(Romans 6:9-14) Grabbing A Hold of A New Life in Christ
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· 28 viewsFreedom from slavery to sin is a wonderful announcement in this passage. Yet, many Christians are left with guilt, frustration, and disappointment when they fail to live up to the wonderful promise of freedom. If our position in Christ is so sure, why do so many of us live defeated? Paul challenges us in this passage with how to grab a hold of the new life we have in Christ.
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INTRODUCTION:
Calvin Coolidge attended church alone because of the sickness of Mrs. Coolidge.
Are you a believer who struggles to find the new life promised in Christ?
When he arrived back home he went up to his wife’s room to see how she was feeling.
She promptly reassured him, and asked him if he had enjoyed the sermon. He replied in a weak affirmative.
Last week, we talked about why our grace filled lives should lead us to a transformed life through Christ.
But, for many of us - that was a hard message.
Because I don’t feel like I have a new life.
Our text this morning continues teaching us we have a new life, but begins to turn to how to live that new life.
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.
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.
“What was it about?” she continued.
Does quicksand fascinate you?
ILLUSTRATION:
“Sin.”
“What did the minister say?”
As a kid, I was
Does quicksand fascinate you?
“He was against it.”
As a kid, I was always fascinated by Quicksand.
As a kid, I was always fascinated by Quicksand.
Sometimes, we as Pastors are quick to preach against sin, but slow to offer any help.
The idea that you could fall in a mud puddle and it would suck you in always fascinated me.
I remember playing with my brother in our back yard,
The idea that you could fall in and get trapped in a huge puddle of mud always facinated me.
pretending we were trapped in quick sand.
I remember playing with my brother in our back yard, pretending we were trapped in quick sand.
We are spread out going … I don’t want die. Pulling at each other… pretending to escape this pit of quicksand.
There is actually a river in CA which is Spanish in name meaning - get out of it, if you can.
So named that – because of quick sand.
Our sin is a lot like quicksand –
It’s Muddy, it’s ugly, and it's disgusting.
It is not only muddy and ugly and disgusting – but it's really hard to get out of.
Last week we talked about the wonderful truth
Last week we talked about the wonderful truth
– that I am dead to my old sin nature and now can walk in newness of life.
For some of us, that truth may seem out of touch with reality.
- I don't feel like I have a new life, because I still struggle with sin.
- Because sin sometimes conquers me more than I conquer it.
- For a sin nature that is supposedly dead,
I sure struggle with the temptation and passion of sin.
- For someone who now has a new life,
I still feel like I am crawling out of the quicksand of my old life
every inch being pulled back down by my sin nature.
Are you a believer who struggles to find the new life promised in Christ?
Our text this morning continues teaching us we have a new life, but begins to turn to how to live that new life.
But, for many of us - that was a hard message.
Because I don’t feel like I have a new life.
I feel like I am constantly fighting to get out of the whole of my sin nature.
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.
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.
Our text this morning continues teaching us we have a new life, but begins to turn to how to live that new life.
From our passage, and really the theme of much of Chapter 6 and 7 -
PROP: Grace Should Lead Us to a New Life.
PROP: Grace Should Lead Us to a New Life.
TRANS: and Paul is going to give us 4 ways for how to have a new life found in Christ.
TRANS: and Paul is going to give us 4 ways for how to have a new life found in Christ.
Are you looking for help?
Do you want to know how to grab hold of the new life that you have in Christ?
This morning and in the next few weeks Paul will challenge us for how to have a new life in Christ.
The first way we grab hold of our new live - is we
1) Choose to Live Under the Reign of Christ. ()
1) Choose to Live Under the Reign of Christ. ()
1) Exclusively Live Under the Reign of Christ. (9-11)
The first step of almost anything is to make a choice.
You want to be
You want to be an engineer, a soldier, a teacher, a contractor who builds houses,… And you must choose to learn that trade.
an engineer,
a soldier,
a teacher,
a contractor who builds houses,
… And you must choose to learn that trade.
Even something is non-technical as being a waitress has a certain amount of learning...
>>> Learning to be a good host, learning the menu, learning what coupons you can offer.
Many of you started out in this trade or that trade and you didn't just wake up one morning and say I'm going to be X.
You made a choice and that choice was a bath with a resolve to learn whatever you had to learn to be that trade.
You made a choice and that choice was a bath with a resolve to learn whatever you had to learn to be that trade.
There is a day you can remember, when you said I choose to be this and whatever it takes to do that I am going to do it.
Our text is going to call us to make a choice here.
In fact were commanded to consider or choose in v. 11.
In fact were commanded to consider or choose in v. 11.
Look at what we are called to choose.
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.
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.
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.
Rom 6:
Our text teaches us -
a. Christ conquered death, once and for all time mastering sin and death. (v. 9-10)
a. Christ conquered death, once and for all time mastering sin and death. (v. 9-10)
a. Christ conquered death, once and for all time mastering sin and death. (v. 9)
We have to understand the connection here.
- linked sin and death together.
linked sin and death together.
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
So when we text talks about Christ conquering death,
then we are also talking about Christ conquering sin.
They are one and the same.
He conquered sin in general and conquered our particular sin by canceling our record of debt. (-25)
>>> And That is demonstrated by his conquering death and being raised from the dead.
And that is demonstrated by his conquering death and being raised from the dead.
We know Christ did this, because he conquered death. - He was raised us from the dead.
He has dominion over it>>>>>
Death and sin is no longer the slave master,
Christ is the slave master of death and sin.
- and this Culminates in a once for all, everlasting change.
Death and sin now bow to the authority of Jesus.
Death and sin now bow to the authority of Jesus.
- Which means, the life he now lives, is now a life that glorifies God.
It's not the Christ life didn’t glorify God before,
It's not the Christ life to glorify God before, but simply the emphasis that he's already died and so now the wife he was now culminates in the glorification of God.
but simply the emphasis that he's already died
and so now the life he now lives culminates in the glorification of God.
And so upon looking at the surety of Christ's conquering of sin and death,
a. Christs is the master of death and sin.
demonstrated by his resurrection,
we ought to make a decision.
b. Christs single death culminated in his resurrection that glorifies God. (v. 10)
b. Christs single death culminated in his resurrection that glorifies God. (v. 10)
This continues the idea that we are dead to sin and alive a new in God.
b. The single death of Christ brought our current new life.
b. We are called to choose to live our new life in Christ. (v. 11)
b. We are called to choose to live our new life in Christ. (v. 11)
c. We are called to choose to live our new life in Christ. (v. 11)
11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
That word, consider, is a command from Scripture.
The idea of considering is the idea of choosing.
The idea of considering is the idea of choosing.
ILLUSTRATION:
Husbands and wives do this all the time don't we.
If we just tell them what we really wanted, they might tell us no.
So we try to warm them up to the idea – honey I want you to consider.
So we try to warm them up to the idea – honey I want you to consider.
So we try to warm them up to the idea – honey I want you to consider.
What am I really say babe I want you to choose this for me.
Paul is saying consider -
consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God.
In other words were called to choose our new life.
That might surprise you because isn't this life automatic?
Why do I have to choose a life that I already have in Christ?
Why do I have to choose a life that I already have in Chris?
And It is true,
that our old sin nature died on the cross with Jesus,
and it is also true that by the Holy Spirit we have a new heart and a new life to live in Christ.
Until Christ's return,
Yet - Until Christ's return,
What is not certain is which will control me?
The power and enslavement is gone, but the temptation remains.
Which means I have to choose -
- Will I allow the old nature who I've been freed from control me
or
- do I let the new nature continually control me?
ILLUSTRATION:
I know some of you like to find shortcuts.
And so I know, you look for ways to cut two minutes of your drive time.
We all can’t even go to camp grace without a discussion about which way is faster.
We all can’t even go to camp grace without somebody saying I go this way visits faster.
But on this subject – We're all on the same path.
But on this subject – We're all on the same path.
There are no shortcuts - you are either allowing sin to control you or you are allowing Christ to control you.
We can choose to stall our new life by living in our old sin,
We all are choosing one way or the other.
or we can choose a rhythm of life where we keeping giving my new life more control.
We all are choosing one way or the other.
If you want to live a new life in Christ, Then it starts by choosing your new life.
The second way you live the new life Christ gave you is to
2) Resist Being A Tool for the Old Master Called Sin. ()
2) Resist Being A Tool for the Old Master Called Sin. ()
As we consider what it means to choose a new life of our old life – we have to consider what it means to consider yourself dead to your sin nature.
As we consider what it means to choose a new life over our old life
– we have to consider what it means to consider yourself dead to your sin nature.
As we consider what it means to choose a new life of our old life – we have to consider what it means to consider yourself dead to your sin nature.
And I think being -
Dead to sin is to resist the master called sin.
Sin has been pictured from and all the way to this verse – as a king or a master who ruled over our lives since the sin of Adam.
It was the one who controlled us with scary is sometimes you didn't even realize they are being controlled by it.
(((It was the one who controlled us and what is scary is sometimes you didn't even realize they are being controlled by it.))))
It deceived us,
in bound us in passions,
and it destroyed our lives.
So what does it mean – to be dead to sin?
And I believe it means we run from our old master called sin.
ILLUSTRATION:
As I think about the imagery that Paul is showing us here,
I can’t help but to picture refugees running from an evil dictator
- running as hard and as strong as they can to get away from the atrocities they were facing.
In recent years,
famine in Africa,
civil war in the Middle East , and
poverty in South America
has caused refugees to be a major topic of news.
The border of every major first-order nation has faced an endless line of refugees running from poverty or dictatorship.
The -
U.S.
Canada
and Europe.
And some of the stories are horrendous.
One story comes from a girl named - Souhayla
An 16 year Iraqi girl was captured and held for 3 years by ISIS.
She was malnourished, abused, and worse.
But, Souhayla escaped on July 9, 2018
- two days after an airstrike collapsed a wall in the building where she was being held,
- burying another Yazidi girl who had been held alongside her and killing the captor who had abused them, her uncle said.
At that point, she was strong enough to clamber through the rubble and make her way to the first Iraqi checkpoint.
This girl represents what it like to be in bondage to sin,
and what you would do if you had a chance to escape.
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
Romans 5
That is -
You would dig with your bare hands, and run as far and as hard as you could to escape.
You can imagine the desperation and complete resolve she had - one thought in her mind.
I need escape.
a. Resist your Passions.
a. Resist your Passions.
a. Run from our 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.
Rom
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
I love that word “reign” here.
Reign refers to a king who rules over a nation.
Do not let sin be king over your body!
Do not sin be king over your body,
How do I let sin be king over my body?
What does Paul mean by that?
You make sin king over your bodies when You obey it’s passions.
Passions here refers to immoral cravings.
>>>Immoral cravings of sexuality, anger, selfishness, bitterness, malice ...
I have immoral
Sin is pictured here as a an evil dictator - who forces you to obey it’s passions.
It is an evil dictator - who forces you to obey it’s passions.
11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit,
but a wise man quietly holds it back.
Don’t let your passions be your king.
Christ died so you don’t have to listen to that king anymore.
Instead - you can listen to Christ and his new life as your king.
Further, we resist the master called sin when you -
b. Resist your Immorality.
b. Resist your Immorality.
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.
Who here likes to be used and abused?
None of us like being taken advantage of.
But every time we obey the passions of sin - we become a tool for sin.
The word “instrument” here means a tool or weapon.
Don’t present yourself as a tool ready for sin to use.
ILLUSTRATION:
I appreciate when my tools are in the right spot, ready to be used.
There in the right drawers and hanging in the correct spot.
This teaches us not to be a tool ready and handy for sin to use.
Don’t be a tool for sin.
The Word “unrighteousness” is just the generic idea of ungodly and sinful.
ILLUSTRATION:
As we consider, do not let sin be our king.
Making sure we are not a ready tool for sin.
As I think about the imagery that Paul is showing us here,
I can’t help but to picture refugees running from an evil dictator
- running as hard and as strong as they can to get away from the atrocities they were facing.
In recent years,
famine in Africa,
civil war in the Middle East , and
poverty in South America
has caused refugees to be a major topic of news.
The border of every major first-order nation has faced an endless line of refugees running from poverty or dictatorship.
The -
U.S.
Canada
and Europe.
And some of the stories are horrendous.
One story comes from a girl named - Souhayla
An 16 year Iraqi girl was captured and held for 3 years by ISIS.
She was malnourished, abused, and worse.
But, Souhayla escaped on July 9, 2018
- two days after an airstrike collapsed a wall in the building where she was being held,
- burying another Yazidi girl who had been held alongside her and killing the captor who had abused them, her uncle said.
At that point, she was strong enough to clamber through the rubble and make her way to the first Iraqi checkpoint.
This girl represents what it like to be in bondage to sin,
and what you would do if you had a chance to escape.
You would dig with your bare hands, and run as far and as hard as you could to escape.
You can imagine the desperation and complete resolve she had - one thought in her mind.
I need escape.
That is what it means to run from the master called sin.
To run from his dictatorship and abuse.
Ladies and Gentleman - Christ died so you could be free from the evil dictator called sin.
So [[[run]]] from that master called sin like refugee looking for the hope found in Christ.
We grab hold of the new life in Christ,
when we choose the new life.
when we resist our old master called sin.
And when we
3) Run to the Transformed Life Found in the Resurrection. ()
3) Run to the Transformed Life Found in the Resurrection. ()
This passage challenges us to run to the wonderful hope found in God.
Just as that Iraqi girl ran for hope,
May we run to the hope found in Christ.
a. Living out a transformed (new) life.
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.
\\\\\\\\\\
b. Follow the goodness of Christ’s example.
Here we learn to present our bodies to God,
as tools ready for God to use for goodness.
“members” is the idea of our body.
Our tongue
Our Eyes
Our Lips
Our hands
They all should be instruments or tools for God.
Understand the comparison here.
We are not to be ready tools for Sin,
but we are to be ready tools for God.
Are you prepared to be a tool for God, and God alone?
To be a tool for God, and God alone -
That means we don’t obey the passions (immoral cravings) of the flesh.
That means we don’t obey the passions (immoral cravings) of the flesh.
11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit,
but a wise man quietly holds it back.
But it also positively and proactively means we are following the goodness of God.
That is following Christ as our ultimate example.
That is being renewed in your mind by the Word of God.
That is letting the Holy Spirit lead and guide your steps.
If not being tool means not listening to the immoral cravings of sexuality, anger, selfishness, bitterness, malice
Then being a tool for God means we follow Christ’s example and the Holy Spirit by living lives of the fruit of the Spirit.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Which tool are you?
A Tool for Sin
OR
A Tool for God.
We ought to run to the transformed life found in our union with Christ’s resurrection.
To Grab Hold of the new life found in Christ
-We must choose to live under our new life
- We must Resist the master called sin
- We must Run to the Transformed Life.
- We must
4) Submit to Abounding Grace. ()
4) Submit to Abounding Grace. ()
One last short point - for how to grab a hold of the new life you have in Christ.
Paul brings a summary point for v. 1-14.
He has a master play on words as he brings together .
14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
What we are talking about here is literally - who shall be king over your life?
- I hope that you don’t want the destructive, nasty, empty King of sin to rule over your life.
There is a long list of atrocities by people who have had sin destroy them and their families.
Don’t be ruled by Sin.
- Instead, may we let the abounding grace of Jesus Christ rule over you.
Let grace rule over you.
Now back to last week - this is not grace to let sin abound.
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
That is not living in grace.
That is living as a tool for the king called sin.
Instead, truly abounding in living grace is putting yourself and submitting to Christ and grace as your king.
- A person who submits to the grace of God is a person who realizes they are united in Christ’s resurrection.
- A person who submits to the grace of God is a person who runs to the new life found in Christ.
Which means.
- A person who submits to grace submits to the wonderful and good instruction of the Lord as tools of grace,
rather then being a tool of sin that we have already died too.
You want to grab a hold of the new life.
- Then let real grace rule in your life. Submit to it.
Not fake, manipulated grace where I have a license to sin.
- But real genuine transformative, life giving grace.
CONCLUSION:
I talked about quicksand this morning.
And our old nature
And Oh, at times
the Christian life often doesn’t feel like a victorious life.
the Christian life doesn’t feel like a new and transformed life.
We can feel like our old nature is pulling us under.
In fact,
If we all realized how often and how easily we sinned.
we would feel even more like I am not dead to sin and alive to God.
Are you a believer who struggles to find the new life promised in Christ?
On the one hand, this passage is wonderful news.
I am emancipated from slavery to the king called sin.
I don’t live at the becking call of my immoral passions.
I don’t live at the becking call of my immoral passions.
On the other hand, a short experience in the Christian life teaches us we are easily tempted by sin.
Not just the really bad sins like adultery and murder.
But the everyday sins of anger, selfishness, and pride.
This morning - may I encourage us with 4 ways to grab hold of the transformed life of grace that I am promised in Christ.
1) Choose to Live Under the Reign of Christ. ()
a. Christ conquered death, once and for all time mastering sin and death. (v. 9)
b. We are called to choose to live our new life in Christ. (v. 11)
2) Resist Being A Tool for the Old Master Called Sin. ()
a. Run from our Passions.
b. Run from Immorality.
3) Run to the Transformed Life Found in the Resurrection . ()
4) Submit to Abounding Grace. ()
Grace should lead us to a New life.
It is a truth attainable through our union with Christ.
Let real genuine transformative, life giving grace rule your life.
It will be the greatest thing you ever do.