Dear Christian friends:

A wife loved her husband very much, perhaps too much. The husband knew this and often took advantage of her love. He did wrongs to her, but he didn't worry because he knew that she would forgive him again. That husband presumed upon his wife's love and kindness. That husband used his wife's love as an excuse to do wrong. He did not respect his wife's love.

Do we do that to anyone? Do we do that to God? Do we presume upon God's love and kindness? God is so good and kind to us. Perhaps we think, "Well, I can sin; God will forgive me. It's okay!"

That's what the Jews under Moses thought. In our text St. Paul tells us about the Jew's presumption and he warns us not to presume upon God's grace. Paul also uses that same grace as


God's grace has saved us and changed us to live a new, holy life as His dear children.

God showed grace to Israel. They did not deserve that God free them from slavery in Egypt. They were sinners, the same as other nations. They were not better than the Egyptians. They deserved to remain slaves in Egypt. Nevertheless, God loved them, felt sorry for them and sent Moses to free them. (verses 1-4)

Also God has shown grace unto us. Because of our sin we deserve nothing good from God. Really, we deserve His anger and eternal punishment in hell as the Bible says, "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23a) But, as God showed grace to Israel and saved them, so He has shown grace to us in Christ Jesus. He has saved us through the waters of baptism. He has given us spiritual drink from the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ. We Christians are His new Israel, that we should live as His holy, special people in this evil world.

In spite of His grace, God punishes us when we presume upon His grace, when we use His grace as an excuse to sin, when we live the same as the unbelievers, as if nothing is changed.

God punished Israel when they presumed upon His grace. Although God had saved them from Egypt and had made them become His dear, special people, they did not respect Him and love Him for His grace. They sinned and did wickedly, the same as the other nations. (verses 7-10) Therefore God punished them in the desert. (verse 5)

We also are tempted to presume upon God's grace, take advantage of His love and kindness to us.

We presume upon God's grace when we think that we belong to His people just because we have joined a church. We say, "I am Lutheran. My father was a Lutheran. My uncle was a Lutheran pastor." We boast about being members of God's church, but we really have no heart for God.

We do not really love God and live as His dear children in this crooked world. That is presumption!

We also presume on God's grace when we live as if we do not really need His grace. We are self-righteous and feel no need to kneel at the Cross. We think, "I went to church last week; I do not need to go to church today. I went to the Lord's Supper two weeks ago; I do not need to go to the Lord's Supper today." Or we perhaps think, "I'm okay; I do not need to read my Bible today and pray. I am so busy." When we think like that we are trusting in our own good works or law righteousness and not trusting God's grace in Christ Jesus. Paul said, "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." (Galatians 2:21)

Finally, and worst of all, we presume upon God's grace when we say that we are God's people but then do not live as God's people should live. We live the same as the unbelievers in the world: desiring evil things, loving food, money and sex and making these things our gods and complain about the cross God gives us, same as Israel did. (verses 7-10)

God can punish us when we presume upon His grace. He punished Israel, and Paul says that should be "a warning to us." (verse 11) God still punishes those Christians who use His grace in wrong ways.

Although we have presumed upon His grace, God is ready to forgive us and help us resist that temptation.

God knows that we are tempted to use His grace wrongly. In our text Paul says that God will strengthen us so that we will use His grace rightly, with loving hearts and respect for His holy will: "God Keeps His promise. He gives you power to resist temptation and He will not let any temptation come to you which is beyond the limits of your power to resist. When temptation comes, He will give you strength to patiently resist it. So God gives you a way to escape, so that you can endure living as His people in this sinful world." (verse 13)

God gives us Christ Jesus as the way to escape presumption. God's Son met the Tempter in the desert and conquered him. Through faith in Christ we receive strength to resist the temptations. And if we fail, we have forgiveness through God's grace in Jesus Christ and renewed love to endure and remain God's dear people in this crooked world.

Therefore, let us not use God's grace wrongly to sin, but use His grace rightly, to live holy lives as God's people can and should. God is so good to us! He loves us so much and has done so much for us in Christ Jesus. Let us return His love and honor Him by receiving His grace with thankful hearts and holy living!

We Christians are daily tempted to presume upon God's grace. But we never need do it! His grace is clear! It gives us a way to escape that trap! His grace can give us daily victory in Christ!

Amen.