Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / Romans 6:1-11

Transcript

Romans 6:1-11 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
Chapters 1-5 of Romans has made it clear to us that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, apart from works.
0:13
! Grace alone, 100% by God's grace. Salvation is His work on the sinner, for the sinner, and not the other way around.
0:23
We receive what we do not deserve by God's grace.
0:27
By faith alone, it is 100% by faith alone. We cannot earn or work towards salvation.
0:35
No religious activity, no number of prayers during the day, no good deeds.
0:42
It is by faith alone in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
0:46
And in Christ alone, Christ, only Jesus Christ, paid the price with His sinless life that we should have paid so that we can be made righteous.
0:57
Nothing else can accomplish what He accomplished on the cross for us.
1:02
Meaning, that this salvation, the title that we carry with us, Christian, is all because of Christ and nothing that we have done.
1:12
There's nothing that you and I have done to deserve or earn this title.
1:20
It's a big deal.
1:22
There's nothing in us that made us desirable.
1:26
There's nothing in us that screamed to the world or to God,
1:29
look at me, look how deserving I am of grace and mercy.
1:33
See, God's grace is shown to the undeserving and to the dead.
1:39
Grace founded in Christ because of Christ and His obedience.
1:45
See, God's grace is huge.
1:48
We truly cannot grasp this grace.
1:52
We can't grasp what He has done for us.
1:54
We have words to help.
1:56
Words like, dead, the dead made alive.
2:01
Or words like, a child of wrath, now at peace with God.
2:05
But when we really try to wrap our heads around the grace of God, we just can't.
2:12
And that's why you'll hear some of us say, in a situation, we'll say,
2:16
well, that's God's grace or God's given me grace or God's grace this.
2:19
Because it is just so huge.
2:23
God's grace is wonderful.
2:26
To be the recipient of such love and such care is wonderful.
2:32
So to the person in here who does not feel loved,
2:36
cling to Christ for He loves you.
2:39
Cling to Him.
2:40
The Father cares for you as His child because you have been adopted.
2:47
God's grace is magnificent.
2:49
It is truly beyond our comprehension.
2:52
The God whose breath put the stars in the sky and the mountains to their specific heights
2:57
is the same God who loves you and is for you.
3:03
God's grace is real.
3:05
God's grace has a taste.
3:07
It has a feel to it.
3:09
It's not just an idea thought up by some apostle 2,000 years ago
3:14
or even me or some author of a book that you've read here recently.
3:22
It's real.
3:23
You know it's real because His grace has a real effect on your life.
3:28
Even when you might not understand.
3:33
God's grace is everlasting.
3:36
The impact that God has is everlasting.
3:39
It's final from now until forever.
3:43
It was started before the foundation of the world and it goes to eternity.
3:48
God's grace is personal.
3:50
You have been created in His own image.
3:53
You were created by Him, for Him, and it brings Him great glory.
3:58
And us great joy to bring Him glory.
4:03
We can cry Abba Father.
4:05
We can cry Daddy to Him because we have been adopted as sons of the King.
4:10
Romans 8 verse 15 says,
4:12
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
4:17
but you received the spirit of adoption as sons,
4:20
by whom we cry Abba Father.
4:24
Listen to this.
4:25
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
4:29
And if children, then heirs.
4:31
Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
4:34
Provided we suffer with Him in order that we also be glorified with Him.
4:38
The Spirit Himself bears witness that we are His.
4:42
It is personal.
4:45
Jesus died bearing the sin of you and me.
4:49
For you and me.
4:52
And God's grace is radical.
4:54
And this is where our text is this morning.
4:57
This is kind of where we sit.
4:59
It is radical enough to kill us.
5:01
And it is radical enough to give us life.
5:04
We are going to look at these two truths and their implications.
5:09
So as a quick review,
5:10
I kind of need to do this because Paul is making an argument throughout this letter.
5:16
Romans chapter 1 basically starts off with the depravity of man.
5:20
That we are all sinners.
5:23
That we are in need of a Savior.
5:26
He even touches on the person in a jungle far away who has never heard the gospel.
5:31
And he says that they are without excuse because even creation speaks of the glory of God.
5:38
We come to chapter 2.
5:39
Chapter 2 is about the Jewish people are depraved.
5:44
The Jewish people are sinners.
5:45
There is no religion, no activity that saves you.
5:50
Chapter 3 kind of sums up 1 and 2.
5:54
We are all sinners in need of a Savior.
5:57
That no one is righteous.
5:58
No, not one.
6:00
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
6:04
Chapter 4.
6:05
Okay, we've got to establish.
6:07
Here's our problem.
6:07
Chapter 4 is the solution.
6:09
We are justified by faith alone.
6:12
Not by works.
6:13
So, as I've said already, no religious activity, no good deed, no prayer, no nothing can earn your salvation.
6:23
It is by faith alone in Christ alone.
6:25
And that is a gift from God.
6:28
Chapter 5 is kind of the result or starts in the result of being saved by faith alone.
6:38
We are given peace with God.
6:40
We are given peace with God.
6:42
That our standing with God is right and at peace because of the work of Christ.
6:47
And then at the end, last week, we talked about either belonging to Adam or belonging to Jesus Christ.
6:54
Adam brought sin into the world.
6:56
Jesus brought life into the world by living a sinless life and dying for our sins.
7:05
So, here's where we kind of step.
7:08
So, as we gather this morning, the majority in this room bear the title Christian.
7:15
I think it's safe to say.
7:17
But there may be some who have never tasted it.
7:20
You've never heard of Jesus or never even considered this Christian thing.
7:23
And if that's the case, then I'm glad you're here.
7:28
Because my prayer is that you would see that Jesus is all you need.
7:33
No matter the situation in which you're living.
7:36
No matter the bad thing that you think you've done that will not be taken care of, will not be forgiven.
7:45
No matter the baggage you brought with you this morning, He is all you need.
7:51
He will take that baggage from you because He loves you and He cares for you.
7:56
God's grace leads to a certain type of living.
7:59
And this, I hope and I pray, is what we will all see, be convicted of and commit to live.
8:07
So, let's dig in.
8:08
I'm going to start reading in verse 20 of chapter 5 and then read through 11 in chapter 6.
8:16
Verse 20.
8:18
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.
8:26
So that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign throughout righteousness, leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
8:36
So stop for a second.
8:37
Our salvation is Jesus Christ alone.
8:40
On what He has done, not what we have done.
8:43
So that's kind of, okay, so we're all on the same page.
8:46
Verse 1.
8:47
What shall we say then?
8:48
Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
8:52
By no means.
8:53
How can we who died to sin still live in it?
8:57
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
9:02
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,
9:11
we too might walk in newness of life.
9:14
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.
9:21
We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing,
9:30
so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
9:33
For one who has died has been set free from sin.
9:36
Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.
9:41
We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again.
9:46
Death no longer has dominion over Him.
9:49
For the death He died, He died to sin once for all.
9:53
For the life He lives, He lives to God.
9:56
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
10:03
God's grace is radical.
10:06
One point this morning, two sub-points, and then some other things mixed in there.
10:10
God's grace is radical.
10:12
And it's radical enough to kill us.
10:16
See, all Christians, no matter what maturity,
10:21
nominal Christian, immature Christian, mature Christian, growing Christian,
10:25
all would agree that Jesus died for our sins.
10:29
All Christians acknowledge that Jesus is what Christianity is all about.
10:33
You'll see bumper stickers and signs and coffee mugs that say,
10:39
Jesus is the reason for the season.
10:41
We're getting into that season.
10:44
You'll see, Jesus is my co-pilot, or Jesus is my pilot.
10:48
Or the heretical version, Jesus is my co-pilot.
10:51
You'll find it's all about Jesus on t-shirts and church signs and mugs,
10:55
and you name it.
10:57
But I wonder, I wonder if you'll find in your bookstore or in your local church parking lot,
11:04
I died so that I will live.
11:07
I wonder if you'll find I crucified my life,
11:11
or I killed myself for life,
11:14
or my own life is dead and it is a good thing.
11:17
You're not going to find it.
11:20
You're not going to find it because these things aren't nice.
11:23
They're not uplifting.
11:25
But that's exactly what our text is saying this morning.
11:28
And it's not just here in Romans.
11:31
Jesus Himself spoke of dying to yourself,
11:34
picking up your cross.
11:38
Luke chapter 9,
11:40
Mark chapter 8,
11:41
Matthew chapter 8,
11:43
Matthew chapter 16,
11:44
all speak to having to die yourself.
11:50
It's not something new.
11:51
This isn't some new idea.
11:53
It's not something abusive or callous or carnal.
11:58
It is truth.
12:01
The reason it doesn't get taught, though,
12:03
is because we, mankind, think we know best.
12:08
We think that it will cause more harm than good to speak about dying,
12:13
especially ourselves dying while living.
12:18
That might even confuse somebody.
12:21
But I would rather confuse a little than condemn a lot.
12:27
Adam and Eve thought that they knew better.
12:31
They thought that I'm going to eat of this fruit and it's going to be okay.
12:36
God is just trying to keep us, keep something from us.
12:39
So just so there's no misunderstanding, no confusion,
12:44
we're not talking about a physical death, but a spiritual death.
12:49
So how does this affect us?
12:51
How and why does this matter to us?
12:54
Well, it begins with God's grace is radical enough to kill us.
12:59
Look at some of the language in our text this morning.
13:02
Chapter 6, verse 3.
13:04
We have words into Christ Jesus or into His death.
13:10
Verse 4, we have buried with Him.
13:14
Verse 5 says we have been united with Him in a death like His.
13:19
Verse 6 says we are crucified with Him.
13:23
Verse 8, died with Christ.
13:26
See, Paul, as he does often in his letters,
13:30
is repeating a theme over and over.
13:32
He's repeating himself so that the audience, us,
13:36
the readers of this letter,
13:38
the early church in Rome,
13:41
would grasp what he's trying to communicate.
13:43
They would understand what he's trying to say.
13:46
And he repeats two things in our text this morning.
13:49
One being that we're united with Christ.
13:52
Somehow, someway, we are united with Christ.
13:55
The other thing is that we have died with Christ.
14:02
Somehow, someway.
14:06
115 times in the New Testament,
14:08
when describing or talking about Christians,
14:12
it is described as in Christ, with Christ,
14:17
united with Christ.
14:19
And we see it here in our text.
14:22
The Christian life is not a certain way to act.
14:24
It's not a certain thing to do,
14:29
although there is a bit of that.
14:31
It's not presenting yourself in a certain way,
14:36
although there is a little bit of that.
14:38
Both of these, though, acting and presenting,
14:41
come out of being united with Christ.
14:43
So, we may do good deeds,
14:48
but those good deeds are out of being united with Christ
14:52
and bearing His righteousness.
14:55
So, get the idea out of your head
14:58
that you have to act a certain way
15:00
or abstain from certain things in life
15:03
because none of that makes you a good Christian.
15:06
In fact, there's no such thing as a good Christian.
15:12
You are united with Him.
15:14
His righteousness you bear.
15:16
Your sin removed.
15:19
Christ has done it all.
15:22
See, the life of a Christian is based on what Christ has done
15:25
and not what you do
15:27
or how you act.
15:29
We're also united with Jesus in His death on the cross.
15:34
Look at verse 5 and 6 in chapter 6 of Romans.
15:38
It says,
15:39
For if we have been united with Him in a death like His,
15:42
we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.
15:47
We know that our old self,
15:49
our old man,
15:50
was crucified with Him
15:51
in order that the body of sin
15:53
might be brought to nothing.
15:55
See, we died with Jesus.
15:57
Our old self died with Jesus on the cross.
16:00
If you are a Christian,
16:01
your old self died with Jesus on the cross.
16:05
So someone may ask you,
16:07
When were you born again?
16:08
This came up a couple of weeks ago
16:09
at our Q&A on Thursday night.
16:11
When were you born again?
16:13
Is it important to know the date?
16:15
Now you can say 2,000 years ago
16:17
is when I was born again.
16:20
When Christ died on the cross
16:22
and bore my sin.
16:24
We are united with Him on the cross
16:26
and that killed us,
16:28
our sinful nature,
16:30
our old self.
16:31
Look at these verses again.
16:33
In chapter 6, verse 2,
16:36
We died to sin.
16:38
Verse 3,
16:39
Baptized into His death.
16:42
Verse 4,
16:43
Buried by baptism into death.
16:46
Verse 5,
16:48
United with Him in a death like His.
16:51
Verse 6,
16:52
Crucified with Him.
16:53
Verse 7,
16:55
For one who has died.
16:58
Verse 8,
16:58
Died with Christ.
17:01
Verse 11,
17:02
Dead to sin.
17:04
See, God's grace
17:05
is radical enough
17:07
to kill us.
17:09
And that's good news.
17:11
That's good news.
17:12
Here's why it's good news.
17:14
The last part of verse 6
17:15
that I did not read
17:16
says,
17:18
So that we would no longer
17:19
be enslaved to sin.
17:22
We have died to sin.
17:25
On the cross,
17:26
we have died to that sin.
17:27
We are no longer enslaved to sin.
17:30
It is no longer our master.
17:34
Now, this idea of dying to sin
17:35
doesn't mean that sin
17:36
no longer exists.
17:39
Bad news.
17:40
It still exists.
17:41
It's still there.
17:42
Sin didn't die.
17:44
It will die.
17:45
It will end.
17:47
But it hasn't died.
17:48
The believer died.
17:51
Sin remains,
17:52
but does not reign.
17:53
Sin remains,
17:54
but does not master you
17:56
if you are a Christian,
17:58
if you are a child of God.
18:01
Our sinful nature
18:02
is no longer alive.
18:04
It is powerless
18:05
to the Christian.
18:08
So,
18:09
for the Christian
18:10
to continue in sin
18:11
like verse 1 says,
18:12
what shall we say then?
18:13
Are we to continue in sin
18:14
that grace may abound?
18:17
So,
18:17
for the Christian
18:18
to continue in sin,
18:19
in verse 2 it says,
18:20
how can we who died to sin
18:22
still live in it?
18:24
For the Christian
18:25
to continue in sin
18:26
and to live in sin
18:27
is not possible.
18:29
It's impossible
18:30
for the Christian.
18:32
That part of you
18:32
is dead.
18:34
And dead people
18:35
can't sin.
18:38
Paul is telling us
18:40
that if you are
18:41
truly born again,
18:42
if you have tasted
18:43
the freedom
18:44
from the tyranny
18:45
of sin,
18:46
you will not
18:47
and cannot continue
18:48
in sin.
18:48
You cannot live
18:49
a life of sin.
18:51
Your life will not
18:52
be ruled
18:52
by temporary pleasures.
18:56
Your life will not
18:57
be consumed
18:57
by pornography.
18:59
Your life will not
19:00
be consumed
19:01
by material possessions
19:02
that you don't have.
19:04
Your life will not
19:05
be consumed
19:06
by pleasing
19:07
and or fearing
19:08
people.
19:09
your life will not
19:11
be consumed
19:12
by your addictions
19:13
to drugs,
19:14
alcohol,
19:15
sex,
19:15
food.
19:16
Your life will not
19:17
be consumed
19:18
by selfishness.
19:20
Your life will not
19:21
be consumed
19:22
by always being
19:23
the victim.
19:26
And your life
19:27
will not be consumed
19:27
by conforming
19:28
to what others
19:29
are doing,
19:31
saying,
19:31
or buying.
19:33
To the radical
19:34
grace of God
19:35
changes your being.
19:37
And out of your being,
19:38
being changed,
19:39
your behavior
19:39
then changes.
19:42
God's radical grace
19:43
gives you a new heart,
19:44
a new life,
19:45
and is no longer
19:46
mastered by sin.
19:48
So here are three
19:49
implications of being
19:50
dead to sin.
19:52
The first one,
19:53
first implication
19:54
is that sin
19:55
is voluntary.
19:59
Sin is voluntary.
20:00
So,
20:01
before you were
20:01
a Christian,
20:03
if you're not
20:04
a Christian,
20:04
then this applies
20:05
to you.
20:06
There was no
20:07
decision for you
20:08
to make regarding
20:09
whether or not
20:11
you were going
20:12
to sin.
20:13
There wasn't a choice
20:15
to be made
20:15
in your head,
20:17
in your life.
20:17
You were going to sin.
20:18
That's what you did.
20:19
It was like breathing
20:20
for us.
20:21
We just breathe.
20:23
We don't think
20:23
about breathing.
20:24
We just do it.
20:25
And for the non-Christian,
20:26
we just sin.
20:28
We just live
20:28
sinful lives.
20:31
See,
20:31
as a non-Christian,
20:32
you were ruled
20:33
by sin,
20:34
which means
20:35
everything you did
20:35
was under the rule
20:36
and reign
20:37
of sin.
20:39
You were a slave
20:40
to it.
20:40
You had one master
20:41
and its name
20:42
was sin.
20:47
There's a
20:47
saying out there
20:50
that I sin
20:53
because I'm a sinner
20:54
or I'm a sinner
20:55
because I sin.
20:56
Which one is it?
20:58
Well,
20:59
you sin
20:59
because you are
21:00
a sinner,
21:01
not the other way
21:02
around as an unbeliever.
21:04
As a Christian
21:05
whose sin nature
21:07
has died,
21:09
all sin committed
21:10
is voluntary
21:11
on your part,
21:12
on my part.
21:14
All sin
21:14
is voluntary
21:15
because it no longer
21:16
has power.
21:18
It no longer
21:18
has master.
21:20
It masters over you.
21:23
You volunteer
21:24
to sin
21:24
and in so doing
21:25
cause yourself
21:26
to be consumed
21:27
by that sin.
21:28
that in all reality
21:32
is powerless.
21:35
So not only
21:36
is sin voluntary,
21:37
but implication
21:38
number two,
21:38
sin is temporary.
21:42
See,
21:42
when we're faced
21:43
with a temptation,
21:44
when we're in that
21:44
moment,
21:45
when we're
21:46
seconds or minutes
21:50
before volunteering
21:51
to sin,
21:53
the lies we choose
21:54
to believe
21:55
or are faced
21:56
with are something
21:56
like this.
21:57
God is not worth it.
22:00
God is not real.
22:02
God is busy.
22:05
God is holding
22:06
certain things
22:06
from you.
22:08
God is cruel
22:10
and He doesn't care
22:10
about your life.
22:12
God wants you
22:13
to celebrate
22:14
and take pleasure
22:15
in His creation,
22:17
whatever that may be.
22:18
God is not
22:25
and it does not
22:25
bring God glory
22:26
and it certainly
22:27
does not bring
22:28
us joy.
22:31
See,
22:32
sin is enjoyable.
22:35
I'm not telling you
22:35
anything you don't know.
22:36
There's a time
22:38
for a moment.
22:39
It might be a second.
22:40
It might be a minute.
22:40
But in the end,
22:41
that enjoyable feeling
22:43
ends
22:44
and you are faced
22:46
with the reality
22:47
of being enslaved
22:48
to sin.
22:52
Which is what
22:52
Jesus died
22:53
to remove.
22:57
You've been set
22:58
free from sin,
22:59
not temporarily,
23:01
not as long
23:02
as you're good,
23:03
not as long
23:04
as you read
23:04
your Bible
23:05
every day.
23:06
You've been
23:07
set free
23:08
from sin
23:09
forever.
23:09
We have died
23:13
to sin
23:13
forever.
23:15
It no longer
23:16
will have power
23:17
to defeat you
23:19
because
23:20
1 John says
23:22
He who is in you
23:23
is greater
23:24
than he
23:25
who is in the world.
23:27
So,
23:28
implication number
23:28
three.
23:30
And this goes
23:31
without saying
23:31
because our text
23:33
says it,
23:33
but sin
23:34
is weak.
23:36
Sin no longer
23:37
has reign over us,
23:38
but it still
23:38
exists.
23:40
It's still there.
23:42
We must look
23:43
to the cross
23:44
and find our strength
23:45
there
23:46
to overcome.
23:49
There are going
23:49
to be struggles.
23:51
There are going
23:51
to be moments
23:52
of weakness
23:52
in our lives.
23:54
But we have
23:55
got to remember
23:56
that sin
23:56
has no power
23:57
over us.
24:00
Jesus has defeated
24:02
death and sin.
24:04
Look at verse 6
24:05
of chapter 6.
24:07
We know
24:08
that our old self
24:09
was crucified
24:10
with Him
24:10
in order
24:11
that the body
24:11
of sin
24:12
might be brought
24:13
to nothing.
24:15
Our old self
24:16
has been brought
24:17
to nothing.
24:18
No power.
24:19
No dominion.
24:21
No strength.
24:24
And yet,
24:24
we give it power.
24:26
And yet,
24:26
we give it strength.
24:27
We give it dominion
24:28
over us
24:29
when we choose
24:32
to sin.
24:32
let your life
24:36
be a celebration
24:38
of God's grace.
24:39
Let your life
24:40
be rejoicing
24:41
in God's radical
24:43
grace
24:43
that He has shown
24:44
you.
24:45
That His radical
24:46
grace
24:47
kills you
24:48
instead
24:50
of what
24:52
verse 1
24:52
is alluding
24:53
to,
24:54
abusing
24:55
God's grace.
24:57
His radical
24:57
grace.
24:58
So not only
25:02
is God's grace
25:03
radical enough
25:04
to kill us,
25:05
it is also
25:06
radical enough
25:07
to give
25:07
life.
25:10
Follow me
25:10
through these
25:11
verses.
25:11
Verse 4
25:12
says,
25:13
we too
25:14
might walk
25:16
in newness
25:17
of life.
25:19
Verse 5
25:20
Be united
25:20
with Him
25:21
in a resurrection
25:22
like His.
25:23
A new life.
25:25
Verse 6
25:26
A new life
25:27
looks like
25:27
no longer
25:28
being enslaved
25:29
to sin.
25:31
Verse 8
25:32
We believe
25:33
that we also
25:34
live with Him.
25:36
Verse 11
25:37
Alive
25:38
to God
25:39
in Christ
25:40
Jesus.
25:41
Galatians 2
25:42
20 says,
25:43
I have been
25:43
crucified
25:44
with Christ.
25:45
It is no
25:46
longer I
25:46
who live
25:47
but Christ
25:48
who lives
25:48
in me.
25:50
We have been
25:51
crucified
25:52
with Christ
25:52
and that sin
25:53
no longer
25:54
exists.
25:55
But the second
25:56
part of that
25:57
verse,
25:58
it is no
25:58
longer I
25:59
who live
25:59
but Christ
26:00
who lives
26:01
in me.
26:02
This is a
26:02
reality.
26:03
This is real.
26:06
Christ
26:07
lives in us
26:08
and gives us
26:08
a new
26:09
life.
26:13
Back to
26:14
Romans 6
26:15
verse 2
26:15
We have the
26:17
question in
26:18
verse 1
26:18
It says,
26:18
What shall we
26:19
say then?
26:19
Are we to
26:20
continue in
26:20
sin that
26:21
grace may
26:22
abound?
26:23
His answer
26:24
of course
26:24
is by no
26:25
means.
26:25
May it
26:26
not be
26:26
so.
26:27
No.
26:28
Impossible.
26:29
Then he
26:29
answers with a
26:30
rhetorical
26:30
question.
26:33
How can we
26:34
who died to
26:34
sin still
26:35
live in it?
26:36
In other words,
26:36
it is impossible
26:37
to do so.
26:38
It is
26:41
impossible.
26:41
You can't
26:42
because you
26:42
have been
26:43
given a
26:43
new life.
26:45
And that
26:45
new life
26:46
cannot be
26:47
dead again.
26:48
It doesn't
26:49
happen.
26:50
See,
26:51
once you've
26:51
been made
26:51
alive by
26:52
God,
26:53
you cannot
26:53
continue in
26:54
sin.
26:55
It is
26:55
impossible.
26:57
We have
26:57
been given
26:58
a new
26:58
life.
27:01
It is
27:01
impossible
27:02
to live
27:03
in sin.
27:04
Impossible
27:04
to live
27:05
without
27:06
conviction,
27:07
without
27:07
repentance,
27:07
without
27:08
confession.
27:09
I'm
27:10
repeating
27:10
myself
27:11
because I
27:11
want to
27:12
make sure
27:12
we
27:12
understand.
27:13
It is
27:13
impossible
27:14
to be a
27:16
Christian and
27:16
to live
27:16
in sin.
27:17
Now,
27:17
it's possible
27:18
to be a
27:19
Christian and
27:19
sin,
27:20
but not to
27:21
live in
27:21
sin.
27:21
Not to
27:22
have a
27:22
life
27:22
consumed
27:23
and mastered
27:24
by sin.
27:27
So the
27:27
question is,
27:29
right here,
27:30
right now,
27:31
is your
27:31
life mastered
27:32
by sin
27:33
or not?
27:35
Are you
27:36
living in
27:37
sin or
27:37
not?
27:40
You
27:41
guys
27:41
seen the
27:41
guy who
27:44
spins
27:45
plates,
27:46
you'll
27:46
know what
27:46
I'm
27:46
talking
27:46
about?
27:47
He
27:47
spins
27:48
plates on
27:48
a stick
27:49
and on
27:49
his other
27:50
hand and
27:51
on his
27:51
knees and
27:51
on his
27:51
head.
27:52
I don't
27:53
know how
27:53
many plates,
27:54
but there's
27:54
just tons
27:55
of plates.
27:55
He starts
27:56
stacking them
27:56
and they're
27:56
spinning and
27:57
spinning.
27:58
Eventually,
27:59
at some
27:59
point,
28:00
he's going
28:00
to run
28:00
out of
28:01
being able
28:02
to spin
28:02
plates and
28:03
then they
28:03
all come
28:03
crashing down.
28:04
Whether that's
28:05
the Guinness
28:05
Book of
28:06
World Record,
28:07
who cares
28:08
really?
28:09
But it
28:11
gets to a
28:11
point where
28:12
he can't
28:12
spin any
28:13
more plates.
28:15
We make
28:17
the Christian
28:18
life out to
28:19
be spinning
28:20
plates.
28:21
If I do
28:23
this,
28:24
if I read
28:25
my Bible and
28:25
I say a
28:26
prayer before
28:27
bed and
28:28
after meals
28:29
or before
28:29
meals,
28:30
I
28:30
share my
28:35
faith with
28:35
somebody,
28:36
if I
28:37
talk about
28:38
Jesus,
28:39
if I
28:39
listen to
28:39
Christian
28:40
music and
28:40
wear Christian
28:41
t-shirts,
28:42
and if I
28:42
do this,
28:42
and if I
28:43
do that,
28:43
and if I
28:43
do these
28:44
things,
28:45
if I go to
28:45
Bible study,
28:46
if I go to
28:46
Thursday night
28:46
Bible study,
28:48
and I'm at
28:48
community group
28:49
on Wednesday,
28:50
and I'm Sunday
28:50
night Bible study,
28:51
and I sit down
28:52
on Sunday
28:53
morning at a
28:53
church,
28:56
and we
28:56
try to do
28:57
all these
28:57
things,
28:58
and eventually,
29:00
if that's
29:01
what our
29:01
Christian life
29:01
is,
29:02
if that's
29:02
what we
29:02
think it
29:03
is in
29:03
our head,
29:03
eventually,
29:04
we're going
29:04
to run
29:04
out of
29:04
the ability
29:06
to spin
29:06
plates.
29:09
Our
29:10
Christianity,
29:11
our life,
29:11
our religion
29:12
will be based
29:13
in self-effort
29:14
and not in
29:15
grace.
29:17
Here's the
29:17
problem.
29:21
If this
29:22
happens,
29:23
if your
29:23
Christian life
29:24
is based
29:25
not on
29:25
grace,
29:26
not on
29:26
God's
29:26
radical
29:27
grace,
29:27
but based
29:28
on your
29:28
self-effort,
29:29
when you
29:29
fail,
29:31
however
29:32
many
29:32
times that
29:33
is,
29:34
eventually,
29:35
you're going
29:35
to quit.
29:37
Eventually,
29:37
you're going
29:37
to say,
29:38
it's too
29:38
hard.
29:41
And it
29:42
happens because
29:42
we fail to
29:43
understand God's
29:44
radical grace.
29:46
We fail to
29:46
understand what
29:47
He has done
29:48
for us.
29:50
So,
29:50
living in
29:51
sin is not
29:52
possible to
29:54
avoid on
29:57
your own
29:57
merit.
29:57
sin.
29:58
It's not
29:58
possible to
29:59
say,
29:59
I am
30:00
not going
30:00
to live
30:01
in sin.
30:04
It's
30:05
impossible.
30:06
No matter
30:06
how good
30:07
you strive
30:08
to be,
30:09
you cannot
30:10
avoid living
30:11
in sin
30:11
outside of
30:12
Christ,
30:13
outside of
30:14
His grace,
30:16
His saving
30:17
grace.
30:20
But since
30:20
you have a
30:21
new life,
30:23
since you
30:23
are born
30:23
again,
30:24
you've been
30:25
reborn,
30:25
you've been
30:26
resurrected,
30:27
as verse
30:27
5 says,
30:29
because of
30:30
Jesus and
30:30
His grace,
30:31
you don't
30:31
just avoid
30:32
living in
30:33
sin,
30:33
it becomes
30:34
an impossibility.
30:38
And you
30:38
can stop
30:39
trying to
30:39
spin plates.
30:42
We receive
30:43
life through
30:43
the life,
30:44
death,
30:44
and resurrection
30:45
of Jesus
30:45
Christ,
30:46
and we are
30:47
given a
30:47
completely
30:48
secured
30:48
new life
30:49
in Him.
30:50
And we
30:52
no longer
30:53
are enslaved
30:55
to sin,
30:55
we are no
30:56
longer hindered
30:56
by chains
30:57
of sin,
30:58
but free,
31:00
free to be
31:00
sinless,
31:02
free to live
31:02
perfect lives.
31:05
Look at
31:06
verse 10.
31:08
It says,
31:08
for the death
31:09
He died,
31:10
He died to
31:10
sin,
31:11
once for
31:11
all He
31:12
being Jesus,
31:13
for the life
31:14
He lives,
31:15
He lives
31:15
to God.
31:18
Jesus is
31:18
our friend,
31:19
He is our
31:20
advocate,
31:20
and He is
31:21
our example.
31:23
Jesus lives
31:24
for the glory
31:25
of God.
31:28
He,
31:29
from His own
31:29
words in
31:30
the book of
31:30
John,
31:32
says,
31:32
I live
31:34
for the glory
31:35
of the Father.
31:36
I do what
31:36
I see the
31:37
Father doing
31:37
repeated over
31:40
and over.
31:40
If Jesus
31:41
is our
31:41
example,
31:43
then our
31:43
lives live
31:44
for the glory
31:45
of God.
31:47
In other
31:48
words,
31:48
we bring
31:49
glory to
31:49
God when
31:51
we don't
31:51
give in to
31:51
temptation.
31:53
We bring
31:53
glory to
31:54
God when
31:54
we choose
31:55
to cling
31:55
to the
31:56
cross.
31:57
We bring
31:58
glory to
31:58
God when
31:59
we turn
31:59
the TV
32:00
off when
32:00
that show
32:01
comes on.
32:02
We bring
32:03
glory to
32:04
God when
32:04
we don't
32:04
visit that
32:05
website.
32:07
We bring
32:08
glory to
32:08
God when
32:08
we are
32:09
content in
32:09
our
32:10
situation.
32:11
We bring
32:12
glory to
32:12
God when
32:13
we lay
32:13
our
32:13
burdens
32:14
at His
32:14
feet.
32:16
We bring
32:16
glory to
32:17
God when
32:18
the gossip
32:18
stops.
32:20
We bring
32:21
glory to
32:21
God when
32:22
we love
32:23
our wives
32:24
as Christ
32:24
loved the
32:25
church.
32:26
We bring
32:27
glory to
32:27
God when
32:28
we work
32:29
to our
32:29
fullest
32:29
potential.
32:31
We bring
32:31
glory to
32:32
God when
32:32
we treasure
32:33
Christ.
32:35
We bring
32:35
glory to
32:36
God when
32:36
we admit
32:37
our weaknesses
32:37
and beg
32:38
Him for
32:39
help.
32:41
God's
32:41
radical
32:42
grace gives
32:43
us a
32:43
new life.
32:44
A new
32:44
life where
32:45
we can
32:45
bring glory
32:46
to God.
32:47
This new
32:48
life that
32:48
you've been
32:49
given is
32:50
dead to
32:51
sin.
32:52
Give God
32:53
glory with
32:53
your lives
32:54
not just
32:54
in the
32:55
knowledge or
32:56
theology that
32:57
you carry
32:57
with you.
33:00
This new
33:00
life will
33:01
no longer
33:02
die.
33:03
Give God
33:03
glory with
33:04
your entire
33:04
life and
33:05
not just
33:05
your Sunday
33:06
morning when
33:07
you attend
33:07
a church
33:08
gathering.
33:10
This new
33:10
life is free
33:11
from being
33:12
mastered by
33:13
sin.
33:14
Give God
33:14
glory with
33:15
your life,
33:15
not just
33:16
when you
33:16
experience
33:17
something
33:18
emotional.
33:20
This new
33:21
life is
33:21
secured by
33:22
Jesus.
33:23
Give God
33:23
glory this
33:24
morning by
33:24
repenting
33:25
from your
33:26
self-effort
33:27
and sin.
33:29
This new
33:30
life is
33:30
because of
33:31
His radical
33:32
grace.
33:34
Give God
33:34
glory with
33:35
your mind,
33:35
your heart,
33:36
and your
33:36
soul.
33:38
God's
33:38
grace is
33:39
radical.
33:40
It is
33:40
radical enough
33:41
to kill
33:41
you and
33:42
it is
33:42
radical enough
33:42
to give
33:43
you life.
33:45
Let us
33:46
celebrate this
33:47
grace forever
33:47
and not
33:48
abuse it
33:50
as our
33:51
question in
33:51
verse 1.
33:53
Hence
33:54
act.