Romans 6:12-23.                               Dancing to a new tune!!                                                02/7/17

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. {13} Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. {14} For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. {15} What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! {16} Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? {17} But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. {18} You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. {19} I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. {20} When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. {21} What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! {22} But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. {23} For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Today in this reading our Lord is laying a challenge before each one us here. He is calling us all who are Christians to dance to a different tune than the rest of the world around us. God is encouraging us to now live a new and wholesome life in response to what he has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Rather than a life of slavery to the things of this world, which ultimately lead to eternal death.

Now we might think, ‘Oh come on pastor, we are Christians; we have got our faith. So look, don’t go getting carried away again, by trying to make us all squares and nerds or whatever you call it these days.’ ‘Look we will be OK. We know where it is at. So what if we go astray a little here and there now and again, we will be fine, we’ll come through in the end.’ And we could go on and on, and we do.

But hang on; are you so sure that you have got it sorted out and together? Are you so sure that you will be OK and that you will come through? Experience will show us again and again, that many, many are not surviving.  Many; if not most, have lost it altogether, and are facing disaster, without even knowing it. Many others have placed themselves in such a precarious position that little short of a miracle is needed in order for them to come through.

Here God is saying just that. Those who think that they can flit here and there: that they can have a foot in both camps, so to speak, can NOT do so and come out unscathed. He quite clearly is saying either, or. You are either a slave to sin which leads to death, or you are a slave to righteousness which leads to eternal life. You are either dancing to God’s tune or the devils. We either are seeking to live for the God who has saved us, or we are living and doing as we please. Either one or the other.

He is saying, how can you, who know that you have been set free from sin, now turn around and play with fire and not expect to be burnt? Surely because we have been set free from sin and assured of forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, we will now want to obey and be slaves to the one who has given us all of this. He and what he says will be all-important in our lives.

But that is where we have trouble isn’t it. We do not want to be slaves to anyone; we today want to be free to do our own thing, and we think that we will get by. Here we need to remember that was the sin of Adam and Eve, and of every human being ever since. We want to be like God: we want to be our own gods: we want to determine what is right and wrong for ourselves, and that is our real sin – even today. We don’t want to listen to God, but do it our own way.

That being the case, we need to remember that the wages of this sin is death – eternal death.

But also in this life we are slaves to that way of thinking, which constantly leads us into real trouble. There is a whole world out there who is slavishly pandering to selfishness and self-centredness as if it is the only god there is; and they are reaping the results. Sure the media, and all and sundry, are praising how wonderful and exciting and alive this new way of thinking is. But even in this life, these people are burdened, lonely and dying inside. We can see these results all around us; and in our own lives as well.

As one who is constantly dealing with people, the world out there is full of people, who outwardly have a veneer of having it all together, but inwardly are in deep trouble and they know it.  But they are slaves to this world’s thinking and so cannot see a way out, except to try harder and pretend that they have got it all together. They are constantly looking for the next guru who promises us an easy and happy life. Then there are those who have just given up and burying themselves in their lives or alcohol, drugs and sex addictions.

So here again we see that the wages of sin is death. So we need to be aware that we are slaves, whichever way we look at it, as this passage says. We are slaves to either sin or to God. We cannot have it both ways. We are either for him or against him. Either we want life, in this world and the next, or we want death. It is a simple and straight forward choice.

This is not simply what I or the church says in this regard. This is what God Almighty himself has clearly said to us over and over again. His Word is true and sure, despite the whims of many who try to change or ignore it to suit their own thinking. Throughout the ages that Word has stood the test and remains in tack. It always will because it is God’s Word. It has much to say to our world today.

Here, let us remember, as we are reminded in this reading, that we have been brought from death to life; we have been set free from slavery to sin and have become slaves to God. We now have a new tune to dance to: and one the leads to life, and real joy and hope. A way of life that is good for us and pleasing to our God. What greater incentive than that, can we have as we go forward in life.

God himself came into this world for the express purpose of helping us out of the mess we have made for ourselves. In our selfishness and self-centredness, we have disobeyed God and brought all kinds of troubles and heart-aches on ourselves and one another; and finally death itself – here and in eternity. However, Jesus comes and takes our punishment on himself so that forgiveness of sins, life and salvation could be extended to us once more.

So we have a new and great Master who has guaranteed the results for us. We therefore are winners, by the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through his life, death and resurrection we have forgiveness of sins: we have been brought from death to life: we have the assurance of eternal life with our great God.

At our baptisms we were joined to all of this. There we died with Christ and were raised with him into this new and glorious life. There we were adopted into his family, so that we can now belong for sure: we can be with him always. Now it is all guaranteed. So we can live. Truly live, as we are meant to live. We can follow him and his ways and it will all work out in the end.

Not only has he saved us, and joined us to all of this, but he has also promised to be with us and give us every assistance possible along the way. He has given us all that we need in order to keep going as his people. Through his Word and the Sacraments, we are constantly assured that we have all that we need to keep us strong and on track.

He has given us a family; the Church, to support and encourage us along life’s way. As we regularly gather together; every week if possible, to be served by Him through the Word and the Sacraments, and as we join with one another, we are given what we need in order to go forward as his people. There we are constantly kept mindful to look to our Lord and follow his ways that are all good and helpful. We have fellow believers alongside us to help and encourage us forward.

So surely, now, we will listen to him, and follow him. We will want to obey him: we will want to be the kind of people he would have us be. Surely we will leave aside this life that is nothing but trouble and death, and aim with all that we can, to stay close to him. We will constantly look to him to help and guide us to live and be the people he would have us be.

Looking to him as the one who not only saved us, but who really knows what it is all about. Surely He will be our Lord and Master. Surely we will seek to obey him. Surely! Surely every single one of us here, will now dance to this new tune that our Lord has placed before us. We will offer our whole selves to him as instruments of a right way of life. For he is our loving, living, all powerful Lord, who has and continues to do so much for us.

To him alone then be glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish