You would turn with me to the
book of Romans, chapter 6. Romans, chapter 6. Recently, I was watching an old
western. I love old westerns. I just do. Anyway, from Gunsmoke, to Rawhide,
to the movies on TV, just love them. Bonanza. But in the Old
West, they would have wanted posters. And these wanted posters
would have a picture, a drawing, a sketch of the outlaw. They'd
have a description of his crime and the amount of bounty or the
amount of reward that was on their head. And when the outlaw
was particularly bad, The law and the justice system would
state on the wanted poster, wanted dead or alive. That simply meant
that the bounty hunter or the lawman would get the reward regardless
if the outlaw was brought in to face trial or to be buried. Didn't matter. One thing was
for certain, the law was coming after the outlaw. And in the
old westerns, there were lawmen and bounty hunters everywhere
looking for him. He's wanted dead or alive. The
law is going to extract its justice from him one way or the other.
Justice is going to be carried out, either upon capture, after
a trial is held or by death before the outlaw is brought in. Now,
you might be asking, what does that have to do with anything?
Every one of us here this morning, every single one of us has broken
God's law. Every one of us has offended
the justice of God. Our sin is going to be dealt
with one way or the other, but it's not going to be excused.
In the courtroom of divine justice, our sin will be dealt with, either
by God's sovereign grace in Christ, through the mediation and the
substitution of the Lord Jesus, or by the condemnation of our
soul to the satisfying of God's justice, which is eternal condemnation
and judgment. God's law has put a wanted poster
out on us, and it reads dead or alive. One way or the other,
God's strict justice is gonna be dealt with either by substitution
or by condemnation. Last week I spoke to you in detail
about what a real sinner is. In Romans chapter 7, Paul describes
in great detail the characteristics of a true outlaw. That's what
we are. We're outlaws. God shows his
people that they're unwilling and they're unable to do anything
anything to make themselves right with God. The Lord Jesus said,
you will not come to me that you might have life. The Lord
Jesus said, you cannot come to me. We're both unwilling and
unable to make things right with God. But if God shows you that
you're a sinner, an outlaw, Wanted, dead or alive, then there's still
hope for you. Why? I'll give you four reasons
real quick, five reasons. Because Christ came in the world
to save sinners. That's who Christ came to save,
outlaws. Because Christ came to suffer
the just for the unjust to bring them to God. Because Christ came
to seek and to save that which was lost, Luke 19.10. Because
Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And because Christ came and died
for the ungodly. Now that's good news because
that's who Christ came to save. If you're an outlaw, if you're
a sinner, there's good hope for you. These are the kind of people
that God makes willing in the day of His power to trust in
Christ alone. And if you're trusting in Christ
alone as your mediator, your substitute, your sacrifice, your
surety, then you are alive unto God. Now, here in Romans chapter
six, in verse one, we read, what shall we say then? Shall we continue
in sin that grace may abound? Paul begins the sixth chapter
of Romans with an objection that he knew would be made against
the doctrine that he preached. Paul knows that someone is going
to object. He had just proclaimed that where
sin did abound, grace did much more abound. And Paul preached
that salvation was, and is totally, completely, and absolutely by
the free grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, through the
merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. You and I can do nothing to merit
God's redemption. Our hope is found in the merit
and the work of Christ's righteousness and what He did for us. Sin with
all its blackness, with all its wickedness, with all its boundless. Where that sin abounded, where
that sin overflowed, that's what that word means. To the glory
of God's grace, God's grace did much more abound. Paul knows that somebody would
say that if justification is by grace alone, and if salvation
is by the free gift of God alone, then the greater the sinner,
greater the glory of God. Someone would say, then let us
continue in sin. Someone among the Gentiles. who
lived in sin as they did, is going to say, let's give ourselves
to iniquity to make the grace of God abound more and more. And even that kind of attitude reveals the depravity of man's
thinking, doesn't it? That attitude's not too far from
men's thinking today. Many professing believers excuse
their sin by saying, well, I'm just a sinner. That's what sinners
do. I've heard it so many times,
even from professing believers. Grace is true whether you understand
it or not. Grace is true whether you believe
it or not. Salvation is by God's grace. And if salvation is of the Lord,
and it is, then salvation is by grace. Grace and salvation
is the gift of God, whether a man believes it or understands it. Now Paul said, how are we going
to answer these people who say these things? Shall we continue
in sin, that God might get more glory? Are we going to continue
in sin that grace might abound more? Look what he says in verse
two, God forbid. How shall we that are dead to
sin live any longer therein? Now, what I want to talk to you
about this morning for a few minutes is in what sense are
we dead to sin? I think that if God will enable
you to see this, the Holy Spirit will reveal this to you, it'll
be such a comfort to you. We're not, what is it to be dead
to sin? Well, we know that we're not
dead to the influence of sin. I wish we were, but we're not. I wish that my sin didn't affect
me, but it does. We saw in our study last week,
if you want to turn over a page to Romans 7, in verse 15 Paul
said, for that which I do, I allow not. The Apostle says, for that
which I do, speaking of his sin and his disobedience, he adds,
I allow not. And that word allow means approve,
as we discussed. It means to understand. What
Paul is saying here is the sin that I commit, the things that
I do, I don't approve of them, and I sure don't understand them.
And I've said this before, I'll say it again. I don't understand
how someone like me who professes to know God can do the things
that I do, say the things that I say, think the things that
I think. We're not dead to sin's influence. We're not dead to sin's presence.
That's what David said. You remember what David said?
He said, for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is
ever before me. Ever before me. Look at verse
24 here in Romans 7. Paul said, O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this dead? Paul says,
right now I'm a wretched man. Sin's influence is strong upon
me. Sin's presence is ever before
me. I'm wretched. Who's gonna deliver
me from this body of death? So, how are we dead to sin? Well, we're dead to sin's penalty. We're dead to sin's guilt. We're
dead to sin so that it cannot rule over us. Why? Because Christ is now our Lord.
And he rules over us. And if an outlaw is sentenced
by the law to serve life in prison, if he dies before he begins to
serve his sentence, can he still serve his time? Of course not. Of course not. He's dead. He's
dead. He's dead to the charge. He's
dead to the verdict. He's dead to the judgment and
the condemnation of his crime. And being dead, the law can no
longer extract justice from him. Do you see that? That's what
the believer is. He's dead to sin. And that's
what Paul is saying here in Romans chapter six, verse two. He says,
how shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein? We died with Christ, we were
crucified with Christ, and we're dead to sin as a course of life.
In other words, God remembers our sins no more. Now isn't that
an amazing and a wonderful thought? That God doesn't remember my
sin. That God throws my sin into the lake of forgetfulness. God unites us to Christ, who
is the fountain of life. And the condemning power of sin,
the penalty of sin, the guilt of sin, which separated us from
God, is now removed. Well, that's the gospel. We're
dead to sin, the curse of sin, the claim that sin has upon us. It's removed. Sin is abolished
totally. Sin is crucified with Christ.
An end has been put to it. It cannot hurt us anymore. Remember
when we talked a few weeks back about the three kinds of death?
All these three kinds of death are exhibited on Calvary when
the Lord Jesus and the two male factors were crucified. There's
a death for sin. Christ died for our sins. He's
the substitute who paid our sin debt. And there is a death in
sin, which is when a man dies in unbelief, he dies in his sin. One of the outlaws on the cross
died in sin. And then there's a death to sin.
That's what we're talking about. That saved sinner that asked
Christ to remember him. Being in Christ, he was dead
to sin. That's what we are discussing
here this morning. Christ has by his death, by his
burial, by his resurrection, and us being baptized in and
by and through his death, we are dead to sin. Now, I hope
you can get a hold of this. I'm telling you, it'll bless
your heart. This is very important. The expression,
dead to sin, does not relate to your character. It doesn't
relate to your conduct. It relates to your state before
God. You're dead to sin. In Christ,
I am dead to sin. Now look at verse three. Know
ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ
were baptized into His death. Therefore we are buried with
Him by baptism into death. Now this is not talking about
water baptism here. This is talking about a baptism
into Christ. This is talking about an actual
experience It's talking about a real union with the Lord Jesus
Christ. This is what water baptism pictures. Our death, our burial, and our
resurrection in Christ. God's elect have now been baptized
into Him, are actually one with Him. One with Christ. Holy, perfect, spotless righteousness
is now mine. Isn't that what Paul said? He said, He who knew no sin was
made to be sin for us, that we might be made what? The righteousness
of God in Him. The very righteousness of God
is now mine. I don't know how to say it any
plainer, Christ's righteousness is mine just as much as Adam's
sin was mine. We were baptized into his death,
I died with him. I was buried with him. And I'm
loved and I'm cleansed and I'm accepted in the beloved and Jesus
Christ is God's beloved. And when Christ died, I died
with him. I was buried with Him. And when Christ arose, I arose
with Him. And when Christ ascended into
heavenly places, we were seated with Him, the Scripture said.
Baptized into Christ. Immersed in Christ. Absorbed
into Christ. I'm complete in Him. Totally
complete. And no act or thought of the
flesh or effort of the flesh can add one thing to that. Nothing. That's salvation. Only my state
in Him. Being in Christ actually means
being in Christ. We're buried with Him. buried
with Him by baptism into death. And it's in Christ that we also
walk with Him in newness of life. We're alive unto God. Look at
verse four again. Therefore we are buried with
Him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. Now in water baptism, the believer
is represented as dying with Christ, being buried with Christ,
and rising with Christ, right? That's what it pictures as we
go under the water and come back up. The death of Christ was the
means by which sin was destroyed. The burial of Christ was the
proof. It was the reality of his death. And believers in baptism are
represented as dying with Christ. That's what it pictures. Dying
with Him and rising with Him. You see, our sin debt in Christ
is paid. Paid in full. How so? The penalty has already been
satisfied. The sentence has already been
carried out. And I died with Him. The proof
of that execution and the proof of that death is when I'm buried
with Him. The atonement was effectual.
It was complete. It satisfied God's justice and
Christ was buried and I was buried with Him. My sin debts paid or
I wouldn't be dead to sin. And then we have the resurrection
of life. That's what Paul told Timothy.
He said, it's a faithful saying, for if we be dead with him, we
shall also live with him. Our resurrection with Christ
is by the same power that raised him from the dead. Now that's
what I think a lot of folks have trouble believing. In 2 Corinthians
chapter 13, 4, Paul said, for though he was crucified through
weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are
weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God
toward you. You see the same power, the same
glory that raised up the dead Christ, is the same power and
glory that raised the dead believer. Now I know that it takes faith
to believe this. Oh, may God give you that faith.
Look at verse five here in Romans six. For if we have been planted
together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the
likeness of his resurrection. We're buried with him in baptism.
We're planted together in the likeness of his death. Now you
don't bury a living man. You bury a dead man. If a man is still living, he
can't be buried. He can only be buried after he's
dead. I am dead. I am crucified with
Christ. Sin has no more claim upon me. Sin slew me. The law executed
me. The sentence of holy justice
nailed me to the cross with him. And then they buried me. But Christ didn't stay dead.
And neither do his people. By the power and glory of God,
He was raised. That's what it says in verse
4. By the power and the glory of God, we are raised with Him.
The resurrection of Christ was the effect of the power and the
glory of the Heavenly Father. Paul said in Colossians 2.12,
he said, buried with Him in baptism. wherein also you are risen with
him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised
him from the dead. Now look at verse six here. Knowing
this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For
he that is dead is freed, and that word means justified. He
that is dead is freed. He's justified from sin. Now
if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live
with Him. Our old man's crucified with
Christ. And it's called the old man because
it lives and it dwells in our flesh. Those of you who know Christ
know what I'm talking about. That old man here is the corruption
of our nature. It's called the old man because
it consists in the natural man's mind and will and affection and
imagination. That's what Paul talked about
in Romans chapter 7, his battle with the old man and the new
man. But the body of sin has been destroyed in Christ so that
the believer should no longer be the slave of sin. The man
or woman who is not in Christ are still sold under sin's power. And you remember what Paul said
in Romans 7 verse 14? He said, I'm carnal, I'm sold
under sin. Men and women who are not in
Christ are still the servants of sin. Men and women who are
not in Christ are slave to the master called sin. And I remember
a time very well when I had a religious experience, but I never heard
any gospel. The gospel of Christ declares
if you died with Christ, you'll live with him. If you didn't
die with him, you can't live with him. If you've become one
with Christ in His death, you shall become one with Him through
His resurrection. Verse 9, look at it. Knowing
that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death
hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died
unto sin once, but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. And since believers are one with
Christ in His death, they have a sure hope of forever living
with Him. And that's what we see in verse 11. Now listen,
our union with Christ is such a mysterious thing. So much so that our finite minds
can't fathom or understand it. Our union with Christ is so that
those who are dead unto sin are alive unto God through Him. To
be dead unto sin means that in Christ our sin is pardoned, it's
paid, and it's put away. Do you believe that? Oh, I pray
that God would give you faith to believe it. We don't fear
condemnation or death on the account of sin anymore. There
was a time when I did, but not anymore. God will not permit
sin to reign over His people any longer. We are alive unto
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. As justified sinners, we live
spiritually in the sight of God, having the very righteousness
of Christ, and we have eternal life through Him. Sin's no longer
our business. It's not our course of life.
Sin's not our friend anymore. It's our enemy. We hate our sin. How shall we that are dead to
sin, dead to its guilt, dead to its condemning power, dead
to its charge, dead to its condemnation, dead to its judgment, how shall
we live any longer therein? That's what Paul tells us here
in verse 12. Look at it. Let not sin therefore
reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it and the lust
thereof. Neither yield ye your members
as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves
unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members
as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have
dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under
grace. What then? Shall we sin because
we're not under the law, but under grace? God forbid! Know ye not that to whom ye yield
yourselves servants to obey? His servants ye are to whom you
obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. But God bethinked that ye were
the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from
sin, you became the servants of righteousness. And in verse
19, he said, 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 be 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. Now let me ask you, seriously
as I know how, are you interested in eternal life? Do you desire to remain in your
sin? If you do, you'll die, for death
is sin's wages, but the gift of God is eternal life. Only one way eternal life is
given, as a gift. And it's a gift of God. You don't
purchase a gift, do you? You don't purchase a gift that's
given to you. It wouldn't be a gift if you
did. You don't earn a gift by something that you do. It wouldn't
be free if you did. You don't deserve a gift because
of something you do. You simply receive a gift. A free gift is something unmerited. It's something undeserved. It's
something given by someone simply because they pleased to do so.
The gift of salvation is the gift of eternal life and it's
a gift given to you by God. It's the gift of God and it's
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, do you see your
need? Do you see your need of this
gift? Will you receive this gift? God's holy law has a wanted poster
on you. It says wanted, dead or alive. Will you find yourself alive
under Christ? Or will you find yourself dead
in trespasses and sins? Will you find yourself in that
number of the Ephesians of whom Paul declared, God hath quickened,
made alive? Or will you find yourself dead
in trespasses and sin? Will you find yourself among
those who had their conversation in times past? in the lust of
your flesh and of the mind, who were by nature the children of
wrath even as others? Or will you find and seek God,
who is rich in mercy, who has with his great love loved us?"
Now friends, this is the God of the Bible, the God who loved
us even when we were dead in sins. The God who made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ. Turn over to Ephesians 2 and
I'll close. I want you to see this yourself.
Ephesians chapter 2. Let's just go ahead and start
in verse 1. I've quoted most of this already. And you hath
he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sin. How are we
dead? It's in trespasses and sin. wherein
in time past you walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of air, the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also
we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But
God, who made the difference? But God. Who's the gift of salvation
from? God. But God, who is rich in
mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace,
ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Isn't that what
we read in Romans 6? That in the ages to come, He
might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. That's where His grace and kindness
come to us through, through Christ Jesus. Then verse 8, for by grace
are you saved through faith. How are we saved? By grace through
faith. And that's not of yourselves.
What's not of yourselves? Neither the grace or the faith.
It's what? It's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus under good works, which God hath before ordained,
that we should walk in them. Oh, that God might enable you
to trust in Christ alone for His free gift of grace and faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes God-given faith to believe
these things. It certainly does. And like His
grace, His faith is also His gift to us. If He doesn't give
us faith, we'll never believe it. May God freely give you this
grace and this faith. Amen. Clayton, would you dismiss us
in prayer, please?