Living up to your status...

<Greetings>

Nice to see all of you here this afternoon…

And thank you also for the invitation to share a short exhortation from the Lord this afternoon

This afternoon, I'm going to share from the lectionary reading for today

Which is <Let us read the word of God together>

Romans 6:1–11 NIV

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

before i continue, let me ask you a question...

who likes babies and toddlers? don’t you think they are cute?

they are right?

and you know after bathing the toddlers, sometimes they like to run around before we have the chance to put on their clothes, and they still look cute right?

it’s so unfair right? When you’re a toddler you can almost do anything and it’s ok… we still find them cute and lovable…

you know when I was part of the children’s ministry in my previous church, one of the most stress-less thing I did, was when you’re asked to get the toddlers to put up a show...

you don’t need to do much… you just need to play a song… the toddlers just walk around the stage, shake their backside a little bit and everybody would just clap and enjoy the show...

but can you imagine with me… what if a grown adult, see a toddler running around naked at home, see the reaction the toddler gets from all those around, thinks he can do the same and get the same reaction?

how disastrous it would?!

and that is what happened to the story about the Emperor’s New Clothes…

have you guys heard about it?

Well, the story is about two mischievous tailors who managed to convince an emperor that they would make him a set of new clothes that would be invisible to those who are stupid,

but it was actually a trick, because in reality didn’t make any clothes for the emperor...

they just wanted to get money from the emperor for doing nothing…

and you know what? they even convinced the emperor to parade around town naked...

and do you know what happened?

none of the emperor’s closest and most-trusted aids said anything…

they didn’t want to appear stupid… and allowed the emperor to continue parading himself naked...

nobody in the town said anything because they all didn’t want to be seen as being stupid...

and so, the emperor continued walking down the street naked until an innocent boy cried out “but he’s not wearing anything at all!”

this of course resulted in much embarrassment to the emperor and the crowd felt really awkward...

why is this so?

because a grown man should be clothed… it’s not right in our culture for a grown man to walk around naked....

especially so for an emperor...

And it is so strange that everybody had convinced themselves that they had problems with their eyes, and convinced themselves of what is wrong, until a little boy had the courage to speak the truth...

and the truth was this...

as a grown man, and more so, as an emperor, he cannot behave like a little boy anymore...

he had to act his age, he had to act his status…

what he did simply wasn’t right and certainly wasn’t fitting of someone his status...

he was behaving in a manner that is not congruent with his status...

he certainly wasn’t behaving like an emperor, but was behaving like an immature little boy...

and allowed the falsehood to continue propagating...

so how is this story related to our passage for the day?

well, the first thing from this passage today is that Paul was trying to convince that members of the Roman church that they should behave in ways that are befitting of their status...

Paul was telling them that they are not slaves anymore… they were once slaves… slaves to sin according to verse 6...

and because of that, they couldn’t decide for themselves...

they were forced to do things beyond their will...

and when they were slaves, it was understandable that they behave in a sinful manner, and in ways that are not honourable...

but they are no longer slaves… for because of what Christ done on the cross, the price for their freedom had been paid… their inclination to sin died on the cross...

they had been liberated from their old lives...

they are now (according to verse 5) united with him, with Christ, united so that their old sinful ways, died with Christ on the cross… so it wouldn’t bother them anymore...

because the penalty of sin has been satisfied…

their sinful nature has likewise died, and they are no longer forced to act in a sinful nature now…

and in a similar manner, as Christ had resurrected from the grave, they likewise are also united with Christ in the resurrection… and with the resurrection, they now have a new nature...

they are now freed people… no longer slaves…

they had now been liberated...

and this provides them with a choice...

they can act either in a way that is befitting of their status, as children of God...

as co-heirs with God...

or they can choose to continue to act in a sinful manner,

as if they are still slaves...

just like how the emperor had a choice to dress in fine clean clothes, something befitting to him as an emperor,

or he can choose to dress in a poor man’s clothes...

sisters...

you are all princesses in the kingdom of God...

all of you have been bought by God at a very high price...

you are all royalties...

and you should all adorn yourselves in fine behaviour that is befitting of your status as princesses in God’s Kingdom...

so that we are able to be used by God (as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:14-15) to “spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume [and allow our] lives [to be] a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God”

or as the Message Bible says so that “Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance.”

So not only are you princesses, you are like a beautiful flower, giving out a wonderful fragrance that can only come from you, because of Christ in you...

so no matter where you are, what you do and where you go,

never behave in a manner that is less than your status as a child of God, as a princess ok?

it doesn’t matter what the people around you say...

even if the people around you cheat, don’t… it’s not giving out a fragrance of Christ...

even if people around you steal things, don’t… it’s not befitting of your status as a princess...

even if people around you lie, don’t… it’s not congruent to your status as a liberated person… liberated to do the will of God… and be an ambassador of God wherever you are...

do not be like the crowd who obviously saw that the emperor was naked and out of fear of being silly, decided to conform and follow the crowd...

you deserve much better than that…

you are a child of the living God…and you are chosen to give out the fragrance of Christ in your life...

so make sure wherever you go, make sure you continue to give out the fragrance of God...

for that is your calling, your right, your obligation and your responsibility

as a daughter of God, purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ...

so live as a freed person, not someone bond to an old life.

Amen