"The Way of Escape!" 1 Corinthians 10:6-13

The Ninth Sunday After Trinity                                               8/1/21
Sermon Text: The Way of Escape! By Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
I. Beware Of The Dangers On The Journey! (Vs.6-10)
II. Beware Of Trusting In Your Own Strength! (Vs.11-12)
III. The Way Of Escape Is Through God’s Bloody Mercy! (Vs.13)

I.N.R.I. Death surrounded God’s children on all sides. Closing in behind them was the most powerful army the world had known to that day. The Egyptian army was bent on either slaughtering the children of Israel or leading them back into a life of slavery. Before them raged the Red Sea with no possible way of escape - they didn’t have the time or supplies to build boats. What were they to do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The Lord God preached to the cowering children of Israel thorugh Moses, Exodus 14:13-14 , "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. (14) The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." The terrible hordes bent on bringing death and slavery to God’s children would be defeated by God’s breathing opening a way of escape on dry ground through the midst of the Red Sea for God’s children. Those who thought they would swallow up God’s people were they themselves swallowed up by water at God’s Word.
      At the baptismal font we stand still and behold the salvation of our Lord. An infant lost and condemned in the sin of our first father Adam. Surrounded by death, enslaved by Satan enslaved, and chained in sin can do nothing. Absolutely nothing. Salvation isn’t something we do, or earn - it is God’s free gift to us crushed sinners in Jesus’ cross. The Triune God alone accomplishes our salvation through Holy Baptism. In the baptismal liturgy we pray, “Almighty and eternal God, according to your strict judgement....You drowned hard-hearted Pharaoh and all his host in the Red Sea, yet You lead Your people Israel through the water on dry ground, foreshadowing this washing of Your Holy Baptism.” A miracle happens at every baptism. The Lord opens the waters of the font with His life giving Word. Christ’s life gushes forth rich in grace and the Holy Spirit rebirths us and God the Father adopts us as His beloved children in Jesus Christ. Today We are washed forgiven in the blood of Jesus, rescued from death and the devil, given eternal salvation, and faith is born to believe the words and promises of her Savior. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.’  
      Baptism isn’t a once in a life time deliverance. It is our life as God’s children. Just as being freed from the terror of Egypt’s army was never a thing of the past - but the constant reality of God’s children as they journeyed onward to the promised land. It is never that we say, “I was baptized into Christ” as if our baptism is in the past. We confess, “I am baptized into Christ.” Baptism is our present daily reality that works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, gives eternal salvation to all who believe these words and promises of God. Daily returning to the waters of our baptism we die - drowning the old sinful self. Daily by God’s grace we rise to new life in Christ Jesus. Your baptism isn’t yet complete. Jesus command His Church - Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.(This is most certainly true.)Amen.” Baptism is our birth into the cross bought freedom Jesus won for us. We grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church is commanded to feed Jesus’ little lambs in the rich pastures of the Gospel preached. Fathers are commanded to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of God’s Word. Mothers are to follow the example of Lois and Eunice, Timothy’s grandmother and mother, who from infancy was in God’s house to hear God’s Word read, preached, sung, and prayed. That baptized into Christ we might know and cling to : The Way of Escape! I. Beware Of The Dangers On The Journey! (Vs.6-10)
II. Beware Of Trusting In Your Own Strength! (Vs.11-12) III. The Way Of Escape Is Through God’s Bloody Mercy! (Vs.13)
I.     An infant at the font has beat the odds. Parents loved their baby and trusted the Lord - so her mother carried her for nine months and with her father rejoiced at her birth. That is a far cry from a people whose love has grown so cold that we barely blink an eye at the ongoing slaughter of 3,000 infants in the womb per day. A nation that is so calloused that the wholesale selling of the body parts of butchered babies doesn’t move us to action, but any report of animal abuse riles our wrath.
      Dear baptized children of God. Baptism begins your journey towards the promised land. It doesn’t end until God the Holy Spirit completes your journey in the resurrection of your body from the dust of death and brings you safely into the life of the world to come. In the verses immediately preceding our text God the Holy Spirit warns, 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, (2) all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, (3) all ate the same spiritual food, (4) and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. (5) But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. How many of the 600,000 men freed from slavery actually made it to live in the promised land? Only two - Joshua and Caleb. What happened to the rest? They died in the wilderness, even though surrounded by Christ in baptism into Moses, fed by Christ with bread from heaven, sustained by Christ - the Rock of Ages who was cleft for them. Why? They didn’t trust the way of escape.
    Beware of following their example of faithlessness. (Vs.6) The children of Israel had beheld God’s gracious acts of deliverance. The ten plagues that freed them from Egyptian slavery. The Red Sea opening up a path on dry ground to freedom. Yet what do they do almost immediately - they lust after evil things! The accurate history of Exodus 16 records, Exodus 16:2-3 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. (3) And the children of Israel said to them, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." Freed from slavery, now they lust for the food of slavery. Dear Baptized Christian beware of lusting for the food of slavery. Freed through Christ’s cross bought forgiveness - don’t return to eat the vomit of your sinful lusts.
      Hearing God’s very voice thunder forth the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai. The people plead with Moses to become their mediator and promise they will do all the Lord God commanded. (Vs.7) 40 days later they build a golden calf and their new god and new worship gives them license to sin sexually. Dear baptized Christian - don’t invent your own worship or image you can make God in your image to give approval to your perversion - thinking you can have a form of godliness that is powerless to free you from your sinful desires.
    After Balak, King of Moab hired Balaam to curse the children of Israel - but all the Lord would allow Balaam to do was bless them. Balaam told the king to lure the children of Israel into sexual sin. (Vs.8) The women of Moab seduced the men of Israel to join themselves with their false fertility god - Baal of Peor. 23,000 would fall in the plague caused by their rebellion. Dear baptized Christian - your body is not your own - 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. (19) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (20) For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.”
    The children of Israel were discouraged on their journey. They thought it was too long and the Lord was leading them on with meager supplies. (Vs.9) Numbers 21:5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread." Rejecting Jesus the bread of heaven - they would die unless they looked to the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole for them. Dear baptized Christian - do not think that Christ’s bread from heaven is a worthless meal. He feeds you His body and gives you to drink of His blood to bring you life eternal in Him being lifted up on the cross.
    Korah and his followers thought Moses was making too much of himself. Numbers 16:3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" (Vs.10). The two hundred and fifty men that followed Korah’s rebellion would be consumed by fire from God’s altar. Korah and his family would be swallowed up by the earth. Dear baptized Christian - don’t rebel against those fellow sinful men whom Christ equips, calls, ordains, and sends to preach His Word and administer His sacraments to you within your local congregation.
II.   The Old Testament is written for us to learn from factual history. Jesus would tell the Old Testament experts, John 5:39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” God the Holy Spirit reminded young pastor Timothy, 2 Timothy 3:14-15 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, (15) and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” All of the Bible is God’s Word - we need to be in it daily - to read, mark, and chew on it. (Vs.11-12).
      We are living in the last days of world history. Since Jesus ascended into heaven to fill and rule all things - we look forward to His second coming. Learn from the Old Testament - never rely on yourself, your own thinking, your own strength. Adam fell into sin. His first son becomes a murderer. Noah after the flood sins in drunkeness. Abraham lies. Moses murders. David commits adultery and murder. Learn from them never trust in your own strength or cunning - as did the unjust steward in our Gospel lesson this morning. He was going to be let go of his stewardship and he had no strength to see himself through.
III.   The way of escape isn’t found inside of ourselves. It is found nailed to the cross of Calvary - bearing my sins, suffering my hell, dying my death - to heal me by His stripes - to reconcile me to my Father in Heaven. To bring me new life by His resurrection on Easter morning - His life sealed to me in the waters of my baptism. (Vs.13) The Gospel lesson is about the merciful Master - He commends His servant for finally realizing that He rejoices to show mercy. You face no temptation that Jesus hasn’t borne - He is true man and sympathizes with you in your weakness. He is true God who has delivered you washed you forgiven in His blood. Now the way of escape is through His Cross. Receiving His body and blood given and shed for you - you are forgiven. Freed to live in mercy as God’s child. Living in the mercy of your Master - He through you frees you to forgive those who have wronged you. He frees you to pour out your life in humble service to your neighbor in love. Love that looks exactly like living those Ten Commandments where the Lord has called you.
    Death surrounds us - we will fail one day - die - but baptized into Christ - our way of escape is certain - it is Jesus’ blood and righteousness. Amen.