Dear Friends in Christ,
“You will not certainly
die.” If someone told you that, you would know in your heart it was a lie.
Yet Eve chose to believe Satan’s lie rather than God’s Word that when you eat
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will certainly die. Ever
since that sad day, Satan’s language has remained the same, lies.
The general theme of
our sermons over the next six weeks, God willing, is the phrase Jesus often
used as a prefix to his words, “I tell you the truth.” We might think,
“What else could it be? What else would we expect?” Still, it is beneficial to
remind ourselves of the stark contrast between Satan’s lies and God’s Word that
is Truth.
Tonight we see God’s
Word is the truth that sets us free from slavery.
I
Tell You the Truth . . . Anyone Who Sins Is a Slave to Sin
Truth is . . . we were slaves to sin. Truth is . . .
we were freed from sin.
The
truth is not always what we want to hear. We don’t want to hear our spouses
tell us that those pants look a little too tight. We do not want to hear our
parents say that the person we are dating is not the best influence. We do not
want someone to tell us at work or in school, “You made a mistake.”
Our defenses going up when Jesus says, “I
tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” As soon as Jesus
says that I am a slave to sin, that makes me feel sin’s complete mastery over
my human nature. Frederick Douglass, a freed slave who turned abolitionist once
wrote, “I didn’t know I was a slave until I found out I couldn’t do the things
I wanted.”
According to my sinful nature, as Paul
reminded us, I cannot do what I want to do, and do what I do not want to do. My
sinful nature struggles to lure me back into slavery just as the false memories
of Egypt tried to lure the Israelites back into slavery. As Christians
according to our new Man, what do we want to do? We want to keep God’s will
holy. We do not want to sin. Can we not sin? No. My Old Adam is right there
enslaving my human nature. We may live in the land of freedom in Christ, but in
our human nature we remain slaves to sin.
We could downplay the seriousness of that
truth: “Who cares if I sin? I know Jesus is God and my Lord and Savior. What’s
the big deal if I’m a yet a slave to sin in my flesh?” The father of lies puts
those arguments into our heads. The big deal is I can begin to believe his lies
and not use the law to curb my sinful nature. I can begin to think that I do
not need to daily drown my Old Adam in the waters of my Holy Baptism. I can
begin to believe that what I do according to my new nature balances out my sin.
It does not.
Jesus spoke these words to Jews “who
believed in him.” They needed to grow, as do we, in their appreciation for
the fact that the flesh counts for nothing, in fact, tries to enslave us again.
Jesus warned them not to return to the slavery of the flesh still in control of
those who believed God saved them because they were Abraham’s relatives.
Jesus reminded them, “A slave has no
permanent place in the family.” We know we are slaves to sin
according to our Old Adam. We know and confess that because of that sin we
deserve to go to hell. By nature, I am God’s enemy not a member of his family.
I would have no permanent place in God’s family if I had to remain under my
flesh’s mastery.
That is what Ash Wednesday is about: to lead
us to the truth of what God told Adam, “Dust you are and to dust you will
return” (Ge 3:19). As slaves to sin, we deserve to die. As slaves to sin,
we deserve hell. Ashes on our foreheads are a visible reminder of these truths.
The key to freedom is
knowing that Jesus Christ holds the key that has released our chains. The
Son of God has established eternal residency in heaven. He holds in his hands
the keys to eternal life. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free
indeed.”
How do we get to know this key person? Jesus
says, “If you hold to [or literally, if you remain in] my teaching,
you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free.” I have shared with
you that this is my Confirmation verse, and especially dear to me.
Jesus’
teaching is that he is the one and only Savior from sin. He kept the law holy
and received our wages for our sins, death. To hold to this teaching is believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus’ teaching includes that we are branches that
bear good works as fruits of our attachment to him, the Vine. Jesus’ teaching both
makes us disciples, and produces those fruits characteristic of our lives as
his disciples.
God’s love for us in Christ has loosened the shackles of sin from us. We
still have our Old Adam but we confess in Holy Baptism in CW, “Our sinful nature need not control us any
longer.” Our new self, our freed self, is
equipped and motivated to live for God. We are free to carry other people’s
burdens as Jesus carried ours. Free to forgive others as Jesus has forgiven us.
Free to spend our time for others as Jesus spent his for us. We are free to
live in the truth of Jesus’ Word.
Our sin
bruised Jesus’ heal greatly when he stepped in
our place on Calvary’s cross, and appeared to have overcome him in death. But no. The tomb carved in rock could not keep Jesus’ again
living body a prisoner. It had to set Jesus free because Jesus crushed Satan’s
head. Jesus’ resurrection signed and sealed our emancipation from spiritual and
eternal slavery.
The apostle Paul wrote
on the same topic to the Galatian believers, “It is for freedom that Christ
has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again
by a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1). Instead of immorality, hatred, discord,
envy, drunkenness, and the like, living in freedom includes “love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” “Against
such things there is no law” (Gal 5:22, 23).
“I tell you the
truth.” I have set you free. You are free to live for me. You are free to live
with me forever. Amen. <SDG>