Every fisherman knows that there are times that the fish are biting, and times that they are not. Sometimes, you might fish all day and come upon a moment where everything is just right. Your buddies are pulling in fish left and right. You’re eager to cash in. You cast your line out, eagerly anticipating a big one. But in your zeal, you cast a little too hard and get your line tangled. The more you frantically try to undo it, the worse it gets! You are hopelessly tangled in what fisherman call a “rats nest.” And just about the time you get the mess cleared, the fish are gone!
Getting tangled is no fun. It provides us a picture of being tangled in sin and it is our lesson from Romans 6:5-10.
Why is there still this struggle against sin?
How can I gain victory?
READ Romans 6:1-10
This is the central verse for these two paragraphs: Romans 6:6
"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"
It provides FOUR LIFE CHANGING TRUTHS God wants you to KNOW.
The word know is the Greek word ginosko. It is a present tense participle, indicating continual knowledge. It means to know by experience.
TRUTH ONE: The Moment You Believed in Christ, Your Identity Changed. “Our old self.” “Old self” is a picture of the person that we were before salvation.
It was “corrupted” (Ephesians 4:22) "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;"
It was powerless to please God. (Romans 8:8) "Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God."
But now there is a CHANGE!
Do you know the song we used to sing....
Little by little day by day
Little by little in ev’ry way
Jesus is changing me
Since I made a turnabout face
I’ve been growing in His grace
Jesus is changing me!
He’s changing me
My precious Jesus
I’m not the same person
That I used to be
Sometimes it’s slow going
But there’s a knowing
That one day perfect I will be!
The NEW Self is described in the following way:
We have been given a new life (Romans 6:4) "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."
A new self. (Ephesians 4:22-24) "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
We have been given A new Master. Romans 6:22
We have been given A new family. (1 Peter 2:10) "Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
We have been given A new name. ISRAEL will be given a new name. (Isaiah 62:2) "The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow." (Isaiah 65:15) "You will leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse; the Sovereign Lord will put you to death, but to his servants he will give another name." BELIEVERS are given a new name. (Revelation 3:12) "Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name."
TRUTH TWO: The Change in Your Identity Happened When You Died with Christ. “was crucified.”
In the natural world, life proceeds death. In the spiritual world, DEATH precedes life! Jesus tells us that we have to DIE in order to have new life. This means that we must die to our self - to the old person that we used to be and live in exchange the life of Christ in us. (John 12:24) "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."
Jesus DIED so that you might live. We see this identification with Christ in Romans 6:5
“We have been united” The KJV reads “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death.” This interprets the vers in a very literal manner.
We also see this identification with Christ in Romans 6:7
Death not only gives us new life, it also frees us from sin.
Romans 6:7 "because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."
God’s purpose in this was to overcome sin. “So that this body of sin might be done away with”
The CONSEQUENCE of sin was conquered by CHRIST. He gives us victory over DEATH.
The CONTROL of sin was conquered by CHRIST.
BOTH happen as a result of our JUSTIFICATION. Romans 7:7 tells us that we are “freed” from sin and made righteous.
JUSTIFICATION is the FOUNDATION SANCTIFICATION
SANCTIFICATION is the ASSURANCE for GLORIFICATION (6:5, 8 are still future!)
This is why the EMPTY CROSS is the symbol of Victory!
Because of Christ we have Victory over DEATH
Because of Christ we have Victory over the sin’s power in my life. Romans 6:9-10
TRUTH THREE: The Result is that You Are No Longer a Slave to Sin. “that we should no longer be slaves to sin”
Everybody is somebody’s slave! (John 8:34) "Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." (Matthew 6:24) "“No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money."
You are either a slave to sin, or a slave to righteousness.
The VICTORY comes as we recognize WHO WE ARE in CHRIST
We can have the PRIVILEGE and find great JOY in honoring God! Sometimes the struggle with sin seems overwhelming. It seems that we just can’t have victory. One thing that can help us to resist giving in is to recognize that every time we say “NO” to sin, every time we DIE to self, the following blessing are accomplished.
1. We created an act of worship to the Lord, demonstrating your love and obedience.
2. We provide a celebration of the victory of Christ’s resurrection.
3. We give testimony to the power of God.
4. We provide a witness to the world
5. We encourage other believers in their struggle
6. We are reminded of our future and complete victory!
7. We gain spiritual rewards
All of these blessings are provided every time we die to our flesh! Remember them as you struggle with temptation.
TRUTH FOUR: We have been given the privilege of experiencing God’s reality in your life.
We read an example of this in Malachi 3:7–12 "Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ " "“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. " "You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. " "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. " "I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty. " "“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty."
The SIN in Judah was the sin of disobedience. They did not trust God to supply their need!
The SOLUTION: was to TEST GOD! Not to DOUBT His CHARACTER, but to DEEPEN their CONFIDENCE.
Do you really trust God?
If He fails, you have NO WHERE ELSE TO TURN?
With every VICTORY OVER TEMPTATION, you are trusting the LORD
for your PLEASURE
for your HAPPINESS
All of us have been tangled. But through the power of Christ in our lives, we can be free from the power of sin.
(Romans 6:6) "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—"
