Die to Self, Live unto Christ

Introduction: Die to Self, Live unto God

Introduction:

I. A Petition to Holiness (Romans 6)

A. A Petition To Holiness ()

In this chapter we will see the call to die to self, and live unto God.

We will see that their is true life only in dying to self.

We will also see a strong call to holiness in the life of a believer.

In this Chapter Paul lays out a strong call to holiness.

This call to holiness is a universal call for all believers, for holiness is the natural outflow of a genuinely regenerate heart.

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1 Peter 1:16 KJV 1900

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

These words of our Lord originally given to the Israelite nation, are now every believers marching orders in our blessed pilgrimage.

Colossians 1:22 KJV 1900

In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Ephesians 1:4 KJV 1900

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

There is a definite command given by God to all His children that they ought to live their lives in holy subjection to His Word, pursuing holiness with tireless effort.

Paul makes the command to holiness unshakably fixed by answering an imaginary question in the very first two verses of our chapter.

Romans 6:1–2 KJV 1900

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Paul lays out our call to holiness by his answer, “How shall we, that are DEAD to sin, live any longer therein?”

Explain.

We as believers have been saved by grace, and grace alone.

Yet, we as believers are told that we are not to presume on this grace, and go on living the way we want to.

Why is this?

Paul answered this question in the second verse of our text.

We are, as he said, “dead to sin.”

So we do not live in our sin because we have died to our sin.

We have looked away from our sin, and looked to Christ.

We have forgotten all the things we used to hold to, and we have clung to Christ.

If you are here today, and if you are genuinely converted, this is only because there was a time in your life where, by the mercy of God, and His enabling grace, you saw the vileness, and offence of your sin to a holy God, counted them as rubbish, as nothing, died to them, repented, and believed in Jesus.

Was this not the story of Paul?

phil 3

Philippians 3:4–10 KJV 1900

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Paul here is expressing that if anyone had any reason to trust in themselves, he had it.

Circumcised on the eighth, a keeper of the Law, persecutor of the church.

All these things he had on his list of why he should be right with God, yet he gave them all up, he died to them, just so that he might know Christ.

Galatians 2:20 KJV 1900

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Paul here is clearly expressing his death to self, and his life in Christ.

He said that he was crucified with Christ, and yet he lived.

All of Paul’s flesh, his self-righteousness, his self-reliance, all of it was put to death, so that he might live unto Christ.

When I say “living unto Christ,” I mean that he now lives not relying on self, not indulging in sin, but now fully relying on Christ, and because of that there is a willful, and enjoyable obedience to God.

We see this in verses three and four of our text.

Romans 6:3–4 KJV 1900

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

We, as believers, have been made like Christ in His death, just as He died for sin, we die to sin, and the bondage to it.

As well, just as He was raised to life, so should we as believers be raised to newness of life in him.

Crucified with Christ, and then living for Christ.

Romans 6:5–6 KJV 1900

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

At the moment of our conversion, our flesh was crucified with Christ, and by this our flesh, our captivity to sin, and our longing for sin, and our self-righteousness, all of this was put to death, and done away with.

Why?

So that we could then go on and live our lives obedient to the Lord, and His commands.

We have died to ourselves so that we could then go on living for Christ.

Because of this we are then given another command in verse 12-14.

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Romans 6:12–14 KJV 1900

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Because we have died to self, and since we are to now as believers live unto Christ, we are commanded to not let sin reign in our mortal bodies.

We are to not yield ourselves to the things we have died to.

We are to not go back to them, as a dog goes back to his vomit.

But we are to flee from them, and we are to yield ourselves as instruments to God.

Leaving our sinful passions, and living righteously.

Why?

Romans 6:14 KJV 1900

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

We are no longer under the law that condemns, no longer in Adam, but in Christ, and under grace.

And since we are, and since our depravity has been awakened by the light of Gods grace, we are to now go on living for Christ.

But again, if we are not under the law, but under grace , why are we to then go in and tirelessly work for Christ, giving our lives if need be.

Why not just get the grace, then live how I want?

Romans 6:15–16 KJV 1900

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

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When a soul truly dies to self, it is because they, like Paul, have caught a few of the glories of Christ, counted all things as nothing, and have died to all of those things.

Because when a soul truly dies to self, it is because they, like Paul, have caught a few of the glories of Christ, counted all things as nothing, and have died to all of those things.

We go away from our slavery to sin, and then become slaves to Christ.

We are told in our text that to whomever you yield your self to, that is who you are a slave to.

And if you have truly died to your self that mean you have died to the bondage of sin, and that you must then go on yield your life now as an instrument of righteousness, because that is what you now live for.

You are now a slave to Christ, because you are no longer a slave to sin.

Why Christ, and holiness over sin?

Romans 6:20–23 KJV 1900

For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We have caught a glimpse of Christ on the cross, and we have seen the worthlessness of sin.

We have been awakened by the Spirit, and we are now actually ashamed of the things in which we used to take pleasure.

We have seen that there is only one life worth living, and that is a life lived for Christ.

Why?

Because we see that a life lived for self, and sinful pleasures only leads to me being a burning eternal soul in hell, with none of my sinful earthly pleasure to comfort me, and being eternally separated from God.

But that a life live for Christ has its fruit in righteousness, holiness, which leads to life, joy, and peace.

Also, an eternity in intimate communion with the Lord you loved, and longed to serve, and Him greeting you with the grandest greeting ever uttered, “Well done my child, enter now into the joy of thy Lord!