1) When Creativity Comes Back
A painter once lost his entire studio to fire. When the smoke cleared, only one painting survived—charred, blackened, half-destroyed. Friends urged him to throw it away. But instead, he set it back on the easel, mixed new colors, and began painting the flames right into the picture. The scars became the light source. When he finished, he signed it with a new title: Redemption.
That’s what grace does. God doesn’t hide the burn marks of our story—He turns them into illumination. The very places we thought were ruined become the places that shine.
And that’s where our text begins: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
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2) The Beauty of Flawed People
Charles Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, spent fifty years drawing imperfect kids—Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy. They fail, fuss, and keep trying. And somehow, you can feel the love in every line.
I think God delights in us that way—He knows our foibles and still smiles, still loves, still writes us into the next scene. He doesn’t deny our flaws; He redeems them. Grace means He keeps painting light into the burn marks.
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3) Sin That Destroys and a Law That Can’t Heal
A friend I hadn't seen for years came up to me and we hugged and sat down to catch up. It had been a long time and we had a lot to catch up.
He said, “Pastor, I know you’ll tell me God forgives—but I’m about to lose my wife and little boy. I have an addiction. I've been running to Las Vegas a lot and it's ruining us.”
I tried to hand him “willpower.” It went nowhere. I left knowing my advice had not helped.
The wrong we do is not theoretical; it breaks things that matter. So where do we begin?
Romans 6:14 (KJV): “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
Our first reflex when we see wrong in ourselves is to make rules. “I ate six Little Debbie Swiss Rolls—thou shalt not eat Little Debbie Swiss Rolls.” Rules inform; they cannot transform. A stop sign can tell you to stop; it cannot make your foot obey. The law can reveal danger; it cannot deliver power.
Paul says you won’t escape sin’s dominion by moving deeper under law, but by stepping fully under grace.
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4) Powerful Movie, Bad Theology
Think of Saving Private Ryan. As Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) dies, he whispers to Ryan, “Earn this.” The older Ryan later stands at the grave, pleading that his life has been worthy. It makes riveting cinema—and a crushing religion.
We sometimes preach like that. “Don’t disappoint Jesus.” We turn Christ into a new lawgiver rather than a Savior of grace. But the gospel does not say “Earn this.” It says “Receive this.” It does not demand repayment; it births responsiveness.
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5) Responsiveness, Not Responsibility
Off the Farallon Islands near the Golden Gate, rescuers found a whale ensnared in ropes and heavy crab cages. Divers risked their lives to cut the lines. When the final rope snapped free, the whale swam two great loops, returned, and gently nudged each diver—as if to say thanks.
That is grace’s alchemy. Grace frees; gratitude returns. Responsibility alone produces gritted teeth; responsiveness produces changed hearts. The only sins I have ever truly overcome are the ones I already believed were forgiven.
Guilt may frighten us for a weekend; grace transforms us for a lifetime.
Romans 7:7–9, 12 (KJV):
“I had not known sin, but by the law… But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence… For without the law sin was dead… Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”
The law is holy—but powerless to heal. It’s the sign above the hospital bed, not the surgery that repairs the heart. Grace is the surgery.
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6) Reckon Yourself New
So what does change us? Paul gives a second principle:
Romans 6:11 (KJV): “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Reckon. Do something with your mind. Reimagine yourself in Christ. Not merely “I must die to sin,” but “I have died with Christ, and I am alive unto God.”
This is not denial; it is a new identity rooted in the cross and resurrection. The Spirit tutors your imagination until your heart believes what Jesus has accomplished.
A young woman once came to me in tears. “I can’t marry him,” she said. “Years ago I lived recklessly. I’m scarred.”
I said, “Those aren’t scars; they’re wounds—and wounds heal. You are not that old story. You have died with Christ and risen to a new life. Walk into your wedding as the woman grace is making you.”
Grace doesn’t pretend the past didn’t happen; it proclaims that the past doesn’t get the last word.
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7) How Grace Trains the Heart
If we live under grace and reckon ourselves new, what does that look like on an ordinary day?
It starts with honesty—learning to tell the truth to God quickly, without drama or excuses. “Lord, that was sin,” we say, and in the same breath we thank Him for the cleansing blood.
Grace then draws us toward people instead of away from them. It teaches us to bring light where shame loves the dark, to trust that community is part of healing.
And something beautiful happens: imagination returns. The same grace that forgives also awakens creativity. We find ourselves humming again, writing again, building again. Beauty trains the will far more gently than rules ever could.
Finally, grace invites movement. It doesn’t demand heroics—just faithfulness. Maybe it’s discarding the number that tempts you, calling a friend before the trip, scheduling counseling, or taking a walk instead of nursing despair. Grace delights in simple, repeatable acts of obedience, because that’s where freedom learns to walk.
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8) Dominion and Discernment
Paul says, “Sin shall not have dominion over you.” Dominion is throne language; it means someone is giving the orders. When sin rules, guilt commands. When grace rules, gratitude commands.
The real question isn’t “How guilty should I feel?” but “To whom am I yielding right now?” If obedience feels like paying off a debt, it’s law energy. If it feels like gratitude to the Divers of Calvary who cut the ropes and set you free, it’s grace energy.
The Christian life is not maintained by obligation but by affection—by the joy of yielding to a better King.
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9) When You Think, “I’m Different”
Maybe you’re thinking, “Pastor, my story’s darker.” Then hear the simple rhythm of the gospel: Christ has already acted, you are already loved, grace is already offered, and your part is to receive it and begin again.
You are not asked to earn this; you are invited to return thanks.
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10) From Wounds to Newness
Some of us still name ourselves by our worst chapter—“divorced,” “angry,” “addicted.”
Grace gives you a new name: beloved, forgiven, alive unto God.
“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up… even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Rom 6:4)
Today is a good day to walk.
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11) Pastoral Appeal
If you need to confess—do it now.
If you need community—reach for it.
If you need beauty—create something.
If you need a step—take it before sundown.
No more “Earn this.” Just “Thank You.”
A life that circles back to the Savior again and again, nudging with gratitude.
Let us pray:
> Father, thank You that in Christ we are not under the law but under grace.
Seat Jesus on the throne of our hearts; break every rope; free every captive.
Teach us to reckon ourselves dead indeed unto sin and alive unto You.
Turn our responsibility into responsiveness, our guilt into gratitude, our wounds into a new walk.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
