Why Are We Christians: Part 1

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Part 1: Sin, Death, and Satan

Romans 6:20–23 ESV
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Central Truth
Jesus set us free from sin, death, and Satan
#1...

The Source of Human Evil

Romans 6:20 ESV
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Being a slave to sin means you were controlled by sin.
Controlled by your desires and lusts.
Controlled by you pride and arrogance.
Controlled by Hatred and Jealousy.
Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
The Source of Human Evil is...
Satan
Sin
Human Slavery to Satan and Sin
Romans 6:20 ESV
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
True righteousness was impossible for us...
Isaiah 64:6 ESV
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
No matter how hard we try to be good and righteous on our own we will never actually be good and righteous.
My personal attempts at being good and righteous in order to be seen as good and righteous by God are actually marks of evil.

The Source of Human Evil

Sin, Satan, and Slavery
#2...

The Penalty For Human Evil

Romans 6:21 ESV
21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
Fruit is something a plant or tree produces.
Paul is comparing us to a plant produces.
Think of digesting a poisoned apple?
Anyone seen Snow White?
She went to sleep. But fully ingesting our fruit is death.
This is the penalty for sin. This is the penalty for being a slave to Satan.
Death.
Not just physical death. That is a marker or pointer to the real death.
The real death it speaks of is something all non Christians currently live in and will eventually experience the full result of...

Spiritual Death

Ephesians 2:1–2 ESV
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

The Penalty for Human Evil:

Spiritual and Eternal Death
#3...

The Solution for Human Evil

Romans 6:22 (ESV)
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God...
We needed someone to set us free!
Emancipation!
Colossians 2:13–15 ESV
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
We couldn’t do anything...
Jesus had to do everything!
Jesus’ death on the cross was your purchase back to God.

Jesus’ death on the cross defused sin’s power over us.

Jesus’ death on the cross dethroned Satan’s rule over us.

Jesus’ death on the cross removed deaths stinger from us.

The Solution for Human Evil

Jesus’ death on the cross
#4...

The Opposite of Human Evil

Romans 6:22 ESV
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
This is where we live now. This is also where we are heading.
The fruit of being a slave to God is becoming more and more like him.
The final destination of becoming more and more like God is Eternal life.
This is all God’s work!
Ephesians 2:4–6 ESV
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Jesus, God the Son, is at the center of our Sanctification.
Sanctification means becoming more and more like Jesus in every way.

The Opposite of Human Evil

Being remade to look like Jesus
Here is a one verse summary that answers our series question, “Why are we Christians?:
Romans 6:23 ESV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Grow Group Questions
What is the source of human evil?
Do you sometimes feel like you are enslaved to sinful desires?
What is the penalty for human evil?
Does the penalty scare you? For yourself? For others?
What is the solution for human evil?
Why is it important to remember that we can’t provide our own solution?
What is the opposite of human evil?
Do you think you look more like Jesus than you did last year?
Who can you pray for that needs to hear this message?
How can you personally remember and begin to pray for this person?
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