Good Gifts: New Freedom Romans 6:1-14 (Romans #12)
Military strategy – diversionary tactic = shift focus from what should be priority
1. Lots of focus on global & national – we will focus on personal today
2. There are not many things you are responsible for, but you are responsible for you.
3. There’s a lot you cannot change, but you can change.
God’s Grace is Really Gracious
Romans 1:7 To all those…who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 4:5-8 to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
Romans 5:1-2 since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice…
Romans 6:20-21 where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign…
Is God Too Gracious?
Romans 6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Translations: “God forbid”; “Absolutely not”; “Of course not!”; “No”; “That’s unthinkable”
# 1 NO RULES -Just keep sinning (Free Grace, carnal XN = no life change)
- antinomianism – against nomos/law (Greek)
= Adultery conversation
#2 RULES – Holiness codes
· Pentecostal – Wesleyan, Methodist, Nazarene, AG
· Anabaptists – Menonite, Quaker, Brethren
· Fundamentalists/Separate from world
= NO cards, movies, women pants, alcohol, secular music, tattoos, makeup) ETC
#3 RELATIONSHIP – Change out of love for Jesus & power of Holy Spirit
= Primary motivation is not fear of what God will do to you, but love for what God has done for you
God Works For You: Justification
Romans 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
You & Christ are Now Supernaturally Connected
- Jesus life is your life
- Jesus death is your death
- Jesus resurrection victory is your victory
- Jesus walk with you is your walk with Him in “newness of life”
2 Kinds of Baptisms
- Spirit baptism @ conversion (internal God sees) – private connection
?Have Spirit? Romans 8 – you’ve changed, now hate sin & love Jesus
- Water baptism (external others see) – public confession
= Next weekend all services baptisms
2 Lessons from Baptism
1. Death – the old you is buried!
-We were dead to Christ & alive to sin. Now we are dead to sin & alive to Christ.
= A Christian is not buried, they are planted “sown”
= A seed has the potential of life but has to die to itself to bring forth a living plant
2. Cleansing – the new you is rclean!
= No longer dirty. God’s people wear white (worship, wedding Supper Lamb)
God Works In You: Regeneration
Romans 6:5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 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. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
1. Your old self joined Adam in death, your new self joins Jesus in new life (Rom. 5)
2. You are set free from sin, and set free to God
3. The Holy Spirit grafted your dying branch into Jesus living vine
4. You are not yet perfect, but you are new, & you will be perfect
5. God’s grace: 1. forgives you 2. changes nature 3. changes desires 4. Spirit’s power
6. Because you love Jesus the most, you hate sin because it killed the One you love
7. Because Jesus died for your sin, you can put your sin to death
8. Because you are changed you can change
9. Because Jesus lives, you can live for/with Jesus
10. In this life you will not be perfect, but you will make progress
11. You are not saved by your good works, but you are saved to your good works
12. A sinning Christian is a miserable person
13. Your relationship with God is what matters most to you
God Works Through You: Sanctification
Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
“let…reign” = surrender
“instruments” = weapons of war
- War Against God: You surrender to sin & war against God
- Worship God: You surrender to God & war against sin
“present yourselves to God…& your members to God as instruments for righteousness”
- Mind – be transformed
- Eyes – look up to God
- Ears – hear what HS is saying
- Mouth – sing
- Heart – love God & others
- Hands – clap & worship
- Feet – march off to war