"What's
So Good About All the Same?"
Text: Romans 3:21-25a
27-28
May God the Holy Spirit ever
remain living and active in your heart, continually reminding you that you are
a holy, sinless, child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and therefore an
ambassador of that same Lord Jesus, representing him to the world. Amen.
Fellow sinners who have been declared
holy in Jesus Christ:
Something unusual happened
this past week at our house. We had more or less the same supper two nights in
a row. I'm not complaining, mind you, since the repeat meal was fresh Missouri
River walleye, garden grown mashed potatoes and fresh creamed asparagus. My
kind of food, and it really was no hardship having it two nights in a row, even
though it was a bit unusual. In this I know that most of us are more than a
little spoiled. In fact most citizens of third world countries would probably
think us rotten ingrates for even suggesting that eating such a meal two nights
in a row might be grounds for complaint. The point here is not that we are
spoiled (which we probably all are) but that no matter how much we like any
particular food, our opinion of that food begins to wane the more frequently we
eat it. Two nights in a row won't usually do it, but after a week or two of
eating nothing but one particular food – morning, noon, and night – most of us
would probably not only start to grumble a bit, but that particular food would
probably be stricken from the list of the top ten.
Now imagine yourself eating
nothing but manna and quail for 40 years. That means that anyone born after 1968
would probably have eaten almost nothing other than manna and quail at every
single meal over his or her entire lifetime – morning, noon, and night. Sound
good to you?
The point here is that in
nearly every aspect of life, "always
the same" is generally regarded as undesirable. How would you feel
about every article of clothing exactly the same and exactly the same color? Every car – the same. Every house,
identical. Every appliance, every day, every human
personality, always and only exactly alike. Probably sounds horrible to
you, doesn't it? "Variety is the
spice of life" and all that. Yet this morning we are going to hear
from God's Word about things that were and are all the same – and how and why that
sameness is pictured as good and desirable. The text in which we will find such
truths is found in Paul's great Epistle to the Romans, the Third Chapter:
Romans 3:21-25a, 27-28 NKJ "But now the righteousness of God apart
from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22
even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all
who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set
forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His
righteousness… 27 Where is
boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
These are the words of our
God, given to us through verbal inspiration by the Holy Spirit speaking through
the Apostles and Prophets of old. We have great confidence in these words and
in their ability to guide and direct us according to God's holy will. That our
God would so fill and direct us, so also we study these words with this prayer
in our hearts: “Sanctify us through your truth, O Lord. Your word is truth.” Amen.
Our text is one of those
Bible jewels that stands out even in the midst of
sublime perfection. If you can remember only one Bible reference that you can
share on a moment's notice with someone caught up in the mythology of work
righteousness, this would be as good a choice as any. It is one of those
"gospel in a paragraph" sections of Holy Scripture that not only lays
out the truth of the gospel with perfect clarity, it also reduces the error of
work righteousness to a rather pathetic bit of fluff that none but the diehard
unbeliever would dare attempt to champion. With this introduction we take a
closer look at these great words from the Holy Spirit through his servant Paul.
Our text begins with an
implication or reference to something that came before, since our text begins: "But
now…" But now – what? What came before that stands in opposition
to that which exists now? The verses before our text tell us: 19
"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under
the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the
world may become guilty before God. 20
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for
by the law is the knowledge of sin." You will recall that
the general theme this morning has to do with sameness. These words even prior to our text begin to establish
this theme. We are here told that the "thing
that came before" was the sameness of the law. What does that mean? It
means, as we read here, that when human beings are judged according to their
keeping of the law, the exact same verdict is rendered in every single case.
That verdict is, obviously, guilty. The
verse we just read could not speak more plainly: "Therefore by the deeds of
the law no flesh will be justified in His sight."
Note well that the Bible always speaks in universal terms
when it comes to the law and the breaking of the law – which is sin. So also
here Paul lumps every single one of us together in one big mass of
condemnation. When it comes to keeping the law, or being judged by our keeping
of the law, every single one of us has failed miserably. No one could survive
Judgment Day.
Just here we run into a bit of a problem in connection
with our theme. Our theme asks the question: What's so good about all the same? and
this verse tends to reinforce the position that there is little or nothing
that's good about all the same. We are all the same in that we have all broken
God's holy law. We are all the same in that not one human being will ever be
able to earn heaven by doing good. We are all the same
in that God's verdict at every one of our trials for breaking his law would be "Guilty!" So how or why could
that sameness possibly be a good thing? How could there be any good at all in
the fact that we are all equally and totally guilty before God?
Before we answer that, our text apparently wants to make
absolutely certain that no one misses this point – that this mutual assured
destruction does not escape the notice of even the dullest or sleepiest among
us. So Paul repeats this message of sameness in the bluntest of terms: "For there is no difference;
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Are we getting the message
yet? God looked down at sinful mankind – seeing every single human being as
only God could – and he looks for some difference. Anything
at all really. He looks for something white and sees only blackness. He
looks for something pure, and sees only filth; something beautiful and sees
only ugliness; something grand or noble, and sees only depravity. Look carefully
at that crowd for a moment as God sees it. Examine the faces carefully until
you come across one that is familiar, for there you will find yourself. I'm
there. Your parents are there. Your spouse, children, and
friends – all the same. God looked, and everything he saw was the same,
and it was all bad.
So
what is so good about all the same,
when all that God saw was always and only evil?
Our
text was actually setting up the answer by pointing out the equality and
universality of our evil. Paul wanted to make absolutely certain that every
single reader understood our universal depravity and condemnation because it
formed the very basis for our shared good fortune. What in the world does that mean? Our text tells us that the
very same group that shares in a common failure to keep the law is the same
group that is now declared not guilty by God. Remember the verse we just read? "For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God." That verse goes on to tell us that the exact same
number of souls who shared in the failure to keep the law also now shares in
God's pronouncement of sins forgiven. Our text says that all those who "sinned
and
fell short of the glory of God" are the very ones who are "justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
Now
we begin to see what's so good about all
the same. The fact that we are all sinners means that every single one of
us shares in the New Covenant that God has established with his Church. You and
I can learn much from this simple truth. Which individual is excluded from this
promise? We here have been given God's solemn declaration that as many as have
sinned have now been justified in Jesus Christ. Are you a sinner? Then you are
included.
Christianity
is often condemned as exclusive and cold. What could possibly be warmer, more
loving, or more inviting and inclusive? Again, are you a sinner? Then know that
God's Word here pronounces you justified in Jesus Christ. That means that your sins have all been forgiven.
Our
text goes on to describe how such a thing could actually be possible: "Being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His
blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness." The
devil would love to be able to point to something in this text that excludes
you; something that would cause you to doubt that you too are included in God's
decree. That is undoubtedly why the Holy Spirit makes absolutely certain that
the list is all-inclusive. No one is left out. No one is denied or rejected. In
fact the only element to the whole equation that we human beings add is our own
sinfulness. If you have sin, then God's plan includes you.
The
story is told of a man who received a tax refund check from the IRS. Nothing
unusual about that, except for the fact that the return he submitted said that he
owed taxes. There was no explanation,
just a check. The man held onto the check for several weeks, assuming that he
was not entitled and waited for the notice telling him to return it. He finally
deposited the check, hoping that the IRS had caught an error in his favor. Of
course the notice came the day after the deposit, stating: A) He had made a
mistake on his return and was entitled to the refund, B) The check that he got
was a mistake, C) He had to return the un-cashed check immediately, D) He had
to take no action as a result of the notice, and E) A clerical error had caused
the problem and the delay in sending out the notice. (This is actually a true
story.) If you can make heads or tails out of that official announcement, you
are entitled to some sort of an award. The man was entitled to the refund, but
had to return it; AND, he was to take no action.
By
contrast, God's plan, God's official decision as outlined in our text leaves
room for no doubt of any kind. That is what is so wonderful about "all the same." It is
precisely because we are all sinners that we are all included in God's plan for
forgiveness.
How
is it then that not everyone is going to heaven? Our text also answers that
question: "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed,
being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the
righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who
believe." Those who try to make their own payments for sin
through their good works are, in effect, removing themselves from the pool of
sinners. They reject Jesus Christ and the payment he made by attempting to make
the payment themselves. That is hardly what it means to be saved "through
faith in Jesus Christ." Faith in Jesus Christ means that you
believe God's promise concerning what Jesus did for us, and that you trust his
promise that Jesus paid also for your
sins. Even this trust in Jesus is a gift given to us by God the Holy Spirit,
which brings us to yet another good thing about being "all the same":
There is not a single human being who has anything at all to boast about before
God. If we had decided to believe in Jesus on our own, we could boast. If we
had earned God's love or forgiveness in any way, we could boast. If we were
somehow better than anyone else, we could boast. Our text dismisses such
nonsense out of hand: "Where is boasting then? It is
excluded." The salvation of any and every human
being if from first to last a gift from our merciful God. We did not
provide a single good thing to the plan.
What
then is left to say? Just this: Look now with eyes of understanding and
compassion to your fellow human beings. See every single one of them as your equal, for God not only declared that we all shared a
common, desperate need, he also said that his loving invitation extends to all
equally. That is the simple message we are to carry to the world. We shared
their condemnation; let us also share with them the message of forgiveness in
Jesus Christ. Amen.
Scripture Readings and
Sunday Bulletin for May 25, 2008
NKJ Deuteronomy
11:18-21, 26-28 "
Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul,
and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between
your eyes. 19 "You shall
teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when
you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 20 "And you shall write them
on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 "that your days and the
days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to
your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth…26 ¶
" Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 "the blessing, if you obey
the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; 28 "and the curse, if you do
not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way
which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known."
NKJ Matthew
7:21-29 " Not
everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but
he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have
we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many
wonders in Your name?' 23
"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' 24 ¶ " Therefore whoever
hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who
built his house on the rock: 25
"and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on
that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 "But everyone who hears
these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who
built his house on the sand: 27
"and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on
that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." 28 ¶ And so it was, when
Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for
He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
NKJ Romans 3:21-25a, 27-28 But now the righteousness of God apart from
the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God,
through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no
difference; 23 for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus, 25
whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to
demonstrate His righteousness… 27 ¶ Where is boasting
then? It is excluded. By what law? Of
works? No, but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith
apart from the deeds of the law.
Bismarck, ND
58501 (701) 223-4885 Cell: (701) 425-5483
Mr. Mark
Johnson, President (222-1855)
Mrs. Eileen McEnroe, Organist
Michael
Roehl, Pastor mjroehl@bis.midco.net
Second Sunday after Pentecost – May 25, 2008
|
The
Opening Prayer by the Pastor
The
Opening Hymn ‑#8- (Red Hymnal)
"Father
Who the Light This Day"
The Order of Morning Service – Red Hymnal
page 5.
The Scripture Lessons: (Printed on the bulletin
insert)
The Old Testament Lesson: (Deuteronomy
11:18-21, 26-28) God established a rare, two-sided covenant with Israel when
they entered the Promised Land. This covenant was "rare" because it
required something from the Jews. God, on his part, agreed to protect and
prosper the Jews if they would
worship Him alone and follow his commandments. The Jews obviously broke this
covenant. Yet God did not abandon man. He established the New Covenant – a one
sided agreement wherein God promised to forgive all sins freely, for the sake
of His Son, Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God for this new
arrangement.
The Gospel Lesson: (Matthew 7:21-29) Though God's New Covenant with us does not depend on our
keeping his commandments, we do so willingly and thankfully. Those who allow
sin to remain in their hearts will almost certainly see the collapse of their
saving faith. They will truly be like the man who built his house on sand, only
to witness its destruction.
The
Confession of Faith ‑
The
Apostolic Creed (Red Hymnal page 12)
The
Pre‑Sermon Hymn ‑#245- (Red Hymnal)
"God
Loved the World So That He Gave"
The
Sermon – Romans 3:21-25a, 27-28 (Printed on the back page of this bulletin)
"What's So Good About All the
Same?"
"Create
In Me" (The Offertory)
– Red Hymnal page 12
The Post-Sermon Hymn -#414- (Red
Hymnal)
"The
Man Is Ever Blest"
The Offering, followed by the Prayers
-#568- (Verses 1 & 3) (Red Hymnal)
The Benediction
The
Closing Hymn ‑#47- (Red Hymnal)
"Savior,
Again, to Thy Dear Name We Raise"
Silent
Prayer
Attendance ‑
Last Sunday (54) 2008 Average (52)
This
Week at
Today -10:00 a.m. – Worship Service
-11:00 a.m. – Fellowship Hour
Tues-Thurs -10:00 a.m. –
WC Delegate Conference in Watertown
Next Sunday -10:00 a.m. – Worship Service
-11:00
a.m. – Fellowship
Hour
CLC News – A bank account has been established to aid Pastor
Michael Schierenbeck and his family with the various costs associated with his
upcoming medical procedures and extended recovery time. Gifts may be sent to:
Farmers
State Bank
86 E. Water St.
Markesan, WI 53946
Checks
are to be made out to Mike Schierenbeck. Write "transplant
fund" on the memo line.
Church
Council Notes - Five
Council Members, plus the Pastor, were present. Both receipts and expenses were
under budget, resulting in a balance of $4,483. Council reiterated the former
policy that push mowers be used to cut the church lawn due to landscaping and
the relatively small lawn area. Consideration will be given to the purchase of
a new self-propelled mower for church use. The Automatic Contribution program
is now functioning. No June meeting has been scheduled.
Pastor Out of Town – Pastor Roehl is attending meetings and graduation exercises in Eau Claire this
weekend, followed by the West Central Delegate Conference in Watertown. Plans
call for a return on May 29th. Our thanks to Council
member Gary Miller for conducting the Lay Service in the Pastor's absence.
Open House –
The congregation is invited to an open house at the parsonage for Emily Roehl
on Friday, May 30th, from 5:00-9:00 p.m.