Sermon Tone Analysis

*Buried and Raised with Christ*

*Romans 6:1-23*

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*Introduction:* Ge 18:18  Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.

What does God mean when he says “great” and “powerful”?

What is it that makes a Nation “Great” and “Powerful”?

Is it population?

Politics?

Armament?

Wealth?

Possessions?

Or Religiosity?

In human perspective, it might be some or all of those things.

But the Scripture has another perspective.

It portrays the Lord as the one that makes a nation great and powerful.

There is good reason for this.

God has all power.

He has all wisdom.

He has the love and the will to bless all nations on earth.

In fact, that is the promise God made to Abraham.

Even so, the perspective that the God revealed in the Scriptures is who makes a nation great and powerful gets lost, even in the minds and hearts of His people.

The abilities and ingenuity of man then takes its place.

It’s not as though God doesn’t care about this.

He most certainly does.

And He has demonstrated that very clearly for all to see.

Jesus Christ is crucified because of it.

Sadly, we Christians need to be reminded that we are citizens of the greatest and most powerful nation on earth.

And that is because of Jesus Christ, not man.

*1.

Buried with Christ (6:1-7)*  When Paul finishes presenting Jesus Christ Crucified and Raised; when he finishes explaining what that means for all people, and how as sin increased grace increased even more, it sounds like maybe being forgiven is a reason to live any way we want.

But that is not the case.

Not among the people of a Great and Powerful Nation.

But what about us?

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* **1**What shall we say, then?*

Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

In other words, should our lives continue to follow the course of society and the world?

Paul gives a very quick answer to his own question.

*2*By no means!

We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

How could the citizens of a great nation allow themselves to be duped into believing demonic doctrines like, “It’s my body, I’ll do with it whatever I want!” or “Let’s agree to disagree!”

Do we not yet understand the craftiness of the ultimate liar, Satan?

This is what I mean:

 

*3*don't you know* *that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

You see, in baptism God works a miracle of grace.

He gives His Spirit, condemns the sinful nature to death, and raises the one who receives the promise in faith to new life.

That new life is life in a new and Great and Powerful Nation.

Paul says:

 

*4*We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death.

The sentence of death to the sinful nature means that everything of the sinful nature must die.

It cannot be tamed or cajoled into doing what is right in God’s sight.

So as the sentence of death to sin is carried out in Christ Jesus, so those who participate in that death are crucified with Christ.

And why is that important to us?

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in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

The word for New Life denotes newness in species and character.

It is not a makeover of the sinful nature.

It is new!

This is why Paul goes on to say:

 

*5**If we have been united with him* like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

There are two errors Christians are prone to make regarding this new life.

The first error is to assume that once a person believes in Jesus by grace through faith they must complete the work of sanctification.

The other error discounts the depravity of the human nature and ignores God’s Word that condemns it.

But when Paul says,

 

*6*we know that our old self was crucified with him, he is confirming the sentence of death on sinful flesh.

so that, he goes on to say, the body of sin might <be done away with>, {Or <be rendered powerless>}.

When something is rendered powerless it has lost its control.

And when the sinful nature loses control it acts out in defiance of God’s Word, trying to regain control.

This is what Paul is getting at when he says:

 

that we should no longer be slaves to sin— The miracle of baptism is the change in control over the soul of an individual.

The control of one nature dies, the control of the new nature lives.

This is what it means to be raised to New Life.

*2.

Raised to New Life (6:8-14)* Paul explains:

 

*7**anyone who has died has been freed from sin*.

Notice that it says freed from sin, not freed to sin.

Being freed implies release.

If we are freed from the control and sentence of sin, what is it that we are freed to do? Again Paul answers, *8*Now

 

if we died with Christ.

That word “if” is mighty powerful isn’t it.

It makes what follows conditional.

If we died, then something new happens.

That new thing is faith.

But only if we died with Christ.

But, for those who died with Christ,

 

we believe* *that we will also live with him.

Faith does not end with justification.

Rather, the end of faith is life, life in Christ today, Life with God eternally.

Paul says, *9*For

 

we know* *that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

*10*The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

You see, living a holy life is as much a matter of faith as being justified is a matter of faith.

Let me explain.

It is not our work that makes us Christ-like and holy.

It is God’s work in us that does this.

You’ve heard people say, “God isn’t done with me yet.”

It’s so true for the believer.

But only faith can receive that.

So it is in view of faith that Paul says:

 

*11**In the same way*, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

In other words, faith apprehends the promise and benefit of being united with Christ in His death and Resurrection.

That benefit is a clean conscience, and a new life that is being carried across the waters of baptismal grace into glory.

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*12*Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Faith becomes cooperative with God and His will.

Faith seeks to be more like Christ.