Experiencing Grace

Experiencing Grace

Teen Time Preaching Series

Scripture Text: Romans 6 William H. Banegas

September 26, 2009

Morning Music:

Bow the Knee 93

Grace Greater Than Our Sin 101

Theme: If you’ve experienced grace, through Christ you’re alive to God and dead to sin.

Introduction: This morning I have some difficult things to say, but I say them out of concern and love for you that you would grow to become more like Christ or come to Him in salvation. The Lord has been working in my life recently to show me just how sinful I am in making selfish choices on a daily basis. My choices offend God because I am not living for Him as I ought to but as I want to. He wants me to stand in the Gospel because it is my life. My life revolves around the Gospel, I have no choice because it is the foundation for who I am, as it should be for you. If you know Christ as your Savior you have a morbid relationship with sin and a living relationship with God. I desire for us to consider this morning: If you’ve experienced grace, through Christ you’re alive to God and dead to sin.

Grace is the working of God through Christ for the purpose of salvation in spite of one’s worthlessness.

It is of God’s love. (John 3:16)

It is of no merit of our own. (Titus 3:5)

Not our works

Insufficient

Unrighteous

Only God’s mercy

It is demonstration through Christ. (John 1:17)

The Law, or Moses, (works) did not save the Jews.

Christ, brings Truth (of salvation) and grace (the ability to work out salvation).

If you’ve experienced grace it’s impossible to live in sin. (V. 1-4)

You’ve died to sin!

Separated at salvation (only for a believer).

Separated from its power (you don’t have to keep serving sin).

You live to God through Christ!

Baptized into Christ

In His death

In His life (to receive new life)

To Glorify God (others would see your life and be pointed to God)

If you’ve experienced grace you must put on 3 attitudes associated with your sanctification. (V.5-23)

Reckon (V.5-11)

If you’ve experienced grace you are united with Christ in death. (V.5-7)

Crucified old man

No longer sin’s slave

If you’ve experienced grace you are united with Christ in life. (V.8-11)

Died to sin, no longer has dominion

Lives to God forever

Yield (V.12-14)

If you’ve experienced grace, yield God your service because you no longer serve sin. (V.12-13)

We don’t serve sin.

It’s not our master, we don’t obey

It’s not instructor, we don’t listen to its direction

We serve God. (V. 13-14)

You’ve been brought to life

You are under grace

Serve (V.15-23)

If you’ve experienced grace you’re free from sin to be God’s slave. (V.15-19)

You’re free!

From sin and its penalty

To serve God

You’re a slave.

Not to sin, resulting in death

To God, resulting in sanctification (process where you become more like Christ and less like the world)

If you’ve experienced grace you have eternal life in Christ Jesus, free from sin’ penalty. (V.20-23)

Before, a slave to sin

Free from righteousness

What benefit?

Now shameful

Only death

Now, God’s slave

Free from sin’s penalty

What benefit?

Sanctification

Eternal life

Conclusion: Have you experienced grace? If so then it will evidence itself in your life. You will serve God because you are alive to Him, because you are free from sin and under His grace. You will demonstrate it through what you bring to Teen Time and what you spend you time with outside of this place. Think about it, if you selfishly spend time only with your game console or the like and you come to the judgment, as we all will, what will you say to God about you spent your time? Will you offer up your “life’s work” to Him to please Him? What does He tell us that pleases Him? Matthew 28-Go make disciples of Christ. How does spending time on a game or for that matter with anything else accomplish that mandate to those who have experienced grace? What about those of you who have a boyfriend or a girlfriend? How does the way that you act around that significant other demonstrate to the world around you that you love Christ and that you want to be pure according to His Will (I Thessalonians 4:3) and to please Him in your marriage (Hebrews 13:4)? Why are you dating in the first place? Do you date for fun, as the world does, or do you date with the serious intention of finding God’s will in a life-long mate who you will encourage and be encouraged by to become more like Christ? If that person is more interested in touching you and holding you than to encourage you to become more like Christ than you ought to rethink why you are with them? Please consider what God’s Word says and live ONLY for God.