Worship Helps for Lent 3

Artwork: The Punishment of Korah

Artist: Botticelli

Date: 1481

Gallery: The Sistine Chapel

Worship Theme: Today’s lessons encourage us to take heart and trust in the Lord.  We also view numerous examples of people who lost their hold on eternal life because they gave in to their fears and doubts.  However, in his grace, God promises deliverance from whatever difficulty he may lovingly allow to come our way. Thank God!

Old Testament: Numbers 16:23–40  

²³The Lord spoke to Moses: ²⁴“Tell the assembly, ‘Move away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram!’” ²⁵So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram. The elders of Israel followed him. ²⁶He told the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins!” ²⁷So from every side, they moved away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance to their tents with their wives, children, and little ones.

²⁸Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that all this was not just my idea. ²⁹If these men die a death like everyone else and if they suffer the same fate that everyone does, then the Lord has not sent me. ³⁰But if the Lord creates something unheard of and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.”

³¹As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open. ³²The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up everyone who was with Korah along with their households and all their possessions. ³³So they and everything that belonged to them went down alive into the grave. The earth closed up over them, and they disappeared from the midst of the assembly. ³⁴Hearing their screams, all the Israelites who were around them fled, because they said, “The earth will swallow us up too!” ³⁵Fire went out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense.

³⁶The Lord spoke to Moses: ³⁷“Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to remove the censers from the burning debris and scatter the fire far away, for the censers are holy. ³⁸Make the censers belonging to those who sinned at the cost of their own lives into hammered sheets for plating the altar, because they presented them before the Lord, and the censers are holy. They will serve as a sign to the Israelites.”

³⁹Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which had been presented by those who had been burned up by fire. They hammered them into plating for the altar ⁴⁰as a reminder to the Israelites that no unauthorized person, who is not from the descendants of Aaron, should come near to burn incense before the Lord and become like Korah and his followers. Eleazar the priest did just as the Lord said to him through Moses.

1. When Korah, Dathan and Abiram rebelled against Moses’ authority, what did Moses say would be the proof that the Lord had truly sent him and put him in charge? (See 16:30)

2. Why did God tell Moses to tell Eleazer the priest to hammer a bronze cover over the altar? (See 16:35-40)

3. Isn’t God full of mercy and patience? How could he do something like this?

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 10:1–13  

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, ²and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them—and that rock was Christ! ⁵Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. He had them die in the wilderness.

⁶Now these things took place as examples to warn us not to desire evil things the way they did. ⁷Do not become idolaters like some of them—as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to celebrate wildly.” ⁸And let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. ⁹Let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and so were being destroyed by the serpents. ¹⁰And do not grumble, as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer. ¹¹All these things that were happening to them had meaning as examples, and they were written down to warn us, to whom the end of the ages has come.

¹²So let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall. ¹³No testing has overtaken you except ordinary testing. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear it.

4. What are the main dangers in being spiritually lazy or careless?

5. What is wrong with this statement?  “I can handle anything because I have a strong faith.” (See 10:12)

Gospel: Luke 13:1–9  

At that time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ²He answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things? ³I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you will all perish too. ⁴Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse sinners than all the people living in Jerusalem? ⁵I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you will all perish too.”

⁶He told them this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it, but he did not find any. ⁷So he said to the gardener, ‘Look, for three years now I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and I have found none. Cut it down. Why even let it use up the soil?’ ⁸But the gardener replied to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it. ⁹If it produces fruit next year, fine. But if not, then cut it down.’”

6. What kind of judgmental words are we tempted to say when bad things happen to people?

7. How is Jesus’ answer different from what his disciples thought?

Answers:

1. The proof would be the Lord doing something totally new and making the earth swallow up Korah, Dathan, Abiram and their families.

2. Not only had the earth swallowed the rebels and their families, but fire had come out from God and eaten up the 250 men allied with Korah who had been offering incense from bronze censers. The bronze overlay was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron was to act as a priest before the Lord and offer him incense, or they would suffer the same fate as Korah and his followers.

3. God is full of mercy and patience. He is also full of wrath against sin. (See 16:46) We must not test God’s patience. In the Bible God gives us many examples of his judgments to warn us about taking him and his commandments lightly.

4. Some of the main dangers of spiritual lethargy are: a) going through the motions in worship; b) losing focus on God-given goals (heaven, living to thank God, encouraging fellow believers in their faith, sharing Christ with unbelievers); c) main goals turning into “being comfortable” and “getting ahead.”

5. Thinking we can handle anything due to our strong faith is dangerous, for one, because we are focusing on ourselves, not on our faithful and powerful Lord. (See 10:13). Only through a watchful, child-like trust in him, his promises, and his protection can we live and die securely.

6. When bad things happen to others, it is tempting to say, “They must have done something bad to deserve this.” In pride we assume that we have not experienced something similar because somehow we are better.

7. Jesus visualizes every situation within the spectrum of pure grace. As God in the flesh, he reveals horrible situations, not as punishments for specific sins, but rather as God’s tools (real-life illustrations) to call people to repentance. Jesus wants all people to turn away from sin and to place their trust for forgiveness and salvation in him. He is the one who has promised to deliver them. They can’t do it.

Putting your faith into action

In the aftermath of a major tragedy, survivors often find themselves trying to find answers to questions like “How could this happen?,” “What do I do now?,” or the more fundamental “Why me?” Christians who have placed their trust in today’s popular “success theologies” may feel like they've received a sucker punch to the gut, as they’re now forced to ask, “Is my sin greater than that of those around me?” In this text, Jesus responds with a resounding “I tell you, no!” and then reminds the rest of us that “unless you repent, you too will all perish.” With his death on the cross, Christ paid the price for sin once and for all, and now lives to nurture and prune our faith. Although life’s hardships and tragedies remain, we may rest securely knowing that we are at peace with God.

A reading from the Book of Concord for Lent 3

Christ calls all sinners to Himself and promises them rest. He is eager ‹seriously wills› that all people should come to Him and allow themselves to be helped.  He offers them Himself in His Word and wants them to hear it and not to plug their ears or ‹neglect and› despise the Word.

We should not reach conclusions about our election to eternal life based on reason or God’s Law.  That would lead us either into a reckless, loose life or into despair.  For if they follow their reason, they will think, “If God has elected me to salvation, I cannot be condemned, no matter what I do.” And, “If I am not elected to eternal life, it doesn’t matter what good I do; it is all in vain anyway.”

‹The true judgment about predestination› must be learned alone from the Holy Gospel about Christ.  It testifies, “God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all; not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance”, and believe in the Lord Christ.

Now, let whoever is concerned about God’s revealed will act on the order that St. Paul has described in the Epistle to the Romans. Paul first directs people to repentance, to knowledge of sins, to faith in Christ, to divine obedience. Then he speaks of the mystery of God’s eternal election. This doctrine is useful and consolatory to the person who proceeds in this way. – Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article XI, God’s Eternal Election (paragraphs 8-11)

302  Lord, to You I Make Confession

1  Lord, to you I make confession: I have sinned and gone astray;

I have multiplied transgression, Chosen for myself my way.

Led by you to see my errors, Lord, I tremble at your terrors.

2  Yet, though conscience’ voice appall me, Father, I will seek your face.

Though your child I dare not call me, Yet receive me to your grace.

Do not for my sins forsake me; Do not let your wrath o’ertake me.

3  For your Son has suffered for me, Giv’n himself to rescue me,

Died to save me and restore me, Reconciled and set me free.

Jesus’ cross alone can vanquish These dark fears and soothe this anguish.

4  Lord, on you I cast my burden—Sink it in the depths below!

Let me know your gracious pardon; Wash me, make me white as snow.

Let your Spirit leave me never; Make me only yours forever.

Text: Johann Franck, 1618–77, abr.; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt.