This morning we’re beginning a new series together - looking at Romans chapters 6 to 8.  Our title - for this series - is “Choices.”  To help us get into what we mean by “Choices” we’re going to start off with a short survey.

If you’ll look at the overhead there’s choice A - Star Wars - and choice B - Star Trek.  How many of you would choose A over B?  B over A?

How many of you would go with choice A?  How many would choose choice B - the sodium chloride IV?

How many choose A - the Ford Mustang convertible?  Or B - the Chevy Corvette?

Choice A - Pepsi?  Choice B - Coca-cola?

House?  American Idol?

This one is a little tougher.  A - IN-N-OUT Burger?  B - McDonalds?

A - Microsoft - with its notorious Vista system?  Or B - Apple?

Last one.  This may be a little more obscure.  Anybody know what breeds these are?  A is a labradoodle and B is a Portuguese Water Dog. 

Tuesday is the what?  The inauguration.  President-elect Obama told his daughters - Shasha and Malia - that they could have a dog in the White House.  He’s narrowed the choice down to one of these.  What do you think?  A - the labradoodle. Or, B - the Portuguese Water Dog?

Every day we’re confronted with a plethora of choices.  Some choices are seemingly not so serious.  Some choices have life changing implications.  Some are no-brainers.  Some require a lot of deep consideration.

Behind every choice we make is one basic bottom line choice.  That is the choice to move away from God - spinning off into our own ideas and efforts at things.  Ultimately a choice that leads us towards some really bad stuff happening to us.  Or, the choice to turn towards God - to seek Him - to trust Him with our lives and circumstances - to turn towards God and all that He has for us in life.  Ultimately what works out very well for us.

What we’re coming to here in Romans 6 to 8 - are a series of choices - in the real time of our lives - choices that either move us closer to God - or move us farther from Him.

If you’re not already there - please turn to Romans 6 - starting at verse 1 - and we’re going to look at this first choice together.

Romans 6 - starting at verse 1:  What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Choice number one - Romans chapters 6 to 8 - choice number one concerns God’s grace.  Grace is what?  God’s undeserved favor towards us.

The greatest example is that God saves us.  Not because we’re some incredibly righteous holy people who deserve saving.  Not that we could ever earn being made right with God - by doing all kinds of righteous holy things.

But God - sends Jesus to the cross to die for us - because God - who is grace - demonstrates His graciousness - by doing what we could never earn or measure up to or do for ourselves - Jesus dies in place of us dying and paying the penalty for our sin - Jesus dies for us - even while we were in rebellion against God - us living in the stench of our own sin - not even seeking God - God dies in our place to establish the means by which our sins are forgiven and our relationship with Him can be restored.

Are we together on that?  Grace is God’s undeserved favor towards us.   Grace is a good thing?  Right?

So Paul writes - if we’re living in sin and God favors us with His grace while we’re living in sin - and that’s a good thing.  Then, the more we sin the more God favors us with His grace.  So, let’s try to sin as much as possible so that God will be even more gracious to us….   Wait - that can’t be right?

Paul writes, “By no means!”  In the Greek its more emphatic:  “May it never be!”  “WRONG!”  “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” 

Answer?  Well, actually its pretty easy.  Isn’t it?  Let’s be honest.  We can know God’s grace towards us and yet sin.  Grace even makes it easier.  We know we’re forgiven and that God will forgive us.  All we have to do is ask.  The longer we live life as a Christian - or especially if we came to Jesus at a young age - its easy to forget the extreme savageness of the cross - the consequences of our sin - what we’ve been saved from.  Sin is easy.

So our language is a tad colorful?  So we look at stupid stuff?  So we indulge our minds in garbage?  So we have these little attitudes about people and things?  As long as our sin isn’t too flagrant - too extreme - too noticeable - what’s the problem?  In some Christian circles all that - and more - is acceptable.  

When World War II was coming to an end - General Eisenhower was touring the concentration camp at Ohrdruf - the first camp liberated by the Allies.  When General Eisenhower came to the concentration camp - with Generals Bradley and Patton - they were in high spirits - joking - laughing - victory was in sight.

But as they trudged past 3,200 corpses lying in shallow graves - as they looked at the SS’s instruments of torture - Bradley became so shocked he couldn’t speak.  Patton - old blood and guts General Patton - became so sick he vomited.

General Eisenhower said, “The things I saw beggared description.”  He ordered as many soldiers as possible be shown the camp.  Eisenhower said, “We are told that the American soldier does not know what he is fighting for.  Now, at least, he will know what he is fighting against.” (1)

Sometimes we need to be reminded of what’s at stake here.  Sin is why children are having babies.  Why teenage girls are sold as sex-slaves - right here in America.  Why immoral sex is rampant on our school campuses - and just about every place else.

Sin is why we live in a culture where marriage has no meaning and children are raised by perfect strangers.  Sin is why marriages are being shredded.  Sin is why people are drowning in drugs and alcohol and other addictions - escaping reality.

Sin is why people exalt themselves - hoarding whatever they can get for themselves in orgies of self-indulgence - without giving a rip about anyone else.  Sin is behind war and man’s ungodly behavior towards man. 

Sin is a horror - a bondage and corruption in this life which weighs down our hearts - burdens our souls - tears at the fabric of humanity - destroys our homes and society - corrupts the Church - robs us of the ability to be whom God has created us to be.  And, waiting ahead is judgment and eternal separation from God.

“How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

Bottom line:  Paul is presenting us with a choice of how to respond to God’s grace in the day to day struggles we have with sin.

Verse 3:  Do you not know - the word here “to know” - “agnoeo” in Greek - has the idea of ignorance - not understanding something.  “Are you all clueless?  What part of this do you not understand?”

Going on - understand what? - do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Let’s pause there and make sure we’re all on the same page.

Baptism is a what?  A symbol.  An outward demonstration of what’s already taken place in our hearts - the choice of giving our lives to God.  But what Paul is getting at here is more than just symbolic.

In the last days of Jesus’ ministry on earth, Jesus gave His disciples a commandment - He said,  “Go and make - what? disciples of all the nations - then what?  baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you...” (Matthew 28:19,20a)

Jesus said, “Go make disciples.”  Which means telling others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ - the forgiving of our sins - the salvation and life He offers us - inviting others to join us in following Jesus Christ.  Yes?

We’re not born disciples.  To be a disciple means that we first receive that message - acknowledging that our sin separates us from God.  Then we make the choice to trust Jesus as our Savior.  We choose to turn from following our path in life - choosing to follow God’s path for our life.

Baptism - Jesus said - is the next step.  Become a disciple.  Then be baptized. 

Baptism symbolically shows the relationship we have with Jesus Christ.  This is why we call it “believer’s baptism.”  Because a believer in Jesus Christ - trusting Him as their Savior - in obedience to the Jesus’ command - testifies of that relationship through baptism.

When someone’s baptized they’re placed under the water - symbolically identifying with the death of Jesus Christ.  Just as Jesus took all of our sins on the cross - died for them and was buried - they’ve died.  They’ve turned from following their own path in life.  Their old life - sinful and separated from God - is dead and buried with Jesus. 

Then trusting Jesus - seeking to be His obedient disciples - they’re brought out of the water - out from the grave - into new life.  Just as Jesus was raised from death.

Do you see what Paul is getting at here?  Baptism is a symbol of our death.  Dying to ourselves - to our old way of doing life.  It means that - coming to Jesus as our Savior - we’ve allowed God to take everything that we once were apart from God - to have it crucified on the cross with Jesus.

And - baptism is a symbol of our life.  That we live because Jesus lives.  We have no true life apart from Jesus.  The very essence and nature of our lives is because of Jesus.

Verse 5:  For if we have been untied - and we have - if we’ve been untied with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be untied with Him in a resurrection like His.

Grab that and hang on.

For those united with Jesus in death - death is not the end.  We live in Jesus’ victory over sin and death.  The end of life isn’t a plot in the marble orchard.  We live in this world of sin - of death and destruction.  But, our home is not here.

When Jesus comes back we’re going home.  These bodies that are falling apart are gonna be transformed into bodies that never wear out.  We’re going to live with God forever.  In a place more beautiful - more awesome - than anything we can imagine.  A place of great joy and peace.  No tears.  No mourning.    No death.  No decay.  No sin pulling us down each day of our lives - entangling us.  The dwelling place of God Himself where the sinful crud of this world no longer matters. 

So Paul is asking, “Are you ignorant of what’s taken place in your lives?  What part of death to self and life in Jesus did you not understand?”

Its like the title to a movie.  We’re The Church of the Living Dead.  Say that with me, “We’re the church of the living dead.”

Verse 6:  We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  For one who has died has been set free from sin.

In verse 6 - the verb “we know” is important for us to grab onto.  Its the Greek verb “ginosko.”  It has the idea of knowing something because we’ve experienced it.  Learning from the school of life.

We know that we’ve given our lives to God because we were there when we did.  But even more than that is what’s taken place in us since then.

When we give our lives to God we begin to experience the forgiveness of God.  It slowly dawns on us that our sins really are forgiven.  We don’t need to be enslaved to our former sins - the life we once lived.  That’s huge.

God really does toss our sins into the deepest part of the ocean and as Corrie Ten Boom used to say, “God hangs out a no fishing sign.”  We begin to live in the realization that we’re freed from guilt because of sin.  God lifts a huge weight off our hearts.  We begin to really experience life the way God has designed life to be experienced.

Verse 8: Now if we have died with Christ - rhetorical question - if we have died with Christ - and we have - we believe that we will also live with Him.

Who’s gonna’ live with Jesus?  Us.  Those who’ve died with Him.  The Church of the Living Dead.

Verse 9:  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God.

“We know” in verse 9 is a different Greek verb than “we know” back in verse 6.  Here its “oida” - meaning knowing something because we’ve studied it.  School with books and grades.  Empirical knowledge.  Its the difference between street smarts - verse 6 - and book smarts - verse 9.

We know the facts of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Jesus being raised from the dead, will never die again.  There’s no need.  His work on the cross was complete.  The life He offers is also complete.  There is no need to seek any other life.

The bottom line of what Paul is getting at here in verses 3 to 10 - is the realization of just what takes place when we trust Jesus as our Savior - just how completely and awesomely gracious God is towards us.

So - verse 11 - here’s Paul’s choice put before us - how do we respond to God’s grace - so - because of you are not ignorant of God’s grace applied to your life - because of what you know - experientially and factually - so you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Our choice - our response - isn’t what we do - its how we choose to consider ourselves.  Its not what we do but what we think.  Try that together.  “Its not what we do but what we think.”  We need to make a choice as to how we think - or consider - ourselves as recipients of God’s grace.  

Watch this.  (VIDEO - POWER WINDOWS)

Can you see a bunch of guys - wearing overalls - with way too much time on their hands hangin’ out in some back woods place in the south - sittin’ on the porch with a dawg - Rufus - layin’ there.  “Yep.  I reckon that there blender would work well on the winder.”

“To consider” in Greek has the idea of making a decision about how we think about something - adding things up in our minds and coming to a conclusion - a reckoning.  “I reckon.”  Try that together:  “I reckon.”  Because of what you’ve seen and experienced here today you’ll probably never look at a hand mixer the same way again. 

Same idea with God’s grace.  Considering what we’ve experienced and know - what God has graciously applied to our lives - we need to make a choice - to come to a conclusion of how we’re going to think about all that.

Its like a V8 moment.  “All that is dead.  All this is life.”  Try that with me, “All that is dead.  All this is life.”

We have a choice to live in that reality.  To choose not to continue pursuing sin with all its enticements and horrors - what’s dead.  But instead to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ - to pursue life.

Verses 12 to 14 - are Paul’s application - the how we do this part of the choice he puts before us.

Verse 12:  Let not sin therefore - because we’ve made this choice - let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.  Do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness…

Paul’s first “how we do it” application point:  Don’t go there.  Try that with me, “Don’t go there.”  If sin is dead - crucified - don’t resurrect it.  

Jesus - in the sermon on the mount - Matthew 5 - Jesus was teaching about adultery - a sin we can all relate to - especially the way Jesus was teaching it - what we allow our hearts and minds to dwell on.   Jesus said - Matthew 5:29:  If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.  (Matthew 5:29,30)

Follow that literally and we’d all be missing body parts.  The point is what?  The seriousness of sin requires choosing to be serious about our response.

We need to learn to make different choices.  To choose to cut off the sources of temptation.  Get the internet filter.  Stop the subscription.  Don’t go there.  Leave behind those people.  Change jobs.  Seek accountability.  Do whatever it takes.  Guard your heart.  Put up boundaries.  Failure is not an option.  Choose to cut off the sources of temptation before we have to ask ourselves, “What kind of an idiot would do something like this?”

If you're going to live in a sewer don’t be surprised if your life stinks.  So get out of the sewer.  Don’t go there.

Going on in verse 13 - Paul’s second “how we do it” application point:  but - instead - present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God has instruments for righteousness.  For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under the law but under grace.

Paul’s second point:  Go there.  Try that with me, “Go there.”

Paul writes to the church in Philippi - Philippians 4:8:  “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”  (Philippians 4:8,9)

It almost seems too simple.  Surely we need to read more books - go to seminars - have focus groups - do more Bible study.  But the reality is right there in front of us.  Get your mind on the things of God.  Dwell on them.  Meditate on them.  Read the Bible.  Pray.  Listen to God’s music.  Spend time worshipping God.  Associate with God’s people.  Seek God with all your mind - body - and spirit.  Dwell on the things of God.

If we want to live life with God - live life with God.

Take your right hand and hold it up in front of you with the back of your hand facing towards you - palm away - back towards you.  Now, slowly turn your hand so that your palm faces towards you.

What happens to the back of your hand?  It turns away.

Consider the backside to be what once was - our living in sin.  Your palm is life with God.  The more we turn towards God the more our old selves pass away.  We need to make a choice as to how serious we’re going to be about making that turn in our lives.

How can we who’ve died to the horror of sin - people that God has been so gracious towards - how can we continue to live in sin?  Pretty easy.

But, God graciously gives us a choice.  That choice is before each one of us this morning.  Choose to turn away from God.  Or, to turn towards God.  Choose to live in the reality of His grace.

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1. Newsweek, 04.03.95