Looking at the screen - we’re going to begin this morning with a short opinion poll - a series of choices.  Which do you prefer?

Star Wars or Star Trek?

Next…  In-N-Out or Chipotle?

Next…  Starbucks or Coffee Bandits?

Next… Giants or A’s?

Last one…  Niner’s or Raiders?

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 keep moving away from God - spinning off into our own ideas and efforts at things.  Ultimately a choice that leads us towards some really bad stuff eternally 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.

For 5 chapters we’ve been studying Paul writing about how the gospel is relevant to our lives.  We’re born onto the trajectory through life away from God.  Which is all about sin and what messes up in life and sends us into forever without God.  And yet, God by His grace - for God alone knows reasons - God offers us the choice to choose Him.  God through Jesus’ work on the cross offers us restored - renewed - life with Him now and forever.  The gospel is God meeting our deepest need which is to be made right with Him. 

What we’re coming to here—this next section of Paul’s letter - beginning in Romans 6 are a series of choices - living the gospel in the real time of our lives - choices that either keep us moving away from God or move us closer to God.

If you’re not already there - please swipe or turn to Romans 6.  We’re going to look at the first 14 verses together.  We’re going to read these for each other and then go back and do some unpacking.  Group one gets the words in white.  Group two gets to read the words in gold.

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?  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.

For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.  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.

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.  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.

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.  For sin will have no dominion over your, since you are not under law but under grace.

Let’s make like tourists and do some unpacking.  What we’re looking at here - living the relevancy of the gospel - what we’re looking at here is how we can respond to God’s grace in the day to day stuff of our lives.

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?

Grace is what?  God’s undeserved favor towards us.

The greatest example of God’s grace is… that God saves us.  Not because we’re some incredibly righteous holy people who deserve saving.  God - in an act of undeserved grace does for us what we could never earn or measure up to or do for ourselves.  God - Jesus - dies on the cross - in our place - to establish the means by which our sins are forgiven and our relationship with Him can be restored.

We’re together?  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 will favor us with His grace.  So, let’s go out there and 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 it’s more emphatic.  It reads in Greek “Meh genoito.”  Try that with me.  “Meh genoito.”  It has the idea “May it never come to be.”  No how.  No way.  Ain’t gonna happen.

Try that when you kids or grand kids ask you for something.  “Meh genoito.”  That’ll freak them out. 

Recipients of God’s grace... “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. 

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?  There are attitudes and behaviors common in Christianity today that - looking at Scripture - they’re just wrong and somehow they’ve become gray areas at best.  We have become so self-focused in our worship and service and giving and commitment to God that it’s sin.

Just think about where your eyes and ears and mind have been this last week.  By choice.  Or without great concern.  Just accepting that that’s the way it is.  Would we see and hear and think about the same stuff - giving valuable time to all that - having the same attitude towards all that if in the midst of all that we were hanging with Jesus?  Any of it questionable?  Borderline?

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 - 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.  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)

Paul pounding away at sin and trajectories and death and kingdoms and consequences for 5 chapters - to the point where we’re saying, “Enough already.”  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 slaves - right here in America.  Why immorality 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 have turned to alternative lifestyles and sexual perversion.  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 our 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.

Sin is why when Jesus came to Jerusalem - people who had received more of God’s truth than any other people - and yet were living in their own self-destructive sinful self focused lives.  Sin is why Jesus comes to Jerusalem and weeps.

Knowing the horrors of sin why would we ever go back?  Maybe there are times when we need to weep over our sin.  How can we who have died to sin still live in it?  May it never be.  But it is.

Verses 3 to 10 are Paul reminding us of what need to know.  To not go there.  To respond differently to God’s grace.  Which is way easier said than done.  Yes? 

Paul is going to give us a series of truths - truths we need to know - to keep in the forefront of our thinking - truths that can really help us.  If we can latch on to these what Paul gives us here can really help us to choose to live by grace and not in sin.

Verse 3:  Do you not know - the word here “to know” - “agnoeo” in Greek - has the idea of ignorance - not understanding something.  “What are you?  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.

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.”  Go in the Greek means... “go” - get going.  Proactive  - intentionally going and 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.  Learning what it means to obey what He’s commanded us.  Yes?

On the flip side of that going - 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 plan in life - choosing to follow God’s plan for our life.

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

Baptism symbolically shows the relationship we now have with Jesus Christ.  This is why we call it “believer’s baptism.” 

With infant baptism parents bring an infant to be baptized and then pray that as that infant grows up he or she will make good on the decision of the parents and at some point in the future trust Jesus as their Savior for themselves.

In contrast - Believers Baptism is when 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.

Are we together on what Paul is getting at here?  Baptism is a symbol of our death.  Dying to ourselves - to our old way of doing life.  Jesus saying things like “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  (Matthew 10:38,39).

And He’s serious.  To live means dying.  Which is a hard teaching to process.

Dying to ourselves 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.  It is dead to us.

And then, baptism is a symbol 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.

Which is a living life by grace truth we need to hold on to.  Dying to self - and sin - we walk - we live - in the newness of life.

We live each day in Jesus’ victory over sin and death.  For those united with Jesus in death - death is not the end.  A plot in the marble orchard.  We live in this world of sin - of destruction, death, and decay.  But, our home is not here.  All that is not who we are or what we belong to. 

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 - enslaving us.  The dwelling place of God Himself where the sinful crud of this world no longer matters.   Amen?

So Paul is asking, “Are you ignorant - clueless - about 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.”

What we need to know - what we need reminding of is that because we are dead in Jesus we are made alive in Jesus now and forever.  Let the truth of that sink into your hearts.  Marinate on it.  Let it form your approach to life.

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.

“We know” - verse 6 - is 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 we know what’s taken place in us since then.

When we give our lives to God we begin to experience the forgiveness of God.  As we go along in life with God we begin to slowly process and accept the reality 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.” 

Grab that and we begin to live in the realization that we’re freed from guilt because of sin.  Guilt comes from our adversary who wants to keep us looking backward and being weighed down - bound by where we’ve been.

God - by His grace forgives us - lifts a huge weight off our hearts.  Knowing - experiencing His forgiveness - 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.  His forgiveness is for today and forever.  The life He frees us to live is a reality.

 That’s a truth to know.  To hang on to.  Jesus put it this way:  “…if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”  (John 8:36)

That’s freedom we can experience - and even when we’re not really feeling it - knowing it experientially - we can know it - hang on to the factual reality of it.  Real forgiveness.  No guilt. Real life.  Now and forever.

The bottom line - responding to God’s grace - truth we need to know - bottom line of what Paul is getting at here in verses 3 to 10 - is the realization - the reminding us - of just what takes place when we trust Jesus as our Savior - just how completely and awesomely gracious God is towards us.  The life that we now have in Jesus.

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.

Paul’s first choice - in this section of Romans - is a choice we need to make in our minds.  Knowing what we know we need to choose to make a mental change of direction in our thinking.  Next Sunday we’re going to look at how our choice of mind-set works out in what we do. 

But here - first - Paul is helping us to literally think through our thinking about  - our response - knowing what we know how to choose how to consider ourselves as recipients of God’s grace.  

“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 with reality.  “I reckon.”  Try that together:  “I reckon.” 

(video:  Power Windows)  To help us with that we have a short instructional video. 

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.”

Because of our watching that instructional video most of us will 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.  We need to think different about life.

It’s a light bulb 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” - mental choice - to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ - to pursue life.

Verses 12 to 14 - are Paul’s processing all that for us - the “how” of how we make that mental change of mind-set. 

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” processing point is Don’t go there.  Try that with me, “Don’t go there.”  If sin is dead - crucified along with all that was back there dragging me down into sin - 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 - tying it into what we allow our hearts and minds to dwell on.  Lust and all that.

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.  There is a lot riding on what we choose to think and so do.

Sin is a horror in process.  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 we’re going to live in a sewer don’t be surprised if life stinks.  So get out of the sewer.  Don’t go there.

If we’re hooking up electrodes to the body and flipping the switch don’t be surprised if Frankenstein lives.  There’s not a lot of gap between throwing the switch and the reanimation of sin. 

Going on in verse 13 - Paul’s second “how we do it” processing point:  but - instead - present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as 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.

Paul writes, “present yourselves to God.”  Meaning we need to show up.  If we want to live life with God we need to choose to live life with God.

Let’s be careful.

That doesn’t mean that we sort of grit our teeth and read more books - go to more seminars - do more Bible studies - bake more casseroles or run off to join a monastery.  All that may have its place.  But its like putting the cart before the horse.  Paul is teaching about “considering” - mental choice. 

Paul writes to the church in Philippi - Philippians 4:8.9:  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)

Choose to let your mind dwell on these things which will enable practicing what you’ve learned and received and heard and seen in me. 

Choosing to go there begins by choosing to get our minds and hearts focused 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 our mind - body - giving control of our spirit to the Spirit.  Dwell on the things of God.

Everyone stand up and face the wall over by the doors or Quiet Room.  Imagine that what you’re looking at is what’s behind you.  All the crud and sin and stuff of your life that Jesus took with Him on the cross.  All of what got crucified - got dead - when you gave your life to Jesus.  Pretty ugly.  But forgiven when we come to Jesus.

Okay.  Now, turn this way and take a look at the cross.  The cross is a symbol we use to remind us of Jesus’ work on our behalf.  A completed work.  Right?  Jesus isn’t still up there dying.  The cross is empty.  The cross is a symbol of God’s love - God’s mercy - God’s forgiveness.  A symbol of God’s grace applied to our lives when we die to what’s behind us and turn to God.

There’s a saying, “Where the head goes the body follows.”  Same is true mentally - spiritually.  As we turn towards Jesus the rest of our body - the rest of our lives will follow.  If we’re focused on what’s behind us our actions will go there.  If we’re focused on what’s in front of us our actions will go there.  The more we turn towards God the more our old selves pass away.  The more we live the life that God has for us. 

Think about where you’re focused now.  Why would you ever look back?

One more time think about Paul’s question.  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 - as those who stumble around in sin - God graciously gives us a choice.  That choice is before each one of us this morning.  Choose to keep focusing away from God.  Or, to turn towards God.

We need to make a choice.  How serious are we going to be about making that turn in our lives.  A thinking choice based on knowing what we know.

_________________________

1. Newsweek, 04.03.95

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®  (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.