Now again, we're looking at Romans
chapter 6 and I want to try to look at verse 12 down through
verse 18. If we don't get that far, we'll
always come back and take another hitch at it next week. I believe
the key to understanding this lesson here in Romans 6 and in
Romans 7, I believe one of the key verses here, verse 11, likewise
reckon, count it to be true, count it to be so. Reckon ye
also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin. dead, count yourself
to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God, alive unto God through,
not through the law, not through anything we do, through the Jesus
Christ who is our Lord. Believers indeed are dead to
sin, dead to the law. through the blood sacrifice of
the Lord Jesus Christ for us. He satisfied both the penalty
of the law and all the precepts of the law. The law has been
honored and Christ crucified. The penalty of the law has been
completely and totally satisfied. God says of the Lord Jesus Christ
of His righteous obedience, He is well pleased for His righteousness
sake. Isaiah 42 verse 21, The Lord
Jesus Christ has redeemed His people from the curse of the
law from the dominion and reign of sin. Likewise reckon you to
be true. Reckon this to be true. You are
indeed dead unto sin. The Lord has redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Take a look at
verse 14 of Romans 6, verse 14. For sin shall not have dominion
over you, for you're not under the law But you are under grace,
under grace, under Christ. The law was given by Moses, right? Grace and truth comes by the
Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, believers are alive
with Christ. We are in union with Him and
living in Him, living under the reign of His grace. That's what
I want to live. I want to live in Christ. Look
back at Romans 5 verse 21. That as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness. unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace reigns through righteousness. Now that is not talking about
our morality. That righteousness there is Christ. The righteousness that He established
for us and it's called an everlasting righteousness that we have in
Him. Being made free from sin's curse,
sinned punishment, sinned guilt, we are now set at liberty to
serve the Lord Jesus Christ. We're set at liberty. Believers
live under the law of love, His love. Now, which is a greater
motivator? The threatenings of the Mosaic
law, the threatenings and the punishments that the law The
law that thundered from Sinai, which is the greater motivator,
the threat to the law or the love of the Lord Jesus Christ?
I'll give you a very simple illustration in that. What binds a husband's
heart to his wife? Is it the law that you're married? I'm married to this woman. I
don't like it, but I'm married to this woman. You know, that's
the threat of the law. But what constrains a husband
to love his, to stay with his wife? What constrains a husband
to stay with his wife? Love. Love is a greater motivator. The love of Christ constrains
us. The husband loves his wife. Husbands,
love your wives even as Christ loved the church and gave himself
for it. That will cause him to remain faithful, true, obedient
unto the Lord and to his word. You see, love is the greater
motivator, isn't it? Not law, love, love, love. Believers are no longer seeking
salvation by the deeds of the law, right? All that brings is
seeking salvation by the deeds of the law. All that brings is
fruit unto death. Look at Romans chapter 7 verse
5. We're going to look at verse
4 in just a minute, but let's read verse 5. The motions of sin which were
by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. That's all the law brings. Guilty,
guilty, guilty. The guilty must die. The guilty
must be punished. The wages, it says here, the
wages of sin in verse 23 of Romans 6, the wages of sin is death. All the law produces, is an exposure
to our sin. Never puts it away. It never
brings us righteousness, justification, sanctification, or salvation. By the deeds of the law shall
no flesh be justified. But now, he says over here, Let
me just read it to you. 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 the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 3 verse 23. Isn't that
good news? You're looking at a sinner guilty
in Adam, guilty because of my own disobedience. You're looking
at a sinner and every believer in joy, a perfect, justifying
righteousness that's freely given to all who believe. That is the
good news of the gospel. Therefore, we're no longer going
about to establish the righteousness of our own, right? but rather
we have submitted unto the righteousness of God, which is the Lord Jesus
Christ. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness." This is Romans chapter 10. Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. He's
the end of the law. Are believers still living under
the law? Absolutely not. were under the
dominion and reign of Christ, His love, His mercy, and His
grace. He has redeemed us from the curse
of the law. Believers are alive with Christ
and living in union with Him. He is our husband and He is our
head. What is true of the body is true
of the head. Now look at Romans 7 verse 4
now. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
become dead to the law." He just keeps saying this over and over
and over again. Why does God the Holy Spirit
keep saying and repeating the same thing? Because we have such
a wicked tendency to think that we're justified by our personal
obedience to the law. If righteousness comes by the
law, then Christ is dead in vain. Wherefore, my brethren, you also
become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that you should
be married to another." That first husband is dead. We're
going to see that in Romans 7. That law is dead, satisfied,
dead, gone. "...that you should be married
to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we
should bring forth fruit unto God." Now you see the contrast
between Romans 7, 4 and Romans 7, 5? Fruit unto God or fruit
unto death. Now which one is better? All this flesh produces is fruit
unto death. fruit unto God being one with
Christ. I thought of this verse here
in John 15. Let me read it to you. The Lord said, I am the
vine, you are the branches. He that abided in me, he's our
husband and our head. And I in him, the same bringeth
forth much fruit. But without me, you cannot do
anything. Without me, you can do nothing.
But what is the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, meekness, temperance, and the last thing he mentions
is faith. Those nine things. Faith. Faith is a gift of God. Now, sin has no more dominion
over him, right? He is exalted to the right hand
of God. And sin has no more reign or dominion over us in him. There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that brings
us to verse 12. Let not sin, therefore, reign
in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lust thereof. Let not sin reign. Does a believer live in the flesh? I'm a fleshly man. Does a believer
live above sin? Some folks think that. Some folks
think that they live above sin. They say, well, I used to be
a sinner, but I'm not anymore. I'm living above it. That's not
reality, is it? I'm a sinner saved by God's grace. In our fleshly body, sin does
remain, right? That which is born of the flesh,
what is it? Flesh. In our fleshly body, sin
does remain, but now here's the key, sin no longer reigns as
Master and Lord. We're under new management. Christ
reigns. Christ in you is a hope of glory. But we cannot deny that sin does
not remain in our flesh, right? It's a flesh we're not sinful.
It would never grow old, it would never get sick, and would never
die. Matter of fact, when we're regenerated,
if the flesh is perfect, it would just get more perfect. But that's
not so, is it? The flesh is flesh, but if it
were not sinful flesh, it would never grow old, it would never
get sick, it would never die, but we know when sin is finished
with this body, it brings forth death. The flesh therefore is
never sanctified, The flesh is never made holy. It's our spirit
that's made whole. It is our spirit that is raised
up from the dead. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh. That which is born of the spirit
is spirit. Man is body, soul, and spirit. And we're complete in Christ. Now, when sin is finished with
the flesh, It brings it to the grave, to the grave, to the grave. Look right across the page at
Romans 7. I woke up early this morning
around 3.30, 4 o'clock, and always on Sunday morning I start preaching
to myself because I'm trying to get ready for the day. And
this statement kept ringing over and over in my mind, Romans 7.24. Oh, wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from this body of death? This body of death. That's what this flesh is. It's
the body of death. One day we'll put it in the ground. One day we'll be done with it.
One day we'll be delivered completely from the body of this sinful
flesh and we'll go to be with the Lord. to be absent from this
body, and that's what happens in death. There's a separation
of our soul and spirit from the body. The spirit goes back to
God who gave it. Sin does remain in this flesh,
but by the Lord's restraining grace, it does not reign over
us. We are kept by the power of God
through faith. Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ,
reigned over us in love, Sovereign love, He reigns over us in mercy. Sovereign mercy, I'll have mercy
on whom He will. And He reigns over us with, aren't
you glad He is much long-suffering? I think of that verse that's
so, so misused by so many people, 2 Peter 3, 9, where they say,
well, God's not willing that any should perish, but all should
come to repentance. Well, they quote half the verse.
You know the first part? That's what I usually tell people.
Do you know the rest of the verse? The Lord is long-suffering to
usward, His elect, His people, not willing that any of those
should perish, and they won't. All that the Father giveth to
me shall come to me, and those that come to me I will in no
wise, no way, no how, ever cast them out. John 6, 37. The believer's
desire, being made a new creature in Christ, is to obedience unto
the Lord. That's obedience to His Word,
obedience to His command to believe the gospel, obedience to His
command to repent and believe the gospel. If any man be in
Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold,
all things have become new. New in Christ. Now look at verse
13. Let not sin therefore reign in
your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lust thereof."
Now, do believers still have lusts? If you say, I don't have any
lusts, you're dishonest. We're going to talk about that
in the message this morning, about covetousness, which is
called idolatry. But we all still have sinful
lust. I wish I didn't. Someday I won't,
but right now, this flesh is still flesh. Now, look at verse
13. Neither yield, yield. I still
have lust, and I pray that the Lord doesn't that He restrains me, that I
don't yield to those lusts. Neither yield ye your members
as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin." Unrighteousness unto
sin. Now, there's unrighteousness
here that is mentioned, and there's righteousness that is mentioned.
But yield yourselves to God. Yield yourselves to God as those
that are alive from the dead. We've been raised up from the
dead to walk in newness of life. Remember, down here in Romans
6, verse 4, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by
the glory of the Father, even so we should also walk in the
newness of life as those that are alive from the dead and your
members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Now, let's take a look
at this. This word here that is mentioned
in verse 13, yield, is the exact same word that's given here in
Romans 12. Turn there. And it's rendered
in other places the same way. Romans 12, verse 1, I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God. Now, notice he's
motivating believers He's motivating, he said, I beseech you therefore
by the law of God. It doesn't say that, does it?
By the mercies of God, that you present your bodies, that is
yield, same word, present, yield your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. It's only reasonable for a believer
to bow in submission to the will of the Lord, and to serve Him
out of love. And be not conformed to this
world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God." What is the will of God? To believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ. He says that in John chapter
6. Verse 40, Believers being under
the dominion of grace do not desire to yield their mortal
or fleshly bodies as instrument unto unrighteousness, unto sin. That is, don't let sin take advantage
over you that you would obey it in the lust thereof. Now,
I've got a couple of Scriptures written down, but let's turn
and read this one here, found in Titus chapter 2. Paul encourages
us, by the Spirit of His grace, turn to Titus chapter 2, that
you put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new
man which is created in righteousness and true holiness, Ephesians
chapter 4. But look at Titus chapter 2.
For the grace of God, verse 11, that bringeth salvation, it's
the grace of God that bringeth salvation, that hath appeared
to all men, that is, all sorts of men, young, old, Jew, Gentile,
bond-free, teaching us, here's what the grace of God teaches
us, teaches us, denying ungodliness, worldly lusts, that we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world,
looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our
great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that
he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar
people, a purchased people, zealous of good zealous of good works. We are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them. Now, I'm all for, I'm all in
on morality. being a moral, upright person,
never bringing reproach upon the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, but never to be sanctified, never to be justified, never
to be saved. My good works, I don't have any
in and of myself. They're only good as they are
done in the will of God and washed by the blood of Christ. But my
morality or my goodness never recommends me to God, nor does
it ever remove the wrath of God from us. Verse 13, the last part,
"...but yield yourselves to God as vessels of righteousness,
or to righteousness, instruments of righteousness unto God." What
do instruments of righteousness do? What does the instruments
of righteousness do? Here's what it does. It always
looks to the Lord Jesus Christ for all of salvation, looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews chapter 12. but yield
yourselves unto God, that is, submitting unto the righteousness
of God, as those that are alive from the dead, and you remember
that instrument of righteousness, that is, always looking to Christ. That's what saving faith does.
4, verse 14, Romans 6, 14. for, or the word can be rendered,
because sin shall not have dominion over you. He keeps repeating
that and repeating that. Why does he keep repeating it?
Because we need to hear it. Sin shall not have dominion over
you. Now, who is he talking about
here? Talking about those that have been raised up from the
dead. Sin has no more dominion over
the Lord Jesus Christ, does it? He's enthroned in glory. And
sin has no more dominion over those in Him. For sin shall not
have dominion over you, for you are not under the law. Not as a means of justification,
not as a means of sanctification. A lot of people have stuck in
their mind, well we're justified at Calvary, Mount Calvary through
the sacrifice of Christ and then we run to Mount Sinai to be sanctified. That's not so. I'm justified
in Christ, I'm sanctified in Christ, He's made me wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification and redemption. You see, He is
everything. Sin shall not have dominion over
you, for you are not under the law, but under grace, grace,
grace. Sin shall not have dominion over
the believer, because we're under the reign of grace, the reign
of the gospel, justified in the Lord Jesus Christ. By the one
offering, he perfected forever them that are sanctified. You
remember Romans 3, 24? I told you it was one of my favorite
verses in the book of Romans, but how can you have a favorite
verse? They're all favorite verses, aren't they? But Romans 3, 24, It just speaks a special blessing
to His people being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who seek
any part, any part of salvation by the deeds of the law are under
the reign and dominion of sin and under the curse of the law. The Apostle Paul deals a lot
with this when he writes to the Galatians. He said to those Galatians,
he said this, he said, tell me, you who desire to be under the
law, do you hear what it says? You who desire to be under the
curse and dominion of the law, do you hear what it demands?
And then back in Galatians 3 verse 10, he said, cursed is everyone
that continueth not in all things which are written in the book
of the law to do them. So the law doesn't demand the
best you can do. The law demands perfection or
death. The Lord Jesus Christ died under
the curse of that law for us and put sin away. Now look at
verse 15. What then? Someone would say,
what then? We're not under the law, but
we're under grace. The restraints are set free to
sin. What shall we say? What then? Shall we sin because we're not
under the law, but under grace? God forbid. I sin more than I
want to, don't you? Believers never are looking for
an excuse to sin. I'm looking for grace to obey
God and believe the gospel. Shall we sin because we're not
under the law, but under grace? God forbid. The same argument
was made, you remember back in verse 1. What shall we say then? When Paul declared, through the
obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ, we're justified, we have a justifying
righteousness through the obedience of Christ. What then? What shall
we say then? Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? God forbid. Same answer. God
forbid. Now look at verse 16. We at all
costs want to avoid any sin against God and bring honor to Christ
by living unto his glory, and this is the motive for all that
we do, his glory. David said, Not unto us, O Lord,
not unto us, but unto Thy name. Give glory for Thy mercy and
for Thy truth's sake. Jeremiah said, Let not the wise
man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his
might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. But he that would
glorieth, let him glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth,
Me, that I am the Lord, which exercise loving-kindness, judgment,
and righteousness in the earth, in these things I delight, saith
the Lord." Now, look at verse 16. "'Know you not that to whom
you yield yourselves, servants to obey his servants, you are
to whom you obey? Now here's the contrast, whether
of sin unto death or of obedience, that is, submission unto righteousness. Now notice it doesn't say obedience
to salvation. It says obedience to righteousness,
and there's a difference, big difference. Sin unto death, sin
unto death. To whom does a believer live
and serve, yield and obey? Sin and the death, that is seeking
salvation by the deeds of the law, by your personal goodness,
doing that, we're enslaved and in bondage to sin and self-righteousness. Or obedience unto life, excuse
me, obedience unto righteousness, not life, obedience unto righteousness. The only righteousness that the
gospel of Christ reveals is that righteousness which is of God. Why, Paul said, I count everything
else lost, dung, and ruined, that I may win Christ and be
found in Him. But God be thanked, verse 17,
but God be thanked that you were dead in sin, servants of sin,
but you have obeyed from the heart, from the heart, salvation
is a heart work, that form of doctrine, the gospel, which was
delivered unto you. God gave you faith to believe
the gospel. Notice it's doctrine singular. The form of doctrine is the gospel
of God, the doctrine or testimony of God concerning Christ. Being
then made free from sin, you become servants, servants to
Christ who is our righteousness. Now, we'll pick up there with
verse 18 next time. You shall know the truth, and
the truth shall set you free. Okay, may the Lord bless His
Word.