Good morning. Good to see you. If you’ve got a Bible, go ahead and get it out and go with me to Romans chapter six. I’m going to get there in just a moment. We’re going to actually finish chapter six here this weekend, and it’s exciting to do that. We’re going to take several verses, and you’re going to see why we’re taking so many time here in a moment. The title of this message is “A 60,000 Foot View” (Romans 6:15-23). What we’re going to do as we finish the sixth chapter of Romans. We’re then going to back up a little bit, a lot, and we’re going to look at the piece of the remainder of the peak of sanctification. You know, Romans has these five peaks, and we call it like a mountain range, and the next one after sanctification is actually the illustration. And so we’re going to look at that just a piece of it, why it’s there, and then something in application as well, so that we see the overarching message of what Romans is communicating, what Jesus has accomplished, how we’re in on it, and how we cooperate with it. Okay? And so that’s what we’re going to be about. So I’m going to read, I’m going to start in verse 14 of Romans, chapter six, just so we have a little bit of the context. There is no way to go back and do enough review if you’re new to the series. But what you can do is you can go online or get the app, and you can listen to those foundational messages. It is helpful beyond measure to your discipleship that you understand everything that’s been covered in these first six chapters. Moving forward, it’s vital, oftentimes these verses are misunderstood. We’re going to cover one of those in detail here this morning as well. That will really help some of you that were probably raised in church and maybe misunderstood a piece of Romans six.
So let’s start here. Romans 6:14-23 six start verse 14, and I’m going to go all the way through 23, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law, but under grace.” And we covered this last week and a few weeks before, just talking about the same thing, the will is at war, and you’re either going to choose to stand in pride and try to change your own life, or you’re going to humble yourself and come under the throne of grace to find mercy and grace to help in time of need. We’re not under the law. We’ll never find enough help there. There’s none. It just shows us what’s wrong. But we are under grace because of what Christ has done. Then verse 15, it sounds like a familiar question, because we saw a question like it in Romans 6:1 chapter six, verse one, “What then, are we to sin because we are not under law, but under grace? By no means!” This sounds like the same question is being asked as verse one in the same chapter where he says, “Are we going to continue in sin?” Continue. Epimeno. Are we going to live there? Is that our home is that our home planet? Is that our nature? No. In chapter one, he’s talking about your nature. In chapter two, he’s talking about individual sins. In fact, the grammar here is interesting. This is the aorist subjunctive in the Greek this word right here, that’s the verb aorist subjunctive. That means individual in the past. It was present subjunctive. And that’s talking about sin in general. So he’s saying, Okay, so we’ve been forgiven. Jesus has done the work. We’ve been cleansed. We’re not under the law. We’re under grace. So what about occasionally, if I just want to, kind of, you know, sin a little bit, you know, get out there and just choose to, well, what is he saying? That’s not possible, no. But what he’s saying is no, no, God forbid, by no means. And then he makes these following statements, which you’re now going to understand the context of. Verse 16, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves. You are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death or of obedience which leads to righteousness.” Now this word “present” means to stand beside. It’s the picture of a waiter. If you’ve been to a good restaurant, a high end restaurant, the waiter will often stand there and wait for you to act. If you ask for something, they’re right there even before right. Your glass is empty and they’re right there taking care of it before you ever have to let them know. That’s what this is, this statement.
Now here’s the problem, if you misunderstand this statement, if you misunderstand verse 16, you’re going to put law on people, and I want to prove it to you, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve had someone tell me the way that they were counseled related to a sin in their life that they had trouble overcoming. And it would go something like this. They would go to a pastor, and they would say, “Pastor, I’m really struggling with blank.” Right? You know, I cheat at board games, whatever.” That makes it easier, doesn’t it? And so the pastor will say, “Well, let me show you something. And Turn in your Bible to Romans, chapter six, and now come here to verse 16.” And then they’ll present it this way. This is an incorrect way. I’m going to prove it to you. And they’ll say this, “Do you not know that if you present your. Selves to anyone as obedient slaves. You are slaves of the One to whom you obey. Whether of sin which leads to death, you’re going to die if you keep doing, keep cheating a monopoly, or of obedience which leads to righteousness, righteous people don’t cheat at Monopoly. Now, do you want to die? Don’t you be a slave to that sin. Don’t let your sin.” That’s not what that means. In fact, when you do that to someone, what you’re telling them is self improve, make better choices, and you won’t ever have to die. Well, how many of you know you’re going to die? You know that human mortality rate still at 100% were you aware? Right? It doesn’t matter. Now, I think you should try to live a healthy life. If you can, be strong for the glory of God and the good of people around you, that’s good. But how many of you know, no matter how outwardly good you behave, you’re still going to die. I don’t care if you’re one of these super healthy people, and by the way, I only pick on you because I’m jealous, but you’re healthy, and you run, and you eat great, and you know you don’t eat beef. You eat beef substitutes, which never is beef, and you eat kale all the time. And you have all the essential oils. My only essential oil is motor oil. I need it for my truck. But you’ve got essential oils, and you got all these details down. I feel like people who live that proper which is nothing wrong with it, actually, I’m jealous, but someday they’re gonna be laying on their deathbed, dying of nothing. They’re gonna be wondering, “What is going on. I did everything right.” The death he’s talking about here is eternal death. I’ll prove it to you in a moment. Talking about eternal death. What he’s trying to say is this, you’re not a slave of sin anymore. You are a slave of righteousness. How do we know? Because we don’t just read that one verse by itself. Keep reading. Let’s look at the next verse. You’ll see it, but watch this. “But thanks be to God (I want you to notice it doesn’t say, But thanks be to your right choices) But thanks be to God that you, who were once slaves of sin.” Now “were” is what we call past tense. Is that right? You know what I’ve learned. So I’m in my almost in my 40th year of studying the Scripture. I got saved at 19, and started off had a pastor that didn’t give me an option, right? You study the Bible if you’re a disciple. And that’s what I started doing. And what I found over that length of time is that the problem with most people understanding the Bible, especially in America, is not that they don’t speak Greek or Hebrew, it’s that they don’t really understand English, right? This is past tense. “Thanks be to God that you who were once slaves of sin. (He’s not telling you don’t do it. He’s saying you’re not it you who were once slaves of sin have become, become what? Watch this) obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.” This is very important language here. Let me read it again. “Thanks be to God that you, who are once slaves of sin, (that’s in your old nature), you have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.” Now let me just make a couple comments. This is talking about regeneration. That’s when you were saved. Something changed in your heart, and it was because there was a “standard of teaching”. We would call that the gospel. This is the gospel. It’s a full council of God, the person and work of what Jesus has accomplished and you’ve received that by faith, says you, from the heart, “Became obedient to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.” This word “committed” is very important, because it’s not talking about you being committed. It’s talking about you being, kisten to me, hand it over to it. In fact, if you have an LSB Legacy Standard Bible, the LSB version, it literally says to the standard of teaching to which you were handed over. In other words, it’s what God gave to you, not the commitment you gave to God. This is a “Thanks be to God that though you were once slaves of sin and become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.” In other words, God did it. It’s the second person plural, if you read it in the Greek, this is the literal Greek I’m going to read. I’ll put the words in the order for English to understand. This is the literal Greek quote “The form of doctrine into which you were delivered”. “The form of doctrine into which you were delivered.” In other words, you found yourself believing what the Bible says that is a supernatural gift. Did you know that if you believe the Bible is authoritative, inerrant and sufficient? The Holy Spirit did that in you. It wasn’t your commitment. It was something that God did.
In fact, I want to read you a quote by Dr Kenneth Wuest. Now he was the Greek scholar at Moody Bible Institute in in Chicago, mid 40s, well, late 20s, all the way to late 40s, and just a top notch Greek scholar gave his whole life to this. He’s a tremendous asset to those that study the language, because he understands antiquity, what it was like, what the words meant in the Koinonia Greek in the modern era, so to speak, when the Bible was actually being penned. Here’s his comment on this. I’m going to read it to you. He says this, “In salvation (that’s at regeneration, right?) God constituted the believer according to this chapter (one through 14, what we already read) inwardly, so that he would react to the doctrines of grace by nature, that is the divine nature, in such a way as to receive and obey them. (So it’s an inward change that was granted to you.) We were delivered into the teaching, into that we were constituted in salvation so that we would obey it. (Now that doesn’t mean perfectly, but it means that’s why you would want to). Paul, thanks God, that whereas before salvation, we were slaves to the evil nature, we were in salvation, delivered or handed over (paradidomi is the Greek word. It means to hand over) to the teaching of grace, so that we become slaves of righteousness.” And then he gives his translation. He actually wrote a New Testament translation, the Wuest translation. It would do you well if you picked one up. Here’s the translation in the Wuest quote, “But God be thanked that you were slaves of the evil nature, but you obeyed out of the heart as a source, a teaching type into which you were handed over.” I want you to see that this is talking about who you are. It is your identification. This is not a “you should” this is a fact that took place in the past. Oftentimes, what I find is that people that, even people that believe in God’s sovereignty, and they believe in God’s, we call it monergistic regeneration. Monergistic mono is one ergonomic GISTIC that’s the root of that one actor, one person doing the work that people get saved because of one person working, and that’s God does all the work, and that we don’t cooperate that until after we’re born again, right? But even people that believe that sometimes carry it in in a different way into their sanctification, they tend to see it this way. “Well, yes, God saved you. He did all the work in Christ. And yes, the Holy Spirit raised you from the dead, but now that you’re regenerate, get to work.” As though God gave birth to you and then left you to your own devices. Hope you can work it out. Now which of you mothers would ever do that you give birth, take the baby, set it in the crib. “Good luck. I’d get a job if I were you. Economy’s tough.” Well, God’s a better Father than you are a mother or we are fathers aren’t? Yeah, He’s better than us. So what does He do? He takes us and He raises us, and He encourages us, and He builds us up, and He changes our hearts progressively more and more over time to where we love Him more and we hate sin more. See, He doesn’t abandon us to ourselves. Is it synergistic? Yes. Do we play a part? Yes, we do. Is our will at war? Yes, it is. Do we need to choose humility instead of pridefully trying to keep the law? Yes, we do. But God’s the one that gets the glory, because He’s the one that’s performing all the real work. He’s the one actually doing it.
He goes on verse 18 and says and watch this past tense again, “And having been (past tense) set free from sin, you’ve become slaves of righteousness.” Now you might be here and you’re saying, “Oh, this dude doesn’t know that sometimes I don’t behave like a slave of righteousness.” I do know that. And by the way, I have to look at someone, so I’ll look at you. Yeah, right. I understand you’re not perfected yet. I get it. You struggle with sin in your members. And we’ll dissect what that looks like and why, when we pull apart Paul’s explanation of it in chapter seven. But that’s not what this is talking about. This is talking about a new nature in you that wants holiness, truth, the presence of God, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That is the kingdom that new affections and desires have been put into you. It’s a change. And to see what He’s done and to see what He’s accomplished, that’s what generates the love that creates the outward way better than the law ever will. That’s why you don’t need to be beaten upon. You need to be told you’re loved more and more and more, but proven in the scripture, and not just because God has some passive love and He just allows you to do whatever His love is real and wants what’s universally best for His glory and your joy. That’s how committed to you He is for His glory, you have been made a slave of righteousness.
Now he makes this statement verse 19. He says this, okay, “I am speaking in human terms.” In other words, I’m going to give you a human illustration, and it’s the illustration of slavery. And he says, I’m doing it “Because of your natural limitations.” In other words, you have weaknesses in your flesh. That’s the King James Version. I’m talking to you like this, so you can understand, because if he used the words in in the level, I would say in the intensity that he received them. I don’t think we can get our heads around it. So God is being merciful to us, and He’s giving us the example. Are you going to be a slave or servant of this? Slave or servant of that? Well, you’re in your identity. It’s already been switched. You’re not a slave of sin. That’s past tense. You are current tense, right? Present tense, a slave of righteousness. And here’s the illustration, “For just as you once (that’s past tense), presented your members as slaves to impurity and then lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness. So now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to (what? this is the action you’re a part of) sanctification.” This is the difference. You’re not a slave of the one. So present your members to the other. Here’s the thing, only a Christian can choose this because only a Christian would want to. When someone is born again, their will becomes free to now love God and choose him, choose what he wants. No one believer can do that. They cannot. Why? Because they will not. They don’t want it. It’s distasteful. They want autonomy, independence. They want their own way. They don’t want a God telling them what to do, but when someone’s born again, they have new affections, new desires. And what is he saying? Yield your members to the one you’re actually a slave to already. It’s in other words, let me say it this way. Be who you are on the inside and live it to the outside. Right? Don’t be conformed to the outward. Be transformed. We catch that later in chapter 12, we’re actually going to get there, believe it or not.
Verse 20 “For (here’s the “for” reason) for you (past tense) were slaves of sin. You were free (“you were free” in regards to what?) righteousness.” When you were unsaved. You were free in regards to righteousness. In other words, what? You couldn’t do it. You had no righteousness. You couldn’t do righteousness before God. You had no desire to do it. Verse 21 “But what fruit were (that’s past tense) were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.” What death? This is eternal death. Eternal death. “And the things you were ashamed”, how many of you can look back on your unsaved days and go, “Yeah, there’s some stuff, man.” Some of you can look back on your saved days. And by some of you, I mean all of you, all of us. I don’t want to say “you” want to say “us” like, “Ah, did it again. There I was not trusting. There I was seeking my own will.” And you look back and you see those things, but this is talking about before salvation. See that before you were saved, because those things is death. What he’s not saying is this, if you choose to sin, you’re going to face eternal death. That’s not true. That’s not true. Now you do have a problem. And if you belong to the Lord, He’s going to discipline you. And if somebody runs headlong, unrepentant, ongoing and we know that’s not the fruit. We know what that is. That’s not a believer. He’s talking to Christians. You once did these things resulting in death. And here, once again, this is not talking about physical death, because everybody’s going to die. This means eternal death. So don’t get that convoluted. He goes on in verse 22, “But now that you (past tense) have been (did you know you’re a “has been”?) but now that you have been set free from sin and have become (you’re already that) slaves of God. The fruit you get leads to sanctification (that’s what you’re in right now) and its end (is what?) eternal life.” See there? He talks about life, eternal life as the converse to eternal death.
Okay, so here is the argument. God has already done something, he’s changed you from the inside out, and now what you’re to do is walk that out, because that’s who you really are. That’s where your affections are actually pointing. And do you have a struggle in your members? Is there still sin in your members? Yes, we’re going to talk about that in length and detail, and you’ll understand what the Bible says means and how it applies in the finished work of Christ to that battle, because Paul goes into detail in chapter seven. But that’s not this yet. This is speaking of your identity. Now, that is the second to last verse of chapter six. Now there is another verse, please don’t bring it up yet. Okay, not gonna bring it up yet. But there’s one more verse, and it’s eight. It’s Romans 6:23 chapter six, verse 23 and this verse has, generally speaking, throughout probably the last 200 years, been ripped out of its context and used exclusively for evangelism. Now listen to me, there’s nothing wrong with using Romans 6:23, for evangelism. Nothing wrong. Does it apply? Yes, but in the context. It’s not evangelistic. In the context, he’s speaking to Christians who are in the discipleship process. Would you agree? That’s what we’re in the middle of. Because again, it says slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification, and it’s in eternal life. Look at the very next verse. Here it is. What does it say? “For the wages of sin is death, but (the what?) the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” Now, why is that there? He’s reiterating the fact that you had a wage coming, and it was death. Jesus paid that, but what you got in salvation, you did not pay for. You could not afford it. Jesus paid for it, and it’s a free gift. He’s reiterating this. Why? Because what Jesus has done for you is the fuel of love that will result in you walking out your sanctification. You don’t need to be beat over the head by the law in order to see growth in that. The law beats you over the head to get you to see that you can’t be righteous and you need a Savior. It leads you, the Bible says, like a tutor to your Savior. But once you’re there and you’re under grace, where are we to walk? Are we to let the law beat us up? No, we want to walk up rightly, because we know that the law is the way that we walk out things that are pleasing to God and loving to others, yes, but we don’t do that in the strength of our own power. That’s pride. We humble ourselves. That’s why it’s so good to finally hear that. “The wages of sin is death”. That’s right, that’s what we deserve, “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” Now in your Bible, in its original writings, every single book, it had no chapters. Okay? There were no chapters. Paul wasn’t sitting there, and then he goes, chapter seven. No, he didn’t do that. It’s all just one letter. And I have no problem with the chapters and the verses being inserted. Those are by men. Fine. It helps us find out where’s the address and we know where we are. It’s good. It’s great. But the problem between six and seven is you can lose the plot, because listen to me, nothing changes in his thought process. Between Romans 6:23 and Romans 7:1 seven one, “Wages of sin is death. Free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord, (the next word, look at chapter seven and verse one) Or do you not know brothers? (So he’s continuing the thought and he says), I am speaking to those who know the law, that the law is binding on a person only, as long as he lives?” Right? So what is he saying? God did something. You have a new identity. Don’t go to the law. The law won’t fix it. So it’s a life of grace. You’re not under law. You’re under grace. And now he’s going to talk to people who know the law, and usually people that know the law, they want to let you know that they know the law. “Well, you know what the third commandment is?” It’s great to quote the Ten Commandments. But don’t say it like that, because you’re acting like you do it all the time. You say, “Well, I don’t murder.” Jesus said, If you’re angry with your brother in an unjust cause, in that sense, unrighteous, that you’ve murdered in your heart. Oops. “Well, I’m not an adulterer.” If Jesus said, If you lust in your heart one time you’ve done that, you broke one commandment, you broke it all. Can we stop with the pretense? But he says, “Those of you that know the law, you know the law is binding on a person as long as he lives?”
Now, what he’s going to do is he’s going to condescend now in chapter seven, and he’s going to give us an illustration of what of a married woman whose husband dies. Watch. Here’s the illustration, Romans 7:1-6 “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.” Two things, ladies don’t get any ideas. Some of y’all thought it didn’t you. Did. A woman told me one time she’d been married like 60 something years. She says, “I’ve never considered divorce, but homicide”. You understand the illustration? If a man dies, she’s released from from being a wife. Accordingly. Verse three, “She’ll not be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive, or whether, accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive, but if her husband dies, she is (what?) she’s free from that law, and if she marries another man, she is not an adulteress. (Why is he saying that? Here’s why. Look at that. Next verse), likewise so (this is like unto. It’s the illustration), my brothers, you also have died (past tense) died to (what?) to the law through (your own sacrifice? no) through the body of Christ.” You have died to the law, right? What Paul said in Galatians 2:20, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live. That’s that’s what he meant. You’ve died to the law through the body of Christ. Why He do that? “So that you may belong to another (that’s to Jesus, right) to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear (what?) fruit for God.” This is from a garden and not a factory. This is from a relationship, not a striving to get the law. This is from a humble pasture that receives more and more grace, not the pride of saying, “I’ve got this.” No, no, the Bible’s very clear. Let him who thinks he stands, take heed. What? Lest he falls. Yeah, it’s not our strength, because if you could clean you up, we’d all know about it, because you’d walk around and you’d tell us all about it. Y’all ever hear that Baptist church? They had a competition to see who was the most humble, and a guy won it, and they gave him a pin it said “Most Humble”, and they took it away next week when he wore it. Does that make sense? If you think you did it, you’ll look down on others who haven’t or who you think haven’t, and you will become a religious hypocrite, and you’ll have your head in the air “Well, you know, I just don’t you know?” No, no, no, no, no, no. It’s fruit, and it’s because of what he did. He goes on verse five, “For while we (past tense), we’re living in the flesh (that is unsaved), our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.” That’s eternal death. Verse six, “But now (this is a current condition of the believer) but now we are released from the law, having died (again, past tense), to that which held us captive, so that (look) we serve (how?) in the new way of the Spirit.” What would that be called? Grace. That’s grace. “And not in the old way of the written code.” What’s that? Another word for? The law. You see it? He’s still on the same track. He’s still saying the same thing. You’ve had a change of identity now. Live it out outwardly, be who you really are, and recognize what Jesus has done on repeat, that it goes from the head down into the heart.
Because I’m sure most people here could probably say something about the basic tenets of the gospel, right? Well, there’s God, and man is a sinner, and God gave His Son, He took our place in punishment, He gave us His righteousness. He rose from the dead, and one day, if you believe in him, you’ll live with Him forever in heaven. That’s good, and that’s good to be able to know that. But how many of you know? You knowing it up here doesn’t mean it’s all dripped down into your heart, where it raises itself up in what, in doxology, where all the doctrine you know is blooming out of you, thanks for God and love for Him. That’s not something you coax by emotion. You don’t need anybody up here to be like “You know. Come on, worship better.” That’s why we don’t have cheerleaders for worship? You know that you ever been to a church that has cheerleader worship? “Come on, everybody.” I’ve even heard this, “You can do better than that.” Oh gosh. What are you God? Can you see my heart? You got a guy standing out there like this, and his mind’s on the things of God. He’s singing those words, “Mighty fortress is our God.” Oh, man. Oh. He’s just it’s coming from his heart, but his face, it looks like grim death, because he’s happy, and he knows it, but he hasn’t told his face yet. But that’s his personality, and he stands there like this. He doesn’t need some kid in skinny jeans trying to get him excited. What he needs is theology to light the fire to where his whole being becomes in fuego, and it’s real! It’s real! Real. That’s why we don’t need a cheerleader because this does its work, and that’s why let’s live in the spirit that’s recognizing who Jesus is, what he’s done, and that the spirit is there, and you are living a life of grace. You can’t stop that disciple from worshiping all the time. Doxology just comes up out of him. It rolls into every area of his life. And it’s not just when you’re at church and you’re singing something or hearing the Word taught, and it’s not even when your Bible’s open. It’s look it’s when you sit down to that medium rare ribeye, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m praying for you, and you cut into that thing, and you’re like, Oh Lord, I’m thankful that you’re not a vegetarian. Mmm, oh, the marbling is perfect. It’s wagyu, or it’s prime. It’s cooked perfect. You got a potato, you got a really high quality glass of wine? Yeah, yes. Not booms farm, you bums. And here’s the great part, the unbeliever doesn’t know anything about this. The unbeliever their enjoyment of the steak and potato and the wine and the company terminates on the natural and that’s as far as the joy goes. It’s not even real joy. But for a believer, what do we say? “Thank You, Lord, like really, You provided these things for me.” Look at this and it rolls itself up into doxology. You say, “Wait, that’s worship?” Yes, it is. Now some of you guys are gonna go, “I’m getting steak tonight.” Well, if you do, man, don’t just pray a prayer of blessing at the beginning. Let everything that you do praise the Lord, give thanks in all things. This is what happens from the inside of someone who’s constantly saturated with the goodness of God and what He did in Christ. That’s verse six.
Let’s go ahead and look at the next peak. We’re gonna skip forward to the peak of illustration. See, here’s what happens salvation and justification happens in Romans. And then you go through sanctification in chapter seven, or rather, six, seven and eight. And then there’s three chapters of an illustration, nine, ten and eleven. Most churches don’t want to teach those verses because, you know, it’s God behaving like God, and people don’t like that, and He’s being sovereign, in other words, but what God does is He illustrates the way He’s sovereign in salvation and how our thankfulness should roll up to that through the illustration of the way He’s dealt with Israel. That’s chapters nine and eleven. If you haven’t understood that, you’re just gonna think that Paul just decides to teach on Israel. That’s not what he’s doing. We learn about Israel, but he’s actually pointing it back to us, because that’s how he finishes the book twelve through sixteen.
Let me show you just a smidge of it. We’re not going to go in detail of it under the peak of illustration. You watch and see if it follows the same kind of the same trend. Romans 9:6-8 chapter nine look at six through eight. First talking about Israel, and those that didn’t believe God. I love the pages turning. That sounds great. Verse six, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed, for not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.” In other words, not everybody who’s ethnically is actually the real Israel. Verse seven, “And not all children of Abraham, not all are children of Abraham, because they are his offspring. But ‘Through Isaac, shall your offspring be named.’ This means that it is not children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” Wo was the promised one? . I almost wrote Yeshua, that’s His name. Yeshua Hamashiach. Jesus the Messiah, the long awaited one, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the one who would sit on the on the throne eternally and the scepter would never depart. He who was prophesied in every type and shadow and by narrative, one way or another, either in Him or our need for Him, that all in your Old Testament He was to come. That is what he’s saying is true Israel. Staying with it. Go down to verse 14, Romans 9:14-16 “What shall we say? Then is there injustice on God’s part?” In other words, where does God get off making choices? I thought man had all the choices. Well, if you think that way, you believe man is sovereign. But in your Bible, God’s the one doing the choosing. “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!” Watch this, “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.'” Now some people will say, “Well, if God gives mercy to some, then He has to give it to everybody.” The Bible doesn’t say that. Now you might be here saying, “Well, my God does.” Your God’s not in the Bible, and he’s not the real God, because the real God said this. He said, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Why is this so important in the argument? Well, how does this connect? Because if you are in Christ, think of this, He put his love upon you. It’s of His choosing. It’s of His doing. What incredible good news that is. That should stoke a wonder and an awe as well as the love. Verse 16 says, “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy.” That’s true doxology. That’s chapter nine.
Here go to chapter 10. Let’s look at a few verses in here that kind of aim the same direction. Romans 10:3-4 chapter 10, verses three and four, talking about Israel again. He says, “For being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” In other words, “I don’t want to hear about the gospel because that makes me look weak and needy. I want to keep the law because then I can be self righteous and be prideful.” “Seeking to establish their own righteousness. They did not submit to the righteousness of God.” He goes on, he says, “For Christ is (what? he’s) the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” In other words, you won’t be under law. You’ll be under grace. He didn’t abolish it. He fulfilled it. And therefore we walk it out in a new and living when living way. Romans 10:16-17, verse 16, skip down to that speaking of Israel, still, he says, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, (this is the first chapter of 53) ‘Lord who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So then faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.” That’s how someone is saved. It’s not by righteous deeds. If it was by righteous deeds, you’d feel like He owed you something. If that was the case, you’d feel like you’re getting paid more when you do better, so to speak, in your sanctification, you’re not changing His love. This is part of the illustration. His faithfulness to Israel is a demonstration of His faithfulness to those who are His, and how are they His, because He chose them and He rescues them.
One last place, one last chapter, this is Romans 11. It’s the third chapter in that peak Romans 11:2-6 chapter 11, look at two through six. “God has not rejected his people whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel?” Now you remember, Elijah was a prophet, right? Everybody had turned wicked. He feels like he’s alone, and so he makes an appeal to God. Here’s the quote, watch closely, “‘Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left and they seek my life.'” Now they’re going to kill me. All the prophets are dead, all the altars are gone, and I’m the only one that misses the prophets, and I’m the only one who cares about the altars, and now they’re gonna kill me. What is he actually saying? “God, it’s over. I’m it. They’re gonna kill me.” Now what’s God’s response? Watch the sovereignty of God in action, verse four. “But what is God’s reply to him? (Here it is.) I (I) have kept for myself, 7000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.'” I have kept for myself, 7000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Do you understand how that applies? What God has kept for Himself? God has chosen, God has called, God has delivered, God has justified. God will keep and then they’ll bring forth that fruit. Think about this with me. God doesn’t commend 7000 men because they’ve somehow been faithful. What He says is, “I chose them and I’ve kept them for Myself. In other words, Elijah, you’re not by yourself. I’m going to have who are Mine.” Do you know that applies to the church today, doesn’t it? You’re like, “Oh no, it only applies to that time. It doesn’t apply to now.” Oh, okay. Oh, next verse. Sorry. “So too at the present time, there is a (wha?), there’s a remnant (that’s a people chosen), and they’re chosen by (what? they’re) chosen by grace.” And therefore, how do they walk it out? They walk it out by grace. People chosen by grace. You know you can go on, on the news these days, and you can hear people tell you that the church is dying. “Oh, church attendance is down,” and this great. Not as many people are gathering in some rooms, good, whatever. But let me tell you what, the church is not in jeopardy. You cannot kill something that will not die. Jesus builds His church. The gates of hell won’t prevail against it, and He has kept for Himself every single true believer. That is a solid joy. Why is that there in Romans? Because He’s driving the point home that He has accomplished it.
And what comes out of this theology is what? Doxology. Look at the very end of Romans 11:33-36, chapter 11, verse 33 through 36 “Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable his ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has become his counselor?” What’s the answer that pop quiz? No one. “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him, are all things to Him, be glory forever. Amen.” God started it, God kept it, God finishes it. That’s in the illustration. Okay? Now that’s the last verse in chapter 11. There’s no chapter breaks. What’s the next thing he says? It’s Romans 12:1 chapter 12 and verse one, and here it is, “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers.” Not beating you over the head. I’m making an appeal to you brothers, he’s calling them that, look, “By the mercies of God.” Based upon who He is, based upon what He’s done. That when you look at chapter one, and you see the condemnation you deserve, and you get to chapter five, you see the justification He’s provided. And you’re in six, seven and eight, and you see the guarantee of progressive sanctification. And then you go through nine, ten and eleven, you see there’s the illustration of what He does with Israel and how faithful our God is. “I beseech you, brothers, therefore, by the mercies of God that you do (what?) present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” This is the true doxology. It’s a life lived out of gratitude from the inside to the outside, not the other way around. I’m telling you, if you get this, you’re understanding Romans chapter six, and you will be the exception, not the rule. That’s not to puff you up, or me, or anybody like that. It’s for us to be able to say we understand what it actually means. Chapter five, He justified us. Chapter six, we walked us out in our sanctification, but still because of what He did and what He’s doing, and He’s faithful. He won’t change, and we’re not slaves of an old kingdom. He’s completely faithful. You get into Romans seven, you understand the wrestling we’re going to cover that. Romans eight, look at the guarantee nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. That’s how Romans eight ends. Nine, ten, eleven illustrated through Israel. Twelve starts out, and that’s application the last peak, twelve through sixteen. That’s where he says, “Do this. Don’t do that.” But it’s only after an ocean of indicative of what He’s accomplished.
First, let’s read our text again, and then I’ll pray. We’ll see if we see it with new eyes, I’m just going to read through it, Romans 6 :15-23, “What then are we to sin? Because we’re not under law, but under grace. By no means. Do you not know that if you present yourself to anyone as obedient slaves, you are a slave the one whom you obey, either of sin which leads to death or of obedience which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that you, who were once slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness, but what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed. For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” If you’re understanding that, you are understanding Romans chapter six, and may the Holy Spirit cause the seed of His Word to bloom in you and bring forth fruit 30, 60, and 100 fold.
KEYWORDS
Romans, Epimeno, Sin, Gospel, Salvation, Regeneration, Sanctification, Illustration, Grace, Law, Fruit, Obedience, Righteousness, Eternal Life, Doxology, Regeneration, Israel, Sovereignty, Discipleship, Present, Committed, Obedient, Slave, Kenneth Wuest, Paradidomi, Monergistic Regeneration, Synergistic, Eternal Death, Marriage, Theology, Doxology, Israel, Yeshua Hamashiach, Audio Sermon, Sherman Bible, Church,
SPEAKER
Steve LeBlanc