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spent1602
"Lord Over Sin"
incredibles length movie
Text: Matthew 18:15-20
Date: The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost 
9/1/02
On this eve of the first anniversary of the
September 11 terrorist attacks on our nation, we feel a need to
mark this date in a special way-a way that will aid our nation's
memory in order that we and future generations will remain committed
to the ongoing defense of freedom and vigilance against evil ag-gression,
terrorism and everything that threatens the funda-mental rights,
privileges and duties of all human beings. As Christians we mark
this time with the Word of God and prayer. For apart from the revealed
Word of God, the agoniz-ing questions of humanity in the face of
tragedy and horror, suffering and death receive no satisfying answers,
much less words of comfort. The questions, "Why suffering?" "Why
evil?" "Why death?" "Why me?" are existential and theological questions.
Apart from the revealed Word of God, the Creator and Author of all
existence, the questioner can conclude only one of two things: either
that all suffering is just an endless evil or, if God is involved
at all, he must be a tyrant. We gather as people of a faith that
says, "Jesus Christ is the Light of the world," and "in him is the
light of life." That light alone, that revelation that is the Divine
Word, reveals the only true an-swer, and that is that all suffering
is but the evidence and result, ultimately, of sin-our sin. All
suffering results from the sin of others, our own sin, or the devil
himself. Apart from God there is to reason or purpose to suffering.
The question ought to be, however, CAN God have anything to do with
suffering? And the answer to that question is, "yes." He can and
will turn all suffering to serve the believer's ultimate good, as
St. Paul says so boldly, "For I am sure that neither death nor life,
nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor
powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus
our Lord" [Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)].
The Scripture readings for today all have to
do with how God deals with sin and, therefore, how we are to deal
with sin. We are to identify it, call the sinner to repentance and
proclaim or dispense the forgiveness of Christ.
Identifying Sin.
The first problem in identifying
sin is that people naturally think of sin only as doing wrong deeds-sinful
acts and words. It is a problem because it doesn't get to the deeper
significance of the cause of sin. Since people seem to have the
capacity also to do very good, humanitarian deeds we think that
it's just a matter of making the right choices. The question remains
un-answered and shrouded in mystery, however, as to why anyone would
choose to do evil. The Word of God alone reveals the truth: the
truth that Sin not only refers to wrong deeds but is a condition,
is the very nature of a fallen humanity. Sin-rebellion against God
and all manner of lovelessness toward the neighbor-taints every
aspect of our being so that even all our righteous acts in God's
sight are "as filthy rags." The unbeliever sins against God by eating
breakfast! That is, the problem is not the act. The problem is unbelief
and separation from God. So completely does sin enslave that no
one can free himself. The wages of sin is death. All have sinned,
therefore all die.
The ultimate, underlying cause of the September
11 attacks last year is, simply, sin, and especially the sin against
the First Commandment, the religious fervor and fanaticism in service
to a false god who, by any other name, is none other than Satan
himself. But even our questioning why is rooted in sin. For that
question, ultimately, seeks to blame God himself for our suffer-ing.
The punch line of the entire Book of Job reveals the issue as the
LORD answered Job, saying, "Will you even put me in the wrong? Will
you condemn me that you may be in the right?" [Job 40:8].
Apart from God's revealed Word there will be
no satisfying answers.
Calling the Sinner to Repentance.
God alone has the answer. And it
is all bound up in the fact that God loves his creation so much
that he devised the only plan equal to our need, namely, to destroy
sin and death while saving the sinner. But for his plan to work
it needs to be real. No magic wands, no wishing upon a star, no
just ignoring sin until it goes away. It would be, rather, a bloody
battle, for apart from the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
But that blood must be so holy and untainted by sin that it could
be a sacrifice sufficient to take away all sin, the sin of the world.
Therefore God himself took on our human flesh
and blood in the Person of the Son of God, conceived by the Holy
Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary-perfect God and perfect Man of
a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Here is the proof
of the only true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: no other "god"
is able to get personal with us. All other gods are mere forces
and delusions. In the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Mary,
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He is the one, perfect
sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. By
his holy death he destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light. For, though he died for the sin of the world, death could
not hold him. And his resur-rection from the dead is proof that,
now, all sin has been atoned for.
But God desires all people to be what he originally
intended them to be: truly free. Therefore salvation from sin and
justification happens only by faith in God's Word and promise. God
doesn't force salvation on anyone. Which brings the next problem,
namely, as we say in the little catechism, "I believe that I cannot
by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or [even] come
to him." He must come to us. He must give us even the very faith
to believe.
Dispensing the Forgiveness of Sins.
Therefore God sends prophets like
Ezekiel with the command, "you I have a made a watchman for the
house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall
give them warning from me." Jesus Christ called and sent his Apos-tles
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