in God's wealth -- vv. 4, 8.
2. Why were you born? 2:10
Need: "Who am I?" and "Why am I here" are basic questions of
every person. The answer is in knowing God and seeing our
relationship to him. The text says we are God's
121
workmanship. We are created by God -- and created for a purpose.
Apart from God, we may never find the reason for living. Maybe we
are here because our parents had a biological accident. People
born out of wedlock may be here as the product of lust. In the
text God tells us that we were created in Christ for good works.
Outline: Why we were born --
a. To do the good work of believing in Christ.
b. To glorify God with our lives.
c. To serve God by loving people.
