PASTOR'S MESSAGE

 

Rescued from Death

Romans 7:14-25 

One morning Jackie and her baby were taking the bus to the store.  As she got on the bus, the driver said, “Wow!  That’s one ugly baby.”  Jackie, deeply hurt, just continued onto the bus and found a seat next to an older man.  The man asked, “What's wrong?  You look upset!”  She replied, “I am.  That bus driver just insulted me.”  “You shouldn’t take that from him,” the man said.  “He’s a public employee and should give you respect.  If I were you, I would take down his badge number and report him.”  “I think I will,” Jackie agreed.   The older man said, “You go on up there and get his badge number and I’ll hold your monkey for you.”

            I know that’s a pretty bad joke, but it does point out an interesting facet of human existence – no matter how hard we try, we mess things up.  That man was trying to be nice.  He had every intention of doing something good for that woman, but he still wound up hurting her.  As the old saying goes:  “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  For no matter how worthwhile our aim may be, because of our original sinful nature we cannot carry it out.

            That was the problem the apostle Paul was struggling with in our text for today, when he said:  “I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT I DO.  FOR WHAT I WANT TO DO I DO NOT DO, BUT WHAT I HATE, THAT I DO!”  I suppose there’s not a single individual on the face of this planet who cannot help but relate to what Paul is saying.  All too often, we do the exact opposite of what we want to do.  For up here, in our mind, we know exactly how we should live and act, but down here in our flesh it doesn’t always come out that way. 

It’s like the smoker, the dieter or the alcoholic who wants to quit, really wants to stop his compulsive behavior, but cannot seem to do it.  Or the adolescent who believes that it’s wrong to do drugs, but when his peers pressure him, he gives in and does it anyway.  Or the adult who knows that yelling at one’s spouse and family members doesn’t get any better results than simply talking or discussing, but who does it just the same, because it feels so good.  Yes, I’m sure all of us can firmly echo Paul’s words:  “WHAT I WANT TO DO I DO NOT DO, BUT WHAT I HATE, THAT I DO!” 

            Interestingly enough, in the original text, Paul used two different words for the term ‘do’ or ‘act.’  The word ‘do’ means:  ‘to carry out another person’s last will and testament.’   What an excellent viewpoint that provides us of the Christian’s daily journey of discipleship.  It’s a matter of listening to our Savior’s dying wishes and fulfilling them, executing that will which He left with His disciples on the night He was betrayed, when He said:  “LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU!”  Of course, as Paul pointed out, that’s the very thing we have difficulty doing.

            The other word Paul employed, the word ‘act’ is the Greek word  prassw,  from which we get the English word ‘practice.’  This might lead one to believe that all you have to do is keep working on it, just practice being good and you’ll get better.  Unfortunately, in this case, practice doesn’t make perfect, because we’re still imperfect.  And in verse 17 Paul reminds us why:  “AS IT IS, IT IS NO LONGER I MYSELF WHO DO IT, BUT IT IS SIN LIVING IN ME!”  In other words, the reason we have trouble carrying out God’s commands, even when we want to, is because sin is still living in us.  Or to translate it more literally, because the sinful nature has set up house in our body, and it’s not going to leave until someone evacuates it from the premises.

            We can find great comfort and relief in knowing that that is what Jesus Christ our Savior came and did for us.  He used His cross as the eviction notice to bodily remove those bad tenants (sin, death, and hell) from our lives.  And yet, we know that as long as we’re alive, they will keep on harassing us.  Only when we’re in heaven will they leave us alone, because they won’t be able to follow us there.   That’s why we have to be constantly on our guard, so that when they come creeping back again, we use God’s Word to fight against them.  We cannot stand in our own power.  As St. Paul indicates, if we try that, we will surely fall.  Instead, we need to rush to the loving arms of Jesus and let Him protect and save us, deliver and forgive us. 

            As a matter of fact, the apostle indicates that this warfare between the flesh and the spirit, can only be won in the power of Jesus Christ.  In verse 23 he warns us:  “IN MY INNER BEING I DELIGHT IN GOD’S LAW; BUT I SEE ANOTHER LAW AT WORK IN THE MEMBERS OF MY BODY, WAGING WAR AGAINST THE LAW OF MY MIND AND MAKING ME A PRISONER OF THE LAW OF SIN AT WORK WITHIN MY MEMBERS.”  That is to say, the whole goal of sin and tempation, is to make us prisoners of war for the Prince of Darkness.  And each time we lose a battle to sin and tempation, they gain a little ground on capturing us in bondage and robbing us of our victory.  Paul put that very graphically, when he said: “WHAT A WRETCHED MAN I AM!  WHO WILL RESCUE ME FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH?” 

This body of death – that’s Paul’s definition of sin.  It’s reminiscent of a scene from Virgil’s Anaeid, where the Etruscan King, after he had won a military campaign, would take the living captives, and shackle them together with the decomposing bodies of the dead, actually tying them hand and foot to the rotting corpses, which they would then have to  carry behind them, on their way into exile.  It was a very effective way to demoralize the captives and make them dispirited.  Such, says Paul, is what sin does to our soul.  It’s like an albatross around our necks, weighing us down with guilt and remorse, pulling us down into the pit of hell.  And as sin take us prisoner, it totally demoralizes us. 

But, says St. Paul (and my friends that’s the crucial word) BUT, THANKS BE TO GOD WHO GIVE US THE VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.  We cannot even fight the war on our won, much less win it.  But thankfully God has given us the victory over sin, death and hell through Jesus Christ our Savior.  He is the one who has rescued us from this body of death.   In fact, the Greek word for rescue means:  ‘to pull something off and drag it away.’   And that’s exactly what Jesus does to our sin.  He rips it clean away from us, drags that monkey off of our back, and drowns it in the ocean-depths of His grace.  And that’s the key to fighting our battles – remembering that Jesus fought them for us and has already won the war by His death and resurrection.  For the benefits of His crucifixion on Calvary, which are forgiveness and salvation, are not just a one time event.  Rather, Jesus keeps applying and reapplying His forgiveness to our wounded souls, over and over again in His means of grace!  And we receive them as a free gift through the Word and Sacraments. 

    Once when Martin Luther was sorely pressed by his own conscience and the constant accusation of Satan, he said, “I know, O Satan, that you intend to stand before God and upbraid me. You are well aware of my sins and will present me before my God and the people to whom I have preached as the most vile of sinners. And when you are done, I will step forward and reveal how little you know! For I am even a more vile sinner than you are able to show. And when we both have finished I will cast myself completely upon Jesus and say with Paul, ‘Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!’” The rescue from our sin and our accusing conscience is found only in the saving work and merits of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

            You might say that Jesus went the extra mile for us, not only living a perfect life on our behalf, and dying our death for us on the cross, but suffering hell itself in our place that we might be forgiven and free.  It’s interesting to note, that the phrase the extra mile comes from the Roman Empire, where an official of the state or an officer of the army could draft any citizen into any kind of service needed for the moment.  But the official could not compel the draftee to go more than one mile out of his way to perform the service. You may recall that Simon of Cyrene was forced by the centurion to take up the cross of Jesus and carry it to Calvary.  Since the centurion called on him to carry the cross, Simon could not refuse.  But since Calvary was less than a mile away, the officer had the legal right to press him into service. 

Well my friends, how good it is to know that Jesus did much more that that.  He truly went the extra mile for our salvation.  He didn’t just carry the cross for us.  He died on it to rescue us from sin, death and hell.  And then to pick us up and carry us that extra mile into the safety of His Heavenly kingdom, where we have the remission of all of our sins.  That’s how He has rescued us from death and set us free. 

Colonel Ethan Allen was a fiery patriot and soldier, who led the Green Mountain Boys in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775, which was one of the first important American victories in the Revolutionary War.  But while he knew a lot about earthly freedom, he knew very little about spiritual freedom, for he was a confirmed unbeliever.  His wife, however, was a devout believer in Jesus Christ, and she taught their little girl about God’s saving grace in Christ.  The girl continued to live in this divided household, until she became quite ill.  As she neared the end of her life, she said to Colonel Allen:  “Father, I am about to die.  Shall I believe the principles you have taught or should I believe what my mother has taught me?”  Ethan wrestled with his conscience, and then finally told his little girl:  “Believe what you mother has taught you.”

It’s strange, isn’t it?  Ethan Allen was of the world’s most courageous men.  Yet, for all his bravery and daring, he had no skill or ability to defeat or even counter death as it approached the bedside of his little girl.  He was forced to admit his helplessness and urged his daughter to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.  For only Jesus our Savior can set us free from death and hell.  Dear friends, on this Fourth of July weekend, as we thank God for the patriots who bought us our freedom with their lives, and those brave men and women who have sacrificed themselves to defend and protect us, let’s not forget to praise God for the greatest freedom of all – the eternal and spiritual freedom that is ours in Jesus Christ our Savior.  For He truly has rescued us from death and hell.  And may God the Holy Spirit enable us to live in that freedom by daily repenting of our sin and turning to Him in faith; daily turning to Jesus in prayer and meditation, Word and Sacrament; daily submitting ourselves to God and resisting the devil, for Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

 

                   

           

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