Serving Christ Is the Only Freedom There Is

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

October 5, 2014

Romans 14:9

Serving Christ Is the Only Freedom There Is

†

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I.

For most of us freedom means doing what we think is good and right. We choose how to raise our children without interference from the government. We choose who to marry without interference from our parents. We choose where to go to church without interference from the Bible.

I'm glad that we have freedom to raise our children, but I'm not glad that we raise our children as we see fit. I'm glad that we have freedom to marry whom we choose, but I'm not glad that many ignore the counsel of their parents. I'm glad that we have freedom to go to church, but I'm not glad that so many shop for a church based on their preferences.

Freedom all by itself is tremendously good. But when our freedom is twisted into doing what you think is good and right, then we are slaves. Your opinion of what is good that comes from within yourself is no good.

²⁰[Jesus said:] “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. ²¹For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, ²²adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Mark 7:20-23

Doing whatever you think is right is not freedom. It is slavery.

II.

A man held captive in a beautiful cage is still in a cage. And even Christians spend a lot of time building their own beautiful cages.

Consider man caves: the rec room or garage transformed into a temple for the religion of sport. Wives and mothers can see the danger of the man cave more easily than men, but men always fail to see our own sinful desires and the cages that our sinful flesh build. Now not all man caves are evil, but some are. When your Sunday joy is found mostly in your bark-a-lounger, flat screen, and nachos, that says a lot, doesn't it? If your kids see indifference on your face on Sunday morning, and then see great emotional investment, whether joy or pain, on your face on Sunday afternoon, they will learn.

Why do some men build their caves? To hang out with friends. Others build then as a refuge from their wives, from the old ball and chain, because these husbands have been taught that freedom comes from getting to be your own master for a day once a week (and maybe Thursdays).

I mention the man cave not to mock, but to point out the danger of living in the moment. Man caves are all about sport. And sport is above all living in the moment. There's always the next snap, the next series, the next half, the next game, the next season. I always groan when the color commentary man on TV says that this series of downs is the most important of the game. But he says that almost every time they pick up the ball. Why? Because only right now matters.

Freedom to live for yourself in the moment is not freedom. Dear friends, there is no freedom in the spectacle of the now. It is only slavery.

III.

However, do not despair and run to your caves wherever they might be. Don't despair for there is hope out there and He is right here. Christ saved us from the illusion of freedom by giving up His freedom from death by dying for us on the cross. He took responsibility for our slavery to the moment and became a slave for you. He freely and willingly gave up His freedom to set you free.

Christ died and returned to life so that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. Romans 14:9

And now we live not as free agents living in the for now, but we now live as servants of Christ our Lord forever.

So the question becomes, for what does Christ desire we use our freedom? Jesus told us when He said,

³⁷"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" Matthew 22:37-39

As servants of Christ, we use our freedom for others. We love God and those whom He has placed into our lives. We love by placing the best interests of others ahead of our own. And these best interests of others is exactly what Paul had in mind when he wrote:

⁵One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. ⁸If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. Romans 14:5-9

III.

One of the things that I miss since I'm a pastor is that I don't get to participate in the services of many other churches. But some of you do. With travels back to visit relatives, vacation trips across the country, and business trips, some of you have extra chances to see and gather around different fonts, pulpits, and altars.

Every church looks different, and we often do the same things in different ways. If you would open your hymnal to page 15, you'll see a rubric, which is a little italicized note. It suggests, "The congregation may kneel."

We don't. Most of our churches don't kneel for confession. But at a some Lutheran churches the congregation does kneel for the confession. Perhaps some of you have been to churches where they kneel. Is this difference a problem?

We do kneel at the communion rail to receive Christ's true body and blood. But in some churches they stand to receive the Communion. Even here some of us stand. Is this a problem?

I'm glad to say not at all. In different churches, in different times, and even in different times in our own lives, our God-given reverence for Christ in His divine service is the same, but may be shown by our bodies in different ways. But our reverence in how we use our bodies will always be informed by Christ the Word of God, never by our own preferences or by a culture that lives for itself in the moment.

This freedom to serve Christ happens in our homes and in our churches. This is where we get to set ourselves in the hands of God and where He feeds us with His living Word. And so we are set free to gather in His house every Sunday to receive His Word and His Sacrament. And so we are set free to gather in our own homes to pray His Words.

With freedom comes responsibility. When we have members of our families at home or those who live far away in their own homes who are failing to hear and receive the Gospel, we in our freedom that is bound to serve others must speak. We are not free to live for ourselves. Paul wrote:

⁷For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. Romans 14:5-9

Out of freedom we will call them to back the Gospel. And if they can't see their slavery of doing as they see fit, then we will speak the truth to them that they are in danger.

IV.

There are some things that are optional. To kneel for confession or not? To stand for communion or not?

But some things aren't optional. Christ has set you free to confess your sin and receive forgiveness from the pastor as from God Himself. Christ has set you free to receive His true body and blood for forgiveness of your sin.

And in this Christian freedom all things are made good. Watching the game. Eating a meal. Praying together in the name of Christ.

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.