Sermon Audio (Will be posted soon)
July 12, 2015
We are to walk in newness of life!
If you were to have read the epistle lesson this morning from
Romans 6 and were asked to answer the following question, what would your
answer be? What do you think the main
point of Romans 6:1-11 really is? Is it
A. Jesus died so I can sin as much as I
want. B.
I’ve been baptized so I can live however I want. C. I’m
freed from sin so I am not bound by my sin by my own doing.
Let me be a little more demonstrative. (Uncover Answers)
If we were to poll you the members each of you probably would pick
different answers. And that is exactly
what Paul was aiming at when he was writing to the Romans. By inspiration of God, Paul was aiming
directly at the root cause of each and every one of our lives, including my
own, our fallen humanity, in essence our sin and our personal belief that we
don’t sin.
When Paul was writing to the Romans, he was clearly aiming at a previous
understanding of church in Judaism, which he was well acquainted and had been
their ‘bull dog’, police and religious enforcement, in essence the ‘FBI of
Judaism’. For in the Old Testament, it
was ‘works’ or the ‘offering of a burnt sacrifice’ that would please God. But with Jesus Christ coming, living among
men, healing the sick, feeding the poor, teaching the truth found from the Old
Testament and ultimately dying on the Cross of Calvary, the works of the Law
were fulfilled. And we who gather here
this morning are set free from the bonds of sin, death and the devil, by Jesus
Christ, not by our own works.
So you see, each of the answers, I gave were imperfect, just as I
am. For each of the answers, pointed to
what we do and have no accountability or responsibility to anyone, even to God. For our responsibility is found in what Paul
continues with. We who have been
baptized are called to a new idea, a new concept, a new calling. [Remove
ANSWERS] In, with and through our baptism into Jesus
Christ life, death and especially His resurrection, we are called to live a new
life. “We are to walk in newness of
life!”
Our newness of life is made new through our baptism into Jesus
Christ. When the Water and Word is
poured over our heads, we are changed, we are made new and now we are to walk
as children of God, brothers and sisters with Jesus Christ. And our responsibility is three fold. We are responsible to God, we are responsible
to each other and we are responsible to the church.
Clearly we are responsible to God, because He is not only the Creator,
but God the Father is the Author and perfecter of our faith. And it is into His Son Jesus Christ life that
we have been baptized. When the Water
and Word was poured over us, God clearly held our parents and our sponsors responsible
for our faith life. When we were
confirmed, we took on that responsibility.
But the ultimate responsibility of the fulfillment of all law for all
who have been baptized was taken by Jesus Christ. For the responsibility Jesus Christ had for
us and for our lives, He clearly shouldered.
Our sins, past, present and future God placed on the shoulders of Jesus
Christ. For as Paul said, “For the death
that He died, He [that is Jesus Christ] died to sin, once for all; but the life
that He lives, He lives to God.” So you
see even Jesus Christ was responsible to His Father in heaven for what He did
and what Jesus Christ shoulders for each of us.
The responsibility we have to God continues in our responsibility
to each other. Adam and Eve’s son Cain
tried to skirt the responsibility of his brother Abel, saying, “am I my
brother’s keeper?” and we likewise try and not be responsible for our fellow
brother’s and sisters in Christ. Whether
we do this by not confronting them when they go against the will of God, an
action in the church or publically or even privately wrong a fellow brother or
sister in Christ. We sometimes even turn
a blind eye when someone acts a certain way with the response, ‘that’s just how
they are’, or even our children when they clearly disrespect, mistreat or are downright
mean, whether to other children on the playground or even we their
parents. But God is clear, we are
accountable. Just as we are accountable
for our children, we are accountable for the fellow heirs of the kingdom of
God, but we do not do this alone. Paul
wrote this letter to the Romans as a missionary and wanted the people to seek
and save the lost. We are called to spread
the Gospel and let the Gospel ‘break our sinful streak’. We are called to proclaim it to the ends of
the earth, because this is our responsibility, in the World, the United States,
the state of Kansas, Sherman County and especially here in Goodland.
Because our responsibility which begins with God, spreads to those
sitting around us or living next door even and especially spreads to all of us
here in the church. We gather here in
this house of worship, proclaiming that God is love and God loves each and
every one of us. We also heard last week
that we are to be a blessing in order that we can as Paul says, walk in newness
of life. For our newness is in light of
the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and His death in order to set us free. We are free to be God’s children, in mission
for God’s purpose to spread the message of Jesus Christ.
No better explanation or example of this can be found than in why
Emmanuel was founded. There was a need
for Lutheran services here in Goodland in the late 1800’s. In 1921 a new initiative was sought for
Lutheran services and our congregation held its first service. We were a mission congregation just as Paul
was hoping to inspire the Romans with his epistle. Our heritage is clear and well documented and
the founders of Emmanuel took responsibility not only for the leading of
services, but outreach in the community.
God has blessed us, with the Word we have heard, the buildings we come
and worship and teach in, but especially the message of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. As we turn the page and continue
our history here at Emmanuel, let’s not abdicate the responsibility to others,
but clearly as we do every year with the harvest of wheat or corn, go out into
the fields of Goodland, harvest the crop that God has planted with the Word of
God and be the church of Jesus Christ.
For the church of Jesus Christ holds high, not only the Cross of
Christ, but the banner of the Gospel of Salvation for all of mankind,
especially including each and every one of us gathered here who hear of God’s
love for us and baptize our children into Jesus Christ, life, death, but
especially His resurrection. For God
loves us so much He is love and we are inspired to love one another and ‘walk
in newness of life.’ AMEN.
Check out Pastor on the Prairie (ProtP)
Subscribe to ProtP
No comments:
Post a Comment