Rom 6-Roman Imperatives

| Roman Imperatives! Romans 6:1-14

August 13, 2006 (New Century Version) So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us even more grace? 2 No! We died to our old sinful lives, so how can we continue living with sin? 3 Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ when we were baptized? We shared his death in our baptism. 4 When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. So, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we also can live a new life.5 Christ died, and we have been joined with him by dying too. So we will also be joined with him by rising from the dead as he did. 6 We know that our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us and we would not be slaves to sin. 7 Anyone who has died is made free from sin’s control.8 If we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 Christ was raised from the dead, and we know that he cannot die again. Death has no power over him now. 10 Yes, when Christ died, he died to defeat the power of sin one time—enough for all time. He now has a new life, and his new life is with God. 11 In the same way, you should see yourselves as being dead to the power of sin and alive with God through Christ Jesus.12 So, do not let sin control your life here on earth so that you do what your sinful self wants to do. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to serve sin, as things to be used in doing evil. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have died and now live. Offer the parts of your body to God to be used in doing good. 14 Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law but under God’s grace.PRAY Memory Verse:We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? –Romans 6:2 (NIV)  Intro: Why do we do what we do? What motivates us?... Last Week:The foundational truth: vv. 1-10: You have died to sin.This Week:The Practical Ramifications: vv. 11-14  Review: The foundational truth:vv. 1-10: You have died to sin.The foundational truth which this passage emphasizes is that we, who have embraced Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord have died to sin. It is a completed fact. It is a reality which cannot be undone.For us to casually, or even worse, to intentionally continue in sin because of some warped understanding of grace that seems to say it doesn’t really matter, is to deny our faith. It is a clear statement that we do not really understand the gospel and that we are probably NOT really Christians.When a person professes to be a follower of Jesus Christ and then continues to live in sin they are dishonoring God and condemning themselves and many others who, in observing them, find justification for their own sin.We need to understand that while our salvation is not determined by what we do and do NOT do, it is evidenced by it. When we understand the grace of God we also understand that we have died to a way of life which gives in to sin. That is no longer who we are. In Christ we are new people.The specific emphasis of these verses is that we are so profoundly identified with Christ’s death and resurrection that we actually did die with him and truly were raised with him, so that we now share in his resurrection life. As such we need to distinguish between what is DONE and what we are called to DO because of what has already happened. We need to understand that the issue is not what I have done, but rather my identification with what Christ has done, that both makes me right with God AND empowers me to live for Him. That is the key understanding and applying the truth that we are no longer in bondage to sin.A Truth to Remember: If you have trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you have died to sin. You cannot go back. A Challenge to Consider:Does your life point to the grace of Christ through humble obedience, or does it dishonor the Name of Christ through casual rationalization of sin? The Practical Ramifications (vv. 11-13):The first three imperatives of the Book of Romans:1. We must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (v. 11)2. We must not let sin control the way we live; we must not give in to its lustful desires. (v. 12)3. We must not offer our bodies to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather we must offer ourselves to God, as instruments of righteousness. (v. 13) 1. We must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (v. 11)(ESV) So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Two truths to count on:1. We are dead to sin if we are Christians.2. We are “alive to God in Christ Jesus.”Being dead to something means recognizing that it no longer has any control over youThere is no turning back. – Death is pretty final.– The old is GONE, dead, buried…[2 Cor. 5:17 – (NIV) If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!] v. 11 is the 1st exhortation in this book. – the need to have a firm foundation before the moral imperatives are addressed.“The first step in our growth in holiness is counting as true what is, in fact, true.” (James Boice)Christian, have you, indeed, accepted the fact that you are now DEAD to sin and alive to God? Are you willing to live in that reality?  2. We must not let sin control the way we live; we must not give in to its lustful desires. (v. 12)12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful desires. (NLT)Therefore… [v. 12 – (NIV) Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body.]Eph 4:22-2422You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.Because we are dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ…F    We must consciously and intentionally put off the way we were, the way the world is…F    & We must consciously and intentionally put on Christ.F    We must say “NO!” to sin.F    We must say “YES!” to holiness.F    We must recognize and understand that there is a distinct difference between the two. Q: Do we allow sin to control the way we live?Are we quick to give in to its lustful desires?Are we willing to take the necessary steps to change that? – If we ARE in Christ Jesus, if we HAVE placed our trust in Him alone for our standing with God and if we HAVE, indeed, acknowledged that He is Lord, then we HAVE died to sin. Therefore we need to acknowledge that fact and act accordingly. |   | 3. We must not offer our bodies to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather we must offer ourselves to God, as instruments of righteousness. (v. 13)(NIV) Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. ☞    Do not offer the parts of your body to sinWe all have cravings. The cravings, themselves are not bad. But we pervert them. When we pervert them, rather than being a blessing, they become a curse (eating, sleeping, sexual desire)Because we have died to sin…☞    Offer yourselves to GodRomans 12:1 – offering our bodies – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (NIV) The Message: So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. The daily offering of a living sacrifice… ☞    Offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.Why the body?
1 Cor. 6:19-20 –19 (NLT) Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.What does it mean to offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness?Ø   The MindRomans 12:2 – NIV Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. NLT - Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.NCV - Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking.  Phillips – Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within.We are what we think. Ø   Our Eyes and EarsWe think what we fill our minds with.We fill our minds with what we choose to watch and read… or not read.Col. 3:1-3 (NIV) Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  Eph. 5:6-14 (NCV)6Do not let anyone fool you by telling you things that are not true, because these things will bring God’s anger on those who do not obey him. 7So have nothing to do with them. 8In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. 9Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. 10Try to learn what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the things done in darkness, which are not worth anything. But show that they are wrong. 12It is shameful even to talk about what those people do in secret. 13But the light makes all things easy to see, 14and everything that is made easy to see can become light. This is why it is said:“Wake up, sleeper! Rise from death, and Christ will shine on you.” Ø   Our TonguesEph. 4:29 – (NIV) Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Gossip, Complaining, Arguing, Criticizing, Putting others down… lewd humor?ORPraise, Thankfulness, Building others up, Encouraging people, Instructing, etc.Ø   Our Hands and FeetWhat we do and where we goUsing our hands to help others, directly or indirectly (by serving others, or by earning money to give to others)Using our feet to take us to opportunities for ministryIsa. 52:7 – How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news!  The Summary: Because we ARE dead to sin, therefore We must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.We must believe the truth that, if we are Christians we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.As such we must not let sin control the way we live; we must not give in to its lustful desires. (v. 12)We must consciously and intentionally put off the way we were, the way the world is…& We must consciously and intentionally put on Christ.We must say “NO!” to sin.We must say “YES!” to holiness.We must recognize and understand that there is a distinct difference between the two. We must not offer our bodies to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather we must offer ourselves to God, as instruments of righteousness. (v. 13)Our minds, our eyes and ears, our tongues, our hands and our feet…Do we allow sin to control the way we live?Are we quick to give in to its lustful desires?Or are we daily, consciously and intentionally offering ourselves to God as living sacrifices?Are we willing to take the necessary steps to make that a reality in our lives? – If we ARE in Christ Jesus, if we HAVE placed our trust in Him alone for our standing with God and if we HAVE, indeed, acknowledged that He is Lord, then we HAVE died to sin. Therefore we need to acknowledge that fact and act accordingly. A Truth to Remember: If you have trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior you have died to sin and your are alive in Jesus Christ. A Challenge to Consider:Are you willing to consciously and intentionally offer the parts of your body to God daily as a living sacrifice for His glory?  |