'My Way' or 'The Highway' - transcript of sermon St Anne's Brown Edge 09/07/2017

Zechariah 9.9-12 Psalm 145.8-15
Romans 7.15-25a Matthew 11.16-19,25-30

Reading Romans is a challenge.

Reading Romans out aloud is a challenge.

Reading today’s passage is a challenge and with all the do and not do stuff it has sometimes been dubbed the Frank Sinatra passage – Doobey Doobey Do..

Walter Wangerin who wrote an excellent book called ‘The Book of God’ – the Biblical story told as a novel also wrote a book called ‘Paul.’

I love the way Wangerin portrays Paul. He does not have him sitting quietly and studiously at a table writing, but rather striding about as a Scribe tries to capture correctly the thoughts and ideas that come thick and fast.

Paul is famous for using mixed metaphors.

Paul was gripped by God, by the big picture, by Jesus once he stopped kicking against the goads and saw both the truth and the reality of whom Jesus was and what he achieved on the Cross.

The Cross - ‘For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.’  1 Cor. 1.18

Paul knew the Book of God – Paul knew what it was to be zealous for God, for God’s Law.

However, Paul came to see that the Law was powerless to save as it only served to highlight transgressions.

Think about what the laws of our country do today.

Three basic things;

1) They constrain us, which might be good, bad, or even neutral, depending on your point of view.

2) As such, they are a marker for when we have transgressed, when we have broken the law

3) They speak of punishment to those who break the law

All of this, and much more besides was the same for the Law of Moses.

Above all the Law, as Paul says here in Romans (and in many other places) highlights our sins.

Or rather sin – and those that live in sin, live in death. 

‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Romans 6.23

(The only wage that has not been subject to any increase or decrease – it remains as a constant.)

What we need to understand is that we are not referring to particular sins, plural, for example, the breaking of moral codes, important though that is, but with the ‘sin of the world.’

‘The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ John 1.29

So, what is the ‘sin of the world’?

The overarching sin of the world is idolatry – the worship of something other than God in whose image we are created and whose glory we are called to reflect.

Furthermore, we are called to bring the whole of the created order into a place of giving praise and glory to God as creator and sustainer of all.

That is our human vocation. 

That was the call of God to Adam and Eve, that was the call of God to Noah, that was the call of God to Abraham, that was the call of God to Moses and that was the call of God to the People of Israel.

And the People of Israel were called to be a People peculiar unto God and to be a light to the Gentiles…

‘For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" Acts 13.47

The call of God to worship Him is not because he is egoistical and desires sycophantic cultic worship.

To worship is to give something value or worth.

The effect of this is that we become like that which we worship by giving it value or worth. 

We will reflect back that which we worship – money, power, position, sex, whatever it is that we give worth to will mould us and shape us.

That is why idolatry is the one major overarching sin of the world. 

(Read the Book of Hosea)

How are we to we guard against this sin and worship God alone?

Well our Psalm Reading for today begins to give us some clues.  It speaks of God’s love, compassion and forgiveness.  All of this within the context of God’s Kingdom – God’s sovereign reign over all the earth.

‘Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominions endure through all generations.’ Psalm 145.12

Then that glorious passage from Zechariah we heard read, that speaks of  God coming as King, but not in power and mighty judgement, but meekly, gentle and riding on the back of a donkey.

May I remind you of what was written above Jesus’ head as he was crucified – ‘The King of the Jews.’

This is what Paul had come to see once the scales of prejudice had been taken from his eyes.

Paul knew the Law of Moses well and Paul knew as we all know, that there is another type of law. A law that entraps us, holds us prisoners, and will eventually lead us into death.

This is the good that I would do I do not do stuff.

A dark mysterious force encourages us to rebel against the acceptance of God as Lord and King.

This dark mysterious force gains strength and influence when we ‘worship’ this force, when we give into the temptations that face us.

This is not so strange and mystical and we see the outworking of this in action on a daily basis. 

When God takes second place in our choices.

Paul knew about this battle and Paul knew that the Law of Moses only served to demonstrate how far we fall short of God’s glory...

 ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,’  Romans 3.23

However, Paul came to know, as we can come to know, that Jesus is not only King of the Jews, but King overall the earth.

That through the death of Jesus, the power of this dark evil force has been broken forever as Jesus rose victorious over sin and death.

Therefore, if we yoke ourselves to Jesus we will find that we are also able to overcome.

That we will be able to live in the right way, in righteousness, to fulfill our God given vocation of being image bearers of God to the whole of the created order.

Romans 3.22-24 ‘And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.…   

And Jesus said…

‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. ‘

Coming back to Frank Sinatra there are two songs in the world, and all of us sing either one or the other.

One of Sinatra’s best-known songs was ‘My Way’ and I am sure you will know at least some of the key words, especially ‘I did it my way.’

This is the most popular song today… 'I'll do things my way'

However, an alternative song to ‘My Way’ is the song we recently sang at my home Church of St John’s.  It is one of my favourite Gospel songs, ‘I Surrender All.’

Written by Judson W Van DeVenter in 1896 this Gospel song, that also has a hymn quality about it, has remained popular and influenced many people.

 https://www.google.co.uk/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=ly-fWJqpBqXA8gfdhrqoDw#q=All+to+jesus+I+surrender+all&spf=1499326767539

  

1.   All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

o    Refrain:
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,
I surrender all.

2.   All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow;
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

3.   All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Saviour, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

4.   All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

5.   All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame;
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!

So, here is the question – when you step out of the door of this church building and enter into the week ahead, think of the places you will go, the people you will meet, the things you will say and do and even think – is it going to be ‘My Way’ or ‘The Highway.’

Let us pray using the words of yet another popular hymn that we sang earlier...

Lord, for ourselves, in living power remake us
self on the cross and Christ upon the throne,
past put behind us, for the future take us;
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkTrFQLy6js