When Confidence Becomes Idolatry

Text: 1 Corinthians 10:6-13

In the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Let me share something with you: it is far easier to fall away from the Christian faith than you realize. 

But you may say,

“Yes, that may be true. But it is different with me. I am an American. I am a Missouri Synod Lutheran. I am a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. I am committed to Christ.”

Okay. Point taken.

But you do realize that America has faltered religiously speaking? You see, America once boasted that nearly 96 percent of the population considered themselves Christian. Now, it is barely 60 percent.

But you may say,

“Sure, that may be true. But it is different with me. I am a Missouri Synod Lutheran. I am a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. I am committed to Christ.”

Okay. Point taken.

But you do realize that synods are not entirely secure either? Those of you who are older may remember the American Lutheran Church, the ALC. We used to be in fellowship with the ALC. The ALC later became part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the ELCA. And now the ELCA follows American Culture by ordaining pastors in same-sex marriages, affirms LGBTQ identities as righteous, ordains transgender clergy, pays for abortions through its church health plan, embraces interfaith worship, diminishes the authority of the Bible, and treats Jesus’ statement that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life as too narrow-minded.

But you may say,

“Yes, that may be true. But it is different with me. I am not part of the ELCA. I am part of the Missouri Synod. I am also a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. I am committed to Christ.”

Okay. Point taken.

But you do realize that the Missouri Synod is not free from problems either? You see, some LCMS churches have abandoned the liturgy. Closed Communion is not always upheld. Catechesis is very weak, and many do not know what a Book of Concord is. In some congregations, we see what appears to be an acceptance of same-sex marriage, the ordination of women, and a diminishing of Scripture’s authority. In fact, in one congregation, a transgender man wearing a dress was baptized while still claiming an ordination from another denomination. In another, dozens of Lutherans were rebaptized as though they were Baptists.

But you may say,

“Yes, that may be true. But it is different with me. I am a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. I am committed to Christ.”

Okay. Point taken. Let us talk about St. Paul’s, then.

Take a look at the confirmation pictures in the fellowship hall. Consider how many of those confirmands are no longer Christians. How many once stood before the altar and confessed that they would rather die than fall away from the faith, yet today no longer hear the Word, confess their sins, receive the Sacrament, or confess the hope of Christ?

Look also at your own families. How many people were once part of this church but no longer confess their sins and confess Christ? Furthermore, how many people in this congregation are spiritually starving, receiving the Sacrament only a couple of times each year?

But you may say,

“Yes, that may be true. But it is different with me. I am committed to Christ.”

Ah, yes. You are a Christian. Take heed, though.

Consider the Christians who came before you. The churches in Galatia began falling away from the Christian faith in less than two years. The church in Corinth made a mess of things in only a few years. In other words, entire churches can fall away very quickly. Furthermore, consider also our reading from First Corinthians. The Apostle Paul tells us how the Israelites drifted into idolatry. You see, right after they were rescued from Egypt, and while Moses was on the mountain, they made a golden calf and gave themselves over to a sexual orgy. 

But you may say,

“I understand. That may be true. But it is different with me.”

No. Listen carefully. It is not different with you.

You may have grown up being told that you were special, that you should trust yourself, follow your heart, question every authority, and live according to your own truth. But none of that makes you spiritually wiser, stronger, or safer than the generations before you. You are not exempt. You are not immune. You are not too educated, too self-aware, or too authentic to be deceived.

If you believe that everything I have described could never happen to you, then you are naïve. Do not be so self-confident. You could abandon the faith, embrace false teaching, and fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else.

That is why Paul says,

“Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Notice whom Paul warns. He does not warn only the weak, the ignorant, or the obviously unfaithful. He warns the person who thinks that he stands—the person who believes that he is strong, enlightened, committed, and secure.

Dear friends, do not imagine that being an American, an LCMS Lutheran, or a member of St. Paul’s makes you spiritually secure. That is pride—an overestimation of your own strength.

You are not that strong, smart, or committed. You are not immune from the devil, the world, and your sinful flesh. Repent of your false security and of thinking that you are somehow better than those who have fallen.

A faithful country, synod, and congregation are great blessings, but none of them can keep you in the faith. Neither can the strength of your own commitment. They are not your savior.

You see, when confidence rests in anything other than Christ, that overestimation of your strength becomes a tool for the devil. Clinging to America, the Missouri Synod, this congregation, or your own commitment can give the devil the opening he wants, because while you are congratulating yourself for standing, you are no longer watching where your feet are planted.

So, this begs the question - what shall you do?

Dear friends, the Apostle Paul is not calling you to panic. He is warning you against carelessness. He is calling you to recognize that you are weak and to live each day in repentance.

Baptized Saints, being a Christian does give you assurance, certainty, and confidence. But that confidence is never grounded in your strength, heritage, denomination, congregation, or this country. It is found in Christ and in His sustaining work for you as a poor, miserable sinner.

And so, do not think that because you once believed, falling away is impossible. Do not put your fear, love, and trust in America, the Missouri Synod, this congregation, or yourself. They are not your God. There is only one Lord, and you shall fear, love, and trust in Him above all things.

Briefly, 

To fear the Lord is to know that you are not God. It is to recognize your weakness and confess your sin rather than excuse it. 

To love the Lord is to love Him because He first loved you and gave His Son into death for you. 

To trust the Lord is to rest in the God who redeemed you, not with gold or silver, but with the holy, precious blood of Christ. 

To live in fear, love, and trust is to confess that by your own reason or strength you cannot believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him, but that the Holy Spirit has called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, sanctified you, and keeps you in the true faith.

Listen up again: you do not keep yourself in the faith. America does not keep you. The Missouri Synod does not keep you. St. Paul’s Lutheran does not keep you. No!  The Holy Spirit keeps you through the Gospel and the gifts Christ has established for weak sinners—Holy Baptism, Absolution, His Word, and His Holy Sacrament.

Dear friends, hear the good news: you are strong enough to hold on to Christ. However, Christ has taken hold of you. Your hope is not in the strength of your commitment to Him, but in the strength of His commitment to you. Christ has shed His blood for you, risen from the grave for you, baptized you into His death and resurrection, forgiven you of your sins, and fed you with His body and blood. 

Therefore, take heed lest you fall. Repent of your pride and abandon your false confidence, but do not despair. The same Lord who warns you is the Lord who remains faithful. He knows your weakness and comes to you through His Word and Sacraments to forgive, strengthen, and keep you.

Baptized Saints, your confidence is not that you could never fall. Your confidence is Christ, who is merciful to sinners and faithful to His promises. Therefore, remain where He has promised to be. Hear His Word. Receive His forgiveness. Eat and drink His body and blood. Live each day in repentance and faith, trusting not in your circumstances and ability to remain faithful to Christ, but trusting in Christ, who remains always faithful to you so that you may never fall.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.