THE MARTYR’S OATH
Standing As A Dead Man
Romans 6:1-11
INTRODUCTION: In India there is a Bible Institute run by Dr. Samuel Thomas – a modern day hero of the Christian faith. Each year this Bible Institute has a commencement ceremony where students who have finished their studies are together for one final time before leaving this institute as graduates. What is so profound is that the climax of this commencement ceremony is the time when the entire graduation class rises and repeats words very similar to these:
Today, I stand as a dead man. I declare that in Jesus Christ, I am saved by His blood, and thus I am dead to sin, and no longer dead in my sin.
Today, I stand and declare that I surrender my will and my life to His will and his life.
I shall go where he sends me, without asking questions.
I shall go to whomever He sends me, without seeking fame.
I shall preach to everyone, even if they hate me.
I am an ambassador of the Cross, and must deliver the message.
I shall pour my life out to reach my family, my friends, my neighbors, and my city.
I embrace the shame of the Cross, and I fear nothing but God.
I welcome suffering, shame, persecution, beatings, imprisonment and death, but I will not be silenced.
If I am killed, I pray that my blood should be a harvest for souls.
This is my city. I dare not do less.
Following graduation, each student is given three, and only three items.
1. A new Bible
2. A new Bicycle
3. A one-way train ticket to their field of service
They have no PLAN B, and neither should we!
Over the next several weeks I m going to share with you from the Word of God, the Scripture behind what is our oath as martyrs for Jesus Christ. And at the conclusion of each message you will find in the back of your notes a “Martyrs Oath”, progressively larger, and an opportunity to “sign off”. In signing, we are saying this is the Christian I want to be.
In order to begin, we need to see what the Bible tells us is our position because of Christ and in the world.
We begin that by understanding that, we stand as dead men.
I GOD’S GRACE IS NOT MY LICENSE TO SIN BUT MY FREEDOM FROM SIN 6:1-2
A The Grace Of God Deals With Our Sin
1 God’s Grace Was Never Meant To Encourage Sin
a Often thought that grace removes restraint of sin
b Often thought that because of Grace sin does not matter
c Wrong positional thinking brings us to the wrong conclusion.
1 If, as a believer we think first about the affect sin has on me (no effect because all is forgiven in Christ) rather than the cost of our sin, then I will conclude that sin does not matter.
2 If, as a believer, we think first about the cost of our sin (the death of Jesus Christ on the cross), then we will conclude that grace came at far to great a cost to treat it lightly
2 Paul Writes This In Romans 5:20
Romans 5:20 The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
a God’s grace is sufficient regardless of the depravity of the sinner.
b Not that God’s grace is sufficient no matter that continued sin of the believer.
3 Turning To God Is Turning Away From Sin Not Turning Towards Sin, Otherwise We Are Left With The Conclusion That Turning Towards God Leads Me To Greater Sin.
a We cannot live what we have died to
b Literally we cannot make a habit of sinning
B Grace is our Provision
1 We Died To Sin
a A specific time – at salvation
b Multiple facets
1 In the legal sense, we died in the sight of God’s judgment.
2 In the conversion sense, believing in Christ is dying to sin.
3 In the baptismal sense, that burial implies we have died with Christ.
4 In the moral sense, sinful desires may be present, but they are mortally wounded.
5 In the resurrection sense, we exchange our sinful life for Christ’s resurrection life.
2 Death Biblically Is Always Separation.
a We were separated from the power of sin, sin is not extinct!
b Cannot live what we have died to!
MAJOR THOUGHT: GOD’S GRACE HAS GIVEN ME A FRESH START
II MY AFTER-DEATH EXPERIENCE 6:3-5
A My Identification With Christ
1 Identification by SPIRITUAL BAPTISM
a Spiritual Baptism identifies me with the person of Jesus Christ
b Spiritual Baptism unites me with the person of Jesus Christ
2 Identification by PHYSICAL BAPTISM – immersion
a Immersion is the witness by water of my identification and uniting with Christ
b Immersion after salvation fits best
1 “into” Christ!
B My Resuscitation With Christ
1 I Have Been Raised
a Not raised to continue
b Raised to a new form of life
2 “Raised From The Dead” – Raised From The Dead Ones”
a Plucked out of a pool of dead people
b Dead people are people separated from God
3 We Have Been Raised To Live A New Life With Christ
a Live means to walk – so I am raised to walk
1 A walk happens step by step
2 A walk happens with balance
3 A walk happens when I control and order my behavior
b a new life with Christ
1 The word means a fresh quality
2 Carries the idea of purity, righteousness, holiness, and godliness
C My Outcome With Christ
1 If Means Since
2 United Means Grown Together
3 My Outcome With Christ Is That As A Result Of Grace We Have Grown Together With Jesus
MAJOR THOUGHT: MY AFTER-DEATH EXPERIENCE HAS ENABLED ME STAY FRESH BY WALKING A NEW LIFE WITH JESUS.
III MY RESTORED LIFE 6:6-11
A We Have Experienced A Change
1 The Word Know Here Means To Know By Experience
a The experience of salvation is the knowledge that we have been changed
2 My “Old Self” Was Crucified
a What my old self is
1 The person I was before Christ
2 Powerless
3 Ungodly
4 Sinner
5 Enemy of God
b My restoration was in the past
1 Was – a specific point in time
2 When I trusted Christ
3 The old me experienced a “crucifixion”
B The Effect Of The Change
1 There Was An Effect On The “Body Of (My) Sin”
a Notice – sin is singular
b Dealing with ALL my sin
c All my sin was dealt with on the cross
2 All My Sin Was “Done Away With”
a It was rendered ineffective
b It was stripped of power
c It was not stripped of existence, just the power to influence
d “no longer a slave to sin” – Sin no longer has a right to enforce its will over my life
e The fact that I am free from sin means that I have been justified and declared righteous!
C The Reward Of The Change
1 Since I Died With Him I Am Going To Live With Him
2 The Knowledge That He Has Conquered Death
a Not by experience
b By intuition – a deep sense, not an experience
c Jesus died once – he completed everything he had to do by dying once and once only
d But the life He lives (with me) keeps on living
3 The Secret To Victorious Living
a Count myself dead to sin
b “keep on counting” myself dead to sin
c Be as responsive to sin as a dead man is responsive to others
MAJOR THOUGHT: MY RESTORED LIFE HAS GIVEN ME THE MEANS TO HAVING VICTORY OVER SIN BY KEEPING FRESH
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