Resurrection Sunday

Romans 6 (Click scripture reference for audio access)

"But What About Sin!?"  •  4.8.12  •  Resurrection Sunday, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- We come to Romans 6 on Resurrection Sunday, a perfect day to cover this chapter and to enter into a new section in Paul's presentation of God's salvation.

- He began with his salutation, moved us into the doctrine of condemnation, which led to his presentation of justification by faith. Today, Paul moves us into the doctrine of sanctification.

- In justification, God imputes Christ's righteousness to the believer by faith, an instantaneous transaction. In sanctification, God imparts Christ's character to the believer, a lifelong commitment!

- Central to the believer's sanctification is his relationship to sin. What is Paul's answer to this? The answer is contained in this chapter. Paul's explains our relationship to sin in three parts:

I. The Facts (v.1-7)

II. The Faith (v.8-11)

III. The Function (v.12-23)

Text

I. The Facts (v.1-7)

• Romans 6:1,2 : "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" :  Paul has brought us to this mental conundrum. He has spoken of our security and the great abounding nature of grace. But what about the reality of sin?

- Paul often plays the part of the objector, remembering what it was that he thought about prior to his own conversion.

- What are we to conclude? According to Romans 5, Grace superabounded in the presence of sin, so why not just continue to sin habitually?

- Paul emphatically says "no," "God forbid" in the Authorized. The objector apparently is unaware of the nature of sin and the nature of grace.

- Paul says that our relationship to sin has changed. How did that change take place? We died! Someone cannot continue in something when they are dead! That is just a rule!

- How could we continue to live in that which we have died? It's not possible. It's unnatural.

- Please understand what Paul is NOT saying, which I find helpful in discovering what he is saying. He is not saying that we will not sin. He is saying that for a Christian, it is unnatural to live in it!

- You will never be sinlessly perfect as long as you live! But living in it, living under it's rule, indulging ourselves with it, is no longer a reality for you as a Christian!

- In the previous chapter, Paul told us that Jesus had become a federal representative in the same way that Adam had been and, theologically speaking, we died in Him on that day.

- Sin, as a taskmaster, could no longer rule over one who endured the sentence of death!

- The fact is this: If you are a Christian, you are dead to the rule of sin in your life.

• Romans 6:3,4 : "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."  : When you believe in Christ, you are baptized into His death, speaking of identification.

- This does not refer to our water baptism per se, even though our participation in that is symbolic of this unity with Christ's death.

- Baptism is a public ceremony whereby the believer announces to the world that they consider themselves identified with Christ in His death, by faith.

- When you submitted yourself to baptism, you obeyed God's command in the same way that Jesus was obedient to His Father in submitting to the death of the Cross.

- When you were submerged into the water, you were identifying with His death and burial, a death that was a result of sin, the flesh and our old nature which fought against God!

- When you went down into the water, you, the old carnal, fleshly, rebellious you, died, buried with Christ, but that is not where the experience ends, as you being here attests to!

- Baptism is not just about being identified publically with His death. Baptism is also about being identified with and united to Christ in His resurrection!

- That Pastor or church leader, raised you out of the water, symbolizing your identification with Christ's resurrection!

- He was raised from a physical death. When you believed, you were raised from spiritual death! Christ was raised historically, physically. You were raised spiritually according to Paul!

- Christ, when He was raised from death, was raised by the glory of the Father and began a life that was different even for Him. He was raised as a Man never to die again!

- He was raised in newness of life, an entirely new kind of condition that we should now walk in because He made it a possibility!

- This newness of life is eternal life, a reality that we enjoy now in expectation, but one day in full realization, His resurrection paving the way!  

•  Romans 6:5-7  :  "For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin."  :  We were united, literally, planted together with Christ in the likeness, or the same identity of His death.

- This idea of being planted together, draws my mind to what Paul says in I Corinthians 15, where he likens our bodies to seeds that go into the ground.

- The seed dies and only then does it yield the life within, waiting to burst forth.

- If we were planted together with Christ, doesn't it make sense that we will grow like Him, sprouting forth in resurrection, in the same way that He did ?

- The flesh, the old man, the one dominated by sin, was crucified with Him. We were crucified with Christ and now that body is done away with!

- Here is the third fact: The body of sin, that tally of all of our sin debt, is crucified with Him. Please understand this. Paul is giving us God's perspective and God's factual account of this is true!

- That old man that had to sin, was under the power of sin, is crucifed, done away with, rendered inoperative! That is scriptural fact!

- That body died, the penalty of sin paid in the death, so that we are no longer slaves. Why? Because death has freed us from that slavery! We no longer owe a debt for sin! We are free!

II. The Faith (v.8-11)

•  Romans 6:8,9  :  "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,  knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him." : Paul has already told us that Jesus was raised for our justification and that we will be saved from wrath by His life.

- The resurrection that we celebrate today, this wonderful day on the Christian calendar, is the day that we joined in Him in the life that God has always intended for us: Eternal life!

- Jesus cannot die again. Death has no power over Jesus and it has no power over you! The resurrection of Jesus was not the last resurrection, but the first resurrection.

- Therefore, death cannot reign over Him or us!

•  Romans 6:10,11  :  "For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." : What a glorious truth! The life that Jesus lives, He lives to God! What about you?

- This is where we are called to exercise faith. We know the facts, now Paul tells these first century, believers, that they were to reckon themselves dead to sin.

- This word "reckon" is translated by another word in Romans. This same word is translated "impute." It's an accounting word. You are to count this knowledge up, add up the facts.

- Additonally, you should understand that this word is written in the language of the present imperative, meaning that this is both to be presently done and strictly adhered to as a command!

- The fact is that you died. The faith is that you must now live in a way that reveals that it is true to you! Live like it's true because it is!

˚ To reckon means "allowing God to make true in my life what is read and therefore real in His Word!"    Pastor John Miller

- This takes faith doesn't it? You are to consider, to think about yourselves in that light: Dead to sin, but alive to God!

- Resurrection life is eternal life, lived here and now, lived fully and freely unto God in Christ Jesus. He lives through you by His Spirit. The life you lead is an expression of Him! That is our faith!

III. The Function (v.12-23)

•  Romans 6:12-14  :  "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace."  :  Hear these words: Don't let sin reign in your mortal body!  Here is the operative word: "Let!"

- We have traveled from what we are to know in our minds, the facts of our relationship to sin, post-resurrection. We are then to "reckon" or faith, emotionally, with our hearts that this is so!

- This brings us to this word "let" which instructs us regarding our will, a will that has a choice not to allow sin to reign!

- Before you were saved, you had to obey the lusts or desires of your body. Paul says that this is not the case any longer. Sin does not have to reign in your life. You. Do. Not. Have. To. Sin!

- How is that even possible? If I don't have to sin, the why is it that I DO? It's because sin is still in the world, and you are still one who sins and is therefore a sinner! But the choice is yours.

- Paul tells them not to "present" themselves to sin. The idea speaks to an availability. I will present something for use by another. It's submitted to them. At their disposal.

- Paul says do not set your body, any part of your body, apart, disposed to as a weapon for unrighteousness. That is the word "instruments."

- Don't further the kingdom of darkness. Don't be a willing participant to that!

- Sin is a choice and can only succeed in your life as you give it power to do so! If you allow yourself to be in a position, sin will take place.

- The antidote to sin is to yield yourself entirely over to the Lord and let your body be used as a weapon for the righteousness of God. Where can you invest yourself? What is the need?

- You are under the grace of the Lord. It is His power working through you as you participate with Him. Run quickly into Him.

•  Romans 6:15-19  :  "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.  And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness."  : What is the difference between this question and the first question in verse 1?

- The first question dealt with habitual, practiced sin. This question speaks of casual sin! The answer to question is still the same: No, No, No!

- If you give or present yourselves to one master, you cannot serve another! You are a slave presently, either of sin or you are a slave presently of obedience.

- Paul's argument here is simple: When it comes to sin, don't show up for work! Don't present yourself and don't be present when sin calls! Why? Because of what sin will produce!

- Sin always produces death! It brings death in your life and in your relationships!

- This is why God forbids it and why Jesus died to free you from it!

- Sin will be pleasurable for a season, but it will end in disease, depression, dwindling finances and ultimately, in some cases, death!

- On the other hand, obedience to the will of God will always lead to righteousness. This is a choice that you live in every single day. That is the reality of a resurrected life.

- You had been slaves, but you obeyed God! It was momentary, but when it was presented to you, you were drawn in and with your whole heart, you obeyed. What did you obey?

- The Gospel, Christ's perfect life before God, His vicarious atoning death, His bodily resurrection from the dead and His visible ascension to heaven, provide a form of doctrine.

- The word "form" in this context refers to a pattern by which one is conformed. When you obeyed, it changed your life and changed your employ!

- Paul's point is that you cannot serve sin. Whatever you serve, whether sin or the Lord, that person is your Master!

•  Romans 6:20-23  :  "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  :  You never had to worry about righteousness when you were a slave to sin. You had no obligation to righteousness.

- You produced shameful things and had no fruit to show for it. But now, you are slaves of God have fruit of holiness, even the end everlasting life!

- Sin is not your master, but if he was, your earned wages would be death! The gift from God is eternal life!

Conclusion

- The fact of a resurrected life is that you are dead to sin, united in His death and His resurrection, your old man is crucified! These are the facts!

- It takes your faith to appropriate that fact to your life. Take Jesus at His Word. Believe that His resurrection life is active, giving power to yours!

- Your function in this life is to present yourself to God, not be present when sin is calling and look forward to what God produces through your faithfulness.

- Christ's resurrection has given you a life that is free to serve God and to bring glory to Him!