Romans 5:6-11 "He Has Earned the Title of Savior"

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - A Our Redeemer Lutheran Church 6-15-08

Pastor Troy Slater

Verse 8 from our Epistle text for this evening from Romans, chapter 5. "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." .. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

I was listening to the radio the other day and caught the story about the presentation of a Medal of Honor by President Bush to a 19-year old Army soldier, Ross McGinnis. Private McGinnis was presented the Medal of Honor for saving the lives of four of his comrades in Iraq by jumping onto a grenade tossed into their military vehicle. Private McGinnis of course died when he did this but his father said that knowing his son, he probably quickly calculated in his head that four was greater than one and so acted to give his one life for the lives of his four fellow soldiers. Now I know that the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces are trained to put their lives on the line for others, but still, that is an extremely honorable and self-denying action for there is that part of each of us that wants to live.

Although of course you also hear of other examples of people giving up their lives or at least putting their lives on the line for others. Our police and firemen are often good examples as also are parents. I heard a story of a woman found beneath the rubble caused by the massive earthquake last month in China. The woman had died but the position they found her in was crouched over her small child as if trying to shield the child from the falling debris. And of course with the recent tornadoes - and certainly keep all those affected by them in your prayers, including friends and family members of some of us here - but certainly in such a situation - that is with a tornado bearing down on their home - I think most parents or grandparents would do all they could to shelter their children or grandchildren from danger even if that meant using their own body as protection. After all, parental love is a sacrificial love.

Now I got thinking of these stories and types of situations the other day as I read our assigned epistle text for today from Romans, chapter 5. "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Dying in someone's place will get you the Medal of Honor if you are in the army; it will earn you the title of hero if you are in the police force or a fire-fighter; you will be remembered as a devoted parent who sacrificed all if you do it for your child. Giving His life for you and for me - that we might have eternal life - that's what Jesus has done, and it has earned him the title of Savior. ….

Of course there are a lot of differences between Jesus and any among us who might give their life for another. And for starts we might save a life, but it's only for a time, right? That is, the one we might give our life for - well, they will still, eventually, one way or the other face death, right? Certainly not to minimize the highly honorable sacrifice Private McGinnis made or any others - they have earned our thanks and honor. But those four men he saved will still die, someday. Those saved by policemen and firefighters will also still face death because of their sin. The best efforts of that mother in the earthquake, though again honorable and sacrificial, still failed to save her child's life.

But Jesus saves forever. And that is of course because Jesus takes care of the heart of the problem - that problem called sin. You see when you're saved by Jesus - and you are as the waters of Baptism, as His Word of Absolution, as His Holy Supper declares - when you're saved by Jesus you can know that it's forever. Because Jesus removes sin. Jesus saves forever. As we will sing during the distribution of our Lord's Supper, "when we've been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we'd first begun." That's forever. Jesus saves forever. …

But there is another difference I would like to mention between Jesus and anyone else who might give his life for another. And this is probably the key here - in fact it's why we call what Jesus has done for us "amazing grace." You see, Christ did not die for good people. .. That's right Christ did not die for good people. No rather it's like Jesus said in last week's Gospel lesson, "It's not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. He came not to call the righteous, but sinners." Jesus came for sinners.

Think of it this way. There is a 48-year old man sitting in Oklahoma right now who is scheduled to be executed this Tuesday for starting a fire that killed another man. Any of you want to call up the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and say you will die in his place? I don't think so. That would be ridiculous, right? We might say that would be amazing on your part, "amazing grace" even on your part. … But you see that's basically what Jesus did. For we - all humanity - were on death row for our sin against our holy and just Creator. Scripture, God's Word says that "we have all fallen short of the glory of God"; we all by nature, deserve God's temporal and eternal punishment. Don't think that's true? Then you don't need Jesus - you might as well go home right now. Although I would encourage you first to truly examine your life or take a trip down to the cemetery. For truth is humanity - of which we are each a part of - has basically spit in God's face - prostituted ourselves with false gods is how more than one Old Testament prophet puts it. We worship him on Sunday but then deny him again and again and again on Monday as we look for those greener pastures. Powerless to death, trapped in our own sin. Nothing about us that would cause the only-begotten Son of God to even want to lift a finger to save us. Powerless, ungodly, sinners, enemies of God even are the words used in our Epistle text to describe us by nature, on our own, apart from Christ. But again, such a people is precisely who Jesus died for. Jesus did not die for good people.

It's not that you try your best, lead a morally upright life - at least according to the world's standards - and then God will reward you with His love and grace. No. Rather it's that "God showed His love to us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." … Christ Jesus left His throne in heaven where He was the object of worship of angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. He left His throne, was born of a lowly virgin in a lowly, dusty old town. He lived among us, became one of us, that He might die for us. He knew, all along, that it wasn't just a possibility that He would suffer and die, He knew it would be reality. He knew there was a cross in Jerusalem with His name on it. But yet he was willing to suffer the pain, He was willing to go to the cross, take the death sentence for sinners, for the ungodly, for His enemies even as our reading states. "Father forgive them for they know not what they do. They are so lost in their sin and rebellion," Jesus is saying, "that they don't know, don't even care what they are doing. Forgive them. Father for my sake, forgive them." Jesus of course spoke those words regarding the soldiers and Pharisees who were crucifying Him. But He also splke those words for us - for you and for me. "Father forgive them, for my sake, for the sake of the blood that I shed, forgive them." ... Amazing grace. … "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." … Yes He has earned the title of Savior. …

And now, as Paul continues in our reading, now, "since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! And if, even when we were God's enemies we were reconciled to him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled shall we be saved through His life!" In other words Jesus has died for us, Jesus is risen, Jesus lives for us, and so there is nothing to fear!

It's basically like I've said before, "you think God has done all of this for you - Jesus giving his life for you on the cross - only to abandon you now? O you of little faith." With Christ crucified and risen FOR YOU SINNER - and now in Christ - YOU SAINT - there is no need to fear anything in the present nor in the future. Like Paul says just a couple of chapter later in Romans, there is nothing in all creation that can separate you from God's love to you in Jesus and His cross. If God was willing to go to such lengths while we were His enemies, surely He will not forsake you in your time of need, in the hour of our death, or on the Day of Judgment. … Nothing to fear. …

An elderly man's children and grandchildren gather about his deathbed, singing hymns of comfort. As the time of death approaches, the grandfather, with outstretched arms says, "the Lord is calling me now, I am going home." And with that, as Stephen once did, he breathes his last. The Lord had been with him all His life and now, the Lord was with him and would remain with him even in death. There was nothing for the man to fear. … We've probably all heard stories rather similar to that one - maybe even been there. A mortician told me not too long ago that you can always tell a Christian when they die, they have a look of peace about them. God's love in Jesus means not just living in peace, but it's also dying in peace.

Therefore, as Paul exclaims in our reading, "we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." The original says, "We boast in God." As Scripture says elsewhere, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." As God's reconciled people we do not boast in ourselves, or in our own merits, we boast in our God. We cling to him through all of life and even into death. We boast in the love of our God in Jesus who lived, who died and who rose again for us - yes even for us - for you and for me. We boast in the cleansing blood of Christ's cross and His glorious resurrection for he has earned the title of Savior, now and forever. Amen.