Live Like You’re Alive

To the book of Romans, we turn
the passages there that we’ll be considering with places for
notes. We turn to Romans chapter six
this morning, Romans chapter six. And I was not only surprised,
I was not just a little dismayed as I looked back over the course
of the 11 year history of Providence Bible Church. Not one message
from the book of Romans, and I would seek to remedy that in
full if the Lord wills. I don’t know that it will be
the next thing that I do, but I’ve already told several people
that I purpose to do that one day. When I began looking at passages
about the resurrection And I admit that this is probably not one
that pops foremost in your mind as being an Easter passage or
a message about Easter. But it is, in fact, I would say
that this is at the core of what Easter really is all about. When
I began looking at passages referring to the resurrection of the Lord,
they seem to all fall into one of six categories. There were
those that fell into what I would call the category reference indicating
the plain fact. Of restoration to life from the
dead, just merely the concept of resurrection for Thessalonians
414, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, they’re
just kind of urging us to believe in a concept of a resurrection. God wants us to know that there
is a resurrection from the dead. The second category was with
reference to the fact that Jesus was restored to life, even as
that previous verse said. But over and over again, I found,
especially in Paul’s epistles, almost not every time that Jesus
name is mentioned, but so frequently that it becomes a pattern that
when Jesus is mentioned, Paul appends to that he who raised
him from the dead. Ephesians 120, which he brought
about in Christ, speaking of God when he raised him from the
dead. First Thessalonians 110 to wait
for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, that
is, Jesus. God wants us to know that Jesus
Christ was raised from the dead. There’s a third category. And
these had reference to the fact that God restored Jesus to the
dead from the dead, even as some of those previous verses indicate,
not only that Jesus was restored, but that God is the one that
did it. Galatians 1 1 Paul, an apostle not sent from men or
through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God,
the father who raised him from the dead. The same thing in Ephesians
120, which first we just read, God wants us to know that he
raised Jesus from the dead. The fourth category that I would
put the resurrection passages in is with reference to the final
resurrection of believers. We already believe that there
is a concept of the resurrection. And we know that even after we
die one day, there is going to be a great Resurrection. That’s what Romans 8 seems to
indicate. If the spirit of him who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Jesus Christ
from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies who
dwells in you. First Corinthians 614, Second
Corinthians 414, First Thessalonians 414. God will bring within those
who have fallen asleep. In Jesus, God wants us to know
that there is life after death, but there’s a fifth category.
And this fifth category was a very narrow category, only one verse,
and these this one had reference to God’s purpose of the resurrection,
also taken from the Book of Romans, Romans 425. He who was delivered
over because of our transgression was raised because of our justification,
which verse I seriously considered preaching. God wants us to know
that Christ’s sacrifice was fully accepted, and I believe that
is exactly what that passage teaches. It’s God’s stamp of
approval. On Christ’s sacrifice, but there’s
a sixth category. The sixth category had reference
to the expected results of the resurrection, the expected results
of the resurrection. Second Corinthians 515 says this,
he died for all so that they might no longer live for themselves,
but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. Colossians
3 1, therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking
the things above, we should live differently. And God wants us
to know that we are to live resurrected lives. The passage of the sermon title
this morning intentionally provocative. Because it does sound almost
confusing or even contradictory. Live like you’re alive and the
bottom line, as you begin to look at this passage, there are
many people, many Christians or at least many professing Christians
that are living like dead men. They live like they’re dead.
They live like they used to live. They don’t live resurrected lives. They don’t live lives that testify
of the fact that God has raised them from the dead with the same
power with which He raised Christ, which is the same power, Paul
points out, that was operative when He made the world. If you would, Romans 6. Let’s
look at verse 1-7. Where Paul says, what should
we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be. How shall we
who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all
of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized
into his death? Therefore, we have been buried
with him through baptism into death in order that as Christ
was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we
too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united
with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also
be in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old self
was crucified with him, that our body of sin might be done
away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin, for
he who has died is freed from sin. We need to live like we’re alive.
We need to live resurrected lives. We need to be different people
because that’s what Jesus says took place. There was a problem. Paul is responding to a potential
problem, and we’ll talk more about that in a moment. Paul
had been talking in the book of Romans, for those of you who
are part of our Wednesday Night Institute class, you know that
the opening of the book of Romans is all about sin. And what Paul
is talking about is sinners in desperate need of a savior, Romans
310. There is none righteous, not
even one. We’re all hemmed in. We are all
in trouble. Romans 3, 23, all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God. And with that truth established,
Paul transitions to righteousness by faith, our only hope. Romans
3, verse 21, now, apart from the law of righteousness of God,
the righteousness of God rather has been manifested, being witnessed
by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God
through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. Paul goes
on to talk about being justified as a gift of his grace through
the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. That is our only hope
as sinners. Romans 5, 12, two chapters later,
Paul touches upon it again and he says, therefore, just as through
one man sin entered the world. And death through sin, and so
death spread to all men because all sin. Still playing upon the
great theme of sin in those early chapters. But the good news comes
in verse 19, for as through one man’s disobedience, the many
were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one that
is Jesus Christ. Many will be made righteous.
Chapter five reaches a bit of a crescendo. With a focus on
justification by faith and salvation by grace, As one said, Paul discusses
the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith alone in
Jesus Christ in response to man’s dire need. God reached down to
unworthy man, offered him a full pardon through the finished work
of Jesus Christ. Paul finished. His discussion
on the work of Christ by saying this in Romans 520, the law entered
that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. Where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. Paul was very aware. Paul was
very aware that these two truths, justification by faith and salvation
by grace, could lend themselves and lead to errant ideas about
the Christian life. It could lead to the charges
of easy Christianity. It could lead to critical views
of these two doctrines that would seek to implement some helps,
some extra biblical, harsh, legalistic standards. To help along God
in this process of saving souls, and it could lead others to spiritual
sloth. Some would say, get some faith,
rest on the assurance that you have in salvation and live however
you want. And so those are the two opposite
errors, legalism or licentiousness. Living like however you want. or being hemmed in by what others
want. One said it this way, people
today echo the same criticisms, many doubt the doctrine of eternal
security of the believer because they think it gives far too much
liberty. Saying, if you believe in eternal
security, you’re really saying that once a person becomes a
Christian, he can sin all he wants and God will forgive him
anyway. Might as well just live it up. So the legalists objected
to Paul’s arguments, the libertine seized hold of it. And that’s
why chapter six introduces a whole new subject. It’s not a heartbreak. There is a certain flow to what
Paul is saying here in Romans six. It’s playing off of everything
that he said up to this point. But there is a difference. There
is a transition. It’s a transition from The discussion
of justification, peace with God to another holiness. The emphasis turns away from
what has been called the believers legal status before God by way
of justification to his spiritual and moral condition. Justification
of chapter five transitions to sanctification in chapter six.
The bottom line is the same God. Who does the work of salvation?
Initiates the work of sanctification, that progressive building of
a life of practical righteousness in every believer. We are to
live like we are alive. What we have before us this morning
by way of a somewhat of an outline is what I would call developments
in this discussion, this Call to resurrected living. Developments
or stages, if you will. And the first one, if you would.
The first development in the call to resurrected living goes
like this. The supposed theological conundrum
which arises, are you right? The supposed theological conundrum
which arises consequently From the application of the companion
doctrines of justification by faith and salvation by grace. If you didn’t get all that, I’ll
repeat it. It is the supposed theological conundrum which arises
consequently from the application of the companion doctrines of
justification by faith and salvation by grace. Paul says it this way. What shall we say, then, with
these two truths? Before us. With these two truths
imparted to us that we are justified only by faith and that salvation
is only by grace. What shall we say, then, are
we to continue in sin that grace might increase? You might even
just write in that space the problem. That’s the problem. It’s the view that misrepresents
the nature of divine grace, the nature of saving grace, the nature
of salvation and justification. It is a mockery of the biblical
doctrines. As one said, the Greek word here
translated continue is epimeno, which means to abide or to remain
or to stay, it is a state of sinfulness, not an episode, not
a stumbling. Paul, in effect, is saying, should
we continue to live in a state of sin so that we can see grace
at work? Shall we, who have been saved
by grace, sustain the same relationship to sin that we had before we
were saved? Some have said this. Down through
the years, there was a monk named Rasputin that I read about that
advocated this very thing. Sin it up so that God will grace
it up. The more you sin, the more grace
you’ll receive. That was essentially the doctrine.
And there have been others that promoted that. There have been
others that, if not promoting that kind of crass approach,
have suggested something almost as foolish that no matter what
I do, No matter how long I do it, God’s grace will cover me. And though there is no indication
in my life of conviction or of growth in grace, though there
is nothing that would lend itself by way of an argument to prove that I am in Christ.
There’s always grace. There’s always grace. Of course,
that what we’re talking about is what we now know is antinomianism,
where we’re said to be not under law, but under grace, and it
ultimately leads to this licentious lifestyle, immorality, lawlessness
under the banner of so-called grace. Jude spoke about this
in that tiny little book. Jude 4 says certain persons have
crept in unnoticed. Those who were long beforehand
marked out under this condemnation, ungodly persons who turned the
grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and
Lord, Jesus Christ. That’s a problem. That’s a problem,
and that’s why Paul responded to it. Paul said, The problem
is this, there is a supposed theological conundrum which arises
consequently from the application of the companion doctrines, justification
by faith and salvation by grace. But it hadn’t ought to be that
way. The second development in the
call to resurrect resurrected living is a short answer. A short answer to the problem
there in verse two. And may I just point out, I think
it’s the first year or first time in 11 years of preaching
that my point numbers just happened to match my verse numbers. Usually
I can squeeze about eight or nine points out of each verse.
In this particular case, it was one point per verse. And my precious
wife last night pointed this out to me and she said, you know,
dear, would you maybe consider going with the letter A or bullet
points or some other thing so that people don’t get confused?
So if you get confused, you you want to sit on Barbara’s side
if you are of Ronald. Anyway, this is my doing. The short answer is simple. Paul
says in verse 2.2, may it never be. Are we to continue in sin
that grace might increase, may it never be, how shall we who
died to sin still live in it? Oh, yeah. That’s right, he gives
them back a little piece of data that is the nature of their salvation. What was it that happened, do
you remember? And the phrase, this little may it never be phrase
is a Greek, what we call a Greek idiom, almost common to everyday
language. And we invent these kinds of
things all the time. But this common everyday language
is the strongest possible way of saying no. No. First words. Our children learn,
right? No, no, no. We might even say it this way,
by no means, no way. Don’t even, right? We invent
all kinds of these things. And as they began to just process
this through the memory bank, they just began to flow out.
We have all kinds of these. Impossible. Goodness, no. Forget about it. Right? Heaven
forbid, absolutely not perish the thought or as the King James
so creatively rendered it. God forbid there’s no God in
that passage. For a Christian, Paul says. The
thought of continuing to live in sin is unthinkable. It’s not
just that it’s wrong, it’s impossible. The idea that a child of God
can give himself up to God and then voluntarily, continually
live in sin, wallow in it is unthinkable to Paul. No way. Impossible. May it never be. And he uses this simple argument.
He says, look, the nature of the believers union with Christ,
This living in sin is not just an inconsistency. It’s a contradiction. It’s an impossibility. One person
said that it would be like speaking of a live dead man, and there
is my play on words in the title. There are a lot of people that
live like a dead man. Paul says, how shall we who died
to sin still live in it? Paul reminds his readers of the
nature of salvation. It is a dying to self. It is
a complete repudiation of the old life. A life of sin and sinfulness. When we come to Christ, we renounce
our allegiance to sin, do we not? When we come to Christ,
we bring our sinful self and we bring it to Christ to have
it crucified along with him. And all the allurements, as one
said, the enticements of the sinful world, once we have been
converted, converted, they are dead. You say. Thanks for that, but when exactly
did that happen? When exactly did I do that? Charles Hodge
said it well when he said the act. Which in its nature was
a dying to sin was our accepting of Christ as Savior. That’s when
you died to sin. If that’s what you did. If that’s
what the gospel presentation led you to, which is what makes
our words and sharing the gospel so crucial that we not mislead
those. He goes on and says the act involves
in it not only a separation from sin, but a deadness to it. No
man can apply to Christ to be delivered from sin in order that
he may live in it. Deliverance from sin is offered
by Christ and as accepted by the believer is not a mere deliverance
from its penalty, but from its power. We turn from sin to God
when we receive Christ as Savior. Well said. Paul said it even
more clearly. Colossians 3. Therefore, you
have been raised up with Christ. His resurrection is your resurrection. This is an Easter passage. You
have been raised up with Christ. Keep seeking the things above
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds
on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth,
for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ. In God. Now, you and I might say, oh,
yeah, yeah, that’s right, I got it. OK, good reminder. Thanks,
Pastor. We’re out 20 minutes early. Thanks,
Paul, for that really helpful reminder, I’m good now I get
it. Dead to sin, check. But Paul’s
not done. Paul was dealing with folks with
much thicker skulls than you and I. He wants to make his point
crystal clear. And he proceeds with a brief
explanation. Point three, a brief explanation. The third development in the
call to resurrected living is a brief explanation. Where Paul
says this, What should we say then, verse
one, are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May
it never be. How shall we who died to sin?
Still live in it, verse three, or do you not know? That all of us who have been
baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death. Oh, that’s right. Is Paul here,
though, referring to baptism? Water baptism, or is it, as some
said, metaphorical? Is it merely a coincidence that
Paul uses a word? It wouldn’t be the first time
that the word were used. In another context, is it merely
a coincidence that Paul uses the word that would come to be
known down through the centuries for one of the two enduring sacraments
of the Christian church baptism? Here’s how one proposed many
people interpret Paul’s argument in Romans six is referring to
water baptism. However, Paul is simply using
the physical analogy of water baptism to teach the spiritual
reality of the believers union with Christ. Some have said if
Paul weren’t speaking about literal water in this passage, he simply
would have said all who believe in Christ And his death and resurrection
are therefore united with him. Why does he use the word baptized? The reason Paul used the symbol
of water baptism. Is it is the outward identification
of an inward reality, and there is a lot of truth to that statement.
Faith in Jesus burial, death, burial and resurrection. Paul
wasn’t advocating salvation by water baptism that would have
contradicted everything he had just said about salvation by
grace and not by works. So Paul’s intent here is not,
as I believe, to give a detailed lesson on water baptism. Instead,
he is providing instruction on the spiritual realities that
baptism represents. If you will, this passage isn’t
so much about baptism as it is about the spiritual truths that
baptism represents. It’s a double entendre when Paul
uses the word. It is the word for baptism, it’s
a very meaningful, even loaded word. But in doing so, Paul is
pointing not to the literal waters of baptism, but to the spiritual
realities, again, that baptism represents those behind baptism. Those are the things that baptism
represents death, burial and resurrection. But at the end
of the day, water baptism is a perfect symbol. For what takes
place here in this passage spiritually, what Paul is recounting took
place in our lives spiritually. And remember, as we just said,
baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality. What baptism
is, is an echo of what has already taken place in the believer’s
life. That which is talked about in this passage. Did we die? Were we resurrected with Christ?
To live and walk in newness of life. The old confession says it this
way, baptism is a sign. Baptism is a sign, first of a
Christian’s fellowship with Christ in his death and resurrection.
It is a sign of our being engrafted into him, literally made one,
placed into Christ. It is a sign of remission of
sins. It always bothers me. The old
Baptist hymns that talk about, you know, this thing, baptism,
washing away my sins. There is no baptism, no water. From no well, from no spring,
from no place on Earth that can wash away sin. It is also a sign of their giving
up to God. through Jesus Christ to live
and walk in newness of life. So when Paul says that we have
been baptized into Christ Jesus and baptized into his death,
he’s not speaking about literal water baptism. Not here. That’s
what water baptism represents. Because that isn’t when those
things took place. I haven’t lost anybody yet in
baptizing them. There is no literal death that
takes place in baptizing. When we were baptized into Christ,
that was the moment we placed our faith in him. We were immediately
at that very moment baptized into Christ and into his death. We died on the spot. Paul, instead
of using Paul, pardon me, Paul instead is using this graphic
word and a deeply meaningful word baptism to immerse to talk
about being totally immersed. We were literally placed into
Christ. And we were literally placed
into the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, incidentally. That word for baptism. Which
means a plunging, a total immersion, not a sprinkling, not a little
brief shower. A total immersion is precisely
why, when you begin to speak of literal baptism, why I believe
that immersion is the biblical means, total immersion prescribed
in Scripture. It speaks of being in union with. To be baptized into Christ Jesus
points to the fact that we were brought in to an intimate and
personal relationship with the Savior, never to be severed.
To be baptized into the death of Christ is to be united with
him in death and to be a partaker of the benefits with his death.
As one said, we are united to him in death, his death becomes
ours, the very act of faith by which we receive Christ as the
propitiation for sin is spiritually a death to sin. And Paul says,
remember, do you remember you died to sin? It is in its very
nature a renunciation of everything which was the design to destroy
every believer renounces sin in accepting Christ. Now, this
passage certainly doesn’t teach. That literal baptism, the literal
right. Of baptism secures this or guarantees
this thousands, perhaps millions have been baptized. by whatever
means, sprinkling or even totally immersed that had no effect whatsoever
on their spiritual standing. None whatsoever. It’s not about
baptism. It’s about being totally immersed
in the Lord Jesus Christ, totally immersed in his death. That’s
what baptism is supposed to represent. That’s what baptism represents. Then you might say, OK, now I
get it. I got it. You want to make sure that before
anyone’s baptized, these things have taken place. There were
already in Christ, we placed our faith in Christ, that in
doing so we have died with Christ and then and only then we’re
ready to get baptized. OK, I get it. But Paul’s not
done. Remember, Paul was dealing with
folks with much thicker skulls than you and I. He wants to make
his point absolutely clear. And he proceeds with a detailed
argument, point number four, the detailed argument, the fourth
development in the call to resurrected living is a detailed argument.
And we’re not going to be able to spend the kind of time I’d
like to spend on this section. But it picks up in verse four. And it says this, therefore,
we have been buried with him. This is graphic language. Burial is the end. I’ve done so many funerals in
my life as a pastor, I think my first year I did 15 or 18,
most of whom I didn’t even know. Our first order of business as
Christians. Is to do what we call as pastors,
the graveside. The graveside ceremony is the
final, it’s after the eulogy, it’s after the time in the church,
you go to the grave and oftentimes, depending on cultures, depending
on traditions. It is finished with a handful
of dirt. Paul says our first order of
business as Christians is to come to our own graveside service,
come to our own memorial service. We have been buried with Christ,
and as such, as one said, we are shut out from the kingdom
of Satan. He can’t touch us anymore. Death
can’t touch us anymore. As those just as those who are
in the grave are shut out from the world, there is a finality
to this that when we die with Christ, it is done. How did this
happen? We have been buried with Christ
through baptism into death and there’s baptism all over again. Here’s your second chance, pastor,
to pull up and recognize that this is about water, it’s not
about water. And notice it isn’t just about
baptism, but it’s baptism into death, the plunging into death
itself. It is Christ’s death. Into which we are immersed here,
not water, not here at least. Nevertheless, water again here
presents a and mirrors a perfect representation of what takes
place here spiritually. In the hearts and lives of believers,
this baptism into death is captured in the image of the professing
Christian going down into the waters of baptism. That is the
death. That is the dying with Christ.
I don’t hold them underneath, by the way. When a person comes to faith
in Christ, there’s a miracle. A miracle takes place in that
he goes back and dies symbolically with Christ. His death is our
death and a death takes place, a very real death takes place
within the believer. But what comes out of that? What
comes out of that is new and totally different. Verse four continues and says
that as Christ, pardon me, that we were we have been buried with
him through baptism into death in order that and here is the
grand purpose of the resurrection. It is an Easter passage. In order
that as Christ was raised, there’s no doubt, no doubt in Paul’s
mind. Paul doesn’t need to argue about
whether the resurrection took place or what it meant in order
that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of
the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. The glory there, just speaking
of all of the attributes of God consummate together there culminating
in the almighty power of God that is seen as glory, glory,
the excellencies of God. At work in raising Christ, we
have such a great time the other night at the Institute reviewing
the epistles of Paul, the prison epistles rather. And I took the
saints there on Wednesday night to Ephesians one, get this. Paul
prays a little prayer request on their behalf. In verse 118
of Ephesians, he says, I pray that the eyes of your heart may
be enlightened so that you will know what is the hope of His
calling and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance
in the saints and what is the surpassing greatness of His power
toward us who believe. I want you to know that. I want
you to know how strong God is. This power, these things are
in accordance with the working of the strength of his might.
Three different words for power, the working of the strength of
his might. When did he show this? When he
brought about which he brought about in Christ, when he raised
him from the dead and seated in his right hand in the heavenly
places. God wants us to know how much
power was exerted on Christ’s behalf. What, so that we can
sit back in awe? Not only. What, that we can worship
him for raising Christ? Not only. He wants us to know
the almighty power that was exerted on behalf of Christ so that we
know the power that is available to us as Christians to live resurrected
lives. To live like we’re alive. As one said it, we die with Christ
so that we can live with him. We share in his death so that
we can be partakers in his life. Justification leads directly
to sanctification. The two are inseparable. There
can be no participation in Christ’s life without participation in
his death. And we cannot enjoy the benefits
of his death unless we are partakers of the power of his life. We must be reconciled to God
in order to be holy and we cannot be reconciled without becoming
holy. As I said before, the same God
that saves you. Begins the process of sanctification
and Almighty God’s power is put to work in you and on you. And
here, likewise. The image is captured perfectly. By literal water baptism. Here, the saints enjoy spiritual
resurrection to new life coming up now out of the waters of baptism,
and it perfectly captures the resurrected life. And the purpose
is stated there at the end of verse four. Therefore, we have
been buried with him through baptism into death in order that
as Christ is raised from the dead through the glory of the
father, so we too might walk. in newness of life. You know,
walking is a common metaphor that Paul uses Galatians, Ephesians
and so many other places. The bottom line, it’s walking
a new way, walking a different kind of way. Walking a resurrected
life. Living like we’re alive, that’s
the great goal of the resurrection, isn’t it? It’s not just about
Jesus. It’s about what Jesus does in
us As a result of having been raised so that we can live a
life that is dedicated no longer to sin, but to the glory of God,
we have the power, we have God’s power. One pastor said it this way. The idea of purity is associated
with that word newness. Scripture speaks of a new heart,
a new creature, a new man. Newness of life is a life that
is new compared with what is natural and original. It is a
holy life springing from a new source. We receive a new heart
as Christians, Ezekiel 36, 26. A new spirit, Ezekiel 18, 31.
A new name, Revelation 2, 7. A new song is in our hearts, Psalm
43. We are considered By God to be a new creation,
2nd Corinthians 517, a new creature, Galatians 615, a new man, Ephesians
424. Paul says, look. Verse five, if we become united
with him in the likeness of his death, we shall certainly also
be in the likeness of his resurrection if we placed our faith. In the
Lord Jesus Christ, if we’ve repented of our sin and turned our back
on the old dead life, it can accurately be said that we have
become one with Christ. And if we have become one with
Christ and his death on the cross. We have become one with Christ
and his resurrection. In no way do we add to his sacrifice
there on the cross, but our old sinful man, having been put to
death there, something new must come. And if we’ve crucified the flesh
through faith in Christ, we will certainly, as Paul indicates
here, we will certainly enjoy the fruit of his resurrection.
Not only resurrection in the future, this life after death,
but resurrection living here and now. A spiritual resurrection
that fits us and enables us to newness of life, to what we’re
called to. Paul says this in verse six,
and I’ll do probably little more than be able to read it. Knowing
this, that our old self was crucified with him, that our body of sin
might be done away with. Is that what you did when you
came to Christ? That our body of sin might be
done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died is freed
from sin. That is living like we’re alive.
That’s why Jesus died. That’s what the resurrection
is all about. It’s not just about an empty tomb. It’s about resurrected
lives. Paul said it this way to the
Galatians. He said, for through the law,
I died to the law so that I might live to God. But in 220 of Galatians,
he said this, I have been crucified with Christ. And it is no longer
I who live. But Christ lives in me and the
life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith. In the
son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. One pastor
called this the great evangelical truth. He said, this is the great
evangelical truth which underlies the apostles whole doctrine of
sanctification. The natural reason assumes that
acceptance with a holy and just God must be founded on character. That men must be holy in order
to be justified. In other words, he says, our
inclination as people is to look at this holy God and say, well,
I better shape up. He said the gospel reverses this
and teaches that God accepts the ungodly. That we must be
justified in order to become holy. And just as sanctification,
pardon me, just as justification is the necessary means and precursor
to holiness, he that is justified becomes holy. He cannot. Live in sin. Let’s pray. Our God, you are so merciful
to us. That when you called us to Christ. Who came and died for us while
we were yet sinners. You call us now to come along
and die with you. To crucify our old selves, to
put sin to death. And to go down with you into
death. So that we might rise and be
resurrected with you to newness of life. Lord, we pray. The just as to those Roman Christians
who read these things by way of reminder. And had their hearts
kindled afresh To stir up their hearts to live like they were
alive. Lord, grant us the same grace.
And if there are any in our midst who do not know the Lord Jesus
Christ, if there are any who have not already died to self
and place their faith in Christ. If there are any who are still
trusting in their goodness to try to save them. Father, we
pray that you would draw them to yourself into faith in the
only one who can save them are Lord Jesus Christ. Father, if
there are any who are led in that particular way. Grant that
they would find a believer, find one of us. So that we may come
alongside. And first and foremost, direct
and guide that ultimately rejoice with them. in a newness of life
that you bestowed upon them through salvation. Grant us this grace. Father, we ask your blessing
on the remainder of our day. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. you