I’m going to speak to the VBS chapel and I wondered what I would say. At the start of the week it made sense to talk about sin. Later in the week the gospel would be shared in the other chapels. Since It’s rural Alberta I’m bringing a rope, a lariat in fact. So I’m going to ask the kids who are they tied to?
Tied to Sin
It’s a simple thing to consider who you’re tied to. If you work in an office, you feel tied to your screen and inbox. If you’re a mother of young child you feel tied to a diaper bag and a detachable baby bucket car seat.
But all people are tied to sin. Paul said in Romans 5:12 that, ” sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned”. Every human being from Adam on down is tied to sin. Sin makes them slaves (Ro 6:16,20). They are tied to sin and have to do what sin tells them.
I’m going to use my lariat and have a camper volunteer to put the loop over my two wrists. Then they get to pull tight and drag me around! This is the image of sin which I want the campers to understand. It is the the way that Scripture depicts our situation. We are tied to sin and are jerked and pulled and tugged toward sin in every thought word and deed.
The Sharp Edge of the Cross
Central to Paul’s idea of the cross, is the belief that the death of Jesus has benefits. It benefits the person who is tied to sin by delivering them from sin’s dominion by tying them to Jesus by faith. It is as if the death of Jesus on the cross is the knife that cuts the knot of sin.
The cross has a sharp edge to it.
Now after the knot of sin is cut, it is still possible for a person to follow sin around, like a horse follows a little girl with a carrot. But when the knot of sin is cut, we don’t have to follow sin any more.
Tied Until Death; Tied For Life
When people get married, if they still use the traditional vows, they say “til death do us part” which means they commit to stay tied to each other until they die. And that’s the way it is with anything you’re tied to. Once your tied to it, you can’t take the rope off. It has to be cut off. And it’s only cut off in death.
Sin will lead the tied up person to death (Ro 6:21). But if a person believes in Jesus Christ, and by faith they embrace being tied to him, then they get lead to death in a different way.
They are tied with Jesus in his death. Paul says, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Ro 6:6).
When you believe in Jesus, you are tied to him. And you die with him in his crucifixion. The only way you can be freed, is if you are tied to someone else.
When we are united or tied to Jesus in his death, then we also get the benefit of being tied to him in his life raised up from the dead. “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him” (Ro 6:8).
Tied to a New Master
Jesus came to save people who were tied to a cruel master, sin. He took the punishment for their sin. He even died for their sin.
But Jesus didn’t intend for us to be kicked free out in the wild with nobody to care for us. Instead, Jesus ties us to himself when we believe in him. And he makes us lie down in green pastures and he leads us peaceful waters. (Ps 23:2). We get all the benefits of life and we are freed from sin. But it is only because we are tied to a good, gracious and loving master, our Lord Jesus Christ.
