Sermon Tone Analysis

What is the process by which change happens?

If you need to see changes in your life, how does that flow from belief in Jesus?

What is the process by which change really happens?

If you need to see changes in your life, how does that flow from belief in Jesus?

Paul, in , lays out how faith in Christ concretely leads to changes.

It’s succinctly put, in , but it’s entirely taught in , and that’s where we will focus our attention today.

The whole section revolves around the question in verse 1 and verse 15.

The question arises from Paul’s teaching about the gospel.

In 1–5 of Romans, he lays out the gospel.

The gospel has a theme in it that’s unique to all the world religions and all the philosophies of the world … that salvation is received; it’s not achieved.

It’s received, not based on your merit, or your goodness, or anything in you at all.

When I first embraced faith, which would be late college or right after college, I had a number of things in my life that needed profound change.

Nothing seemed to work until two Christian writers, one from the seventeenth century, John Owen, and one from the twentieth century, John Stott (whom I had just really met) both directed me in their writings to .

When this is teaching is taught a particular question arises.

If salvation is sheerly by grace and it has nothing to do with how you live, why not live any way you want?

Why would you want to change?

Why would this kind of message change you at all?” “It seems to me,” somebody might say, “this message would leave you exactly the way you were.”

Paul, in , lays out how faith in Christ concretely leads to changes, and what the process really consists of.

It’s more succinctly put, in , but it’s most fully taught in , and that’s what we’re going to look at.

The whole section, chapters 6–8, revolves around the question you heard posed twice, b in verse 1 and verse 15.

You heard it read.

The question arises from Paul’s teaching about the gospel.

In 1–5 of Romans, he lays out the gospel.

The gospel has a theme in it that’s unique to all the world religions and all the philosophies of the world … that salvation is received; it’s not achieved.

It’s received, not on the basis of your merit, or your goodness, or anything in you at all.

That’s radical.

Paul answers that, and in the process, he gives us three principles for change.

First, you must recognize the shape of your spiritual slavery, you have to realize the scope of your unity with Jesus, and you have to live daily out of your new identity.

Whenever you hear that form of teaching, whenever that gospel teaching is laid out, immediately and inevitably (at first hearing, anyway) a question arises.

“Wait a minute!

If that’s the case, if salvation is sheerly by grace and it has nothing to do with how you live, why not live any way you want?

Why would you want to change?

Why would this kind of message change you at all?” “It seems to me,” somebody might say, “this message would leave you exactly the way you were.”

Recognize your spiritual slavery

Paul answers that question.

If you understand the gospel, why would you change?

How do you change?

Why would you even want to change?

Paul answers that, and in the process, he gives us three principles which, in my experience, in my pastoral work with people over the years and in my understanding and studying of the Bible, are absolutely crucial.

Three keys, three secrets, three principles … I don’t know.

I really want you to listen to them.

In

Three keys to real, profound life change.

Here’s what they are.

You have to recognize the shape of your spiritual slavery, you have to realize the scope of your cosmic unity with Jesus, and you have to live daily out of your new identity.

Recognize the shape of your spiritual slavery, realize the breadth and scope of your cosmic unity with Jesus, and live daily out of your new identity.

Romans verses 15 and 16, especially verse 16, Paul, after saying, “What, shall we sin that grace may abound?

We’re not under law, but under grace?”

No.

He says, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

verses 15 and 16, especially verse 16, Paul, after saying, “What, shall we sin that grace may abound?

We’re not under law, but under grace?”

No.

He says, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

In the first century, if you were facing an enormous debt, and you didn’t want to be saddled with it the rest of your life, it wasn’t uncommon for a person to actually sell themselves to a particular person for a period of time in order to work off the debt as fast as possible.

Slavery, unity, identity.

Let’s look at these three things.

By the way, if, when you’re done with this sermon, you say, “I really need more detail,” well, this is the introduction to a series to be continued.

Come back!

I won’t preach this fully, because it’s an introduction.

Therefore, you offer yourself into bond service.

You are selling yourself to settle your debt.

The one whom you owe becomes your master and has complete control over your life.

Now that wasn’t that surprising to the original readers, but in the second half, after the dash, Paul proceeds to bring this into the spiritual realm.

He says, “Don’t you realize there are only two categories of people in the world?

People who are obeying God and people who are spiritually slaves to something else.

There’s no other category.

There’s no third category.

There’s nothing in the middle.

There’s no alternative to those two.”

1. Recognize your spiritual slavery

Paul is booting off of the first commandment of the Ten Commandments.

In that first commandment, God says, “I am the Lord God.

I must be your God.

Don’t make anything else, your god.”

But notice the first commandment only says there are two categories.

You either make God God, or you make something else your god, but there is no third possibility.

If you don’t worship the true God, you will make something else a god in your life.

There’s no one without a god.

Everybody lives for something.

It is that something that gives us significance and security.

For some it is a career, for others family, or achievement.

It could be personal independence or the need to have people dependent on you.

It could be power and influence or human approval.

It could be a political cause.

It could be money.

It could be romance.

It could be physical attractiveness.

I’m looking at verses 15 and 16.

In verses 15 and 16, especially verse 16, Paul, after saying, “What, shall we sin that grace may abound?

We’re not under law, but under grace?”

No.

He says, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

It could be any number of things, but here’s what Paul is saying.

“You’re going to live for something.

There’s going to be something that basically makes your life feel like it’s meaningful and makes you feel like you’re worthwhile.”

But he says, “Here’s what you don’t seem to know.

Whatever that is, it’s a spiritual master.

It’s controlling you.”

“How?” you ask.