The Grandfather In My Bones

For those no familiar with an Anglican Service four Scriptures are read proceeding the Message. Today's Readings are: Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-17; Romans 6:1-11; and Matthew 10:24-39

In the 14th century,..... in the land now known as Belgium, .......there was a duke by the name of...... Raynald III.

Now, Raynald was a very big man and was commonly called by his Latin nickname,..... Crassus, which means..... "The Fat."

Now, it seems ......that Raynald had a violent quarrel .....with his younger brother Edward.

And Edward was so angry .... That he led a successful revolt against him.

But Edward did not kill Raynald.

Instead, he built a room around him in the Nieuw-kerk castle ....and he promised his brother he could regain his title and property ......as soon as he was able to leave the room.

This would not have been difficult .....for most ...... since the room had several windows and a door of near normal size, ......And the windows and doors .....were not locked or barred.

The problem was Raynald's size.

To regain his freedom, .....he needed to lose weight.

But Edward knew his older brother so very well, .....and each day he sent a variety of delicious foods to his room.

Instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew fatter.

When Duke Edward was accused of cruelty, he had a ready answer: ......."My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills."

Raynald stayed in that room for 10 years and was not released until after Edward died in battle.

By then his health was so ruined that he too died within a year... a prisoner to his own appetite.

And though he could have left his prison whenever he wished ... his own actions kept him imprisoned. (Pause)

In Romans we are told that mankind has been imprisoned as well.

And just as Raynald was initially confined by the actions of his relative ......so have we.

We have been confined by the actions .....of a relative .....named Adam. (Pick up Bible)

The scriptures tell us BIBLE "sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin,.......and in this way ......death came to all, .....because all sinned" END (PAUSE)

Ever since the dawn of time, ......the wall of death has hemmed us in ....... it has kept us captive, ......it has been ......our prison.

Many of you may be familiar with the statement:....... "I am not afraid to die. It's just that I can't get up much enthusiasm for it." (PAUSE)

And since the fall...... death has had a grip on us.

The writer of Hebrews (2) tells us, "all their lives (mankind has been) held in slavery ....by their fear of death."

Several studies have revealed that one of the major fears ..... that most people have is....... the fear of death.

Not only can people NOT get up much enthusiasm for it... they fear it.

Sin has brought death into the world... and with death fear.

The Apostle John states: "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and..the truth is not in us."1 John 1:8

Paul's letter to the Romans sums it up by saying: "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (PAUSE)

The Fall .....the sin of mankind .....is such a dominant doctrine in Scripture, ......that it is hard..... to deny.

Beloved ..... we are sick with sin...

You might ask "how then do I get well?" (Well....I'm glad you asked) (PAUSE)

If I were deathly sick with cancer, A Doctor might use chemotherapy, radiation therapy, microwave therapy

Or I may need radical surgery ...... to attack .....the disease.

Something to kill the disease that lives within me.

They might use a scalpel and cut out the diseased portion .....of my body.

(Slow) But something has to die!

And the Scriptures tell us that something had to die for you and I ...... to be healed spiritually.

The letter to the Church in Rome informs us: BIBLE "...don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" END

We were therefore ......buried with him ......through baptism into death.

Why? So..... that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, .....we too may be raised to a new life. An eternal life.

If we have been united with Christ in his death, .......we will also ......be united with him .....in his resurrection.

Beloved..... we can have assurance that our old self was Crucified With Him ......(Point to Chest) so that this body of sin .....might be done away with, .......that we should no longer be slaves to sin and to death. (PAUSE)

When we were baptized into Christ...... our old sin-sick self ..... died..... and was forever buried.

The old self died and you and I became a new creation in Christ Jesus.