WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:06.080 So, Romans chapter 6, and we're gonna be reading verses 1 through 14 this morning. 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:08.400 Give you a second to turn there. 00:00:09.439 --> 00:00:12.240 And if you're able, let's all stand for the reading of God's word. 00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:16.480 What should we say then? 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:20.399 Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:21.679 Absolutely not. 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:24.719 How can we who died to sin still live in it? 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:31.760 Or are you unaware that all of us who are baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:43.759 Therefore, we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:52.640 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 00:00:52.880 --> 00:01:06.799 For we know that our old self was crucified with him, so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin. 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:18.000 Now, if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:20.400 Death no longer rules over him. 00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:24.640 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time. 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:27.359 But the life he lives, he lives to God. 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:33.359 So you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:44.319 Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires, and do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:52.959 But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:59.200 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law, but under grace. 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:00.640 Let's pray. 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:04.000 Lord, we thank you so much for your word. 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:11.919 That we get to gather each Sunday, Lord, and talk about it and ask for your heart in this passage. 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:17.599 And that's exactly what we pray for, Lord, that you would be the one speaking here today, and I would just step out of the way. 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:20.479 Lord, help me to rightly divide your word here this morning. 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:29.120 We pray that we would come to you with all humility, or with hearts that are open to you for whatever that you might have for us, we pray. 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:30.240 In Jesus' name. 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:31.039 Amen. 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:32.560 May be seated. 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:38.240 And if it's too loud out there and it's distracting this side of the room, we can close some of those windows. 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:40.319 So feel free if you need to. 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:54.479 So what we get here in chapter six of Romans, and we touched on this last week, is a question Paul is anticipating the Romans will have after what he said in the second half of chapter 5. 00:02:54.719 --> 00:03:02.000 Where we were talking about God's grace for us being in abundance and overflowing and being multiplied. 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:08.879 And how nothing that we have done in our past is unforgivable in light of the cross. 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:14.719 And where sin abounds, and as we talked about last week, where grace superabounds. 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:26.319 We talked about how we need to be the greatest dispensers of grace and have the reputation individually and as a church of grace, because that's God's reputation as well. 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:33.199 And we talked about how grace will reign through righteousness and all that that entails. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:41.919 How we don't have to worry about too much grace leading to more sin because grace will reign through righteousness. 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:50.879 And you get the impression that as Paul is writing this, he's anticipating what his critics and what his objectors will say. 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:58.960 So we see him playing his own devil's advocate multiple times in Romans, and we see it right here in verse 1 of chapter 6. 00:03:59.039 --> 00:03:59.919 So look at it with me. 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:02.560 He says, What should we say then? 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:05.280 You know, this is regarding grace being multiplied. 00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:09.439 Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:10.879 Absolutely not. 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:14.639 How can we who died to sin still live in it? 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:19.199 You know, and I love these questions that Paul poses throughout this whole book. 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.480 Because they're all followed by an absolutely not. 00:04:22.959 --> 00:04:29.439 It's almost like he's getting mad at the Romans for having these hypothetical questions that he's making up, you know. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:33.519 We've seen it multiple times, especially in Romans chapter 3. 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:35.519 Romans 3.3 says, What then? 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:41.040 If some were unfaithful, will their unfaithfulness nullify God's faithfulness? 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:42.319 Absolutely not. 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:43.680 Romans 3.6. 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:46.879 Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath? 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:48.000 Absolutely not. 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:53.120 And then Romans 3.31, do we then nullify the law through faith? 00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:55.199 And again, absolutely not. 00:04:55.360 --> 00:05:02.800 And we're going to see a couple more of these questions that Paul poses throughout the book of Romans as we continue on through it. 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:09.360 But today, he asks, Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:13.439 And that phrase, I want you to look at it, should we continue in? 00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:16.319 It has the implication of habitual sin. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:20.639 Not just one off, like, oh yeah, I just fell into this, I don't know what the heck happened. 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:24.639 This is talking about habitual sin, doing the same sin over and over. 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:40.959 That phrase, should we continue in, has the implication of habitual sin, meaning to stay at it, to stay with it, to tarry with that sin, or even to abide in that sin, or to remain in it. 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:48.319 So this is talking about living in sin, that habitual sin reigning in your life, having a place of leadership in your life. 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:58.720 And I mentioned this because there are a couple places in Scripture, and this, you know, being one of them, that makes it sound like when we come to Christ, then we should just stop sinning. 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:03.920 But in all of those places, it's referring to this habitual living in sin. 00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:08.560 And like I mentioned, I think Paul's writing this for the critics. 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:13.920 He's writing it for the objectors that he knows are going to be reading his letter in Rome. 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:17.759 But I also think that he's writing it for that one guy. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:20.079 I think we all know that one guy. 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:27.920 That's always trying to find a loophole to justify whatever their sin is in their life that they don't want to stop doing. 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:34.959 And Paul's heading off this question then should we sin so that more grace can be shown? 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:39.439 I mean, if God's got that much grace, then why not? 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:39.920 Right? 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:41.839 I'm glad they're having a fun time out there. 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:43.199 Thank you, Brandon. 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:44.319 I appreciate that. 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:49.600 So he, I think he ends verse 2 with the why not. 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:55.439 Of how can we who died to sin still live in it? 00:06:56.000 --> 00:07:00.560 You know, if I died today, can I still live on this earth? 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:01.600 You can answer. 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:02.160 That's okay. 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:03.600 It's not a trick question either. 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:04.160 No. 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:12.000 If my body, you know, my flesh, this physical part of me, is dead, I cannot live on earth any longer. 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:14.240 I'm no longer alive on this earth. 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:20.319 In the same way, if we have died to sin, how can we still live in it? 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:29.439 And it's going back to last week's example where we're talking about how fire and water cannot exist in the same container together. 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:36.079 In the same way that grace and sin cannot exist in the same heart together. 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:44.959 You know, when we give our lives to Jesus and come to faith in him, we're saying that we accept his death as our death. 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:51.360 We die to sin and our relationship to sin is forever changed from that moment forward. 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:56.079 Therefore, the question is, how can we live in it? 00:07:56.560 --> 00:07:57.600 Battle with sin? 00:07:57.759 --> 00:07:58.240 Absolutely. 00:07:58.399 --> 00:08:00.399 We're gonna battle with it every day. 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:03.600 But live in it, Paul is saying, absolutely not. 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:07.680 You cannot be a follower of Christ and be living in sin at the same time. 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:12.000 Those two things cannot exist in the same vessel together. 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:14.079 Like it says in verse 3. 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:22.959 Or are you unaware that of all of us who are baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:26.639 So I want to just take a moment this morning and talk a little bit about baptism. 00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:39.360 You know, we talked a bit about it when we were going through the book of Mark on a couple different occasions, but in its simplest form, baptism is a physical acting out of what Jesus did for us. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:43.279 In his death, in his burial, and in his resurrection. 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:48.559 It's a public declaration that we now identify with Jesus. 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:59.120 We identify with his death to sin, with his burial by going under the water in baptism, and then his resurrection by coming out of that water. 00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:04.960 And it's a declaration saying, I am forever changed by Jesus Christ. 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:12.000 It's saying, and what I was living for previously, sin, I'm now dead to. 00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:16.799 And I'm now living in the resurrected life of Jesus Christ. 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:22.399 And I want us to note something in this passage of what Paul says here. 00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:28.240 He says, all of us who are baptized into Christ Jesus. 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:30.480 He doesn't say, if you've been baptized. 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:37.039 Paul's under the assumption that everyone he's writing to that's a believer has already been baptized. 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:40.960 Because it's an act of obedience to Jesus, is what it is. 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:51.759 Right before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples, go therefore and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Spirit. 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:59.840 And to be clear, baptism is an act of obedience, but it does not bring salvation. 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:04.960 But it symbolizes that salvation that we're declaring. 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:08.480 You know, the thief on the cross, he didn't have time to be baptized. 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:15.279 There's some people that confess Christ on their deathbed and they're still saved, and they didn't have time to be baptized. 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:26.399 But we all have the responsibility as believers in Christ to be baptized in a reasonable amount of time in order to follow through on Jesus' instructions. 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:29.120 You know, we're planning a baptism this summer. 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:33.120 There's already two people that told me that they want to be baptized, praise the Lord. 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:38.720 But if you're a believer in Jesus and you've not been baptized, you need to be baptized. 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:41.200 And we're not trying to get signups, I promise. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:49.120 We're trying to help provide an opportunity for each of us to be obedient to that directive that Jesus gave to us. 00:10:50.159 --> 00:11:01.519 You know, Paul wrote this assuming every believer had already done it, including the audience that he has this morning that he's speaking to here at Abide through the book of Romans. 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:06.000 So if you would like to be baptized, please let me know, and we're going to be doing it this summer. 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:07.759 Look at verse 4 with me. 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:22.559 It says, Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:30.000 Sharing in his burial, going under that water, sharing in his resurrection, coming out of that water. 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:35.440 That's what baptism symbolizes, sharing in that death and in that resurrection. 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:38.080 And that's why we dunk here. 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:49.039 And I'm not bashing any other churches or any other methodology, but the symbolism is so real when a person is submerged into that water and then brought out again. 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:54.320 And the last thing you'll hear me say before you go into that water is sharing in his burial. 00:11:54.480 --> 00:12:00.399 And the first thing you'll hear me say when the person's coming out of the water is, and also in his resurrection. 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:10.639 Saying, I'm dying to the things of this world, I'm dying to the old man, I'm dying to my flesh, and I'm sharing in that death of Jesus Christ. 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:14.159 Sharing in that death that he died in my place. 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:19.200 And I love the symbolism from the pickling process. 00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:21.919 Maybe you've heard this before, but I want to share it with you. 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:30.000 If you look in old recipe books, it will say, baptize the cucumber into the vinegar solution. 00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:32.879 Fully submerge that cucumber. 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:44.879 And they found a pickling recipe that dates back to 200 AD that uses the same Greek word that we're looking at here for baptize, for pickles and for people. 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:53.200 And I love this analogy because a cucumber goes into the brine and a pickle comes out. 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:58.080 And that pickle can never go back to being a cucumber. 00:12:59.840 --> 00:13:05.200 It's been transformed through its submersion, through its baptism into that brine. 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:14.720 And that's what baptism is a believer symbolically going into the water and then being resurrected and forever changed, coming out of that water. 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:21.440 Never to be the same again and never going back to allowing sin to reign in your life. 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:22.879 Verse 5. 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:29.279 For if we have been united with him, think abiding, it's that kind of that same idea there. 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:34.960 In the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:49.600 For we know that our old self was crucified with him, so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin. 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:54.799 So it's the old man, the flesh, that has been crucified with Christ. 00:13:55.039 --> 00:13:58.320 It's dead and it's been rendered powerless. 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:07.679 Galatians 2, 19 and 20 says this for through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God. 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:14.720 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:22.480 The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:29.679 We're no longer living for this hunk of flesh that we're living in. 00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:33.919 We're stuck in it until the end of our life, but we're no longer living for it. 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:37.039 And we have to deal with it for now, daily. 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:40.399 But spiritually speaking, our flesh is dead. 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:43.600 It's been crucified with Jesus Christ. 00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:55.440 We are now living sacrifices that are alive in Christ and no longer under the bondage of death and the law that we were once under before. 00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:57.440 Now look at the end of verse 6 with me. 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:05.919 It says, so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin. 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:11.679 Like I said earlier, yes, we're going to keep sinning as long as we're in these bodies. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:17.039 But sin is no, or sin no longer has power over us. 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:19.759 That sin has been forgiven. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:26.559 And our standing before God is now determined, not by sin, but determined by grace. 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:29.600 By God forgiving those sins. 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:33.600 And we were once enslaved to those sins. 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:35.600 They were dominating our life. 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:38.159 They were leading us to death. 00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:42.559 But we now live a resurrected life in Christ Jesus. 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:48.399 Where our flesh is deemed dead and our soul is eternally in right standing with God. 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:54.320 But we have to answer this question of in the meantime, what do we do with our flesh? 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:56.320 We're stuck in it for a while. 00:15:56.480 --> 00:15:57.519 So what do we do with it? 00:15:57.600 --> 00:16:01.200 And I think Galatians 5.24 tells us exactly what to do with it. 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:09.519 It says, Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:15.759 We need to now live as if our flesh is crucified. 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:20.240 Because that's exactly what Jesus did with it for us. 00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:21.279 It's dead. 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:22.720 It is no longer living. 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:27.919 And if you have to remind your flesh of this, do it as often as you need to. 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:36.720 It's good for us to remind ourselves that our flesh is dead, that it no longer has power over us because of the work of Jesus Christ. 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:38.320 Verse 8. 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:44.960 Now, if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:50.320 Because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:53.120 Death no longer rules over him. 00:16:54.080 --> 00:17:02.000 The same life that Jesus showed by coming out of the grave is the same life that we are offered. 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:06.799 You and I, if you're a believer in Jesus, will never die. 00:17:07.119 --> 00:17:16.400 Our flesh will, the old man will, but for our spirit, as soon as we're not here, we're with God, in his presence in paradise. 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:28.640 When Jesus came out of the tomb, he was in this eternal, incorruptible, resurrected body, which we will also get after Jesus' second coming. 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:37.359 A body like Jesus has, and a body like Jesus had on earth in between his resurrection and his ascension. 00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:43.440 And it's similar enough to his old body that his disciples could recognize him. 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:49.920 And it was similar enough to other humans to not stand out as being otherworldly. 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:52.400 You know, think of the road to Emmaus. 00:17:53.119 --> 00:17:58.079 It's a body that is outside of the curse, it's a body that won't age. 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:06.079 You know, many think that it's the same kind of body Adam and Eve had prior to the fall, prior to the curse that they experience. 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:08.640 But it's a body that will not die. 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:10.559 It's a body that will not age. 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:13.759 That's what we get to look forward to in eternal life. 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:15.039 Verse 10. 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:19.839 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time. 00:18:20.079 --> 00:18:22.720 But the life he lives, he lives to God. 00:18:22.960 --> 00:18:26.000 So he died once, it says here, for all time. 00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:34.559 You know, the recurring animal sacrifices were given over and over and over again as a temporary forgiveness of sin. 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:40.960 But Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, died once, and that's all it took. 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:46.079 You know, we should have died, and things should have been over with. 00:18:46.319 --> 00:18:51.759 Dead, having earned only damnation and eternal punishment through our own works. 00:18:52.079 --> 00:19:00.000 But in Jesus taking our place in death, because he rose, we will rise as well. 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:06.400 And it says, the life he lives, he lives to God. 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:15.039 Therefore, since it's that same life, the life we live, now we live to God as well. 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:22.559 We no longer live for ourselves, just like we never see one instance in Scripture where Jesus was living for himself. 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:28.480 We see no selfish act coming from Jesus because he was living to God. 00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:35.279 And I think the question is do we do the same thing? 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:39.839 Because that's what we're called to do, is to live that life to God. 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.680 Or maybe it's just sometimes we choose to do that. 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:46.079 Who knows what percentage that is? 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:50.720 But we're called to live that life fully surrendered to God. 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:57.599 And remember, this all goes back to the question: should we sin so that grace can multiply? 00:19:57.839 --> 00:19:59.119 I want you to imagine this. 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:07.039 Can you imagine Jesus saying, Well, you know, I know my father said not to do this, but it's really not hurting anyone. 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:10.240 And I know God forgives and he's full of grace. 00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:14.000 So I'm just going to go ahead and do something the father said not to. 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:16.400 That just doesn't sit quite right with us, does it? 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:20.480 Even imagining those words coming out of Jesus' mouth. 00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:26.319 Because the life he lived, the life he lives, he lives to God. 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:31.039 So the life we live needs to be living to God as well. 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:35.119 You know, there's no direction from God that we can shrug off. 00:20:35.599 --> 00:20:40.319 There's no sin that we have that's above the direction of God. 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:43.599 Or it's like, you know, he didn't really consider my circumstances. 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:45.440 So I think I'm fine doing it. 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:48.640 Probably nobody else, but I think I can do it without it, you know, affecting. 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:51.920 We start to justify sin in that way. 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:54.799 Look at verse 11. 00:20:55.200 --> 00:21:05.440 So you two consider, so your translation may say, reckon or count yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:09.599 This is talking about our standing before God. 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:16.640 This is the attitude and mentality that God wants us to have: dead to sin and alive to God. 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:21.839 It says, consider yourself, reckon, count. 00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:32.720 And the idea here is that we come to a place where we come to terms in our own mind with the balance we have in our spiritual bank account with God. 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:40.400 That account in which God credited us with his righteousness, as we went over in Romans 4 9. 00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:51.759 That account in which God credited us, that righteousness, he imputed it, he gave it to us freely, that free gift that he gave us through faith. 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:59.599 This is us coming to that place of looking at that account and saying, Yeah, I have righteousness with. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:00.480 God. 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:02.720 I have the righteousness of God. 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:06.559 It's there, it's in the account in full. 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:08.000 I can see it. 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:12.480 And now the next step is we need to own it. 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:17.119 We need to own that righteousness that God has so freely given. 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:23.119 All of that is in that word consider right there in the beginning of that verse. 00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:33.440 So it says, So you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:39.440 It's saying, live your life dead to sin and alive to God and own it. 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:41.839 Claim it as your own. 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:46.240 It was deposited into your account for you by God. 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:50.640 But the question is, is that really how we see ourselves? 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:59.519 Or do we see ourselves as failures and as disappointments to God for whatever reason? 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:09.920 If your belief is in Jesus, your salvation is secure, and you can consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God. 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:15.119 Even though we're all going to fail on a daily basis. 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:18.559 But that's not who we are. 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:23.599 That doesn't define us when we fail. 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:29.519 Just as much as you can look at a bank statement and say, yeah, that's how much is in my account. 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:35.680 We can look at our spiritual account and say, I'm maxed out in righteousness. 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:41.119 Because it's not my righteousness, it's the righteousness that God has given to me. 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:44.240 So the question is, do you own that? 00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:47.839 And if you don't own that, why not? 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:52.480 Scripture tells us so clearly that that is what we own. 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:55.039 That that is what God has given to us. 00:23:55.200 --> 00:24:04.880 But sometimes I think we have such a hard time wrapping our brains around it and accepting that that is truly the standing that we have before God. 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:10.000 You know, when Jesus was baptized, what did God the Father say? 00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:15.599 He said, This is my son in whom I am well pleased. 00:24:15.839 --> 00:24:27.200 And if your life is now identified with Jesus' death, with his burial and his resurrection, if your life is now in Christ, you are now God's son or daughter. 00:24:27.519 --> 00:24:30.720 And in you, he is well pleased. 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:39.839 Now, in all honesty, I want each of you individually to think is that a statement that you can claim? 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:50.640 Is that a statement that you can live by, knowing that because of Jesus, not because of your own works, but because of Jesus, that in you God is well pleased. 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:57.119 Yeah, I talk to a lot of people on a daily basis, and I'll ask that question quite often. 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:00.559 And I'll ask that question in counseling often as well. 00:25:00.799 --> 00:25:08.400 Do you, you know, the person's a believer in Christ or a Christian, do you believe that in you Christ or God is well pleased? 00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:11.680 And so often I get the answer of, no, I don't. 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:15.359 Because of this failure and this sin and this failure and this sin and that, you know. 00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:23.680 It's like, no, in you, not because of your actions, not because of your works, not because of your sin or how great you are. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:33.759 In you, God is well pleased, just because of Jesus Christ and that righteousness that has been deposited into your account. 00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:36.880 Do you believe it though? 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:41.759 Right now, can you claim that, that in you, God is well pleased? 00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:46.400 I didn't realize that until way later in my walk with Christ. 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:49.440 I was probably in my 20s before I realized that. 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:55.519 And it took me years, honestly, before I could actually claim that and start to believe it myself. 00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:58.799 And so I want us all to start thinking that way. 00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:03.759 That in you, God is well pleased because of Jesus. 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:05.359 Verse 12. 00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:13.279 Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:15.519 So don't let it rain. 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:17.920 That means don't let it be king. 00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:22.640 Don't let it exercise authority or kingly power in your life. 00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:25.759 Don't let sin rain inside of you. 00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:31.839 You know, we're gonna have sin and temptation until these bodies are dead, like we already talked about. 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:34.640 But this is saying don't let it rain. 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:37.680 Don't let it be king, don't let it rule over you. 00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:42.880 Don't even let it have an advisory role in your life. 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:49.599 If your flesh tries to have a say, just remind your flesh that it's dead. 00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:54.720 When temptation comes, tell that sin that it doesn't rain anymore. 00:26:54.960 --> 00:27:03.680 Tell that sin that it has no power over you and that you are now alive in Jesus Christ, and you are now living to the glory of God. 00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:08.319 You know, since one sin once reigned in all of us. 00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:13.920 But Christ now reigns in everybody that has faith in him. 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:16.880 Verse 13. 00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:24.400 And do not offer any parts of it, referring to your body, to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. 00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:27.839 So allowing sin in our life is a tool. 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:31.680 Allowing that sin to come out or to have power in our life. 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:37.680 It's a weapon, an instrument that Satan can use for unrighteousness. 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:42.880 A weapon that Satan can use to cause havoc in our lives. 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:52.480 If you allow sin to have a place in your life, you better believe that it's going to be used not only to hurt you, but to hurt others as well. 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:59.920 Whether that sin is anger, jealousy, maybe it's fear and worry. 00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:04.240 You know, Satan wants to destroy your life with fear and worry. 00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:08.880 And I think he has a real foothold on our society right now with that. 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:11.759 Maybe for you that sin is lust. 00:28:12.079 --> 00:28:15.599 Maybe it's coveting something that God has not given you. 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:18.319 Maybe it's getting drunk. 00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:20.079 Maybe it's drugs. 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:20.720 Who knows? 00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:22.720 You get to fill in the blank here. 00:28:23.039 --> 00:28:35.920 But all of those things, all of those sins, going along with the theme we've been talking about the last couple weeks, those are all those fast-paced rivers that want to sweep you away. 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:40.960 And Satan wants to use as weapons of unrighteousness to kill you. 00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:45.920 And he wants to use all of those sins that we give ourselves over to against you. 00:28:46.079 --> 00:28:49.039 He wants to use them against the ones that you love the most. 00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:55.839 Wants to use those sins against everybody that we come in contact with and use those for weapons of unrighteousness. 00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:58.319 Look at the second half of verse 13. 00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:09.519 But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 00:29:09.759 --> 00:29:20.400 You know, a fully surrendered life to God, being that living sacrifice, means that God can then use you as a tool to bring about righteousness. 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:29.839 Not just in your life, but that righteousness is going to affect the others that you're around, just like the sin in your life affects the others that you're around as well. 00:29:30.079 --> 00:29:45.440 You know, the picture I see is of a battle in which you're fighting on sin's side, and you're in this hand-to-hand combat, and then you come to faith in Jesus Christ, and then you just turn around and you start fighting in the other direction. 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:51.359 You know, when we come to Christ, we just don't lay down those weapons of unrighteousness. 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:54.799 Then we get to start fighting for righteousness. 00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:56.640 And that should really be our prayer. 00:29:56.799 --> 00:30:05.039 Lord, make me an instrument, a weapon for your kingdom that you can use in your hands for acts of righteousness. 00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:10.559 You know, in Romans 12, we're going to see this all kind of come to a head here in a couple weeks. 00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:25.200 And Paul writes in Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. 00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:27.599 This is your true worship. 00:30:27.839 --> 00:30:30.240 You know, think of what a sacrifice is. 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:33.279 Especially an Old Testament sacrifice. 00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:39.759 It is a complete giving over of everything that this animal has, giving the life of this animal. 00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:42.160 And think of the sacrifice that Jesus gave. 00:30:42.400 --> 00:30:47.119 He gave his entirety, his whole life for us on the cross. 00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:58.559 And now we are called as believers in Christ to be a living sacrifice by also giving the entirety of our life over to God. 00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:10.160 Even though we're still alive, it's still a complete giving over of our life that God desires from each and every one of us. 00:31:10.559 --> 00:31:14.160 And I'm not talking about the one-time giving over in salvation. 00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:22.160 I'm talking about this daily giving over, this living sacrifice of our life for the purposes of God and his kingdom. 00:31:23.599 --> 00:31:31.920 So a question for each one of us, myself included, what is it that we aren't giving over to God? 00:31:32.880 --> 00:31:38.480 You know, maybe we're 98% surrendered if we're really mature in our faith. 00:31:39.519 --> 00:31:43.279 But there's 2% that we refuse to surrender to God. 00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:44.960 Maybe it's 49%. 00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:48.319 Sin still has the majority, you know. 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:49.680 Or maybe it's zero. 00:31:49.839 --> 00:31:52.079 You've never surrendered your life to Jesus. 00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:58.880 But a sacrifice is a hundred percent giving over of everything that we have to God. 00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:05.440 That means that we no longer live for ourselves, but we live completely for God. 00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:08.400 As if our old man is dead. 00:32:08.880 --> 00:32:10.079 Because it is. 00:32:11.119 --> 00:32:12.400 Verse 14. 00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:19.519 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law, but under grace. 00:32:20.400 --> 00:32:21.440 Under grace. 00:32:21.599 --> 00:32:25.519 We're free from the slavery of sin. 00:32:26.240 --> 00:32:28.640 The sin that once dominated our life. 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:33.039 And if you're sitting here thinking, you know, it sure seems like I'm enslaved to sin. 00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:35.680 I don't want to be, but it seems like I'm enslaved to it. 00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:40.000 And it doesn't seem like your sin is dead to you, as it says here. 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:46.000 I want to encourage you to just continue to surrender it all to Jesus. 00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:50.799 I want to encourage you to stop trying to do this on your own. 00:32:50.960 --> 00:32:54.400 It's not about our performance, it's not about trying harder. 00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:58.640 It's about our right standing with God through His grace. 00:32:59.119 --> 00:33:07.279 You will only experience victory when you allow the Holy Spirit to deny your flesh and to beat it back into submission. 00:33:07.680 --> 00:33:12.880 And believe me, that's the only way you will ever experience victory over sin. 00:33:13.039 --> 00:33:17.119 It's never going to happen because you're white-knuckling it or because you're trying harder. 00:33:17.279 --> 00:33:24.400 It's a deeper surrender to God, a deeper surrender to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to live in and through you. 00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:30.000 And it's all through the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:32.960 And I want to leave you with this verse. 00:33:33.200 --> 00:33:34.240 I'll read it to you. 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:37.039 Ephesians 4, verses 22 through 24. 00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:57.839 It says, Take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God's likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. 00:33:58.079 --> 00:34:04.400 Again, this has to do with our right standing before God and believing it in our minds. 00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:07.279 You know, it says, take off the former. 00:34:07.519 --> 00:34:09.280 It's no longer our identity. 00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:13.119 It says, be renewed in the spirit of your minds. 00:34:13.280 --> 00:34:16.960 And it says, put on the new self. 00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:19.599 And I want you to think about those three things. 00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:22.079 Those are all mental exercises. 00:34:23.039 --> 00:34:24.559 Take off the former. 00:34:24.800 --> 00:34:26.880 Be renewed in the spirit of your minds. 00:34:27.199 --> 00:34:29.280 Put on the new self. 00:34:29.440 --> 00:34:31.599 This is anything we can do physically. 00:34:31.760 --> 00:34:33.840 These are mental exercises. 00:34:34.320 --> 00:34:37.920 Believing who we now are in Jesus Christ. 00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:46.480 All going back to verse 11 in our text this morning, saying, considering ourselves dead to sin and alive to God. 00:34:46.880 --> 00:34:50.480 That's the mental state that God wants us to live in. 00:34:50.639 --> 00:35:01.440 Not in guilt, not in fear, but in the actuality that God is pleased with us because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. 00:35:01.760 --> 00:35:05.039 And now we just need to start acting like it. 00:35:05.280 --> 00:35:07.519 We need to start believing that. 00:35:07.760 --> 00:35:16.800 We need to start owning that fact of our actual standing before the Almighty God of the universe. 00:35:17.039 --> 00:35:19.599 And with us, He is well pleased. 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:21.199 Let's pray. 00:35:21.840 --> 00:35:24.480 Lord, I thank you for your word. 00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:32.639