Printer Friendly Version
Assumption: The congregation has just witnessed a baptism or heard a testimony
about a person’s baptism.
There is nothing quite like the miracle of new birth. There are just not enough
words or songs of praise to fully celebrate what God has done in X’s
life. The old is gone, new has come and angels, archangels and the company
of heaven sing songs of praise. We are participants in a celestial party!
As pastor I think some of the most powerful moments we share as a church is
when we have the privilege of participating in the sacraments. When I offer
the bread and cup of the communion feast, I recognize that each person is
receiving the presence of Christ into their lives anew. I often think of the
struggles and burdens that people are carrying when they come to receive the
body and blood of Christ, and I am in awe as I recognize the presence of Christ
entering those places in fresh ways.
Baptism is also a unique privilege in which to participate. Every baptism,
in which I have been involved, has a special place in my heart. I think of
the baptism service we had down at the beach. I still wonder what the neighbors
thought as the four of us in our white robes along with the rest of the church
headed down to the ocean. What a privilege to hear those words of testimony.
What a powerful image we received when they entered the death of Christ through
the waves of baptismal waters and rose into the life of Christ. Like a newborn
baby they are fresh and pure and ready to respond to the life of God.
Like any birth these are beginnings. Beginnings by their definition mean that
there is more. The scriptures from Romans tell us that not only has God by
grace forgiven our sins, but that through Christ the power of sin itself has
been broken. This liberty means that what previously controlled our lives
and ruled our days is no more. The future is filled with possibilities because
of what God has done. We have been saved from sin. We have been saved for
new life.
All Christians stand on a threshold. After we have invited God in the name
of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit to break the power of sin in
our lives, there is still more that God wants to pour out on our lives. When
we speak of sin being a master, we are referring to the force behind decisions
being made, actions being taken, and the direction our life takes. God’s
answer is powerful. God’s answer is to break the power of sin. Sin’s
power is not suppressed, denied, or pushed away. It is broken! We who were
once slaves of sin have been set free. God liberates us from this tyranny.
We may still hear the bidding of sin, but through Jesus Christ, by the power
of the Holy Spirit to the Glory of God, we are able to resist the sirens who
sing our songs of temptation. We are not people who are tossed about by these
temptations. Thanks be to God, we have been offered a life of freedom.
The concern is, when we have been set free from sin, still standing fresh
and dripping from the baptismal waters, what replaces the old master of our
lives? Who rules our decisions, actions and future? This kind of decision,
especially when choosing a rule other than God’s, often gets made without
a full recognition that a choice has been made. Decisions, actions and life
philosophies arise out of what we worship. If we worship something or someone
other then God it is sin.
The effect of sin’s rule is death. There are varied ways death can be
evident in our lives. It is evident in destructive forces like addictions,
in the loss of trust because of lies, in the destruction of relationships
because of betrayal, in the dreams never realized. Christians are invited
to know a better way. It is not that we are unscathed by these realities,
but we are not ruled by them, and they certainly do not have the last word.
As we live in the outpouring of God’s Spirit we see addictions overcome,
trust restored, relationships healed and dreams reborn.
The word of God tells us that to fully receive the life that God has for us
we must embrace the reign of God. When choosing who will direct our paths
we must ask some important questions. Do we want to be instruments of war
or peace? Do we want to invest our lives in the temporal or the eternal? Are
we, in our words and actions, offering life or death?
Illustration: I was at a meeting the other day in which we were discussing
a group of adolescents that were out of control. There was much discussion
about how the community might respond. One person spoke up and said, “One
of the problems we are facing is that these kids do not have a view for the
future, they do not comprehend consequences. If they are given the choice
of a mandatory program or two day jail time they will choose jail, simply
because it is shorter. Never mind that they now have a permanent record.”
For themselves, their families and their communities these kids are choosing
to be instruments of war. They are under the power of sin, which always leads
to death.
We need to raise the vision that we, by the grace of God, can be part of the
good, the true, the everlasting, the very life of God. By grace, this hunger
is innate in all of us. This newfound freedom is given to us that we might
be restored into a whole relationship with God. When the newly baptized person
rises from the waters, God calls them into a deeper way. They must begin to
answer the question about their future direction. They must begin the journey
of discovering what they have been saved for. This is a life long journey
of discovery. There are some hints about this future to be found in today’s
text.
Our future direction is found in becoming slaves to righteousness. It is asking
God to reign over our lives. It is asking Christ to determine our present
and our future. It is asking the Holy Spirit to empower our walk of obedience
with God.
God makes clear to us that the “wages of sin is death and the gift of
God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23). The choice is ours. God offers a
life that is filled with grace, peace, endurance, character, love and hope.
Sin might have its attractions, but it is all about death. Instead we can
enter the fullness of the life of God by becoming slaves of righteousness.
By God’s great mercies we can know the work of the Holy Spirit that empowers
us to live and participate in the outpouring of God’s love.
We want to enter into this restored relationship we can have with God in Christ
Jesus. We can, by the grace of God, worship him with all our heart, body and
soul. We can present ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness. We
have the privilege of presenting ourselves to God’s service. We can,
by the power of the Holy Spirit, consecrate our lives to God and ask God to
reign over us. We can in the name of Jesus Christ, through the power of the
Holy Spirit, and to the glory of God be alive unto God. There is no better
choice!
Illustration: Share a local story of God’s sanctifying power.
There is great benefit from being slaves of righteousness. What is it we receive
from this new master? We begin to participate in eternal life. We begin to
have our lives invested in the things that are good, true and forever. Where
sin leads only to death, the grace of God leads to life eternal. In other
words if we run from the death of the cross and cling to the life of this
world we will ultimately lose our lives. When we embrace death through the
cross, and commit our lives to the service of God, we gain eternal life. The
benefit is holiness – becoming a people set apart to know and share grace,
peace, endurance, character, love and hope.
Paul wraps up all these themes in the famous verse: “For the wages of
sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord” (Romans 6:23). The fullness of life is known when Jesus reigns
over our lives. We can therefore come to know great benefits from serving
God. We can be people of the resurrection, people who live out the Easter
promise with Pentecost power. Because of the mercies of God we have a radical
hope for all people!
Invitation to pray.
Bruce, F. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Revised Edition:
Romans. Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 1998.
Dawn, M. Truly the Community: Romans 12 and How to be the Church.
Grand Rapids, Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992.
Fitzmyer, J. Romans: A New Translation with Introduction and
Commentary. New York, Doubleday, 1992.
Harrisville, R. Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament: Romans.
Minneapolis, Augsburg Publishing House, 1980.
Soards, M., Dozeman, T., McCabe, K. Preaching the Revised Common
Lectionary. “Year A: After Pentecost 1”. Nashville, Abingdon
Press,
1992.
Moo, D. The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The
Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans Publishing Company,
1996.
