Grace Lutheran Church

Sermon Proper 6a June 15, 2008 “Critical Care”

+ In Nomine Jesu +
The Rev. Evan Gaertner
Proper 6A
Romans 5:6-15
“Critical Care”
June 15, 2008

Recently on a radio show a guy called in very frustrated with Christianity. He said, “Why can Christians say this evil guy I know down my street suddenly be okay with God when this guy says he believes in Jesus, while over in India there can be this other guy that does not believe in Jesus but doing all these good things not be okay and be going to hell.”

The question of heaven and hell and who we are and how we view others are tough questions for Christians to get into with other people. These are tough questions because most of us do not want to act out of envy or pride when sharing our Christian faith with someone else. Because of the fear of appearing holy-than-thou, too prideful with our faith, we may find ourselves being silent at a critical moment.

It is a critical, essential opportunity when the Holy Spirit gives a person the opportunity to share her Christian faith with another person. Instead of being silent I do want to share my spirit filled confidence that by my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior I am saved. I want to be able to share the transformative power that the forgiveness of sins and the love of Jesus brings to how I view myself and how I view others. I want to be able to share my joy in knowing that I am never alone but always in the protective, sheltering care of my Lord.

In a hospital I would expect a doctor or a nurse in a critical care unit to speak up and act confident that the care they provide is essential. A critical care unit, is essential, time sensitive care that a medical staff provides to a person that is facing life-threatening illness or injury. A hospital might not always be able to put a name to what ails us, but they do know the need to act and care for a person who is in danger.

Not everyone knows all the Ten Commandments but nevertheless the wages of sin is death. We may not know the name for why people are living without hope and confidence and purpose, but we know that people are in danger and need.

If I am driving my car and I go through an intersection when the light is red, I cannot say to the police officer that pulls me over, “I didn’t know that you couldn’t go through a red light.” Whether I know about red lights or not, I still will get a ticket.

Erika Tuescher told in Bible study this Wednesday a story of her sister in confirmation. The pastor asked her sister a question about one of the commandments. This girl looked up at the pastor and said, “It’s not in my book.” The pastor looks down and indeed it is not in this girl’s book because she had torn out that page from her bible.

We live in a time when people are writing their own philosophies of life and attempting to live by their personally created standards. But consider this problem> I am asked to measure a room in preparation for having carpet installed. I look at the measuring stick that has been provided and decide that I would rather make my own measuring stick instead. I get out a piece of wood, look it over, and put some hash marks on it for measuring. I then use my measuring stick and come up with the dimensions of the room. I hand those numbers over to the carpet store, he comes to install the carpet and surprise, the carpet he brings is the wrong size.

St. Paul wrote, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”

Death is a result of sin. Death is not a natural part of the way that God created the world but as a result of sin, death spread to all people.

When you consider the importance and truth of the message of salvation in Jesus Christ, consider the truth of the problem. The problem is we all face the penalty of death. Science will never be able to completely take away the reality of death.

The critical, life-threatening reality is that sin is real and we cannot escape it through our own efforts. Death reigned from Adam to Moses even though it was not until the time of Moses that the commandments were given on Mount Sinai. Sin is sin, no matter what book you have read or how you measure a life. Even if you are measuring your life in submission to God’s commands, unfortunately because of sin, our disobedience to the will of God, we still will face the penalty of death. Knowledge of God does not bring us salvation. I cannot walk across the Niagara River just because I know what is on the other side. I need a bridge to be built.

The critical need is reconciliation with God. Death has entered the world because of sin. Because of sin and death the reconciliation cannot come from our end. Reconciliation with God brings life and peace and joy and confidence in the end of the story.

St. Paul encourages us to look to God for this reconciliation. From the very one that we have sinned against we find hope promised and delivered. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ dies for us. Since therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we saved by him from the wrath of God.”

Death came into the world through the sin of one man, Adam. Even if you find yourself to be a pretty good person we are all still experiencing the reality that we live in a sinful world. No one is able to break through the barrier that sin brings between us and God but God alone. He breaks that barrier. Even while were still enemies, God bridged that gap between us with the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The opportunity that a Christian has to share his faith with another person is critical. It is a critical event when a Lutheran Christian shares his or her faith with another person because the critical need for reconciliation is being answered with the great good news of Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ is essential and time sensitive. When is the right time to believe in Jesus as your savior from Sin and deliverer from death? What time is it right now? Now is the time to believe that God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

And all God’s people said, “Amen.”

Soli Deo Gloria