"True Liberty!" Romans 6:1-11

The Sixth Sunday After Trinity                         7-July-2024
Sermon Text: Romans 6:1-11
Sermon Theme: True Liberty! I. Its Source! (Vs.1-4). II. Its Power! (Vs.5-7) III. Its Comfort! (Vs.8-11) by Rev. Nathan J.. Rusert

I.N.R.I. “Exo 20:1-2 And God spoke all these words, saying: (2) "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” A month and a half had passed since the blood of an innocent year old male lamb protected God’s children from the just judgment of the firstborn’s death. That night while Egyptians mourned death visiting each of their homes, the children of Israel feasted on the flesh of the lamb prepared to travel following Jesus. The feast of victory flowed from the Lamb of God Who alone takes away the sins of the world.
    Leaving their homes behind the Lord shepherded them through the wilderness. When it seemed the mightiest army in the world would slaughter them, the Lord opened a path for them through the Red Sea - Jesus used water to rescue them, and with the same water He drowned Pharaoh and his mighty army. Surely they would trust their Good Shepherd leading them by the hand of Moses. They break faith complaining of lack of water and food - rather asking their heavenly Father in fervent prayer. They long for the security of slavery, rather than the self-discipline liberty demands. They forget the forced labor, slavery’s chains, and cruel whips longing to shirk personal responsibility for their families and life.
    Now the Lord God brings them to Mount Sinai through Moses’ leadership. The people prepare to meet their God. He descends in a thick dark cloud with thundering, lightening, smoke, fire, and trumpets loudly sounding. The people in the camp trembled. Then the Lord God spoke His Word into the hearing of His gathered congregation. All two million heard and trembled at the Creator’s voice. He reveals Himself in His Word - He is the eternal unchangeable God - the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is their God - personally He knows them, has chosen them in Christ from before the foundation of the world - and He alone will care for them. He orders history for the sake of His promise in Christ. He brought them out of Egypt, out of slavery- it was His Work and gift that freed them. To know Him. Confess Him. Cling only to Him is True Liberty! Learn well of: True Liberty! I. Its Source! (Vs.1-4). II. Its Power! (Vs.5-7) III. Its Comfort! (Vs.8-11)
I. Exo 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me. The first commandment, but it comes after our Lord’s Good News of Who He is and what He has done and promises to continue to do for His children.
    Our founding fathers were students of the Holy Bible. They knew history and the only source of True Liberty. 248 years ago they declared on July 4th: When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
      We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” Human rights flow from our Creator, they are to be guarded by just governments, but they are never granted to us by civil governments. Our founding fathers wanted children educated to read the Holy Bible and to know the Ten Commandments for they were the foundation of the liberty God gifted to their new nation. Psa 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
    Sin enslaves. The children of Israel who trembled before the Creator’s voice, would forty days later build a golden calf to lead them back to Egyptian slavery. Their false god lead them into sexual depravity, 1Co 10:7 ..... As it is written, "THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY." Sin still enslaves! Ignoring the reality that we are sinners - doesn’t cancel that fact. If the oncologist tests show that you have cancer - you don’t make your cancer disappear by ignoring the facts. (Vs.1-2) Engaging in more sin that God’s grace for you in Christ may abound - is like smoking twenty more packs a day once lung cancer has been detected - it is life destroying.
    What sin? The Lord Jesus speaks His Law from the Mount - “You Shall Not Murder!” The Law of God does keep civil order in our fallen world, but it cuts right to the deepest recesses of our hearts. Know any murderers? Look into the mirror of God’s Law! Called anyone an idiot? Been angry at anyone? Holding grudges? Call anyone a “fool”? The Lawgiver says there is hell to pay! Your trying to do better, be kind, is never enough. You must throw your hands up in despair confessing that you are a “murderer” and have no right to “eternal life.” Be honest - confess your sin - return to your baptism.
    True liberty doesn’t flow from your good heart - it flows from the pierced perfect heart of Jesus sacrificed for you on Mount Calvary! (Vs.3-4) True Liberty flows from the only True and Living God - Christ Jesus. He fulfilled God’s Law perfectly as True Man - for us! He took all the punishment our sin deserved into His own innocent flesh working the forgiveness of sins FOR YOU. He drank the full cup of God’s just wrath for our rebellion. On the cross He declared it was paid for in full - finished - our debt fully met with His blood. Then He laid down His life into our death, resting in our grave. Three days later He physically rose from death - rescuing us from death and the devil - giving eternal salvation to all who cling to His Word and Promise - Mar 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
  Those who reject infant baptism reject Jesus of Nazareth’s cross and empty tomb. They pervert baptism into a work they do - a decision they make. Baptism is never man’s work - it is the exclusive work of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He puts His name on us in Christ Jesus for He chose us in Him from eternity - He decided for you before the foundation of the world. Baptism is the means by which God the Holy Spirit gospels you knitting you so intimately into Jesus’ flesh and blood that His death is your death. His resurrection is your life! The life of faith - trusting all is done for you in Jesus alone - never by your own thinking and doing. Baptism regenerates - makes the dead alive in Christ. Baptism now saves you!
 II. Fish live in water. Take them out of water and they die. Christians live in baptismal water flowing from the altar in their local congregation. Divorce a Christian from baptismal water by not being in the Holy Spirit’s Word daily and in the Savior’s real presence every Sunday - a Christian like a fish out of water will die again spiritually.
    Live in the power of True Liberty! (Vs.5-7) Satan, the world, and especially your fallen fleshly feelings and thinking - pervert liberty into a license to sin. Natural man mocks God’s Ten Commandments - while he enslaves himself in sin. Hear the Truth, “Joh 8:34-36 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. (35) And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. (36) Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Again the Holy Spirit teaches, 1Jn 3:4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” Ignoring the law of gravity doesn’t make physics disappear. Jumping off a cliff the law kicks in and you are injured or killed for foolishly ignoring Truth. Ignore God’s Law and it will kill you, your family, your community, and your nation.
  True Liberty flows from Jesus’ blood washing us forgiven - new again every morning by the Holy Spirit’s work within Christ’s Church. Baptism breaks the power of the grave. We fear death no longer - as an infant life claimed me at the font - He filled me with His resurrection life. Dying with Jesus, I rise daily to live with Him. Every evening I rehearse for the day of my death - speaking His life-giving baptismal words as I trace the sign of the cross upon my forehead and heart - confessing the Truth of reality - the Apostles’ Creed - praying with my Brother Jesus by His Spirit to our Heavenly Father. Then I go to sleep in peace. Every morning I rehearse the day of resurrection - when Jesus returning in glory will speak, “Arise” and easier than waking from slumber - I will rise with my body made new, incorruptible, immortal, glorious - forever liberated from sin and evil - never to die again. I speak His life sustaining baptismal words. Claim His cross as my own. Confess reality. Through Jesus beg our Heavenly Father to give me His Holy Spirit - that I might crucify the old man by contrition and repentance. Waging war against sin in my own members with Christ’s renewing blood. Dead to sin, I am freed by it. Daily I fall, but baptism never fails - its ongoing work by the Holy Spirit washes me forgiven and renews me in Christ’s blood - proclaiming me again to be the Father’s beloved prodigal son. Live in the power of baptismal water!
III. King Louis, the pious, of France proclaimed, “The three handfuls of water that were poured over my head in Holy Baptism are wroth more to me than the crown that I am wearing.” He understood the comfort of True Liberty. Hear the Holy Spirit’s comforting Word for you! (Vs.8-9) The funeral liturgy begins with our baptism. The funeral pall is a visual reminder that life not death has claimed our brother or sister in Christ’s whose body rests in the coffin before us. Life wins! If death has no dominion over our Head it has no power and rule over us for we are members of Christ’s body! Baptism is your perpetual Easter - echoing in your heart - “Alleluia! Christ is Risen!”
      Fear death no longer! You are baptized into Christ! We say, “Good night” to our dying Christian brothers and sister - never “good bye!” We shall see them , rejoice with them, feast with them forever in the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come!
    Your life is not your own - you were bought with the innocent flesh and holy blood of Jesus! True liberty frees you to glorify God in your body and your spirit for you are His own beloved children!(vs.10-11) Look only to Jesus! He lives to God FOR YOU! Baptismal liberty opens your lips to confess: Gal 2:19-21 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. (20) I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (21) I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." In Jesus my salvation is secure! Luther’s friend Jerome Weller was extremely depressed, he didn’t know what caused his sadness. Luther answered, “Don’t you know that you have been baptized?’ Weller confessed that he was comforted more by those words than an entire sermon! Know that you are baptized into Christ!
He is the Lord, YOUR God - the same yesterday, today, and forever! By His cross and resurrection He has brought you from death to life! Amen.