Pentecost 7
Jesu Juva
“The Freedom of the Gospel”
Text: Matthew 11:25-30; Romans 7:15-25a
Grace, mercy, and peace to
you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Tomorrow is Independence Day, the day when, 229
years ago, a document was signed, proclaiming our country’s independence from
the rule of the King of England, and the burdens and taxes he had placed upon
the people of this country. But when the Declaration of Independence was
signed, that did not mean the end of the struggle for this country – it was, in
fact, just the beginning. The
Revolutionary War, begun at
The last two Sundays we have been considering the
opposition and struggle we will face as Christians in this life, walking
against the crowd and the ways of this world.
It is not easy. Satan, who ruled
us with his tyranny and burden, would not surrender, but he was defeated
through the death and resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ. The Son of God become man won the victory
over sin, death, and the devil for us, and so from these foes we are free! But that freedom doesn’t mean that our life
is now easy and carefree. Once we are
made Christians and adopted into the family of Christ, things do not
automatically get better. No – just like
with our country, the victory means that a great new struggle begins. The struggle to learn what is means to be
free in Christ. The
struggle to learn what it means to be a Christian.
And this is what
And now . . . what? Or to ask a good Lutheran question: what does this mean? What does this freedom mean for you and
me? What does this new identity
mean? And Paul writes very plainly – it
means struggle. And so we heard: For I
do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I
hate. . . . I have the desire to do what is right, but
not the ability to carry it out. For I
do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. That is a struggle that we are all familiar
with! The struggle to do the good we
know we should do, and not do the evil we know we should not do! But how often do we lose that struggle? And it’s not because we don’t know. By and large, we do not sin in ignorance; and
even if we did at one time, as
Christians, learning the Word of God, studying the Catechism, and growing in
the Word, we learn more and more of God’s will for us, and what is pleasing to
Him, and how we should live. And yet,
like Paul, we do not do it. We want to,
yes! We have the desire, but not the
ability. The spirit is willing, but the
flesh is weak. We give in to the easy,
to the convenient, to the pleasure. If
it’s something we don’t want to do, someone
else will do it; and if it’s something we do want to do, God will understand. Besides, I know I’ll be forgiven!
Those words sound awful, don’t they? They somehow don’t seem so bad when they
remain in the thoughts of our minds and the desires of our hearts, but actually
saying them out loud – what kind of Christians are we anyway? Is this how we use our freedom? Is this what it means to be a Christian? Certainly not! And so you know how
Now to that question there are two answers. The first is the one we usually turn to right
away, and that is that we turn to ourselves.
Who will deliver me from this body
of death? I will! And so we get more
determined. OK, I have abused my
Christian freedom, but from now on . . .
! And we resolve to do better, and
to clean up our thoughts, and not be so lazy, and desire only what is good, and
help my neighbor more, and stop gossiping, and be content with what God has
given me – and while all that is not bad, it’s also not the answer. For soon enough, we find out again what we
knew already: we have the desire, but not the ability. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is
weak. And while maybe we feel a little
better about ourselves for a bit, we inevitably wind up right back where we
started: as wretched men and women. And
so relying on ourselves is exactly what Satan wants us to do – to put ourselves
back under the Law, back under the tremendous burdens that you cannot
fulfill. It’s like trying to walk up a
down escalator. You can keep trying
harder, but you just wind up wearing yourself out.
And when you get to that point, you get to the point
where Paul was – and to the second answer; the answer that he wrote: Wretched
man that I am! Who will deliver me from
this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! And that, my friends, is what it means to be
free. That it what it
means to be a Christian. It is to
know and believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection didn’t just win the battle
for me in the past – when Jesus died on the cross, when He rose from the
dead, and when I was baptized – but that He is winning the battle for me
each and every day of my life! It is to
know and believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection didn’t just set me on the
right path and now say, OK kiddo, the
rest is up to you! – but that He is winning the
victory for me each and every day of my life!
It is to know and believe that I am a Christian not by my own reason or strength, but by His faith and
strength; and that I am free not because
I am now independent, but because I am dependent on my Saviour for
everything. He has delivered me
from this body and death, and He still continues to do so. Each and everyday, as I die
and rise with Him. As I die to
self and rise and live in Him. As I
confess and repent my sins and all that I am, and receive from Him His
forgiveness, life, and salvation. And so
not just once, but each day, each hour, each moment, He sets me free. Each day, by His grace alone, He makes me a
Christian, all over again.
And this is what Jesus also was speaking of in the
Holy Gospel that we heard earlier, when He said: Come to me, all who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I
am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy,
and my burden is light.
All who labor and are heavy laden. That’s
us. Laboring. Relying on ourselves, trying answer #1 and
trying to do it ourselves, trying to make ourselves better, trying to be that
perfect Christian that God wants us to be, trying to get to the top of that
down escalator and just wearing ourselves out.
And heavy laden. Burdened. Under the burden of trying to please the
world; of doing what they say we
should be doing, and living how they
say we should be living; to live up to expectations
and trying to be someone we’re not. And
you add it all up – and you see people being crushed every day. People here being
crushed. You
and me, being crushed. Crushed by the burden and demands of the Law. Crushed by the burdens and
expectations of the world.
Crushed by the “power-of-positive-thinking,
self-help, you-can-do-it, your-best-life-now, if it’s going to be it’s up to me”
lies and deceptions of Satan.
But then Jesus speaks of another yoke. One that is easy and light. It is the yoke not of the Law and what we
must do, but the yoke of the Gospel, which steers us to Christ and what He
has done for us. The yoke that steers us to repentance and confession; the yoke that
steers us to His Word of grace; the yoke that steers us to the Altar where we
receive His body and blood. . .
. And you know, at first, that yoke may
seem heavy, because it’s tough confessing your sins. It’s hard admitting you’re a failure, and
that you cannot do the good that you want to do. And that’s especially hard for pastors,
who think they of all people should
be able to do these things! And it’s hard because it’s humbling. Saying those sins out loud that are much more comfortable in
my heart, where no one else knows about them!
Falling on my knees and admitting I’m a failure, when it’s much more comfortable
letting everyone think I’ve got it together and doing pretty well on my
own.
But when you’re tired from the laboring, and crushed
from the burden, and hungry and thirsty for the righteousness and life you
cannot achieve, you find that our Lord’s yoke is not heavy at all, but that our
Lord’s Words are true. He
gives rest. For
He is the One who labored for you,
on the cross. He is the One who
took your burden of sin off of you and placed it upon Himself. He is the One who let Himself
be put in bonds – the bonds of sin and death – so that you could be set
free. For His forgiveness lifts your
burdens and sets you free. Free from the
expectations. Free from the tyranny of
the Law. Free from having to be a
success. Free from having to be someone
you’re not. Free, because when the Son sets you
free, you are free indeed. (John
8:36) And you have rest for your soul.
And this is what it means to live as a
Christian. It is to live in the freedom
of the Gospel of forgiveness. To know
and believe that you don’t have to do it, but that Christ has done it for you –
and therefore you have rest for your soul.
That is why Luther wrote in the very first of his 95 theses that when our Lord Jesus Christ said repent, He willed that the entire life of the Christian be
one of repentance. Because that is
the yoke of the Lord that gives us rest, for that is the yoke that leads us to
Him, and the freedom that is found only in Him and His forgiveness. Take that yoke upon you, and you will find
the rest you have been seeking.
But I must tell you one more thing – a friendly
warning, if you will, which you would find out soon enough, if you don’t know
it already – that when your soul is at rest, that doesn’t mean you aren’t doing
anything! In fact, it means the very
opposite! For when your soul is at rest,
your body now becomes very alive and active – not in sin and not in trying to get
yourself better. For when your soul is
at rest, you forget about yourself. For
you have confidence and peace – the peace of forgiveness and knowing that
Jesus’ perfection is now your perfection.
No, now your body becomes very alive and active in serving others – not
because you have to, but because you can.
Not serving them for yourself, but truly
serving them. You will not be
able to help yourself. It is like waking
up in the morning after a good night’s rest – but since you have already been
given everything in your Saviour Jesus Christ and need nothing, what you do you
now do for others. And then you know, in
a small way, the joy that Christ had in serving you,
and laying down His life for you. He
wants you to have that same joy, and so He has set you free and given you rest,
that you might know what it means to be a Christian. A little Christ. A child of God.
In the Name of the Father,
and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.