“Beautiful Gate”

June 22, 2008   Ken Oren

Romans 6:1b-11NRSV

 

Romans 6:1b-11NRSV
¹ . . . Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?

²By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? ³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷For whoever has died is freed from sin. ⁸But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

⁹We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

 

 

I. Friday at about 4:00 pm, We loaded Rebecca, Kalynn, Breanna, Jordan, and Breanna’s father, George for a trip to Woodland Altars.  On the trip, George described his childhood pastor, and I received a taste of his church experience.  He suggested I show more passion.

 

A. That is also what my therapy group says.  It is a tough change for me.  I’m used to being quiet.  I don’t know how many times George said, “We need to get you out of your shell.”

 

I. Jesus stands at the door and beckons us to new life.

A. Why should we change?  Will the new life be better than this one?  There doesn’t seem to be a lot of good examples of change to the better. 

B. Can we trust Jesus?

 

I. The Bible teaches that before Jesus we were trapped in sin with no way out.  Belief in Jesus, in his death and resurrection, can lead us out of the trap.  Now the door is open - will we step out?  Or stay in?

 

A. Like an animal in a cage there is a certain amount of comfort in our old surroundings.  Even though there is a new adventure out there, it is easier to stay as we are - living in sin.

 

A. In the cage we may have comfort in our guilt or resentment.  Outside of the cage we can live in forgiveness - but it means we have to learn to forgive.

 

A. In the cage we may think our meager surroundings belong to us, and not trust anything outside.  Outside the cage we are called to share - have an attitude of gratitude, an open heart, and be trusting of God.  But we have to learn to give.

 

A. In the cage we have a protected place.  We put up walls to keep from being hurt.  We live unto ourselves.  Outside the cage we can live in freedom and joy, accepting all people, and being accepted by God.  But we must learn to love.

 

A. We each have our own cage.  Sometime around the time when you enter your teen years, you become more and more anxious to break free, but as you get older, it becomes more and more difficult to think “outside of the box.”

 

A. Stepping out of the cage requires courage and strength, and a desire for new life.

 

I. I used to watch Star Trek.  This picture comes from an episode with a Space Portal.

A. The Star trek science fiction writers used their imaginations to show new ways of thinking.  According to sci-fi theory, there are portals which allow passages to new worlds.  The portals are at a specific time and place in the universe and allow a traveler to go to another time and/or place in the universe.  Space travelers search for portals so they can enter a new world.  The courageous explorers look for new times and places, to go where no one has gone before.

 

A. Like in any change, if the new place is vastly different - it is hard to stay there.  But once you get used to the change, you don’t want to go back.

 

A. Of course no one has ever seen a portal, but it is an intriguing theory.  Now that the theory has been proposed, many writers have stepped into it, to bring creative ideas to the process.

 

I. It takes courage to step into a new process. Several years ago, I got a new word processor.  It was difficult to get used to.  It had a strange use of keys - but now I am used to it, and I don’t like anything else.  I would not like to lose my new word processing life.

 

A.  It is hard to get used to new things, it requires more thinking, more gumption, more life - but the process also may bring more life.

 

I. Our scripture says,  ⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.

 

A. Our old self refers to our old habits, appetites, priorities, and selfish nature.  These things are tough to change, but they are not as tough as we allow them to be.  With Christ’s help, we can break free.

 

I. The people of Thailand break wild elephants to domestic use by chaining them to banyan trees. The pain the elephants experience by pulling against the restraint gradually breaks their will to resist. When an elephant finally refuses to lift its massive leg in an effort to free itself, the workers release it from the tree and secure it to a circus stake. The beast could pull the stake from the ground like a toothpick, but it remembers the pain and isn’t smart enough to realize that circumstances have changed.

Although Christians are freed from sin’s power, we sometimes act as if we are still imprisoned by it.  We have lost our will.  We think we cannot escape. But we are not elephants; we should be intelligent enough to feel the freedom Christ brings. He can give us new courage to go free!

Hurley, V. (2000, c1995). Speaker's sourcebook of new illustrations (electronic ed.) (95). Dallas: Word Publishers.

 

I. We reckon ourselves dead to sin when we respond to temptation as a dead man would.  If you were dead, you would not care about temptation.

 

A. Augustine was a philosopher and theologian who lived 350 years after Christ.  He was a spiritual leader with a tarnished past.  He was a womanizer who had  for years avoided the church and the prayers of his mother.  But he finally left his past for a new life in Christ

 

A. One day, after his conversion, Augustine was addressed by a woman who had been his mistress before his conversion. When he turned and walked away quickly, she called after him, “Augustine, it’s me! It’s me!” Quickening his pace, he called back over his shoulder, “Yes, I know, but it’s no longer me!”    [C. E. Macartney, Macartney’s Illustrations, pp. 378, 379.] 

 

A. What he meant was that he was dead to sin and alive to God. A dead man has nothing to do with immorality, lying, cheating, gossiping, or any other sin. 

 

A. [A friend gave me a book entitled, “One month to live.”  It is a study guide written on the premise that if you knew you were only going to live thirty days, you would probably rethink your priorities.  It reemphasizes what you already know.]

 

A. Now we are alive to God in Christ Jesus. This means that we are called to holiness, worship, prayer, service, and fruit bearing.

MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments (Ro 6:3). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

 

A. We are called to live free of sin!

 

          It takes work to change our habits - but the reward is new life.

 

I. Acts 3:1-10NRSV
¹One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. ²And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. ³When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. ⁴Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” ⁵And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” ⁷And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

 

A. The man whom was healed must decide between living a new life or going back to his old ways.  He is now empowered to do whatever he wants.  But there will be a tendency to stay at the temple begging.  That is what he knows, that is how he has been comfortable.   If he stays, the healing was in vain.  His healing is a beautiful gate to new life that he must decide to pass through.

 

A. Paul and Adam are passing through a gate - graduation - they could remain as they were - or graduate to new levels of education and activity.  Their new lives will require new levels of faith activity too.  There will be many false ideas from fellow students who did not grow up in church, there will be temptations to sleep in and miss class, and to move away from family connections,  and to forget God. 

 

A. Graduation can lead to a wonderful new life.  It can also lead to heart break or stagnation.  Don’t let the healing - growth opportunities pass you in vain.  Embrace and welcome the new life - and invite your family and friends to embrace it with you.

 

A. Jenna and Shane have also passed through a gate.  They have entered into marriage.  They must decide what their life together can mean.  It can be difficult, or it can be a blessing.  A lot has to do with how they incorporate the healing love of God.

 

I. Our front door

A. What does this gate offer?  Another organization or club?  Or is this a beautiful gate for people to enter and change their lives?

 

I. It is a beautiful gate that brings new life.  Christ is a beautiful gate.

 

I. We all are facing a gate beyond this life.  All that happens now is leading to that gate.  The faith and courage we develop now prepare us to be there.  Do not think of it as a final resting place where we can veg out like a couch potato.  It will be an entirely new life - full of mystery and adventure.

 

A. And the mystery and adventure start right here, when we boldly walk thru the gate with Jesus.