Romans 6:15-23
Victory through Servanthood
Welcome!
Would you open your Bibles to...
Joh.
Pray
Intro
√ Chapter 6 – the work of sanctification
Ex. Physical therapy
Ap. Salvation is a work of God – we can’t do anything to earn forgiveness of sin or make ourselves righteous.
√ What’s our spiritual therapist tell us to do?
Victory over the old nature with all its sinful behavior starts with a new attitude in life.
Vs. 1-4 Recognize your new life in Christ
Vs. 5-11 Reckon the old man dead
Vs. 12-14 Yield you body and mind to God’s will
Vs. 15-23 Serve God with all your strength
We’ve looked at the first three steps – this morning the final practical step to victory in Christ.
Serve God (vs. 15-23)
Rom.
√ Once again Paul deals with the wrong thinking of some who misunderstood God’s Grace (vs. 14)
Our English doesn’t do this verse well – it’s different than vs. 1
Rom. 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
The idea in vs. 1 is not to continue in a life-style of sin, where as the question in vs. 15 is…
“Can we sin every once and while?”
To which Paul responds…
“Certainly not!”
Or, in our modern vernacular…
“No way dude!”
√ Why not?, To which Paul says…
Rom. 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
Rom. 6:17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
Rom. 6:18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
Paul’s point is that we know intuitively that we can only serve one master – in this case either sin (leading to death) or righteousness (leading to eternal life).
No middle ground – there’s no way to be a slave both to sin and to Christ.
Ex. Matt. 6:24 – Jesus said you can only serve one master
So, the evidence that I have a new master is displayed (or demonstrated )in my life by who it is that I serve – sin or Christ.
√ Understand that when we speak of being a “slave” of Christ we’re not saying that God is holding us in bondage the way that we were in bondage to sin before Christ.
That’s why in this closing section Paul sort of apologizes for using slavery as an illustration of our new life in Christ – note vs. 19...
Rom. 6:19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh…
The point is that Paul recognized that the Christian in Rome were not spiritually mature and he didn’t want them to take the illustration to far.
What we don’t want to miss however is the truth regarding the progression of sin or righteousness in our lives.
Rom. 6:19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
Rom. 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Rom. 6:21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
Rom. 6:22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
√ Note the progression of sin
When you present yourself as a slave to uncleanness & lawlessness (sin) Leads to more lawlessness (sin).
Sin is never satisfied it always demands more and more to bring the same level of pleasure or excitement.
Ap. You’re fooling yourself if you think you can control sin! That’s exactly what Satan would like you to think!!!
Ex. Chris – what began as a “social” toke became a life dominating master!
You must understand that when we present ourselves to sin – we ultimately become slaves to sin. Sin holds a person captive and they find themselves powerless to say “no” to sin.
Now we can understand why people continue to do things which they know will destroy them!
Ex. If you’ve ever been addicted to anything, or any behavior, you know what it’s like to be a slave to sin – the heroine addict.
I have never met a happy addict! They’re not really living – they’re surviving from one high to the next as their “master” pushes them to lower and lower depths of depravity.
But – there’s good news!!!
What see to be true of sin – a progression of greater and greater wickedness and depravity is also true regarding righteousness!
√ The progression of righteousness
The glorious truth that Paul reveals in vs. 19 is that just as a person can be enslaved by sin…so a person can become “enslaved” to righteousness!
“so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.”
And…
Rom. 6:22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
That is, as you chose to…
Recognize your new life in Christ
Reckon the old man dead
Yield you body and mind to God’s will
Serve God with all your life
…you will find that even the desire of your heart will change from wanting to do wrong – to wanting to do right!
Ex. Paul knew that power from his own experience…
Gal. 1:22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ.
Gal. 1:23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.”
Gal. 1:24 And they glorified God in me.
Paul had been enslaved by a prejudice and hatred for those who followed Christ – but having met Jesus Christ his life was transformed and he became an apostle of Grace and Love!
Ap. Understand that doesn’t mean you won’t be tempted – you will be! However, what it means is that you will find yourself wanting to God’s will instead of sin!
What it does mean however is that you will desire to live for God and not your sin.
Filling your time with Bible study – fellowship – prayer – a hunger to know more about Jesus and a longing for Him!
Ex. The Name of “Jesus” after I got saved.
√ A practical suggestion
2Tim. 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
The victory over sin that we desire is found by pursuing a new master.
Not enough to just stop doing the bad – must be replaced with Godly living.
Ex. Judah and their idols
√ Can’t leave this section without looking at vs. 23
Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Part of that “Roman’s Road” tour to lead a person to Christ.
For our discussion this morning the point we don’t want to miss are the benefits of our new Master.
Sin = pays out death
Jesus = gives us what we can’t earn – eternal
life!
Rev. 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
Rev. 18:5 “For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Rev. 18:6 “Render
to her just as she rendered to you, and
repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.
Rev. 18:7 “In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’
Rev. 18:8 “Therefore her plagues will come in one day--death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
The frightening truth is that sin does pay – but not what the sinner had hoped it would!
Contrast to the “gift” of God – salvation by faith through Grace!
Close
√ The “bond servant”
√ Do you really want to live a life in which you experience freedom from sin?
Remember, when Paul says that we are to be “dead to sin” – death means separation, not extinction!
So, sin is still with us, however, by identifying ourselves with Christ’s death we are separated from the power of sin.
If will reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to Christ.
And chose to yield ourselves to Christ.
Serve God with your life
You will find the power of God working within you to change your nature and separate you from the sin which once ran your life!