A New Master

The Fruit of Righteousness

Romans 6:15–23 CSB

What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Absolutely not! Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over, and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. So what fruit was produced then from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death. But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification—and the outcome is eternal life! For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Exegetical Idea- The Fruit of Sin is death, while the fruit of righteous in eternal life

Homiletical Idea- One sin reigned and ruled, but because of Jesus freedom and righteousness is available to all who believe.

Paul once again asks the reader a question that is obscure to even think about. Yet this question reveals a certain condition of the heart.

The condition of the heart that lays behind the attitude of “well God has grace and therefore if I sin God will just forgive me.” Is one of slavery to sin. there is no true freedom in the life of anyone who makes excuses for not being able to control their actions!

Perhaps you have heard of the term Premeditated sin. Doing a sin knowing that you can asks for forgiveness and you will be forgiven.

As If after identifying with Christ’s death burial and resurrection, through baptism, we could go back to the former ways of living, the very life we died too.

up unto this point Paul has kinda put the Law and Grace at odds with each other and thus giving people the freedom to go against he Law and thus sin.

The Christian life isn’t that sin is no longer our master therefore we can indulge in sin without fear of being controlled by it. Nor is it the thought that it is ok to continuing in sin because it gives God the opportunity to exercise grace.

Any Attitude that excuses, rationalizes or even welcomes sin is not grace, but it is actually slavery to sin itself.

Romans Slaves to Righteousness / 6:15-23

THE MASTER

If we’re no longer under the law but under grace, are we now free to sin and disregard the Ten Commandments? Paul says, “By no means!” When we were under the law, sin was our master, for the law could not help us overcome sin. But now that we are bound to Christ, he is our Master, and he gives us power to do good rather than evil.

Two Masters: You are a slave to whom you Obey

Romans 6:16 CSB

Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Paul shows there are two masters with two very different destinies.

You are a slave to whomever you commit yourself to obey.

Slave to sin (Rom 6:16,23)

The Slave master determines what you do and who you are-

Sin dictates death to all who are enslaved to it. (Rom 6:23)

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Sin, Effects of

Sin, Effects of

A famous preacher of many years ago had a clock in his church that was well known for its inability to keep the time accurately. Sometimes too fast, sometimes too slow, it resisted all attempts to solve the problem. Finally, after its dubious fame became widespread, the preacher put a sign over the clock, reading, “Don’t blame the hands—the trouble lies deeper.”

The same is true of people: the real trouble lies deeper than what shows on the surface.

Sin is more then just an outward action, but the issue lies within the hearts of people.

The fruit of sin is death (Romans 6:21)

Paul uses Human terms to make this point (Romans 6:19)- Paul here uses Human understanding to make a spiritual point.

Romans Slaves to Righteousness / 6:15-23

Paul emphasizes that he is using an analogy in case any of his readers fail to understand his meaning. Anyone living in Rome knew about slavery. There were more slaves than citizens in the empire

We miss it if we don’t understand the cultural context. Paul is writing to people who knew slaves, maybe were slave, or even possibly owned slaves.

They understood that the slave was subject to the master-

We are subject to a master- For those who are in Christ, the old slave master was sin, and sin dictated death, but Dying with Christ was dying to the old master.

Slaves of God (Romans 6:22)

The fruit of being a slave to God is Holiness which leads to eternal life

The contrast is sin and death with Holiness and eternal life

Two master to different destination

You cannot get a bus ticket for Detroit and expect to end-up in Cancun

The Road you chose has a destination and when you reach that destination you can’t complain

Believers have been set free from slavery to sin because, as Paul has already laid out in Rom 6:1-14, Because of Christ.

Christ has become the lens through which God see us, and God sees the righteousness of Christ when He looks at those who believe in Faith.

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Righteousness, Believers’

Righteousness, Believers’

If we look through a piece of red glass, everything is red. If we look through a piece of blue glass, everything is blue. If we look through a piece of yellow glass, everything is yellow, and so on.

When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, God looks at us through the Lord Jesus Christ. He sees us in all the white holiness of his Son. Our sins are imputed to the account of Christ and his righteousness to our account.

Conclusion:

Romans 6:23 CSB

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Fifty-Two Invitation Illustrations 13. The Wages of Sin Is Death

13. The Wages of Sin Is Death

John and Mack were “on vacation,” as they said, for the summer. They were friendly young men and very diligent in picking up “odd jobs” to help the storekeepers in the little town in which they had chosen to spend their free time.

One merchant in particular favored these “vacationers” with many such “odd jobs” and as the summer wore on, they spent much time in his store. The two young men exerted themselves to be pleasant and helpful and they soon won the confidence of their benefactor. Indeed, so much did the merchant trust them that before the end of summer he became quite confidential with them.

One night as the storekeeper was preparing to close up, he explained to his young helpers that he never left money in the safe as it could be blown open. Instead, as he showed them, he removed some boxes from an upper shelf, and placed his day’s receipts carefully in a smaller box among the merchandise. Just as carefully he replaced the merchandise and boxes, commenting smugly that “no one would think to look there.” However, one important thing he failed to mention. Just two blocks away was the police station, and connected by direct line with it was every door and window of this store. Any tampering with these openings would immediately set off an alarm at the police station.

When Saturday night approached, the young men watched the storekeeper as he, more carefully than usual, hid the bag containing his day’s receipts among the merchandise. Surely Satan, the enemy of souls was at hand to tempt the two with the prospect of “easy money,” and, having no scruples nor conscience in the matter they were taken captive of him at his will.

In the dark of that midnight these trusted friends, as the deceived merchant had called them, quietly forced open the door and as quickly as possible seized the heavy bag of money. However, to their amazement the midnight air was suddenly full of screeching sirens; and as they frantically sought to escape, they found police cars and officers blocking every exit.

Grabbing the money bag, one of the thieves raced out the back door. There a policeman spied him and gave chase. Calling to the running man, the officer ordered, “Halt!” Four times he uttered the usual command, but to no avail. The thief ran faster, trying to dodge the officer’s bullets as they whined at hand. Four times the officer called, and four times the shots rang out. One hit the target, and the dead thief was found lying face down, still gripping the money bag from which the stolen money was spilling. His partner was found, too, crouching among the merchandise that had proved to be such a poor hiding place.

In both cases, sin had claimed its wages. For one young man, a blighted life and years of imprisonment. For the slain thief, the awful doom of death. How terrible for a lost sinner to fall into the hands of the living God!

Sin always leads to death- not just physically but spiritually- it is what is earned through a lifestyle of sin

But God has provided a gift from above that cancels the debt of sin, and produces the fruit of eternal life.

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Eternal Life

Eternal Life

A child does not begin to exist when he (or she) is born. The child has already existed for nine months prior to this in the mother’s womb. At the point of birth, only the conditions in which the child exists change. Before, he lived internally; now, he lives externally. Before, he was fed internally; now, he feeds externally. He does not begin to live at birth: he has lived all the time since conception, but conditions change at birth.

So also can the believer view death. At the point of death, the conditions of our eternal life change—but not the fact that we do indeed have eternal life.