Trinity Sunday

Romans 8:12-17

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ro 8:12–17.

Sermon

This morning I’m going to tell you a story. I know you might not believe it, but you know I wouldn’t tell a fib from the pulpit. It might sound pretty unbelievable but every word is true. This past week I got a phone call from Marti. She said she and Dale had been given some tomato plants and she wondered if Kolaya and I might like them. I told her we did and this past Wednesday at Bible study she brought them to me. On Friday morning, Kolaya and I planted some of them. We put them in these raised beds we have and so it would only fit 6 of our tomato plants.

Now as I was preparing the soil and putting one of the plants in, I heard this high squeaky voice say, “Hey Troy. Careful now. You want good peaches don’t you?” And I looked around but no one was there. And I realized, and I know you won’t believe this but it was one of the tomato plants talking to me. And it said it again, “be careful, you want good peaches don’t you?” Now, what was I supposed to do? I mean this plant was talking to me so you know I had to talk back. I laughed and said, no. I don’t want peaches. I want tomatoes. You are a tomato plant and that’s what you’ll give me.

And the tomato plant looked back at me and said, “No. I’m going to give you the best peaches, ever.” And then there were some other voices and I realized, it wasn’t the whole plant talking to me, it was just one branch. The other parts of the plant were saying, we are still a tomato plant. You can’t make peaches. And the branch that wanted to make peaches said, “you can’t tell me what to do. I’ll make a peach if I want to make a peach.” And I finally said, “I appreciate your enthusiasm little branch. But the truth is that you are a part of a tomato plant and you will develop tomatoes just like the rest of the plant.” If you are a tomato plant, you make tomatoes. It’s just what you do. Everything in you is designed to make tomatoes. The vine you are attached to has given you all the characteristics you need, all the nutrients, all the vitamins, all the strength to create tomatoes.

This morning, I want to tell you about something that happened to you and to me. I don’t know exactly at what age it happened to you, but I know it happened to me when I was 7. Now, you’ve heard my story before. We went to a church in Colorado Springs where the sermon one Sunday was a hellfire and brimstone type message. And when I got home, scared, I knelt and asked Jesus to accept me into heaven. It was the first time I accepted Christ into my heart. Being raised in the church wasn’t enough. Growing up knowing songs and hearing Bible verses and going to Sunday School wasn’t enough. I had to make my own decision to accept Christ.

You have to make your own decision to accept Christ. No one can do it for you. No one can say you are saved because they want you to be, or because they really like you, or because they love you a whole lot. In order to be saved, you must ask Christ to enter your heart.

But when you accept Christ, something else happens as well. You become a recipient of the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit moves into your heart, He begins to make some changes. This is called “initial sanctification.” And as you grow in your spiritual life, you allow the Holy Spirit to have more and more of you. He begins to go through your desires, your impulses, your interests, your likes and dislikes. And He begins to harmonize those things with the things of God.

And as we allow Him to have His way in us, you know what happens? We bear spiritual fruit that truly reflects the vine to which we are attached. We bear fruit in keeping with who we have become, who God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit has made us. The Holy Spirit gives us exactly what we need to live for Him.

The branches on a tomato plant don’t complain about being tomatoes because they understand that’s who they are. The life they have flowing through them is what makes them tomatoes. If you remain in the vine, the life we live is a reflection of the character of Christ. “We have an obligation-but it is not to the flesh.”