"Relevant and Uplifting"

Text: Romans 8:1-11

Grace be yours and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dear Fellow Christians:

We find ourselves in the tedious end of winter here in the North Country. The days grow longer, but like some clueless house guest, the cold seems unaware that we would like it to pack up and go wherever it is that cold goes to spend its summer vacation. There are other issues, of course, that seem even worse in the face of a lingering winter. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan drag on, our national economy appears to be in recession, the stock market is in a steady decline, and we seem to put half of every paycheck into our gas tanks. To make matters even worse this morning, for those of us not bright enough to compensate for it, we have just been robbed of an hour of sleep.

And life for a child of God could not possibly hold greater promise or a brighter future.

Yet it doesn't always feel that way, does it? Problems here in this vale of tears seem to have a way of piling up from time to time – to the point that it even becomes difficult to keep a future as bright as ours in sight and in focus. We plod through the days as if we have already lost, rather than already won.

Our emotions do that to us. We allow temporal frustrations, failures and setbacks to tarnish all that is good in our lives. What is even more surprising is that we allow the here and now to actually dull the crystalline promises of the hereafter. Our relevant and uplifting text for this morning will simply not allow such silliness to stand, will not tolerate any sort of pessimism or gloom in the face of such a glorious and promising future, secured for us by our Savior God.

The text that will realign and reenergize us this morning is found in the 8^th Chapter of Paul's Letter to the Romans:

^NKJ Romans 8:1-11 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. ³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ ¶ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

So far the holy, inspired words of our text. We humbly acknowledge that these are not the words of mortal men, but the words of our Creator God, who desires to strengthen and comfort us through the study of these sacred words. That such gifts would indeed be ours, so we pray, “Sanctify us through your truth, O Lord. Your word is truth.” Amen.

One of the more common and, quite frankly, more disturbing comments that is heard from time to time (especially from those who do not regularly darken the door of God's house) is that divine worship services like ours just don't seem relevant today. Another is that "I just don't get anything out of church." Both are used, of course, to justify doing something else on Sunday morning.

Consider both of those charges for a moment ("Church is not relevant" and "I just don't get anything out of it") and then hear again the opening verse of our text: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus."

Clearly there is something wrong here, since there is obviously something relevant that is offered here every Sunday – the very words that speak of the one path to eternal life. Clearly these words also therefore offer something to every single human being, since they teach us how and why we personally can share in that eternal life.

In fact in even imagining that the worship of our God is not relevant, we have already insulted our God – since worship of our God is always relevant. In examining the statement "I don't get anything out of church" we need to acknowledge that if something as important as eternal life is offered at church, then the focus needs to shift in that sentence from what is being offered to the one who refuses to receive or appreciate it. If I am not getting anything, despite the fact that such priceless things are being offered, then the problem lies with me. The fact that I am not getting anything means that I am looking for the wrong things, and that I need to make some changes. Big changes. Substantial changes. In a hurry.

You will recall that we began by talking about what many regard as a dreary and somewhat depressing time of year. Are things really as bad as they seem? Of course not – not for a citizen of this great and rich land of opportunity and certainly not for a Christian living in any country that offers such freedom and privilege. The problem then is not so much reality as it is our dismal, dispirited perception of reality. You've probably all seen it before in others – the rich kid, who has it all, complaining about the smallest bit of misfortune and has filled his world with woe and hardship. Don't you suppose that that is how we must look to our God, given all that he has done for us and how little appreciation we show in return. Can you imagine how God must react when he showers us with the fantastic news of sins forgiven and the gift of eternal life, when he offers us his Son's very body and blood in Holy Communion, and when he lavishes comfort, peace, and spiritual strength upon us, day by day and week after week, only to be rewarded with something like "Church isn't relevant" and "I don't get anything out of it"? I would not, of course, presume to speak for God, but if I were in that position my reaction would be to ask, "Just what do I need to offer you to make your time in my word relevant and worth your time?"

What then do you think is the problem? How or why could it ever be that we hear words like the first verse of our text ("There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.") and still somehow harbor the feeling that there is really little or nothing for me here? A bit of digging into our text gives us some answers.

If any human being is offered forgiveness, life, comfort, and hope in the course of a worship service, yet still feels that he is getting little or nothing out of it, that probably means he is looking for the wrong thing. Our text put is this way: "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." If you and I are truly hungry for the right sort of things when we enter God's house or read from our Bibles, we will never be disappointed. If, on the other hand, we are expecting what our God has never promised, or what he told us not to expect, we will most certainly be disappointed; we will almost certainly experience a certain detachment - even boredom.

It reminds me, in a way, of that little strip mall that was built about two years ago down on south 26^th. I used to feel so sorry for whoever built that complex because no one wanted to rent the space. Week after week I would drive by and wish I could give them a bit of business, but the only thing there was a coffee and donut place. I don't need any more coffee and it is obvious I don't need donuts. Finally another store moved in – a feed store of all things, which holds zero interest for me. I'm just not in the market – although the thought did cross my mind that it would probably be a whole lot cheaper to feed my teenage son if we did our grocery shopping there. The fact is neither place really offers anything I need. Then it occurred to me that I've never been in either store. Imagine walking into the feed store and finding that "feed" actually does refer to your teenagers, and that they sell milk by the 55 gallon drum, breakfast cereal by the bushel, and pasta in 5 gallon buckets. Suddenly the place is very relevant and does, in fact, offer just what we need.

The problem with walking into the storehouse of God's Word and finding nothing that interests us has nothing to do with what God is offering, does it? It has everything to do with the fact that we are in the market for all the wrong things. Finding nothing relevant in a worship service would be like refusing to go to someone else's birthday party because you know you yourself wont get any presents. The feeling that you simply don't get anything out of church means your mind is focused on – preoccupied with – what our text describes as "the things of the flesh." This is not just a minor issue, is it? Our text goes on to describe the basic problem: "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Far from frivolous, our text makes it plain that this is a most serious spiritual condition.

Does that then mean that if I regularly drift off during most or all of the sermon, or if I find myself generally disinterested during a worship service, I am really an enemy of God? Not necessarily, but it does mean that you have identified a very real and present danger in your life. It means your goals and priorities need attention. Our text for this morning is just the ticket. Following up on that golden declaration: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" we are told not just of the dangers of being earthly-minded, but of the incredible story behind God's declaration that you and I are no longer condemned. In our text we read, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

Far from irrelevant, these words teach us things that we could never know on our own; things that we could never have guessed to be true, but nonetheless had to know to escape the hell that we deserved and inherit the heaven that Jesus has opened. You can, of course, judge for yourself, but I believe that I can "get something out of" learning that my natural inclinations concerning how one gets to heaven are all wrong. The ticket for that passage cannot be earned by any sinner, according to our text, so God the Father "sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh" and opened the doors of heaven for you and me by punishing his Son in our place. In other words, what we could never accomplish because our sins had destroyed God's law-based plan, God did for us with his grace-based plan.

These are things we could never know on our own, but we are taught and reminded of them at every service of the Word. Again, judge for yourself if such things are relevant, and the obvious answer is that nothing could ever be more so.

God grant us then an appreciation for the truly great and relevant things that he offers us in the true Christian faith. Amen.

Scripture Readings and Sunday Bulletin for March 9, 2008

^NKJ Ezekiel 37:1-14 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. ² Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. ³ And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know." ⁴ Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! ⁵ 'Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. ⁶ "I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." ' " ⁷ ¶ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. ⁹ Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' " ¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. ¹¹ ¶ Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' ¹² "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ "Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. ¹⁴ "I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.' "

^NKJ John 11:17-27 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. ¹⁸ Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. ¹⁹ And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. ²⁰ Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. ²¹ Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² "But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." ²³ Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." ²⁴ Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." ²⁵ Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" ²⁷ She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

^NKJ Romans 8:1-11 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. ³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ ¶ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

ST. PAUL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

2510 E. Divide Ave.

Bismarck, ND 58501 (701) 223-4885 Cell: (701) 425-5483

www.bismarcklutheran.org

Mr. Mark Johnson, President (222-1855) Mrs. Eileen McEnroe, Organist

Michael Roehl, Pastor mjroehl@bis.midco.net

The Fifth Sunday in Lent – March 9, 2008

The Opening Prayer by the Pastor

The Opening Hymn ‑#723- (Brown Hymnal)

"Jesus Lover of My Soul"

The Order of Morning Service – Brown Hymnal page 12.

The Scripture Lessons: (Printed on the bulletin insert)

The Old Testament Lesson: (Ezekiel 37:1-14) How picturesque and memorable is this account from the Prophet Ezekiel. The Lord here teaches us that physical life is not the same as spiritual life. It is God alone who can grant life of any kind to mankind. He is the Lord of Life – both physical and spiritual.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 51 (Brown Hymnal page 28)

The New Testament Lesson: (John 11:17-27) Our New Testament lesson contains one of the earliest and best testimonies concerning the true identity of Jesus Christ. Martha correctly here labels Jesus as the Promised Savior. What is more, we are also here given clear testimony of the life that will be breathed into these mortal bodies as the Resurrection of the dead. How we ought to long for that great day.

The Confession of Faith ‑

The Nicene Creed (Brown Hymnal page 5)

The Pre‑Sermon Hymn ‑#158- (Red Hymnal)

"Glory Be to Jesus"

The Sermon – Text: Romans 8:1-11 (Printed on the back of this bulletin)

"Relevant and Uplifting"

"Create In Me" (The Offertory) – Brown Hymnal page 16 insert

The Offering, followed by the Prayers

Offering Hymn ‑#792- (Brown Hymnal)

The Pre-Communion Hymn -#307- (Red Hymnal)

"Draw Nigh and Take the Body of the Lord"

The Preparation for Holy Communion (Brown Hymnal page 17)

The Distribution -Hymn #315- (Red Hymnal)

The Nunc Dimittis and Thanksgiving (Brown Hymnal page 20)

The Benediction

The Closing Hymn ‑#783- (Brown Hymnal)

"Jesus, Shepherd of the Sheep"

Silent Prayer

Attendance ‑ Last Sunday (46) 2008 Average (50) Wednesday (40)

This Week at St. Paul:

Today -10:00 a.m. – Worship Service w/ Holy Communion

-11:15 a.m. – Fellowship Hour

-11:30 a.m. – Special Voters' Meeting

Wednesday -5:45 p.m. – Confirmation & Bible History

-7:00 p.m. – Midweek Lenten Services

Thursday-Saturday - CLC Grade School Basketball Tournament in EC

Next Sunday -8:45 a.m. – Sunday School and Bible Class

-10:00 a.m. – Palm Sunday Worship Service

-11:00 a.m. – Fellowship Hour

Special Voters' Meeting – Voting members of St. Paul are reminded of the Special Voters' Meeting following the fellowship time this morning. The only item on the agenda is the issue of direct or automatic church contributions.

Confirmation and Bible History – Parents and students please note the start time for this week is 5:45 p.m.

Holy Week Schedule – A reminder that Holy Week begins next Sunday (one week from today) with our Palm Sunday Service. Holy Week also includes Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, both at 7:00 p.m. Holy Communion is being offered today, and again on Maundy Thursday. Our Easter Sunday events (two weeks from today) begin with the annual Men's Breakfast (served from 8:00-9:30 a.m.) followed by the Easter Sunday Worship Service.