[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 2nd of July, 2017. Today’s service included observance of Holy Communion. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
This coming Tuesday is the 4th of July, the day we celebrate our nation’s independence. Many good men and women died in the long war that followed that eventful July 4th in 1776 and the signing of our Declaration of Independence. They gave their lives to break the power of England over us, that we could be free to determine our own destiny and govern ourselves. They did not fight and die just so we could go back to a dictatorship or tyrannical rule.
This is a concept the Apostle Paul knew about, too. Listen and follow along to the wise counsel Paul offers, from his letter to the Romans, chapter 5 verse 20 through chapter 6 verse 14, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Bible…
This is a concept the Apostle Paul knew about, too. Listen and follow along to the wise counsel Paul offers, from his letter to the Romans, chapter 5 verse 20 through chapter 6 verse 14, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Bible…
5:20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
6:1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
5 Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised to life as He was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over Him. 10 When He died, He died once to break the power of sin. But now that He lives, He lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
--Romans 5:20-6:14 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, You sent Your only begotten Son into the world so that we might be set free from our bondage to sin and death. You certainly did not want us to return to our sinful ways once You freed us. Speak to us now, Father, through Your Holy Spirit directly into our hearts, that we might receive, understand, and obey Your message this morning. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
The kindly old pastor often visited the various classrooms in the church school during the week. One day he entered the 4th grade class where the children were studying the states. The pastor asked the class how many states they could name. After much thought and discussion, they finally came up with the names of 40 states. The pastor jokingly told the class that in his day, students knew the names of all of the states. One young boy sheepishly raised his hand and said, "Yes sir, but in those days, there were only 13 of them to remember!"
I bet the pastor wasn’t quite that old, but to kids, anyone over 30 is ancient!
241 years ago, some very brave people took a stand against what they saw as tyranny and foreign rule. Basing their position on God’s holy word, using scripture from our Bible, they declared their independence from England and fought a long, harsh war to win the freedom to rule themselves. Many lost everything they owned to gain liberty; many lost even their lives. Over the ensuing decades, thousands fought and died to keep and secure America as a free nation. They did not want to see us slip backwards and lose the right to govern ourselves, to fall back under any type of dictatorship.
The Apostle Paul would well have understood this mindset. For he knew the struggle Jesus fought to free us all from a life of sin and an eternity of death and torment. Jesus gave of Himself to break us free from the chains of sin that held so much power over our lives. And He certainly did not sacrifice Himself just so we could revert yet again to our sinful life or fall back into slavery to sin.
Now Paul is speaking to believers here, to those who truly believe Jesus is the Son of God and accept Him as our Lord and Master. By this we are saved from eternal damnation. But does that mean we are no longer capable of sinning? No, of course not! We are indeed physically still able to sin, and we too often do so. And therein lies the rub.
We have been freed from the effects sin can have on our eternal lives, yet we too often return to sin as our free will allows us to. The Apostle Peter warned that with freedom comes responsibility. Listen to what he wrote in his 1st letter, chapter 2, verses 15 and 16…
We are free from having to try to follow every aspect of the Law of Moses, but that doesn’t mean we are at liberty to go out and do wrong.
Think about today’s court system for a moment. How many people are arrested for some crime, are tired and convicted, are given parole or serve their sentence to be released back into society, only to commit another crime and start the cycle over again? Just because they have been freed from their first crime doesn’t mean they can go out and commit more crimes and expect not to be punished. They need to live a law-abiding life to avoid further prosecutions. Once we are freed from and forgiven of our sins, we need to live a God-abiding life, doing only God’s will.
In chapter 8 verses 1 and 2 of his letter to the Romans, Paul agrees with Peter that we must follow God’s ways to avoid further judgments…
There is no more condemnation for those believers who do not walk according to the flesh, or in the ways of the world. The unspoken flip side of that coin is that there will be condemnation for those who continue to live a worldly life, who return to their slavery of sin, who put their own agenda or pleasure ahead of God. No, we must walk according to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to lead us along the narrow path of righteousness. We must not allow ourselves to fall back into bondage to sin and the worldly ways that caused our condemnation in the first place.
I’ve heard it said that the price of freedom is vigilance. Well, we must be ever vigilant to spot and avoid all the traps and snares Satan will throw along our path. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, chapter 5 verse 1, put it like this…
We must avoid the yoke of bondage to sin at all costs. Jesus died to free us, now it is up to us to preserve our freedom.
In a few minutes we will remember that sacrifice as we observe the last meal Jesus shared with His followers. Paul tells us to not even come to the table if we are not right with God in our hearts. Take this time to speak quietly to God, to repent of our sins, to seek His forgiveness. Remember that Jesus gave His body to take the beating we deserve, and that He shed His blood to wash us clean of our sins.
Be vigilant, be strong, and stand fast in the liberty He gave us. We are a free people. Let us remain free. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, George Washington frequently gave credit to You for the very foundation of these United States. He readily acknowledged that a ragtag group of farmers and shopkeepers could never have defeated the mightiest army on earth without Your divine intervention on their behalf. We thank You, Father, for helping us gain liberty from foreign rule and the freedom to govern ourselves. We pray that You will now heal this land, that we might turn once again to You and be one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, repenting of our sin and seeking Your forgiveness…
Lord Jesus, long before America became a nation, You broke the chains that bound mankind in slavery to Satan. You sacrificed Your body and Your blood so that those who would believe in You as God’s Son and accept You as Lord might never again be held in bondage to sin. Thank You, Jesus, for that great sacrifice, for that great love. Forgive us when we fail to remain free, returning to the sinful ways of the world. Forgive us when we use the liberty You died for to do wrong in God’s eyes. Help us, please Lord Jesus, to remain free and to do only God’s will.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
The kindly old pastor often visited the various classrooms in the church school during the week. One day he entered the 4th grade class where the children were studying the states. The pastor asked the class how many states they could name. After much thought and discussion, they finally came up with the names of 40 states. The pastor jokingly told the class that in his day, students knew the names of all of the states. One young boy sheepishly raised his hand and said, "Yes sir, but in those days, there were only 13 of them to remember!"
I bet the pastor wasn’t quite that old, but to kids, anyone over 30 is ancient!
241 years ago, some very brave people took a stand against what they saw as tyranny and foreign rule. Basing their position on God’s holy word, using scripture from our Bible, they declared their independence from England and fought a long, harsh war to win the freedom to rule themselves. Many lost everything they owned to gain liberty; many lost even their lives. Over the ensuing decades, thousands fought and died to keep and secure America as a free nation. They did not want to see us slip backwards and lose the right to govern ourselves, to fall back under any type of dictatorship.
The Apostle Paul would well have understood this mindset. For he knew the struggle Jesus fought to free us all from a life of sin and an eternity of death and torment. Jesus gave of Himself to break us free from the chains of sin that held so much power over our lives. And He certainly did not sacrifice Himself just so we could revert yet again to our sinful life or fall back into slavery to sin.
Now Paul is speaking to believers here, to those who truly believe Jesus is the Son of God and accept Him as our Lord and Master. By this we are saved from eternal damnation. But does that mean we are no longer capable of sinning? No, of course not! We are indeed physically still able to sin, and we too often do so. And therein lies the rub.
We have been freed from the effects sin can have on our eternal lives, yet we too often return to sin as our free will allows us to. The Apostle Peter warned that with freedom comes responsibility. Listen to what he wrote in his 1st letter, chapter 2, verses 15 and 16…
15 It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who foolishly condemn the Gospel without knowing what it can do for them, having never experienced its power. 16 You are free from the law, but that doesn’t mean you are free to do wrong. Live as those who are free to do only God’s will at all times.
--1 Peter 2:15-16 (TLB)
Think about today’s court system for a moment. How many people are arrested for some crime, are tired and convicted, are given parole or serve their sentence to be released back into society, only to commit another crime and start the cycle over again? Just because they have been freed from their first crime doesn’t mean they can go out and commit more crimes and expect not to be punished. They need to live a law-abiding life to avoid further prosecutions. Once we are freed from and forgiven of our sins, we need to live a God-abiding life, doing only God’s will.
In chapter 8 verses 1 and 2 of his letter to the Romans, Paul agrees with Peter that we must follow God’s ways to avoid further judgments…
8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
--Romans 8:1-2 (NKJV)
I’ve heard it said that the price of freedom is vigilance. Well, we must be ever vigilant to spot and avoid all the traps and snares Satan will throw along our path. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, chapter 5 verse 1, put it like this…
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
We who believe in Jesus as Lord must not allow ourselves to ever become entangled once again in the net of wickedness that Satan tries to throw over us.
--Galatians 5:1 (NKJV)
In a few minutes we will remember that sacrifice as we observe the last meal Jesus shared with His followers. Paul tells us to not even come to the table if we are not right with God in our hearts. Take this time to speak quietly to God, to repent of our sins, to seek His forgiveness. Remember that Jesus gave His body to take the beating we deserve, and that He shed His blood to wash us clean of our sins.
Be vigilant, be strong, and stand fast in the liberty He gave us. We are a free people. Let us remain free. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, George Washington frequently gave credit to You for the very foundation of these United States. He readily acknowledged that a ragtag group of farmers and shopkeepers could never have defeated the mightiest army on earth without Your divine intervention on their behalf. We thank You, Father, for helping us gain liberty from foreign rule and the freedom to govern ourselves. We pray that You will now heal this land, that we might turn once again to You and be one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, repenting of our sin and seeking Your forgiveness…
Lord Jesus, long before America became a nation, You broke the chains that bound mankind in slavery to Satan. You sacrificed Your body and Your blood so that those who would believe in You as God’s Son and accept You as Lord might never again be held in bondage to sin. Thank You, Jesus, for that great sacrifice, for that great love. Forgive us when we fail to remain free, returning to the sinful ways of the world. Forgive us when we use the liberty You died for to do wrong in God’s eyes. Help us, please Lord Jesus, to remain free and to do only God’s will.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
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