Walking in Newness of Life

Romans 6:3-11

Romans 6:3–11 ESV

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.

INTRODUCTION

Owen Doggett story. Every weekend making a real mess of his life and then by the next Friday he would say ‘I’ve changed, G. You won’t see me mess up like that again!” And then he’d go and mess things up even worse!

Maybe you’re like my friend, you want to change, but you don’t know how. You want to turn over a new leaf but no matter how hard you try you can’t seem to bring about lasting change.

I had another friend at university, this friend was even worse than Owen, he made bigger messes and as far as I knew, he never made any promises to change. But one day, everything did. My friend met Jesus and his life was never the same again.

1. BAPTISED INTO CHRIST

You see my friends behaviour changed because his identity changed. When he put his faith in Jesus and was baptised, the Bible says that he was literally baptised or fully immersed into Christ.

Galatians 3:27 ESV

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Now although he still looked the same and sounded the same, he wasn’t the same. Something had changed in him. He had been united with Christ - knit together with Him inseperably by the Holy Spirit.

You can’t get a change on the outside if there isn’t a change on the inside. Input = Output. My friend had changed on the inside and so his outward behaviour changed.

2. BAPTISED INTO HIS DEATH

When we are baptised as Christians the Bible says we are baptised into Christs death. Literally his death is our death.

Romans 6:6 ESV

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.

Each year around this time my hosta’s begin to sprout up with those huge dark green leaves. But unless last year’s withered dry leaves die off, I won’t get the new bloom. Our old self must die in order for newness of life to come. So many are trying to walk in newness of life but they haven’t died - the old man, the old self is still very much alive and kicking. In order to see newness of life, that old version of you has to die.

There’s only one place that the old self goes to die and that’s at the cross. You can’t kill of the old self through self help books, or changing your diet, or changing your friends or changing your location or job. The old man can survive all of that! He needs to be taken to the cross, he needs to be hung up on that cross and to stay there.

3. RAISED TO NEWNESS OF LIFE

The empty tomb tells us that there is hope - that change is possible, that there is life after death.

Those being baptised today are not only going down into Christ’s death, but they are being raised up into newness of life. So what is this newness of life?

It is the end of death’s dominion over them

It is the end of sin’s dominion over them - Romans 6:12–14 “12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

It is the start of a new life with God

4. CONCLUSION

Easter isn’t just about eggs and chocolate and time with family - Easter is about hope - a confident expectancy of good things to all who trust in Christ.

Not just is it about forgiven sins, but it’s about God coming down and taking a people for himself, dealing with their sins, reconciling them to Himself, making them righteous, adopting them as His children and uniting all those who believe with His son Jesus Christ. Giving them the power to walk in resurrection life.