Sermon Tone Analysis

++

SLIDE 3

Romans 6:1-

++

Intro:

Last week’s message, demonstrated to us, how incredible grace is… as it was set up as a contrast… against the bleak despair of sin.

++

One man committed one sin, which essentially made all guilty.

The marker of that one sin in our lives, is made evident by the reality of death.

++

One man, made all sinners, and all suffer death because of it.

++

That’s a horrible thing to ponder… but Paul sets this horrible reality up as a means to show us the wonder of grace.

++

One man brought sin, which leads to condemnation, and eternal death.

But another man, brought grace, which leads to righteousness, and eternal life.

++

They are not matched entities… they are not like yin and yang.

- GRACE DOESN’T BALANCE SIN OUT.

IT IS NOT AN EQUAL, OPPOSING FORCE.

PAUL MAKES IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR.. - grace FAR SURPASSES… the power of sin.

++

sin reigned in death… but grace reigns through righteousness… leading to eternal life..

++

No matter how much sin abounds… GRACE ABOUNDS MORE.

++

At this point in our study… you’ve probably noticed that many of Paul’s new arguments are started as rebuttals to an anticipated response.

++

Chapter 6 verse one is no exception.

Even today, if we speak too much about grace… there will inevitably be those who warn… that too much grace leads to a false permission to just… KEEP ON SINNING.

++

Why do some fear teachings on grace?

Because, others abuse teachings on grace.

And when it’s abused… it’s called ‘false grace’.

-But in reality, false grace can fall on both sides of the argument.

++

It is a false grace that gives permission to keep on sinning, and not feel guilty about it.

++

It is also false grace that seeks to control people with rules, in fear of those who might use it as a permission to keep on sinning.

++

++

People who love rules… struggle with grace.

People who are looking for excuses to break the rules… also struggle with grace.

++

It’s no wonder… that even in Paul’s day… that the mere mention of grace… prompts him to launch into a rebuttal on an argument that is only presumed.

++

Paul rightly presumed that people on both sides of the argument… would ask this very question… they would just change the pronoun in this verse…

++

SLIDE 4

The rule keepers would say:

“Are they to continue in sin that grace may abound?”

The rule breakers would say:

“Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?”

++

Both forms of this rebuttal, will find an answer in Paul’s lesson.

++

It was not uncommon for the Apostles to face those who demanded that believers in Jesus obey the laws of Judaism.

++

This was their biggest challenge, as they sought to understand, walk in, and teach the principles of grace.

++

At one point in their ministry… Paul and Barnabas had to come back to Jerusalem to bring the testimony of saved Gentiles before the church leaders… They debated at length on the requirements of these new believers as it pertained to the law…

++

Amongst other things, circumcision was the reoccurring theme.

It was the mark of the Abrahamic covenant.. - But, even though it was commanded in the law… The church agreed, after the defense of both Peter and James… that these saved Gentiles need not be circumcised.

++

Things like this were ongoing challenges for the church… therefore, communicating the concept of grace, was also a real challenge.

++

It’s not a strange thing, that some might conclude, that more sinning provides more opportunity for the believer to experience more grace.

++

This is a poor interpretation of what Paul said in … but history shows us… that people did adopt this form of thinking.

++

The well known Russian Monk, Gregory Rasputin firmly believed in this.

He taught and exemplified the doctrine of salvation through repeated experiences of sin and repentance.

++

He believed, that those who sin most require the most forgiveness… therefore, a sinner who continues to sin with abandon enjoys, each time he repents, more of God’s forgiving grace than an ordinary sinner.

++

Paul knew… that some would oppose grace wrongly, because of this form of thinking, and others would embrace grace wrongly because of this thinking..

++

Paul responds to both by declaring: “No Way! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

++

…or as one scholar put it… “We have died, once and for all, to sin; can we breathe its air again?”

++

IN verses three and four, Paul uses the example of Baptism to illustrate this point.

++

Now… this illustration may not translate over to well to those who have different ideas on baptism.

++

The word baptism means, ‘to immerse’… it was used to define the act of drowning someone… it was used to describe the sinking of a ship.

Josephus used this word to describe the crowds that flooded into Jerusalem and wrecked the city.

++

Ceremonially, amongst the Jews, it spoke of cleansing and repentance.

They would baptize themselves repeatedly throughout life… walking into pools… over their heads.. and then walking out on the other side..

++

Jesus used the word to illustrate identity… baptism of suffering… to be baptized into His death… to be baptized by the HS into the body of Christ.

++

Baptism took on different forms, different meanings, and different identities over the years..

++

It was the union of the church and state that instituted, originally, the baptism of infants.

They had to come up with a way to identify a new born member, officially, into the church, and also, into citizenship of a town, or state.

++

The doctrines that explain and justify such forms of baptism came later… and are still widely embraced in the church at large..

++

But these first generation believers… they practiced a baptism that wasn’t political… they practiced a baptism with serious implications..

++

To them, it brought forth the reality of sin and death… the very topic that Paul has been speaking of…

++

Verse 4 explains the symbolic meaning behind the act of baptism…

++

Being immersed, represents the body of flesh, being buried in the grave.

And, coming up out of the water, represents the resurrection of Jesus… and the newness of life that we are called to walk in.

++

Paul knew… if they didn’t get this idea of grace… and how it was NOT a free pass to sin without guilt…

++

Then… it was obvious.... they also didn’t get, or understand… what baptism was all about.

++

SLIDE 5

Romans 6.5-

++

It’s a strange thing to think, that we are united with Jesus in His death.

But in that moment… on the cross... we were intimately involved.

++

He suffered the death that we earned, and He did it with a knowledge of who we are.

++

Across the span of time… the God who is not bound by such things… TOOK THE EVIL THAT WAS, IS, AND WILL BE… in each of us… and transported it to that place, over 2000 years ago… for settlement.

-.

...... TOOK THE EVIL THAT WAS, IS, AND WILL BE… in each of us… and transported it to that place, over 2000 years ago… for settlement.

++

Because of that great and glorious work… the life of sin, which reigns in death… is defeated in death… - and we reap the rewards of the resurrection....

++

All of this happened… so that our body of sin would be rendered moot before the judgment of God...

++

Where we were once slaves… we are now free from sin.

++

When Paul says, “grace abounds over sin”… we humans might have a tendency to think in terms of a scale… - THERE IS THIS MUCH SIN ON ONE SIDE OF THE SCALE.. AND THERE IS THIS MUCH GRACE ON THE OTHER..

++

AND YES, Grace outweighs sin by far… - But if we think in terms of grace units over sin units.... then we will be missing the point..

++

When Paul speaks of grace abounding over sin....

He is speaking of the power… the accomplishment of grace… - compared to the power and the accomplishment of sin.

++

When people think in terms of sin units vs grace units… then they also think in terms of their own deeds…

++

They start to weigh their options… they start to think in terms of what they are and are not allowed to do.

++

Paul is confronting this way of thinking… PEOPLE… PLEASE STOP WEIGHING YOUR ACTS OF SIN AGAINST THE GRACE OF GOD..

++

Instead… JUST SEEK TO LIVE AS THE NEW CREATION THAT YOU ARE.

You were dead… a slave with no reward, but death- Now, you are alive, you are resurrected spiritually now… and you will be resurrected physically, later.

++

That old man is going to rear his head as often as we give him the opportunity..

++

But we need to respond to that old man.... by simply being… the new creation that God created us to be.

++

WE NEED TO BE ENAMORED WITH THE REALITY OF GRACE.

WE NEED TO BE AMAZED BY THE REALITY OF OUR OWN RESURRECTION.

WE NEED TO KNOW IT, BELIEVE IT, AND BE BLOWN AWAY BY IT.

++

Because… if we are not… If we are not reminding ourselves of the wonder of grace… if we are not meditating regularly on the reality of our resurrection from the slavery of sin and death..

++

Then we are going to have a hard time living, as the person we have been made to be.

++

Think about it this way: When a soldier is in uniform, on the base, and surrounded by superior officers… HE / SHE… BEHAVES IN A UNIQUE WAY.

That soldier knows… in that time and place, that they are a soldier… they look in the mirror, and they see a soldier.

They look at their shoulder.. and they see symbols of rank, and they know that they are a soldier.

They consider the actions of their fellow soldiers… and they know that they are a soldier.. - and… as a result.. they live accordingly.

++

Christian.

Do you know that you are dead to sin? Do you know that you are a new creation in Him? Do you know the power and might of God’s grace in your life?

DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, AND WHAT YOU ARE????