Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / Romans 6:12-14

Transcript

Romans 6:12-14 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
Our text this morning is Romans chapter 6, 12 through 14.
0:06
I'm going to start reading in verse 11.
0:12
God's Word says,
0:13
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
0:23
! Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions.
0:30
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness,
0:34
but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life.
0:39
And your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
0:44
For sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law, but under grace.
0:50
Let's pray together.
0:54
Fathers, we've just sung, I need Thee every hour.
1:00
I need You this moment to guide the words that are spoken,
1:05
to guide the hearing of those words.
1:10
May the words that are spoken be Your words this morning.
1:17
As John the Baptist said,
1:20
I must decrease so that He may increase.
1:23
I pray that this morning.
1:25
That I decrease so that Christ can increase in our meeting.
1:29
So that we can see Christ.
1:32
See who He is.
1:33
See what He's done.
1:35
See how He loves us, cares for us, and has changed our lives.
1:41
We thank You for Christ.
1:42
We thank You for this great privilege to meet together.
1:45
Father, Spirit, I ask that You continue to move in the hearts of those here.
1:52
That You would penetrate the hardest of hearts.
1:55
Soften those hearts to be receptive to Your Word.
1:58
That You would convict the stubbornness, or most stubborn hearts,
2:03
that repentance can be acted out.
2:12
Let us leave here different because Your Spirit moved,
2:15
You worked, and we learned about You.
2:19
In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
2:22
Be seated.
2:22
Be seated.
2:27
So if this is your first time,
2:30
we are going through the book of Romans.
2:33
Verse by verse.
2:35
And as a quick review,
2:38
chapter 1 and 2 is about the illness,
2:45
or the problem with mankind,
2:48
whether you're Jewish or not,
2:50
and that is sin.
2:51
We are dead in sin.
2:54
We are totally dead.
2:56
Not just a little dead.
2:57
We don't need a band-aid.
2:59
We don't need some magic potion or serum.
3:02
We are dead.
3:04
We need a miracle.
3:05
We need God to work on our behalf.
3:08
Chapter 3 kind of sums up 1 and 2 in saying that no one is righteous.
3:14
No, not one.
3:15
No one does good apart from God.
3:18
Chapter 4 gives us the way in which those of us who are dead can be alive.
3:24
That is by faith.
3:25
We are justified by faith alone.
3:28
That faith is an act or a gift from God.
3:33
No religious activity can earn that faith,
3:36
can make that faith.
3:38
No good deed or nice to your neighbor can earn that faith.
3:44
It is completely by God's act.
3:46
Chapter 5,
3:50
as our standing with God changes because of the faith,
3:53
because of being justified by faith.
3:56
We are no longer enemies with God.
3:58
We are now at peace with God.
4:00
Verse 1,
4:01
and that peace
4:01
is good.
4:06
That peace
4:06
is
4:08
what only God
4:10
can do.
4:12
As I've said before,
4:13
we cannot earn that peace.
4:14
We cannot say,
4:15
God,
4:16
I will just stop being your enemy
4:18
because
4:18
what makes us an enemy
4:20
is inside of us.
4:22
It is what makes us who we are.
4:24
It is what we are born into.
4:26
It is God's act that gives us peace.
4:29
It is what Christ has done on the cross for us.
4:32
Later in chapter 5,
4:34
Paul compares
4:35
Adam to Christ.
4:38
Basically,
4:39
gives you the question,
4:40
gives us the question,
4:41
do you belong to Adam?
4:43
The lineage of sin?
4:45
Do you belong to Adam
4:46
or do you belong to Jesus?
4:48
Which gives us life.
4:51
And that's the question I end with.
4:54
Do you belong to Jesus
4:56
or do you belong to Adam?
4:57
Are you a child of God
4:58
or are you a child of the world?
5:02
Last week,
5:02
we talked about
5:03
God's radical grace.
5:06
This radical grace
5:07
that is radical enough
5:08
to kill us.
5:10
To kill that sin inside of us.
5:13
And it's radical enough
5:14
to give us life.
5:16
To make us new.
5:19
So that's kind of where we are.
5:21
Where we're moving forward.
5:23
This week,
5:23
we kind of get the action.
5:25
What are we doing
5:26
since we are dead to sin?
5:29
How do we live?
5:31
In 1941,
5:32
the U.S. national debt
5:34
was $48 billion.
5:38
Manageable numbers
5:38
compared to our debt this year.
5:40
In 1945,
5:43
it rose to $247 billion.
5:47
The U.S. spent more money
5:49
in four years of World War II
5:51
than it had in the first
5:52
150 years of its existence.
5:56
The cost of war is great.
6:00
World War II to this day
6:02
remains the most expensive war
6:03
the U.S. has ever fought.
6:05
418,000 men lost their lives
6:09
fighting in World War II.
6:12
U.S. men.
6:14
There was great cost in war.
6:17
Now, it's the same for us spiritually.
6:20
We too are in a war.
6:22
We fight for our own lives
6:25
to live without sin.
6:27
We fight for those around us
6:29
having the courage
6:30
to live out the Gospel
6:31
in front of them.
6:32
In this text,
6:34
there is a wartime feel,
6:36
wartime language.
6:38
It speaks of good versus evil.
6:40
And we're right in the middle of it.
6:42
We are at war,
6:44
and war is costly.
6:46
When you and I become Christians,
6:48
it costs us nothing.
6:50
It's all by grace.
6:51
It's all the work
6:53
of Jesus Christ on the cross.
6:55
It is by grace.
6:56
He paid the price.
6:57
But,
6:58
to live as a Christian,
7:01
to live out in the Christian life,
7:03
costs us everything.
7:06
It costs us everything.
7:08
This morning,
7:09
God's radical grace
7:10
is costly.
7:13
So let's dig in.
7:15
First of all,
7:16
it costs the Christian
7:17
their allegiance.
7:20
It costs the Christian
7:21
their allegiance.
7:23
Verse 13 says,
7:24
Do not present your members
7:25
to sin as instruments
7:27
of unrighteousness,
7:28
but present yourselves
7:30
to God
7:30
as those who have been brought
7:32
from death to life,
7:34
and your members
7:35
to God
7:35
as instruments
7:36
for righteousness.
7:38
Now,
7:38
when we give allegiance
7:39
to someone
7:40
or something,
7:41
we are committing
7:42
to follow and serve
7:43
that person
7:43
no matter what.
7:46
But even before
7:47
anything is even asked
7:48
of us,
7:49
we commit ourselves
7:51
and we must make
7:53
a choice
7:53
who we're going
7:54
to serve.
7:55
Who are we going
7:55
to give that allegiance
7:56
to?
7:58
Is it going to be sin
7:59
based on our text?
8:02
Is it going to be sin
8:03
where then our body
8:04
is used for unrighteousness?
8:06
Our members
8:06
are used for unrighteousness?
8:08
Or will it be to God
8:09
where our body
8:11
is used
8:12
as instruments
8:13
for righteousness?
8:16
These are the questions.
8:18
This is the questions
8:18
that we need to be asking
8:19
ourselves
8:20
based on our text.
8:21
Now,
8:22
the word present
8:22
here in our text
8:24
is not an offering
8:26
or a yield
8:28
in a passive way.
8:29
It's not,
8:29
okay,
8:30
here it is.
8:31
I present this gift
8:32
to you.
8:33
It's not that.
8:35
The language
8:35
is much stronger
8:37
than that.
8:37
It's more like
8:38
I give in service
8:39
to.
8:40
Like war.
8:41
I give in service
8:42
to fight.
8:43
I give in service
8:44
to go into battle
8:45
for you.
8:46
You are giving
8:47
your loyalty
8:48
as a subordinate
8:51
to a superior.
8:53
So for us
8:54
as Christians,
8:55
we're giving
8:56
our loyalty
8:58
to God
8:59
and it puts
8:59
everything in
9:00
proper order.
9:01
So what we have
9:02
is we have
9:03
creator,
9:04
creation.
9:05
Man,
9:05
God.
9:06
This is a proper
9:07
order of way
9:08
that things should be.
9:10
Adam and Eve
9:10
in the garden
9:11
had it the other
9:11
way around.
9:13
Remember,
9:13
they were deceived
9:14
to think that they
9:15
could become
9:15
like God.
9:17
Man,
9:18
God,
9:19
not God,
9:20
man.
9:22
See,
9:22
when we pledge
9:23
our allegiance
9:24
to God,
9:26
then we put
9:26
things in
9:27
proper order.
9:28
And this is
9:28
important.
9:30
We must,
9:31
we must,
9:31
must,
9:32
must,
9:32
as Christians,
9:33
we bear His
9:33
name,
9:34
we must put
9:36
ourselves under
9:37
the authority
9:38
of God
9:38
and His
9:39
ruling.
9:40
And the
9:41
gospel,
9:42
the truth
9:43
about Jesus
9:43
Christ,
9:44
the good
9:44
news is
9:45
what empowers
9:46
us to do
9:46
that.
9:48
The gospel
9:49
tells us
9:49
who we
9:50
were.
9:51
Romans
9:51
chapter 1,
9:52
2,
9:52
and 3.
9:53
We were
9:53
dead in
9:54
our sins.
9:55
There was
9:55
nothing good
9:55
in us.
9:56
We could
9:56
not achieve
9:57
righteousness.
9:59
It shows
9:59
us what
10:00
we deserve.
10:01
We deserve
10:02
death.
10:03
We deserve
10:03
damnation.
10:04
Our sin
10:05
deserves a
10:06
punishment.
10:07
It reveals
10:08
to us what
10:08
God has done
10:09
through Christ's
10:10
life,
10:11
death,
10:11
and
10:11
resurrection.
10:12
which is
10:13
He has
10:15
made us
10:15
righteous.
10:17
He has
10:18
given us
10:18
His
10:19
righteousness
10:19
and taken
10:20
from us
10:20
our sin.
10:23
And then
10:24
finally,
10:24
the gospel
10:25
compels us
10:25
to give
10:26
our allegiance
10:26
to God.
10:28
Or at least
10:29
it should.
10:30
And there's
10:31
where the
10:31
rubber meets
10:32
the road.
10:34
The gospel
10:34
isn't just
10:35
a one-time
10:36
decision
10:37
made for
10:38
the unbeliever.
10:39
And then
10:39
once you
10:40
become a
10:40
Christian,
10:40
there's no
10:41
need for
10:42
it.
10:42
That's
10:42
not the
10:43
gospel.
10:43
The gospel
10:44
is the
10:45
fuel of
10:46
the
10:46
Christian
10:46
life.
10:47
It is
10:47
what
10:47
fuels
10:48
us
10:48
and
10:48
empowers
10:49
us to
10:49
keep
10:49
going.
10:50
And it
10:51
is what
10:51
compels
10:52
us to
10:52
surrender
10:53
our
10:53
allegiance
10:53
to God
10:54
and not
10:55
to sin.
10:58
The beginning
10:59
of verse 13
11:00
says,
11:00
do not
11:00
present your
11:01
members.
11:02
This is
11:03
not a
11:03
one-time
11:04
thing.
11:05
This is
11:05
a lifelong
11:06
action.
11:09
Continuous
11:09
action.
11:10
I wish
11:12
it was a
11:12
one-time
11:12
thing.
11:13
That would
11:13
be so
11:14
much
11:14
easier.
11:16
So many
11:16
less
11:16
struggles,
11:17
but that's
11:17
not what
11:18
it says.
11:21
Our
11:21
allegiance is
11:22
worth fighting
11:23
for.
11:24
We must
11:25
make a
11:25
decision.
11:27
And that
11:27
decision is
11:28
whether or not
11:29
we're going to
11:30
give to the
11:31
enemy or
11:32
give to
11:33
God.
11:33
God.
11:34
In a
11:35
speech before
11:36
the Battle
11:36
of Long
11:37
Island in
11:37
1776,
11:39
George
11:39
Washington
11:40
said,
11:41
the fate
11:42
of unborn
11:43
millions will
11:45
now depend
11:45
under God
11:46
on the
11:47
courage and
11:48
conduct of
11:49
the army.
11:51
Our cruel
11:52
and unrelenting
11:53
enemy leaves
11:54
us only the
11:55
choice of
11:56
brave resistance
11:57
or the
11:58
most abject
11:59
submission.
12:02
We have
12:03
therefore to
12:04
resolve to
12:04
conquer or
12:06
die.
12:08
Our
12:08
enemy,
12:10
our enemy
12:11
is not
12:12
terrorism.
12:13
It is not
12:14
Iran.
12:14
It is not
12:15
North Korea.
12:16
It is not
12:16
the crazy
12:17
kooks up in
12:18
the mountains
12:18
somewhere
12:19
hoarding
12:19
weapons.
12:21
Our
12:22
enemy is
12:23
sin and
12:25
it is cruel
12:25
and unrelenting.
12:27
And we
12:28
must be
12:28
brave and
12:29
unrelenting
12:30
in our
12:30
allegiance to
12:31
God.
12:33
God has
12:35
already
12:35
defeated
12:35
that sin.
12:38
Our
12:38
enemy is
12:39
cruel and
12:40
unrelenting
12:40
and it
12:41
will tell
12:41
you anything
12:42
to gain
12:43
your
12:43
allegiance.
12:45
It will
12:45
tell you
12:46
anything.
12:47
John 8
12:48
says that the
12:48
devil is a
12:49
liar and the
12:49
father of
12:50
lies.
12:51
He is the
12:51
owner of
12:54
sin.
12:56
He lies
12:57
sin.
12:58
So that
12:59
we can
12:59
give our
13:00
allegiance to
13:01
the enemy.
13:04
Jesus has
13:05
already fought
13:06
the fight
13:06
and he
13:06
has won.
13:08
He has
13:09
already fought
13:10
the fight.
13:11
We must
13:11
now live
13:12
like it.
13:15
Live like
13:16
we have
13:16
been brought
13:17
from death
13:18
to life
13:18
as our
13:19
text says.
13:20
live.
13:23
Jesus made
13:23
that possible
13:24
for us
13:25
because we
13:25
have been
13:26
brought from
13:27
death to
13:28
life.
13:28
He makes
13:28
it possible.
13:29
He it
13:29
is.
13:30
He empowers
13:32
us over
13:33
the enemy.
13:33
to give
13:37
your allegiance
13:37
to God
13:38
isn't a
13:39
fatal move.
13:40
It's not
13:40
this passive
13:41
okay God
13:43
I'm yours.
13:44
No.
13:45
There's a
13:45
fight to be
13:46
had.
13:47
There's a
13:48
battle to
13:48
be won.
13:49
It's a
13:50
decision with
13:51
action.
13:52
Look at
13:53
verse 16
13:53
of chapter
13:54
4.
13:54
Looking
13:54
ahead just
13:55
a little
13:55
bit.
13:57
Verse 16
13:58
says do
13:59
you not
13:59
know that
14:00
if you
14:00
present
14:00
yourselves
14:01
to anyone
14:01
as obedient
14:02
slaves you
14:03
are slaves
14:04
of the
14:04
one whom
14:05
you obey
14:05
either of
14:06
sin which
14:07
leads to
14:07
death or
14:08
of obedience
14:09
which leads
14:09
to righteousness.
14:12
There's no
14:12
neutral ground.
14:14
You are
14:14
one or
14:15
the other.
14:15
You are
14:16
on one
14:16
side or
14:17
the other.
14:20
We must
14:21
make our
14:21
decision based
14:22
on what
14:22
God has
14:23
done.
14:24
And not
14:25
what we
14:25
can do.
14:27
Not what
14:27
we think
14:28
we can do
14:29
or what
14:29
we have
14:29
done.
14:30
See when
14:31
we do
14:31
that when
14:31
we base
14:32
our decision
14:32
and we
14:33
make our
14:33
decision
14:33
of who
14:34
we're
14:34
going to
14:35
give our
14:35
allegiance
14:35
to based
14:36
on what
14:36
we do.
14:38
And there's
14:38
only two
14:39
outcomes.
14:40
Those outcomes
14:40
are either
14:40
moralism or
14:41
legalism.
14:43
Moralism,
14:44
the idea
14:44
that we
14:45
can be
14:46
holy and
14:47
do acts
14:48
of righteousness
14:48
as verse
14:49
13 says,
14:50
just by
14:50
doing them,
14:52
just by
14:52
being good,
14:53
just by
14:53
not cursing
14:56
or just by
14:56
loving our
14:57
neighbor,
14:58
being a
14:59
good person.
15:01
Holiness
15:02
does not
15:02
come from
15:03
what we
15:03
do.
15:04
Okay?
15:05
Does not
15:05
come from
15:06
what we
15:07
do.
15:08
The other
15:08
side of
15:08
it is
15:09
legalism.
15:11
The idea
15:11
that if we
15:12
follow rules
15:12
and if we
15:13
make rules
15:14
to live by,
15:16
then that
15:17
will make
15:17
us holy.
15:18
If we just
15:18
make a list
15:20
and check
15:20
them off.
15:21
I've done
15:21
this and
15:22
I've done
15:22
this and
15:22
I've done
15:22
this.
15:24
If I stay
15:25
away from
15:25
this sin,
15:26
then I
15:27
won't cross
15:28
that line
15:29
and do
15:29
that sin,
15:30
so I'm
15:30
just
15:30
going
15:30
to step
15:31
further
15:31
back.
15:36
It does
15:37
not lead
15:37
to holiness
15:38
either.
15:40
Both
15:41
are a
15:42
deception
15:42
of sin
15:43
and the
15:44
evidence
15:45
that your
15:46
members,
15:47
your body
15:47
has been
15:48
used for
15:49
unrighteousness.
15:51
So the way
15:51
you defeat
15:52
both of
15:53
these tendencies,
15:54
the way you
15:55
don't fall
15:55
off one
15:56
side or
15:56
the other
15:57
is by
15:58
being who
15:59
you are.
16:01
Or another
16:01
way to put
16:02
it,
16:02
become who
16:03
you are
16:03
becoming.
16:05
In other
16:05
words,
16:06
you have
16:06
been brought
16:07
from death
16:08
to life.
16:10
Now live
16:10
like it.
16:13
That's
16:13
where the
16:14
rubber meets
16:15
the road.
16:16
You have
16:16
been brought
16:17
from death
16:17
to life.
16:19
Now live
16:19
like it.
16:21
It's the
16:21
indicative
16:22
of what God
16:23
has done
16:23
and who
16:24
we are
16:24
in Christ
16:25
followed
16:27
by the
16:28
imperative.
16:28
What we
16:29
should do.
16:30
What should
16:30
we be
16:30
like?
16:31
How we
16:31
should
16:31
live.
16:33
When we
16:34
think about
16:35
what Jesus
16:35
did and
16:37
who we
16:37
are now,
16:38
that we
16:38
are made
16:39
righteous,
16:39
we are
16:40
standing
16:40
before God
16:41
righteous
16:41
because of
16:42
the blood
16:42
of Jesus
16:43
Christ,
16:44
we should
16:45
be compelled
16:46
to place
16:46
our allegiance
16:47
to God
16:47
and not
16:48
to sin.
16:49
Place our
16:50
allegiance
16:50
to God
16:51
because of
16:51
what He
16:51
has done
16:52
for us.
16:55
Galatians
16:56
5.16
16:56
says,
16:57
walk by
16:59
the Spirit
16:59
and you
17:00
will not
17:00
gratify the
17:01
desires of
17:02
the flesh.
17:02
Now if you're
17:03
in Galatians
17:03
chapter 5,
17:04
you look a
17:04
little further
17:05
down and
17:05
you get
17:05
the list.
17:07
Not an
17:07
exhaustive
17:08
list,
17:08
but you
17:09
look through
17:09
that list
17:09
and you
17:10
go,
17:10
yep,
17:10
yep,
17:11
yep,
17:11
I got
17:11
that.
17:12
I see
17:12
that.
17:13
The list
17:14
of the
17:14
fruits of
17:15
the flesh.
17:17
If you
17:17
don't want
17:18
to gratify
17:19
the desires
17:19
of the
17:20
flesh,
17:20
if you
17:21
have a
17:21
sincere,
17:22
convicting
17:23
desire to
17:23
not sin,
17:24
and walk
17:25
by the
17:26
Spirit.
17:29
But,
17:30
we cannot
17:31
walk by the
17:32
Spirit without
17:33
allegiance to
17:34
God.
17:35
You cannot
17:35
walk by the
17:37
Spirit without
17:37
being in
17:38
service to
17:39
God.
17:40
If you're in
17:40
service to
17:41
sin,
17:43
you cannot
17:43
walk by the
17:44
Spirit.
17:44
There is
17:46
sin.
17:47
There is
17:48
no
17:49
neutral
17:50
stance.
17:52
You're
17:52
one side
17:52
or the
17:53
other.
17:53
God
17:54
or sin.
17:59
So,
18:00
verse 13
18:01
says,
18:01
do not
18:02
present your
18:03
members to
18:03
sin as
18:04
instruments for
18:05
unrighteousness,
18:05
but present
18:06
yourselves to
18:07
God as
18:08
those who
18:08
have been
18:08
brought from
18:09
death to
18:10
life,
18:11
and your
18:12
members to
18:12
God as
18:13
instruments
18:13
for
18:14
righteousness.
18:15
not only
18:16
does God's
18:17
grace cost
18:18
the Christian
18:18
their
18:18
allegiance,
18:20
it also
18:20
costs the
18:21
Christian
18:22
their
18:22
obedience.
18:25
Verse 12
18:26
says,
18:26
let not
18:27
sin therefore
18:27
reign in
18:28
your mortal
18:29
body to
18:30
make you
18:30
obey its
18:31
passions.
18:33
Therefore,
18:34
it connects
18:34
us to what
18:35
has been
18:35
previously
18:36
said.
18:37
In other
18:37
words,
18:38
since you
18:38
are dead
18:39
to sin
18:40
and alive
18:41
to God,
18:41
since you
18:42
have been
18:42
brought from
18:42
death to
18:43
life,
18:44
do not
18:46
let sin
18:47
reign.
18:49
And the
18:50
only way that
18:50
happens is if
18:51
you are a
18:52
Christian,
18:52
if you love
18:53
Jesus and
18:53
He is your
18:54
Lord,
18:55
can you
18:55
not let
18:56
sin
18:56
reign?
19:00
You have
19:01
died to
19:02
sin.
19:03
When Jesus
19:03
died on the
19:04
cross,
19:06
He paid
19:06
the price.
19:08
He paid
19:08
the price
19:09
for us.
19:10
And in so
19:11
doing,
19:11
He took
19:11
on our
19:12
sin and
19:13
gave us
19:13
His
19:14
righteousness.
19:15
That
19:15
righteousness
19:16
makes it
19:16
possible to
19:17
live as
19:18
if we
19:19
are dead
19:20
to sin.
19:21
That
19:21
righteousness
19:21
is also
19:22
how we
19:23
can approach
19:24
the throne
19:24
room with
19:25
boldness
19:25
and confidence
19:26
because it's
19:27
nothing of
19:28
our doing,
19:28
it's all
19:29
of Christ's
19:30
doing.
19:32
So Hebrews
19:32
4 and
19:33
Hebrews 10
19:33
tells us,
19:35
approach with
19:35
confidence.
19:38
Verse 12
19:39
of Romans
19:40
chapter 6,
19:40
let not sin
19:41
therefore
19:42
reign.
19:43
It's
19:43
actually
19:44
connected
19:44
to
19:44
verse 14.
19:47
Verse 12
19:48
without
19:48
verse 14
19:49
is like
19:50
telling somebody
19:50
who's
19:51
drowning,
19:52
just swim
19:52
to the
19:52
shore.
19:53
It
19:54
doesn't
19:54
help
19:54
them.
19:55
If
19:55
somebody
19:55
is
19:55
drowning,
19:56
you have
19:57
to get
19:57
in and
19:57
help
19:58
them.
19:58
You have
19:58
to throw
19:59
them
19:59
something.
20:00
You have
20:00
to do
20:01
something
20:01
to help
20:02
them.
20:02
You
20:02
can't
20:02
just
20:03
say,
20:03
man,
20:04
you're
20:04
drowning,
20:04
just swim
20:05
over to
20:05
the shore.
20:05
It's
20:05
right
20:06
there.
20:07
Ten
20:07
yards,
20:08
you got
20:08
it.
20:09
That
20:09
doesn't
20:10
help
20:10
them.
20:11
Verse 12
20:12
without
20:12
verse 14
20:13
is the
20:14
same way.
20:15
Look at
20:15
verse 14.
20:18
For sin
20:18
will have
20:20
no dominion
20:21
over you.
20:22
Verse 12,
20:23
let not
20:25
sin
20:25
therefore
20:25
reign
20:26
in your
20:26
mortal
20:27
bodies.
20:30
I said
20:30
last week
20:31
that sin
20:32
is a
20:32
choice.
20:33
Sin
20:33
is
20:34
voluntary.
20:35
Voluntary.
20:37
We choose
20:37
to sin.
20:38
We choose
20:39
to give
20:39
sin
20:40
power.
20:42
Verse 12,
20:43
let not
20:43
sin
20:44
therefore
20:44
reign
20:45
in your
20:45
mortal
20:46
body
20:46
because
20:47
sin
20:48
will have
20:49
no
20:49
dominion
20:49
over
20:50
you.
20:53
For us,
20:55
without
20:55
verse 14,
20:57
verse 12
20:58
is useless.
21:00
Without
21:00
verse 14
21:01
being dead
21:02
to sin
21:02
and knowing
21:03
that it
21:03
has no
21:04
dominion
21:04
over us,
21:05
verse 12
21:06
does not
21:07
help.
21:11
God's
21:12
grace
21:12
costs you
21:13
and me
21:13
our
21:14
obedience.
21:16
Look at
21:17
the last
21:17
part of
21:18
verse 12.
21:20
To make
21:21
you obey
21:22
its
21:23
passions.
21:24
We will
21:25
obey
21:25
one
21:25
or the
21:26
other,
21:26
but only
21:27
one.
21:31
We are
21:31
at war
21:32
and you
21:33
cannot
21:33
fight
21:34
both
21:34
sides.
21:37
There's
21:37
no
21:38
secret
21:38
spies.
21:39
There's
21:39
no
21:39
double
21:40
agents.
21:41
You
21:41
can't
21:41
do it.
21:43
It's
21:43
black and
21:43
white here.
21:46
The battle
21:46
is a
21:47
spiritual
21:47
battle
21:48
that is
21:48
fought
21:48
and won
21:50
or lost
21:51
on the
21:51
daily
21:52
decisions
21:52
you and
21:53
I make
21:53
and how
21:54
we're
21:54
going to
21:54
use
21:54
our
21:55
body.
21:56
How
21:56
are we
21:56
going to
21:57
do
21:57
action?
22:00
If I
22:00
told
22:00
Britain,
22:02
my
22:03
beautiful
22:03
Britain,
22:04
if I
22:04
told her,
22:04
Britain,
22:04
go clean
22:05
your room,
22:06
and 30
22:07
minutes later,
22:08
she comes
22:09
back and I
22:09
said,
22:09
Britain,
22:09
did you
22:10
clean your
22:10
room?
22:11
And she
22:11
says,
22:12
no,
22:13
but dad,
22:14
I thought
22:14
a whole
22:15
lot about
22:16
what you
22:16
said.
22:17
I
22:17
memorized
22:18
what you
22:19
said.
22:22
Britain,
22:23
go back
22:24
to your
22:25
room and
22:25
clean your
22:26
room.
22:28
30
22:29
minutes later,
22:29
she comes
22:30
back.
22:30
I said,
22:30
Britain,
22:31
did you
22:31
clean your
22:31
room?
22:32
She
22:32
says,
22:33
no,
22:34
but dad,
22:35
I thought
22:36
about it a
22:36
lot.
22:37
I thought
22:38
about what
22:38
you said.
22:39
I looked
22:40
up in the
22:40
Greek what
22:41
you meant
22:41
to say,
22:42
what it
22:43
really
22:43
means.
22:43
that's not
22:46
obedience,
22:47
is it?
22:47
That's
22:48
disobedience.
22:48
That's
22:48
straight sin.
22:50
Good
22:50
intentions,
22:51
maybe.
22:52
Good
22:52
thinking,
22:53
but that's
22:54
not
22:54
obedience.
23:02
It's the
23:02
same for
23:03
us.
23:04
The same
23:04
for us
23:05
as we
23:05
know
23:06
what God
23:07
has
23:07
commanded
23:09
us to
23:09
do,
23:09
and yet
23:10
we don't
23:10
do it.
23:12
God,
23:13
I've
23:14
memorized
23:14
half of
23:15
Romans.
23:18
Okay,
23:18
but have
23:19
you lived
23:19
it out?
23:20
Did you
23:20
clean your
23:21
room?
23:22
Did you
23:22
put things
23:23
away?
23:25
God,
23:25
I know
23:26
exactly what
23:27
verses 12
23:28
through 14
23:28
means in
23:29
the Greek,
23:29
what it's
23:30
saying.
23:30
I know
23:31
the tenses
23:32
of the
23:32
words,
23:33
and I've
23:34
actually
23:34
memorized
23:35
it in
23:35
Greek.
23:36
And I
23:36
can tell
23:37
you the
23:37
Greek
23:37
alphabet,
23:38
and I
23:38
can tell
23:38
you the
23:39
Hebrew,
23:39
and God,
23:40
I'm doing
23:41
a lot
23:41
for you.
23:43
Are you
23:44
living out
23:45
my words
23:47
to you?
23:50
That's
23:50
where the
23:51
rubber meets
23:51
the road.
23:53
See,
23:53
we are at
23:54
war.
23:55
We are in
23:55
a battle.
23:56
And the
23:57
question to
23:57
you,
23:59
and to
23:59
me,
24:01
is are we
24:01
willing to
24:02
pay the
24:02
price of
24:03
obedience
24:03
to God?
24:06
Are we
24:07
just going
24:07
to skip
24:07
out on
24:08
obeying
24:08
Him and
24:08
continue
24:09
in sin?
24:09
God's
24:13
grace
24:13
costs us
24:14
our
24:15
obedience.
24:16
When Jesus
24:16
called His
24:17
disciples in
24:18
Matthew 4,
24:19
what does
24:19
He say?
24:20
He says,
24:20
follow Me
24:21
and I
24:21
will make
24:22
you fishers
24:22
of men.
24:24
I'm pretty
24:24
sure that
24:25
follow is
24:25
a verb.
24:26
There is
24:27
action there.
24:29
And He
24:29
doesn't give
24:30
them,
24:31
follow Me
24:32
and I'll
24:33
do this
24:33
for you
24:34
and it'll
24:34
be happy
24:35
and it'll
24:36
be great
24:36
and you'll
24:36
do a lot
24:37
of things.
24:37
He doesn't
24:37
really give
24:38
them a lot
24:38
of information.
24:40
He doesn't
24:40
give them
24:41
the core
24:42
syllabus
24:42
of what's
24:43
going to
24:43
turn out.
24:47
The
24:48
disciples
24:49
obeyed.
24:54
Action.
24:55
In
24:56
Matthew 13,
24:57
Jesus is
24:58
teaching
24:58
some
24:59
of the
25:00
parables
25:00
and in
25:01
verse 44
25:02
He says,
25:02
the kingdom
25:03
of heaven
25:03
is like a
25:04
treasure
25:04
hidden in
25:05
a field
25:05
which a
25:06
man found
25:07
and covered
25:07
up.
25:08
Then in
25:09
his joy
25:10
he goes
25:10
and sells
25:11
all that
25:11
he has
25:12
and buys
25:13
that field.
25:15
And again,
25:16
the kingdom
25:16
of heaven
25:16
is like a
25:17
merchant
25:17
in search
25:18
of fine
25:19
pearls
25:19
who on
25:20
finding one
25:21
pearl of
25:21
great value
25:22
went and
25:24
sold all
25:24
that he
25:24
had and
25:25
bought it.
25:26
There is
25:26
great price.
25:28
God's
25:29
grace is
25:30
costly.
25:31
And there's
25:32
action
25:33
that needs
25:34
to
25:34
follow
25:36
our
25:36
obedience.
25:36
obedience.
25:43
A kingdom
25:43
of heaven
25:44
requires
25:45
obedience.
25:46
Will you
25:47
obey?
25:48
Will you
25:48
obey God?
25:49
If you
25:50
obey God,
25:50
you cannot
25:51
obey the
25:51
passions of
25:52
your bodies.
25:53
If you
25:54
obey God,
25:54
no matter
25:55
what happens,
25:57
no matter
25:57
where that
25:57
takes you,
26:00
no matter
26:00
how hard
26:01
it seems
26:01
to be,
26:03
see,
26:03
the disciples
26:04
didn't
26:04
know.
26:05
Peter
26:06
had no
26:07
clue,
26:08
no clue
26:09
that he
26:10
was going
26:10
to be
26:10
crucified
26:10
upside
26:11
down.
26:13
But he
26:14
did,
26:14
and he
26:15
went.
26:16
The
26:17
disciples
26:17
gave up
26:18
everything
26:18
they knew.
26:20
They were
26:20
fishermen.
26:21
This is what
26:21
they did.
26:24
That was
26:25
their livelihood.
26:26
That's how
26:26
they did
26:26
things.
26:27
That's how
26:28
they paid
26:28
for things.
26:29
That's how
26:29
they lived.
26:30
And yet,
26:31
they gave
26:31
it up to
26:31
follow Jesus.
26:32
And the
26:33
same call
26:34
is on
26:35
your life
26:35
and my
26:36
life.
26:38
God said
26:39
to Abram
26:39
the same
26:40
thing.
26:41
Go.
26:43
Just go.
26:44
And I'll
26:45
show you
26:45
the way.
26:46
Didn't give
26:46
any details,
26:47
but Abram
26:48
was obedient
26:48
to God
26:49
and he
26:49
acted on
26:51
God's
26:51
commands.
26:52
He
26:52
obeyed
26:52
with
26:52
action.
26:55
See,
26:55
the good
26:56
news is
26:56
that as
26:57
daunting
26:57
as it
26:58
may sound,
26:59
as crazy
27:00
or dangerous
27:01
or radical
27:01
as the
27:02
command
27:03
that God
27:03
has in
27:03
your life.
27:05
No matter
27:06
the situation,
27:07
for some
27:07
of you,
27:08
it may be
27:08
obeying
27:09
and not
27:10
dating a
27:10
certain
27:11
person.
27:13
For some
27:13
of you,
27:14
it may be
27:14
quitting a
27:15
job.
27:16
For some,
27:17
it may be
27:17
having to
27:18
have a talk
27:18
with somebody
27:19
that's going
27:19
to be
27:20
difficult
27:20
and a
27:20
little
27:20
scary.
27:22
It may
27:22
be raising
27:23
your kids
27:23
an entire
27:24
new way.
27:25
A paradigm
27:25
shift.
27:27
Shifting
27:27
what you
27:28
know.
27:30
It may
27:30
be stop
27:31
drinking
27:32
certain
27:32
things.
27:33
It may
27:33
be giving
27:33
up your
27:34
addictions.
27:35
Whatever
27:35
it is,
27:37
God gives
27:37
us the
27:38
strength
27:38
and the
27:39
endurance
27:39
and the
27:39
ability
27:40
to do
27:40
these
27:41
things.
27:43
He will
27:43
not let
27:44
us flop
27:44
around like
27:45
a fish
27:45
out of
27:46
water,
27:47
gasping
27:48
for air.
27:52
He enables
27:54
us to
27:55
do what
27:56
He commands.
27:58
Augustine
27:58
put it
27:58
this way,
27:59
grant
28:01
what
28:01
thou
28:01
command
28:02
and
28:02
then
28:02
command
28:03
what
28:03
thou
28:03
will.
28:04
Grant
28:05
what
28:06
thou
28:06
command.
28:07
Enable
28:08
me to
28:08
do it
28:09
and
28:10
then
28:10
command
28:10
what
28:12
thou
28:12
will.
28:13
In other
28:13
words,
28:13
I'll do
28:14
what you
28:14
say if
28:14
you enable
28:15
me to
28:16
do it.
28:18
God
28:18
will guide
28:19
and help
28:19
His
28:19
children.
28:21
The
28:21
question is,
28:22
will you
28:22
obey?
28:23
Are you
28:23
willing to
28:24
pay
28:24
your
28:26
obedience
28:26
to Him?
28:29
We are
28:30
at war
28:31
and our
28:31
obedience
28:32
determines
28:33
which side
28:33
we're on.
28:34
Plain and
28:35
simple.
28:36
Which side
28:37
are you
28:37
fighting for?
28:39
Are you
28:39
fighting for
28:40
God?
28:40
Are you
28:40
fighting for
28:41
sin?
28:42
Are you
28:42
obeying
28:42
God or
28:43
are you
28:43
obeying
28:43
sin?
28:46
So not
28:46
only does
28:47
God's
28:47
grace cost
28:48
us our
28:48
allegiance
28:49
and our
28:50
obedience,
28:51
but thirdly,
28:52
it costs
28:52
the Christian
28:53
their
28:54
security.
28:56
Now this
28:56
is a little
28:57
bit of a
28:57
play on
28:58
words,
28:58
but you'll
28:59
see what
28:59
I mean.
29:01
It costs
29:02
the Christian
29:02
their
29:03
security.
29:05
Verse
29:06
13 again,
29:07
do not
29:07
present your
29:08
members to
29:09
sin as
29:09
instruments for
29:10
unrighteousness,
29:11
but present
29:12
yourselves to
29:13
God as
29:14
those who
29:14
have been
29:15
brought from
29:15
death to
29:16
life,
29:18
and your
29:18
members to
29:19
God as
29:19
instruments
29:20
for
29:21
righteousness.
29:22
Now the
29:23
word
29:23
instrument
29:24
here can
29:24
also be
29:25
translated
29:25
weapon.
29:29
So your
29:30
member,
29:30
do not
29:30
present your
29:31
members to
29:31
sin as
29:31
weapons for
29:32
unrighteousness,
29:34
and your
29:35
members to
29:35
God as
29:36
weapons for
29:37
righteousness.
29:39
Our bodies
29:39
are either
29:40
weapons for
29:41
righteousness or
29:41
unrighteousness.
29:43
When we
29:44
place our
29:44
allegiance to
29:45
God, we
29:46
are giving
29:46
up our
29:46
security to
29:48
live under
29:49
His rule and
29:49
His commands.
29:51
Sounds
29:51
confusing.
29:52
Here's what I
29:53
mean.
29:55
When our
29:55
bodies are
29:56
weapons of
29:56
unrighteousness,
29:57
we fight for
29:58
only one
29:58
person and
29:59
that's
29:59
ourselves.
30:01
We fight for
30:01
ourselves.
30:02
We're on the
30:02
side of sin.
30:03
We obey
30:04
sin.
30:05
We obey the
30:05
passions of
30:06
our flesh.
30:10
And our
30:10
security is
30:13
found in
30:13
what we do.
30:14
We think
30:18
as long as
30:19
we're fighting
30:20
that we have
30:20
security.
30:21
As long as
30:21
we have
30:22
weapons, we
30:23
are secure.
30:24
It's kind of
30:25
like the
30:25
Occupy Wall
30:27
Street stuff
30:28
going on.
30:28
Occupy Wall
30:29
Street, New
30:30
York, Oakland,
30:30
whatever city
30:31
you name.
30:34
It's like that
30:35
because no
30:37
one knows why
30:39
they're doing
30:39
what they're
30:40
doing.
30:41
Inside the
30:41
camp or
30:42
outside the
30:42
camp, nobody
30:43
can really,
30:43
there's no
30:44
unity to
30:45
what they're
30:46
trying to
30:47
accomplish.
30:49
And the
30:51
only thing
30:51
positive, the
30:52
only thing
30:52
coming out of
30:53
that is
30:54
they're
30:54
accomplishing
30:55
more work
30:56
for the
30:56
police, more
30:57
work for the
30:58
street cleaners,
30:59
and more
30:59
work for the
31:00
coffee shops.
31:01
See, nothing
31:02
positive is
31:03
being accomplished.
31:05
But they
31:06
think that
31:07
because we're
31:07
protesting and
31:08
we're doing
31:09
something, we
31:09
are accomplishing
31:11
something great.
31:12
In reality,
31:13
there's no
31:13
unity there,
31:14
there's nothing
31:14
being done.
31:16
Likewise, when
31:18
we use our
31:18
bodies as
31:19
weapons of
31:20
unrighteousness,
31:21
we think we're
31:22
doing something,
31:23
we think we're
31:24
accomplishing
31:25
something.
31:27
And in
31:27
reality, we
31:29
are doing
31:29
nothing.
31:30
Nothing is
31:31
being accomplished.
31:33
We, in
31:34
fact, are
31:35
being devoured
31:36
by the
31:37
enemy.
31:38
And we
31:38
don't even
31:38
know it.
31:40
If you take
31:40
a frog and
31:41
you throw
31:42
them in a
31:42
hot boiling
31:43
pot of
31:43
water, the
31:45
frog jumps
31:45
right out.
31:47
A pretty
31:47
smart frog.
31:49
But, if
31:50
you take the
31:50
frog and
31:51
you lay it
31:51
in cold
31:52
water, take
31:52
the pot and
31:54
put it on
31:54
the stove and
31:55
you start
31:55
heating it
31:55
up, the
31:57
frog stays
31:57
in until
31:58
it's finally
31:58
cooked.
31:59
Until it's
32:00
done.
32:00
Until it's
32:01
ready to
32:01
eat.
32:03
You and
32:03
I, when
32:05
we fight and
32:06
use our
32:06
weapons of
32:07
unrighteousness,
32:08
we're like the
32:09
frog in the
32:10
pot being
32:11
devoured, being
32:12
cooked without
32:13
even knowing
32:13
it.
32:16
See, as we
32:17
walk towards
32:18
one direction,
32:19
as we obey
32:20
and pledge our
32:21
allegiance to
32:22
sin, we're
32:23
walking away
32:24
from God.
32:26
We're walking
32:26
away from the
32:28
other direction.
32:32
The place where
32:33
Jesus made it
32:34
possible for us
32:35
to live without
32:35
sin.
32:37
Having power
32:38
and reign.
32:41
So what we
32:41
thought was
32:42
security, what
32:43
we thought was
32:44
accomplishing
32:45
something, was
32:47
actually just
32:47
smoke and
32:48
mirrors.
32:49
It was
32:49
nothing.
32:52
We must lay
32:53
those weapons
32:54
down.
32:54
We must lay
32:55
our bodies
32:55
down and
32:56
pledge allegiance
32:57
to God.
32:59
Surrender
32:59
them.
33:00
See, when a
33:01
person or
33:01
army would
33:02
surrender to
33:03
the king,
33:04
their weapons
33:04
would be handed
33:05
over to the
33:06
enemy.
33:07
The enemy
33:07
would take
33:07
those weapons.
33:11
God works in
33:13
such a way
33:13
that those
33:15
weapons, our
33:16
bodies, instead
33:19
of taking them,
33:20
instead of
33:21
removing them
33:21
from us, He
33:23
uses them for
33:24
righteousness, for
33:24
His glory, and
33:26
for our joy.
33:28
So, when we
33:30
place our
33:30
allegiance to
33:31
God, we are
33:32
giving up our
33:33
pseudo-security,
33:35
security that we
33:36
think we have,
33:37
to live under
33:39
His rule.
33:41
That will
33:42
mean that some
33:43
of us, God
33:44
may take to an
33:45
unsafe place on
33:47
earth.
33:49
It may mean
33:49
that He'll have
33:51
us in a place
33:52
where our only
33:53
security is in
33:54
Him, and not
33:55
in what we do,
33:56
not in what we
33:57
achieve.
34:00
And there,
34:02
we're bold.
34:04
There, we're
34:05
vocal.
34:06
There, we are
34:07
dangerous because
34:08
our dependence on
34:10
security is in
34:11
Him.
34:13
Our dependence on
34:14
security will be in
34:15
Him and not in
34:16
our home, not in
34:18
our normals, our
34:20
routines, not in
34:21
our job, but only
34:23
in Him and His
34:24
provision.
34:26
See, God's
34:27
grace costs us
34:29
security.
34:30
not only does it
34:34
cost us allegiance
34:37
and our obedience
34:38
and security, but
34:40
finally it costs the
34:41
Christian their
34:42
freedom.
34:44
It costs us our
34:45
freedom.
34:47
When a person
34:48
becomes a Christian,
34:49
there are several
34:49
things that happen.
34:51
First of all,
34:52
their sin is removed
34:54
by Jesus, and His
34:56
righteousness is given
34:56
to them.
34:57
the great exchange,
34:59
our sin for His
35:00
righteousness.
35:02
Secondly, their
35:03
standing with God is
35:04
no longer as enemy,
35:06
but as child,
35:07
adopted child of the
35:09
King.
35:12
Thirdly, the
35:13
Christian is now at
35:16
peace with God, no
35:17
longer enemies.
35:18
We are now at
35:19
peace with God.
35:22
And finally, the
35:23
Christian is set free
35:25
from the bondage and
35:26
power of sin.
35:29
Because on the
35:30
cross, Jesus
35:31
destroyed that
35:32
power and that
35:33
bondage of sin.
35:36
Christians are
35:37
free.
35:38
Free from the
35:39
first time to
35:40
sin.
35:42
The life that we
35:43
were born into is
35:44
no more.
35:46
That sin that
35:47
once controlled
35:48
and reigned over
35:50
us no longer
35:51
has control or
35:52
power.
35:53
The Christian has
35:54
been set free.
35:56
As Horatio
35:59
Spafford says,
36:00
in it as well
36:01
with my soul,
36:02
my sin, oh, the
36:03
bliss of this
36:05
glorious thought.
36:06
My sin, not in
36:07
part, but the
36:08
whole, is nailed
36:10
to the cross and I
36:11
bear it no more.
36:13
Praise the Lord,
36:13
praise the Lord,
36:14
oh, my soul.
36:17
We have been set
36:18
free.
36:19
Look at verse
36:20
14 of Romans
36:21
chapter 6.
36:22
grace.
36:23
For sin will
36:24
have no dominion
36:26
over you since
36:29
you are not under
36:30
the law, but
36:30
under grace.
36:33
You have been
36:34
set free.
36:36
Now live like
36:37
it.
36:39
Skipping down to
36:40
verse 18,
36:40
looking ahead just
36:41
a little bit,
36:42
here's where our
36:43
freedom is
36:43
costly.
36:47
Verse 18 says,
36:48
And having been
36:49
set free from
36:50
sin, have
36:51
become slaves of
36:53
righteousness.
36:55
That freedom,
36:57
the freedom that
36:58
we have from the
37:01
control of sin,
37:03
from the control
37:04
of and having
37:05
power over us,
37:07
is no more.
37:08
We have been set
37:09
free from that.
37:10
But we are now
37:11
slaves to
37:12
righteousness.
37:15
Sin that leads
37:16
to death and
37:17
destruction, that
37:18
leads to pain
37:18
and suffering,
37:19
that leads to
37:20
remorse and
37:21
strife, can no
37:23
longer lead you
37:25
to the stockyard.
37:27
No longer
37:28
lead you
37:29
towards death.
37:31
It no longer
37:32
has power over
37:33
you.
37:34
You've been set
37:35
free all because
37:36
of God's radical,
37:38
amazing,
37:39
glorious grace.
37:41
We are now
37:42
slaves to
37:43
righteousness.
37:45
Which means
37:45
that we are at
37:47
the service of
37:47
the king of
37:48
kings who
37:48
will never
37:49
leave his
37:50
throne.
37:51
You're in it.
37:53
The king of
37:54
kings who
37:55
will never
37:55
be defeated.
37:58
The king of
37:58
kings who has
37:59
defeated death
38:00
that which no
38:01
man could ever
38:02
have done.
38:05
Who will never
38:06
leave you or
38:07
forsake you.
38:08
Who will not
38:09
leave us as
38:10
orphans.
38:11
Who will guide
38:12
and direct us.
38:14
Who is a
38:15
gracious God.
38:16
A ruler who
38:17
is gracious and
38:18
just.
38:19
Who is holy
38:20
and righteous.
38:23
This is who
38:23
we're in the
38:24
service to.
38:26
There should be
38:27
no worry in you
38:28
to ever be
38:29
gypped by God.
38:30
You're not going
38:31
to be gypped by
38:32
God.
38:32
He cares for you
38:33
and He loves you.
38:35
Pay the price.
38:37
Give Him your
38:38
obedience and your
38:39
allegiance and your
38:40
security and your
38:40
freedom.
38:41
There should be
38:43
no worry that
38:44
He'll not do
38:45
what He says
38:45
He's going to
38:46
do because He
38:47
will.
38:49
He cannot
38:49
lie.
38:51
He is faithful.
38:57
Before Christ
38:58
you were free
38:58
to sin.
39:00
You were free
39:01
to sin but
39:01
that freedom
39:03
was not freedom
39:04
at all.
39:04
You were actually
39:05
enslaved to sin.
39:06
Your master
39:07
was sin.
39:09
After Christ
39:10
after becoming
39:12
a Christian
39:12
you are free
39:13
to live holy
39:14
lives.
39:15
But that freedom
39:16
is not really
39:17
freedom because
39:17
you're enslaved
39:18
to righteousness.
39:21
And being
39:22
enslaved to
39:23
righteousness
39:23
leads to a
39:25
life of
39:26
righteousness.
39:27
Being enslaved
39:28
to sin leads
39:29
to a life
39:30
of sin.
39:33
As a
39:33
Christian
39:34
we are
39:35
compelled to
39:36
live lives
39:37
as if we've
39:37
been brought
39:38
from death
39:39
to life.
39:40
because that
39:42
is who we
39:42
are.
39:43
Because we
39:44
have been
39:45
brought from
39:45
death
39:46
to life.
39:48
And we
39:49
can only do
39:49
that because
39:50
of the grace
39:50
that God
39:51
has shown
39:51
us.
39:52
We can only
39:52
do that because
39:53
of His
39:53
glorious
39:54
grace.
39:57
We are
39:58
under grace
39:58
and not
40:00
under law.
40:00
The last
40:01
part of
40:01
verse 14.
40:03
Meaning sin
40:04
no longer
40:05
has reign.
40:06
It has
40:06
no power.
40:08
As I said
40:08
a few minutes
40:09
ago what
40:09
power it
40:10
has we
40:11
give to
40:11
it as
40:12
believers.
40:16
And law
40:17
which reveals
40:18
our sin no
40:19
longer reigns
40:20
over us as
40:20
well.
40:22
Does it
40:23
mean we
40:23
don't follow
40:24
the law?
40:24
No,
40:24
absolutely
40:25
not.
40:26
But it
40:27
does not
40:27
condemn
40:28
us.
40:30
For we
40:31
are righteous,
40:32
we are
40:32
perfect,
40:32
we are made
40:33
right before
40:34
God.
40:35
God's grace
40:36
is costly.
40:39
It requires
40:39
action on
40:40
our part.
40:43
When there
40:44
is no
40:44
action,
40:46
when there
40:46
is no
40:47
action,
40:48
we cheapen
40:48
the grace
40:49
of God
40:49
into something
40:50
invaluable.
40:51
Something
40:52
worthless.
40:54
Listen to
40:55
Dietrich
40:56
Bonhoeffer
40:56
from his
40:57
book,
40:58
The Cost
40:59
of Discipleship.
41:01
It says,
41:01
Cheap
41:02
grace is
41:03
represented
41:04
as the
41:05
church's
41:06
inexhaustible
41:07
treasury from
41:08
which she
41:09
showers blessings
41:10
with generous
41:11
hands without
41:11
asking questions
41:12
or fixing
41:13
limits.
41:15
Cheap
41:16
grace without
41:16
price,
41:17
grace without
41:18
cost.
41:19
The essence
41:20
of grace,
41:21
we suppose,
41:21
is that the
41:22
account has
41:23
been paid in
41:24
advance.
41:24
And because
41:25
it has been
41:25
paid,
41:26
everything can
41:26
be had for
41:27
nothing.
41:29
Since the
41:29
cost was
41:30
infinite,
41:30
the possibility
41:31
that's using
41:31
and spending
41:32
it are
41:32
infinite.
41:34
What would
41:35
grace be
41:35
if it were
41:36
not cheap?
41:38
Cheap
41:38
grace,
41:39
therefore,
41:39
amounts to
41:40
a denial
41:40
of the
41:41
living
41:41
Word of
41:42
God.
41:43
In fact,
41:44
a denial
41:44
of the
41:44
incarnation
41:45
of the
41:46
Word of
41:46
God.
41:48
Cheap
41:48
grace is
41:48
the preaching
41:49
of forgiveness
41:50
without
41:50
requiring
41:51
repentance.
41:53
Baptism
41:54
without
41:54
church
41:55
discipline.
41:57
Communion
41:57
without
41:58
confession.
42:00
Absolution
42:01
without
42:01
personal
42:02
confession.
42:03
Cheap
42:04
grace is
42:04
grace without
42:05
discipleship.
42:06
Grace without
42:07
the cross.
42:08
Grace without
42:08
Jesus Christ
42:09
living and
42:10
incarnate.
42:12
But,
42:15
costly grace,
42:16
costly grace
42:17
is the treasure
42:18
hidden in the
42:19
field.
42:20
For the sake
42:21
of it,
42:21
a man will
42:22
gladly go and
42:23
sell all
42:24
that he has.
42:25
It is the
42:26
pearl of
42:26
great price
42:27
to buy which
42:28
the merchant
42:28
will sell
42:29
all his
42:30
goods.
42:30
It is the
42:31
kingly rule
42:32
of Christ
42:33
for whose
42:33
sake a man
42:34
will pluck
42:35
out his
42:35
eye which
42:35
causes him
42:36
to stumble.
42:37
It is the
42:38
call of
42:38
Jesus Christ
42:39
at which
42:40
the disciple
42:40
leaves his
42:41
net and
42:42
follows him.
42:44
Costly
42:44
grace is
42:45
the gospel
42:46
which must
42:46
be sought
42:47
again and
42:48
again.
42:50
The gift
42:50
which must
42:51
be asked
42:52
for.
42:52
The door
42:53
at which
42:54
a man
42:54
must
42:55
knock.
42:56
God's
42:57
grace is
42:57
costly.
42:59
Are we
43:00
willing to
43:00
pay?
43:01
Let us
43:01
not cheapen
43:02
God's
43:03
grace into
43:03
some form
43:05
of insurance
43:06
or some
43:07
form of
43:07
cheap potion
43:08
that we
43:08
can get
43:09
what we
43:09
want so
43:10
that we
43:10
can live
43:11
how we
43:11
want to
43:11
live without
43:14
any rules
43:14
or regulations.
43:17
Let's not
43:17
cheapen
43:18
God's
43:18
grace.
43:18
Let us
43:19
be a
43:19
church of
43:19
action
43:20
where our
43:23
bodies are
43:24
used for
43:24
righteousness
43:25
and not
43:25
unrighteousness.
43:28
God's
43:28
radical grace
43:29
is costly.
43:31
It costs
43:31
us our
43:32
obedience.
43:33
It costs
43:34
us our
43:34
allegiance,
43:35
our security
43:36
and our
43:36
freedom and
43:37
many,
43:37
many,
43:37
many more
43:38
things.
43:40
May God
43:41
help us
43:42
strive to
43:43
be used
43:44
by Him,
43:44
to glorify
43:45
Him and
43:45
to proclaim
43:46
the gospel
43:47
to the
43:47
world.