Messages from Pastor Raddatz

January 10, 2021 Mount Olive Lutheran Church Houston TX

The Strength of Grace, Romans 6:1-11

Other Texts for the Day: Genesis 1:1-5 and Mark 1:4-11

Dear People of God at Mount Olive,

Many Pastors begin their Sermons with the words, “Grace, Mercy and peace to you from God our Father. . .”  Grace is what we will focus upon today.  We are saved by grace, the riches of God at the expense of Christ and we have the strength of grace to walk in “newness of life”.  So Paul begins Romans 6 by asking a few questions.

            Romans 6:1-11, “What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  2 By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?  3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  7 For no one who has died has been set free from sin.  8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  9 We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.   11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

GOAL

The purpose of this message is that we celebrate our baptism and the strength of God’s grace.  Through baptism we have died to sin and have risen with Christ.  While we live, we battle temptations and lusts.  God’s grace or goodness declares us innocent of all our sin.  How do we apply this blessing?  We have strength in the grace of God given us in baptism.

            Sin is still present in us until our last breath, but the condemnation is not present in us.  Instead of being condemned for our breaking God’s desires for our life faith is present in us.  This is why Paul says that “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that just as ‘Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life’” v. 4

            The new life is what the Bible calls being born again; see John 3:5ff.  Jesus defines being born again as a spiritual birth of water and the spirit.  Just like we do not choose to be born but out birth is not something by our choice, so our spiritual birth is not by our choice.  God calls us to a baptism of death, which means, our sinful self has been buried just as Christ was buried in the tomb.  Paul puts it this way in verse 6 of Romans 6, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”

PROBLEM

Even though we have died to sin and risen with Christ we still experience lusts and temptations to sin.   We are freed from the condemnation of our sin, but the battle with sin remains.  Faith struggles against it.  We have enough to do all our life long in taming our sinful flesh and bring it under the obedience of the Spirit of God.  Our life becomes one of daily death and resurrection, the death of our desires to sin and the new life of grace. – Rewritten from Luther

Historical Reference:  Early Christian baptismal practices reflected the Jewish “Tebilah” rite of purification, which was by immersion. However there were other ways to baptize. (Lutheran Study Bible, p. 1919, notes on Romans 6:5)

            Since we have been buried with Christ, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his, v. 5.  We have received forgiveness through the death of Christ.  Our new life (resurrected life now) has begun now.  We are free from guilt and sin!  

METHODS OF APPLICATION

            So how do we live knowing that we have been saved and we have the strength of his grace?  Do we sin more since we are free from condemnation?  No.  Do we use grace as an excuse to sin more?  Never.  Instead we live in joyful service to him.         

Once there was a brier growing in a ditch and there came along a gardener with his spade. As he dug around it and lifted it up the brier said to itself, "What is he doing? Doesn't he know I am a worthless brier?" But the gardener took it into his garden and planted it amid his flowers, while the brier said, "What a mistake he has made planting me among these beautiful roses." Then the gardener came once more and made a slit in the brier with his sharp knife. He grafted it with a rose and when summer came lovely roses were blooming on that old brier. Then the gardener said, "Your beauty is not due to what came out but to what I put in."  -Source Unknown

Bless God for giving us his goodness.  Grace is given to us at the expense of Christ’s coming to this earth, his living the sinless life and his sacrifice on the cross for our sins.  He is risen!  We are risen!  His grace gives us strength to serve the Lord.  Thanks be to God, Amen.

Pastor John Raddatz