Romans 7:1-13 "Death Opens New Relationship"

Because of Spring I chose to use pastels in the announcement slide theme this morning that matches with our yearly banners. But for those who are not here very often and may be tempted to think that religion is always soft and fluffy, Truth can also be brown and gritty as in the slide behind me.

I enjoy sweets like strawberry pie and I enjoy spicy salsa that caused sweat to bead on your forehead and your nose to run like our boys 4 x 100 relay.

In our social media 10-second world it is easy to draw conclusions that are only part of the story and I want you to know that there is a place at FHCC for both the dainty and the rugged. This is a church for the male and the female, the young and the old, the single and the married, the new discoverer and the seasoned follower. This morning we have sung songs written in the last decade and hymns from a previous century.

There is a time to be serious, and there is room for laughter.

I’ve shown a video before from the TV show Hee Haw that causes Roy to always be wrong with his evaluation of the story. This week I found a song based on the same premise

play https://youtu.be/se7c3L5vnws

“Good” and “bad” from our limited, human perspective can be rather arbitrary. Would you ever admit that a funeral was a good event? I can’t comment on your relationships, but in my family there are many aunts, uncles and cousins I would never see if it weren’t for funerals. There have been more occasions than I would like to admit when it required a funeral for me to make the effort to be with someone I care for. I am in NO WAY trying to impose my perspective upon your grief process—you need to grieve in your own way for as long as it takes! But when someone has suffered physically or emotionally for an extended time, death can be observed as a relief. While the sense of loss is usually hard to verbalize, ocassionally death provides respite for an exhausted, faithful, loving caregiver.

The sentiment “at least he/she is in a better place” rarely (almost never) brings any measure of comfort to someone suffering loss. but I must also admit that the word of God does say,

Psalm 116:15 ESV:2016

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

Even if the events of 2 days ago are called “Good Friday”, it can be like calling a visit to the Dentist’s office a good time. Even with a report of “no cavities” and that smooth feeling of freshly polished teeth, if your dental hygienist is as agressive as mine, I don’t care how colorful her smock or how supple the leather on the chair; it might be better than it could have been, but I don’t think I’ve ever called a dental visit—good.

From a purely human perspective, none of us have ever seen the other side of death and it is problematic to label sorrow or grief as “good”. But 1 Thess 4 sets up a contrast between those who mourn with out hope and those who mourn with hope. Jesus could weep at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, with hope that in a few minutes things would change drastically for Lazarus and all who loved him

TRANSITION: Since Jesus HAS been on both sides of the grave, His truth can enable us to view death differently; with new eyes.

Death delivers New Possibilities

Marriage (Ro 7:1-3)

Without getting into the whole “if a woman had more than one husband on earth, who is her husband in heaven?” discussion that Jesus handles in Matthew 22, Jesus says something along the lines of “relationships in the afterlife are different.” There is a reason that the traditional wedding vows mention “till death do you part.” Obligations change after a death has occurred! We discover new possibilities.

My wife’s mother never remarried after she was widowed. My mom has never been widowed so she is still with my father. But both my maternal grandmother and my paternal grandmother remarried after being widowed. And NOBODY even hinted at a questionable glance toward their morality. One grandmother was young, remarried rather quickly and raised the children of both husbands together. The other remained single for several years but finally found a good man who was a great companion in their later years.

Paul says in Ro 7:1-3 that it is totally appropriate for a widow to find a new partner after death. [Do NOT read this as permission to cause a funeral in order to get a new spouse! I don’t want to see your face or hear my name on the evening news!]

Spiritual Life (Ro 7:4-6)

Ro 7:4 begins with likewise so that curious minds want to know in what way might there be a similarity to a wholesome marriage after a husband dies and the interaction with sin and life in the Spirit

Last week we concluded with the last verse of Ro 6 and had to admit that all of us sin and because of sin death has to happen.

The miracle of the Christ event is that the impending and deserved death doesn’t have to happen to the sinner. The events of Palm Sunday to Easter in the first century happened at the time of the annual remembrance of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This Jewish historical event is why 8 days ago ABC broadcasted The Ten Commandments. The pinnacle of the 10 plagues was the death of the firstborn. Because of sin, death had to take place. But God’s mercy provided that a boy could continue in life IF something died in his place. If a perfect lamb was sacrificed and the blood was applied to the posts and lentil of the door, the death Angel would pass over that home. The boy would be permitted to live very much like my grandmothers were permitted to enjoy companionship after deep personal loss in death.

The glory of what we call Good News is that while every one of us has to deal with the consequence of sin, God’s mercy permits a substitute. Jesus Christ was born humbly, lived a sinless, loving and obedient life, then offered his death to pay for my sin, your sin, and the sin of any person through out history who will accept and trust that His death was for me. He died a death He did not owe so I could live a life I could never deserve.

The Scriptures record that Jesus did not stay in Joseph’s tomb. Early Sunday morning God accepted Jesus’ death as payment in full for sin and resurrected Him, restoring Him to life eternal. God sent an Angel to move the stone away from the mouth of the tomb so that Satan, the accuser of humanity, could see that sin’s price had been paid. Then some women and Jesus’ closest followers were permitted to look in and see that death was not the end for Jesus...and death is not the end for any who repents and believes in Him.

After Hugh Collins died Thay Rowland offered Edna a new life with him if she would accept it. After George Thomas died Chuck Kincaid offered Elva a new life with him if she would accept it.

6. The truth that Jesus died for sin and rose again after conquering death means that He now has the authority to offer you a new life. If we allow Him to die for us, His resurrection gives life to us!

John 1:12 ESV:2016

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

7. the receiving and believing is an act of faith whereby I receive His life when I believe his death pays the penalty for my sin. The result is new participation, new relationship in God’s family.

TRANSITION: Paul doesn’t end the chapter at Ro 7:6. He goes on to explain more about how sinful we are and how much we need Jesus’ death and new life.

Commands prompt New Labels (Ro 7:7-12)

It was way back in 1869 in Switzerland when Friedrich Miescher isolated a substance he called nucleic acid. it would not be until 90 years later that James Watson and Francis Crick would discover the double-helix structure of that substance at Cambridge University. And it wouldn’t be until April 14, 2003 in the United States when the Human Genome Project would declare Human DNA was fully identified, mapped, and sequenced.

20 years ago was not the beginning of DNA, it was just the time when all its parts were given a name.

Ro 7:7 tells us that particular sins were labeled that had already existed. Today’s example clearly suggests that coveting was a problem before it was called coveting

Nobody likes to be called a sinner.

Nobody likes to admit that they are a sinner.

If you’ve been alive more than 2 days, you must admit that some things have come into your live that haven’t always been pleasant. As a baby you simply did what every baby does and you required a loving adult to wipe and wash away those things that were unpleasant. Likewise, in the normal course of life some thoughts, attitudes and actions have come into your life that need to be wiped or washed away.

Some of the thing you have held onto thinking that you might need them some day. We hold on to selfish goals. We hold onto bitterness from being mistreated by others. We store (without apologizing) selfish things we have done toward God and others. Our life gets filled with clutter.

I know that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but hoarding “treasures” can rob me of the life God intends.

Have any of you seen the Television program Hoarders? The professionals try to bring order out of a chaotic world by separating into 3 categories: Keep, sell & discard. Then the sale permits new organizational systems to replace the clutter. In the program it doesn’t take long until some item is determined to be clutter or trash that was previously considered a “treasure”

5. Ro 7:7-12 describe that time when God gave Moses a labelmaker. Suddenly many of the attitudes and behaviors that had become part of the collection that people were dragging around, in Exodus and Leviticus that baggage is identified as sin: that which does not reflect God’s perfect plan for humanity.

6. Just as a hoarder reacts when his/her stuff is labeled clutter, each of us has a visceral reaction when our emotional and behavioral baggage is labeled sin.

7. Paul claims that the law is good because it labels the clutter so that it can be removed.

Clean out the Clutter

I have a friend who is a master with wood and stone. Many of you know him as well. Since I didn’t ask permission I won’t use his name, but since he posted public photos on Social Media I feel liberty to share them with you. Within the last year he reworked his business model and determined to take his career in a new direction. This new direction meant that some reorganization was necessary for his creativity to flourish. The first thing I told my friend after seeing this picture is that he needs some labels to keep clutter from happening again (since he has 2 sons and a son-in-law who might borrow tools).

Similarly, just as a spouse needs to diminish allegiance to a former spouse to make room for a healthy future with a new partner; Just as clutter needs to be cleaned out so that a fresh creativity and productivity can emerge; For our joyful new life in the Spirit to have its fullest expression, we’ve got to die to our old sin. Easter morning would not have been near as glorious if Friday’s death and burial had not happened.

Death to Sin generates New Awareness (Ro 7:13)

Two priests are standing by the side of the road holding up a sign that reads, “The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it’s too late!” They plan to hold up the sign to each passing car.

“Leave us alone, you religious nuts!” yells the first driver as he speeds by. From around the curve the priests hear screeching tires and a big splash.

“Do you think,” one priest says to other, “it would be better to shorten the sign to ‘Bridge Out’ instead?”

I hope you will take my message today as a helpful challenge toward a better future, not just the rantings of an out-of-touch preacher

TRANSITION: Paul has spoken of a woman with a dead husband and a new husband. He has spoken about New life replacing old behaviors defined by rules. He wraps up his thoughts by separating 2 lifestyles into 2 outcomes and calling each of us to make a choice.

The ugliness of sin

Have you seen those expose’s where a person it taken into what appears to be a comfortable hotel room. Then the lights are turned off, and a blacklight is turned on that reveals all the sweat and secretions in the room?

Most of us would check out of that hotel and demand an immediate refund (plus a bonus for pain and suffering).

Ro 7:13 reveals sin to be sin, sin to be beyond measure, and sin to cause death.

There is no “little” or “white” to the lies we tell. The penalty that Jesus was required to pay labels our sin as sin and it is far more than a “poor choice” or a “youthful indiscretion” or “boys will be boys” or “I’m only human”

Just as a blacklight reveals how repulsive a “clean” motel room is, The Holy Spirit’s conviction reveals how ugly my sin is.

The beauty of the Cross and Resurrection

Paul clearly intends to contrast the ugliness of my sin with the holiness, righteousness and goodness of Christ in Ro 7:12.

a Hymn that we often play during our communion reflection (by the way, we will be observing communion next Sunday so I invite you to return and start a new habit) contains these lyrics penned on a Good Friday by Isaac Watts over 320 years ago

The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts Hymn 7: Crucifixion to the World by the Cross of Christ

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

See from his head, his hands, his feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down!

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown!

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Conclusion

The great love of Calvary and the Power of Easter demand a response. It doesn’t just demand church attendance on Easter, or even weekly. It doesn’t demand a contribution in the offering. It demands my soul, my life, my all.

Light for my Path

Kick the corpse out of your life!

Lamps for my Steps

When tempted to fall into old temptation, ask yourself, “How would I feel if cheated upon”?

When tempted… recite “I’m in love with a new partner”!

When facing a particular temptation, choose a substitute activity that cultivates your affection for the Lord/other people.

I placed a poster on top of my TV with a Bible Verse - Ps 101:3

if a problem with language, commit to learn a new word and use it 3 times in conversation so you will think about what comes out of your mouth.

if a problem with being critical of a person, determine to tell someone something complimentary about that person.

if a problem with taking something not yours, choose to give away something that is yours.