LIFE AND DEATH MATTERS (Outline)
July 31, 2011 -
Pentecost 7 -
ROMANS 6:3-11
INTRO: Each of us has life changing events in our lives that we remember. Some events are happy and others not so pleasant. Joyful life changing events include: graduations, weddings, births, etc. As believers each of us also has soul changing events that happen to us by the grace of God. Our souls are changed every time we hear God’s word, read God’s word, and study God’s word. Today we want to remember these vital, valuable soul changing events that God graciously provides. The apostle Paul was a man of wealth and honor. God changed his dark, earthly life with a soul changing call into God’s divine light. "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…." (PHILIPPIANS 3:8). Believing in Christ as Savior makes everything else pale in comparison. LIFE AND DEATH MATTERS. I. Believers are dead to sin. II. Believers are alive to God.
I. LIFE AND DEATH MATTERS TO THE BELIEVERS WHO ARE DEAD TO SIN.
A. Verses 1 and 2 of chapter 6 ask whether believers should sin more that God’s grace would increase.
1. God’s answer is a resounding, “No!” Why not? Verse 3: Believers are connected to God.
2. At their baptism these believers were united with Christ Jesus into his death.
B. Verse 4a. The old, sinful nature would now be buried by virtue of saving baptism.
1. Verse 5a. One did not often connect baptism, a new birth in Christ, with death.
2. These believers needed to hear time and again the power of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
C. Verse 6a. These believers once lived lives of pagan immorality. Their sinful man needed to die.
1. Verse 6b. These new believers would no longer have to serve sin, Satan, or their own flesh.
2. Verse 7. Being dead to sin provides freedom from serving sin and the guilt of sinfulness.
D. We are faced with many temptations in this life. Satan knows where we live. Satan wants us to spend the rest of eternity in his domain: hell. The world offers many things that all too often seem to be the most important things that we need. Our sinful flesh rebels against God from the moment of our conception. It does us well to remember God’s definition of sin. "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin"(1 JOHN 3:4, 5). Anything that anyone does that breaks the law is sin. Transgression, trespass, and iniquity are different, Biblical words for the word sin. As believers we still break God’s laws with our sins. We sin daily and we sin much in thought and word and deed. We commit sinful acts in our lives.
E. The Scriptures also speak to us as believers about the good that we do not do. "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins" (JAMES 4:17). When we do not show the love to others that God wants us to show, this is also sin. We omit the good we ought to do. This happens in our lives when we do not love our neighbor. Our neighbor includes all people. God’s standard for believers is much higher than for this unbelieving world. Jesus reminds us to love our enemies. After all even the pagans love their families and friends. As believers we are to go beyond that as we show love for and pray for our enemies. This is not easy to do. We may quite often omit praying for or loving our enemies.
F. How can we or will we be able to count ourselves dead to sin? We cannot nor will we ever be able to do this on our own. On our own we are lost and condemned creatures, wretched sinners. We have the power, the strength, and the ability to be dead to sin only by the power and strength that is ours by faith. In our weakness we look to Christ who is our strength. In our sinfulness we look to Christ who is our sin-less sacrifice. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (1 PETER 2:24). Consider Christ wounds whenever tempted by sin. His wounds were: crown of thorns, nails in the hands and feet, and finally an agonizing and torturous death. All this, all of this, Christ did for us. Now we will live lives dead to sin.
LIFE AND DEATH MATTERS for believers who resist temptation and sin: dead to sin.
II. LIFE AND DEATH MATTERS TO BELIEVERS WHO ARE ALIVE TO GOD.
A. Verse 4. After the old, sinful nature was put to death believers filled that void with a new life.
1. Believers were baptized in Jesus’ death to live a new life to the glory of God, not to selves.
2. Verse 5. United in Jesus’ death and in Jesus’ resurrection was important new preaching.
3. This was the first generation to be told of Jesus’ life and death and resurrection.
B. Verse 8. There is to be no doubt in any believers’ minds. “We believe that we will live”!
1. Verse 9. Again, there was to be no doubt. “We know”! This was Christian conviction.
2. It was by God’s grace that these believers believed, knew, and confessed Christ.
C. Verse 10. Here is another new teaching. The sacrifice of Christ was perfect and complete.
1. Believers no longer needed to come to temple to offer sacrifices. Christ died for all.
2. Verse 11. Knowing all that Christ did was the strength to live for God (and die to sin).
D. To the world the life and death matters often center on only the physical. Our world spends count-less time and money on trying to live longer. The fear of death is a great motivator for many. As believers we know, believe, and confess that life and death matters are in the hands of our faithful and loving God. We do not fear. There is much more to this world than physical life and death. We will eventually leave this life by death for eternal life. This is our Christian confidence. "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes--I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (JOB 29:25-27). God guarantees eternal life to each of us personally. We will see the Lord!
E. Many of us have been believers for a long time. We can easily overlook or take for granted the great soul changing event that took place in our lives at baptism. At our baptism the Lord God Almighty snatched us from the grasp of Satan and made us members of his family. Since that time we have grown and continue to grow in our Christian faith. We learn day by day to appreciate God’s great love for us through his Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. "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"(GALATIANS 2:20). We can now live for God who lived and died for us.
F. We struggle with our sinful nature and all of its temptations. With faith we can say no to sin. With the strength of Jesus we can tell Satan to get behind us. With the word of God changing our souls we live changed lives that give glory to God. "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again" (2 CORINTHIANS 5:15). We live for God as we live our lives of love for the benefit of others. We can do this because of Jesus’ sacrifice.
CONC: Many life changing events take place in all our lives. May we also always value every soul changing event that God works in our lives. Our faith is strengthened to grow whenever we hear, read, or study God’s holy word. These events change our souls for time and for eternity. LIFE AND DEATH DOES MATTER to every believer. In Christ we are able to defy the devil to live lives dead to sin. By God’s grace we are strengthened to live lives of love for God by loving our neighbor (and yes, even our enemies!). "Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him" (2 TIMOTHY 2:11, 12a). We died with him by being dead to sin. We also live with him. May we always endure until we reign with Christ. Amen.
Pastor Timm O. Meyer
PENTECOST 7 rdgs: EXODUS 33:12-23; ROMANS 7:15-25a; MATTHEW 11:25-30; (PSALM 145)
SERVICES: 1:00pm @ NCF Min. (Sat)/12:00pm @ NCF Medium (Sun) / 9:30am @ Redeemer (Sun) / 7:00pm @ Hays (Sun)
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