Life in His Name (2)

Introduction: The greatest fight we have as Christians, is the battle against sin. I do not mean the sin of the world, or the sin of others, rather… the greatest battle we face is our own sin. As a result, we need to be made ready to fight this battle. Just like a solider must go though training and be given the right equipment before going to war, so too Christians are trained and given the right equipment to fight the battle of our own sin. Today, we are discovering how Jesus has equipped us to fight this battle.

By way of reminder: Through the gospel of John, We discovered much truth about Jesus’ ministry, death, burial, and resurrection.. so that we might believe in His name, and believing have life in His name. What does it mean to have life in the name of Jesus?

Transition: Last week we discovered that key area of life in Jesus name is hope. Today, we focus our attention on holiness.

Point: Those who believe in Christ are made ready to fight against sin. Holiness for a Christian is fighting sin. As the late puritan pastor John Owen once said, “we will either be killing sin or it will be killing us.” Now.. we must investigate how we are equipped and made ready to fight sin and grow in holiness.

Text: Romans 6:1-14

The Question (6:1)

Context: Throughout the letter of Romans the Holy Spirit is arguing through the apostle Paul for the gospel. He is laying out he fundamental framework of how God justifies sinners. He answers the question how a holy God can forgive unholy people. The conclusion is he does so through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. No other way.

Offer a brief summary of chapter 1-5 of Romans.

In anticipation of this question Paul writes chapter 6 of Romans… goes on to ask …

Distinguishing God’s law and God’s grace. The impact/ purpose of the law and the impact of grace. Answering the question.. “What has God done in Christ to change our relationship to sin? What has He done in converting/changing to rescue us from sin?”

Now, because of our hard hearted sinfulness it is very difficult for humans who operate in a wages society to ever think that salvation could be free. The law has increased our sin so that we really are incapable of believing that eternal salvation could be by grace alone, though the merits of Christ alone, by faith alone. It seems too good to be true. Further more, if this is the case then why should we simply sin more so that grace may continue to abound. In other words, if God get glory for demonstrating such unmerited grace to undeserving sinners, then why not sin more so God gets more glory? Even for those who have the Old Testament, they are confronted with the difficulty of how a Holy God who hates sin, and promises deliverance and rescue from sin, can be just and so readily declare sinners to be righteous.

The Answer (6:2-10)

Read verse 2. This reveals the main emphasis of this passage.

Main point: Life in Christ means death to sin. The past even of being born again by the Spirit of God cuts the umbilical cord of our attachment to sin. We are no longer identified with the first Adam, now we are identified with the last Adam, Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Christ changes our relationship to sin. Our new identity in Christ comes with new power over sin. Our justification produces sanctification. True holiness is non-negotiable for a true Christian.

Example: the hypothetical question Paul is posing as an answer to the question in verse one is like asking… Can a person who physically died in Bellefontaine still walk in Bellfontaine? No. So too those who have spiritually died to sin cannot continue walking in sin. This is the same truth reasoning we discovered in Galatians 5. If there is not change in our relationship to sin, we cannot conclude there has been a change in our relationship to Christ.

This answer is explained in verses 3-10… but in order to get a grasp on this truth we are going to look at Paul’s application in verses 11-14. Imagine with me…

Transition: Offer an example. Parenting, work, conversation with friend. All of a sudden, your flesh is tempted to respond in anger, or fear, or bitterness or some other sin. The fight begins. The bell rings. The temptation is there. So how are we prepared to fight this battle? We know that God is faithful to provide a way of escape, but what does it look like to take that exit ramp?

Application: How do we fight sin? (6:11-14)

a. What is the Christian response to sin? By grace through faith… we ....

1. Consider our union with Christ. vs 11

Specially, what we know is true about our relationship with Christ. Our union with Christ.

Practically, think about your baptism. (3-4)

Think about His death and resurrection. (5-10)

Noticing the repeated emphasis on “death” and “know vs. 3, 6, 9”through this passage.

Those who are united with Christ are set free from sin and made ready to walk in newness of life.

Practical: Gospel Primer for Christians…

2. Control our bodies to obey Christ. vs. 12

When something reigns over us, it rules us. Like a king who reigns in supreme rulership over a nation.

Do not let sin control you to obey its lustful cravings. It’s passions. These are the self indulgent idolatrous desires that we love rather than God.

By God’s grace Christians can control their bodies. We believe a lie when we think we cannot.

Transition: How do we control our bodies?

3. Cause our bodies to be an instrument of righteousness. vs 13

To present means to furnish or provide. It has the connotation of causing something to exists by making ourselves available or accessible.

It is false to conclude that Christians are powerless over sin. That does not mean we are sinless… but by the glory of God we should be sinning less.

We are to make ourselves accessible to God as vessels or instruments of righteousness.

Illustration: Like a saxophone can make wonderful music in the right hands, so too Christians can live holy lives in the hands of God. We are responsible to put ourselves in His hands.

Transition: How do we do that? Through ordinary means of grace. Like, gathering for the singing praying and preach of God’s word. Like, taking the Lords table in a humble and right way. Like submitting ourselves to the discipline and correction of one another. These are simple spiritual disciplines that place us into the hands of our God to be used for righteousness.

Closing: How is any of this possible? 6:14 When we are dominated by grace we will not be dominated by sin. Note: Jesus didn’t die to make sin permissible. No, He died to make His people holy. If we are truly in Christ then we have been saved from the penalty of sin (justified), we are being saved from the power of sin (sanctified), and we will be saved from the presence of sin (glorified). This is Life in His Name!

When holiness is motivated by something other than the free grace of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ… we will be entrapped to the cycles of sin. We will fail to live in joy filled celebration of the glory of God. We will burden ourselves with inconsistencies of attempting to meet the restrictions of lists of religious activities. Life in Jesus name is freedom “to fight” sin.

Notes:

Death to sin-Alive to Christ: noticing the repetition of “death” language.

As exemplified in our baptism… 6:3-4

-How do we walk in newness of life? By glory of God… same glory that raised Jesus from the dead.

As demonstrated in our union with Christ 6:5-10

united= symphtos [identified with, characterized by, joined together, in harmonic symphony. This has occured in the past and has continued present action.

Point: If we are united in His death we are also most certainly united in His resurrection.

The implications of this are explained in verse 6-9 (the heart of the argument??) New life…new identity… new reality…

Old self/man was crucified with Him… why? (vs 6)

in order that “body of sin” = who person dominated by sin or infected by sin (like was inherited from Adam…like we were in Adam (ch.5)

might be brought to nothing = set aside, wiped out, rendered nonoperative, useless, abolished (why?

So we would no longer enslaved= dominated, owned, controlled by sin (How is this possible?

Because one who has died has been set free = justified, declared righteous (5:1) from the penalty of sin (vs 7)

Because Jesus has raised from the dead. (vs 8-10)