Permission to Disengage

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Women's coffee

Saturday, August 27th

Outdoor Service

Next Sunday 9:00a

Communion elements

Introduction

Jacob’s FIL Doug owns a mowing company - they handle our mowing

He was working this week and we got to chatting

His mowing shirts have three crosses on them

If you don’t know, Jesus was crucified between 2 thieves

Doug said he uses the shirts as a chance to share the gospel

People often ask him, “Why 3 crosses?”

He explains that he understands the position of each person

In the center is Jesus - the difference maker

Jesus is the crux; the fulcrum that decides which way you lean

On one side, you have the criminal who hated Jesus

Mocked Him, criticized Him, doubted Him even though He was right there

Doug explains, “That’s who I was before.”

But the other criminal was different - he recognized Jesus for who He was

He said to the other criminal, “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Doug would say, “And that criminal is who I am today because of Jesus.”

YouVersion: Permission to Disengage

All of Romans 6

Still on the “Romans Road to Salvation”

Answering 4 questions:

Why do we need salvation?

How did God provide salvation?

How can we receive salvation?

What are the results of salvation?

Today, we’re looking at all four

But mainly focusing on the results of salvation

Just as a reminder so this is all in our heads...

Why do we need salvation?

We all have sin, and sin brings death

How did God provide salvation?

Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross

He lived a perfect life which created our righteousness (last week)

Then he was sacrificed to atone for our sin with His blood

It had nothing to do with us!

How can we receive salvation?

It’s completely trusting in the Lord to provide your salvation

By believing and confessing

It’s not works, but works prove that you have been changed

What are the results of salvation?

Our relationship with God is restored

Our eternal death is cancelled

And nothing can ever get in the way of that again

Today, as we focus on the results of salvation - we’re only looking at half

We normally think salvation means we get to go to heaven

And that’s true! But...

The results of salvation being in THIS life first - let’s look:

Romans 6:1–4 (ESV)

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Grigori Rasputin was a mystic and holy man

Held no position in the Russian Orthodox church, but was called a monk

Befriended the last Czar of Russia - Nicholas II giving him great power/influence

He ignored what Paul said in v.1

He took a teaching from Ilya Kovylin

Ilya Kovylin: “Without sin there is no repentance, without repentance no salvation. There will be many sinners in heaven… If you don’t sin, you don’t repent, if you don’t repent, you can’t be saved.”

The more you sin, the more you experience God’s grace

He made this idea extreme

There is some truth here

In Luke 7, Jesus ate with pharisee and a sinful woman (maybe a prostitute)

She washed His feet with tears and anointed with ointment

In his head, the pharisee judged Jesus because she was a sinner

Jesus spoke to the pharisee:

Moneylender gave to 2 men who couldn’t pay - 50 and 500

Who loved him more? The one who he forgave more...

Luke 7:47 (ESV)

47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Two different sides

Sin, repent, sin, repent, sin, repent...

Sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, repent and live a changed life

John 11:2 tells us it was likely Mary Magdalene

The one who set aside her daily duties to sit at Jesus’ feet

The one who supported Jesus with her own money

The first one to see the empty tomb

NT is full of proof she was changed!

She didn’t just keep living some sin, repent, repeat lifestyle - why?

Paul makes it clear by asking a very important question:

How can we who died to sin still live in it?

We can’t...

1. Our old sinful life died with Christ

September 18th we’re having baptisms

It is a picture - when you go under water, it symbolizes you dying to your old sinful life

You are connected yourself to the death of Christ

And then you come out of the water and realize a newness of life

What does that mean?

Romans 6:5–11 (ESV)

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

So going under the water is your old self dying to sin...

Coming up is symbolic of your resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:20 (ESV)

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

The way Christ was resurrected is how you will be too!

Jesus has a physical body that could be touched

He seems to teleport around - appearing behind locked doors

Scripture says we’ll live forever

We’ll never get tired

We won’t be sad or feel pain...

However, we have not yet left these physical bodies behind...

When we do, we become those who have “fallen asleep”

Dead physically, but not Spiritually - not permanently

But as long as we have these bags of flesh to carry around, there is a battle between spirit and flesh

Matthew 26:41b (ESV)

41b “...The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Scorpion and the frog

Scorpion can’t swim, asks frog for ride

No, you’ll sting me

Then I would drown too!

They go, and the scorpion stings

You idiot, you knew we would drown

I’m sorry, stinging is in my nature...

The scorpion was torn between two forces

His personal cognitive desire to live and cross the river

And his instinctual nature to sting when in danger

Even though he knew what was better, he still gave in

Next week Paul will say this:

Romans 7:15 (ESV)

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Even though we will mess up, our lives in general are pointed to Christ

Illustration: golf

Nobody finishes 18 holes with 18 strokes - except Jesus

Some shots are short, some long, some slice into the woods, but you get back on

That’s living a life in pursuit of God

Imperfect, but always moving toward the target

But some shoot randomly at houses, crash carts in the lake, drink at the 19th hole

That’s a lifestyle of sin - very different and easy to spot

Understand you will be a slave to something

If I don’t have to listen to God, I’m free!

No you’re not, you’re a slave to sin

If you want to be free from that master, you choose option 2

2. Our resurrection with Him brings new life

Before, there was only one option for mankind

Being a slave to sin - that’s it

But now, Jesus brings us new life

This is the wrestle for the Christian

We have a spirit that has been born again

But it’s trapped in this raggedy, sinful flesh

As a Christian, you know you will sin, but you hate it

You don’t accept it or make excuses

You repent and keep moving

Romans 6:12–14 (ESV)

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

When I was a kid, I picked my teams

NFL - 49ers (Jerry Rice, Steve Young)

NBA - Chicago Bulls (Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen)

MLB - LA Dodgers (Mike Piazza, Darryl Strawberry)

NHL - LA Kings (Wayne Gretzky, Kelly Hrudey)

But as a teenager, I decided to stick with Detroit everything

Lions no longer had Barry Sanders

Tigers hadn’t made the playoffs since I was 3

Pistons were in the “teal era”

Red Wings were dominating - so that was good anyway…!

Of course, I started piling up all the Detroit swag I could

Jerseys, T-shirts, stickers, screensavers, you name it!

No more 49ers jackets, Kings hats, Bulls shirts or Dodgers folders

I decided to only present myself as a Detroit fan

When you become a follower of Christ, you also only present yourself to Christ

3. Slaves of obedience offer themselves to Christ

Of course, being a slave to Christ is more than just...

A WWJD bracelet, “Real Men Love Jesus” shirt, and a fish on your car

Those things are okay, but God deserves more

Paul talks about presenting your members - your body parts - as instruments

A very wise man this week mentioned that we learn well by asking questions

Much like Jesus did - so ask yourself this:

Look at your hands - have you allowed God to use them?

Look at your feet - have you allowed God to use them?

Think of your eyes - do they see like Jesus sees, or do they search for opportunities to sin?

Think of your ears, your mouth, even your reproductive parts...

Have you presented them to God to be used for His glory in gratitude for new life

Or have to turned to the master of sin, and let that take over?

If Jesus is your master, you will decide right now to let Him use you

You can do that because sin no longer has you in chains that cannot be broken

Because we have the grace of Christ

So Paul asks this:

Romans 6:15–19 (ESV)

15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

You know there are 2 masters to serve

Paul is saying that just saying something is your master doesn’t make it your master

If you want to know who your master is, look at who you’re obeying

If you have a choice in the morning - do I sleep in or go to church?

When a family member needs help - do I show them grace and love, or do I leave them in the cold?

Here’s a question:

The average man spends 34 minutes a week on adult sites

Do you spend at least that much time reading your bible every week?

4. We can now choose our own master

Who do you want to choose as your master?

Matthew 6:24 (ESV)

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

In this example, Jesus uses money

But Paul uses any sin

You can’t serve God and sex

You can’t serve God and alcohol

You can’t serve God and your job

You can’t serve God and your kids

Each of things are not bad by themselves

But they shouldn’t come before God

In fact, each of those things should fall in line as you serve God

It shouldn’t be - I missed church because my kids had a ballgame and my kids come first

It should be - My kids missed their ballgame because it’s important that they learn God comes first

Then Paul talks about what my SIL Judi calls “the good ol’ bad days”:

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.

When sin was you boss, you didn’t have to do what righteousness says

You did whatever sin told you to do

And what was the fruit of that arrangement?

A broken home? Substance abuse? An empty life?

Those aren’t good things obviously, but v.23 tells us the real fruit - it’s death

All those sinful things you wanted to do ends in death

You can’t find salvation in that situation

Henry Miller: “There is no salvation in becoming adapted to a world which is crazy.”

He was an omnist, but he was still right about one thing

Looking at this crazy world to save you will never work!

But you don’t have to choose that...

Final point -

5. You can choose freedom from Christ and slavery to sin

OR freedom from sin and slavery to Christ

That’s your choice - no other option

Jesus said it Himself:

Matthew 12:30 (ESV)

30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

You get to choose - do you want to be a slave to Christ?

Or do you want sin?

Getting back to Doug’s illustration about the 3 crosses:

Consider yourself there today

Jesus on His centered cross, and you are guilty

Which cross do you want to climb onto?

Will you be on the one that mocks Him, and leads to death

Or will you choose the side that defends Him, and trust the promise Jesus made:

Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Communion