From Now On: Union With Christ

Last week we began this series FROM NOW ON. And our focus for these 5 weeks is how we, as believers in Jesus Christ live from the time we are saved until the time that join our Savior in eternity. HOW DO WE LIVE OUT OUR FAITH? Jesus said in John 10:10

John 10:10 ESV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Do you see that word ABUNDANT or ABUNDANTLY

(The Message) more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

(NLT) rich and satisfying life.

So Jesus is saying here that when you come to faith in Him, the life you continue to live should have meaning. It should have purpose. It should be constantly growing.

Last week we talked about the word sanctify or sanctification. The meaning of the word sanctify:

Sanctification refers to the process of gradual purification from sin and progressive spiritual growth that should mark the life of the believer.

What does that mean? It means that as we grow in our walk with Jesus, we should be different. Gradual, means a slow movement. We should, over time, slowly move away from the sins that use to control us. So slowly, as we mature in Christ, we should not be falling into those sins. But remember, sin will always be apart of our lives, we cannot be on this earth without sin, but the idea of sanctification is that we grow and mature and we gradually, slowly, mature and take that sin captive by the power of Jesus Christ.

And then the second part of that definition is progressive spiritual growth. Where purification from sin is a gradual process, maybe a little slower, our spiritual growth should be progressive. Moving forward sometimes as lighting speed. We grow in Him, when we continually go to his Word and seek him. We grow when we put on dependance on him in prayer. And we grow together as beleivers when we worship and fellowship with other believers.

These five weeks we are focusing on the words of Paul in his letters to believers two thousand years ago. Last week, we focused on faith. How we are justified, made right by our belief in him even through we see him, even though we were not there 2000 years ago to see him shed his blood and rise from the grave. But by faith…we beleive, and because of those we were reconciled…brought back to the original. The power of sin no longer separates from him.

How is this. PAUL WRITES IN ROMANS 5:8

Romans 5:8 NLT

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

This morning we will continue with Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians, but first lets say what we believe as a church about the BIble.

++++CREED++++

Open your Bibles to Paul’s Letter to the Romans. It depends on what version of the Bible you have, mine says THE LETTER OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. But in that day they used the word EPISTLE. EPISTLE is a word used for a letter that was used in that time to communicate from one place to another, maybe a far distance. But in more modern versions it reads: a letter.

So 20 years after the resurrection of Jesus, Paul is writing this letter to a group of Jewish and Gentile (Roman) believers in the city of Rome. He had not been there, but because of some things he had been told about their beliefs, we was writing this letter to make sure they understood first who they were in Jesus, but also how they should live as they were striving to live this abundant life in Christ.

Now chapter 5 ends with these verses: Romans 5:20-21

Romans 5:20–21 NLT

20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So before Jesus came and gave his life as a sacrifice for sin, those who followed Yahweh, the Lord God, had to follow all of the laws that God gave and they had to make sacrifices of animals to cover their sin. But now, the Messiah had come. The writer of Hebrews says…

Hebrews 10:14 NLT

14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

This single offering, Jesus on the cross, now takes the place of sacrificing animals….because he is the true sacrifice. The last sacrifice. And his sacrifice brings GRACE. You are offered grace. Grace that leads to salvation. Because of grace, you are able get what you don’t deserve. We deserve seperation from God because of our sin, but he offers grace. When we sin, he doesnt leave us, he doesn't throw us to the side, he doesn’t turn his back on us…he extends grace. We sin, we ask forgiveness, he forgives…he give us grace.

So as we begin to read I want you to see something in this first verse….

So this morning were are going to look at Romans 6

Are you there?

1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?

Did you see that? Paul writing to those believers in Rome, trying to help them understand grace, asks, so if we have grace when we sin and we know that God will forgiver, is it ok then just to go ahead and sin, because we know that God will forgive…soooooo…its ok to sin. No waholla, I’ll go ahead and sin, and God will forgive. No problem. I’m ok. What does Paul have to say about that.

2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?

Paul says, we cannot think like that. God…Jesus…went to the cross, he was beaten, whipped, spit on, died a painful death on the cross…for you…and because of that YOU CANNOT THINK LIKE THAT…YOU CANNOT LIVE LIKE THAT. We have died to our sin when we believed, how can we pick it back up and continue the same way?

Then Paul reminds us that as Christians, we identify with Jesus because of our professed beleif in him. Look at verse 3… 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.

Lets stop here for a moment and reminds ourselves of the decision we made that has brought us our justification. Remember justified or justification means made right. We were MADE RIGHT by our belief and following of Jesus as our Savior. Made right, saved from the sin that leads to death.

Now I want you to remember when you were baptised. If you haven’t, I’m sure you can remember. When someone is baptised, what happens? They come into the water, I say a few things, and then I take them underneath the water and bring them back up. Why? Two reasons. First of all, the person who is being baptised is showing the people who are watching that they have given their life to Jesus. They are making a public showing of their faith. But it is also a symbol. It is showing something. Do you know the words I say as I am baptising someone?

As I am taking them down, I say “buried in the likeness of his death” Look at verse 3: 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? Just like he went to the grave in death, we also, when we trust and follow him, put our old life in the grave. We are not that person anymore. What does 2 Corinthians 5:17 say? “17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

When we come to belief in Christ, our old self is baptised into death…but that’s not the end…. What do I say when I bring them out of the water….RAISED TO NEWNESS OF LIFE. You when we come to Jesus, even though the old is gone, buried….the best part is that there is a newness of life. Verse 4: 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

But look at that “also” we also walk in newness of life.

This idea of being buried in death with Christ and like him being raised to newness of life bring a theological term know as OUR UNION WITH CHRIST. Now look at verse 8:

8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

I am always asked, “Even though I know I am a Christian, I always have a problem one one sin. There is one sin I cannot get beyond. What should I do?” Let me say this, even if there is a sin that is hard for you to get past, know this, Jesus has died for you. Jesus has the power over sin, and your union with Christ will never be taken away. Paul says that death and even sin does not have dominion over him, he is still the champion and nobody or no thing will overcome him, and if you are his child, he will help you with that temptation. He will help you with that struggle you have, But that doesnt mean that he will remove it. Even if its a constant struggle for you, that stuggle may be the thing that grows your dependance on God. Did you know that Paul had trouble. He never says what it is, but we can see his stuggle and how he saw it… 2 Corinthians 12:7 “7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

It wasn't a thorn like from a bush, but was something that he had to deal with and not allow it to turn his eyes away from Jesus on place them on himself.

If you struggle with something, maybe a sin, maybe the true test of your faith is how you live with it . Are you slowly moving forward and allowing God to help you move away from that sin? Sanctification.

Then Paul reminds his readers in Rome, to be careful where they place their passion… 12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God . 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live u nder the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

Paul never says, that now that we have been buried with Christ and raised to newness of life in him that we will no longer experience sin. No matter whatever anyone tells you, even a Pastor, everyone sins. The unbelievers sin, the believers sin, even babies sin. But Paul says that we cannot let sin take us over. We cannot let sin control us. By the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit we can resist the devil and he will flee.

Listen, as a believer, because of our union in Christ you are an instrument of righteousness… an instrument is used for something…and as a believer you are to be used for righteousness..used for his glory and his purpose.

Then verse 15 brings us back to the same thought from verse 1…. 15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!

Because of grace, Paul says we should not just give into sin. When we constantly give into sin, righteousness in our lives is not seen. Christ is not seen. And if Christ is not seen in us, then why did he die for us?

Look at verse 16, we are going to see the word ‘slave’ and many people see that word as bad, and there are people who have made it bad, but that is not what Paul is saying here when he says we should be slaves. 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. 19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. (santification)

This idea of being a slave to something means that you have given yourself over to something. You allow it to control the way you live and where you place your heart.

But again, Paul is not saying being a slave is a bad thing, but what he is saying is that what we are a slave to is what determines whether it is good or bad. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.

Paul is telling those Christians in Rome that when they were slaves to sin, they did not worry about being righteous, their mind was far away from God. The things they did, the things in their mind… all of those things were against righteousness…against God. But remember who is reading this letter in Rome…believers in Jesus Christ. He said, now that is not you. Because you follow Jesus, because of your UNION WITH CHRIST, your life should be focused on being a slave to righteousness. So he encouages them in verse 22… 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.

He tells them, because they have been set free from sin and are now slaves to God…living for Him, doing his will…they have a fruit. And that fruit (did you hear a word from last week?) That fruit leads to sanctification (continuing to grow), and the end of your growing leads to what? Eternal life.

If you were one of those Roman beleivers back then, this letter would have brought you much joy! And it brings the same to us today. Here are three things that I beleive we can take from this letter that Paul wrote 2000 years ago.

The grace of God saved us, it forgives us, but we should never take it by granted.

We should always strive to separate ourselves from sin. That is what sanctification is all about. We don’t want to be the same three years after we were saved as we were on the day we came to salvation. There needs to be a growth, a daily dependance on God and his Spirit. We need to have a desire to read his word, love other people, and look forward to the time we spend in prayer.

We will sin, yes we will, but even knowing that by his grace he will forgive, it should be our desire to grow and begin to separate ourself from that sin. This is how the writer in Hebrews said it: Hebrews 12:1 “1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

Knowing that we will be forgiven, should not make us continue to sin, but knowing that we are forgiven, should push us to live a righteous life before the God who forgave us. Lets be careful not to take God’s grace for granted.

2. The old you, the person you were before you met Christ, should be put away. In fact, they should be dead and buried. Like Jesus went to the grave for your sin, when we begin our UNION WITH CHRIST, our old selves were buried. But remember this, what is dead, stays in the grave. Have you ever seen someone who is dead and buried rise from the grave? No? You know God, if he wanted to do that could do it., but what Paul is saying here is not a miracle, it is a teaching that every believer experiences when they come to Christ. Again, I will ask, “are you different today than when you were when you accepted Jesus Christ?” You should be.

3. Everyone is a slave. Are you a slave to sin, or a slave to righteousness and holiness?

There is an old saying that goes like this —You will serve someone— Did you know that. It’s not a question, will you serve someone, it’s a fact, you will serve someone. You don’t have a choice, everyday you serve someone. You worship someone. You give your attention to something. Everyone does. Everyone will choose to serve something or somebody. But here is the question. What or who will you choose to serve. What is the thing that is most important to you, the thing that gets your attention the most.

Remeber what Joshua said as he stood before the natiion of Israel as their new leader after Moses died? He said: Joshua 24:15

New Living Translation Chapter 24

But if you refuse to serve the LORD,

He asked are you going to serve and become a slave to false things, to the world, to things that are temporary, or are you going to be a slave to righteousness, doing the will o God, living an abundant life , with you eyes focused on Him?

Do you have a union with Christ? Have you been saved by his grace? Because that is why Jesus died on the cross and rose again, because he wanted to be unified with you. But heres the deal, to fully experience the grace of God you have to want to be unified with him.

If you have never accepted Christ as your Lord, then I want to explain, where you are… this is your situation..

Romans 3:23 “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

You are ALL. You have sin that separates you from God, and there is nothing you can do about it. But there is good news…

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You deserve death…not in the ground, but separated from God in hell when you die.

But the good news it that even though we deserve death, Jesus Christ offers you a free gift of salvation through his death and resurrection. Romans 5:8 “8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We know that, he died you us, for you. But its just not knowledge, you have to bring that into you life. You have ask him to be your Lord Romans 10:9–10 “9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

When you accept Christ as your Savior, you begin UNION WITH CHRIST. YOU BECOME A SLAVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS. Have you done that?

And for all of you here who have given your life to the Lord, you have Union With Christ, ask yourselves this, am I being a slave to righteousness or am I being a slave to sin. Is there a sin that is congtrfolling my lives. Today, you need to give that sin to God and allow him to help you slowly move forward….be sanctified.

Let’s pray.