Would you open your Bibles with
me to Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter 6. For the past
few weeks I've been dealing with this passage. And I want to finish
it up this morning, this chapter. Concerning this subject. A new
freedom in Jesus Christ. A new freedom. in Jesus Christ. We've been talking about the
new creation. I, several weeks ago, preached from 2 Corinthians
5 17. If any man be in Christ, a new
creation, what does that new creation involve? What is the,
how do I know that I'm part of that new creation and that I've
been created new in the sense of being a true disciple of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And there are several things
that we've talked about, but today I want to talk about this
new freedom in Jesus Christ. Now, of course, when we talk
about freedom and liberty of a believer, a sinner saved by
grace, we're talking about liberty in one sense to serve God. A freedom, a liberty to serve
God. The reason I say that at the
outset is because Those who do not know the grace of God, those
who are even enemies to the grace of God, you know one of the major
charges that they bring against the preaching of true grace,
salvation by grace, all of grace, is the objection that Paul anticipated
right here at the beginning of Romans chapter six, when he says,
shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? You'll constantly
have people come to you and say, well, if I believe like you believe,
I just go out and sin all I want to. And there's various answers
to that, various quaint sayings, some of them amusing, some of
them not so. But the point, in fact, from
the scripture is that's not the case, that we're talking about
liberty, freedom to serve God that we did not have before we
were converted, before we were born again by the Spirit. We
talked about the old man. You know, in the Bible, we see
that term the old man and the new man. We're going to look
at that today. This term old man is used back up here in Romans
6. Look at verse 5. For if we have
been planted together in the likeness of his death. That's
talking about God's elect people dying in Christ. Christ as our
representative. Christ as our substitute. Christ
as our surety. That's His death on the cross.
And that's our legal death. That's right. Condemned by the
law. But Christ took our condemnation
under the wrath of God. But Christ took our wrath. How
could He do that justly? How could God punish this holy,
innocent person who is God in man? That's who Christ is. How could God the Father punish
this holy person and still be just in doing that. And that's
why the doctrine of imputation is so important to understand.
The transaction that took place between the Father and the Son.
I mean, think about it. The Son on the cross crying out,
my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? I mean, that is
amazing. That's an amazing thing. And
we just stand in awe of statements like that. And we really can't
explain The intricacies of that and the nature of that what he
was thinking what he was feeling, but I know this I Could tell
you this without any any argument without controversy that all
of his thinking and All of his motives and all of his whole
heart was perfectly sinless even at that time So how could God
do that? Well, it's by charging him with
our debt, our sins. That's the basis of it. That's
the ground of it. He was made sin. And so we've been planted
together in the likeness of his death. When he died, I died in
him now. When he was buried, I was buried.
When he arose, I rose. And I've had, listen, I've had
people argue about that. And I asked him this question.
I said, have you been baptized by immersion? They'll say, yes.
I said, why? Because when you're baptized by immersion, that's
what you're confessing. Right here. That when he died,
I died. When he was buried, I was buried.
When he rose, I rose. That's the confession of baptism.
You'd be amazed at how many people get baptized, well, I'll put
it this way, get dunked in water and don't know that. Never even
heard that. Well, maybe you wouldn't be amazed
in our day and age. But he says in verse 5, we shall
be also in the likeness of His resurrection. That's His resurrection. It's my resurrection. Under the
law. Under the law. He was made under
the law. Scripture says that. Galatians 4.4. Fullness of the
time He came. Made of a woman. That's His incarnation. That's His person. God-man. He was made under the law. That
means He had to keep the law. Aren't you glad He kept the law?
well I am he kept it in precept and in penalty and when he died
we died and we he was buried we were buried and when he arose
we arose and verse 6 knowing this that our old man is crucified
with him and I told you that word crucified is a past tense
verb that means not to be repeated again it's not a gradual dying
it's a death the old man's dead now what is the old man that
was my former standing in Adam under the law That's right. That was my former connection
with Adam in condemnation under the law. Christ took care of
that on Calvary's cross. It's dead. Prove it. Romans 8.1. What does it say?
There is therefore now what? No condemnation to them which
are in Christ. Now if that old man's not dead,
there's still condemnation. But there's no condemnation to
them which are in Christ. Now there's a new man. We're
going to talk about that. The term's not used here in Romans
6, even though the new man really is described here. But we'll
look at some passages. But the old man is dead. Now
listen to me. The old man is dead. But sin, the flesh, is
still very much alive, isn't it? In every one of us. The flesh
is still there. And some people say, well, the
flesh and the old man are the same thing. I don't believe it
is according to the scripture. If you read the scripture, keep
it in its context. Here Paul says the old man is
dead. But look over in Romans 7, 14 across the page there.
I say across the page. You all might not have the same
publication of the KJV that I have. Turn the page if you have to.
Romans 7, 14. For we know that the law is spiritual,
but I am carnal." That word carnal means flesh. Soul under sin. Now the old man is dead. But
Paul says, I'm carnal. Soul under sin. Well, what does
he mean? Well, hold on to that thought now. We'll get to it.
The old man is dead. Flesh is not dead. You can argue
with the legalist about the flesh. They say, well, the flesh is
not dead, but it's dying. Well, this human body is dying. It's deteriorating. But what
the Bible calls the flesh in the sense of sin, sin principle,
sin nature, whatever you want to call it, whatever floats your
boat on that issue, it's still not dead. It's still very much
alive, and Paul describes it Beginning there in Romans 7.14,
doesn't it? All the way down to the end of the chapter. I've
got a struggle within. I've got a warfare within. And
it's a warfare that He calls by inspiration of the Spirit. In Galatians chapter 5 of the
flesh and the Spirit. It's a warfare. It's a daily
warfare. Never lets up. Never subsides. Never gets weak. It's there all
the time. I have to fight it all the time.
Thank God I don't have to fight it in my own power. It's Christ
that liveth in me. It's God that worketh in us.
But it's there. And it's alive and it's well
within me. I find that it's all too well within me. How about
you? Now, it operates the flesh that
is still alive. The old man's dead now. I'm not
condemned. But the flesh That residual,
you might say, that effect from my fallen Adam, my ruination,
is still with me and it'll be with me until what? Until I die
and go to be with the Lord. And then, and only then, will
I be perfect in myself. I'm right now perfect in Christ.
But then I'll be perfect in myself. You know, we can't even begin
to imagine what it would be like. And I'll put it to you this way
to put it in its right context. Put it in a context that we can
really grasp and understand. If you're honest with yourself
now, you'll agree with me. I'm telling you. We can't even
imagine what it would be like to sit in a church service and
have no sinful thoughts. I bet you've already had them.
I can see it. I know I have. You can't. And you know, I'm not just saying
that to make a joke. I'm saying that because it's
true. And what does that teach us if we're believers? It teaches
our need of Christ. Right now, I need Him just as
much right now standing behind this pulpit as I did the other
day when I messed up royally. This flash is alive and well.
And this flesh operates through this physical body as its instrument. And sometimes this physical body
is called the flesh. There's nothing sinful about
these hands in and of themselves. But sin can work through these
hands, can't it? I can use these hands to open
this Bible and read, or I can use these hands to wield a knife
and kill. Nothing sinful about this. Sin
is a matter of the heart, you see. I'm going to preach tonight
on how weak the sinful heart. And so it's not that this physical
body is evil in and of itself. You know, there are religions
that teach that. You might have heard the term Gnosticism. That
was one form of Gnosticism. The Greek philosophers, they
thought that anything material was sin. And that's why people
today have a misunderstanding of sin, I believe. They think
of sin as a substance, something you can drink or something that
runs physically through your blood like a germ or an amoeba
or something like that. And when they go back to the
Old Testament, you know, they talk about the uncleanliness.
Well, that was ceremonial uncleanliness and all of that. But sin is not
a substance. Christ taught that. You remember
what He said? He said, it's not what goes into the mouth that
defiles a man, it's what comes out of the heart. That's what
He was teaching. So this physical body is not
sinful in and of itself. It has the effects of sin. That's
why we grow old. That's why we die. That's why
we get sick. It's subject to sin. Sin operates through that. That's why it's such a warfare.
Things I see, things I even think. Why? And listen, why do we have
that warfare and that struggle? I'll tell you why, because the
old man is dead. Even though the flesh is still in us. And
I'm a new man in Jesus Christ. If you're in Christ, you're a
new person, a new man or a new woman in Jesus Christ. That's
why you have such a struggle. That's why you have to struggle
and fight to think right, to do right, To have the right attitude. To do what the scripture says,
which goes against the flesh so much, doesn't it? Everything
this book says about honoring God goes against our flesh. That's
why it's such a struggle. We've been given new life, spiritual
life in Jesus Christ. That's why we have such a struggle.
Look at verse 12 of Romans 6. Listen to what he says here.
Romans 6 and verse 12, he says, let not sin therefore reign or
dominate or rule in your mortal body. The mortal body is this
physical body. Don't let sin control you. That's
what he's saying. He says that you should obey
it in the lust thereof, the unlawful evil desires of sin. Don't obey
them. You have them. Listen, if you
didn't have them, why would this command be here? And He says in your mortal body,
don't use this body in that way. Look at verse 13, He says, neither
yield ye your members. What are your members? Well,
it's your eyes, your ears, your tongue, your hands, your legs,
your feet. That's the members. He says,
neither yield. You know what yield means? It
means submit as instruments of unrighteousness, weapons of unrighteousness. unto sin. Fight it. Go to war
against it. But yield yourselves unto God.
Submit to God. As those that are alive from
the dead. Now notice that phrase. You're not doing this, this struggle,
you're not doing this in order to gain life. You're not doing
this in order to make yourself righteous, in order to in order
to merit things from God, you're doing it as those that are alive
from the dead. You've been raised from the dead.
You were raised from the dead on the cross. When Christ died
for your sins, He was buried and rose again the third day. He's already said that. But if
you're a child of God, what happens to you in this life at some point
in time? The Holy Spirit comes, brings you under the preaching
of the gospel, And He imparts spiritual life to you. Gives
you ears to hear and eyes to see. Gives you the gift of faith
and repentance. Sheds abroad in your heart. That's
a resurrection. You're alive from the dead. You've
been raised from the dead. If you're born again by the Spirit,
raised from the dead. So you're doing all of this,
this warfare, not to gain or attain or maintain life, but
because you're alive. And so this warfare is an evidence
of life from God. Life that comes by Jesus Christ.
And he says, and your members, your hands, your feet, your eyes,
your physical body, as instruments, as arms or weapons of righteousness
unto God, striving to be like Christ. He says, for sin shall not have
dominion over you. Sin shall not dominate you. Sin does not reign over me because
I'm a new man in Christ. But I'll tell you what it does
do, it rules over my body. Romans 7, 14, I'm carnal, sold
under sin. You know what that phrase sold
under sin means? It means I'm a slave to it. Now,
how can you be free? We're talking about a new freedom
and still be a slave. Well, let me tell you how. It's
really not that complicated. It's really not. And what he's
saying here, when he says over in Romans 7, 14, I'm sold under
sin, I'm a slave to sin. He's simply saying this, I cannot,
even as a new man in Christ, even as justified. Remember back
up here in Romans 6, 7, he said, he that is dead is freed from
sin. In other words, if you're dead with Christ, you're justified
from sin. You're not guilty. You're righteous
in Christ. Sin cannot be charged to you.
That's freedom. Your debt is paid and you have
a million dollars to the good. That's freedom. But here's what
you can't do. You cannot totally eradicate
sin within yourself. Try as hard as you can. Start
right now and say, I'm not going to sin anymore. Not going to
have any sinful thoughts, no sinful motives, no anger, no hatred, no vengeance, no selfishness,
no covetousness. See, I'm not talking about going
out and murdering people and all that. That's sin, isn't it?
You'll probably keep from doing that. I hope you do. But I'm
talking about sins of the heart. The law is spiritual, Paul said.
And I'm carnal, a slave to sin. I can't do what I want to do,
Paul said in Romans 7. What do you want to do, Paul?
I want to honor God. I want to honor God because of
what He has freely given me, none of which I deserved or earned.
I want to follow Him. I want to be a good steward of
His grace. I want to be like Christ, my
Savior and my Lord. I want to love like he loved.
But there's something keeping me from loving like he loved.
It's self-love. Selfishness. I want to be humble
like he was humble. Boy, you talk about somebody's
humble. Read Philippians chapter 2. He humbled himself, made himself
of no reputation. We spend our lives trying to
gain a reputation. Jesus Christ as the Son of God
had the reputation and He gave it away. He just made Himself
of no reputation. He's the only one who deserves
the reputation. We don't even deserve it. I want to be humble like He...
What keeps me from doing it? Pride. I'm not going to give
in. My way or the highway. Pride. You mean you still got pride?
Shame on you. Huh? We all do. Listen, sin keeps
me from being perfectly conformed to Christ in my thoughts and
in my actions. It mars, it contaminates, it
corrupts everything I do in seeking to please God. When I go to the
Lord in prayer, I have to fight sin. My thoughts will wander. My prayers will be selfish. When
I sit and listen to a sermon preached, my mind will wander. Or somebody who's done me wrong
might pop into my head, and I'm ready to go at it. I have to
fight. If you're a believer, you're
in a warfare right now, aren't you? Sin contaminates, mars,
corrupts everything I do in seeking to please God. I cannot get away
from it. I cannot claim sinless perfection
within myself at any time while in this body of death. My only
sinless perfection, my only righteousness before holy God is Jesus Christ
and Him crucified and risen. My life is in and by the resurrected
Christ. And I'll tell you something.
That's the reality of me. But you don't see it. That's
the reality of you if you're in Christ. But we don't see it. How do you know it's true? God
said it. That's true. He sees it like
nobody else. Because He's God. God sees it. You might see me at a given time
and you'll say, man, I don't even think that guy's a Christian.
How many times you heard that? Or even thought that? Well, you just don't see me like
God sees me. He sees me in Christ. And here's the thing. Now, all
of this fighting, all of this warfare, this striving, It's
not done by my own power or my own goodness. Listen to what
Paul wrote. You don't have to turn there.
This is Galatians 2 and verse 19. Listen to this. He says,
for I through the law am dead to the law. Now, how am I dead
to the law? Well, it's through Christ. Christ
was cursed and killed under the wrath of God under the law for
me. I'm dead to the law. The law
has no hold on me. It's penalty or it's preset.
Now, why am I dead to the Lord? That I might live unto God, that
I might live for his glory. Verse 20, listen to this, I'm
crucified with Christ. Christ did it all. Nevertheless,
I live. I'm not going to deny I live,
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now
live in the flesh, in this body, I live by the faith of the Son
of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Now, Paul is
talking in circles there. He says, I live, yet not I. What
does he mean by that? He means, I live, but I'm not
the source of this life. I'm not the power of this life.
I'm not the goodness and the greatness of this life or the
beauty of it. Christ is. He loved me. He gave Himself
for me and I live by His faith. That's what He said there, the
faith of the Son of God. What does that mean? Do we live
and walk by faith? Yes, we do. But the source of
that is not our faith, it's His faith. Christ was faithful to
do what the Father sent Him to do. And what did the Father send
Him to do? To take our place and die for
our sins. be buried and raised again. I'm
perfect in Christ, but I've not yet arrived to that perfection
in myself. Paul wrote about that in Philippians
3. Let me read you this. Philippians 3, 13. Paul says,
brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, that is,
lay hold of something. But this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind, reaching forth unto those things
which are before, I press toward the mark of the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Now I have attained salvation,
not by my works, not by my faith, not by my will, but by what Christ
did on Calvary. But I have not yet attained perfection
in my thoughts, in my actions, in my attitude, in my deeds. I'm not there yet. I'm not there
yet. Now how do I press toward the
mark that Paul said there? Well, look back at Romans 6. Verse 12, let not sin, therefore
reign, rule in your mortal body. Fight it, that you should obey
it in the lust thereof. Look down at verse 14. He says,
for sin shall not have dominion over you. Now I want you to turn
to Ephesians chapter 4. Look at Ephesians chapter 4 and
look at verse, oh, look at verse 22. Now what he's doing here, he's speaking
to believers. He's speaking to sinners saved
by the grace of God. Those who are perfect in Christ
but not in themselves. He says in verse 21, he says,
if so be that you've heard him and have been taught by him as
the truth is in Jesus. In other words, if you believe
the gospel. Verse 22, that you put off, listen
to this, that you put off concerning the former conversation, the
old man. Now the conversation there is
the way of life, the way you walk, the way you talk, the way
you think. And putting off, you know the
Bible talks about putting off and putting on, alright? Look
at verse, look what he says, which is corrupt according to
the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Now
how are you renewed in the spirit of your mind? By the power of
the Holy Spirit teaching you the word of God. Learning the
word of God. He teaches us how to think. See
we don't by nature think right. He teaches us how to think by
immersing us in the Word of God. That's why even weak believers,
the Bible speaks of weak believers, their problem is they don't think
right. Because they're not in the Word enough. The Holy Spirit
teaches us, and he says, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, verse
24, and that you put on the new man, which after God is created
in righteousness and true holiness. And look what he says in verse
25, now here's put away lying, speak every man truth with his
neighbor, for remembers one of it, be ye angry and sin not,
let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place
to let him that stole steal no more. Now in the Bible, when you see
the words concerning a believer, put off and put on, what's he
talking about? Well, putting on means to believe. The Bible
says over in Galatians 3, those who have been baptized into Christ
have put on Christ. That means we believe in Christ.
We rest in Christ. We realize in our thinking that
we are righteous before God in Christ. That's faith. Put it
on. We put it on all the time. Putting
off, you know what that means? That refers to repentance. Repentance. This happened to me Wednesday
night. Can you all hear me now? Is that all right? I don't know
what happens that day. Maybe I get too close to it or
something. I don't know. But anyway, all right. Putting on
is faith in Christ. Realizing, thinking what we are
in Christ, what I am in Christ. Putting off is repentance. Notice
here, he didn't say crucify the old man. The old man's already
been crucified, but he says, put on, put off the old man.
You know what he's saying here? Stop thinking. and acting like
a person who's lost and condemned. And start thinking and acting
like the new man you are, the new person you are in Christ.
That's what he's saying. You see that? Don't act like
a dead, condemned, unconverted person in bondage. But act like
a Like a justified, regenerated, born again, free person in Christ. Free to serve Him. And then look
over at Colossians chapter 3. The old man's dead. We still have
the flesh. He still likes the old man. You
can put it that way. I hesitate to do that because
I don't think of the flesh as a person in and of himself, like
he's one person inside of me running around somewhere. I don't
like that because it's not biblical. Some people love it, but I don't. I don't think of it as an angel
on one shoulder and a devil on the other. I used to love those
cartoons when I was a kid, but I don't think like a kid anymore.
No, it's me. It's me. It's me. What you see
is what you get. That's it. Now there's a warfare, but look
here, Colossians chapter, you know, he starts this passage
off the same way that Paul started Romans six off. Look at verse
one. He says, if you then be risen with Christ, how am I risen
with Christ? When he died, I died. When he
was buried, I was buried. When he arose, I arose. Seek
those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Why does he sit on the right hand of God? Number
one, because he finished the work. He did the deed. He kept the law. He put away
sin. He brought in righteousness.
He fulfilled it. He's the end of the law. Why
does He sit on the throne? To make intercession for us.
And His making intercession, He doesn't constantly stand there
and speak. He didn't have to. It's the merits
of His righteousness alone that continually and eternally plead
for us before the throne of God. Think of Him. If you think like
the new man, think of Christ. Set your affection, your mind
on things above. Verse two, set your affection
on things above, not on things there. Verse three, for you are
dead. You look at a live person behind
this pulpit speaking to you, and you can hear what I'm saying,
and I can honestly say, I'm dead. Now how am I dead? Same way Paul
was talking about. I was planted together with Christ.
When he died, I died. I'm justified. I'm dead to the
law, dead to sin. And your life is hid with Christ
in God. It's all Him, see? When Christ,
who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with
Him in God. Then you'll be perfect in yourself. And so he says,
mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication.
In other words, put it to death. Now the old man's dead, I'm not
condemned. But sin in me is not dead yet.
But my goal is to put it to death. And you know what? Here's the
thing. I won't attain that goal in this
life. Somebody says, well then why do it? I'll tell you why,
because God said to. And that's enough. We want to
honor him. But jump down here to verse 9
of Colossians 3. He says, lie not one to another.
You mean believers can lie? Well. Nuff said Now stop lying
Why now look at seeing that you have put off the old man with
his deeds The old man's dead You put him
off don't act like him and have put on the new The new man which
is renewed in knowledge. How's the how's the new man renewed
now? Listen to this? He's renewed in knowledge Somebody
said, what you don't know doesn't hurt you. Not according to this.
The new man, what is the new man? That's my standing in Christ. I'm in Christ. And how is he
renewed? And he has to be renewed. In
knowledge. After the image of him that created
him. The more I know about Christ,
the more the new man is renewed. And he says in that new man where
there's neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all and in
all. You see that? Now go back to
Romans 6. Now listen to what he says in
verse 14. This will help you. For sin shall not have dominion
over you. Now how is it that I can say
honestly from the word of God and in my own experience. My
experience is not the gauge of this. How I feel or how I see
it. The Word of God is the gauge
of it. The Word of God is the standard. But I want my experience
and my feelings and my thinking to line up with the Word of God.
So how can I honestly say sin does not have domination over
me? I can't say it in my thoughts,
in my actions. I'm a slave to sin. How can I
say it, all right? All right, there's three ways
in which you can honestly say, if you're a believer, that sin
does not have dominion over you. Number one, as to sin's condemnation
under the law. You're not condemned. We've been
talking about that all along. In Christ, I'm not condemned. He took my condemnation. In Christ,
I cannot even be charged with my sin. I have no debt to God's
law. I'm righteous. I'm not condemned. There's therefore now no condemnation.
Now, there are times in my moments that I feel condemned. Times
I even wonder if I'm a believer at all. But I know this, even
in those times, I can sing my favorite hymn, My Hope is Built,
on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I have nothing
good in myself to plead before a holy God to attain or maintain
or gain any of his blessings. It's all Christ. That's number
one. Number two. We can honestly say
from the word of God that sin does not dominate us as to its
remedy. You see, religion teaches men
to try to find a remedy for sin. Psychology, positive thinking,
baptism, walking an aisle, saying this, repeating this. Hey, I've
already found the remedy for sin. It's already a done deal. It's Christ and him crucified.
It's his righteousness. Listen, I'm not under the dominion
of sin as to attaining righteousness. I already have one. It's complete.
It's perfect. It's eternal. It's unchangeable. It's given to me and it can never
be taken away. We have the righteousness of
the law in Christ. So I'm not condemned. I've already
found the remedy for sin. Even in my struggle, my warfare,
it's looking to Christ, isn't it? Resting in Him. And then thirdly, turn to 2 Corinthians
4. We can honestly from the Scripture
say we're not under the denomination of sin, in this way, as to sin's
power of deception in spiritual death darkness and unbelief.
All right? Let me say that again. We're
not under the dominion of sin as to sin's power to deceive
me in spiritual death, darkness, and unbelief. Now, what do I
mean by that? Well, I'm alive in Christ. I'm
no longer spiritually dead. We've been raised from the dead.
That's regeneration. ruined by the fall, redeemed
by the blood, regenerated by the Spirit. And though I still have to fight
off a lot of deception, sin does not deceive me in such a way
as to keep me now from running to Christ and pleading His blood
and righteousness. Look at 2 Corinthians 4 and verse
3. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.
See, we're not lost now. We know the way. in whom the
God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe
not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus'
sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That's how sin
does not dominate us now. And he explains it back there
in Romans 6. Let me conclude with this. Look
here. When he says in verse 14, sin shall not have dominion over
you, then he explains it. How? For you're not under the
law, but under grace. That's how it does. We're not
under the law. If you're under the law, you're
cursed. You're free from the curse. Curse
of the law. Cursed is everyone that continues
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. Galatians 3. Christ bore our curse. Death. Christ took our death. We're
under grace. Grace reigns through righteousness.
His what then shall we sin because we're not under the law, but
under grace, God forbid, he says, knowing you know, you not that
to whom you yield yourself servants to obey his servants, you are
to whom you obey, whether of sin under death or of obedience
under righteousness. You're servants of righteousness,
how do you know that? Verse 17, but God bethink, you were the
servants of sin, you were dominated, you were in unbelief, but you've
obeyed from the heart. Now that's a new heart. That's
the regenerated heart. That form of doctrine, the teaching,
which was delivered to you or which you were delivered in,
being then made free from sin, not free from sinning, but free
from sin. You became the servants of righteousness.
What's a servant of righteousness? A disciple of Christ, a believer
in Christ. You see, that's the freedom that
we have. And it's freedom to serve in
newness of spirit and not in oldness of the letter. Now put
off the old man and his deeds and put on the new. Realize,
walk, act like what you are in Jesus Christ. All right. Let's sing hymn number 300.