Sunday, June 14, 2026
Third Sunday of Pentecost
Text: Romans 5:6-15
Sermon Audio
As we gather… “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). In this passage, Paul shares with us the Gospel, namely, the good news that Jesus died to forgive our sins apart from anything we have done. The Father sent His Son Jesus to restore our relationship with Him. This gift changes everything in our lives. As we understand that all of the things we have done wrong have been covered by Christ’s perfection and forgiven. This good news frees us from our past and gives us hope for the future. We can share this message with others and give them freedom from their regrets and guilt as well as give them hope for not only this life, but the life to come.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Weak. Helpless. The word used here is one that describes a physical illness. The spiritual state of man in his fallen flesh is that of a person who is so sick that they can’t move or do anything for themselves and are waiting for death to come for them. When I was studying for this sermon and digging into what it means to be weak in this text, I couldn’t help but get the image of my sainted grandfather. 20 years ago, I watched him struggle to even breathe, for a week, as his cancer ridden body was shutting down. He was so weak that he could barely open his eyes. All we could do is pray for the LORD to have mercy and call my grandpa to His arms sooner rather than later. It would have taken a miracle to restore his body born of this earth to health. He would have had to somehow survive a transplant of his vital organs and had all new blood poured into his veins. This is the spiritual state of every single person who was born of Adam in the world. Weak. Completely helpless to do anything but eternally die in our sin. We need Christ to die for us ungodly sinners and give us a blood transfusion.
At the right time Christ came into this world. Our heavenly Father looked upon His creation and saw the state of our illness. He made man perfect in His image, but now every single person, from the young child full of life to the woman in hospice care, is in the same predicament without Christ’s intercession. All will die without hope of new life unless God does something about it. He has every right to let us die in our sin. He didn’t make us to sin. He made us to live with Him. In His righteousness, He can’t have anything to do with sinners. A sinful person can’t be in the presence of God. Yet, He loves us. He loves us far beyond what we can ever imagine. We would barely be willing to die in the place of our neighbor, who we like, let alone for the child molester serving life in prison. This is the love of God in Christ Jesus. He looks at each person on earth, loves them, and doesn’t want them to die. We were created to live with God and He was going to make it possible for that to be true again. This can only be possible through death. Sin must die so we can live in God, the only source of life.
For sin to die, someone sinless must die. This is not possible with anyone who is born of Adam. Our text from Romans makes this quite clear. Even if someone hasn’t committed the sin of Adam, willful disobedience to God’s commands, they are born into Adam’s sin. This state of weakness that we are born into makes it impossible for the flesh not to fall into temptation, even if we are unaware that we are sinning; we still are. We still lie here, helpless. We can’t walk with God while we are in our sin. We are weak. The sinless Son of God must be born of our flesh yet be perfect in every way as God incarnate. Only the death of God can reconcile the world to Himself. He who knew no sin must become sin for us. God dies for the ungodly to reconcile the ungodly to God.
The blood of Christ is what justifies. It makes the ungodly righteous. Only the righteous can be with God. His blood saves us from the wrath of God. The wrath of God that sin deserves is the eternal lake of fire that the ungodly will be cast into on the last day. This is the death that Christ came to save us from. He truly does care for our body in this life, but this body must eventually be planted in the ground so it can rise again to new life. So, whether earthly healing comes or it doesn’t, our sin ridden flesh must die so that it can rise eternally and be made new in the resurrection. This is why Christ had to die. His sinless flesh bore our sinful flesh. In His flesh He lived His life obeying God’s command that Adam failed to do. When He died Adam’s death on the cross Adam’s sin died with Him. When He was raised on the third day, our flesh was raised incorruptible in Christ. So as in Adam all die now in Christ all may be made alive through His atoning life, death, and resurrection. “For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.”
This is the free gift that the blood of Christ won for all mankind. The death of our Lord Jesus put death to death so that all who are joined to His life may never see eternal death. As Paul will go on to say in the coming chapters of Romans, you who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have put on His death and have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life. In your baptism, our Lord gave you His life. He joined you to His baptism, His life. He has reconciled you with the Father and given you the ability to walk with God; even while you are in this world and that sinful flesh is still joined to you. God has reconciled your flesh to Him. He has given you the blood transfusion that you need by washing your baptismal robe in the blood of the Lamb. He continues to feed you His body and His blood, restoring your flesh to Him with every sip in His abiding transfusion. He has pulled you off your death bed. Rise take up your bed and walk; your sins are forgiven in the blood of Christ. You can now walk with God as those who are reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of His sinless Son.
This is the unfathomable love of God for us. This is the Word of the Gospel of Christ that brings sinners to repentance and faith. In our reading from Matthew, Jesus went throughout the cities preaching this Gospel and healing the sick. When He was going throughout these villages, He saw the crowds. His very body ached with compassion for those who were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He then told His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” The twelve were then named and Jesus, who is the Lord of the harvest, sent them out as laborers with His authority to proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and to cast out demons and heal people. Jesus immediately answers the prayer for laborers in the harvest by sending His disciples. He still sends His pastors to proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The Kingdom of Heaven is Christ Himself who gave His life for the whole world while we were still sinners. He still casts out demons and heals the sick through the acts of baptism, the preaching of His Gospel, and in His body and blood by His called and ordained servants of the Word. Through this Gospel He is still raising the spiritually weak and diseased sinners to life in Christ. Those of you who are baptized, remain in His Word, and continue to be fed His body and blood, are made well and live your life now as one who is united to Christ. You continue to dive into the well of living water in your daily life, His abiding Word. The life and words of those who are united to Christ witness to those who are dying around you where they can truly find eternal life.
Dear saints of Faith, you are entering a time where you will be without an assigned called and ordained servant of Christ. We are still in shock from the news that Pastor Eichers has received and accepted a call to shepherd the sheep at Zion in Menomonee Falls. This is certainly a time of uncertainty. You have loved Pastor Eichers and He has loved you as your faithful shepherd. Sadness is natural among sheep who are losing their shepherd. The Good Shepherd who loves all of His sheep hears you. We have a certain hope that this Good Shepherd is also the Lord of the harvest who will continue to send faithful shepherd to tend to His sheep. He will not forget you. We can rejoice that God will care for you. The saints at Zion have had their plea for a laborer answered. You know more than anyone else on this planet that they are getting a loving and devout shepherd to guide them. God has given His sheep in Menomonee Falls a faithful shepherd. He will give you another faithful shepherd at the right time. The proof is in the pudding. This time of the year, God is placing men into His office all over the place through the seminaries. You have taken part in this. As my vicarage congregation, you have helped form me to be a shepherd in Christ’s flock. This afternoon, you will have the opportunity to see the Lord ordain me as one of His sent ones for the saints of Hill Country. The Lord never forgets His sheep. He will provide.
In the meantime, you trust that the Lord of the harvest will provide you with a faithful vacancy shepherd as you wait for Christ to place a full-time man in His stead here. You can trust that God is already preparing for you this shepherd and He is preparing you to receive him in the time that He sees fit. He will not abandon his sheep. He has compassion as He looks over the crowds today and will ensure that you continue to hear the Gospel that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The promise that Christ died for us while we were still sinners will still resound. He will continue to work the miracles of absolving your sins and feeding you His body and blood through this time of uncertainty. We thank God for Pastor Eichers and for the man that He will eventually call to guide you into the way of His peace. God will make sure that you always hear the truth that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
The blood of the sinless Christ has been shed and continues to be poured out for you into the chalice for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Through the blood of Jesus, you have been reconciled to the Father. You have been given the right to be called children of the Most High through the miracle of your baptism into Him. He has removed the sins of your earthly body from you in His death so your body can be raised incorruptible in His resurrection. He will send you a faithful laborer to make sure you continue to hear the truth of the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God for us sinners. Until He answers your prayer for a new laborer, you place your trust in the Lord who has taken you from your spiritual death bed and given you new life through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This promise is true. Even in times of uncertainty, He will continue to provide for you. He will ensure that you are always fed His abiding Word so that you will walk with Him eternally as those who have been given new birth in Christ. The Lord of the harvest will provide for you faithful laborers in this world until our sinful flesh is forever removed from us so that we may live eternally with Him. This is the life that was won for us weak sinners in the blood of Christ. Thanks be to God!
The peace of God which passes all understanding guard and keep you in the true faith unto life everlasting. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen!