Sermon for the Twenty-Third Sunday After Pentecost
TO SAVE THOSE WHO ARE EAGERLY WAITING
Theme: Sin is now a slave of Christ and His Church.
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen. This is what God says to you in the reading from Hebrews 9: “Christ… will
appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly
waiting for Him.”
Dear Christian friends:
Sin.
How well does that word set with you? What goes through your mind—or
your gut—when you entertain the word Sin?
· For some people, especially those whose conscience will not allow them
to forget the past, the word Sin is an unsettling reminder and description of
everything they hate about themselves and their life in this world. For them,
Sin is an indictment, and a possible indicator that they have been separated
from God.
· For other people, especially people who listen to those scandalous and
appalling television preachers, Sin is a weakness in yourself that you must
learn to control and master if you are ever to be blessed by God in the way He
truly wants to bless you. For them, Sin is a personal challenge—one they
foolishly think they can meet.
· For still others, especially those who do not wish to hear what God is
saying in His Bible, Sin is an uncomfortable subject that they would prefer to
dismiss with a chuckle, if not entirely avoid. For them, Sin is someone else’s
outdated idea.
Here is what Jesus wants you to know about Sin: Sin is a defeated enemy that
has been beaten into submission and now made into a slave of the Church. I know
that surprises you, so I will say it again in a different way: Your Lord Jesus
Christ, in His death and His resurrection, has totally defeated Sin. Having
defeated Sin for you, Jesus has now pressed this mortal enemy of yours into
service for you, the beloved saints of God.
Make no mistake about it: Sin is much more deadly and uncontrollable
than the television preachers want you to believe. Sin is far more serious and
unavoidable than unbelievers would like to think. Sin is a mortal enemy and an
incurable disease. In a certain sense, it does not even matter what you think
about your personal actions, whether they are good or bad in the eyes of God,
because Sin goes way beyond your actions. Sin is inherited corruption. Sin
necessitates death and you will die because you are your mother’s child.
But Sin has now been made a defeated enemy and a slave of Christ. “He
has appeared once for all… to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
· Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John
1:29).
· “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).
· “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your
forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the
precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter
1:18-19).
That is the gist of what God has written here in the Book of Hebrews for you
today, “Christ… will appear a second time, [but] not to deal with sin.” Christ
has already dealt with Sin in His death and His resurrection—my sin, your sin,
and the sins of those who treat you the way they do—and on account of Christ
your sins are now completely forgiven, wholly and entirely. “He has appeared
once for all… to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
So now sin has been knocked down, beaten into submission, and made a slave.
Your own personal experiences—both in the things that you do and in the things
that others do to you—your own personal experiences give you plenty of proof
that sin has not yet been entirely removed from this world and thrown into the
abyss. Sin is not yet dead but it is now a slave: Christ’s slave, the Church’s
slave, my slave, and your slave.
Today’s reading from Hebrews explains why: “Christ… will appear a second time,
not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.” Simply
stated, Sin is what makes you so eager for your Lord Jesus Christ to appear a
second time.
· Think about those dear loved ones in your life who have died. These
people did not die because of cancer, or because of old age, or because a
tragic accident. These people died because of sin. “Just as sin came into the
world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all men
because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). What does death do for God’s Christians? It
makes us all the more hungry for His promise of eternal life! With every
sin-caused death we suffer and mourn, we hunger all the more for that day when
“Christ… will appear a second time” and we shall be comforted.
· Think about the ratty things you have experienced at the hands of this
malicious and cruel world in which we live: Divorce, betrayal, theft and
robbery, belittling words, even acts of violence. Everything you suffer, every
injustice you see or experience, every tear you shed: these things are all the
fruit and offspring of your enemy Sin. But sin has been dealt with once and for
all on the cross, and now sin’s fruit and offspring are also bound into service
to Christ. Think of everything you suffer as a pointing finger that directs
your eyes toward the horizon, so that you may eagerly wait for Him and for the
loud voice from heaven. When you hear it, it shall be music to your straining
ears:
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God
is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God
Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their
eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying
nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).
· Finally, think about your own personal sin. Think about how unavoidable
it is for you, even on your best days. Think about how you dishonor God’s name
by the selfish way you treat others. Think about it and hate it. Long for the
day you will finally escape it. Use your sin, not as a weapon against your
neighbor, but as the dry mouth that longs to drink the water of eternal life
(Revelation 22:1).
Rest assured, dear saints of God, “Christ will appear a second time,” but you
do not need to worry about Him appearing to you in order to deal with your sin.
All of that has been fully handled on the cross and your sin is no longer an
issue or a matter of concern for your God. There is no more suffering that will
be required on account of sin, for Christ “appeared once for all… to put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Sin has now been made your slave, given the
charge and duty of constantly reminding you that things can only get better, so
that you will eagerly await Him whose promises shall not fail.
Yet for a little while, you shall still struggle, you shall still weep, you
still mourn. Be of good cheer! “Christ… will appear a second time.”
The peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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