Sermon for the 6 th Sunday after Trinity, July 19, 2009
“ Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. ”
TODAY'S SALESMEN of easy grace and automatic salvation don't tell you everything you ought to know. It's like selling you a house and not mentioning that each winter the basement fills with water, and a few alligators. You might like alligators, but the water simply ruins the carpet. It would have been nice to know this before you bought the house. Or it's like marrying somebody who is perfect in every way, except that at night during a full moon…
But Christianity can't have a dark side, can it? We come to the Lord in full assurance that things have to get better for us. All the promises seem to be eternal joy, grace to cover all our sins, healing of body and soul, a new life. What could be wrong in all that? Nothing . Nothing is wrong with it. It is joy, grace, healing, new life— the only catch , and what they don't tell you at the crusade or the revival hall, is that the old man can't come . He's got to die. He has to die all the way. He has got to be crucified . And you get to keep the cross . There: I've told you now. It's better that you know.
I think that a great deal of the dysfunction in modern Christianity may be the failure to face this fact. I didn't face it. I saw plenty of Christians, long-timers, who still had the old man, their abundant sins, living large right in the church. Cussing, smoking, drinking to excess, eyeing women, gossiping, competing, envying, lying, cheating, stealing … I saw them all. Plus hymns, religious language, self-righteousness, pomp and ceremony. The old man wore religious clothes, but was enjoying himself just as he did before his conversion. That confused me. It also made my old man pretty comfortable sticking around. And it made better people than I seem like hypocrites, goody-two-shoes, holier-than-thou folk who just distained the rest of humanity. Are these not the views of most Christians you know? Can you see what's wrong with this picture?
I just wrote my first song in 30 years. I'll just give you the first verse and the chorus.
“You have heard the Bible stories of the Cross and of the Lamb;
How the good thief found forgiveness From the dying great I Am.
But did you know the other man Who died with broken legs
Is still too proud to have the Lord No matter how he moans and pleads and begs.
Well you talk about redemption When you mean to just go free
And it isn't your intention To have integrity.
If you're claiming the high calling That His Precious Blood has bought
You had best be sure you aren't the one
He turns away and says I knew you not.”
That illustrates my point. We talk about redemption, but we just mean that we're free. Free to keep on sinning, but now call it forgiven , and pay no attention to the price that was paid for us, and keeps on getting paid. If you're claiming the high calling that His Precious Blood has bought, listen up.
The old man has to die. What is this old man? Have you ever felt ashamed of yourself? Did you ever make somebody cry? Have you felt the guilty thrill do doing something you know is wrong, but you are going to get away with it, and get forgiven later, if it's still bothering you? Have you been among people you tried to impress and you knew you had to talk dirty and adopt their attitudes in order to fit in? Can you say that you hate any other human soul? Got a habit that you can't kick, so you make a virtue of it? Old man. That's the sin that you had before you knew Jesus.
I'm not speaking from self-righteousness here. I've let several pounds of my old flesh live far too long. I'm on a diet now. The diet is simple. Nail your old carcass up on a cross and walk away from it. Don't take it back down. Don't let yourself wish it back. Set a guard on its tomb, so that this guy isn't going to rise again. This is a permanent separation, a change of life, the essential point too often avoided in a confession— true contrition and amendment of life . The old man has to die. Old woman , if you wish—here feminism doesn't seem to object to the use of male pronouns. Old man, old woman, old kid —they've gotta go.
Is Father Hansen mad this morning? Not at all. I mourn the fact that I haven't preached this more often. It's part of the Gospel, the good news that we're saved from sin and restored to God forever. It's in the Epistle to the Romans we read today, and many of St. Paul's writings, like Galatians: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Gal 2:18-20 “ Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh… those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 5:16-24 But what about Jesus? We may ask. Did He speak in such extremes as St. Paul? Listen to Him. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26-27 Now, hating family members is His way of saying you put everything to death that interferes with your new life with God. Orthodox Jews don't miss this point. When a family member converts to Christ, they hold a funeral service for her and consider her dead to them. I don't advocate this, but at least they get the point. It's over. The old man must die.
So why doesn't this message get more play? It's hard to sell. “Sir, would you be interested in a fine cross today? Not a comfortable one, no, I'm sorry sir, but it is just your size. It will hurt you and a part of what you thought was yourself all of your life will suffer and will die. How would you like to pay for that today…?” That's crazy, isn't it? The only part that isn't true is the payment. It's been paid for already. But your cross is waiting. St. Paul knew this was hard when he said, “…the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Cor 1:18-19
All right, what is this crucifixion and how does it work? First you have to hate your sins . Not just sin in general, not just your vague past sinfulness —these are your particular sin patterns and ways of thinking and feeling that are not in the manner of Christ's life and teachings. Too much food, drink, TV, smut, lust, complaining, pride and boasting, avarice, hatred and anger, luxury, laziness ; and too little love, generosity, contentment, patience, faithfulness, chastity, kindness, selfless sacrifice and hard work . So, the sins we commit, and our failures to live Christ, are the elements of this problem.
Think of the scourges that lashed our Lord's back. They had bits of metal and bone tied to the thongs which would pull pieces of skin off with every lashing. Your sins are the bits of bone. If you love Jesus, hate those sins. Your sins are the nails that pierced his sweet hands and feet. Your sins are the thorns in that crown He wore. Hate them . They aren't cute, not pretty, and they leave a trail of blood behind you, evidence the old man still lives. Hate them.
Next you have to commit them to Jesus , confess them, put them outside your daily life, and watch stedfastly for their attempt to return. Built high walls against them, adopt new habits, pray and pray more, seek God's gift of awareness when these enemies of your new life try to get back in. Don't listen to their whisperings that it's okay just this once . Remember the graces of your Baptism, and even recite the vows again, renouncing the world, the flesh and the devil, and taking Christ as your Lord and Savior. See the word Lord here: that's the missing concept for many of us, because we want a Savior, but we want to keep ruling our own lives. Lord means Master . The old man doesn't want a master. The old man must die.
Sin is a slave master. We are created to be slaves. The fit is too perfect, and we're born into slavery to sin. Think of the American slaves that never lived a moment free. We are exactly like that until Jesus becomes our emancipator and we are set free. Now, do you just go back to the fields and act like a slave? Most of our former slaves did just that, and there were new overlords eager to take advantage of them. Freedom is knowing your new Master is Christ. You never own yourself — that's a bad idea . You're bound to be a slave. Every man and woman is created to serve. Christ frees you to choose which master you will follow. From the same Epistle we read today, “God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Rom. 6:17-18 “Sin shall not be your master because you are not under law, but under grace.” 6:14
The only way you get to change your master is to kill the old one and then let the new one rule. The old man has been making a fool of you. The new Master offers you dignity, a place in His kingdom with splendor, totally guilt-free living, power, love, magnificence. The old man offers you death, judgment, hell, and with them the promise of “ real life and fun .” Now the real life and fun bit is a lie, and he doesn't mention hell. He's a great salesman. He's got your number. His fun is tearing the hide off of Jesus. The old man must die.
And finally, you carry your cross until you leave this body behind. Why? Well, sin still has its vacancy sign out. The devil is still in business. The world is still selling junk. And now you are an alter-Christ, His Body in this world, a gift to humanity from Jesus, and you represent Him, even in your various sufferings. These may be humiliation, the misjudgment and alienation of former friends, or just sickness—there are many ways of the cross—but you join your sufferings that come from a righteous life with those of the Savior, and they have power to heal your soul, and other souls too. The cross stands guard over your life as you walk further into the hills towards God's Holy Land. The old man dead and buried, the cross of Christ before you : this is Christianity. Full disclosure, no hidden features, no small print.
Is anybody leaving then? All right. Now let's eat the Lord's Body and seal your decision by His Blood.
PFH+