All right, Romans chapter six,
if you wish to follow along. Romans six, and I will mention
some other verses in this chapter and the next chapter, but I just
want to read what I want to try to deal with mainly. Let's read
verses 17 through 23. You follow along as I read. But
God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin. But ye have
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered
you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness. I speak after the manner of men
because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as ye have yielded
your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity,
even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto
holiness. For when ye were the servants
of sin, you were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those
things, whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is
death. But now, being made free from sin, and become servants
to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end, everlasting
life. For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life. through Jesus Christ our
Lord. My title this morning, and I'm
not going to deal with this phrase in particular, but my title is
found within the text, and it's this, Being Then Made Free. I pray God will give me the ability
to express what I know is here in these verses, but may he give
me the ability to express it in a way that it is Comprehendable. I don't know if that's a word
or not. And I don't, I just need to, let me just move on. Why
would Paul write such words as these? But God be thanked that
ye were the servants of sin. Now note, and I am no Greek scholar. I'm not even very good with the
English. And I know that in the Greek, though, there's no commas.
Usually, all of those kind of things are built into the words
themselves, the way they spell the Greek. But the translators
did do us great truth here, expressed great truth here, because they
put commas where the Greek would emphasize. Notice he did not
say, ye were the servants of sin, but thank God ye have obeyed
from the heart. Did you notice that? Now our
mind, our religious sensibilities, our skewed understanding of right
and wrong, when we read that, the flesh says, how can that
be true? It says, but God be thanked,
comma. Thanked for what? Everything
else he's about to say in this sentence. But he makes a clear
distinction between two different thoughts. But he puts God be
thanked before both of the thoughts. Not after the first thought.
But God be thanked. First, what? That ye were the
servants of sin. I started to make that my title
and I thought well that will, it might get a lot of hits but
it'll probably scare most folks half to death. But God be thanked. First of all, what? That you
were the servants of sin. But, But we have to remember,
we cannot stop there. We dare not stop there. But God
bethink that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from
the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. So I
ask the question, why would Paul write such words? Before I attempt
to answer that question, let me say this. Never doubt inspired
accuracy. It's just like some folks when
they get to Christ's words, what is it, like John 10, I forget
the exact verse, but he says, you believe not because you're
not of my sheep. And people will then understand
that and even quote that and they'll just switch it right
around. You're not my sheep because you don't believe. That's exactly
opposite of what Christ said. And if we try to switch this
around, we are going to at least say something exactly opposite
of what Paul's meaning here. He says, but God be thanked that
you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. So never doubt
inspired accuracy. This book means exactly what
it says, even if my puny little mind has difficulty grasping
a hold of it. And as Joe has ably expressed,
God is righteous. And God always does righteousness. And in him is no darkness at
all, so this is not a bad statement. The infinite, or excuse me, the
finite, and that's us, and that's our minds, and our understandings,
and our will, everything about us, our hearts, the finite must
never doubt the infinite God. If something looks squirrely
to you, it's because of you or because of me. It's not because
of God's word. So the finite must never doubt
the infinite God. The second thing, truth is vital. I want to know what God's word
says. and bow to it as it says it. Even if my religious sensibilities
or my twisted thoughts about morality or righteousness is
skewed somehow because our religious sensibilities are always skewed
to error. We generally want to get, we
want to get the benefit out of this, you know, out of this for
real. I want something from this. That's not the primary reason
we're given the truth. The primary reason we're given
the truth is so that we might glorify and honor God for who
he really is. Because we'll get nothing out
of the scripture of any spiritual benefit unless we honor who God
really is in the person of his son. So again, truth is vital. Religious sensibilities are always
skewed to error. Here's the third thing. among
the gospel converted, and that's who Paul's writing to here. He's
not just writing to the elect, though the elect they are. But
there are some who are elect who are not yet gospel converted.
And he's not writing about them, because he's talking about people
here, what, people here what, that have obeyed from the heart
in here. And this is either true of me
or it's not true of me. There is no gray ground. I may
not always see myself on one side or the other, but I'm either
one who obeys from the heart that form of doctrine which was
delivered me or I am not. You don't bounce in and out of
this. among the gospel converted. It
is essential, we recognize, that God's grace experienced could
never have happened where God's grace is not essentially and
absolutely needed. Had we not failed in the garden,
in our daddy Adam, we'd have never known what the grace of
God is. We'd have never known what the
mercy of God is. We may have known of his compassion,
but we'd have never known the grace and the mercy of God. Only
a fallen creature can experience the grace of God because it's
absolutely essential. There are angels that fail. And
they're angels that did not fall. They're called the elect angels.
That's the angels that did not fall. But they look up on us
in amazement of what God has done for such fallen, corrupt
beings as ourselves. They looking all upon this thing.
And as one preacher once expressed, amongst the unfallen angels,
the elect angels, if God sent them to rule a country or sent
them to sweep the streets of that country, it wouldn't matter
to them at all. because they are doing the pleasure
of their Lord. But I know down in here, in my
old flesh, I want to rule the country rather than sweep the
street. You know what I'm saying? So
again, think of it. You don't have to turn to it.
Listen to these words. And you'll find them in Matthew
chapter nine. These are the words of our Lord himself. And when
the Pharisees saw it, that's what had just happened, that
it came to pass, Jesus said, it meet in the house, behold,
many publicans and sinners. They came and sat down with him
and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it,
they said unto his disciples, why eateth your master with publicans
and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he
said unto them, they that behold need not a physician, but they
that are sick. I'm glad God, I thank God He
showed me I was sick. But it was a real spiritual sickness. And I thank God for that. Because
I'd have never known the mercy and grace of God apart from that.
Even men and women who are fallen in Adam, but are never shown
their sinful corruption, they will never experience the grace
of God. Because the grace of God is first
experienced. is first recognized when you
begin to see the absolute essential need of the grace of God. Go on but go ye and learn what
meanest I will have mercy and not Sacrifice for I am come to
call not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance but
I but God be thanked that you were the servants of sin, but
I But, oh what a word, but, ye have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine which was delivered you. Another one, Romans chapter
11, listen to this. Romans chapter 11, verse 11.
I say then, talking about Israel, who had been, eyes had been darkened,
and so they wouldn't see, ever see, and bow down there back
always. He said, I say that have they
stumbled that they should fall? God forbid. But rather, through
their fall, salvation is come unto the Gentiles for to provoke
them to jealousy. Do you see that? But God be thanked. And we must thank God for everything. Right? Everything. Everything
we were, but thank God for what we are now in Christ. Thank God
for what we are now in Christ. Number four. God is to be thanked
always for everything, never questioned. Never questioned. If a question mark comes up in
your mind when you're reading God's holy word, remember the
problems with me are the problems with you, the problems not with
God and his holy word. Number five, even the heart obedience
of the gospel converted, and that's what I'm referring to,
verse 17. Even the heart obedience of the gospel converted is a
God-wrought obedience, being then made free from sin. We did not free ourselves from
sin. Now do you see that? God is the one who did this work.
We experienced this work and do still experience this work,
but we don't start that work and we don't keep that work up.
Being then made free from sin. And he didn't say being then
continually having to be, we are freed from sin. Being then
made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
So again, I emphasize being then made free from sin. Made free, ye became. This is a God work. This is a
God work. It has to start with God and
it has to continue with God and it has to be preserved by God.
If it's of God. Except the Lord built a house.
The labors labor in vain that build it. Is that not so? Except the Lord build the house. Paul then writes these words. I speak, and I'm paraphrasing
this next one. I speak in familiar human terms
because of your natural limitations. That's what he's talking about.
Yielding is something you can relate to. So I'll give you a
preface of what he's talking about. Let me say that again.
I speak in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations.
Yielding is something you can relate to. I speak after the
manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For
as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to
iniquity unto iniquity, and we can relate to that if God's ever
saved you. If you can't relate to that,
God ain't never saved you. You still haven't been freed
from sin. See? I speak after the manner of men
because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded
your members' service to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity,
even so now yield your members' servants to righteousness unto
holiness. For when ye were the servants
of sin, ye were free from righteousness. You see, in other words, before
God Almighty regenerated and converted us, we never did anything
ever right. Even our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags in God's sight. And I know I still don't comprehend
that like it ought to be comprehended. Because I find myself boasting
in myself or finding some kind of solace in myself when I think
that self has done something right. And when I sin, I feel
like, well maybe I ain't one of God's. But God bethinked that
you were the servants of sin. But you've obeyed from the heart
that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. It's because
really, we actually really think, we feel, we feel more assured
when we think we're doing the right thing. And we feel less
assured when we find ourselves doing the wrong thing. Now is
that not true? Is that not true? but our assurance is a person. The forerunner is for us entered. He's saying, the rest are coming
because I'm here. The rest are coming because I'm
here. You see, in our unregenerate and unconverted life, we yielded
to whatever dishonored the Lord Jesus Christ. And some of those
things were religious things. You know, the amazing statement
of our, I think it was of the Lord, I believe he said that,
that even the plowing of the wicked is sin. And when he's talking about wicked
there, he's not talking about grossly immoral people, though
that may be true of them as well. But it could be very religious
moral people. But if you do it outside of faith,
even the plowing of the wicked is what? Sin. when you're trying
to feed your babies. Is there anything wrong with
that? Yes, if you do it outside of faith. It's called sin. And our minds revolt against
that, don't they? I mean, it's right, God's gotta
accept it. It's not acceptable unless it's absolutely perfect.
And the only thing that's absolutely perfect in this world is God. And the only place we see that
is in the person and in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. So
again, in our unregenerate and unconverted life, we yielded
to whatever dishonored the Lord Jesus Christ. So now, yield all
you are, even your members, even your members. Servants, now listen
to what, this is what I, I want to be able to express this to
you. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to or not. And God will
have to teach us this, I know that. But think about it, even
so now, we're to yield even our members as servants to him who
is righteous. Most people when they think about
becoming a servant to righteousness, what do they think about? Even
my mind. Doing good things for God. Or doing good things for one
another. Now Paul will talk to us later
in this letter about things we ought to do to people and things
we ought not to do to people. And he will deal with things
a little later on in this letter. But he's not dealing with things
here, he's dealing with a person. Now let me see if I can show
you that from his own letter. So I'm gonna say, we serve God. Do you see that? Let me look
at it. Verse 22, now look at what it says. Being now made
free from sin. We've already looked at that.
I've mentioned it. Made free from sin and become servants
to God. Notice that little word. Not
servants of God, though we are servants of God. not servants
for one another, though we are to serve one another. But this
is servants to God. We are to be giving him praise
and thanks and worship for who he is. We are to express with
our tongues and our mouths the glory and magnificence of his
righteousness. That's what we serve, is him
who is righteous. And it's in thus doing, in serving
God, we are separated. This ain't no, it ain't good
English, but it's good truth. This ain't no progressive sanctification. This is a sanctification that
happens, and when it happens, it's done, because look at what
he says, but now being made free from sin and become servants
to God, ye have your fruit unto ye have, not are ye are getting.
You either got it or you don't. How can you become more sanctified
than sanctified? The scripture never talks about
partial sanctification. It never talks about almost fully
sanctified. There are things in the Old Testament,
think of this, it's an illustration from the Old Testament, in the
tabernacle there was called the holy place. Right? The holy place. In the back of that building
was a room separated unto itself called the Holy of Holies. So
it signifies to me that that place held a special holiness
or sanctification above the other part of that tabernacle. Correct? Is that not an assumption that
would come from that? But the first part of that tabernacle
had no unholiness. It could not be improved upon. It was sanctified to the full
extent God had determined for it to be sanctified unto. Do
you see the illustration now? And if I'm in Christ, and we'll
look at that here in a moment, I am complete. C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E,
in Him. So again, let's look at what
Paul says here. Let me give you four things.
Righteousness can never be separated from the Lord Jesus Christ. No
matter how much good things we do, if it's separate from the
person and work of Jesus Christ, it is a stench in God's nostrils. Joe read from it. He read it,
so I'm not gonna read it. I'll refer to it. 1 John 2, 1,
Jesus Christ is called the righteous. That's the righteousness we serve.
And actually you will see that in what we call chapter seven,
when Paul gives this illustration of a woman being married to a
man, and if she's married to another man before the first
man dies, she'll be called an adulteress by the law. But if
that first husband be dead, she's free from that law. She can marry
another man and she will not be called an adulteress. But
look at what he says. Verse four, wherefore, my brethren,
ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that
ye should be married to another, even to him that is raised from
the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. We're not
married to a bunch of deeds, we're married to a person. Do
you see that? It's because we're married to
this person that he then says, for when we were in the flesh,
the motions of sin, which were by the law, did work in our members
to bring forth fruit unto death, but now we are delivered from
the law, that being dead wherein we were held, that we should
serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. We are serving God himself. This is one of the fallacies
and problems with most of so-called Christianity today. They are
trying to serve God by doing things rather than serving God
himself. And it's more important to them
to get the things right than it is to get the person of God
right. Whatever you believe about God's
all fine as long as he ain't absolutely sovereign. Don't it
pretty much boil down to that? Yeah. They're more concerned
with the deeds than they are the person that the deeds are
done toward. Look at what Paul wrote before,
remember. Remember what he wrote before,
let me get my spot. Romans 3, 21. But now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by the faith
of Jesus Christ. Now there's a faith you can hang
your hat on. Is it not? There's your faith where you
can drive that nail in as a secure place for your soul. Look at
another one, chapter 10, what he will go on to say later in
this letter. Chapter 10. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved, for I bear
them record. They have a zeal of God. but not according to
knowledge, for they being ignorant of God's righteousness. Now wait
a minute, what? Ignorant of God's righteousness?
They were more concerned about the law and their own righteousness
than they were about the righteousness of God himself. And look at what
it says. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness,
and I don't care whether it's church righteousness, whether
it's law righteousness, whether it's moral righteousness, whether
it's ethical righteousness, it doesn't matter, here's the problem.
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about
to establish their own righteousness have not yielded. It's not the
same word, but to submit and yield is the same thing. Look
it up in, what's it called, a thesaurus? You have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. So if we're missing
the person, we're missing it all. Even if we have all the
church works, good works lined up in a row. If we miss the person,
we've missed it all. Righteousness can never be separated
from Christ. Secondly, righteousness can never
be separated from God's gospel. You know that? Remember what Paul's already
written to us. This is what he says, chapter one, for I am not
ashamed, verse 16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that
believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Look it, for
they're in. They're in what? The gospel,
you see it? For they're in is the righteousness
of God revealed. So if I miss the gospel, I've
missed the person. And somebody said, well it don't
really matter what kind of doctrine you believe, it is essential. and it must be the gospel, not
a perverted gospel. It cannot be a perverted gospel,
because it's in the gospel that the righteousness of God is revealed.
So again, righteousness can never be separated from Christ. Righteousness
can never be separated from the gospel. Now turn to Philippians
chapter one, and get to that passage, and I'll read this third
thing. Philippians chapter one. Let me give it to you, number
one, righteousness can never be separated from Christ. It
can't be, impossible. Righteousness can never be separated
from the gospel. Here's the third thing, righteous
conduct is never apart from the gospel. Do you hear what I just
said? It's never apart from, Philippians
1 verse 27, only let your conversation, and that's not just how you talk,
it's about your whole manner of life. Talk is certainly included
in that. There are some who try to say,
well, it's not about what you say. It includes the whole tenor of
your life. Only let your way of life, your
conversation, be as becometh the gospel of Christ. If any
of my conduct dishonors the gospel of Christ, it is dishonoring
to God Almighty, no matter how good it may appear on the surface. Only let your conversation be
as becometh the gospel of Christ that whether I come and see you
or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs that you, look,
that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together
for the faith of the gospel. That's the one thing that we
must hold and guard dear above everything else. You and I will
fail in our deeds Our actions every day will have wrong deeds,
but we must stick firm to the truth of the gospel. Because
if we leave that truth, then no matter how good our deeds
are, we've left all righteousness. So again, righteousness, never
be separated from Christ. Righteousness can never be separated
from the gospel. Righteous conduct is never apart
from the gospel. And here's my fourth and final
point. Christ is not just a starting place. He's all in all. Now turn to Colossians. Let's
turn over a few pages. Look at Colossians chapter two.
Christ is not just the starting place. Religion presents him
as the starting place. Do they not? But then after you're
saved, now you gotta learn how to walk. Well you can't learn
how to walk right unless you're learning who he is. what he's
done, and what he's doing, and why he is where he is today.
All of those things are vital and essential because they're
a part of the gospel of Christ. And look at what Paul wrote.
For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you
and for them. And here's an amazing, Laodicea. Now you remember about what John
wrote about Laodicea, don't you? And for as many as have not seen
my face in the flesh, that their hearts might be comforted, being
knit together in love, unto all riches of full assurance of understanding,
to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father,
and of Christ, in whom. Do you see that? We're talking
about knowing the person of God himself, not just some things
about God. I either have, by a God-given
faith, a vital union with God in Christ, or I have no union
with God. In whom are hid all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge. You can't go wrong being consumed
in your heart and mind, your thoughts with the person of Jesus
Christ. You can't go wrong with that.
And this I say. Lest any man should beguile you
with enticing words. Well, you know, we gotta get
past this thing of Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. No, we better not ever
get past this thing of Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. This I say, lest
any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I
be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying
and beholding your order and the steadfastness of your faith
in Christ. As ye have therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Let me see it. And that's the
only way I'm ever gonna have a walk that honors God, is to
be walking in Him. And that only happens when God
works in me, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. But
look, as you've therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk
ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him. You can never know enough
about Him that you can leave Him and go on to other things.
If you ever leave him to go on to other things, you've left
everything. You've left everything. Rooted
and built up in him and established in the faith as you have been
taught, abounding, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware
lest any men spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit. After the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of the world, and not after who? Christ. You see that? I want you to think
about, when Paul's writing these things and talking about serving
righteousness rather than serving sin, he is not talking about
personal deeds. He's talking about yielding to
God. Submitting to Jesus Christ. Acknowledging him for who he
really is. For in him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Somebody says, I'm not gonna
be, I don't wanna be caught up with a man. You better be caught
up with this man. And as I've said in some places, I've said
it here, you're gonna bow to a circumcised Jewish male or
you have not bowed to God. And you will bow to Jesus Christ
who now is in glory, a circumcised Jew. And he is on the throne
reigning and ruling over everything. And we will either submit to
him or we have rejected God altogether. But look, Paul wrote to these
Romans, he's not hammering on them, trying to get them to do
the right thing. He's saying if God has done a
work for you, you will start doing the right thing. And God
is preeminent in Christ. That's the first thing. Don't
go on to how government ought to be treated. and thought of,
don't go on how your brother and sister ought to be treated,
or how your enemies ought to be treated, until God Almighty
has your heart, mind, and soul fixed on Jesus Christ. And as
you go in, as we go into these other things, we must never leave
it outside of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Why? For
in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye
are complete, where? In him. That's the only place you're
ever gonna know anything about this assurance, is to God Almighty
continually causing you to submit to him, him. Note the clear distinction here
between the unregenerate and the regenerate state. He says
it, let me get back to our text, Romans six. He says it this way. What fruit had you then in those
things whereof you're now ashamed? Do you wanna go back to living
like you used to live? I don't. Oh, I find the tendency
of this flesh still wanting to feed itself. But I don't wanna
go back to where I used to be. Because even when I think about
where I used to be, I become ashamed. I become ashamed. And when I know I failed God
after he regenerated me and converted me, I feel shame. Don't you? You see, if you don't
feel shame, then you don't know God. For what fruit had ye in
those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those
things is death, not used to be death, it still is death.
We don't run back to those things, whether it's a false gospel or
whether it's immorality and unrighteousness. We don't run back to it. We keep
pressing forward, pressing forward, pressing forward toward the prize,
the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. But now
being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have
your fruit unto old holiness. You're not getting more holy.
You're as holy as you'll ever be in him. If he's done a work
for you, you are completely sanctified. Now your body may not be sanctified
yet, but you are sanctified completely in him. In him. Don't look for the sanctification
down in here. Look for the sanctification who
sits at the right hand of God the Father. You have your fruit
unto holiness and the end, everlasting life. Why? Because the wages
of sin is what? Death. Ah, but the gift, you
see that? But the gift, but the gift of
God is eternal life, but it's still hell. Never, oh God, help
me never to get over this. It scares me to think that I
might get over it one day. through Jesus Christ, our Lord. If I ever begin to become disinterested
with him, I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble, and sadly, some
have. Oh, they may still be, they still
may be caught up with Bible things, but then they've got Jesus, and
they've got the Christ. They may even have the Lord Jesus
Christ, but then they want a little bit of law. or they want a little
bit of personal sanctification. We've seen that happen right
here in this place. You better not ever get over Jesus Christ
and him being all and in all. Not yielding to sin does not
in itself equal serving God. You hear what I said? This is
what religion thinks. I used to smoke, I quit smoking,
now I'm serving God. Not necessarily. Huh? Well, I used to be around her.
I used to hear that all the time. Y'all ever heard that before?
I used to be around her. God sure straightened me up, but
they're not serving God. They're still serving themselves.
They're still serving the flesh. They may be serving morality,
but we don't serve morality. The righteousness we serve is
a person. A person. And if I ever lose
sight of the person, I'm a goner. Heavenly Father, oh God, keep
us in your grace, by your grace. Cause us always to see our absolute
need of your free, sovereign, gracious mercy. Lord, fix our
eyes, our spiritual eyes, our spiritual ears, and that heart
that you gave us. Fix it upon Jesus Christ, Lord.
When we look inside, we see that old wretched man. We see that,
but oh God, help us to look for our comfort and our assurance
and our peace in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. In his name I pray,
amen.