The Body of Sin is Done Away With

Transcription

1 The Body of Sin is Done Away With I. Introduction. A. Series: Transformed by the Cross of Christ. 1. Transformed - Romans 12:2, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. - 2 Corinthians 3:18, But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. - A Christian s life is a transformation. - from sin to righteousness. - from an earthly focus to spiritual focus. - from a carnal man to a spiritual man. - from the image of man into the image of God. 2. Romans 6: focuses on that transformation and emphasizes why the transformation should occur and reminds us that we are being transformed. - Read the verses. - Five lessons in series: - United together in the likeness of His death. - United together in the likeness of His resurrection. - Our old man was crucified with Him. - The body of sin might be done away with. - We should no longer be slaves of sin. B. What is the point of the verses? 1. Let s read Romans 6:1-6 to find out. 2. The point is not about baptism. - although there are some great points to be made about baptism. - baptism is a burial; indicates immersion. - baptism is the point at which we access the blood of Christ. - without it, we re lost. 3. Chapter 5 makes the point about the grace extended to man through the death of Jesus. - Sin did reign, but now grace reigns (5:21). - Connection to chapter 6 in verse 1. - What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? - Look at Paul s answer in verse 2. - Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 4. There is our point: Christians have died to sin! - the remaining verses show this fact.

2 - Illustrates baptism. - A person dies to sin when he is BURIED in baptism. (vs. 4) - do you bury a person who is alive? - Then when you rise from the waters of baptism, you have a new life. (vs. 4) - Verse 5. - If then statement. - If we have been united together in the likeness of His death. (which we have in baptism) - then we also are united together in the likeness of His resurrection (walking newness of life) - Verse 6. - Vs. 5 states the truth. Vs. 6 states the facts that explain or remind us of this truth. - indicated by the words knowing this. - the three phrases in verse 6 all pretty much say the same thing yet in different ways. C. Our focus. 1. Our focus is on the middle phrase: that the body of sin might be done away with. 2. A Christian has lived two lives: - a life of sin and a life of righteousness. 3. Paul compared these two lives to being two different people. - The old man and the new man. - here in verse 6 he used the term old man - and in Colossians 3:9-10 and Ephesians 4:22-24 Paul uses both expressions. 4. Old man and New man. - two different people. - two different bodies. - body of sin and body of righteousness. 5. What does our phrase mean? - The first body, the body of sin. - Should be done away with; should be destroyed. - When we become a Christian; when we are buried with Christ in baptism, the body of sin is - over, finished. - dead, done away with, no more. 6. That s a fact. - that we all know. - All Paul is doing is reminding us of what we know. - knowing this. D. Our lesson.

3 1. What does this knowledge do for us? - The knowledge that the body of sin is done away with. 2. This knowledge reminds us that - four brief points. II. This knowledge reminds us that A LIFE OF SIN IS IN THE PAST. A. We need to be reminded that our lives should have changed. a. We should have left sin in the past. b. Read 1 Peter 4:1-3. i. Therefore. 1. Since Christ suffered for us. 2. Because of that fact, we should have the mindset of Christ, which means we have ceased from sin. (Vs. 1) ii. The Christian should no longer live guided by the lusts of the flesh. 1. But rather he lives to do the will of God. (Vs. 2) iii. we have spent enough of our past lifetime 1. We ve already wasted enough time with sin. (Vs. 3) c. Sin is a thing of the past. B. It s easy to slip back into doing the same things we did before we became a Christian. a. Especially if we don t make drastic and significant changes in.. i. The places we go. ii. The things we watch. iii. The people we spend time with. iv. The things we do. b. Christianity is not about giving your engine a tune-up. i. Christianity is about doing a complete overhaul. c. Think Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul. i. Persecutor of Christians to Proclaimer of the Gospel. d. Think about the Thessalonians. i. turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. 1 Thessalonians 1:9 e. Think about the Corinthians. i. Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. f. Point: A life of sin is in the past; We ve left that behind. III. This knowledge reminds us that WE VE BEEN BORN AGAIN FOR A DIFFERENT PURPOSE. A. Death to sin is only half of the equation. a. If we have put to death our former life and not replaced it with something else, then we re just dead. b. But notice verse 4 of Romans 6 again.

4 i. We are raised in similar manner as Christ. ii. To walk in newness of life. c. A new life. i. In other words, we have been born again. ii. John 3:3, Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 1. Jesus to Nicodemus. d. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. i. We are new creations. ii. We were created once; but when we are reconciled to God and become a Christian we are created again. 1. A fresh start. 2. All things have become new. iii. Skip down to verses Why did God allow Jesus to become sin for us? a. And to suffer the consequences of sin. 2. that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. B. We are created anew for a new purpose. a. To become the righteousness of God. b. For good works. i. Ephesians 2:10, created in Christ Jesus for good works. c. God has a purpose for His creation. i. It s no longer to do the will of our flesh. ii. But it is to do His bidding. d. What is the purpose of God for us? i. Read James 1: that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. a. First of the harvest. b. May be referring to the 1 st century Christians. 2. But I want you to notice the connection to the following verse: So then. ii. Because they were firstfruits, what did they need to do? 1. Practice pure and undefiled religion (vs. 27). 2. Why? a. Let our light shine (Matthew 5:16) b. So that others might glorify God. e. What is our purpose? i. Same purpose as Christ; same purpose as the apostles. ii. To bring souls to God; to seek and save the lost. IV. This knowledge reminds us that WE LIVE BECAUSE WE DIED. A. Read Romans 8: a. If Christ is in you (Vs. 10)

5 i. Body is dead. ii. Spirit is alive. b. Because of this, we are debtors. (vs. 12) i. We owe God. ii. What do we owe Him? To live according to the spirit. c. But focus on verse 13. i. If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ii. Life comes from putting to death the body of sin. B. And not just in this life, but also in the life to come. a. Just as Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God, we also have the promise of going where He went. i. John 14:2, that where I am, there you may be also. ii. 1 Thessalonians 4: we shall always be with the Lord. b. Why do we have that hope? i. Because we did away with the body of sin. ii. And we started a new life centered around righteousness. c. We live because we died. d. We will live eternally because we died to sin and we awoke to righteousness. VI. Conclusion. A. The knowledge that the body of sin has been done away with should remind us that a. A life of sin is in the past. b. We ve been born again for a different purpose. c. We live because we died. B. Application. a. For Christians. i. Remember. Ephesians 2:11-13 ii. Never forget where we were; where we are in Christ, and where we ll live eternally. b. For non-christians. i. This whole lesson is centered around putting to death the body of sin. 1. Overhauling your life (changing). ii. How do you put to death the body of sin? 1. Through baptism. 2. Romans 6:3-4.