St. Timothy Lutheran Church

I realized yesterday that I left out a very important point that I intended to make during the sermon, and that is that I have a long way to go.  For those of you who weren't at Connections on the 6th, I talked about how Christians seem to sin just as much as everyone else, and about how we aren't bothered by that.  Instead, we use it as an opportunity to celebrate grace. 

When we do this, we overlook the fact that we are still called to be holy, not just holy on the day of judgment, but holy in the way we live here and now.  It seems that the closer I get to God, the more I become aware of new ways in which I need to be made holy, and of ways in which the condition of sin seeks to enslave me that I wasn't aware of before.  I am, to quote Paul, "the cheif of sinners." 

But I also, through the years, have seen many ways in which God is delivering me from enslavement to sin, from things that I just couldn't seem to get away from on my own, and I fully expect for this process to continue, because I believe it's what God wants to give to everyone, that He offers freedom not just from condemnation on the day of judgment, but from the control of sin in our lives today.

 Keep checking back here this week.  I'll talk about things like why it's so important for us to be delivered from sin here and now, and not just in eternity, and how that happens.  That being said, here is the outline from my sermon, including all of the verses that I used. 

1. We've got a problem

• Christians don't seem to be any different than the rest of the world, when we are called to be like Christ.
• "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."   - Brennan Manning
• Non-Christians notice the difference between Christians and Christ.

2. How did we get here?

• We define freedom as permissiveness.
• We don't like laws
• Parts of the Bible seem to say that we're freed from the law
  • John 8:36
  • Romans 6:14
  • Romans 7:6
  • Gal 3:25
• The Pharisees adhered strictly to the law, and Jesus critisized them for the legalism.
• As a result of all of this, when we hear the Bible talking about “Freedom,” and we read about being freed from the law, we take it to mean permissiveness, to mean that we don't have to be that careful how we live, because we are under Grace, and we're forgiven when we sin.  

3. We need to adapt ourselves to the Bible, rather than adapt it to ourselves.  What does the Bible have to say about the law, and about freedom?

• Romans 7:12
• Romans 7:16 and 1 Tim. 1:8 = “The law is good”
• The longest chapter of the Bible (Psalm 119) is about the law.
• Psalm 119:32

How can the law be Good?

• It points us toward holiness, which God requires of us if we are to live in relationship with Him.  “Be holy, because I am holy.”  (Leviticus)

Sin = anti-holiness = rebellion against the holiness of God.

• It affects our action, thoughts, words, motives, attitudes
• We are enslaved by it.
• We rebel against the law, because it points toward holiness
• Romans 6:20-21 – slavery to sin leads to death

So if the law point toward holiness, which is good, but we can't adhere to it, because of sin, which leads to death, what do we do?

• 2 Cor 5:21
• Romans 8:1-4
• 2 Corinthians 3: 17-18
• John 8:31-36

THIS SOUNDS LIKE WE CAN BE SET FREE HERE & NOW
This is not a gospel that has power for the afterlife but no power for here and now.

4. Not about trying harder:

• John 8:36 - The SON sets you free...
• Ezekiel 11:19-20 – God changes our hearts
• Phil 2:12-13 – God works in us

5. How does sin enslave you, personally?

• Anger
• Impatience
• Greed
• Lust
• Pride
• Anxiety
• Complaining
• Language
• Lots of other possible ways