Gospel Transformation

Romans 6

Romans 6:8 ESV

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

Introduction:

have you ever been apart of a team, worked in a role at work, or simply been in a stage of life where the goal in which you were working toward felt unclear or confusing? truthfully, never have I met more people frustrated with their work or their lives, and goal of either, than I do now

I think sometimes we even may feel like this is MOST stages of lives —- people span from a “bit unclear” to completely “unsettling realities” within their lives

life in the scriptures is often referred to as a race, James in particular licked this comparison, and so I began to think of those of us who feel unsettled, unclear, or confused on the goal of any specific area of our lives in reference to a race .

I want to show you a picture of a Boston University marathon runner who is celebrating a 1st place finish in a long distance race…

problem: he stopped a lap short… —- see he knew the distance in which he was supposed to run, he knew the goal, but he miscalculated where he was during the race

today i want to help us see through Romans 6 the goal of of our lives as believers in Jesus. As a way to help us understand where we are in this journey with Christ and to make clear the finish line of faith.

if we are anywhere between a bit unclear or to the point of unsettling realities in our life than we must be clear about our lives in christ and find our footing in the word of GOD.

for fun… i will show you a photo of me running….

Romans 6:1–11 (ESV)

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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.

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. 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. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

summary of our passage today:

It is God’s gift of grace that produces genuine righteousness from our hearts that transforms us into christlikness

Here is one unspoken temptation i have when it comes to my faith (and i say unspoken because i would never say this out-loud, but i could be deceived and believe this in my heart) : i’m good to go because I have put my hope in Jesus — in an eternal sense may be true —- but when it comes to the goal that the scriptures set before us it goes much much deeper and much much richer than crossing the line of faith

Christian, what God has for us is endless in his mercy and endless in his grace and endless in his desire for us to workout our righteousness on glorifying Him

the goal of our faith is to understand that we were buried with Him (JESUS) by baptism into death, in order that, just as christ was raised from the dead, we too walk in NEWNESS of life.

this is the goal! that Gods people, saved by christ jesus, would be transformed continuously into the Jesus Christ! this is newness of life!

our lives have BEEN transformed by Jesus and it is BEING transformed by Jesus

my goal today is not that we would be like the person working the 9-5p who may be confused about the goal of their work , but that we as believers would be clear on the goal of our life in christ

Transform(ed)-(ing)

Romans 6:1-4

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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.

in verse 1 Paul is using a linguistic style that he prefers — in which he anticipates a rejection to something he has written. Specifically, here he is anticipating a rejection to Romans Chp. 5 where he makes much of the grace given to us by Christ Jesus —- one of Robins sermon points last was “Peace with God through Faith” in which the first sentence of Romans 5 states Romans 5:1

Romans 5:1 (ESV)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

this is the starting line of faith = Justification // this is the status of the believer that i am titling (transformed) —- you were once dead, but now you are alive in Christ because of His saving work on the cross for all who believe

Paul also mentions at the end of Rom. 5 that through one man sin and death entered the world (Adam), but much more have received the free gift of salvation through one man being Christ Jesus

in Romans 6 Paul is going to then build upon his declaration —- now focusing on the result of justification that matures to —- Sanctification (becoming more like Jesus) —- here is the ever-transforming nature of the Christian

if justification is the start line of the Christian race then Sanctification is the track in which we run on during the race // the christian has a state in which they are transformed (praise GOD) A and a state of continually transforming ——- can you identify these moments in your life today —- both moments of great joy in Christ and moments of forgetfulness or doubt or struggle in your walk with christ?

Dietrich Bonhoffer a Christian pastor and theologian who opposed Nazzi germany and advocated for the freedom of the jews during the 1930’s and 40’s— wrote a poem called “Who Am I” before his impending persecution from Nazzi germany and this is what it said:

Who am I? This or the other? Am I one person today, and tomorrow another? Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others, and before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling? Or is something within me still like a beaten army, fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved? Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine. Whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine.

this beautifully stated poem doused both in his angst centered around his circumstances BUT also firmly cemented in his identity in Christ — he knew the goal of his faith even in the midst of trials and hard circumstances

once again the goal today is that we as believers would be clear on the goal of our life in christ

Rom 6:1

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

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are we to assume that we are just fine in passing the line of faith and now we may do as we please in sin? in terms of the GOAL of our lives in Jesus the ANSWER IS NO! if it were — this text here would not exist

in fact, if we presume on the riches of His kindness and grace —- faith actually, like our jobs or relationships as I mentioned earlier, can become a bit confusing. why? because we are using the instrument of faith incorrectly therefore confusing what it is meant to do & to be.

———————————————-

Romans 6:2-4

2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

here is the question that gets at the heart of the transforming nature of a Christ follower — how can we who died to our sins in our relationship with Jesus still LIVE in our sin?

I want to hyper focus here on the word LIVE — living in something is the continued pursuit of something and the act of something becoming tolerated or even sought after

ADAM CONNECTION: I want us to remember that God made us in perfect relationship with Him. He meant for us to know Him intimately and to BE WITH HIM — in return we would honor and glorify Him and we would know who we are because of it. ——- but when sin entered the world Adam & Eve hid from our Lord because they were ashamed of their sin…. but more importantly they were ashamed of who they were.

the scariest part of sin, that engulfs us, is that it tries to train us into thinking that that is who we are. that is how we think. that is just what we do. & IT IS NOT IN CHRIST.

so what is ours in christ? ——->

Rom. 6:3-4

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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.

WHAT IS CHRISTS IS YOURS TODAY CHURCH!!!!

In His death he saved us from our sin (transformed), in His resurrection he conquered the effects of sin which leads to death (transforming)

THIS MEANS WE ARE TRANSFORMING OUT OF DEATH AND INTO LIFE!!

“Saving faith in Christ brings with it an inner transformation that is of its own a death sentence to former default attitudes, convictions, and perpetual sinful behaviors”

v. 4b

just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

the result of Gospel-Transformation is newness of life in christ. I want to give you permission, only cause the Bible said so, to be NEW in Christ.

{don’t feel stuck. don’t feel like you can’t change. don’t feel like the deepest parts of your sin can’t be transformed. “The gospel is in the resurrection business and that is available to ever part of our being in Christ!” ] NEWNESS

PHILLIPIANS 2:12-13

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

The Christian works out that in which God has already worked in us.

TRANSFORMED // TRANSFORMING

2. Alive in Christ: The Good Life

Romans 6:5-11

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. 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. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Rom. 6:5-9

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 his6 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. 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.

if the positive consequences of us dying to self, as Christ too died, is a death sentence to sin — than similarly the resurrection has positive consequences. —- God in His loving kindness chose to allow the believer to join Christ in a resurrection Life. meaning what once was dead, is now alive in Christ. amd is being made alive continuously in Christ

here we have the goal of the christian — to never stop pursuing Christ in this resurrected life that we have.

here stands in front of the believer the Good Life —- one that is often reminded of what is yours in christ. One that has completely changed how you see the world you live within. changes how you see people. changes how you see yourself. changes what your goals are. in christ.

in a kids catechism (questions of the faith) one question is asked that goes like this: What is our only hope in life and death? —- THAT WE ARE NOT OUR OWN BUT BELONG, BODY AND SOUL, BOTH IN LIFE AND IN DEATH, TO GOD AND TO JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR

a couple of questions later it asks: WHY DID GO CREATE US? —- To know Him, to Love Him, to Live with Him, and to enjoy Him forever _ THAT IS YOURS IN CHRIST

That is what it means to be alive in Christ. welcome to transformation into the best life you could have ever asked for.

Rom. 6:10-11

10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

a living and active faith. one not bound by the weight of sin but catapulted into living for the king.

in what ares of our lives have we dismissed the resurrection life?

think with me for a second. Where are we allowing the effects of death and sin to linger in our lives?

There are hard places within us for the gospel to reach and THEN there are forbidden places in the depths of us that we disallow the gospel to reach. where is it? PRESS INTO IT TODAY AND ALLOW IT TO BE RESSURECTED BY THE GOSPEL OF JESUS.