Sermon -- 15th Sunday after Pentecost (September 6, 2026)

YOU ARE LIVING SACRIFICES.

ROMANS 12:1-8

In the name + of Jesus.

      This weekend, we observe Labor Day, a day on which we recognize the contribution that workers make to our lives.  I suppose that many would argue a day off of work is better than any day at work, but God has given us work as a blessing.  Consider God’s creation of Adam.  Moses wrote, “The LORD God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).  God put the man in the garden to work it.  This work was a blessing.  By it, the man would fill his days with purpose and provide for his family.  This was a practical way in which he would love his neighbor. 

     Work is not a curse.  When you feel like it is, it is because of sin which has warped everything.  After sin entered the world, the Lord told Adam, “The soil is cursed on account of you.  You will eat from it with painful labor all the days of your life.  Thorns and thistles will spring up from the ground for you” (Genesis 2:17-18).  Your labor has its own version of thorns and thistles—whether entitled customers, needless paperwork, or broken equipment.  All are the result of sin which makes work difficult and drudgery.  On top of that, our sinful nature prefers laziness over effort.  The book of Proverbs repeatedly gives warnings to the sluggard.  In general, those who are industrious find prosperity while those who are lazy suffer.  Besides bringing harm to himself, the sluggard produces nothing for his fellowman.  While work may be toil when you are engaged in it, you experience deep satisfaction when the task has been completed.

     Work is a good thing.  The Lord gives you the opportunity to do good works every day through your various vocations—as a worker, a parent, a spouse, or a citizen.  Other people are blessed by your good works.  St. Paul noted one way in which people are blessed by your labors: “Let [a man] work hard doing what is good with his own hands, so that he has something to share with a person who is in need” (Ephesians 4:28).  In this way, you are living sacrifices.  You give of your time and energy as you provide a service in your vocation.  This is a practical way in which you love your neighbor.  Through our labors, God is honored and our neighbor is blessed.  These are good things.

     It is sometimes said that Lutherans are opposed to good works.  Now, it is clear that we are not saved by our good works.  For, the Bible teaches us, “We conclude that a person is justified by faith without the works of the law” (Romans 3:28).  Nor do our good works contribute to our salvation.  If they did, we would have to deny that we are saved by grace alone.  If God’s salvation is a gift, then we did not earn it or contribute to it.  It is God’s good work done for our benefit.  But we cannot say that good works are unnecessary.  Our own Lutheran Confessions say, “Our churches teach that this faith is bound to bring forth good fruit.  It is necessary to do good works commanded by God, because of God’s will” (Augsburg Confession, Article VI, paragraph 1). 

     If anyone tells you that Lutherans oppose good works, he is either very sloppy with his words or he is dead wrong.  St. Paul wrote that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).  Good works do not save, but those who are saved are dedicated to good works.  It is God’s will for people to engage in good works.  This is why God has given you your labors.  God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.  You are a living sacrifice, spending yourself to glorify God and to love and serve your neighbor.  If your faith is living and active, you will be living and active in your vocations and in good works. 

     This is what St. Paul wrote about in our epistle reading today.  “I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy and pleasing to God—which is your appropriate worship” (Romans 12:1).  It is God’s mercy that motivates us to worship him with good works.  That is because Jesus Christ did his good work, which is to save sinners. 

     Jesus was a living sacrifice.  Jesus performed the good work of perfect obedience to his Father.  It was not merely avoiding sin; it was also pursuing and practicing good toward all.  He loved his neighbor—whether they were hurting or healthy, whether they were locals or foreigners, whether they were his allies or his enemies.  We have not been so willingly obedient.  Even our best works are flawed, as Isaiah testifies: “All our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth” (Isaiah 64:6).  Isaiah did not say that our sins are like filthy cloth.  Our righteous deeds are unclean because we are, by nature, unclean.  This is why we dare not take pride in our works before God.  But we have Jesus as our living sacrifice.  His pure work atones for our impure works.

     Even though we strive for good works, many of our works are not good.  Sometimes we do our works with resentment.  Sometimes we complain that our works are not getting what we consider to be proper attention or praise.  Sometimes we just don’t care to do the works at all.  Maybe we don’t want to be bothered.  Maybe we deem someone unworthy of our time and effort.  For these and for all sins, Jesus made himself a sin offering.  Jesus was not only a living sacrifice, he also died as a sacrifice for you.  All your sins were laid on him.  God’s wrath was redirected from you to Jesus.  By his sufferings and death, Jesus did the works that save you from divine judgment.  You are redeemed by Jesus’ works, not your own.  So, do not trust your own works, no matter how good you think they are.  You are saved by faith in Jesus.  He did the works, and you receive the reward.

     Now, in view of that mercy, we get to be merciful to others.  In thanksgiving for Jesus’ good work, we dedicate ourselves to good works.  We’ve been set apart from sin, death, and the devil.  We’ve been set apart for a good and godly life.  Jesus laid down his life to rescue us from our wickedness so that you and I could live in godliness.  You are a living sacrifice—living to serve others to the glory of God.

     To preserve us in this godliness, St. Paul urges, “Do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect” (Romans 12:2).  One way or another, you are being taught.  One way or another, someone is preaching to you and influencing your thinking.  Such influence can be good or bad.  You come to God’s house to hear the word of the Lord.  Hopefully, you are reading your Bible or some devotional material throughout the week.  This regular meditation is important because the world is preaching to you nonstop.  The devil employs worldly thinking to entice you to abandon God’s word for what is popular and for what appeals to your sinful nature.  The more you listen to that, the more you will be conformed to the pattern of this world.  The more you conform to the pattern of this world, the less you will care about God’s word and his salvation—although the devil will convince you that you are still a good person and that God should reward you for that.

     Do not be swayed by popular opinions and behaviors.  History has shown that the masses can be in full agreement about an issue and be terribly wrong.  Besides that, the masses can change their minds about what is good and what is evil.  In generations past, when a man and a woman cohabited before they were married, it was called living in sin.  Today, most consider it foolish if couples don’t do that.  The world changes its mind quickly about what is good and what is evil.  God does not, but the world does.  So, “do not conform to the pattern of the world” (Romans 12:2).

     God created us and loves us.  What he says is always true, and it always stands.  Therefore, we listen to what our Lord says, knowing that he is looking out for our good both now and eternally.  The more you listen to the Lord, the more you will “be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2).  You will find joy in your life being a living sacrifice, and you will not consider it a major sacrifice to do so.

     For the most part, St. Paul describes how we all serve as living sacrifices in the church.  He wrote, “We have many members in one body, and not all the members have the same function.  In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.  We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us.  If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith.  If it is serving, then serve.  If it is teaching, then teach.  If it is encouraging, then encourage.  If it is contributing, be generous.  If it is leadership, be diligent.  If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:4-8).  

     We all have ways that we can serve God’s people.  We all have talents, abilities, and interests which can benefit the body of Christ.  You don’t have to invent ways to do good works for your fellow Christians.  God places them right in front of you.  You serve according to your ability and where there is a need.  In this way, the whole body of Christ functions well and the whole body of Christ is served. 

     You are living sacrifices “holy and pleasing to God—which is your appropriate worship” (Romans 12:1).  But don’t get the idea that the only good works are the works done in the church.  A number of years ago, there was a woman who went to her church’s evangelism meeting.  They were given a pep talk and then sent out to their neighborhood to knock on doors.  As they were going, she said to the man who had teamed up with her, “I can’t believe I did not really do anything for Jesus until now.”  The man was confused.  This woman was the church secretary.  She sang in the choir.  She had raised her children and cared for her home.  Weren’t those things done for Jesus?

     You are living sacrifices.  Everything you do is done for God’s honor and for the good of your neighbor.  Your vocations may change over the years, but your place in God’s kingdom remains constant.  You are a living sacrifice.  Your good works may be known to all or invisible to all.  Either way, God knows them.  Your good works may be a special project or they may be the daily household routine.  No matter; God is pleased with them because Jesus has made you pleasing to him.  For, you are God’s handiwork—created for God’s honor, redeemed by God’s grace, and renewed for good works in God’s kingdom.  God’s work which was done for you is good, and the work God gives you to do is good. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.