"R.I.P."

May God's grace, mercy and peace be yours, in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Amen. Boy, I'm real tempted to just say amen again and sit down, cuz I don't know if you heard everything that these kids were sharing, but they just nailed it. And that one little boy - I don't know his name - he was sitting about right here, kind of in blue, and Tara was asking, so, you know, what is peace? And he said a piece of bread. A piece of bread. (holds up communion) A piece of bread. You know piece and peace? Amen. I mean, that's it! So, thank you, young man. Who - my goodness, you know, they're better - I don't know if I'll be around twenty years from now, but I expect to see about a half-dozen pastors come out of this congregation here. So whatever you're doing, keep it up. Keep it up. So, here in the epistle from Romans that I just had the privilege to share with you as the Spirit had inspired Paul to communicate, to share with the Christians at Rome, many years ago. You know, the thing about the Apostle Paul, is those of us - you know in the Missouri Synod, you go to Seminary, and if you want to be a pastor, you're going to learn Hebrew, you're going to learn some Aramaic, you know, when I went to Concordia St. Paul, they said oh, you need to do some Latin, too. And you need to learn, got to know Greek, because most of the Old Testament is Hebrew, and the New Testament is Greek. And the Apostle Paul, my goodness, if only he would have used periods more often, so he and us could catch our breath. He has such long sentences. If you're familiar with the Epistles of Paul, in a New Testament Greek Bible, he'll have a sentence that is one page and more before he gets to the period. I guess he was just that enthused about preaching the word of God. And so, you know, with that thought, and it seems to come through this epistle that I shared with you, as if in one breath, Paul us speaks of peace, of suffering, of death, and of war. I don't know if you caught it, but it's there. Of peace, of suffering, of death, and of war, all in one breath. Has anybody here, besides me, heard this past week of the suggestion or prediction that we're on the threshold of World War 3? Okay, if you haven't heard it, you're thinking about it, in light of what's going on in the Ukraine and Russia. And this past week, now there's some that are speculating that, well what's going to keep Putin from pushing the nuclear button, if you know what I mean there. And these cluster bombs that are supposed to be agreed upon not to be used by one side or another. I mean, it's just - here, weren't you having this sense of hope in, "Oh, finally, we're coming to the end of this most recent war known as a pandemic, and before it's even over, there's another war." What's the deal? Where is the peace? Where's the peace? Well, if you're feeling restless about it, as I have to admit I am too, can you imagine what it must be like for the Ukrainians, who either find themselves on the run, or if they're not running, they're on their knees beside a beloved one that is dead, that has died, who now rests in peace. You know, a report I saw, I think just yesterday - I think from CNBC or something - report says 549 Ukrainian civilians - 41 of them children - have died as a result of the war. And 6,000 Russian soldiers have died. Now. Enemy or what have you, even those soldiers - Russians - are brothers. Are husbands. Are uncles. I mean, who wins in war? No wonder we're restless, and we wonder where is the peace? So, you know what R.I.P. stands for. You know, long ago, most grave stones, they would ingrave R.I.P. Actually, it comes from the Latin which goes something like "requiescat in pace." The same initials in Latin carries over into English cuz English translation of that is rest in peace. R.I.P. Rest In Peace. So, can there be peace when someone lies in the grave? Whether their death came by violence - by way of a war - or if it came by peacefully, falling asleep, peacefully dying at home? You know, even as a Chaplain, as often as I hear it said or I have experienced myself somebody peacefully dying, you know, I wonder is there really peace in that? Is there such thing in dying and death? Is there a peaceful aspect to that? Don't we fear dying if we don't fear death? I mean, where's the peace? Rest in peace. Well, and then Paul comes along. And he makes the case that even as we have our own thoughts about when our day may come, he reminds us that, well, don't you know that you're already dead? The whole introduction, the beginning of the Book of Romans is Paul declaring - as guided by the Holy Spirit - that we are all dead in what? Sin. The wages of sin is death. There's no resting in peace. Unless you can prove that you have not fallen short of the glory of God. Because it's Paul who says: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So, good luck with that. If you want to stand before your Creator and say, well, you know, I have nothing to worry about there. But then he doesn't stop with that. He wants to make sure that we realize just how desperate our situation is. And you'd think it would be enough just to to hear, once again, or to be told, perhaps for the first time - you know, you're still walking and breathing and eating and sleeping - but you're dead because of your own trespasses and sins. But then, he says - Romans 5:6, he reminds us, we were still weak. We were powerless. You think there's ever a good time to be weak? I'm not talking about lazy, I'm talking about being powerless. Is there ever a good time to be weak in sin? I would hope not. Is there ever a good time to be weak in your morals, or in your ethics? Is it ever a good time to be, how about weak in faith? Well, then you risk losing faith. I mean, it just - anyone here want to say, oh I've never been weak. I've never been powerless. I've never been weak in faith. I've never been weak in my morals or my ethics. And then Paul doesn't stop there. You know, he likes his long sentences, so he's not done. So he goes from we are dead in our trespasses while we were weak and powerless. And in verse 8, he says "and while we were still sinners." He comes right back to that - the wages of sin is death. So, now, our cofession that we just had, here, that you're accustomed to, I appreciate. I go back to the confession I grew up with, and maybe some of you remember it, which goes like this: "I a poor miserable..." (congregation says "sinner.") Well, no, not as sinful as the neighbors. No, you're right. I, a poor, miserable sinner. Really. And I wonder as we say those words and we say them again and again and again. Does it become automatic, where we really don't stop and think "yeah, how have I been this past week? How was I this morning? How was I yesterday?" Is it really true? Really? A poor miserable sinner? We all love that song, "Amazing Grace," that saves such a - well, not as much of a wretch as my neighbor. That saved a wretch, like who? Me. See, this is what Paul is getting at, and guess what? He doesn't stop there. He's really driving it home. And going back to the confession, the thing about that is we come, kneeling with our hearts and minds before God, begging Him to forgive us. And He forgives us, and then we walk out the door, and we never sin again, right? Yeah, we still sin. So, where's the peace? Where's the resting in peace? It gets worse, even more desperate for us. Because he doesn't stop with just saying that we're weak, powerless and sinners. He then goes on in verse 10 and says we were enemies. It's there in the text. (Enemies) of the Russians? No, we were enemies of God. How can that be? Enemies? Hold on here. Do you want to treat me like they treated Jeremiah and say, "Pastor Chris, you die"? How dare you proclaim us to be enemies of God. Well, you know, we're taking this journey once again to Lent, and you got the crowds, you know, all throughout the passion account of Jesus, or you know, prior to that throughout His ministry. And the crowds are after Jesus. Save us! And so Palm Sunday, Hosanna! Hosanna! And then on Good Friday, what are they crying? Crusify Him! Enemies of God? Enemies? Those who "Hosanna, save us!" (Then) "Ah, hang Him. Crusify Him. Give us Barabbas, the Murderer."

But it goes much deeper than that. Because really what Paul is getting at, is how the whole world has been at war with God. And we can ask when, where, and whom. Where? In a garden. When? A long, long time ago. Whom? Your forefather and foremother. And mine, too. In a garden. Adam and Eve refusing God's plan. And instead, choosing - we're going to go our own way here. And God understood that by their choice, at that point, that what they were doing was proclaiming a declaration of war against God. Because either you're here - you know, with God in His Holiness, and pure goodness. And if you're not, you got to be over here. You know, there's no in-between with that. There's, God's holiness - be holy as I am holy, as is proclaimed by the prophets in the Old Testament. Or and Jesus, too, you know, keep all the Commandments. Or there is sin. And God has pronounced the wages of sin is death. There is no DMZ. You know what DMZ is? I remember growing up during the Vietnam War, between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. I know something about Korea - North Korea, and South Korea. And there was a demilitarized zone. There is not that, when it comes to God's holiness and then that which is not holy: sin. Sin. And with that, death. It's desperate. You are either always on God's side and with Him, or you are His enemies. This is Paul's message. Actually, it's God's message being spoken through the Apostle, Paul. And then it's for us to hear it. And where do we go from there? Are we resting in peace? Or does that make us even more restless? In the present and in light of what is yet to come?

Which is precisely why Christ became, what? Week? Powerless? Would we say Christ became God's enemy? Well, let's put it this way. Let's let the scripture speak. What did Christ say from the cross? "My God. My God, why have you forsaken me?" Isn't that how we were in our relationship with God? Forsaking Him who created us, who gave us all that we need to support this body in life. And yet, you know, God's holiness, His plan, His Commandments for our good and the good of all. But no, let's go with our foremother and forefather, and let's do it our way. Yeah. Listen again, especially if you find your soul and spirit just aching for peace. Romans 5:6. While we were still weak at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. You see, with all your weakness and mine, with your powerlessness and mine, Christ becomes weak in death. You know, this is a good thing. Not all Christian churches buy into observing the Lenten season as we do, and there are many others who observe it as we do. But it is so powerful. And as I get older, I appreciate more and more and more how I get to observe, once again, to see Christ becoming - this is the Almighty Lord and Savior, as I was taught when I was really young - now watching Him, once again, sweating blood. Stumbling down the alleys in Jerusalem. I've been to Jerusalem, and man, I did the Via Dolorosa and to picture Jesus week, losing power, powerless, stumbling down the street with a cross. And then with hands and feet weakened by the nails. What wondrous love. When you come to realize who He is, and you know who you are. Who I am.

And then Paul goes on. He says, very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though, for a good person, someone might possibly dare to die. Oh, well there it is, Preacher. Christ died for a good person. Me. Well, sorry, then you wouldn't need Jesus. You wouldn't need somebody else to die for you if you're that good, if you're that much better than the neighbors, right? But God demonstrates His own love for us while we were still sinners. See what Paul's saying? He's not saying, well, I had my son die for you when you finally got your act together. Well there again, then you don't need the Savior. Know while you were still sinners, while you were so weak and so powerless, in light of the decisions you have made, while you were still there, I did the deed, I did the deed for you. I did not forsake you, but I did my son, so I wouldn't lose you. And what does Christ do for us, as us being enemies? We were enemies of God. Well, doesn't His death win the war against the worst of our enemies? And you know who that is. The Democrats. Oh no, I'm sorry, the Republicans. Oh, the Russians. The Ukranians. The Canadians. The neighbors. No, who's the worst of the worst? Thank you. Thank you. The evil one. The original language says, "And deliver us from the evil one." It does. For some reason, that got changed over the years. And deliver us from evil. The original Greek manuscripts says and deliver us from the evil one. And He has done that. Oh, well that's one. Didn't I say there's three? There's the evil one. There, of course, is sin. Right? That's an enemy. And what's the other one? What is it? Death. Death.

Those are our enemies. And Christ has won that war. So, does that mean that we have to wait until we take our last breath to experience this? To rest in peace? Well, tell me what this does for you, then. Romans 5:1. Therefore - that "therefore." What is packed into that is the Gospel. It's what Christ - what Paul shares with us and what I am just kind of rehashing with you. "Therefore, since we have been declared righteous..." God says whether you believe it or not, I'm declaring what Christ has done. It puts you in a righteous relationship with Me. "We have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ."

And this is a now thing. As you come to eat this piece of bread - as this young man already knows - he's a future pastor, I hope - that is intended to send you off today with whatever wars and fights, and whatever things you've got going out there that you're going to stand and you're going to say in your prayers, or you could come to the pastor and say, here's a reason why I can't be at peace. By the way, go for it. You try to give me an explanation or excuse for why you can remain restless. It ain't going to fly. It ain't going to fly. Not if you if you're hearing the Gospel. If you know that Gospel. Oh, and Paul addresses this better than I can. Because what else did you hear him say? He talks about - and because of this peace that comes from God and Christ that declares us righteous, even in our sufferings, because of war or whatever, that, Paul says, will produce perseverance in you.

You think there are Ukrainians that are persevering? Oh, yeah. And that perseverance will then lead itself to character. And character kind of gets me thinking about Jesus. To be like and to walk in His footsteps. And character, then, Paul says, leads to what? Hope. So what's your hope? Going to give me an excuse or explanation why you can't have hope? Well, then I'll give you Jesus. I'll give you the cross. I'll give you the Holy Week journey. I'll give you the Gospel. Yeah. So the cross-bearing Christ is a reason we can say, yep, I'm rested in peace. I'm going to rest in peace when I take a nap this afternoon. I'm going to rest in peace when I wake up. I hope and pray God will keep it before me tomorrow, when I return to work. Whatever happens, I will rest in peace, why? Because God has said, "I've declared you righteous. Your sins are forgiven. Your death has become Christ's death, and His resurrection and life has become your resurrection and life." So, as often as you hear it said - as we're taught to say at the end of every message - I hope you'll embrace it, not let go of it, because it's so true, because of what has already been declared of you and me. Now, may the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, keep and guard your hearts and minds, where? In the cross and the resurrection of Jesus. In His name. Amen.