From Death To Life Romans 6:1-14

Good Morning and Welcome to Union Baptist Church. We are glad that you are here. If there’s anything we can do for any of you, please do not hesitate to reach out. My phone number is 334-452-1931 and my email is [e-mail]

Introduction:

Today is a bittersweet day for me. You see, about 10:30 a.m. 15 years ago today, my dad went to be with Jesus. The bitter part is the fact that my dad is no longer here with me. The sweet part is that because of the decision He made to make Jesus the Lord of His life just 5 short years before his death, allows me the hope and promise of a great reunion one day. It’s days like today that I’m thankful for what Jesus did and what we celebrated last week.

However,

Last week we gathered to celebrate the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus. It’s a weekend that we set aside each year for this wonderful celebration. However, I have often said that we should be celebrating the love of God for us and the power over sin, death, and the grave He makes available for each and every one of us.

However, there is a mindset that once we are saved that we can live anyway we want to and still go to heaven. While it is true that once we are TRULY saved and I always want you to realize that you must be TRULY saved and not just go through the motions as so many have to receive the gift of eternal life with Jesus, we must realize that we have died to the sin in our lives and have made a commitment to follow Jesus with every ounce of our bodies.

Today, we are begin the shift from talking about the Wrath of God, the Justification of God, to the Sanctification of His People (Those TRULY SAVED)!

Sanctification is:

Tyndale Bible Dictionary (Sanctification)

SANCTIFICATION Term meaning “being made holy, or purified.” It is used broadly of the whole Christian experience, though most theologians prefer to use it in a restricted sense to distinguish it from related terms, such as “regeneration,” “justification,” and “glorification.”

Definition

A comprehensive definition of sanctification by the New Hampshire Baptist Confession (1833) states,We believe that Sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of his holiness; that it is a progressive work; that it is begun in regeneration; and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual use of the appointed means—especially the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, and prayer. (Article X)

So, with an understanding of what Sanctification really is, we must look at the process in which this takes place.

The first step is accepting the FREE Gift of Eternal Life as we discussed last week. The next step is allowing Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your Life. That means that you must die to yourself and your own personal preferences and desires by allowing those desires to be put to death so God can fill you with HIs desires and will for your life.

So…Let’s Dig Into God’s Word!!!!!!

An Important Question is Asked and Answered? (vs. 1-2)

True or False: Because I have been saved, I can sin all I want to now! FALSE

Because of what is mentioned in Romans 5:20, does that mean that I need to be sinning more after I have been Justified and Received the Grace of God.

There are people who take that verse to believe that the more I sin, the more God will bestow His grace upon me and in turn I will receive more blessings.

However, God through the Apostle Paul answered this question.

BY NO MEANS!!!!!

Absolutely Not!!!

What Paul is actually saying here is that when we were saved, we died to our sin and should no longer live in it. Now, let’s not think that just because our sins have been forgiven that we have a license to sin freely and as much as we want to because that is not true at all. Also, we need to realize that just because we have been saved and forgiven of our sins by Jesus that we now live in sinless perfection.

Believer’s Study Bible (Chapter 6)

The apostle skillfully avoids any idea of sinless perfection. He does not say that those who are dead to sin never again are guilty of the commission of sinful acts. He does declare that those who are dead to sin do not live in sin as a way of life. They have a new life in Jesus.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee points out...

If God has declared you to be righteous and has removed the guilt of your sin, then, my friend, you cannot continue in sin. The answer is, “God forbid!”

“How shall we, that are dead to sin”—this is something that is misunderstood. We are never dead to sin as long as we are in this life. The literal translation is, “How shall we who have died to sin.” Note this distinction. That means we died in the person of our substitute, Jesus Christ. We died to sin in Christ. But we are never dead to sin. Any honest person knows he never reaches the place where he is dead to sin. He does reach the place where he wants to live for God, but he recognizes he still has that old sin nature. (J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary, electronic ed., vol. 4 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 682.)

Please hear me out today. When you got saved, you died to your sin and you were put on the path to Sanctification. However, you still have the sin nature in you and will tempt you to give into you sins. However, you also have the Holy Spirit living in you that gives you the power to overcome that temptation to sin. Contrary to what some might believe, when you get saved, you do not become a perfect person. That only happens when you walk into the portals of heaven.

I want you also to know that temptation to sin is real even after you are saved. I’ve heard people say that after they were saved, they have never been tempted to sin ever again. Well folks, if you believe that statement, I have some Ocean Front Property in Arizona to sell you!!! If Jesus was tempted by Satan then what makes you think that as a follower of Christ that you won’t be tempted to sin? Remember that Job was attacked time and time again trying to get him to denounce God but he never did. Folks, I want you to realize that being saved doesn’t make you perfect here on earth. You are still living in this fleshly body and you are still susceptible to temptation and sin but Praise God, we have the Power of the Holy Spirit living within us that can give us the Power to overcome that temptation. However, you must allow the Holy Spirit to control your life rather than yourselves.

I love what 1 Corinthians 10:13 teaches

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

God provides an escape so don’t use the fact that you are saved as a license to sin because you’ll receive even more grace. When you died to Sin…You DIED TO SELF!

That brings me to my next point.

Before You Can Be Sanctified, You Have To DIE! (vs. 3-8)

In John 3:3 Jesus told Nicodemus that unless he was born again, he would not see the Kingdom of God. What he was saying to him is that you have to die with Christ in order to live with Christ.

John 3:3 ESV

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

In verses 3-4, Paul is reminding the Roman Followers of Christ that they have been Baptized into the death of Christ. Their sins died when Christ died, the payment for their sins died with Christ died, and when Christ rose again, they too had risen to a new life in Christ.

Die To Self

Jesus said in Luke 9:23

Luke 9:23 ESV

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

This is a reminder that in order to follow Him, we must die to self and our selfish/sinful desires which is our nature from birth.

When Paul mentions in verse 3 being baptized into the death of Jesus, he is point out that when we die to sin and self, surrender our lives to Christ, we can identify with Christ. We are now part of the Family of God rather than the family of Satan.

When we die to self and accept Jesus, we are said to be in a personal relationship with Christ.

I found this while researching and studying for this message:

Expository Outlines from Romans 10. Freedom from Sin (Romans 6:1–14)

Relations—v. 3. Those in Christ must share in His death. Jesus spoke of self-denial—Luke 9:23. A Christian life is surrendered to God, not patterned after this world—Rom. 12:1–2.

Our relationship begins with our death by identifying with the death of Christ and His sacrifice for our sins.

Die to Sin

If you don’t die with Christ, you cannot be resurrected with Christ. Look at verse 5

Romans 6:5–6 ESV

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

When we make Jesus the Lord of our Lives, we are saying that we will no longer be a slave to sin but rather a slave to Jesus. Sin will no longer be our master but Jesus will be!!!!

Not only do we have to put to death part of our self, we must fully die to self. Jesus didn’t partially die…he fully died for our sins.

In verse 6 we read about knowing that “our old self was crucified with him”. It must be crucified fully so that all of the sin might be “brought to nothing” so it will no longer control us.

Croft Pence states:

Expository Outlines from Romans 10. Freedom from Sin (Romans 6:1–14)

Denial—v. 6. The “old man” is crucified. By birth, we were the children of Satan—John 8:44. In Christ we are the children of God—John 1:12.

Do you know what John 8:44 says?

John 8:44 ESV

44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

but when we get saved, we move from Satan being our father to God being our Father

John 1:12 ESV

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

There are people who claim to have surrendered their lives to Jesus but they refuse to follow God’s leading in their lives. They claim to have fully surrendered their lives to Jesus but yet they are still about what their selfish desires and selfish passions are all about.

I had a lady several years ago tell me that she knew what I was preaching and what the bible said was true but she just wasn’t going to do it. She claimed to be saved and I pray that she was because she passed away a year or so ago.

Folks, you can’t claim to be crucified with Christ and still live for self. You no longer belong to yourself but rather you belong to Jesus and HIS WILL has to become all that you are concerned about and all that you desire!!!!!!!

Paul said in Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2:20 ESV

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

He understood that when He was crucified with Christ, it was no longer his life that he was living but rather he was living by Faith in Jesus because of what Jesus had done for Him!!!!

Who is in control of your life today? Jesus or You?

I’m going to stop here today. There’s much more in this passage so I will save it for next week. As we close, I want to ask you the question that is on the screen and is toward the end of your handout.

who Is In Control Of Your Life God? Jesus or You?

If you cannot say without a shadow of doubt that you KNOW Jesus is in full control of your life then you need to repent today. It might be that you need to be saved because you can’t serve two masters.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Let’s state that another way…You cannot serve God and Self!

In Romans 6:4 we see a picture of what salvation looks like. It is that dying to the old self and being raised to new life in Christ.

Romans 6:4 ESV

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

I want to ask you...

If you’ve been saved and baptized, did you die to your selfish desires and sins or are they still controlling you? According to Romans 6:7-9, if we have died to our self and sin, we are no longer under the control of sin but rather we are under the control of Christ. So, I ask you again, Who is in control of you today? Jesus or Self?

Romans 6:7–9 ESV

7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

This morning, this altar is open for you to respond. It might be that you have never surrendered control of your life to Jesus and therefore you have never been saved from your sins. You haven’t crucified the old self and have still been trying to live in the old self. This morning, I would love to help you put the old self to death and start living a new life in Christ. It begins when we Admit that we are a sinner, confess/repent our sins, confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and LIVE FOR HIM DAILY!

It might be that you know that you are saved but you are still allowing sin and tempatation to overcome you. That means that you are not trusting the Holy Spirit with your life. You need to trust and obey God with your life. We sang that old hymn a little while ago but sadly there are lots of people who claim to follow Christ but they don’t trust Him nor obey Him. If that’s you today you need to REPENT!!!!

It might be that you are here this morning and you have never been baptized on the right side of your salvation. This morning, we are going to give you the opportunity to come forward and make that known. For that matter, we are about to baptize, maybe you feel the need to be baptized right here and right now. You might not have brought a change of clothes but God’s telling you to be baptized today…Do whatever God is telling you!

Maybe you just need to come to the Altar and talk to God. You’re struggling to trust Him, your struggling to live for Him, the attacks of Satan are all over you and you need to ask Him to help you. You can do that today. You might need someone to pray with you. I’ll be glad to pray with you, grab the arm or the person beside you and ask them to come pray with you, but please know that you are not in the battle alone. God is with you and we are here for you!!!!!

Whatever God is telling you to do, do it today and do it right now!!!

(C)Dr. Anthony Rhodes

April 15, 2023