A Heart Burning to Make Christ Known: Romans 9:1-5

On YouTube, there are a whole lot of videos titled “Fails.”  They are kind of like America’s Funniest Home videos without commercials.  One after another, you see people crashing skateboards, bicycles, and cars.  One after another you see people diving into the water and belly flopping or landing on their backs.  One after another you see people trying to do gymnastics and landing on their head, back, or belly.  And oftentimes, you can see it coming.  Oftentimes, you can see exactly where the video is headed, and you wonder, “Why in the world would people be doing this kind of stuff?  Why in the world would they be putting themselves in a position to get hurt or even worse?  Why doesn’t someone try to stop them?”

And I would like to ask you this morning, “Would it do any good to try to stop them?  Even though you know the potential and likelihood of someone getting hurt doing such things, even though you see that the behavior could lead to destruction and pain; even though you know that it would be best to change course and walk away; do you think it would do much good to try and convince someone otherwise?”

I do not ask this question lightly because it is a question that I am oftentimes faced with, and I know it is a question that many folks are oftentimes faced with.  And I know how frustrating it can be.  Do you need an example?

I can’t tell you how many times I have watched the behavior of a bride and groom to be and thought, “This is not good.”  The way these two act; the way they think about the future; the way they talk about relationship; it’s not good.  They need to wait.  They need to think about what they are doing.  They need a cooling off period.”  But there is no stopping what is happening–such folks are infatuated with one another, and there is nothing you can say or do that will prevent them from carrying on with their plans.

I can’t tell you how many families I have seen dealing with an alcoholic.  They see the destructive and abusive behavior.  They hold their loved one to account.  They try to get rid of the alcohol.  They try to reign the behavior in.  “I DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM!”  And the downward spiral continues damaging the whole family until everyone just goes into survivor mode.

Perhaps as a parent you have watched your kids making choices that are not in their best interests.  And no matter how hard you push; no matter what discipline you institute; no matter how reasonably you try to explain things to them; they keep doing things that will hurt them in the long run.

And you get frustrated.  You get angry.  You get annoyed.  And as time passes, you become exhausted; beat down; depressed.  Eventually, you wonder if there is any point in fighting; any point in arguing; any point in caring.  Is the struggle even worth it?

Let’s pray.  Heavenly Father, sometimes in life we run into situations where it looks like no matter what we do or say, we don’t make any difference at all.  It’s so easy to give up.  It’s so easy to walk away.  Help us today to see that we are not the only ones at work in such situations and that ultimately, we look to you to bring change not only in others, but especially in ourselves.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Today, we start chapter nine in the book of Romans.  There is a definite break in the letter, so much so that some scholars have thought that chapters nine through eleven could easily be set on the margins–that these chapters are not really a part of the letter’s main argument or theme.  For in the next three chapters, Paul turns his attention to the problem of Israel.  God made specific promises to Israel throughout the Old Testament.  Are these promises now null and void?  The short answer is no.

But on a more practical level, I had some concerns about preaching through these three chapters.  I mean, does this problem that Paul is dealing with have any relevance to our lives today?  Does Paul’s wrestling with what God is going to do with Israel after the coming of Jesus have anything to say to our situation as Christians and the church today?  This week, as I sat down in sermon preparation, I read through these three chapters, and I didn’t have to go too far for the answer.

In the opening verses of chapter nine, Paul is experiencing exactly the feelings and emotions that I began this sermon with.  He is in anguish as he watches his countrymen–his kinfolk–travel down a path that leads to danger, destruction, and alienation from God.  To show you his anguish, it actually might be better for us to handle these first five verses kind of in reverse.

You see, Paul loves his fellow Israelites.  He know how God has acted in their past.  He knows the promises that God has given through the years.  He knows how God has worked to set the Israelites apart to bless them that they might be a blessing.  In verses 4-5, Paul lays all of this out, “4They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; 5to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed for ever.”  This is an impressive list of gifts that God has given.  Each term deserves consideration and careful dissection.  Unfortunately, we don’t have time to delve into each one and give it justice, so I am simply going to do one giant brush stroke–Paul lays out eight highly significant blessings that God has bestowed upon the Israelites–eight highly significant blessings that show just how much God cares for His people.  And in Paul’s mind, these blessings; these manifestations of God’s love should have led them to see the inevitable conclusion: that God has sent Jesus to be the suffering servant; the Messiah; the Savior of the world.  But, alas, Paul’s kinfolk have not come to see this.  By and large they have rejected the Gospel.  By and large they have not come to faith in Jesus as the Messiah.  Most have flat out rejected this notion.

And it’s not that Paul hasn’t tried to reach them.  When we read through the book of Acts, we see clearly that when Paul went into a city, he oftentimes started in the local synagogue–that is the place of Jewish worship.  He would begin preaching the Gospel there, and more often than not, he was rejected.  He was considered a blasphemer.  He was cast out of the synagogue and sometimes shunned, verbally assaulted, beaten, and even stoned.  His message simply was not accepted by his fellow Jews.

And it hurt Paul deeply.  The first three verses of chapter nine testify to this, and these verses are almost beyond comprehension.  “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh.”  Paul begins by doubly emphasizing, in both a positive and negative fashion that he is telling the truth.  It’s like swearing on the King James, New Revised Standard, New International Version, and English Standard Translation of the Bible all at the same time.  Paul wants to leave no doubt that what he is saying is true.  And what he says is astounding for someone who has just written what he has written in chapters 1-8.

Paul says: If it were possible, I would suffer eternal separation from Christ; I would suffer the torment of hell for eternity if it would bring my kindred–the people of Israel–to Jesus Christ.  Stop and think about that for a moment.  Stop and think about what Paul is saying in that statement.  He is willing to give up his everlasting salvation; his everlasting place in heaven; his sure foundation and security in life and death–if it would bring his countrymen to faith in Jesus Christ.

Think about this on top of all the persecution and hatred he has received from preaching to his countrymen.  Think about what Paul has just said given that he has been rejected time and again by his fellow Jews.  Think about this in light of how many times he has had the authorities called on him; has been arrested; has been whipped and even stoned.  He has suffered tremendously at the hands of his fellow Jews, and yet, despite this, there isn’t a hint of apathy.  There isn’t a hint of resignation.  There isn’t a hint of wanting to give up.  The fire of the Gospel runs so deeply within him that he would even give up his own salvation to bring his fellow countrymen to faith in Jesus.
The fire of the Gospel runs so deep, that he would sacrifice what is most dear to him, so that his fellow Jews might find salvation in Jesus.

I look at Paul’s fire here, and am put to shame.

I mean, in a very real way, I am like Paul.  I grieve that people don’t seem to come to belief and trust in Jesus in our culture.  I grieve that the ELCA is a shrinking church.  I grieve that our congregation is essentially a stagnant congregation within that larger church.  I grieve that we don’t have pews filled with people who are wondering about the Christian faith and what kind of impact it might have in their lives.  I grieve that it seems like more and more people are becoming irreligious or becoming Christian in name only instead of the deep down conviction and heart changing faith that Jesus
Himself calls us to.  Oh, yes, I grieve these things deeply.

But, what am I willing to do about it?  What am I willing to give up to change things?  The answer shames me.

You see, I look at Paul’s fire here and see my own reluctance to give up anything precious to myself for the sake of the Gospel.

I look at Paul’s fire here and see how selfishly I guard my self and how I shy away from argument and trial and tribulation.

I look at Paul’s fire here and see how willingly I give up and become resigned that folks will not change.

I look at Paul’s willingness to give up his salvation for others and see how I get jealous when I have to give up my day off.

The Gospel does not consume my heart like it did Paul’s.

I would argue the Gospel does not consume most of our hearts’ like it did Paul’s.

I would argue we don’t have near the passion for bringing people to faith like Paul did.  It’s easier to simply let things go.  It’s easier to stay away from conflict.  It’s easier just to do our own thing and let others do their own thing.  It’s too easy to buy the modern day cliche, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are kind to others.”

But the problem with that cliche is that even though we know we should be kind to one another, we aren’t.  Even though we talk about being kind, we see what goes on in our nation. We see what goes on in the world.  If people think they can get away with it: People lie.  People cheat.  People treat one another badly.  I was reminded of this when I saw a video posted on Facebook of a baseball player intentionally missing third base to score.  The desire to win; the desire to be ahead; the desire to put myself in front of others is simply too strong.  As Christians, we know this.  As Christians, we have had it all laid out in front of us by Paul in this letter to the Romans. We know that belief matters.  We know that if you don’t have faith in the right things, the wrong actions will transpire.  The power of sin–the power of self-love is too strong.

And it is the Gospel which takes us out of ourselves.  It was the Gospel that took Paul out of himself.  It was the Gospel which inspires us to sacrifice; to commit; to avoid depression; to give of our time, talent, and treasure for the sake of the world–for the sake of our kindred who do not believe.

For if we know that we are sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God;

If we know that we deserve God’s wrath instead of His love because of our sinfulness;

If we know that instead of giving us wrath, God sent Jesus into the world to live the life that we should live and die the death that we deserved;

If we know that it should have been us on that cross instead of Jesus, and that He willingly took our place there;

If we know that Jesus did that of His own free will not because we deserved it, but precisely because we didn’t;

If we know that Jesus died there because He loved us even in our brokenness;

Our hearts of stone melt because of the love that has been poured out for us.

Our hearts become full of thankfulness and love for the One who gave Himself for us.

Our hearts deeply desire Him, and we long to live for Him.

Our hearts long to bring others to the saving grace and love poured out on the cross.

Our hearts burn to tell others the good news of Jesus, and we are willing to do so even at great cost to ourselves.

If you are like me and are not quite there yet, then we need to hear what Jesus has done for us over and over and over.  We need to hear that God so loved us that He gave his only begotten Son so that all those who believe in him should not perish but have eternal life.  We need to have the Gospel pounded into us so that our hearts become inflamed–so that our hearts burn with the desire to bring people to Jesus; so that our hearts desire to share the love of God with those who reject us time and time and time again; so that we never become apathetic or depressed because we know that it isn’t about us.  It isn’t about us at all.  Paul knew this.  We need to know it.  It’s all about Jesus.  Let us tell the story of Jesus.

Let’s pray.  Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.  Renew our hearts by the power of the Gospel.  Help us to remember what Jesus has done to redeem us, and may our hearts burn like Paul’s burned that we may sacrifice ourselves to bring others to the saving grace of Jesus.  In his name we pray.  Amen.

Dead to the Law: Romans 7:1-6

Three older guys were sitting around talking about what would happen on the day of their funerals.  They were contemplating the question: what would you like to have someone say while standing over your casket.  The first thought for a bit and said, “I would like to have people say that I was such a devoted husband and father and that I left a lasting legacy of love of family with my kids.”  The second thought a moment and said, “I want folks to talk about how kind and generous I was–how I was willing to remember those who were less fortunate and care for them with dignity.”  The third man thought a moment and said, “That all sounds well and good.  I want someone to stand over my casket and say, ‘Look!  He’s moving!’”

The underlying message of course is, “I don’t want to die!”  Death is not something we look forward to especially in our younger years, but I have known more than a hand full of people who have been ready to die–who wanted to die.  I remember my grandfather who died of cancer one day coming home from radiation, feeling the effects of it burning his insides, and crying out, “Why is it so hard for a man to die?”  Death would be a release for him.  My other grandfather who lived to be 97 also was more than ready for death as his body no longer cooperated with him and he found it difficult to get around.  Death once again would be a release.  Whenever we have a birthday at our Senior Service, I usually joke and say, “I refuse to sing ‘and many more’ at the end of Happy Birthday, and believe it or not, more than a few are glad that I don’t.  As bodies age and become more weary, some welcome death as freedom from what haunts and hurts them in life.

If you have experienced this with others or experience it with yourself, then you can grasp what St. Paul says as he begins chapter 7 of the book of Romans, “Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only during that person’s lifetime?”  Paul may be referencing  a well known saying in ancient Judaism that is very, very similar, “If a person is dead he is free from the Torah and the fulfilling of the Commandments.”  When you die, the Law no longer has authority over you because, well, you are dead.  Just like at the end of chapter six when Paul was saying that sin no longer has any power over you, he is now saying, neither does the law have any power over you.  You are no longer bound by it.

Paul then uses an analogy from marriage to enhance his point.  He says in verse 2, “Thus a married woman is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies, she is discharged from the law concerning the husband. 3Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man, she is not an adulteress.”   Paul is helping us see how the law works and then how it is removed by death.  A woman or man who is married is bound by the law, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”  If a woman or man sees someone outside of the marriage, then he or she is committing adultery.  However, if a spouse dies, then that person’s husband or wife is now free to meet and marry another person.  They will not be considered an adulterer if they did that because death ended the marriage and the law no longer applied.

Paul then shows how this applies to his point regarding the life we have in Jesus Christ.  Verse 4 In the same way, my friends, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God.   Now, the analogy isn’t perfect.  The law didn’t die.  We did.  In the last chapter, Paul showed how that through our baptism, we mystically became linked to Jesus Christ so that whatever happened to him happens to us.  Because Christ died on the cross, we also died.  If we have died, then we are no longer under the law.  The law has no effect on us.  However, Paul also pointed out that just as Christ was raised, we too have been raised.  We now live a resurrection life, and in that resurrection life, we have been freed so that we can bind ourselves to Jesus and bear fruit for God.  This means we live for God.  We seek God.  We seek to honor and please God by doing His will.

And, of course, we find what God wants and desires when we read the law.  We see that God wants us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We see that God wants us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with Him.  We see that God wants us to follow the Ten Commandments.  But why did we have to die to them.  Why did we have to be free from being under them?  This is the part that to many doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.  So, Paul tries to explain that.

Verse 5  While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we are slaves not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.  I don’t know how many of you have watched the movie Finding Nemo, but I thought of a scene in that movie when I read Paul’s words here.  If you are a parent, this will resonate very deeply with you.  There is a scene where Nemo, a young fish, goes to school, and his teacher takes the class to what is known as the drop off.  Now, Nemo’s dad, Marlin hears about this and is none too thrilled.    For Marlin, the drop off is where predators can easily come and take fish.  Nemo’s mom was eaten near the drop off.  Therefore, Marlin swims out to the drop off and tells Nemo that he's going to take him home from school. Nemo of course rebells and gets very, very upset.  Nemo refuses to go with Marlin. So Marlin keeps giving him order after order after order. Nemo refuses to obey. Nemo even swims towards a boat. Marlin keeps saying get back here right now. Nemo refuses. Then Marlon says don't touch the boat. Nemo pauses a second, just a second, gives his dad that look every kid has given his or her parent, and then touches the boat. There was something deep within Nemo that was rebelling against the commands of his dad.  There was something deep within Nemo that was refusing to do what he knew was right.

Paul says that the law actually generates this within us.  The power of sin works so deeply that we come to desire the things we know we shouldn’t.  The power of sin works so deeply that when we hear “Thou shalt not!” something in us says, “You can’t tell me what to do!”  And so, our rebelliousness bears rotten fruit.

Ah, but if we are dead, then we are no longer under this influence.  If we are dead, the law no longer can hold us captive.  If we are dead we no longer bear this kind of fruit.  And if we have been joined to Jesus, we are no longer slaves to the written code–the written law, but instead, we are now resurrected to new life in the Spirit.  We are dead to the law and alive in Christ!  Bound to Christ!  Serving Christ!

And we fall in love with Him and what He has done.  We remember how He poured out His life for us on the cross of Calvary.  We remember that He served His Father who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.  Our heart is touched to the very core by this news of what God has done for us, so that we seek to please Him in all that we do.  We live for Him.  When you love someone, that’s what you do.  Period.

Now, why is this important?  Let me take a few minutes to show you why.  In our culture today, there is a line of thinking when it comes to marriage that says, “You must find your soul mate.”  What is encapsulated in that thought is that there is one person out there who will love you and cherish you–who will complete you and bring you happiness and joy.  People search for such a person, and when you begin dating someone and falling in love with that other person, you actually experience such feelings.  It’s a wonderful sensation, but those of us who have been married for quite some time know, it eventually fails.  It disappears.  When the realities of life catch up, and people discover that each person has wants, needs and desires that the other person can’t fulfill, oftentimes people get disappointed, angry, frustrated, and down on their marriages.  When I don’t get the same kind of fulfillment I got early on in my marriage, I start thinking that I’ve missed my soul mate, and maybe I should look for another–so goes the thinking.  Divorce attorneys make a killing off of this line of thought because it is inherently self-centered and selfish.  It’s about getting what I want out of marriage, and if I don’t get it, I go find someplace else where I will.

There is a similar thing that happens when we seek salvation through following the law and its demands.  Because, once again, we are seeking our own self-interest and our own desires.  I want to go to heaven, so therefore, I’d better do the right things, be a good person, and stay out of trouble.  But a couple of things happen.  First off, we don’t reckon the power of sin, and even though we know what is right, even though we know the law says, “Thou shalt not...” we find ourselves wanting to do those things the law tells us not to do.  We find ourselves slipping into breaking the law time and again.  And so we do one of three things: one: we just stop trying and give in.  This removes any sort of guilt from us.  Two: we become depressed and anxious, knowing we never can do enough.  Three: we convince ourselves that we are indeed following the law and it is only those people out there who have the problem, not us.  In each of these things, we fail at accomplishing what was intended because we are acting with self-interest.

But, if we have died to our self; if we have experienced death with Jesus on the cross; if we find that we are saved by sheer grace–by nothing that we do but by all that Christ has done–then we approach things differently.  We know that Jesus has poured Himself out for us.  We know that He has loved us with an unimaginable love.  We know that love will never fail us, so we fall in love with Him.  We no longer live for ourselves, but we live for Him.  We seek to please Him.  And we know that He revealed to us the things that he delights in.  We know that it brings Him joy when we love one another as He loved us.  We know it brings Him joy.  And this now affects all our other relationships.

For we no longer simply live for what we want and expect in those relationships.  We no longer expect fulfillment from our spouse; or our government; or our church; or our friends; or our job.  We know we get those things from Jesus.  Therefore, we begin to delight in loving our friends and family to bring them joy; to bring them happiness; to bring them comfort and peace.  Our delight comes from serving instead of getting.  And we don’t get frustrated when our love is not given back to us like we think we deserve.  Because we know that no one is perfect.  We aren’t perfect.  Our spouses aren’t perfect; our governments aren’t perfect; our jobs aren’t perfect; our churches aren’t perfect; our families aren’t perfect.  The only perfect one is Jesus, and it is in Him that we live and move.  And so we become forgiving because He forgave us. We become caring because He cared for us.  We become loving because He loved us.  This is what happens when we die to our selves with Jesus and then are raised to new life with Him and are joined to Him.  This is what happens when you fall in love with Jesus.  May our hearts do just that.  Amen.

How Blessed are Messengers

A man sat in a marriage counselor’s office in despair.  His wife was threatening to leave him.  He desperately loved his wife.  He wanted to stay with her; to be with her.  No one else had ever caught his attention, and he had devoted himself to caring for her.  He was flabbergasted when she told him that she felt unloved.  He couldn’t understand it at all.  So, he sought help and advice.

The counselor asked the man what was going on.

The man began, “I don’t know.  She says that she feels unloved.  She says that she feels like I don’t care about her.  But nothing could be farther from the truth.  I love her dearly, desperately.  I only want what is best for her.  I work as hard as I can each and every day to show my love to her.  I make sure and get all my work done so I can get home.  I cook dinner for her almost every day.  I know what kind of food she likes and doesn’t like, and I take great pains to make sure it’s cooked to her taste.  I know what kind of clothes she likes to wear, so I make sure her wardrobe is full of those clothes.  I have purchased several things personally, and she never tells me that they are bad.  She has always marveled at how well I can buy stuff for her.  I also take her on vacations to whatever destination she wants.  Never have I refused her a single request to a place she wants to go.  I have constantly done things for her and given her gifts, so I don’t understand why she feels unloved.  I haven’t a clue why she believes I don’t love her.  Can you help me?”

The counselor scratched his head for a moment and then replied, “When is the last time you told her?”

The man sat in silence and struggled to remember.

It is certainly true that love without action is merely words.  You can tell someone you love them over and over and over again, but if your actions contradict your words, you are a liar.  If there are no actions following the words, they remain empty.

However, words matter.  Messages matter.  Not only do we need to see things in action, we need to hear those words.  We need to hear messages.  We need people to verbalize what is going on deep within their own hearts and souls.  News carries weight.

We all know that news carries weight.  We all know that words that are spoken or read sometimes hit us where we live–even if we are far removed from the events that are taking place, news still impacts our lives.  For instance, on September 11, 2001, four passenger airplanes were hijacked.  Two were flown into the World Trade Center towers.  One was flown into the Pentagon.  One was crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.  As far as I know, none of us here this morning had any direct contact with those events–if someone here did, please correct me later.  As far as I know none of us here were really, truly impacted by what happened.  We weren’t there.  We were over a thousand miles away.

But the news about those events hit many of us hard.  We grieved for the people who were killed.  We grieved for the families who lost loved ones.  We grieved for our nation as we came under attack.  We were angered by those who attacked us. We wanted vengeance.  We also were inspired by the acts of heroism that we heard about. We took pride in police officers and other first responders who risked and gave their lives to help others.  Reflecting on such stories, we hugged our families a little tighter.  We turned to God in bewilderment, in frustration, in questioning.  We rallied together as a nation.  The event itself may have had little impact on us, but the news of what happened certainly did.

News always elicits a response.  Whether it is emotional or physical, news always causes us to react–sometimes with joy; sometimes with sadness; sometimes with elation; sometimes with anger.  When the news really hits home, we talk about it; we discuss it; we share it.  Those of us with Facebook know this all too well.

Christianity, at its core is about news.  To be precise, Christianity is about THE good news.  We use the technical, theological term: Gospel.  Gospel literally means good news.  The question that often arises is: what is the good news?  What is the gospel?

Well, in order to know the good news, we first have to hear the bad news.  The bad news is that we are separated from God.  The bad news is that we live in a world where that separation shows itself on an all too regular basis.  The technical term for this is that we live in sin.  Now, this term has fallen out of favor with many.  Most folks today prefer to talk about the mistakes we make.  Everyone readily admits that they are not perfect, but no one wants to admit that they are sinful.  No one wants to admit that deep down they are inherently selfish or that they seek their own wishes and desires over everything else.  Truly evil people are rare and to be held in contempt.  Most folks aren’t bad but perhaps misunderstood.  And if we simply manufactured the right conditions or put the right sorts of laws in place or produced the right environment, then everyone would turn out perfectly fine.  Everyone would get along swimmingly and be completely happy and satisfied.

What is truly intriguing about such commentary is that it is not new.  Folks have thought this for thousands of years.  The idea of utopia–or the perfect society with perfect living conditions has been around for a long, long time.  And each and every time it has been attempted, it has failed.  Just like every end time prediction.  They’ve all failed.  Folks have tried to come up with the answer, but one answer has stood the test of time–even though it isn’t popular, and that answer is: there is something deeply wrong and deeply flawed with us.  No matter what kind of society.  No matter what kind of government is established.  No matter what kind of laws are on the books, humans do not do what we know is right.  We do not follow the laws like we should.  We end up seeking our own interests above the interests of others.  Scripture calls this the original sin–seeking our self interest over what God has instructed us to do.  This selfish orientation has left us estranged from God–separated from Him and His goodness.

Now, God is a God of love, and He has given us free will.  He will allow us to go our own way and walk away from Him should we choose.  He will allow us to engage in our destructive behavior and seek our own desires for eternity.  And, left to our own devices, we would.  You may ask: what’s wrong with that?  Here’s what: we will never be satisfied.  We will always be searching.  We will always be hungry.  And imagine your hunger growing and growing in an eternal search for satisfaction and fulfillment.  Imagine never finding what you seek and desperately longing for what you desire with no end.  You would be miserable.  You would be desperate; in pain; in longing.  My friends, you would be in hell.  And that is exactly what the Bible says will happen to us left to our own devices and our own desires.

But God does not desire this for us.  God does not want us to end up in this condition.  God wants us to thrive.  God want’s us to find satisfaction; to find fulfillment; to find joy, peace, and hope.  But He knows we will not find that in any thing but Him. He knows He alone can fulfill our deepest desires and hungers.  And He knows that we must turn to Him; we must trust Him; we must seek Him and make Him our greatest heart’s desire.

But how would God do this?   He could warn us.  He could try and tell us of all the things that we should and shouldn’t do.  He could tell us to love Him above all and love our neighbor as ourselves.  And God did just this thing.  But, our selfishness wouldn’t allow us to accomplish these things.  Our selfishness would not let us see beyond ourselves in loving God and loving our neighbor.
And so God sought to change our hearts–to turn us away from our selfishness.  There is one powerful force that can indeed change a heart.  There is one powerful force that can cause us to step outside of ourselves and seek to please others instead of ourselves.  That force is love.  When we fall in love with someone, we will to anything we can to please that other person; we will live for that other person; we will strive to do what they ask us because we know it brings them joy.  And God had to wonder how to make us fall in love with Him.  How could He demonstrate His love and share His love with us?

Last night, we heard about the birth of the Christ child in the manger.  We heard of angels singing, shepherds running, and Mary pondering these things in her heart.  Today we heard about the light shining in the darkness, the Word becoming flesh and living among us.  We heard of God becoming human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.  Jesus who came to speak of God’s love; who told us that God is the good shepherd who seeks out the one lost sheep out of the 99; God is the woman who tears up her house to find one lost coin; God runs out to meet the son who squandered His wealth and throws a party for that son; God also leaves that party to welcome in the son who has done everything right and is bitter at God’s graciousness.  Jesus told of an extravagant God who loves those who are far away from Him.

And Jesus didn’t simply tell of this love.  The God become man showed that love as He took our sin upon Himself.  He took the just punishment for the wrongs we have done.  He poured out Himself on the cross and died for us when we least deserved it speaking those haunting words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”  Dying for a family member is common place.  Dying for a friend is something we might do.  People have even died for strangers.  But dying for an enemy?  Dying for someone who does not believe or follow you?  That is a special kind of love.  That is the love that Jesus shows.  That is the love of God for you and for me.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.

God poured out His love for you on the cross, and then three days later, He showed what happens to those who trust in Him; who trust in Jesus’ work on their behalf.  They will be raised to eternal life and glory.  All of their hungers and wants will be satisfied.  Their future is safe and secure in the hands of the one who created and redeemed them.

This my friends, is the Gospel.  This my friends is the good news.  When we were separated from God, He bridged that gap.  He reconciled us unto Him.  He provided for us; saved us; and ensured our future.

This is the news that we are now commissioned to tell.  We are now messengers on God’s behalf to tell the world about what God has done for them.  Not only with our deeds.  Not only with our acts of kindness and generosity, but with our voices.  We are called to share what God has done for the world.  For you.  For me.

And then, so shall come to pass what is written in the book of Isaiah.  It will be spoken about the Church and all who believe, “7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’  8 Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion.  9 Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.  10 The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”  Merry Christmas!!  Amen.

God's Integrity: Romans 4:13-17

Don’t you hate it when people change the rules on you?

How’s this one for you. The phone rings.  It’s a number that you don’t quite recognize, but it seems to have some similar numbers in it, so you answer.  An excited voice on the other end of the line says, “You’ve won a free cruise!!!”  Now, admittedly, I hang up right there.  Nothing in this life is truly free.  There’s always a catch, and in this case, if you hang in there, the catch becomes clear.  After spending several minutes talking about white sandy beaches and glorious sunshine, you are asked to participate in a survey.  You take the survey, and then, they ask you for your credit card number.

“Wait a second,” you think to yourself. “I thought this was supposed to be free?”

“It’s for taxes and port fees,” is the answer.

“So, it’s really not free, is it?”

No. It’s not.  It’s a scam, but they wait until they get you on the hook before changing the rules.  And, of course, when they change the rules, their initial promise is null and void.  Free turns into some sort of payment on your behalf.  Most of us consider such a practice to be just wrong.

And it is.  It flies in the face of something most of us value: integrity and consistency.  If you do not have integrity as a person or institution, people dismiss you; walk away from you; tune you out.  If you are not consistent in what you produce or how you act, people will dismiss you; walk away from you; tune you out.  It happens over and over and over again–in business, in politics, and in religion.

In fact, one of the greatest struggles that we in the church face is our inability to have integrity and consistency.  We talk a good talk about loving our neighbor, serving everyone, being generous, believing in God and worshiping Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  And yet, we don’t hesitate to demonize those who are on the other “side” of the political fence.  We do hesitate in serving those we deem to be taking advantage of others.  We tend to give God the leftovers in our budgets, and worship is something we tend to when we have nothing else to do on Sunday morning IF we are not too worn out from the week we just had.  See how this demeans our integrity?

And those who are outside the church look at us, they see our lack of integrity and consistency, and they think, “Well, this faith stuff isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  There’s not much change in their lives, is there?”  And they dismiss us; walk away from us; and tune us out.

But, here is the thing, while it would be fantastic if we all suddenly became “Super Christians” and changed our behavior completely and totally so that we automatically worshiped every single Sunday, gave 10% of our income as offering without reservation, helped every single person we encountered, and accepted and loved everyone no matter what differences we had with them, that’s not going to happen.  We are still a group of sinful people.  We are still a group that embodies imperfection.  We are still a group who will never have full integrity or consistency.  Therefore, we need to realize this about ourselves.  We need to be honest about ourselves.  We need to have enough integrity to tell others about our imperfections and our inability to be consistent, and instead of pointing to ourselves–point to our God who is consistent and who does have the ultimate in integrity.

This is Paul’s point in this segment of chapter four of the book of Romans.  It is an important point for him as he shows how it has always been God’s intention to save by grace through faith and not works of the law.  God has integrity.  God has consistency even when we don’t.  Let’s delve into Paul’s argument.

Verse 13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.  Paul hearkens back to Genesis 15:6 with these words.  Here is a refresher on that, “Abraham believed the Lord, and he reckoned it to him as righteousness.”  Paul points out once again that when God made Abraham righteous, it was centuries before the law was handed to Moses–430 years according to most Jewish rabbis at the time.  Abraham’s righteousness was not dependent upon him following the Law.  Abraham’s trust–his faith–in the promise of God made Abraham righteous.  There was nothing else that accomplished that.  Nothing.  And Paul wants to make that abundantly clear.  For if the rules have changed, then there are horrible implications

That is why Paul says, “If it is the adherents to the law who are to be heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.”  Remember the free cruise story I began the sermon with?  If suddenly you have to pay fees, the cruise isn’t free anymore.  The promise of a free cruise is null and void.  If righteousness is not tied to faith but is tied now to the following the law, then there is no need to trust in God–there is no need for faith.  We now trust in ourselves to do what is needed to make ourselves right with God.  We put our faith in our actions instead of God’s actions.  Righteousness is no longer bestowed upon us, it is something earned.  And the promise is void.  How so?  Well, if you don’t pay–if you don’t live up to the expectations, the promise evaporates.  Again, returning to the “free cruise”, if you don’t pay the taxes and port fees, you don’t get the cruise.  If you don’t follow God’s law, you don’t receive the inheritance.  Plain and simple.  And Paul has just dedicated most of chapters one, two, and three showing how people don’t and can’t follow God’s law!!  If that is the case, the promise is void and God is proved to be inconsistent!!  God is proved to have no integrity!!  And this is a horrible thought to Paul–and it should be to us!!

Paul includes a little excursus next.  It’s one verse that talks about the role of the Law.  Many scholars wonder exactly why Paul included it because it breaks the train of his argument.  I confess, I don’t know why it’s in there either, but it is something we should consider because it raises an interesting point.  Verse 15For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.  The Greek carries a little more nuance than the translation we have before us.  It should probably read “For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there transgression.”  Like in chapter three, Paul points out the role of the Law–it reveals our sin.  The Law shows us those things that bring God’s blood to boil.  The Law cannot save us–it can only condemn us.  The Law cannot make us right with God–it can only show us where we have gone wrong with Him.  But what if there is no law?  What if God has not been explicit in what is right and wrong?  Well, if there is no Law, there is no transgression.  We might have sinned.  We might have done something wrong, but we didn’t know it or realize that it was against God’s will.  A transgression is an act that goes against God’s written or expressed command.  If we know the Law; if we have God’s commands, and we break them, we are in much worse trouble than if we didn’t have the commands and we went wrong.  I think that’s what Paul is probably getting at as he brings the argument back to Abraham and faith.

16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.  If our righteousness depended upon following the Law, and we break the Law, then we have doomed ourselves and the promise is broken. However, if our righteousness rests on faith–on our trust in God and His integrity and consistency–then the promise does not come by our earning it; it does not come by our actions; it comes by grace–it comes as a gift from God and by God.  And since it comes by grace, as a gift, then not only do the adherents of the Law who share the faith of Abraham claim the promise, then so do those who are outside the Law who have come to trust in God.  They both have the faith–the trust of Abraham.  They are both his decedents, and the promise God made–that He would make Abraham the father of many nations–is fulfilled!!!  It is indeed free!!  The rules haven’t changed.  God indeed is consistent and full of integrity.

Now, before I delve into some of the implications, let me say that I am intentionally skipping the last part of verse 17 for this Sunday.  As I studied this text and read through the commentaries, I think the last part of verse 17 actually is an introduction to what is happening in verse 18.  We will see that next week.  I am not going to neglect what Paul says about God at the end of that verse.

So, with that being said, let’s turn to the implications of what it means to say that God is consistent and that God has integrity.

I have had numerous encounters with people who have stopped going to church because they have had a falling out with a church member.  “I used to go to church until so and so said this to me, and so I don’t go anymore.”  “I won’t set foot in that church because so and so will be there.  They broke a promise to me, and I don’t want to associate with them.”  “I’ve stopped going to church because the pastor said something I disagree with.”  What is at the heart of each of these statements?  Here’s what: the people who were making these statements were putting their trust–their faith in people instead of in God.  They believed that people should not let them down–especially church people.

And in a real way, they are right.  We, of all people, shouldn’t let others down.  We shouldn’t break promises.  We shouldn’t harm others with our words and our deeds.  We need to admit that we shouldn’t do those things.  However, we should also admit and tell people that we will do those things because we are sinners.  We should admit to people that they should not put their trust and hope in us.  We should admit our limitations and our inability to live up to the people we are called to be.  Too often, in our self-righteousness, we come across as goody-two-shoes; holier-than-thou instead of humble servants of Christ, and we need to own this and remember that we are sinners in need of redemption.  We are sinners who too often fail to keep our promises.

But there is One who didn’t fail to keep His promises.  There is One who set about to bring redemption to the world.  There is One in whom we can trust in whom we should put our faith in and urge others to put their faith in as well.  We should freely tell people, “Don’t put your trust in me.  Don’t put your trust in the church.  We will let you down because we are imperfect.  We will let you down because we aren’t willing to die for you.  There is only One who was willing to do that.  There is only One who was willing to love us when we were unlovable and who loves you when you are unlovable. There is only One who gave Himself for the sake of the world.  His name is Jesus.”

And rather than change the game; rather than change the rules, He remained consistent.  Instead of making you pay the cost for redemption; instead of making you earn your way; He paid everything for you.  He bore the entire payment on the cross as He poured out His life for you because He loved you.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it.”  This is the lengths God will go to remain consistent and have integrity.  It truly is worthy of our trust.  Amen.

You're Not Getting Paid--Romans 4:1-9

There was an elderly gentleman who lived just down the road from a junior high school.  Everyday, two young boys would walk by his house and bang on his garbage cans.  No amount of yelling, cussing, or threatening would stop them.  So, one day, the old man changed tactics.

When the young boys came by and banged on his trash cans, the old man spoke, “Hey boys.  Stop what you are doing and come here for a moment.  I have a deal I want to make with you.”

The two boys cautiously approached the old man who had yelled at them countless times.

The old man spoke, “Gentlemen, I have had a change of heart.  I used to hate you banging on my trash cans, but I have discovered that it is now music to my ears.  Here’s what I’m going to do.  I’m going to pay you each a dollar a day to bang on my trash cans to your heart’s content. Is that a deal?”

The boys couldn’t believe their luck, and they readily shook.  Everyday the following week, they banged on the trash cans with reckless abandon.

After a week, the old man called the boys to his porch. “Boys,” he said, “I hate to tell you this, but the landlord went up on my rent.  I’m only going to be able to pay you seventy-five cents a day next week.”

The boys said, “That’s okay,” and then proceeded to bang on the trash cans another week.

After that week, the old man called the boys up once again.  “I’m sorry, boys,” the old man said.  “Cable t.v. went up.  I’m only going to be able to pay you fifty cents a day next week.”

The boys looked a little forlorn, but they said, “Well, I guess that’s okay.”  And they proceeded to bang on the trash cans every day the following week.

The next week (you know where this is going, right?), the old man called the boys once more.  “Boys, I hate to break it to you,” he said, “but the old lady had to have dental work, and I’m out quite a bit.  Next week, I’m only going to be able to pay you a quarter each day.”

The boys then said in disgust, “There’s no way we’re going to bang your trash cans for only a quarter.  We quit!”

And the old man has enjoyed his afternoons of quiet ever since.

Now, we can talk about all kinds of things with this joke: the wisdom of the elders, how to trick folks, even the foolishness of living in a home near a junior high school, but what I would like to spend a bit of time on is being paid for your labor.  This joke effectively highlights that if we don’t feel like we are getting paid for our labor–even if we are tricked into it; then we get angry.  We have been taught that our time and our efforts are extremely valuable.  We have invented a system of commerce–capitalism–that hinges on the idea that our time, energy, and efforts are valuable and worth compensation.  We believe that if we work hard enough, our efforts should pay off.

Get a good education, and you will receive a good job.
Work hard at your job, and you will be paid, appreciated, and get a raise.
Dedicate yourself to improving your abilities, and you will climb the corporate ladder.
Practice hard enough in a sport, and you will excel.
And the list goes on.

This is so deeply ingrained in our being that those who believe in God oftentimes apply it to their life of faith.  We are basically taught that if you are good enough, then you will receive God’s blessings.  If you do wrong, God will bring curses.  More than a few have a deeper belief in karma than anything else.  If you do ill, then eventually, the universe will pay you back.  And we generally believe we are on the good side of the equation.  I mean, if you think about it, what is at the heart of that age old question, “What did I do to deserve this?”  Have you asked that question?  I’ve heard it numerous times.  I used to say it.  What did I do to deserve losing my job?  What did I do to deserve getting sick?  What did I do to deserve my family breaking up?  What did I do to deserve my car breaking down?  At the heart of that question is the idea that you don’t think you deserve this to be happening to you.  At the heart of that question is the thought that you’ve been doing enough good to deserve good in return.  Basically, you are thinking that you are owed a good life because you are working to be good.

There are many preachers and pastors who actually preach this kind of thing and grow large churches by this preaching.  Just believe enough.  Just pray enough.  Just put enough in the offering plate.  Just attend worship enough.  Sing loud enough.  Say the right words in prayer.  Do all the right things, and God will rain blessing down upon you.  This message resonates deeply because it gives us control–control over our lives and control over God.

St. Paul would have gone ballistic against this kind of thinking!!  First off, he would have argued vehemently that you don’t deserve any sort of blessing in your life.  From Romans chapter one verse 18 through chapter three verse 20, Paul has laid out his case that all have fallen far short of God’s required ways of living, and the only thing we deserve is God’s wrath.  But in a shocking twist, Paul says we have been made right with God–not by any action that we undertook, but by God’s action through Jesus Christ.  “We have been saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus whom God set forth as a sacrifice of atonement.”  When we deserved death, God gave us life–as a gift, Paul says.

And now, Paul is going to go through great pains to show that this was how God sought to make people right all along.  Not through their work.  Not through some sort of quid pro quo.  But through sheer grace–effective when we trust in God.  And Paul will use the example of Abraham to show this.

We begin in Romans chapter 4 verse 1: What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’   Paul reaches back into the deep history of Judaism to start with Abraham.  Abraham is considered the patriarch of the Jewish faith–the one to whom God made the covenant to start the Jewish people.  If Paul can show that Abraham was justified by faith and not by works, Paul gives Christianity a very, very strong footing.

Paul revisits the argument we dealt with last week about boasting.  If Abraham were justified by his works, then indeed he would have something to boast about; but Paul says Abraham does not–especially before God.  Why is this important?

Let’s do a bit of biblical history.  As you read through the Old Testament, you will see that God gave the Law to Moses hundreds of years AFTER Abraham lived.  Abraham did not have the Law.  He was actually outside of the Law.  The Jewish rabbis knew this, so they came up with the idea that Abraham managed to follow the Law unconsciously; instinctively.  Because Abraham was able to do this, he was considered righteous before God.

But Paul knows better.  He knows that Abraham didn’t follow the Law.  Abraham was a polytheist before God called him.  This means Abraham worshiped many gods.  Abraham also lied and said that Sarah, his wife was actually his sister during a trip to Egypt.  That caused a whole lot of problems according to the Bible.  Even after God promised Abraham an heir, Abraham worried that God was acting too slowly, and he took a slave of his, Hagar, and had a child with her to be his heir.  This was not trusting God, and Abraham certainly cannot boast about this.  Then, when Abraham’s wife Sarah actually had a son, she became jealous of Hagar’s son and demanded Abraham drive him off.  Abraham gave in to Sarah’s jealousy and drove Hagar and her son off.  Does this sound like following the Law?  Certainly, it does not.  Abraham was not righteous because he followed the Law, and Paul points to the scriptures to show this as he quotes Genesis 15 verse 6, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

Now, I want to point out here, as did the commentaries, that the Bible does not say, “Abraham believed IN God.”  The words are, “Abraham believed God.”  Abraham trusted God.  Abraham believed that what God had said was true.  Abraham trusted in the promises of God, and this is what made Abraham righteous.  It was not any action that Abraham took.  It was not any following of the rules.  It was a trust that God would do what God said He would do.  It was not something earned.  It was something given.

This is the point that Paul follows up with beginning in verse 4Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.  This goes back to my opening comments about being paid.  If you work for something, you expect to be paid.  You have a claim against the one who you worked for.  You can demand your rights.  You can demand your wages.  If God justifies by works, then you can demand that God pay you.  But, Paul says, you don’t work for God’s justification.  He gives it to you as a gift.  God even makes the ungodly righteous when the ungodly trust that He will do so.

This claim, that God would justify the ungodly, flew in the face of what the Law said.  For the Law unequivocally said that God would punish the ungodly.  There were many texts that could be cited.  Of course, the problem with this is that all are ungodly.  All would be punished.  The only way they can be justified is by a gracious act of God.

And Paul points that such gracious acts have not only been done to Abraham, they were done to David as well.  Paul ends by quoting Psalm 32 which is attributed to David: ‘Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not reckon sin.’  David knew that such sins are covered by God and not by works of the Law.  The Psalm points this out.

Now, Paul is actually not trying to emphasize David. He is trying to emphasize what God did in making Abraham righteous.  He will continue this argument throughout the rest of the chapter.  He wants to make it abundantly clear that when God began the Jewish religion, He did so outside the Law, and the founding Father was made righteous not by works of the Law, but by grace–sheer, undeserved grace.

This is a frightening thing for some.  This is a frightening thing for religious belief because it means that we are not in control of God in the least.  What do I mean?

Timothy Keller once shared an illustration of a lady whom he was trying to convert to Christianity.  He told her the Gospel and that we are not saved by our works but by sheer grace.  The lady to whom he was talking responded that this was a scary idea.  Keller pressed her to say why.  She responded, “Well, if I am saved by my works, then I can make a claim on God.  I have my rights.  I can say, ‘I’ve done this, God owes me.’  But, if I am saved by sheer grace, then there is nothing God can’t ask of me.”

Abraham knew was made righteous by God and not his actions, so when God asked Abraham to leave his family, his safety, his security, and go to a land that he knew nothing about, Abraham left.  That’s scary to think about.  That puts us into a world where we have no control.  We are totally dependent upon God.  Where we can’t know the future or plan for it.  How many of us want that kind of life?

My guess is none.  We like safety.  We like security.  We like having some control.  We like to
think that we can bargain with God and obtain rights for doing the right things.  But it doesn’t work that way.  It works in a totally different way.  We can’t claim anything from God.  Instead, God claims us.  God claims us.  And He says, “Trust me.  Above everything else, trust me.”

It would be a scary prospect to simply trust God in such a fashion.  It would be terrifying–IF WE DIDN’T ALREADY KNOW HOW MUCH GOD LOVED US.  For that is the piece of the puzzle that we must focus on.  We must remember the cost God paid for us.  It cost Him the Son.  It cost death on the cross.  God sacrificed Himself for us because He loved us.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. You were bought with great price.  God doesn’t owe you anything.  He has already given everything for you.  The only question remains: will you trust Him?  Amen.

Romans 3:21-16: The Gospel

We spend an inordinate amount of time in our lives justifying ourselves.  You may be scratching your head about that statement, but please hear me out.  To justify one’s self means to argue why you are in the right.  Nowhere is this better illustrated than in an election year.  We are being bombarded right now with candidates who are arguing why you should vote for them–why they are the right person for the job.  Put in other terms, they are justifying why they deserve to be in office.

Furthermore, as people pick their particular candidate, they work to justify the reasons they chose a particular candidate.  For instance, a person voting for Hillary Clinton might say, “I’m voting for her because she has a lot of political experience.”  A person voting for Donald Trump might say, “I’m voting for him because he is not part of the political establishment.”  The person voting for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein might say, “I’m voting for him or her because he/she is not Clinton or Trump.”  The person who is saying these things is justifying their position on their vote.

But we don’t just justify ourselves when it comes to our votes.  No.  Far from it. We justify ourselves in almost every arena of our lives.  We submit our resumes and interview for particular positions justifying–or proving–why we deserve that position.  Then we justify why we deserve to keep that position or merit a raise.  We argue our particular ideology and justify as to why it is correct.  We submit reasons that we don’t attend church regularly justifying our lack of attendance on a given Sunday or series of Sundays.  We even have to justify ourselves to our children.  Some parents might be wondering at that statement, but here’s the reality.  I know you are like me because there are times when you tell your kid to do something or tell them they cannot do something, and they look at you and ask the dreaded question, “Why?”  Essentially, the why is asking for a justification as to your command–even if that justification becomes, “Because I told you so!”  Any time you argue your stance or give reasons for your words or behavior, you are striving to justify yourself.

And perhaps one of the greatest questions we face as humanity is this: given the vastness of our universe and the extreme rarity of life in that universe, why are we here?  What is the purpose of our existence?  Why do we even exist?

There has been much ink spilled over this question, and the answers are far reaching.  I do not have near enough time to cover them in such a short period of time–so I will only speak from the perspective of one who believes in God.  I choose this path because the vast majority of the world’s population believe in some sort of deity, and there is a common belief that God created the world, and God created us.  Each religion has different reasons why God created us, but all of those religions are also in agreement that humanity has failed to live up to the expectations of the deity.

Again, every religion believes that the God who created this world and created us has some sort of expectations for how we live our lives.  Every religion has as part of its code of conduct to treat others as we would wish to be treated, and every religion realizes the failure of humanity to do exactly that.

And so every religion wrestles with the question–how do we justify ourselves before our Creator?  How do we make things right when we go wrong?  If our Creator is just, then how do we account for the injustice we have done?

Paul has wrestled with this question from Romans chapter 1 verse 18 until chapter 3 verse 20.  Paul’s answer is: there is no way that we can possibly account for our injustice.  There is no way we can justify ourselves.  At the end of our lesson last week, Paul left us standing in the cosmic court room without any defense; speechless, condemned before a just and holy God.  The only thing that we could look forward to at this moment was experiencing God’s wrath against our sin.  The outlook was very, very bleak.

Which is why Paul’s opening words in verse 21 are so sweet.  “But now...”  “But now...”  These words signify a break in what would normally be expected.  They signify that something out of the ordinary is taking place.  “You would expect that God would unleash His wrath upon you who stand condemned by your sin, BUT...”  What a sweet word “but” becomes.  Let’s turn to the text.

Verse 21, “21 But now, irrespective of law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, Remember that Paul has made an important distinction between Jews and Gentiles.  Jews are under God’s Law and are condemned because they don’t follow it.  Gentiles are outside of God’s law and condemned because they don’t meet the standards they hold for each other.  If God is going to save ALL, then His saving power must come from outside the Law, or Gentiles will be excluded.  Since God cares about ALL of His creation, He must act irrespective of the Law–this is what Paul is getting at with these words.  But, this does not nullify God’s Law.  This does not nullify God’s covenant with Israel because the Law and the Prophets testify or point toward’s God’s saving and just action toward the world.

And that saving action, God’s justice is revealed in verse 22: the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. The righteousness of God; the justice of God is revealed–not in following the Law; not in obeying the commands of God; not by being a perfect individual; not by trying to do more good than bad; but it is manifest through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

Now, we need to take just a moment here to talk about faith.  Oftentimes, you will hear people define faith as belief without evidence.  You will hear people define faith as some sort of intellectual assent.  This is summed up in the statement, “I don’t see any evidence of God, yet I believe that He exists.”  This is not what Paul means by the word faith–not at all.  Paul means trust.  There is a big difference between intellectually believing something and actually trusting in that something.

I have illustrated this with a joke in previous sermons.  An atheist skips church on Sunday morning to hike in a remote area of a state park.  While walking along the trail, the trail gives way and he falls.  He just happens to grab a branch sticking out of the cliff side.  It is too steep to climb up.  It is too far to simply drop.

The atheist yells and yells, but to no avail.  Where he is, is too remote. There is no one around.  His arms are growing weary, and he has no options available.  In a last ditch effort, he turns his eyes skyward and says, “You know, I’ve never believed in you, but if you really do exist, I could use a little help.”

The atheist is shocked to hear a voice reply, “I do exist, and I will help you.”

A huge sigh of relief escapes the former atheist as he asks, “What should I do.”

The voice replies, “Let go.”

The former atheist then says, “Is there anyone else up there?”

That, my friends illustrates perfectly the difference between belief and trust.  The person who simply believes in God will still hang on despite the voice.  The person who trusts God, lets go.  That is the meaning of faith.

This is important considering what follows next.  For there is no distinction, 23since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.  Paul reiterates what he has just outlined in Chapters 1, 2, and part of 3.  We stand condemned and guilty.  We don’t even come close to reflecting the glory of God, but God has changed our standing.  God has rendered a not guilty verdict.  God has said, “You who deserve my wrath now receive my love.”  Period.  End of story.

Of course, that should make us celebrate–particularly if we know the depths of our sin; particularly if we have had the mirror held up to ourselves in Romans chapters 1, 2, and 3.  But how can God do this?  Sure, it’s good news for us, but what about all of the people we have hurt by our sins?  What about the people we spread gossip about and whose reputations have been ruined?  What about the times we took things that didn’t belong to us?  What about the angry words we spoke that cut like a knife?  And remember, God does not simply change your status–anyone who trusts in Jesus’ action–their status is changed as well.  The murderer–what about his victims?  The racist–what about those toward whom he has spewed hate?  The white collar thief who stole millions–what about those who lost their retirement?  How can God forgive like this and still call Himself just?  How can He claim that justice will be served if our sins are completely forgiven?

Here is how: Christ Jesus has become the sacrifice of atonement.  Whenever a sin is committed, some sort of restitution must be paid.  If you crash into another’s car, you must pay for the damages in order for things to be made right.  If you hurt someone’s reputation, telling everyone you were wrong makes amends.  And if you forgive someone, instead of making that other person pay for what he or she did, you pay for it yourself.  And if you pay for another’s damages, you have taken on their guilt.  There are those who might argue that this isn’t true justice, but think about this for a moment.  If your kid breaks a window at school and the school threatens to kick your child out if damages aren’t paid for; what parent will allow their kid to be kicked out?  What parent wouldn’t jump in and pay the price for their kid?  And if a kid is running in the street, what parent wouldn’t swoop in to push them out of the way of an approaching car and being hit themselves?  Love pushes you to accept and take punishment for others–to pay the price for those who cannot pay themselves.  Examples of this abound–AND GOD HAS DONE THIS ON A COSMIC SCALE.  God has paid the price for all sin through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross.  For your sins, for my sins, FOR ALL WHO HAVE SINNED.  And the promise that all will be made well stands for those who trust in what God has done in Jesus.  This becomes effective when you trust in Jesus and not yourself.

Let’s press on before we talk about the implications of this finishing up verse 25, He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.  The question for Jews at this moment would be, “Well what about all of those who came before Jesus?  What about the Jewish people and the promises God made to them?  What about the forgiveness of their sins?”  Paul touches on this here.  Most scholars agree that Paul is saying that God never fully punished those sins.  God never gave folks what they deserved and reserved judgement until this time.  He passed over their sins until this present time.

“But they never had the opportunity to believe in Jesus?” is the obvious retort.  Here is where I would like to make a bit of an adjustment in the translation from the Greek.  For the Greek text literally reads, “it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has the faith OF Jesus.”  Now remember what I said earlier: faith equals trust.  The faith of Jesus means relying totally and completely upon God.  Jesus exhibited this faith, and Paul will show what this means in regards to those who have come before in the next couple of chapters.  People before Jesus didn’t have the opportunity to trust in Jesus, but they did have the opportunity to trust in God, and Paul will show that Abraham did–as did others in the Jewish faith.  Hence, because they trusted God, they too have been justified.

Now, what is the significance of this?  It means you are right with God.  You don’t have to prove yourself with God.  You don’t have to trust in yourself to try and do as much good as you can to balance out the cosmic scales of karma.  God has already handled that for you.  You are in right standing with Him–not because of your own work but because of the work accomplished on your behalf–the work of Jesus.  Can you trust in the work of someone else on your behalf?  Can you trust in the work that He has accomplished for you?

This isn’t easy to do because we are taught to justify ourselves.  We are taught to think that everything is up to us when we argue; seek a job; work at school; make a decision; cast our vote.  “Justify yourself!!” society screams.  But Christianity says, “You are already justified.  In the greatest court of all, you are already made right.  There is nothing more you need to do because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.”  When you trust those words, when you believe down deep that you are already justified despite not deserving it, there is a peace that invades your entire being.  You no longer feel like you have to prove yourself to anyone and everyone.  For the God of this universe has said that you are right.  And if you are right with God, what more do you have to prove?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  In fact, because you have nothing more to prove, you are free.  Gloriously free.  By God’s gracious act through the sacrificial atonement of Jesus you are set free when you place your trust in Him.  This is most certainly good news.  It is the Gospel.  Amen.

Romans 1:8-17 "God on Trial"

Today, I have titled my sermon, “God on trial.”  I have done so for a couple of reasons.  First, there are many people in the U.S. who are walking away from organized religion.  Half of those who walk away say that they no longer believe in God for various reasons.  In a very real way, they have looked at the evidence for God and about God and have found it lacking.  They have put the idea of God on trial and convicted Him of absence.  The second reason is related to the first–God’s seeming absence in the face of injustice and evil.  This has been a major problem for those who believe in God for many, many years.  The logical argument is thus: if God is all powerful and if God is all good, then why does God allow bad things to happen?  Why doesn’t God cure illness and disease?  Why doesn’t God correct the many wrongs that go on throughout the world where people in power abuse those are weak.  Why doesn’t God do something about the hatred and anger and abuse and violence that goes on in the world?  Does God care and if He does, can’t He act?  In a very real way, folks who ask these questions are putting God on trial.  In effect, they are asking the question: is God just?  Is God righteous?

As we turn to our next installment of the book of Romans, I want to begin with a little bit of a study of the Koine Greek–the language in which the New Testament is written.  Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be too detailed, but the detail I am going to reveal here is important.  The Greek word for righteousness and justice is the same word.  Therefore, whenever you read through the book of Romans or any other New Testament book, if you see the word justice, you can interchange it with righteousness, and vice versa.  This will come into play in just a little while as we talk about Paul’s words to the church in Rome.

After Paul’s initial greeting, he follows the traditional customs of letter writing in the first century Roman empire.  He offers some gracious words of thanksgiving to the people he writes to.  In one way, you could say that he was buttering them up.

Paul begins: First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.  Paul is using some exaggeration here most likely.  Most scholars believe that the church in Rome was not large by any extent.  In fact, our membership very likely exceeds the number of Christians in Rome at the time Paul writes this letter.  At a maximum, the church in Rome may have numbered 200 people in a city of over a million.  But this is no small thing.  Rome is the center of the Roman empire–the most powerful empire in the world at the time.  It is where the emperor: Caesar, sits enthroned.  To profess “Jesus is Lord” right under the nose of those who demanded all Roman subjects profess “Caesar is Lord,” is an act of extreme bravery–something we know little about in our present situation.  But the Roman Christians’ trust in God empowered them to hold fast to their proclamation despite the threat–truly something to proclaim throughout the world.

9For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, 10asking that by God’s will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you.  Paul then offers an intriguing oath, swearing before God that he prays regularly for the Roman church–desperately wanting to come and visit them.  Speculation is that Paul may have included this heart-felt prayer because some of the members in the Roman church felt slighted that the self-described “apostle to the Gentiles” hadn’t visited them in the heart of the Gentile world.  Paul wants to soothe their soreness as he pens some very important words to them.

11For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.  Paul obviously feels that he has something very important to share with the church in Rome.  The jury is still out as to what he wants to share with the Christians there, but Paul quickly points out that he does not want to come simply to impart knowledge on his own behalf.  There is a mutual sharing and growth that will occur.  This is quite revolutionary for us to think about because oftentimes, our thoughts tend to trend toward the idea that “I go to church to get something.”  Certainly, when we come to church, we should receive encouragement as we face our daily lives, but the encouragement also flows from us into others.  In other words, I am not simply giving you encouragement when you come through those doors, you are giving me encouragement as well.  We mutually build one another up.  This is ideally the way the church works.

13I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. 14I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish 15— hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.  Paul now closes out his reasons for wanting to come to Rome as he wants to reap a harvest–meaning make converts to Christianity because he is a debtor to both Greeks and to barbarians–to the wise and to the foolish.  What does Paul mean by this?  Tim Keller offered up a very interesting way to understand what Paul is saying here.  There are two ways of becoming indebted to a person.  First, if I borrow $100 from you, then I am indebted to you until I pay you back.  Secondly, if you give me $100 and say, “Please give this to my friend.”  Then I am indebted to your friend until I pass on that $100.  Paul believes he has received something that is not his–the Gospel.  Paul believes he is indebted to the world–to Greeks and barbarians; to the wise and foolish–and he must pass the Gospel onto them.  He must pass the Gospel onto everyone.  Why?

Here is where we begin to return to my original statement about God being on trial.  Paul lays in the next two verses what he will be arguing about in the rest of the letter: 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’  If you just read through these words quickly, you can gloss over it and not think much about them. However, if you read through these words slowly and try to understand them, you will find yourself scratching your head.  What in the world is Paul actually saying?  Why does he have to state that he is not ashamed of the Gospel?  What and how is the righteousness or justice of God revealed?  What does through faith for faith mean?

Let me begin by reminding you that the Gospel hinges upon the person of Jesus.  Jesus would have been considered a failure from a Jewish perspective because he failed to bring about the promises surrounding the Messiah.  He did not free the Jews from oppression.  He did not usher in world peace.  He did not cleanse the Temple system.  Everything continued to run as before despite what Jesus said.  AND, Jesus was also hung on a tree–which meant, according to Jewish scripture–he was cursed.  All of this amounts to tremendous failure from the standpoint of Jews.  From the standpoint of Rome, he was also a failure.  Jesus was considered a criminal who was seditious.  He was crucified because He challenged the power of Rome and proclaimed allegiance to another kingdom–God’s kingdom.  No Roman citizen was happy about knowing someone who was crucified.  It was a source of shame.  But Paul was not ashamed of any of this.  Not in the least.  In fact, Paul saw the Gospel as power. Paul had traveled throughout the Roman empire and preached Jesus.  Whenever he preached Jesus, hearts were changed; minds were changed; lives were changed; people acted and spoke differently–all because of the story of Jesus.  A story.  Mere words changed people deep within.  One commentary even said that some must have thought this to be magical.  But Paul saw it as power because of what it revealed about God.

For the Gospel showed that God is indeed just.  God is indeed righteous.  Now, we will be spending a lot of time on this in the coming weeks, so I will try to summarize and keep things as brief as possible in the limited time we have.  First, Paul will show that humanity has rebelled against God.  No one has an excuse when it comes to knowing what God would have us do.  Deeply embedded in creation is the knowledge of right and wrong.  Deeply imbedded in our being is the idea of fairness and justice.  Deeply imbedded in the core of our being is the knowledge of the way things should be.  We know what we should do, but we do not do it.  Justice; righteousness demands that such rebellion must be punished.  Justice; righteousness demands that wrongs be made right.  Justice; righteousness demands that evil be reversed and dealt with.

Every one of us knows this deeply.  Every one of us knows what it is like to be wronged by someone else.  Every one of us knows that for the wrong to be righted, some payment must be offered up–an acknowledgment of wrong; repayment of that which was lost; the repairing of what was broken.  Until we feel satisfied with repayment; restitution; apology; we do not feel as though justice has been served–we do not feel as though all is right.

But now we run into a problem.  Two problems in fact.  First, we run into the problem of our own inability to right the wrongs.  We are incapable of righting the wrongs that we do.  You may disagree with me here.  You may say, “Yes, I do some bad things, but I also do a lot of good things.”  I understand what you are saying, but let me get you to think about this a little bit.  Let’s say that one day you are careless and you back into anther person’s car.  You are embarrassed, and the damage isn’t too terrible, so you leave the scene.  “It was just a little ding,” you say to yourself.  You know it’s wrong.  So, later that day, you see a homeless person with a sign asking for donations to get food.  You put a $20 bill in the guy’s cup.  You instantly feel better about doing some good.  Things have evened out right?  Wrong.  They other person’s car still isn’t fixed.  Until you right the wrong you committed, you are still in debt to the other person.  Until you right the specific wrong, you haven’t made things just.  And if you break God’s commands...can you become completely right?  Can you become completely just with God.  The answer, we will see is no.  We cannot become right with God.  That’s problem one, and it is certainly not Gospel–good news.

Problem number two is the amount of injustice that permeates the world.  Very, very few of the world’s people ever get justice.  Very few of the world’s people ever have the wrongs committed against them righted.  People who died as slaves never received freedom.  There are people who were murdered whose killer were never found.  There are people who have been swindled out of money who never received a dime back from it.  People who try to do the right things end up having terrible diseases are killed by natural disasters and suffer terrible loss.  The powerful take advantage of the powerless, and not much ever happens.  Things are not right.  They are not just.

What is God’s answer to both of these problems?  Jesus.

First, God’s righteousness/justice is revealed on the cross. God pays your debt that you have accumulated with Him.  Revisiting the car analogy: the owner of the car fixed the ding without asking you to pay damages.  What became free to you, cost him time and money.  And if he decides not to press charges, you have a lot to be thankful for.  When it comes to sin, God changes our status before Him.  He reveals our righteousness and our justice by paying the price for our sins.  He does this out of His great love: for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all of those who believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.

Secondly, God’s righteousness/justice is revealed in how Jesus lived as He announced the breaking in of the kingdom of God.  When the news of the Gospel takes root in your heart and mind, you are changed.  You are transformed.  You want to live and move differently.  You want to participate in a world where there is no more hunger, thirst, or poverty.  You want to participate in a world where all people are treated as children of God with dignity and respect.  You want to see reconciliation take place, and so you seek out others who share this view.  You seek out others who want to be a part of such a kingdom and you form a culture within a culture.  You form a church–a church which seeks to be the kingdom of God in the world; engaging the world; without becoming a part of the world.  In the church, justice/righteousness is practiced because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

Finally, God’s justice/righteousness is revealed in the resurrection.  For in the resurrection all the evil that had been done was undone.  All the darkness was transformed into light.  All the sadness was transformed into joy.  The promise of the resurrection is the promise that all evil will one day be overcome.  Death will be defeated.  God will reign supreme.  The resurrection says that God will have the final word, and so we live in hope.

And we put our trust in God.  We put our faith in the one who died to make us right with Him.  We put our faith in the one who has established His kingdom on earth and made us a part of it.  We put our faith in the one who will make all things new.  When you focus on God revealed in Jesus, you too can say as St. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.”  You can see that God is indeed just.  You can see that He is indeed righteous.  You can see that there is no need to bring God to trial.  There is simply a need to trust in what God has, is, and will accomplish.  For He transforms you through the Gospel.  He transforms the world through the church, and He will transform heaven and earth in His good time.  Amen.