Sermon Tone Analysis

Alêtheia Christian Fellowship ~~ 050408 ~~ Romans 6b

 

*Tours begins at Clear Choice Clinic-1281 Burns Way *

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*Sister's Outreach meeting - DVD, "INDESCRIBABLE."*

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*Tracer Cooney* – 20 months

       Mom – *Sarah* Nicole Cooney, Dale’s daughter

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Paul starts chapter 6, by rhetorically asking, “*Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?*”

The question is since we are not under the Law, but instead are forgiven through Grace why don’t we just have a party?

The real question is *sarcastic* and we find it prevalent today – but anything less than grace is *blaspheme* against Christ as the sufficient savior and therefore blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.

*Luke 12:8-10 ~~* 8“And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

10“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.

Linking for us sometimes obscures the meaning…

 

Everyone who accepts (oJmologe>w) Me, will be accepted; but everyone who denies Me, will be denied.



 

Everyone who speaks against Me will be forgiven, but everyone who rejects Me will not be forgiven.

*The Holy Spirit conviction*…

 

They could be negative about the man Jesus, but to fail to recognize the Holy Spirit testimony that He was the *one and only path to the Father was and is unforgivable*.

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We sense that we can’t be God’s children and* run amuck – so what’s the answer?*

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Paul begins by using *baptism as an example – *if Jesus is dead to the influence & demands of sin and raised to the newness of life for the Father - and we are baptized into Him then we are *dead to the control & demands of sin *and *raised up to serve God.*

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*Romans 6:12&13 ~~ *12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

 

Paul now uses the imagery of *national service*

 

*Sin as king on your throne* being served on *your altar*, but more than that – *service to a king is service against* his enemy.

Instruments is o[plon, and is the tools of war used by the hoplite soldiers.

Be clear – there are actually only *two possibilities*!

You are either in Adam, sin and death actively fighting against God or in Jesus, righteousness and life actively fighting against Satan.

*Stop allowing sin to reign = stop making peace*!

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*Stop presenting the members = stop fighting against Jesus!*

 

*But present = Once and for all time* (aorist) Do it now and completely

 

Identity – service – warrior

 

*Romans 6:14&15 ~~* 14For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

15What then?

Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?

May it never be!

 

Now Paul uses a third illustration from *slavery*.

Verse *15* seems to restate verses *1&2*, but there is a difference.

In the first case Paul is talking about a life still *ruled by sin* – he has dispensed with that.

He has shown that *Godly behavior is indeed required*, but it *flows from who we are in Christ* not who we are in ourselves.

Here he takes up the issue of *occasional sin*, i.e. taking a day off.

Jesus is sufficient so I can have *fun once in awhile*, right?

*Romans 6:16-19a ~~* 16Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

17But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

19aI am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.

No room in a true Christian’s life for planned occasional sin – because he hates sin!

 

Verse 16, “*obedience resulting in righteousn**ess*,” is that process of standing firm under pressure being obedient to God’s will that creates *proven character*, i.e. faith credited as righteousness.

The, “form of teaching to which you were committed,” is really the didach>, into which you were delivered – you are *possessed by the Gospel* because you believed.

Everyone thinks that they are their *own master*, but the Biblical reality is that *everyone is owned* by the *master sin* or the *Master Jesus* – you get to choose whom you will serve, but you *cannot serve both*!

As Jesus said you cannot serve two masters.

Paul starts the letter, “Pau~~lov dou~~lov Cristou~~ Ijhsou~~.”

A slave’s will is tied up within and completely overshadowed by the master’s will and only death can set the slave free if the master is unwilling to let them go

 

Verse 19a, is Paul’s *apology *for using a sad example due to the lack of spiritual insight, but he must make his point.

*Romans 6:19b-23 ~~* 19bFor just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

21Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed?

For the outcome of those things is death.

22But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

Verse 20, “*were free in regard to righteousness*,” No matter how good as a non-believer you were never good for the Kingdom or your own salvation!

The *unspoken reverse* is also true – if you were free from good before, you are *now free from sin*.

Verse 21, “*now ashamed*,” is not the actual sins so much as it is the shame of hurting God and crucifying Christ.

Then “*the outcome of those things is death*,” The proof your goodness before was not really good!

We are now ashamed of our independence and lack of trust – so the opposite is complete *dependence *and total *trust*.

*Benefit is the hoplite’s rations – Death *is nominative, but *eternal life *is accusative – You posses life, but death possesses you.

*Romans 6:23 ~~* For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

*You have earned it*!

It, like so many things of God, is counterintuitive; we fear sinful behavior will be encouraged by preaching grace – but the only genuine way a person can live for God is by recognizing God’s love in grace.

We offer our obedience because we love God and want to please Him, not because we want to…

       Propitiation = mollify wrath

       Redemption = purchased

       Reconciliation = peace

       Justification = legally innocent

       Sanctification = separated for God

       Salvation = the whole enchilada – and it is finished.

Where does this choice lead?

Go to a place where there is drinking (kegger).

Choose to drink

                    Choose to drink too much

                           Choose to drive (Eslich’s son).

One match…