Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God, our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text is our Introit which has already been read.

Today is Oculi Sunday, the Third Sunday in Lent. Why is it called Oculi? Because in Latin the first words of our Introit are Oculi mei semper ad Dominum. "Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD." Oculi is Latin for eyes, which is where the English word "ocular" comes from, pertaining to the eyes. So on Oculi Sunday we Christians confess, "My eyes are ever, always toward the Lord". And this is exactly what Hebrews 12:2 tells us to do: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (NIV). Our eyes should always be looking upon the Lord Jesus through faith in Him and by hearing His Word and keeping it.

But where have your eyes been lately? Have they been ever on the Lord, or elsewhere? Listen to what St. Paul said in our Epistle: "Sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you...Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."

Where have your eyes been lately? Have your eyes looked lustfully toward a man or woman, or toward the filthiness displayed in magazines, on television, or on the computer screen? Have your eyes looked covetously toward what others have, what you want but can't have? Are you just looking for the next opportunity for crude joking and idle chatter, which are out of place in the Christian life? Have your eyes looked constantly to the Lord in thanksgiving, as St. Paul says, "Give thanks in all circumstances"? Or have your eyes overlooked what the Lord has given you, showing your discontent with God's gifts?

Where have your eyes been lately: faithfully on the Lord, or faithlessly wandering? Repent, for in our Epistle St. Paul warns where our eyes can lead us if we refuse to repent. He writes, "You may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." This is the Lord's warning to you: those who persist in practicing such things have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God. And St. James reminds us where satisfying the desire of our lustful eyes, when he writes, "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death". That is the opposite of inheriting God's Kingdom. Repent.

But where should we look for freedom from the bondage of our guilt and sins? Should we do what the self-help gurus say, and look within ourselves for strength? No, if our eyes are focused on what we have done, there is nothing that we can do but despair. As the prophet Isaiah says, "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment". Even our best good works are corrupted by sin, and so even if we focus on what we plan to do better in the future, there is no hope there either: we have no way of making atonement for the sins we have committed, and we do not have the strength to keep our eyes completely away from lust, or covetousness, or envy, or hatred. If we look inside ourselves, we will find nothing but sin and death, and there is no way for us to get free of them on our own. We are caught in a dragnet that is hauling us off to hell.

Then where should we look for help? Listen again to our Introit text: "My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net". If our eyes remain on ourselves, then there is no doubt that we are being dragged to hell by our guilt. But when God speaks through His Word, He refocuses us on the Lord Jesus, and when we look up and see the Him moving steadily toward Calvary for us, there is hope, sure and certain hope. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God".

Look to Jesus on the cross and see Him damned there in your place, suffering the torments of hell to spare you. Look to Jesus, who is the Man stronger than Satan, the One who attacks the devil and overcomes him, defeating him and robbing him of the spoil; the spoil that is you, you who once were captive to the devil's darkness, but now because of Jesus, because He has baptized you into His death and resurrection, you are now light in the Lord, you belong to Him. So as you bask in His light, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, who "loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God". His suffering and death was a pleasing aroma, a sweetsmelling savour to God, which turned away His wrath against our sins. Look to Jesus, and learn what God is like: not angry and wrathful toward you, but eager to forgive, eager to welcome back you prodigal sons with open arms, eager to cleanse you of your filth and bestow upon you the perfect robe of Christ's righteousness.

Look toward the Lord, and be welcomed home. And then live in the freedom enjoyed by God's dear children, as St. Paul says in our Epistle, "Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us". By the blood of Jesus, you are set free from the net of sin and selfishness in which you have been ensnared, so now, look to Jesus to learn how to live as a child of God; learn from Him how to love God and your neighbor. In our Gospel, Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it." Enjoy the blessings that flow from hearing His Word in church, in Sunday School, in Bible class, in the Holy Scriptures. And then keep, treasure, hold fast to that Word in order to enjoy the bountiful blessings He is eager to bestow on those who keep His Word. When He says, "Take, eat, this is My body...take, drink, this is My blood," then keep those words by hungering and thirsting for the righteousness that He bestows in the Lord's Supper. By His Word and Sacraments, He bestows the highest blessings on you—forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation—and He works through them to move you to trust God and love your neighbor. That is why we pray after Communion, that His body and blood would strengthen us in true faith in the Father and in fervent love toward one another.

"Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it" Jesus said. So love one another, as God has said to you dear children through His Son: Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another". God says through St. Paul, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you"). Through His Son He says, "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many".

Not just on Oculi Sunday, but every day, keep those Words of God by keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, who gave His life to answer for your guilt and turn your eyes back to Himself and to His mercy. Look to Jesus, as John the Baptist tells us, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." If your sins are on the head of the Lamb of God, if He has taken your guilt off your head and carried it all the way to the cross, then that guilt isn't on your head anymore, so your sin can no longer weigh your neck down and pull your eyes back onto yourself, back into sorrow, fear, and despair. In Jesus, you are free, so lift up your heads and confess, "My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for He will pluck my feet out of the net" In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

And the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.