Dying to Live!Romans 6:1-23 & Selected

Cross Creek Community Church, Pastor Dave Martin – August 2, 2015

Introduction…

"If conversion to Christianity makes no improvement in a man's outward actions - if he continues to be just as snobbish or spiteful or envious or ambitious as he was before - then I think we must suspect that his 'conversion' was largely imaginary."

C.S. Lewis

“Sanctification” To be set apart, to separate from sin unto holiness, the process of spiritually growing more Christ-like. (Romans 6-7-8)

1. God progressively sanctifies every believer.

Three Stages…1. Positionally –

Occurs the moment of salvation

Three Stages…1. Positionally –

Occurs the moment of salvation

2. Progressively – Occurs throughout our lifetime

Three Stages…1. Positionally –

Occurs the moment of salvation

2. Progressively – Occurs throughout our lifetime

3. Ultimately – Occurs the moment we are glorified

1 Thessalonians 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. TRUTH

2. Grace is never a license to indulge in sin.

Romans 6:1-4 1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ

Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory

of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Eugene Peterson’s, The Message paraphrase:

Romans 6:1-3 1 So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? 2 I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? 3 Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means.

3. United with Christ brings freedom from sin.

Romans 6:5-8 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with

him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin

might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we

believe that we will also live with him.

4. Offer yourselves as God’s slave to righteousness.

Romans 6:16-18 16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are

slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience,

which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you

wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin

and have become slaves to righteousness.

5. A believer’s life is in constant tension and warfare.

Romans 6:19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves.

Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-

increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

• Our natural weakness enslaves with ever-increasing wickedness

• Our supernatural righteousness leads us to greater holiness

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift

of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus

our Lord.

Practical Application:

Know intellectually you are dead to sin!

Practical Application:

Know intellectually you are dead to sin!

Reckon this fact to be true in your own life!

Practical Application:

Know intellectually you are dead to sin!

Reckon this fact to be true in your own life!

Yield yourself to God in freedom found in Christ!

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.