Set Free From Sin and Death

Purpose: Students will learn that in Christ, we are set free from sin and death to walk in goodness and life.

Main Scripture: Romans 8:1-4

Snapshot: This session will challenge your students to see Jesus as the true source of their life and freedom. This will reinforce the truths you taught students in small group session one and will provide you with an opportunity to have students evaluate their standing with God. It’s a perfect chance to allow students to submit their lives to Christ if they haven’t before.

[INTRODUCTION]

Think about the most significant burden that’s ever been lifted from you.

I have a burden that I have been lifted from recently. I turned 33 years old in January and the day before my birthday I was given some pretty heavy news regarding something that I have been carrying my whole life. I found out that I have been lying to people my whole life. The news I received was that I was an identical twin and I had been telling people my whole life I was fraternal.

This burden of defending who I thought I was can now be forgotten. I can proudly say that I am an identical twin.

We can have many different emotions when we have a burden lifted.

Relief.

Thankfulness.

Joy.

Tonight, we’re going to be looking at the most important thing Jesus sets us free from.

As we do, I want us to consider the emotions this sparks in us. I think we’ll find that no matter what else in our lives we’ve had lifted, this burden creates in us the most profound of responses. Let’s jump in.

Romans is one of those books that is relevant for us as Christians seeking to understand who we are in Christ.

Paul was writing to the Christians in Rome, expressing his desire to want to come and visit them and to encourage them to stay strong in their faith.

Romans contains Paul’s most complete view of grace and faith. It’s a book that has so much to teach us. Let’s look at a few verses.

Romans 8:1–4 (CSB)

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Biblical Truth 1: In Jesus, there is freedom from sin and death. (vs. 1-2)

Romans 8:1–2 (CSB)

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.

When we come to saving faith in Jesus, our sins, flaws, and imperfections are covered by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

Jesus presents us to God the Father as holy. What does “holy” mean? To be set apart.

God has called us into a life of holiness and out of a life of sin and death. He has called us to live a life that is set apart from the rest of the world, and we are able to do that because we have the Spirit living within us.

What does Paul mean when he compares the law of the Spirit with the law of sin and death?

Simple. God gave His people the Law. The heart of this was the 10 Commandments, but there was much more. The idea wasn’t to give a bunch of restrictive rules. The purpose was to help people know how to live like their God.

God made a covenant with the Israelites that He would be their God, and they would be His people IF they obeyed the Law. What was the punishment for disobeying God’s Law? Death. It seems harsh, but it’s actually the only fitting punishment for rebelling against the Holy God.

So, do you see the problem?

God gave the Law. It was His standard. And He had a right to expect perfection. After all, He is perfect and is the source of our very life.

To live according to His ways, the Israelites had to follow His standards. BUT THEY COULDN’T! (And neither could we if we were in their shoes).

How many of you have ever told a lie? How many of you have ever thought evil thoughts or negative thoughts toward someone? How many of you have ever lusted towards someone?

The Law pointed out sin because without a standard, there is no sin, and sin leads to death.

Now, God is a gracious God.

What does it mean for God to be a gracious God? Remember, He instituted the sacrificial system so that the Israelites could make a sacrifice in the place of their sins.

God allowed the life of an animal to pay for the sin they committed. That’s grace. He didn’t have to do that.

But the book of Hebrews says that the sacrificial system was imperfect because the same sacrifices had to be made continuously. God knew this (it was His system, after all), and He always had a perfect plan in mind.

Jesus was God’s plan.

Jesus came and lived a perfect life and died in place of us. His life paid the penalty that our sin earned. And because He was the perfect Son of God, His sacrifice only had to be made once.

God, in His amazing grace, allows Jesus’ death to count in our place. And when we place our faith in Jesus, we are saved by His sacrifice.

THAT’S what Paul means when He says that in Jesus, we have freedom from sin and death. We are no longer under the law of sin and death but under the law of grace.

[Set FREE Illustration]

In 2008 a man named Ruben Martinez Jr. was sentenced to almost 48 years in prison for a series of armed robberies, even though he was at work when two of the crimes were committed. He proclaimed his innocence throughout the trial. There was no physical evidence linking him to the robberies. Two witnesses said they were with him at work when the robberies were committed and that he could not have been the robber. The witnesses' testimony was never introduced at the trial.

Martinez could have accepted a deal to plead guilty of the crimes and only have served 2.5 years in prison. But he knew he was innocent. He appealed his sentencing several times, but to no avail. He was sentenced to prison. It would be 11 years before his sentence was finally overturned. He spent 11 years in jail, waiting for his innocence to be proven. Finally, it was.

Martinez never lost faith in God or his family. He remained extremely positive throughout, even given his trying circumstances. When asked about his freedom, he stayed hopeful. Asked if he held any grudges for the people who convicted him, he said, "The Lord Jesus Christ is a part of my life, and there's no grudges. People are human people do make mistakes."

So how do you think Martinez is approaching his life after his freedom? Do you think he appreciates it? I bet he does. I bet he takes nothing for granted. I bet he is thankful every day for the freedom he has found. Our challenge is to be the same way. We have been set free, as well. We should take nothing for granted as we thank God for freeing us.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/13/us/la-wrongful-conviction-trnd/index.html

[TRANSITION]

Recap

We gain freedom in Christ which means freedom from sin and freedom from death. Let’s take a closer look at what that means.

Biblical Truth 2: In providing for our freedom, God expresses His amazing grace. (vs. 3)

Romans 8:3 (CSB)

3 For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering,

Do you see what Paul is saying here?

The Law was good! It was God’s way of calling a people who lived according to His ways.

But people, like us, screwed it up! The law was weakened by our inability to keep it. That’s what it means that we are people who have a sinful nature. It is in our nature to sin. We can’t NOT sin.

Knowing this is important, God is within His rights to punish humankind to the fullest extent.

We deserve death and eternal separation for rebellion against God. We deserve it. It’s the right punishment.

God wouldn’t be mean, or harsh, or evil for giving us exactly what we deserved. But that’s not exactly how God chose to move forward.

See what Paul says here?

God the Father sent the Son to make a way for the STING or CONSEQUENCES of sin to be taken away forever.

Jesus, perfect and sinless Jesus, “became” the likeness of sin so that through His death, sin might be condemned . . . not us! This is how God showed his expression of grace and mercy. God went to such great lengths to make a way back to Him for His children. All because He loved us. THAT is amazing grace.

[TRANSITION]

Recap

We have freedom from death and sin in the grace God showed us in Christ. And by coming to faith in Jesus, we gain a pretty cool perspective.

Biblical Truth 3: Our freedom in Christ empowers a Spirit-fueled life. (vs. 4)

Romans 8:4 (CSB)

4 in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Paul says here that when we come to saving faith in Jesus, and His death counts in our place, it is as if we have satisfied the requirement God made of His people.

When God said, “I’ll be your God if you’ll uphold my law,” He was talking to a people who couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain. Neither can we.

But in Christ, God looks at us as if we had. God counts Jesus’ obedience as if it were our obedience. That’s profound in itself. But there’s more.

When we are freed from sin through faith in Jesus, we are freed to walk according to the Spirit, not the flesh.

Our very lives are lived in the power of the Holy Spirit, who, when we come to faith in Jesus, is given to us as a promise that one day we will be with God forever.

We are empowered by the Spirit to live by the Spirit. We walk according to God’s ways not because we’re strong enough to, but because the Spirit gives us strength.

It is a radical change in the way we see ourselves and our lives. We are made new through freedom in Christ.

[CLOSING]

AS the band comes up, I want to close with asking you a question. What decision do you need to make tonight? There is a response card in your seat with 4 options. I want you to write your name on it.

I want to accept Christ tonight.

Maybe you’re thinking, “I know God is for me and I want to be in a right relationship with Him.” You can do that tonight.

Romans 10:9–11 (CSB)

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,

I want to accept the call to go into ministry.

Maybe you feel God calling you to serve in a church, or in some other form of ministry.

I already have a relationship with Christ but need to get back on track with Him.

Maybe you are box 3 and your life has not been reflecting your relationship with God lately and you need to fix that. Talk to your youth pastor about that tonight!

I am uncertain and want to know more.

Maybe you just need to know more. Listen, Scripture doesn’t say you need to know it all.

Matthew 19:14 (CSB)

14 Jesus said, “Leave the little children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Ephesians 2:8–9 (CSB)

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

You just have to have faith. But if you need to talk more, find your youth pastor or home group leader tonight and talk!