My Sunday Sermon
I would have liked to preach on the Sovergnity of God in relation to New Orleans, but I am preaching on Isaiah 45:1-7 on October 16.
So here goes. This sermon is Law and Gospel, and Biblically based. It is actually an exigetical sermon preached in an ELCA congreation.
So in this morning’s text starting with Romans 13.8- Paul uses strange language, talking about how not to owe one anything except love. My observations in regard to are the following verse. The first observation is how does Paul understand this term owed. In Romans 1 -Paul speaks of how he is under obligation (which is another way of saying owed) to the greeks and barbarians and the wise and the foolish. So by this Paul means he owes them the Gospel.. Paul’s debt to the Gospel arose because of sin, he wasn’t able to save himself. The second part of this verse deals with how the ones who have loved have fulfilled the law. This is true if one has perfectly fulfilled every aspect of the Ten Commandments, and every last letter of the law. If one had never held anger against their neighbor or wished harm to them, if one has never ignored God for their own pursuits, if one has never coveted what someone has. Then one could fulfill the law on their own. One is less likely to be made right with God through their own good works than they are to swim across the Pacific Ocean. So from verse 8-We know that Paul is in debt to spread the Gospel, Paul’s debt arises from the very fact that he could never fulfill the Law on his own. But the law has been fulfilled through Love.
So Point 1: You will never be able to save yourself before God, because of your own good works.
13.9- gets to how the Law has been fulfilled by Love. Let’s look at how Paul understands the Law has been fulfilled by love. Let me cite from Galatians 3.Galatians 3-Explains why God added the Law. This chapter states the reason the law was given was so that it could convict people of their own sinfulness, till Jesus Christ came . So as Galatians 3 God’s law exists so our need for Christ can be revealed. If there was no such thing as Law, no one could ever be saved, So as Verse 9 gets to the Law and the Ten Commandments came not only so the world didn’t end up killing each other, but so People may be convicted of their sinfulness and saved.
13.10-So back to the idea of how Law was fulfilled by love. So love in its purest form in the person of Jesus Christ is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 5.8-So God showed his love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. . John 15:9-As the father, loved me, so I have loved you, abide in my love. So to say Love is fulfilling of the law-means that because of Christ’s love the law has been fulfilled. By Christ meeting all the requirements of the law, which no one else could do, people were saved.. So Christ by his love for us defeating the very consequences of the Law- Sin and Death-Romans 6.23 by his resurrection is what saves us.
Point 2: God established the Law out of love. Christ saved us by defeating death, the very penalty of the Law.
The second half of these verses are more straight-forward
13.11-Besides this you know that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. If I were to ask people what Paul meant here. Chances are I would get quite a few different answers. But the meaning of verse 11 is answered in I Thessolonians 5. In this passage, which is considered to be by scholars the Apostle Paul’s first letter. Paul speaks of how people are Children of Darkness, or Children of the light. By Children of Darkness, Paul means those who are defined by sin. Paul refers to the Children of Darkness as people that are sleeping. Where as Children of the light are those who are defined by Christ. So when Paul says in Romans 13.11 –The time has come to wake from sleep. Paul is addressing this to Christians (or Children of the Light), but when referring to sleep he means what has been brought on by Sin. All bad things happen because of sin.. I will defend this argument Biblically. In Genesis 3 when humanity fell, it showed Sin led to consequences. The consequences of Adam’s and Eve’s sin extend to all people for all time this in Romans 5. This sin corrupted all of creation, and that is why items like Natural Disasters take place, so that is why Romans 8 speaks of Christ coming to redeem all of creation. So when I make the claim that Sin is the cause of all bad things. I am making the claim of the human condition of sin being the cause of all bad things, not necessarily individual sins. This isn’t saying their aren’t consequences for individual sins, but it is speculative what these things are in all people. So Paul is saying all this pain, sickness, war, famine, and death. Pretty soon these things will be no more. The idea that Salvation is nearer to us than when we first. Drives home the point that the time for us to experience the sin of the world is relatively short, compated to eternality of heaven that is come.
Point 3: Because Christ saved us, soon we will be with Christ.
13.12-So what does this all mean for today. Since the day when all our suffering shall be no more, and the glorious light of God is going to come shining down upon us. This verse calls us to avoid sin, and seek to delight in the light that is to come. To speak of what this means, I must first answer why Heaven shall be so great. Since sin is the cause of all bad things, sin shall be absent in heaven. Thereby this world because of sin is separated from the perfect love of God. The fact that we will experience the perfect love of God, is the primary joy of eternal life. This is why Paul says in Philipians 1-To be departed and to be with Christ is far better than what the flesh can offer. For heaven is great because one receives joy so fulfilling, that the contrast between the troubles of this world and heaven cannot be imagined. So what is this calling you for in the here and now. It is calling for a focus on Christ, a focus on the one who will take all this pain away. If one asks me why we should do good works? It is not because good works will save you, since they have never saved anyone before. The reason one should do good works is because one delights in the contrast between the present and the future. This is why David in Psalm 119 speaks of “Delighting in God’s law, after in Psalm 51 talking about how sinful he had been since birth. One should do good works because they are so excited for what the future is going to hold, they want to get in on the act now. I had a professor at seminary named Jim Nestingen who when people asked him why you do good works. “He would respond why are you intimate with your husband/wife?”. . “Is it because you must, no it is because you can”. For Christ has done it all as far as salvation is concerned. We do good works, so we can begin to enjoy some of the very things, which make heaven so great.
Point 4: Being With Christ in heaven is great because: We will experience the Love of Christ. We will experience God’s perfect intent for creation, with an abscene of the pain caused by sin.
13.13-Now a lot of churches would just give you a lecture of all the things being talked about in verse 13 not to do. Don’t engage in orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, sensuality, quarreling, and jealously. They might make the focus of the sermon why you shouldn’t do these things. They would make accurate points as to why not to do them not only Biblically, but morally. I think this verse is pretty clear, so I will not really expand on this point. But the reason God does not want us to do these things goes back to David in Psalm 119, because they don’t fulfill anybody in anyway. The reason people engage in these activities deals with the attractiveness of sin. If people didn’t think engaging in this or that act couldn’t take away my problems. Then no one would ever sin. I realize this. But sin does have consequences. No one could stand up here and talk about jealously,substance abuse, or sexual sin and speak how that behavior enriched them. For often breaking God’s law creates attack on our conscience. . A lot of times, people kind of have this idea of a petty God. Who just makes up things for people not to do to bide time. But God sets laws as parents often set laws, not to be petty or unhip, but for the betterment of their children. But God wants us to be happy. God wants our focus, not because he is a narcist. But since God is the epitome of love as taught in 1 John 4. God is the epitome of Joy and Peace as taught in Galatians 5. So why would God not want one to delight in God, and not in sin? When love, joy, and peace are not found in sin. When sin often causes people pain.
Point 5: Why would one want to sin? When there is so much pain and emptiness caused by Sin. We do good works, not because they save us. But so we may begin to take in what is to come.
13.14-So here Paul concludes the argument of the last 6 verses. We are to put on Christ. What this means is that not only should we seek to follow Christ, by doing actions which are done by the Children of the light, not by Children of the darkness. One would never go get food poisoning at a restaurant, as soon as they got out of the hospital, go eat at the same restaurant For if sin has caused people so much emptiness, and pain why would we want to engage in it. We should seek to live to follow Christ, so we may start to take in the light. No one has ever spoken of regret from truly loving their family, friends, neighbors, and children. No one has ever spoken of regret for trying to help others out. I have never heard anyone talk about regret arriving from sharing the Gospel that Jesus Christ died for them, so that they may live. So God wants us to do good works for our own benefit. This verse summarizes the hope of the rest of the passage. You will never save yourself by the law, but Christ saved you by fulfilling the law, we have been saved in such a way that the hope of heaven is coming, heaven is great because it contrasts all the sin and pain we experience on earth, so delight in turning from sin and towards Christ and all its benefits. –Not because you must but because you can.
Amen.
So here goes. This sermon is Law and Gospel, and Biblically based. It is actually an exigetical sermon preached in an ELCA congreation.
So in this morning’s text starting with Romans 13.8- Paul uses strange language, talking about how not to owe one anything except love. My observations in regard to are the following verse. The first observation is how does Paul understand this term owed. In Romans 1 -Paul speaks of how he is under obligation (which is another way of saying owed) to the greeks and barbarians and the wise and the foolish. So by this Paul means he owes them the Gospel.. Paul’s debt to the Gospel arose because of sin, he wasn’t able to save himself. The second part of this verse deals with how the ones who have loved have fulfilled the law. This is true if one has perfectly fulfilled every aspect of the Ten Commandments, and every last letter of the law. If one had never held anger against their neighbor or wished harm to them, if one has never ignored God for their own pursuits, if one has never coveted what someone has. Then one could fulfill the law on their own. One is less likely to be made right with God through their own good works than they are to swim across the Pacific Ocean. So from verse 8-We know that Paul is in debt to spread the Gospel, Paul’s debt arises from the very fact that he could never fulfill the Law on his own. But the law has been fulfilled through Love.
So Point 1: You will never be able to save yourself before God, because of your own good works.
13.9- gets to how the Law has been fulfilled by Love. Let’s look at how Paul understands the Law has been fulfilled by love. Let me cite from Galatians 3.Galatians 3-Explains why God added the Law. This chapter states the reason the law was given was so that it could convict people of their own sinfulness, till Jesus Christ came . So as Galatians 3 God’s law exists so our need for Christ can be revealed. If there was no such thing as Law, no one could ever be saved, So as Verse 9 gets to the Law and the Ten Commandments came not only so the world didn’t end up killing each other, but so People may be convicted of their sinfulness and saved.
13.10-So back to the idea of how Law was fulfilled by love. So love in its purest form in the person of Jesus Christ is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 5.8-So God showed his love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. . John 15:9-As the father, loved me, so I have loved you, abide in my love. So to say Love is fulfilling of the law-means that because of Christ’s love the law has been fulfilled. By Christ meeting all the requirements of the law, which no one else could do, people were saved.. So Christ by his love for us defeating the very consequences of the Law- Sin and Death-Romans 6.23 by his resurrection is what saves us.
Point 2: God established the Law out of love. Christ saved us by defeating death, the very penalty of the Law.
The second half of these verses are more straight-forward
13.11-Besides this you know that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. If I were to ask people what Paul meant here. Chances are I would get quite a few different answers. But the meaning of verse 11 is answered in I Thessolonians 5. In this passage, which is considered to be by scholars the Apostle Paul’s first letter. Paul speaks of how people are Children of Darkness, or Children of the light. By Children of Darkness, Paul means those who are defined by sin. Paul refers to the Children of Darkness as people that are sleeping. Where as Children of the light are those who are defined by Christ. So when Paul says in Romans 13.11 –The time has come to wake from sleep. Paul is addressing this to Christians (or Children of the Light), but when referring to sleep he means what has been brought on by Sin. All bad things happen because of sin.. I will defend this argument Biblically. In Genesis 3 when humanity fell, it showed Sin led to consequences. The consequences of Adam’s and Eve’s sin extend to all people for all time this in Romans 5. This sin corrupted all of creation, and that is why items like Natural Disasters take place, so that is why Romans 8 speaks of Christ coming to redeem all of creation. So when I make the claim that Sin is the cause of all bad things. I am making the claim of the human condition of sin being the cause of all bad things, not necessarily individual sins. This isn’t saying their aren’t consequences for individual sins, but it is speculative what these things are in all people. So Paul is saying all this pain, sickness, war, famine, and death. Pretty soon these things will be no more. The idea that Salvation is nearer to us than when we first. Drives home the point that the time for us to experience the sin of the world is relatively short, compated to eternality of heaven that is come.
Point 3: Because Christ saved us, soon we will be with Christ.
13.12-So what does this all mean for today. Since the day when all our suffering shall be no more, and the glorious light of God is going to come shining down upon us. This verse calls us to avoid sin, and seek to delight in the light that is to come. To speak of what this means, I must first answer why Heaven shall be so great. Since sin is the cause of all bad things, sin shall be absent in heaven. Thereby this world because of sin is separated from the perfect love of God. The fact that we will experience the perfect love of God, is the primary joy of eternal life. This is why Paul says in Philipians 1-To be departed and to be with Christ is far better than what the flesh can offer. For heaven is great because one receives joy so fulfilling, that the contrast between the troubles of this world and heaven cannot be imagined. So what is this calling you for in the here and now. It is calling for a focus on Christ, a focus on the one who will take all this pain away. If one asks me why we should do good works? It is not because good works will save you, since they have never saved anyone before. The reason one should do good works is because one delights in the contrast between the present and the future. This is why David in Psalm 119 speaks of “Delighting in God’s law, after in Psalm 51 talking about how sinful he had been since birth. One should do good works because they are so excited for what the future is going to hold, they want to get in on the act now. I had a professor at seminary named Jim Nestingen who when people asked him why you do good works. “He would respond why are you intimate with your husband/wife?”. . “Is it because you must, no it is because you can”. For Christ has done it all as far as salvation is concerned. We do good works, so we can begin to enjoy some of the very things, which make heaven so great.
Point 4: Being With Christ in heaven is great because: We will experience the Love of Christ. We will experience God’s perfect intent for creation, with an abscene of the pain caused by sin.
13.13-Now a lot of churches would just give you a lecture of all the things being talked about in verse 13 not to do. Don’t engage in orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, sensuality, quarreling, and jealously. They might make the focus of the sermon why you shouldn’t do these things. They would make accurate points as to why not to do them not only Biblically, but morally. I think this verse is pretty clear, so I will not really expand on this point. But the reason God does not want us to do these things goes back to David in Psalm 119, because they don’t fulfill anybody in anyway. The reason people engage in these activities deals with the attractiveness of sin. If people didn’t think engaging in this or that act couldn’t take away my problems. Then no one would ever sin. I realize this. But sin does have consequences. No one could stand up here and talk about jealously,substance abuse, or sexual sin and speak how that behavior enriched them. For often breaking God’s law creates attack on our conscience. . A lot of times, people kind of have this idea of a petty God. Who just makes up things for people not to do to bide time. But God sets laws as parents often set laws, not to be petty or unhip, but for the betterment of their children. But God wants us to be happy. God wants our focus, not because he is a narcist. But since God is the epitome of love as taught in 1 John 4. God is the epitome of Joy and Peace as taught in Galatians 5. So why would God not want one to delight in God, and not in sin? When love, joy, and peace are not found in sin. When sin often causes people pain.
Point 5: Why would one want to sin? When there is so much pain and emptiness caused by Sin. We do good works, not because they save us. But so we may begin to take in what is to come.
13.14-So here Paul concludes the argument of the last 6 verses. We are to put on Christ. What this means is that not only should we seek to follow Christ, by doing actions which are done by the Children of the light, not by Children of the darkness. One would never go get food poisoning at a restaurant, as soon as they got out of the hospital, go eat at the same restaurant For if sin has caused people so much emptiness, and pain why would we want to engage in it. We should seek to live to follow Christ, so we may start to take in the light. No one has ever spoken of regret from truly loving their family, friends, neighbors, and children. No one has ever spoken of regret for trying to help others out. I have never heard anyone talk about regret arriving from sharing the Gospel that Jesus Christ died for them, so that they may live. So God wants us to do good works for our own benefit. This verse summarizes the hope of the rest of the passage. You will never save yourself by the law, but Christ saved you by fulfilling the law, we have been saved in such a way that the hope of heaven is coming, heaven is great because it contrasts all the sin and pain we experience on earth, so delight in turning from sin and towards Christ and all its benefits. –Not because you must but because you can.
Amen.
posted by Stew at 5:06 PM
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