Romans 188: Romans 6 - Are you dead to sin and the law?Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES a Christian Church Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…a worldwide Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark.
Are you ready?
Readiness always takes preparation. Preparation is an advance state of affairs by which you get things in place before they are desperately needed. For example, digging a well before you are thirsty. In the following parable, the Lord Jesus Christ warns the unbeliever to take advantage of the time. Matthew, Chapter 25, beginning at Verse 1…
MAT 25:1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.”
MAT 25:2 “Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.”
MAT 25:3 “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them…”
MAT 25:4 “…but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.”
MAT 25:5 “Now while the bridegroom was delaying, the ten virgins all got drowsy and began to sleep.”
MAT 25:6 “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’”
MAT 25:7 “Then all the prudent virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.”
MAT 25:8 The foolish virgins said to the prudent virgins, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’”
MAT 25:9 “But the prudent virgins answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’”
MAT 25:10 “And while the foolish virgins were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those prudent virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.”
MAT 25:11 “Later the foolish virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’”
MAT 25:12 “But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’”
MAT 25:13 “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”
We know how to be saved. Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 tells us…
ACT 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
There are many who put off the decision. The cares of life seem more important than this decision, but truly it is the most important decision you can make in this lifetime. It is a one-time decision, with a result that stands unchangeable forever. When you request salvation from God, He grants it, and you are saved for all time. John, Chapter 10, Verse 28…
JOH 10:28 …and I give eternal life (the ZOE life…the resurrection life) to believers in Christ, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
A God who never changes saves you, and He will never change His mind. And there is absolutely nothing you can ever do to get out of union with the Lord Jesus Christ once you are placed into union with Him by God the Holy Spirit. Ephesians, Chapter 5, Verses 15 to 17…
EPH 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise…
EPH 5:16 …making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
EPH 5:17 So then do not be foolish (like the foolish virgins), but understand what the will of the Lord is.
It’s the Lord’s will that all come to a change of mind about Christ.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
It is Well With My Soul
Let enjoy the opening song…IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL.
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful Heavenly Father for the privilege of studying the absolute truth...the Word of God…
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit...in Christ’s name... Amen.
TODAY’S STUDY Are you dead to sin and the law?
But first, few announcements…
BARAH MINISTRIES ANNOUNCEMENTS
Prayers Sue Halverson and Family Gordon is at home with the Lord
7:30PM on Friday night, April 17.
REMINDER Check In on Facebook Before Church Service
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There are nearly 3200 people that have signed up to be a part of our online community. Get your friends to join our on line community today. Our third ten-minute lesson posted to our Facebook community last week, God Cares for You, and it got over 6400 views. Bring your friends to the Barah Ministries Facebook page today!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Next Deacon’s Meeting April 25 7:30AM MST
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The Next Lord’s Supper Celebration Mother’s Day Sunday, May 10, 2015
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Visit the Vets April 19, 2015 1:45PM
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! No Face-to-Face Teaching May 3, 2015 July 5, 2015
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Coeur d’Alene Conference Coeur d’Alene, Idaho August 7-8, 2015
Barah Ministries Back on the Radio! KXEG - 1280 AM 9:30 AM on Sundays Lessons Begin April 26
FOURTH ALBUM on the WEBSITE June Murphy You Ran After Me
Happy Birthday Dana Youngs April 18
Thanks! Pastor’s Birthday Party
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
Let’s take the offering. This is the time when you get to make a sacrifice on behalf of all the people around the world that can’t afford to pay to study the Word of God. Your generous contributions make it possible for them to learn about the Lord Jesus Christ free of charge by means of internet teaching or by means of face-to-face teaching.
Let’s remember to give with the motivation suggested in Scripture
2CO 9:7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful (grace oriented) giver.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
Barah Ministries Financial Policy
Even though we are sanctioned by God to charge for the many things we provide so you can worship God, we choose not to exercise our right. Therefore no price appears on any material from Barah Ministries so that anyone who desires biblical teaching may have it free of charge.
Barah Ministries Financial Policy
Even though the materials we provide are free of charge, they are not free of cost. We appreciate it when the Word of God motivates you to give financial support so as to provide biblical teaching, both for yourself and for others. Please be generous in your support of God’s work through this ministry.
OFFERING VERSE
PHI 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
OFFERING Come thou Fount of Every Blessing
TODAY’S STUDY Are you dead to sin and the law?
We begin our transition into Romans, Chapter 7…let’s take a look at the first six verses…
ROM 7:1 Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?
ROM 7:2 For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.
ROM 7:3 So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.
ROM 7:4 Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
ROM 7:5 For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.
ROM 7:6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
Take a five-minute break and we’ll start our transition in to Chapter 7.
BREAK When I Think About Home
TODAY’S STUDY Are you dead to sin and the law?
We begin our transition into Romans, Chapter 7…and as we make this move, it might be a good idea to look at the structure of Romans between Chapters 5 and 8. Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 1 and 2 say…
ROM 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith (in the past), we keep on having peace with God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ (right now)…
ROM 5:2 …through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this sphere of grace in which we stand (right now); and we exult in the future hope (with absolute confidence) of the glory of God.
As a result of our justification by faith, we keep on having peace with God, which means that God has nothing against us. We can enjoy the peacefulness of this relationship with God, and we can relax in it.
Now if we skipped over Romans, Chapters 6 and 7…and picked up the thoughts of Chapter 5 in Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 1 and 2, we seem not to miss a beat…
ROM 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in union with Christ Jesus.
We have peace with God.
ROM 8:2 For the law of God the Holy Spirit of life in union with Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
We are free.
We are free from sin. We are free from the law. Romans, Chapter 6 stops to deal with the religious, who over focus on sin…we are dead to sin… Romans, Chapter 7 deals with the legalists, who over focus on the law…we are free from the law.
At the point of justification…at the point when we are saved, and God the Father is announcing our name throughout the halls of heaven as one who is justified, one who is declared righteous, the new believer in Christ, and many “career” believers in Christ have a difficult time coming to terms with their freedom. Their religious upbringing and their legalistic upbringing scream loudly at the freedom, so the believer in Christ turns to the flesh, and asks the flesh to stop sinning and to obey the law. But the flesh is not willing to do either. Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 17…
GAL 5:17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit sets it desire against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
The flesh in you is antagonistic toward God, antagonistic toward you, and antagonistic toward others. It loves sinning and it loves breaking the law. You have “friends” that remind you of the flesh…these are the people in your life who are inconsolable…they are run by the flesh, and there is absolutely no pleasing them. Rather than asking “the leopard,” your flesh, “to change its spots,” perhaps it would be a great idea for you to “to walk by means of the Spirit” instead!
Now let’s take a look at the first six verses of Romans, Chapter 7. We’ll pick it up from its connection to Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 14…
ROM 6:14 For sin shall not be master (a lord) over you, for you are not under the principle of law but you are under the sphere of grace.
You are free from the law. Romans, Chapter 7, Verse 1…
ROM 7:1 Or do you not know (are you ignorant?), (Jewish) brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the principles of law…the Jewish believers, not the Gentiles), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?
In human terms, death is the only way to get around the law. Funny, isn’t it, that we died to sin to break the law’s hold on us? Did the Lord know what He was doing? Now Paul illustrates the idea that death breaks the bonds of law by using a law that everyone is familiar with…marriage.
ROM 7:2 For (example) … the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living (until death do us part); but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.
Death is the only thing that breaks the legal bond. It frees you from one marriage relationship, and opens the possibility for you to enter a new relationship.
ROM 7:3 So then, if while her husband is living she is joined (married) to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.
So it is with all humans. When we are born, we are “in Adam” …thus we are married to Adam and all that goes with being in union with him, including spiritual death…we are set to die the second death. “In Adam” the only way we could be righteous is by keeping the whole law.
When we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we die to the relationship with Adam. We are free to enter a new relationship “in Christ” … and our relationship with Christ begins with a death, so that we can be free from the law. Remember Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 3?
ROM 6:3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into union with Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
Once we are free from the law, the Lord Jesus Christ provides our righteousness and our sanctification, the things that makes us holy. Romans, Chapter 7, Verse 4…
ROM 7:4 Therefore, my (Jewish) brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
ROM 7:5 For while we (Jewish believers) were in the flesh (unbelievers…which we no longer are because we are in the Spirit as believers), the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.
ROM 7:6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter (of the law).
The Jewish believers were in a struggle between law and grace, and this passage was stunning to them. Paul was telling them that they were released from the law that had bound them for over 1500 years.
It’s a truth they just weren’t ready for…are you? Are you dead to sin and dead to the law in your mind? We’ll learn more about this as we continue into the depths of Romans, Chapter 7.
The Promises of the Lord Jesus Christ are Guarantees!
ACT 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
JOH 14:6 Jesus said to doubting Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through believing in Me.
JOH 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life (the ZOE life); but he who does not obey the (command to believe in the) Son will not see (the Zoe) life, but instead the wrath of God the Father abides on him.”
CLOSING SONG I Can’t Disappoint You
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
THANKS INTERCESSION PETITION
And we pray that You continue to shape the messages from this pulpit that are an accurate reflection of Your unconditional love, Your person, Your thinking, Your work, and Your essence...we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit, in Christ’s name, Amen.
Thanks for coming! Thanks for watching! Thanks for listening!
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