Trinity 15
Dear friends in Christ. It is certainly no secret that we are living in an age and society that is self-absorbed. Even secular observers talk about a “Me culture.” You have advertisers zeroing on that, perhaps most famously with the slogan “Have it your way.” You have the emphasis on me/ self shown in such diverse ways like “my body/ my choice” never mind the infant that suffers and is killed as a result; you have this emphasis on me/ self behind the push to have homosexual “marriage” shoved down our throats: no one can tell me who to love and who I can marry—completely ignoring the fact that due to the law of God written in all people’s hearts societies and cultures diverse and all through history have rejected it.
Even one of the biggest so-called churches in our country promotes and furthers the idea that God is some sort of cheerleader and enabler of you being the best possible you. This theme is picked up in various other so-called churches, all trying to gather in the masses who think that God works for them and is there to gratify our every whim. The purpose of the church, these people falsely teach, is to make you feel good about yourself. There is no Divine Service in which we confess our sin—after all, that might damage our ever so fragile self-esteem—and receive forgiveness of sin. There is no Blessed Sacrament in which we receive our Lord’s true body and blood for the forgiveness of sin and the strengthening of faith. Instead, what passes itself off as “church” is a huge pep rally for self and the “sermon” is a motivational speech. What happens? Man, not God, is the center and focus. Here religion is mimicking the self-absorbed pop/ “me” culture.
We shouldn’t be surprised at this focus on self because it lurks in every human heart. It is sin and the basis of every sin—so what really is this focus on self? It is idolatry! It makes me, not the Lord and His holy will, the center and focus of who I am and what I do. Each and every one of our sins is us placing our will/ desire above the will of the Lord.
That’s why the Church has always emphasized the putting down of our sinful desires, crucifying our old sinful nature, not doing what it wants, drowning our old sinful nature in baptism and daily by daily confession of sin. And said positively: it means living a life to the glory of God, striving to do His will. Notice how Jesus says this in today’s Gospel: Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? And then: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. The emphasis is turned outward from us—and even our basic needs—and on to the Lord, His kingdom, His righteousness. By us turning from self and to the Lord and His will, here is our true dignity and here is our true freedom—freedom from that slavery to self and our desires and even our needs. Being free from that slavery to self, we then are free to love the Lord, seek His righteousness, and love and serve our neighbor. True freedom is freedom to do good. And as we examine our text it is precisely this freedom that we will see: the freedom of Christianity. Christianity is all about faith toward God and love of the neighbor. In Christ we are free to trust in the Lord and love our neighbor.
1. St. Paul begins our text: If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Dear Christian, as Christians, we have a new spiritual nature because the Holy Spirit is in us. He was given to us in the waters of Holy Baptism: [Ti 3.5-6], the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit whom [God our Savior] poured out on us abundantly. In Baptism we, then, were given the Holy Spirit and where He is, He works in us true faith in God and true spiritual life—He is the Lord and Giver of life. He creates in us a new self, the Christian in us. Now, by the work of the Holy Spirit, we know God rightly; we know Him as the holy Triune God and our Savior; as St. Paul elsewhere says [1 Cor.12.3]: no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. This new spiritual nature, created in us by the Holy Spirit is now for us life. Now, by the work of the Holy Spirit’s work, we are freed from that service/ slavery to self since by the Holy Spirit, we know God rightly and He empowers us to live a life to the glory of God. Remember what Jesus says at the beginning of our Gospel: No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. It’s not that we are the slave/ servant of none! Rather, it’s a matter of whom we will serve/ be a slave to—either to self, sin and devil, which leads to death and damnation or to our holy, gracious Triune God, our Savior. As we all come into the world, all we can do is to serve self, sin and devil. But now as Christians who in Holy Baptism were given the Holy Spirit, we now have a new self, a new nature, the Christian in us, which loves the Lord and strives to do His will alone.
Here’s where the battle comes in. We still have in us both that old sinful nature we were born with and now also the new self, the Christian, worked in us by the Holy Spirit. There’s that battle going on, that’s why we hear Christ warning us in today’s Gospel: No one can serve two masters; and St. Paul encouraging us in today’s text: let us also keep in step with the Spirit. We constantly need that warning lest we give up and go back to that slavery to self, which leads to damnation. We keep in step with the Spirit as we resist our desire to serve self and instead follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit. But the thing is, though, that all too often—even though we have the Holy Spirit, know our Lord rightly, have the new self, the Christian in us—we still sin; we give up our freedom and serve/ become a slave to our old sinful self.
But, dear Christian, as Christians what do we do? But let each one test his own work. We examine our hearts and lives, recognize our sin, sorrow over our sin, and in that Spirit worked faith we run to our Lord to receive His forgiveness. That’s why we come to church: to hear that forgiveness proclaimed and actually given to us in the absolution, in the word, and to receive it in our mouths in the Blessed Sacrament. Strengthened by that forgiveness and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we strive all the more to fight sin and to live our lives to the glory of God. In other words: we live by the Spirit. And notice, in a life of repentance and faith, as we live by the Spirit, where is the emphasis? Is it on self? Hardly! It is on the Lord.
What a tremendous grace we enjoy. We live by the Spirit, that is, by the work of the Holy Spirit we have a new self, the Christian in us; and we have that Spirit worked faith that knows God rightly and receives from Him the forgiveness of our sins so that in God’s sight we are holy and perfect—the holiness and perfection of Christ for us. And what does it mean? Rejoicing in this forgiveness, we then also keep in step with the Spirit. That is, we follow the Holy Spirit as He leads us away from self and to do what God desires, His holy will. All that we do as Christians out of love for God and His will is a good work. Our good works flow from our new nature, our life in the Spirit.
What happens, then, as we also keep in step with the Spirit? We are not only not living for self but we are, in fact, putting to death, killing our old sinful nature each time we do not do what it wants. And this is to our spiritual good/ benefit. St. Paul writes in our text: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. The devil and our old sinful nature want to lull us into carnal security and to deceive us. How our old sinful nature wants to convince us that we can believe in Christ and can comfort ourselves with the mercy of God and His forgiveness but yet we can still let our old sinful nature rule/ dominate us! To put it differently, we can still be a slave to self and be a Christian. How wrong that is! —Jesus in today’s Gospel: No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
That’s why: If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us follow the Holy Spirit in us who is leading and empowering us to live a life of faith and good works. It is either one or the other: we either live for self or for the Lord. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, that is, damnation; but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life, that is, our present spiritual life will mature into a life of glory and in glory. Any good works in our life, that’s the result of the Holy Spirit’s work. As we see the blessed result of liv[ing] by the Spirit, [and] keep[ing] in step with the Spirit, let us then treasure the Holy Spirit and His work in us and on us and strive all the more to treasure His work in us and do all we can by word and sacrament to feed and encourage the new self/ the Christian in us and led by the Spirit lead a life of good works.
2. The Christian, led by the Spirit, is not satisfied with just this or that good work but wants to be rich in good works. Inspired by God’s love, mercy, generosity to us first, our lives as Christians are marked by untiring efforts of good works.
But who/ what is the object of our good works? Our neighbor! And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. This love of the neighbor is also part of what Christianity is all about.
Behind this love of and life rich in good works toward our neighbor is our life of freedom—freedom from serving self. As Christians, we recognize that all we are and have is because of God’s rich mercy and grace toward us sinners. We realize that we haven’t earned anything from God except His wrath and damnation. Although we still have our old sinful nature with us, and St. Paul has to warn us as he did the Corinthians: Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another, we as Christians, according to the new self/ the Christian in us deal humbly with others and put up with their sins and weaknesses. We recognize that they, like us, have weaknesses and must combat the wickedness of Satan and like us often fail and at times may out of weakness sin, even against us. But St. Paul writes in our text: Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens... We forgive the other because God has first forgiven us. Where’s our focus? Not on ourselves and the sin against us. Instead it is on the Lord and His forgiveness and love toward us first and that overflows and leads us to be loving and forgiving toward others. St. Gregory wrote: A godly Christian has sympathy with sinners, but a hypocrite condemns them.
Notice how freeing it is to focus on the Lord instead of being so self-absorbed and self-centered. It takes a lot of work to be petty and it makes life miserable for all involved. How joyous life is when the focus is on the Lord and His gifts and blessings to us. There we see and are fully aware and appreciative of all His love, mercy, and generosity toward us—and there we revel in them as we by faith receive them. Focused on the Lord and His graces and blessing we help, encourage and show charity with our neighbor’s temptations, moral faults and frailties. This is true freedom: If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Here is what our holy Christian faith is all about: faith toward God and love of our neighbor. INJ Amen