VICTORY THROUGH CHRIST
Rev. Mark F. Bartels
Some years ago, I was talking to a young teenage boy who was lamenting his life, as a Christian. He was explaining that he was troubled by some sin and he had tried time, after time, after time to overcome this sin, to give up this sin. It had been months, and yet still in weakness, he was falling into this particular sin. He was expressing how disappointed he was with himself, as a Christian. He was disappointed with his Christian life. And, he was even beginning to wonder if he had Christian faith.
Have you ever been disappointed with yourself, as a Christian? Are you disappointed with yourself, as a Christian? I am disappointed with myself, as a Christian. There are many things about myself that I long to be different. Let me give you some examples. I wish my prayer life were better than it is. I wish I prayed more. I wish my prayers were deeper. I wish I could concentrate longer on my prayers. I am disappointed in my prayer life.
I am disappointed in my use of the Word of God. I wish I studied the Word of God more than I do. I wish I could quote scripture more thoroughly and completely than I can. I wish I had a deeper longing to use the Word of God on a more regular basis. I am disappointed with my use of the Word of God, as a Christian.
I am disappointed with myself, when it comes to certain sins. There are sins I have been falling into for years, and years, and years. I wish that I could overcome them more thoroughly than I have. I am disappointed with myself, as a Christian.
That is what today's scripture reading is all about. It is about us, as Christians, and the disappointment we find, because we are not living the type of life that we long to live as God's people. Paul, himself, strong Christian that he was, expresses that very disappointment in himself when he says,
"For what I want to do, I do not do,
but what I hate, I do."
"The evil that I do not want to do - this I keep on doing."
"What a wretched man I am!"
So, on the basis of today's scripture reading, let's look at that disappointment that we find ourselves in, when we look at our own Christian life, and how we should view that disappointment.
Number one, our scripture reading teaches us this. It tells us why we find ourselves disappointed in ourselves, as Christians. As Christians, we have two natures. You have a New Man who lives in you by faith and wants to live for Christ. But, our scripture reading today recognizes that you and I, as Christians, still have a sinful nature. Our scripture reading today describes our sinful nature this way.
"I know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature."
There is nothing good, nothing good in my sinful nature. You and I, by nature, were born sinners. The Bible says,
"I was sinful from birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me."
Scripture says, "Flesh (that is, sinful nature) gives birth to flesh (to the sinful nature)." We inherited a sinful nature. Even as Christians, we still have that sinful nature. Scripture describes that sinful nature that is in us. Here is how scripture describes it. Number one, scripture describes our sinful nature in such a way that there are things that our sinful nature is desperately lacking.
Our sinful nature lacks a love of God.
It lacks a fear of God.
It lacks a trust in God.
It lacks a knowledge of God.
It is blind to the ways of God.
And so, scripture says,
"The sinful mind
does not accept the things of God,
nor can it do so."
Our sinful nature lacks the ability to know God. Our sinful nature lacks the ability to love God.
Our sinful nature is such that not only does it lack things, but there are also things it has that it shouldn't have. It has a lust and a desire to go against the things of God. The Bible describes our sinful nature this way:
"Every inclination of man's heart,
every inclination of man's heart,
is evil,
even from his youth."
From the day we are born, the inclination of our heart is to go in ways that God does not want us to go. Our heart has things that it ought not to have. What does Jesus say? "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, slander, murder, adultery, sexual immortality…" (and He goes on). Those all come out of the heart. Our sinful nature has things that it ought not to have. And because we have this sinful nature, there are many times, as God's people, that we find ourselves falling into sin. And, we find ourselves saying, as St. Paul said,
"For what I want to do, I do not do,
but what I hate, I do."
"The evil that I do not want to do - this I keep on doing."
"What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
As we look at the disappointment that we have in ourselves, ultimately, it is deeper that disappointment. We are troubled. God demands righteousness. God demands perfection. God is satisfied with nothing less than holiness and perfection. And here I look at myself as one of God's children, and I have to say, "The good that I want to do, I don't do. The evil that I don't want to do, I keep on doing. Oh wretched man that I am. Where will I find that holiness, that righteousness that God demands of me?"
This scripture reading then turns us away from ourselves. As God's people, we must understand that we cannot find that righteousness that God demands of us. We are not going to find it within ourselves. It is not there. You have a sinful nature. You are not holy in yourself. You are not perfect in yourself. But, the righteousness and the holiness that God demands must be found outside of ourselves. It must be found somewhere else. And that is why our scripture reading says,
"For what I want to do, I do not do,
but what I hate, I do."
"The evil that I do not want to do - this I keep on doing."
"What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
There is righteousness outside of ourselves that scripture drives us to, as sinners. Jesus says,
"Come onto Me,
all you who are weary and burdened
and I will give you rest."
You know, the devil can tamper with your holiness. He can hinder your holiness. He tempts your sinful nature and gets you to fall into all kinds of sin. But, there is righteousness and a holiness that the devil cannot tamper with, that he cannot hamper, or hinder, or play with. And that is the righteousness of Christ.
Christ's righteousness stands as an accomplished fact
that cannot be shaken.
It cannot be removed. It cannot be changed. And, it cannot be hindered by Satan. The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in every point, just like we are; yet He was without sin.
Jesus' holy life is an accomplished fact.
It stands. It is written. And, it cannot be changed. The devil cannot hinder that. He cannot harm that. He can't tamper with that.
Jesus paid for your sins on the cross.
That is an accomplished fact.
The Bible says Jesus said, "It is finished." And, no matter how the devil would like to undo what Jesus has done, he cannot undo it. He can't. Your sins have been paid for. They have been washed away in Christ. That is what scripture declares. And, the heart of God has been changed toward you. There has been a change that has taken place in God's heart. That change is that the Bible says,
"God was reconciling the world to Himself,
in Christ,
not counting men's sins against them."
Because of what Christ has done, God's heart has been reconciled to you and the devil cannot change that. He cannot undo that. That has happened.
God’s heart has been reconciled to you.
That is an accomplished fact.
God, in His heart, has justified you.
To be justified means that God, in His heart, in mercy and grace has declared you, for Christ's sake, for Christ's sake, to be not guilty. He has declared you to be holy. He has declared you to be righteous. That is a righteousness that is found outside yourself. It is the righteousness of Christ that God has declared to be yours.
"For what I want to do, I do not do,
but what I hate, I do."
"The evil that I do not want to do - this I keep on doing."
"What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
The only thing that Satan can hinder is whether you believe, or not. And today, Jesus calls out to you,
"Come onto me,
all you who are weary and burdened
and I will give you rest."
Faith turns outside of itself and it turns to Christ. Faith clings to that holiness that is Christ's. Faith finds its comfort in the promise of God that you are forgiven. You have been declared not guilty. God is not disappointed in you. God says to you, "I love you. I see you as holy. I see you as if you have never sinned. You are forgiven."
Doesn’t that cause your heart to soar? Doesn't that cause you to find nothing but comfort and peace in that Gospel message that Jesus has forgiven you? And though you may be disappointed with yourself, and God has every right to be disappointed with you, He is not. He is not disappointed. He loves you and He forgives you, in Christ. Doesn't that cause you to say, "I want to go forward today. I want to go home this week and I want to battle against that sinful nature, because I have the victory. The good I want to do, I don't do. The evil I don't want to do, I keep on doing. Who will deliver me?"
Christ has delivered you.
You are forgiven.
Now, go live for Him. Go live for Him. Let Christ sit on the throne of your heart, not your sinful nature. Go forward renewed and rejuvenated by that Gospel message, and strive to live according to the new nature.
We are not going to be perfect, but flee temptation. If there is something on TV tempting you, turn it off. If someone is gossiping to you, tell them that you don't want to talk about gossip. Flee temptation. Let Christ rule in your heart.
Use the Word of God as a weapon against Satan, when he tempts you. Learn your scripture so that you can wield that mighty sword that Jesus wielded when He was tempted. He said, "It is written..." and then He quoted scripture. Go home, today, dedicated to wield scripture as your sword against your own sinful nature.
Go home, today, with a desire to let Christ rule in your heart, not your sinful nature. Be careful with whom you associate. The Bible tells us, "Bad company corrupts good morals." Be with people, spend time with people who want to hold your hand and lead you in the way that the Lord would have you go, not with people who would lead you to follow your sinful nature.
Don’t think about things that will lead your sinful nature into pondering sin, but think about things that are holy, right, good, pure, loving, just, things in scripture, things that God would have you think of.
And pray. Jesus says, "Watch and pray, lest you fall into temptation." Pray that the Lord would give you strength to let Christ rule in your heart, as you daily battle against your sinful nature and grow stronger and stronger in your life of sanctification.
I want to close with this prayer. There are some wonderful prayers about living a Christian God-pleasing life. I don't know if any of you have the hymnbook, the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, put out by our church body, but in the front of that book, (or if you have old black hymnbook that we used to have here), there are prayers for every day of the week, morning, and evening. These are wonderful prayers because they do two things. They point us to Christ and the fact that He has justified us. We are forgiven. We are not guilty. Then, they point us to a desire to live for Christ, sanctified, God-pleasing lives. I am going to read the one for Monday morning.
"At the beginning of the week, I cry to you, O Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, that you would fill my heart and mind with your Holy Spirit, that I may think, speak, and do only that which pleases you. Unite my thoughts and desires with yourself in the love of Jesus Christ. Cleanse my conscious with His blood, that I may grow in You this entire week, yes all the days of my life. Strengthen me with Your might. Make me sincere in my love to You, and willing to serve You and my neighbor. Teach me to resist the temptation of my own corrupt heart and the enticements of evil men. Make the vanity of this world bitter to me, that you may become the more sweet. Teach me also to bear the burden of this week. Lead me as a loving Father, and help me to follow you as your child and obey you. Bless all of my labor. Guide me with Your wisdom that I may be cheerful and confident and also faithful in all of my work. Be the beginning and end of all my labor, to your glory and my salvation."
Amen.
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