Inside your bulletin there are Message Notes which have the Bible passage we’ll be looking at this morning - along with a place to take notes and some take home questions to give you an opportunity to think back on what we looked at this morning.  If you are swiping or turning - we are going to be looking at Paul’s letter to the Romans - Romans 6:1-14.

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 turn 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.

That’s where Paul is going here in Romans 6.  Look with me 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?   

Do you see the choice?  Will we choose to turn away from God - who is gracious - or towards God - who is gracious?  How will we respond to God’s grace?

Grace is what?  God’s undeserved favor. 

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.

Have you heard this?  Grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.  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 all 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 CHOICE BUCKWHEAT!”  “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 - in the original Greek the idea is 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.   Something we’re going to witness together in just a few minutes.

But what Paul is getting at here is more than just symbolic.

Jesus 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 have 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 united with Him in death like His, we shall certainly be united 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.” - Dying to Live.

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, in the original Greek, “we know” 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 “knowing” means 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.  

“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 - reckoning.  Think Red Necks in Alabama.  “I reckon.”  Try that together:  “I reckon.”

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.

“All that is dead.  All this is life.”  Try that with me, “All that is dead.  All this is life.”

The bottom line good news of what Paul is writing about is that we really do have a choice.  God gives us the choice - 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 to live alive to God in Jesus Christ - to pursue life.

Verses 12 to 14 - are Paul’s “how to.”   In the real time of our lives how do we live out the choice that God gives us?

Verse 12:  Let not sin therefore - because we’ve chosen life - 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

Paul’s first - in the real time of life “how do we do it” application point is:  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 causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.  For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body 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?”  Ever been there?

If you're going to live in a sewer don’t be surprised if your life stinks.  So stay away from manholes.  Don’t go there.

Going on in verse 13 - Paul’s second “how do 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 as instruments for righteousness.  For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

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

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

There’s a saying in wrestling:  “Where the head goes the body follows.” 

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 your mind - body - and spirit.  Dwell on the things of God.

The point is to get our minds and hearts focused on God and that’s why we do all these things.  To open ourselves up to God who desires to work within us - from the inside out - to make us into the people He has created us to be.  Choose to go there with God from the mind and heart and the body - the life - will follow.

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 turn away from God.  Or, to turn towards God.

This morning we have the awesome opportunity to hear some God stories of how God has been working in the lives of 7 people - different ages - coming from different places in life - people who have chosen to trust Jesus as their Savior - who are choosing to live in the reality of God’s grace - and who are coming this morning to demonstrate the reality of that choice by being baptized. 

Testimonies…

Pat - I was brought up in a home where I was raised as a Roman Catholic.  I remember when I was 5 or so years old the mass was no longer in Latin which made it easier to understand.  I understood about Jesus and that the priest was my link to heaven.  I tried to follow the 10 Commandments, go to Mass, and do what was required of me.  At age 13 I was confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church and given the name Elizabeth.

When I was 19 or 20 I went with Job Core to Utah and heard Mormon teaching that wasn’t too different than what I was taught.  I understand now that once you get deeper into Mormon teaching there are some real differences.  But I still understood that religion is about what we do for God.

When I was younger I was involved in a really bad accident where I was thrown out of the car and my body was really messed up.  I spend a long time in the hospital while the doctors literally had to put me back together.

Later I got into a really bad marriage with an abusive husband.  Out of that marriage came my kids - which is a good thing.  But the marriage was not.

Later I moved to Atwater where a bus would come by and pick up my kids and take them to a Baptist church.  About 10 years ago I reconnected with Jim and about a year ago, while we were looking for a church to attend, we came by the Yard Sale and saw the joy in people’s lives and were impressed with the glow and love that people have for each other here.

I said that since I was very young I knew about Jesus.  But, I didn’t know Jesus.  As I’ve thought about my life I’ve realized that it was God who was with me during the accident and that it was God who helped me and my kids survive my abusive marriage and God who has brought Jim and me here.

While I cannot tell you at what moment I actually chose to receive Jesus as my Savior I know now that He gave His life for the forgiveness of my sin and that He is my only way to heaven and I am trusting Him as my Savior.  My salvation isn’t because of a priest or sisters or people in the church.  Its because of Jesus.  Because of what He has done, not because I am trying to earn my way to heaven, I am trying my best to follow Jesus and to share His love with others.

Robert - I got one of Creekside’s brown books that was on the rack in the entrance and read the book.  Then I read the sinners prayer and believed that Jesus came to save me.  The first thing that salvation means to me is that I am going to be with the Father in heaven.  The second thing is that I am forgiven.  That means I should also forgive.  Salvation also means that I am never alone or without someone to talk to.  And it means that I have a new family as well.

I want to be baptized to show my confession of faith in Jesus as my Savior.  Another reason is because the word of God says to be baptized.

Nick - I became a believer in the second grade through the AWANA program.  Then I accepted Christ because I knew that I needed Jesus.  But, since then I have grown in a better understanding of Who Jesus is and Who God is and why its best to be on His side.  As I’ve read more of the Bible I have come to recognize that it has everything you need to know about life.  Now I disciple friends at school.

Meagan - I was born into a Christian family and accepted Christ when I was little.  I feel that God is calling me to be baptized.  I’m ready to outwardly show that Jesus is my Savior.

Hannah - My Mom and Dad taught me to believe in Christ.  When I was three, I asked Jesus into my heart and I was saved.  I want to be baptized because I think that I should be cleaned, going into the water, and coming out clean.  I know that Jesus’ blood washes out my heart.

Samuel - I sang songs, prayed, read the Bible, and told God stories.  I asked Jesus into my heart when I was 4.  I realized that my life is God’s and I want to be baptized because I’ve never done it before.

____________________________

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.