Enemies of the Gospel

Text: Luke 18:9-14

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Enemies of the Gospel are counters. Yes, enemies of the Gospel are counters; they are all about counting and tallying everything they do, so that they might put confidence, not in the Gospel, but in themselves.

Here is how this works. These enemies of the Gospel keep track of all their good works – all they do before God. They then look at others and count how much they have done. And when it is determined that everyone else has not done as much as them, they thank God that they are so much better than everybody else and proceed to snub those around them as inferior.  

But just to make sure this makes sense, why are they enemies of the Gospel?

The answer, they are enemies of the Gospel because they fail to realize that they are sinners. Yes, they fail to understand that they are sinners because they are so busy counting the good things they are doing as a basis of their worth and value.

For example, we see one of these enemies of the Gospel in our reading from the book of Luke.

In Luke, chapter 18, we read about a Pharisee. This Pharisee was not like other people. He was not a thief or a rebel or an adulterer, for he fasted twice a week and gave a tenth of all his income. Indeed, we know that he is not like everyone else because he confesses his greatness. He has counted how much he has fasted and how much he gives away. If asked about other areas of his life, I am sure he would have a list of things counted up – things he does to make himself great.

So, as we can see, this Pharisee does not have much use for the Gospel because he has put all his trust in himself and what he has accomplished. He is an enemy of the Gospel because he does not seek the forgiveness of sins in God’s mercy, but rather, has rejected the Gospel by counting up his good deeds and determining that he is not a poor miserable sinner like everyone else.  Indeed, he is an enemy of the Gospel because he does not see himself as a sinner. And if he is not a sinner, there is no need of the Savior of sinners – Jesus Christ.

Now, this Pharisee was neither the first nor the last to be an enemy of the Gospel. In our Old Testament reading, we hear about a man named Cain. He too was an enemy of the Gospel. He was counting on his sacrifice and his work to earn him recognition before God. When his self-righteous plan did not work, though, he flipped out and murdered his brother.

We also see many enemies of the Gospel in the sixteenth-century, when the people spent all their time counting up their indulgences, their pilgrimages, and the number of Masses they attended as a basis of their worth.

And today, unfortunately, we are no different. Tragically, more often than not, we see enemies of the Gospel at funerals, of all places. Yes, at funerals we see pastors and family members being the enemy of the Gospel, when they spend all their time proclaiming the goodness of a deceased love one as a basis of why they are in heaven. Now, please do not misunderstand me, I am not talking about the pastor and family rejoicing over the past blessings of a deceased person – rejoicing and thanking God for all the good that the recently deceased did in their lifetime as a blessing to others. But rather, I am talking about those sermons and eulogies within the funeral that go on and on about a person’s goodness as a basis of why he or she must be in heaven. Tragically, whenever we knowingly or unknowingly count up the good things of a person to present it as the reason and foundation of why a person must be in heaven, we have not gone the way of the powerful Gospel, but rather, denied it.  

Sadly, my friends, whether it is with sixteenth-century indulgences or whether it is with funerals, when we go the way of counting and tallying up good things that we have done to try and show that we have acquired eternal life, we go the way of being an enemy of the Gospel. We are not justified by our works, no matter how good they are, because we are all tainted by sin.

Dear friends, the only thing that counts concerning our justification, is not our good deeds or how much we have done or how well we have done it, but rather, the only thing that counts is the mercy of God in Christ Jesus for sinners. Yes, the only thing that counts is the sheer grace of the Lord, not our counted deeds or our tallied righteousness. 

Take a moment and consider the Tax Collector in our Gospel reading. He beats his chest and says, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” Notice that he has not counted anything. He has not counted up how much he has fasted or how much he has given or how much good he has accomplished. Yes, take note that he simply keeps quiet about himself and his works. He brings nothing forward about himself, except that he is a sinner in need of mercy.

I believe the old hymn, Rock of Ages, captures the outlook of the Tax Collector best, when it states,

          Nothing in my hand I bring;

Simply to the cross I cling.

Naked, come to thee for dress;

Helpless look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly;

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

Dear friends, anytime that you or I start to count out and itemize our goodness, like the Pharisee, we become enemies of the Gospel. Indeed, no matter how pious or good our deeds might be, we become enemies of the Gospel when we count them up as a basis of our worth and identity before God. The reason why this is so? When we go the way of the counting Pharisee, we deny the reality that we are sinners, and when we begin to go down the road of trying to convince ourselves that we are not sinners, like everyone else, well... Satan has us right where he wants us.

Now, keep in mind that the Devil wants nothing more than for you and me to be smug in our sins. That is to say; the Devil wants nothing more than for us to deny that we are sinners. The Devil rejoices when we pretend to be sorry for our sins and then walk around bragging about all the good that we have done as a basis of our worth and identity. Yes, the Devil rejoices when we become unconscious about our sin or when we celebrate our sin, for when we fail to know, feel, and acknowledge that we are guilty of sin and subject to death; we do not need Jesus and certainly, do not need the Gospel. 

There is another side to this as well. If we acknowledge our sin, the Devil then tries to convince us that we must somehow flee from God and hide. He says to us,

“You certainly feel ashamed and guilty because of your sin! Just think how God thinks of you. You should not raise your eyes to heaven; you should be afraid of the sight of God. In fact, you should be so scared that you should run away and get your life together. Only when you can fix your sins or improve on them, can you come into the Lord’s presence.”

As you can see, Satan’s tactic is to either make you and me smug in our sin or fearful in our sin. Either way we go, the result is the same; we have been disconnected from the Lord Jesus Christ and His mercy.

Dear friends, we must never surrender to these satanic arrows – these lies.

If you do not recognize yourself to be a sinner; if you do not know, feel, and experience that you are guilty of sin and subject to death – if you are busy counting your good deeds trying to convince yourself that you are not a sinner like everybody else around you, then repent. Yes, repent. You have placed yourself with the Pharisee and have become an enemy of the Gospel. You have succumbed to a satanic lie.   

On the other hand, if you know yourself to be a sinner – if you know, feel, and experience that you are guilty of sin and subject to death, but feel trapped and are afraid of God; know too that you have bought into Satan’s false theology.

Dear friends, we must never surrender to these evil lies! But rather, look to the Tax Collector of our Gospel reading.

In our Gospel reading, the Tax Collector neither counts his good deeds to convince himself that he is not a sinner nor does he hide from God because of his sins. But before the temple he confesses, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” Think about this a moment! The Tax Collector dares to say that he is a sinner. He is a sinner who is tempted by flesh and blood. He is a sinner who has anger and hate; lust and greed. But his hope – as a sinner – is in the mercy and goodness of God.

What this means is this. You and I are surely sinners. We indeed should confess, know, feel, and experience this guilt of sin, otherwise we are trapped in the lies of the Pharisee; however, we should also know the opposite, that the Lord is full of mercy and grace for us. Yes, here is the bold news – the Gospel – for you today. When you feel most like a sinner – when you are bombarded by the reality of your failings, the aging of your body, and the pains of life, that is precisely the time when you can resist the Devil and say,

“If I am a sinner, so what? God is merciful. If I am an unfit sinner, then that is precisely why I need the sufficient Savior.”

Then after you boldly confess this before the evil one, you can beat your chest and confess even louder,

“God have mercy on me, the sinner.”

This is the nature of what it means to be a Christian. As a Christian, we daily confess and acknowledge our sins. However, in the midst of our sighs, we know the bold news of the Gospel that the Lord has mercy on sinners. We know that the Lord loves to show mercy and grace and salvation to sinners who feel their sins.

Dear Baptized Saints, all of your life is framed within God’s mercy. All of your sins cannot be set against you, for God’s mercy is for you because Christ Jesus died for you. So, you are shielded from God’s wrath.

You need not depend on your works and your deeds, for you have Christ’s work and His deeds. You need not count your works, for you can count upon God’s mercy in Christ.

Yes, because you are a baptized child of God, you have the comfort that you do not need to flee from God or pretend that you are not a sinner, but rather, you can confidently and continually plead for His mercy along with the tax collector, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

And the good news for you and me today is this: the Lord gladly gives His mercy to you. The Lord graciously forgives you all your sins.  He washes you clean and creates a new heart within you through His Word and Sacraments.

Lord have mercy on us! And He does; over and over and over.  This is the Gospel for you and for me too.     

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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Tears Streaking Down A Holy Face

Text: Luke 19:41-48

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

It would have been an amazing sight to see.  The palm branches were waving back and forth, and the crowd was shouting, as Jesus rode into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday long ago. 

Now, it might surprise us to hear that in the midst of the shouts of praise and the waving of the palm branches that there were tears on the face of Jesus.  I am not talking about those emotional tears that one gets in the midst of great compelling events.  You know, the kind of tears a person gets when a favorite football team wins the Super Bowl or the kind of tears a person gets when something amazing happens, such as a joyful wedding or the news of a birth of a child.  No, Jesus was not taken up in the euphoric moment of praise with epic tears.  But rather, the tears that began to streak down His holy face and the loud weeping were due to pain and grief.  Yes, the tears were due to pain, grief, and agony, the kind of tears that come forth at funerals.  But why tears of pain and why that day?

It might be easy to think that these tears were because of the upcoming cross, for Jesus had indeed predicted His future death and He was drawing near to the place of His death in the city of Jerusalem.  However, these tears and this agony were not for Himself and were not for what awaited Him on the cross, but were because of the people of Jerusalem. 

You see, as Jesus rode on that donkey towards Jerusalem He saw a dreadful sight – a city that would reject Him.  Yes, as He looked upon the city of Jerusalem, He saw a city that would discard Him and the Gospel.  Jesus saw a city that would cast off true peace and forgiveness.  He saw a city that had a hard-heart. 

Tragically this was the pattern that Jerusalem had set for herself throughout the many previous generations.  As we know, the prophets in the Old Testament had consistently called for the people of Jerusalem to turn from their sins and false worship; however, many of the people refused to turn.  Instead, they sought to establish their righteousness and dismissed the words of the prophets, often times persecuting the prophets.    

The same was true for that Palm Sunday long ago.  The people of Jerusalem would reject Jesus with the grace and peace that He would bring, which would result in this beautiful city seeing destruction; that is to say, judgment.  That is right; the city of Jerusalem would soon see destruction by the Roman Empire – fires raging in the streets, children being slaughtered under the feet of soldiers, stones falling, and slaves being carried off; all because of their rejection of Jesus.  Yes, Jerusalem would soon see complete and total destruction because of their rejection of the Messiah who was riding into their midst. 

This is why Jesus wept.  He wept because of their future destruction; He wept because of their spiritual rejection – their lack of repentance and their hard-hearted-deaf-ears to the Gospel.

Contrary to what many people might believe about God, God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked.  He is not pleased when the unrepentant refuse to turn from their sinful ways and sink into their own deaths.  But rather, the Lord wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.[1]  But then again, as we know, humanity is not willing to be gathered unto the Lord.  Humanity has acquired a taste for rebellion and sin.  Yes, humanity resists the Holy Spirit and even denies the sovereign Lord and rejects the Son of God.[2]  And so, with this in mind, we can begin to understand why Jesus wept. 

The tears of Jesus show His compassion and His grief.  He wept for His unrepentant city, and He weeps for those today who continue in their sin, just like Jerusalem.  Indeed, the Lord has sorrow for those who refuse to repent and those who rush carelessly forward into the judgment of God; a judgment which no one can survive. 

But maybe the Lord would not have to weep and mourn over humanity, if only He did away with judgment, hell, and wrath?  You see, there is a temptation with all of us that wants God to simply do away with the existence of the fires of hell and all that talk about judgment and wrath.  It is true, the sinful nature inside of everyone of us would love to do away with the uncomfortable idea of wrath and judgment and hell.  In fact, there are entire denominations that attempt actually to do this.  They refuse to mention things like judgment, and wrath, for they assume that in the end, a loving God will send no one to hell.  However, if it is true that there is no such thing as hell and if a loving God would never judge anyone, then the tears of Jesus make no sense.  Why would Jesus cry and why would He mourn if everything will be alright in the end regardless of what anyone thinks or does?  If there is no judgment and no wrath, then God’s call to repentance is meaningless, and Jesus’ tears are for nothing.  In fact, if there is no judgment and no wrath and no hell, then we do not need to bother with God’s warnings, and we can freely persist in our sins – we can eat and drink and be merry without any cares in the world, and Jesus should suck up His tears and be happy. 

But, of course, if we listen to God’s voice in the Bible, all this kind of thinking is not an option. 

Dear friends, it is true that the Bible reveals a God who is patient, loving, and full of mercy; however, the Bible also shows us that we have a God that does not overlook continual rebellion.  Even though it comes across as politically incorrect, the Bible reveals a God who will punish and destroy in the end. But keep in mind, He will punish and destroy with tears in His eyes. 

What does all of this mean for us today, though? 

Although our Gospel reading is showing us the Lord’s sorrow and judgment over unrepentant Jerusalem, it is also a warning for us today.  That is right; when we despise God’s Word as being too intrusive to our lives or when we disregard God’s Word by just turning a deaf ear to it or when we take God’s Word for granted, we have placed ourselves right into the same place as hard-hearted Jerusalem.  And with hard-hearted Jerusalem, there is a punishment that will most certainly come.  No one – I repeat – no one who despises God’s Word will escape His judgment, wrath, and hell.  Even though this is difficult to hear, it is true.  Even though this causes us to squirm in our pews, it is the reality of how things work.   

So, dear friends, beware when you hear God’s Word, and you walk out of the church thinking,

‘Ah, that talk of judgment is just a bunch of hogwash.’ 

Beware when you hear God’s Word, and you say to yourself,

‘That Word of Law is just too oppressive and just too strict; God is surely not that serious, for He has lightened up in the twenty-first-century.’  

Beware when you hear God’s Word, and you mumble to yourself,

‘God will send nobody to hell because He is a loving God; besides it is not right for anyone to be judged.’ 

Beware when you hear God’s Word, and you say,

‘I am just fine the way that I am; I don’t need Christ as a crutch.  I don’t need the church or anything offered in the church.  I can do it on my own.’  

Yes, beware, because God will not be mocked.  He does not wink at sin.  He will not forget.  Rejecting, despising, and disregarding God’s Word is no joking matter, nothing to be taken lightly.   

Therefore, dear friends, repent.  Repent of disregarding and despising God’s Word and taking it for granted.  Repent of not trusting God’s Word.  Repent of sin in thought, word, and deed.  And as you repent, know that Jesus’ tears are for you.  Yes, His tears are over your sin and your rebellion and your hard-hearts and your deaf ears.  In other words, let us cry with Jesus over our sin and our rebellion.  Let us cry with Jesus over our hard-hearts and our deaf ears.  Together with Christ, let us mourn our sinful condition and beat our chest, saying, “Lord have mercy on me, the sinner.”    

And in the midst of all the tears, we must pause and hear just how crazy all of this rebellion and stubbornness really is.  You see, when Jesus was weeping for Jerusalem, He was actually on the way to endure the judgment and wrath of God against the sins of Jerusalem.  He was on His way to the cross.  In other words, the judgment and wrath and hell that we so deserve – the judgment and wrath and hell that Christ weeps about – is the very judgment and wrath and hell that fell right upon Jesus as He hung on that cross for you and me and the entire human race. 

How crazy is it for us to neglect the Lord Jesus and His Word, for He has done everything for our salvation.  He despises our sins more than we could ever despise it ourselves.  He cares for us more than we care for ourselves. He loves us more than we could ever love ourselves and considers it all worthwhile.

Dear Baptized Saints, the Lord longs for this: to simply gather you unto Himself in repentance and faith because He does not desire your destruction.  Indeed, humanity was not created for destruction.  You were not created for annihilation.  And so Jesus’ tears are evidence of His compassion for you. 

Dear Baptized Saints, Jesus went to Jerusalem to bleed and die and rise, to welcome you home with tears of joy.  And all of this is why He is your true Lord and Savior. He is the Savior that we do not deserve but the very Savior that we certainly possess.  He is the one who cares for you and has made you His own.  He is the one who preserves you and will keep you to the end of the age, protecting you from wrath, hell, and judgment by His work on the cross in your place.

Today, the Lord comes to you, not with wrath, judgment, and hell, but with forgiveness, life, and salvation.  Yes, He reaches out to you to give you the gift of repentance and to impart the gift of faith.  And as He does He cries out:  “Now is the acceptable time.  Now is the day of salvation.” 

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] See 2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 18:23, 32; Ezekiel 33:11; 1 Timothy 2:4.  

[2] See Matthew 23:37, Acts 7:51, 2 Peter 2:1, and John 3:36. 

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Without Doctrine, The Church Is Powerless Against Savage Wolves

Text: Acts 20:27-38

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

You may have heard it said before, “Doctrine divides, but ministry unites!”  Or you may have heard it spoken, “We should avoid doctrine because it can easily cause divisions among Christians and God desires Christians to be united!”  Or there is this saying, “Of course doctrine is important, but God cares far more for our deeds than our creeds.” 

Now, what is common among all of these sayings is this: the church should avoid doctrine or at least hush it at all costs.  And if doctrine is diminished, then and only then can the church be ready to let the good times roll.

Dear friends, while eliminating doctrine or deemphasizing it may seem like a good plan, this plan becomes unraveled when the wolves come to attack the church.  Yes, it may sound like a good idea for a church to get rid of doctrine for the sake of helping everyone get along; however, the truth of the matter is this, stripping doctrine out of the church leaves the church powerless and defenseless in the face of savage wolves.

But who are these wolves exactly; who do they represent?  Are these wolves dangerous people who physically attack Christianity – wolves like the first-century emperor named, Nero, who seized Christians and burned them alive for the sake of cruelty? 

Or maybe these wolves are the old twentieth-century Communist Party in the Soviet Union who suppressed and persecuted Christians, while encouraging atheism?

And then there is Kim Jong-Un of North Korea who sends Christians to prison camps and the death penalty.  Is he a wolf?

On the other hand, maybe these wolves are not violent men, but possibly these wolves are more like the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry who has recently fined Christian bakers hundreds of thousands of dollars for not baking same-sex wedding cakes.  Maybe these wolves are like the ACLU Group who is helping sue a florist for not making an arrangement for a same-sex wedding.    

Now, considering all of these people and examples, are these the wolves that threaten Christianity?  The surprising answer is no. 

Dear friends, these people, and groups are not the wolves that are being talked about in today’s Gospel reading and the reading from the book of Acts.  You see, in the grand scheme of things, the people and situations that I just mentioned are not that dangerous.  Now, do not get me wrong when I say that they are not dangerous.  I do not mean to diminish the terrible persecution that has existed and continues towards Christians. That is to say; there are indeed regimes, entities, and persons that can kill you and take your money, but as we know, they cannot take your souls.

You see the point is this, people who physically attack and persecute the church are bad enough; however, they are easily recognizable by even the simplest of Christians. Just a simple examination of Emperor Nero or Kim Jong-Un, one will be able to recognize them for what they are – enemies and persecutors of Christianity.  However, these are not the wolves that are mentioned in our reading from today, for the wolves that are mentioned are those who twist, distort, and pervert Christian doctrine.  In other words, the wolves that we are concerned with are false teachers – false pastors who look friendly, look pious, and look faithful, but are destroying souls.  And what makes these wolves so dangerous is not that they destroy bodies or drain wallets, but that they destroy souls and plunge people into the abyss of hell. 

“But how can these wolves be so dangerous?” you may ask.  There are two reasons.    

First, they come in sheep’s clothing.  They come disguised as messengers of light with pious talk, veiled with religious gestures, and covered with reverent looking clothing.

Second, they come into the church with a message that sounds Christian, but make no mistake; it is a message that has been twisted, perverted, and distorted, ever so slightly. 

Indeed, wolves dressed as sheep will enter and pop up within the church, proclaiming a message that sounds very Christian and looks pious, but in reality, it is twisted and perverted.  You see, that is the way it typically goes with heresy and false teaching.  Blatant false teaching and obvious false teachers are easy to pick out, but those dressed in sheep’s clothing and those who have taken the genuine message of Christianity and twisted it into falsehood are more difficult to spot. 

And make no mistake about it, a small twist of doctrine is not something that we should quickly dismiss, for only one piercing fang of false doctrine may cause faith to bleed to death. 

This is why churches who have exchanged doctrine for entertainment or removed doctrine entirely for the sake of not offending anyone are so susceptible and vulnerable. In other words, Christians and churches who have no doctrine, have set themselves up for failure and deception.  By throwing out Christian doctrine they have thrown out the discernment of God’s Word that would otherwise protect them from wolves seeking to devour them.  Tragically, these churches will not endure to the end but will be gobbled up.  Indeed, they will not endure against wolves and false doctrine, but their souls will be destroyed as they are drawn into falsehood, lies, and deception.  Wolves love to feast upon flighty, unaware, daydreaming, and playful little sheep.   

Now, in the face of this danger, you may find yourself a bit uneasy.  You may find yourself worried about the possibility of being caught off guard by a wolf, for there are indeed hundreds of wolves within the North American Church at large.  If you are uneasy now, that is good!  It is good because God’s Word has gotten your attention.  And now that the Word of God has gotten your attention, you may be wondering what you are to do about all of this?  The Apostle Paul clearly answers in our reading from Acts.  The only logical thing to do is to keep wide awake!  Yes, the Apostle commends the pastors of the church to pay attention, to be alert.  And that exhortation to be alert can equally apply to all of us as well. 

Indeed, pastors and their churches are called and exhorted to ‘wake up!’  Sleeping and dreamy sheep do not stand a chance against the wolves!  This life is not a peaceful walk on the beach and being a Christian is not rose peddles and pumpkin pie.  No, being a Christian means that you are a sheep of Jesus and being a sheep of Jesus puts a target on your back for wolves – wolves doing the work of Satan.

But is that it?  Are we to simply be alert and awake?  While being alert may help us to spot the wolves, it seems that there needs to be something else to defend us from the wolves. 

In our reading from Acts, the Apostle Paul not only calls for alertness, but also commends them to God and His Word of Grace; Paul commends them to the one who is able to build them up.  What this means is this: to stand up to the wolves and to discern and spot a wolf, one must have God’s Word.  Indeed, Paul commends them to God’s Word so that they would be built up.  This building up is not an increase in pious and pleasant religious talk.  It is not building up bible trivia points but an increase, an unfolding of the whole Christian life.  It is an increase in knowledge and wisdom and discernment by being captivated to God’s Word – God’s teaching in the Bible, His doctrine.

And now we are beginning to see the importance of God’s Word – God’s doctrine.  In other words, the only way a person can pick out a wolf and the only way a person can fend off the wolves is by being in God’s care where the Word is present, building up the flock. 

Dear friends, this is why we do what we do here at Zion.  Sure we come to this church for fellowship and friendship; however, fellowship and friendship can easily happen at other places.  One does not need a church for social and entertainment reasons, but rather, we come to this church because we have been commended to God in our Baptisms so that we might continually receive His Word.  And we receive His Word – His doctrine – so that we will not be blown around by every wind of false doctrine.  In other words, the reason why we have Sunday School, Sunday Adult Bible Studies, Wednesday Bible Studies, LWML, Confirmation, email devotionals, blog posts, etc. are for you to know our Christian doctrine, for if we do not know what we stand for, we will fall for anything. 

Indeed, all of these ministries here at Zion are intended to deliver to you God’s Word of Grace – God’s good doctrine, so that you will not be a reed blowing in the wind of every false teaching in this world.  God’s Word – His good doctrine – is here in this church for you so that you do not have to be bouncing up and down on the waves of culture’s fads.  God’s Word – His good doctrine – is here in this church for you so that you can be built up spiritually in this life against the false teachers and false ideas being promoted by wolves.

Please do not neglect God’s Word.  Please do not become lethargic with the Word or apathetic to it, for it is only God’s Word that can break falsehood into a thousand pieces.  That is right; God’s Word is like a hammer that shatters the lies of the wolves – for you.  God’s Word burns up falsehood – for you.  God’s Word unravels twisted lies – for you. God’s Word reveals the perversion and distortion of false teaching – for you.  

Baptized Saints, wake up!  Be alert!  Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  Be alert that deception has its strength in disguising itself as truth.  Do not listen to the empty words of false prophets filling people with empty hope.   Do not forsake the Word.  Do not despise God’s good doctrine.  But remain in the Lord’s rest and care where you will be built up and taught in God’s Word of grace for this present day and for the inheritance of the life to come. 

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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There Is No Middle Ground

Text: Romans 6:19-23

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

If you have not noticed it yet, our culture struggles with the idea of binary opposites.  Now, please forgive me for this technical word and permit me a moment to explain. 

Our current culture gets frustrated with having only two choices that are opposites of each other.  For example, our culture is currently resisting the idea of there being only two options for gender, options such as male and female.  Having just these two choices is seen as being too oppressive and too black and white for many.   

Our culture is also resisting the idea of there being only two categories for morality, categories such as right and wrong. 

And what about truth?  Regarding truth, our culture currently struggles with the two alternatives of true and false. 

Indeed, our culture is repulsed by these examples and situations where only two choices are available.  Our culture does not like binary opposites because having only two options for things like gender and morality forces people into having to choose one or the other.  That is to say; our culture hates having only two choices, for it is considered oppressive, mean, and controlling. 

So, as a result, our culture is now trying to eliminate those situations where only two options are presented.  People are busy trying to blend and eliminate the distinctions between male and female.  And others are working hard to break down the categories of right and wrong, so that people can pick and choose whatever is right for themselves.   

Now, why do I mention all of this today?  Are we going to have some philosophy session or sociology lecture?  No, we are not.  This is neither the place nor the time for those subjects.  But rather, I mention this briefly today to point out just how countercultural the Apostle Paul is in our Epistle lesson from Romans.  In other words, the Apostle Paul says in our Epistle reading that humanity has only two masters.  Not three or four masters, but only two masters.  They are: sin which belongs to the devil and righteousness which belongs to the Lord.  Indeed, contrary to the desire to eliminate binary opposites and contrary to the wish of our culture to have more than two options to choose from, the Apostle Paul is very clear that mankind has only two options, the devil or the Lord. 

And to make things worse, the Apostle Paul shows that mankind is not independent and autonomous – master and commanders of the universe – but slaves who are ruled by either the devil or the Lord.

Now, the idea of there being only two masters is tough to accept in our day and age.  It is offensive to say that we only have two masters – either the devil of the Lord.  Our society squirms at this either-or choice, for it leaves no 3^rd or 4^th option for people to wiggle into.  It also excludes all the other religious entities; it exposes that gods like Allah and Buddha are nothing – fake – or at best, puppets of the devil.    

Regardless of our culture’s desire to create options so that everyone can be happy and get along, the Apostle Paul shows us that we can only have two masters.  He shows us in his letter to the Romans that it is either the devil or the Lord who is riding us.  That is to say; like a horse, we either have the devil on our back or the Lord on our back.  And because the Lord and the devil are not on the same team that means that we are either a slave to sin or bound in righteousness.    

I say this not as some subtle attempt to preach a fire-n-brimstone sermon to you but because there are only two outcomes to this life.  We either have the devil on our back resulting in us being enslaved to sin while riding towards shame, death, and condemnation or we have the Lord on our back with mercy and forgiveness while riding towards eternal life. 

Dear friends, there is no middle ground on this!  There is no third or fourth master.  There is no gray area. There is no neutral position.  There is no independent party.  In fact, people are not independent or autonomous at all, which means that if a person does not belong to Christ, they belong to the devil.  And if they do not belong to the devil, they belong to Christ. That is how it works, as Paul states in Romans chapter six.  No exceptions.

So, I ask you this day, who is riding you?  Who is your master?  Who do you belong to? 

Now, if you are like me, these questions can make a person a bit uncomfortable.  The reason why? Well, there are only two answers, and frankly, when we look at ourselves we often see sin and its effects on ourselves and others. As a result, we can become worried and doubt whether or not we are servants of the Lord.  Otherwise stated, when we look at our sin in thought, word, and deed, we begin to wonder if the devil is riding on our backs or at least pulling on our pant leg more than the Lord.

Dear friends, we must keep in mind that after our baptisms we still have this sinful nature and that is the reason why we still can see our sin.  It is true that we have this sinful nature until the day that we die.  We will only be completely free of this Old Adam at our death. 

So, what this all means is that we have a sinful nature just like the pagans and just like unbelievers.  In fact, the same anger and same evil desires that unbelievers and pagans have, well… we will have that too until the day that we die.  However, we must make sure to know that there is a vast difference between you and the pagans – between you and unbelievers.  You see, you are baptized.  When you were baptized, you were made a member of Jesus’ kingdom.  When you were baptized, you were numbered with the saints.  When you were baptized, you were snatched from the kingdom of darkness and placed into the kingdom of light.  The devil was kicked off of your back, and you were made to be a son and daughter of Christ in Holy Baptism.  In the waters of your baptism, there was a change in lordship for you – Christ now holds you. 

Now, because we belong to the Lord, we confess sin as Christians every Sunday.  In other words, the reason why we beat our chest and confess our sin with sincere repentance and hearty sorrow is because we do not belong to sin – sin is not our master.  It is not the way that it should be with us.  We confess sin because we belong to Jesus.  Only pagans and unbelievers celebrate sin, and they do so because sin is their master.  You see, unbelievers and pagans believe that it is their absolute right to do whatever makes themselves happy regardless of what anyone says or commands.  But not you! You are not a servant of lawlessness.  You are not a servant of chaos. You are not a servant of your appetite to sin, for you are baptized!  There has been a change in your master.  In other words, you have not been freed to sin but freed to serve.   As a Christian and a servant of Christ, you are just as free as Christ was; however, as Christ was bound in love to serve others, you too are bound in His love to graciously and lovingly serve your neighbors as well.[1]

So, while you still have this sinful Old Adam at work within you, you must never forget that you belong to Jesus.  That is right!  You do not belong to sin; you do not belong to the devil; you do not belong to the ideologies of the world.  Therefore, what this means is that your daily life is one where you will struggle and this struggle is evidence to the power of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit at work within you.  Indeed, you will struggle with your sinful nature precisely because it is not your master.  If sin was your master, you would not fight against it but worship it, celebrate it, and rest in it.    

Indeed, Baptized Saints, when you were baptized the war between you and your Old Adam began.  When you were baptized that was the day that you began to struggle with the devil and the ideologies of the world.

This should not come to a surprise to us though, for this is what we pray against each time that we speak the Lord’s Prayer.  When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are actually praying against the devil, the world, and your sinful nature. 

So, today, take comfort knowing that you belong to Jesus for you are baptized.  Be at peace knowing that you will partake of the Lord’s Supper and be given His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of your faith.  And after the service today, know that you will once again be thrust into the battle to fight against the devil and his kingdom of darkness.  However, you will not fight alone.  But rather, you will struggle and war against your sin and the kingdom of darkness knowing that the Lord holds you.  You will struggle and battle with hope and faith, knowing that the battle only lasts for a moment.  Indeed, dear Baptized Saints, you will fight and struggle knowing that the Lord has already conquered sin, death, and the devil; knowing that you have one and only one master, the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. 

Today, Baptized Saints, know that in Jesus you are no longer a slave to sin but have been freed and belong to God almighty.  Know the good news of the Gospel that Christ is your life, your strength, your hope, and your forgiveness.        

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] For more on this topic, see Martin Luther’s book, “On Christian Freedoms.” (1520).

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