Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from Romans 8. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- It is always interesting, the comparisons and analogies that the Lord Jesus used in teaching, and His apostles often did the same. In our text Paul uses the imagery of indebtedness, “being a debtor,” to help us have the right perspective in regard to good and evil, and our relationship with God. He identifies the Holy Spirit as the One Who teaches us these things and Who keeps us in faith.
- Of course, as we heard in the Old Testament reading from Is. 55, it is the Word of God which is the powerful instrument that the Holy Spirit uses to accomplish these blessings in our hearts, our minds, and our lives. And as Jesus taught through His parable of the Sower, we should take care to consider the “soil conditions” in our own hearts, for there are things in human hearts that imperil the growth of the kingdom and threaten to kill faith and new life – hardness, shallowness, and “weediness.”
- But we pray that the Spirit will be improving our hearts so that we become the kind of people in which He can produce grain – a hundredfold, or sixty, or at least thirty. And He can do this if we understand what God has done for us and if we continue listening to His Word. And according to our text we are “DEBTORS TO GOD,” and God alone! For:
I. We Know God’s Gracious Gift Of Salvation
1 John 2:2 “He is the blood atonement for our sins, and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Eph. 2:8,9 “By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.”
A. Because Of This, We Also Know That We No Longer Owe Sin And Our Sinful Flesh Anything – Other Than Good Riddance
Text: “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ”
B. Rather, We Owe God Much, Especially The Holy Spirit
1. He helps us put to death the deeds of sin
Text: “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
2. He removes our fear and assures us that we are children of God and heirs of God
Text: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry “Abba! Father! The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”
Statement: Now the one who has received these things from the Holy Spirit of God is producing much “grain,” much good fruit. The power to accomplish this does not come from within ourselves, but rather from the “farming” of the Holy Spirit of God – His plowing of our hearts into repentance, His harrowing of our souls to prepare them for planting, and the sowing of the seed of the good news of God’s gracious forgiveness, mercy, and salvation into our hearts and minds. This “good seed” is “the Word of the kingdom,” which He sows right here in church, and in Bible Classes, and in our devotional life at home.
Application: So, what do we owe God for all of this? To think of sin as something that we are beholding to, indebted to, and requiring our allegiance? You know, this is what the world “foists” upon us, that we somehow owe them allegiance, to agree with them, to conform to their wicked opinions and behaviors, and to get along with them. And our body, our very body and mind, infected with sin, thinks that we somehow owe it to ourselves and sin and to engage in it. But by the Spirit we know that this leads to death. And by the Spirit we know the gift we have received from God, of life, eternal life and salvation! So, what is this worth? Just how good are these gifts from God? And are we willing to understand just how indebted we are to God?
Now there are many people who reject the notion that truly we are “DEBTORS TO GOD.” They stubbornly and proudly refuse to think that we owe anything to God! I pray that you are not among them, thinking little of God’s blessings and gifts, having no sense of gratitude and obligation to God! And if we understand what God has done for us, then:
II. We Will Live By The Spirit’s Guidance And Leading
Text: “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
A. So Guided By The Spirit We Are No Longer In Slavery To Sin
Text: “You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.”
B. Rather We Are Led To Confidence In God’s Love, And A Good And Productive Life With Joy
Text: “You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by Whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
C. And This Does Mean That We Will Also Suffer With Christ
Text: “And if we are children, then we are also heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.”
Statement: It is a curious thing that if we live as “DEBTORS TO GOD” we continue to receive even more and more blessings and gifts from Him! So it is certainly not a matter that we are somehow “repaying our debt to God.” Rather, it is a matter of loyalty and love, of fellowship and faith and trust, and a matter of orientation and commitment. And although it is filled with peace and joy and confidence, it is not completely pleasant – but rather involves joining Christ in His suffering, suffering the antipathy, animosity, and despising of the world around us. But the result of being “joined” to Christ is marvelous – we inherit along with Him all blessings, including being “glorified with Him.”
Application: So the Holy Spirit, through the Words written by the Apostle Paul, is sowing the rich and powerful blessings of the kingdom into our hearts and minds, urging, encouraging, and compelling us to remain joined to Him and joined to God – for our greatest good and blessedness. He delivers us from slavery to sin and death, and provides us with a life of great peace, joy, and comfort. He leads us to the glory of God’s heavenly kingdom, and causes us to bear much fruit for the kingdom along the way.
Conclusion: So let us consider carefully what God has done for us, and to what and Whom we will be “debtors.” Let us consider carefully Who and what will be leading and guiding and directing our lives and actions. And if we are determined to be led by God, by the Holy Spirit, let us remember what tool and instrument He uses to lead, guide, and effect His will in our lives – the powerful Word of God, the “Word of the Kingdom.”
And let us not forget where this Word is preached and proclaimed, and served to us visibly and tangibly in the Sacrament of Christ’s own body and blood, “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
It would be a terrible thing for us to be afflicted once again with “the spirit of slavery” so that we “fall back into fear.” By God’s grace and mercy, and the powerful and blessed guidance of His Holy Spirit, we have received the Spirit of adoption as sons – so that we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ of His glory! This does indeed make us “DEBTORS TO GOD,” but such status only brings ever increasing blessings.
God grant us courage and faithfulness to endure the little suffering involved in this, in view of the magnificent blessings of God. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.