Under New Ownership

Secular -

A boy came home from Sunday School and his mom asked him what he learned. He said, 'Well, the teacher said if we repent, God forgives our sins.' His mom nodded and asked, 'So what do we have to do before God can forgive us?' The boy smiled and said, 'First, we gotta go sin!'

That’s pretty much the exact logic Paul was dealing with in Romans 6! 'If God’s grace covers sin, shouldn't we sin more so God can show off more grace?' And Paul gives a very good answer to this, he says ‘Certainly not!’ In other words, ‘Are you out of your mind?'

Historical/Cultural Context -

Paul wrote Romans to explain the gospel and to establish the theological foundation of the faith. It was written between A.D. 56-58.

Recap -

last week we talked about faith in Christ, that we are freed from Adam’s debt, rescued while still God’s enemies, and How He strengthens us through suffering. We talked about our position before God. How Christ freed us from being born in sin, and how Life’s pressures refine us. This week we will be looking more at the Christian life, what it is, what it looks like and the reality of a Christian life. With this chapter Paul switches from telling us that we are dead in sin to we are dead to sin. Meaning it has no power over us. We must let the Holy Spirit do His sanctifying work in our lives. Sanctified meaning to be set apart.

Set apart from what? Set apart from sin and the world’s ways of doing things.

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - Grace Changes Your Allegiance, Not Just Your Destination

Life Point- Dead People Don’t Serve Old Masters

Exegetical -

Romans 6:1–14 BSB

What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires. Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Homiletical -

We know that in the previous chapter that Paul states that where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. Paul then says should we use that spiritual reality to continue to sin? He says certainly not!

He asks a question that I think is still asked today. a rhetorical question. How can you be a Christian and have no problems living in sin?

You see when Jesus changes you, you no longer want to live in sin. You no longer feel comfortable in sinning. Because the love of God is now in you through the Holy Spirit.

Not out of religious rules of DOs and DON’Ts. It is out of the love that you feel toward your master. You have become a friend of God and bondslave of His. He is the master and Lord of your life.

John 8:12 BSB

Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

1 John 3:9–10 BSB

Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

You ever see the commercial for the Lottery that says I may not tell you I won the lottery but there would be signs.

Folks, you can tell me you’re a Christian but you gotta have the fruit of salvation operating in your life.

Galatians 5:22–25 BSB

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.

You can tell if your saved or not through the desires and fruit that is being produced in your life. This is why we are told to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith.

2 Corinthians 13:5 BSB

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you fail the test?

Now this passage has been used, wrongly, to justify salvation by faith and water baptism. This is wrong. The baptism Paul is referring to is a symbol of what happens to us spiritually upon salvation.

So the question is often asked. What is water baptism?

1) Baptism is an ordinance of the church. We have 2 ordinances that were established. That is, Communion and Baptism.

2) Baptism is a command of Jesus. It is the first command we are to follow after salvation.

3) Baptism is an outward sign of the inward reality that has happened in your life.

4) To be baptised is dangerous. In baptism you say openly, publicly, and unashamedly that your life belongs to Christ. You are identifying with Him. In some countries today that could get you murdered. Indeed during the early church times it would get you killed. But you see people’s lives were so radically changed by Jesus that they knew what it might cost and they did it anyway.

5) Baptism is identification with Christ. We go down into the water fully submerged identifying with His death and we come out of the water identifying with Him in newness of life.

So what baptism is Paul talking about here? He is talking about being completely immersed upon salvation with the Holy Spirit who regenerates us.

1 Corinthians 12:13 BSB

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink.

Paul says that we must reckon ourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Jesus.

Why? Because dead people don’t sin anymore. Well, they don’t really do much of anything anymore which is where the analogy breaks down.

We all have a sin nature and if your saved you have a new nature as well that wars with each other.

Paul says do not let sin reign in your life. Folks, it is up to us as to whether we will succumb to sin or not. Choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

Paul ends this particular thought by saying “Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”

Illustration -

Imagine buying a run-down, condemned house. The moment the deed is signed, ownership changes.

A few days later, the old, abusive landlord knocks on the front door, shouting orders and demanding rent. He treats you like you’re still bound to his rules.

You don't have to obey him anymore—not because he isn't loud, but because he holds no legal authority over that house. The deed has changed hands.

When you surrendered your life to Christ, your "deed" was transferred from death to life. Sin will still come knocking on the door of your heart, making loud demands and trying to boss you around. But you don't have to yield to it. You have a new Master, a new Spirit dwelling inside you, and the old landlord has zero authority over your life.

Life Point - Dead People Serve A Living Savior

Exegetical -

Romans 6:15–23 BSB

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to escalating wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. For when you were slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness. What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Homiletical -

Paul reiterates that we should not embrace sin, because we love Jesus we embrace His righteousness.

Let’s talk about Grace shall we. Paul says not to use grace as an excuse for sin.

Anyone who says what we call the sinner’s prayer but doesn’t change how they live. Sees no point in it. Has no unction to change. Then they weren’t really saved.

The conviction of the Holy Spirit and the love that is shed abroad in our hearts will compel us to want to change how we live so that we bring honor and glory to God.

Paul talks about being a slave to sin versus being a slave to righteousness. Speaking in human terms. The reality is that you are going to be a slave to something. This idea that we are independent and make our own way is absolutely ridiculous. There is no such thing as an independent person. Because you relied on someone or something to get where you are.

Whether that someone or something is unrighteousness or Jesus is the question.

You are either yielding to sin or yielding to righteousness that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Before you came to Jesus you were free to choose all the sin in the world that you wanted. You had no obligation to righteousness. As a matter of fact you had no idea how to be righteous and had no ability to be righteous because you were dead in your sins.

Notice that Paul says we should be ashamed of those days when we were slaves to sin. Anyone who talks about their past sinful lives before Christ and has no sense of shame is out of relationship with Christ. Either they are holding on to the “good old days” of sin and not wanting to let go, or their salvation is in question.

If we are sewing to sin what will our harvest be? Well the outcome is death. Nothing good, that’s for sure.

The good news for us is that we have been set free from sin. We are now slaves to God. Remember in our humanity we are going to be slaves to something, but praise be to God that for the believer we are slaves to Him.

We will reap fruit that leads to holiness and the end of thereof is eternal life.

Paul then sums it all up in verse twenty-three. He says for the wages of sin is death. That is the end of the sinful lifestyle. Sin can be fun for a season but in the end it leads to death. But God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We who are saved and given our entire lives over to Jesus are promised eternal life with Him.

Hebrews 11:24–26 BSB

By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward.

Be like Moses, choose the righteous gift of God over the fleeting enjoyment of sin.

Illustration -

A man in a maximum-security prison says to his cellmate, "I'm totally free. I choose when I sleep on my bunk, I choose which side of the cell I walk on, and I choose when to read my book." But the cell door is locked, and the guard holds the key. The man isn't free at all—he just has a tiny room to roam inside his captivity.

That is the illusion of living in sin. The world calls it "freedom" to live however you want, but you are still in cuffs. You're just choosing which corner of the cell to stand in. True freedom isn't the ability to do whatever you want; true freedom is being unlocked from sin's power so you can finally serve the Master you were created for.

Life Principle– Grace Changes Your Allegiance, Not Just Your Destination

Call to Action – altar call….