“Slavery to Sin” (Romans 6:12-23)

Romans 6:12-23

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Pastor Tom Johnson, June 28, 2020

Back in February, we adopted a cat. He is a three-year-old rescue. The plan was for him to be our pet—for him to adapt to his new surroundings and family. He took his place in our home. It is now his dominion. We’ve adjusted to his rule. We give and receive affection when he allows. We take his swats of correction when we leave home too soon, pet him in the wrong place, try to cross a path he is blocking, or are late in giving him his food. My kids say how much sweeter he is just a few months later. That is an illusion. It’s his relenting tyranny. We have adapted—we have learned how to live with an alpha cat. We are the ones who are well-trained. We are his pets. He is the master.

Thousands of years ago in Genesis chapter 4, Scripture warns us of cats and their desire to prey upon us, subdue us, and control us. God tells Cain, like a cat ready to pounce, “Sin is crouching at the door and its desire is to exercise dominion over you. But you must master it” (Gen 4:7). Good luck with that. Sadly, and not surprisingly, Cain fails to master his resentment and anger. He kills his brother Abel. Cain is a slave to his sinful condition. He obeys the evil that binds him to his envy, anger, and pride. Cain does sin’s bidding. Sin is his master.

In our reading from Romans today, Paul tells us to not let sin exercise dominion in our mortal bodies to make us obey its passions. He asks rhetorically, “Do you not know that when you sin you are presenting yourselves as a slave to sin?” Do you realize that sin is not just the thoughts, words, and deeds? …that is also the power that holds us in bondage? Sin is obedience to our fallen human nature. Sin is slavery to evil. It means perpetrators are also victims; predators are also prey. Don’t be your own worst enemy, Scripture warns. Don’t let yourself be entangled in the chaos, confusion, and destructive forces of sin. Do not be the devil’s pawn in his wicked schemes. Don’t obey sinful urges and desires which lead to destruction.

David warns his son Solomon not to be seduced the lure and deception of sin which is personified as a seductive person: “For [their] lips drip honey, and [their] speech is smoother than oil, but it’s end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. [It leads] down to death; [it] follows the path to Sheol” (Proverbs 5:3-5). When we live as slave to sin, sin owns us. We are not free. We are voluntarily obeying sin’s commands and placing ourselves under its tyranny. And those orders may be coming from our own fallen nature, the devil, or the evil out in the world.

Last week I was walking outside my home when I saw new art on the sidewalk written in colorful chalk. It said, “Happy Juneteenth!”  with a beautifully written paragraph underneath. It summarized what happened when a Union General marched troops into Texas to announce the end of slavery. The devastating truth is that many slaves did not know they were emancipated two years prior. Many did not know that the Civil War had ended. But “Truth crushed down will rise again.” They came to know the truth. It set them free. It was two years of living in slavery not knowing that they had been free. Even worse than that, it was 400 years of slavery where both slaves and slave owners were all in bondage to the lie of slavery and the sin of slavery. Slave masters were held captive by their lust for power, greed, and contempt for those they would not see as also bearing the image of God. And even though the laws had changed, many Americans of European descent were still bound to the lie of racial superiority and the hoarding of wealth and power. This is systemic racism or what the Bible calls sin. It is, as Scripture says, not keeping in step with the truth of the Gospel (Gal 2). “Jim Crow” laws held subsequent generations in bondage to generational racism. The civil rights movement up to the present struggles to deal with this systemic and corporate sin.

What our Scripture reminds us of is that freedom in Christ is always there. There is freedom for the oppressed. There is freedom for those who perpetuate oppression. God wants us to be free of our insatiable appetite to give in to our sinful desires—no matter the sin—whether it is pride, unbelief, greed, lust for power, resentment, unforgiveness, violence, sexual addiction, substance abuse, lying, deceiving, conniving, envy. Sin wants to rule, control, and subjugate us. It works best when we’re not even aware of our slavery and inability to free ourselves.

With dark humor, Paul says that the crime of sin does pay. But the wage is death. “For the wages of sin is death,” he says, “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It is a free gift because we cannot free ourselves.  God calls us to live our lives under the banner of freedom in Christ! He does not lord it over us. He emancipates us. He lavishes us with his free gift—eternal life. That is beautiful redundancy—free gift. Grace, gift, free. It all means God blesses us and liberates us to be the best versions of ourselves by his strength and love. Just a few chapters later in Romans, Paul writes, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” We are no longer slaves but God’s beloved children. By the cross and empty grave, he has unshackled us from sin. In Christ, we are free to be loved. We are set free to love as God has so beautifully created us to. We are emancipated to live lives of love, righteousness, and joy.

Let us ever walk with Jesus, 
Follow His example pure,
Through a world that would deceive us 
And to sin our spirits lure.
Onward in His footsteps treading, 
Pilgrims here, our home above,
Full of faith and hope and love, 
Let us do the Father’s bidding.
Faithful Lord, with me abide;
I shall follow where You guide.
          “Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus” (LSB 685, v. 1)

“Wise as serpents, innocent as doves” (Matthew 9:35—10:23)

Matthew 9:35—10:23

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Pastor Tom Johnson, June 14, 2020

“When Jesus saw the crowds,” our Scripture says, “had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  Like an exposed flock of sheep—unprotected and uncared for—the wolves were having a heyday. Like an unattended nest of dove hatchlings, the serpents do not even have to fight or expend energy for breakfast—just well-executed timing. So Jesus tells us that the world can be cruel. Carnivorous creatures must hunt and kill for their meal. That is their nature. Like wolves and serpents people can be cruel and exploit one another to advance our own causes.

Jesus witnesses a downtrodden people—he sees how they were harassed by the Roman occupying government. He sees how they were over-burdened by the religious authority. He understands the full context of human depravity.  And so he has compassion on them. He empathizes. He feel the punch in his own gut. And so he warns his disciples: “I’m sending you out as sheep among the wolves. So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Be wise as serpents.

Don’t become a predator. Understand the predator. Learn from its cunning, crafty, and shrewd ways. As early as Genesis chapter 3 verse 2, Scripture says, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast.” This is the same word Jesus uses that was used to translate the Hebrew into the Greek: crafty. We cannot outsmart the devil. We do not have the intellectual resources to keep up with the sophistication and intricacy of evil. Jesus asks us to understand but not utilize worldly tactics. He wants us to be aware of the deceptive power of those who would do us harm so that we would be humbled and not rely on ourselves. We live in a predatory world, Jesus reminds us. Don’t let yourself be someone else’s snack. Peter tells us, “Be vigilant, be sober-minded, your adversary the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The Proverb says, “Lean not on your understanding. Fear the Lord. Turn away from evil” (Prov 3). “[Reverential awe for] the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This wisdom surpasses that of serpents and the smartest of humans. We cannot by our own reason or strength outwit the enemy. Be wise by the wisdom of Christ.

Be innocent as doves.

…not naive or ignorant. But understand the kind of innocence God created for us to enjoy. Remember our first parents in the Garden before they experienced evil and sin. They enjoyed perfect fellowship with God in paradise. Jesus says, “unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” God’s will is for us to live our lives under the shelter of his wings and the comfort of his rod and staff—to experience his peace that transcends all understanding. This is the innocence of the believer who does not live under the tyranny and terror of evil and deception of sin. Because like a little child, they trust their heavenly Father with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 27, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” As innocent doves we know him who is greater within us than the serpents and wolves of the world. And so Jesus sends us out into the world—in the world but not to be of the world. He wants us to understand but not utilize worldly tactics.

It’s humbling to realize that we do not have the smarts nor righteous innocence. But Jesus does not tell us this to weigh us down or to harass us further. Scripture says, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness.” He looks at us as he always looks—with compassion. He comes to us in wisdom and innocence. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He comes to us as an innocent Child born in a manger. He  baffles the highly educated by his words. He stuns religious leaders by his confounding and amazing grace. And so Jesus tells us not to be surprised nor afraid when we are at a loss for words. The Holy Spirit will give us the words we need. In spite of ourselves, God speaks wisdom through us.

This is the way of the Cross. The cross is one of most cruel instruments of human history. It took the Persians, Babylonians, and Romans centuries to perfect. It’s engineered to kill as slowly, and as painfully and as publicly as possible. Jesus takes this torturous instrument of execution and turns it upside down. The serpents kill the only wise God. The wolves kill the most innocent man of history. But by his death, he outwits the devil and shames those who would call themselves wise. By his resurrection, he gives us innocence, righteousness, and forgiveness. And we are wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. We have the shrewd innocence of Christ.

He breaks the teeth of the wolves. He crushes the heads of the serpents. We can be the lambs and hatchlings that he created us to be. And so we can also have compassion on those around us—even those who wish us harm. We understand that even the predators have been deceived by the cunning lies of the enemy and robbed of their innocence. And like us, we know that only the truth will set them free. We get to tell the good news of his life-preserving and life-transforming grace. We now have the courage and strength to proclaim forgiveness and eternal life even in the face of those who wish us harm.

Though devils all the world should fill,
All eager to devour us.
We tremble not, we fear no ill;
They shall not overpow’r us.
This world’s prince may still
Scowl fierce as he will,
He can harm us none.
He’s judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him.
          (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” LSB 656 v. 3)

“Image of God” (Genesis 1:1-2:4b; Matthew 28:18-20)

Genesis 1:1-2:4b
Matthew 28:18-20

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Pastor Tom Johnson, June 7, 2020

This Holy Trinity Sunday we have the account of both creation and re-creation. In Genesis, God makes the universe and all that fills it. He creates humanity in the image of Triune God. In the Great Commission of Matthew 28, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit re-create humanity in the image of the risen Christ. We could easily do a sermon series that lasts a full calendar year just on the image of God. Rabbis and Christian scholars have discussed this for thousands of years. It’s helpful to know where all agree: human beings are special in the eyes of God. He has given us the responsibility of stewardship of his creation. It is radical truth: what we do either has a beneficial or detrimental effect on our entire planet. How could Moses have known that the human race could transform the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the earth we till. God says, “Let them have dominion—let them be caretakers—stewards…of the sea…the air…the earth.”

God has entrusted us—creatures made of the dust of the earth—with the care and well-being of this planet! And to the extent that we love one another and the world he created, we reflect God, his love for us, and his care for the cosmos. All we had to do was enjoy the gift of God’s creation and work to sustain this rich garden of paradise. But we chose to steal and take what was not ours to take. Our first parents turned against one another and threw one another under the bus. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent. God held them all accountable. We stewards of creation began to live as outcasts and assailants of this beautiful world.

Human history is the story of our not caretaking but exploiting the God-given resources he has blessed us with. It is the story of one war and conflict after another between nations, peoples, communities, and even family members. We have not treated one another with God-given dignity or the belief that we are not just created equal but in the image of God.

God never stopped loving the world he had made. He never rested from his sustaining the universe by the Word of his power. God knew all along that what we need is not self-improvement or a good kick in the pants. We need a Savior. And so God the Father sent his Son of eternity’s past to be conceived by the Holy Spirit. In the wisdom and power of Triune God, he knows we need re-creation. And so Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth is mine. Therefore I am sending my Body, my Bride the Church. She will go out to baptize in the Triune Name and make disciples of mind and heart by my life-transforming Word.” He is the Lamb of God in Revelation that says, “I make all things new” (21:5).

What will a post-CoVid19 world look like? How do we pick up the shards of glass, dreams, and lives shattered by the sin of apathy, greed, racism, and brutality? Do we point at one another? Or do we begin where God begins—by pointing at ourselves…and then point to the One who has entrusted us with this beautiful world? He reminds us that we are jars of clay but also that we bear the light of the Creator. This is true of each of us no matter our ethnicity, gender, or creed. And as believers in Jesus who died and rose from us, we bear the light of the risen Christ!

God is telling us a new story of re-creation:

In this new beginning, God continues his gaze to the universe he made and to that little planet—the third one from the star we call the sun. It has fallen into formlessness and chaos and darkness once again as it is prone to do. As helicopters hover overhead—so the wind of the Holy Spirit blows grace-ward once again. Undeserving and unearned the Son blows his life giving breath into our nostrils through the Water and the Word and Spirit of Holy Baptism.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, he says of us, “Let there be the light of Christ in this royal daughter and son of the most high.” Let the nations be glad and sing for joy over all the earth—every tribe, nation, those speaking every language, and all people groups.” And God saw the light shine through his people into the world. The darkness could not overcome the light because light cannot be put out by darkness. And he said it was  good. And then God said, “Let us re-make the Baptized in Christ’s image, according to his likeness, and let them care for the world we have made.” And so God, sent his son and his Spirit into our hearts—which like Christ’s heart was broken for the world—who, like Christ, looked at the tears of those who suffered so many losses. And wept. As Jesus wept, so his people weep.

As Christ humbled himself, we humbled ourselves. As he took ownership of sin and the sin-infested structures and principalities of this present darkness and nailed it to the Cross of Christ, so we proclaim forgiveness by that same Cross. As Christ rose victoriously from the grave, death, and the power of evil, so God raised us and freed us from its power. And by the power of his blood and resurrection destroyed sin, death, and gave us the victory over hell itself. And so God re-created the world through his re-created people. By the strength and light of Christ, people began to truly see, with the eyes of faith, all that God created and said, “It is good. It is very good.”

“Unifying Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3b-13; Acts 2:1-21)

1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Acts 2:1-21

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Pentecost is about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon God’s people. It is not the beginning of the Holy Spirit’s work in the Church. It is God making our cups run over and overflow with his spiritual gifts. The way God does this is counterintuitive. He gathers people from all over the world into the Temple in Jerusalem. The temple itself is made of a diversity of wood, stone, fabric, gold, silver, color, and imagery in heaven and on earth. God takes this rich variety of humanity and weaves their multi-ethnic threads into one beautiful tapestry called the Church, the Body of Christ. We bear the image of God in the world to all eternity with all our magnificent diversity. All our Scripture today reminds us of this transformative truth: He creates unity through diversity. The Holy Spirit has blessed us with a variety gifts to bring us closer together and draw us closer to God in Christ.

When we look at our world, nation, and communities there is so much division, hostility. There is such a lack of understanding and empathy. Jesus himself said that he gives peace that the world cannot give (John 14:27). God has called us by his Holy Spirit to be in the world but not of the world (John 17:16). It is why Scripture reminds us of how the Holy Spirit loves to enhance the diversity of believers in order to build each other up. It grieves the Holy Spirit when we are more like the world than what he has called and equipped us to be. It saddens God’s when we are plagued with prejudice, ignorance, indifference, and disregard for anyone created in God’s image. The church is the last place we should find this darkness. We are the light of the world! The lies of egoism, ethnocentrism, nationalism, racism, and parochialism will not live forever. We have been given the truth.

The truth does not press down anyone. It empowers. It equips. It validates. It encourages. The Holy Spirit unifies through diversity. The Holy Spirit blesses us through a vast variety of gifted people. “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

Look around how blessed we all are through diversity. In athletics, a variety of talent makes a better team. In business, a diversity of skills makes a more effective organization. In music, a variety of instruments makes a richer tapestry of sound. In art, a variety of shapes and colors creates an infinite ways of seeing the world. In writing, poetry, and the spoken word there are endless ways to express and understand. In politics, family structures, and community organizations we should learn and cherish the different perspectives people bring. That means listening non-judgmentally. It means being humble teachable. What is the Holy Spirit teaching me through this unfamiliar and viewpoint. We even see it in nature with biodiversity. Where it is the coral reefs in our oceans that sustain life, our forests, deserts, or in the air. One of the most striking examples is in Yellowstone Park.

Twenty-five years ago, wolves were re-introduced to the park after being killed off by humans because they were seen as nuisance and threat to wildlife. Just after a few years, the wolves have helped the bison become healthier.  It even has helped the grizzly bear make a comeback because of the way all these creatures are interdependent on one another. The breakdown in this analogy reminds me of Paul’s admonition in Galatians (5:15) that we do not bite and devour one another.

The more the Holy Spirit blesses us the more unalike we are—the more we appreciate the uniqueness of what different cultures bring to enrich our own—the more we cherish the differences and see them for what they are: gifts. I love the image of the New Jerusalem in Revelation where the nations—the multi-ethnic body of Christ is entering the City: “They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations” (Revelation 21:26). God values what each tribe, nation, tongue, and people bring. Scripture calls it “glory and honor.” How much more glory and honor and praise should we give back to God that he has given to us! We are the light of Christ. We are gifted by the Holy Spirit. To a world shrouded in  despair, division, and ingratitude we bring peace, hope, and healing.

Come Holy Ghost, God and Lord,
With all Your graces now outpoured 
On each believer’s mind and heart; 
Your fervent love to them impart. 
Lord, by the brightness of Your light 
In holy faith Your Church unite; 
From every land and every tongue 
This to Your praise, O Lord, our God, be sung: 
Alleluia, alleluia!
          (“Come Holy Ghost, god and Lord,” LSB 491, v. 3)