Hey, you look and sound great. Where am I? Is my mic on? Okay, hey, if you got a Bible, go with me to Romans chapter six. You guys are just like, “Just get to the text, dude.” It’s cool. I’m okay with that. Just to follow up on something that Pastor Matt told you about, that that process of them going through Cover To Cover is a two year process. And when they get through that two year process, what they do is they do it again. And so a child that’s been brought up in the children’s ministry at Sherman Bible, by the time they’re going into youth ministry will have gone through Cover To Cover eight times. No, is it right? 8-24, yeah, four times, sorry, in eight years, four times in eight years, Cover To Cover. They’re gonna understand biblical theology, and guys, we’re going to have to swim pretty hard to keep up.
The title of this message is “Baptized Into Christ” part 4 (Romans 4:4-6). This is part number four. If you’re new and you haven’t been keeping track of the series, I can’t encourage you strongly enough go back and listen to the messages that you missed. You’ve got to get it, because things are building line upon line, precept upon precept, is very important that you don’t get left behind in the series. That’s one of the it’s not a drawback, but it’s a difficulty in going through books of the Bible is people that come into the series somewhere in the middle often don’t have all that information, and so you’re going to need to go back and be a basically a noble Berean, if you will, from Acts right and look and hear what the scripture actually says and what it means. So when we say baptized, we’re in Romans chapter six. We’re not talking about water baptism. We’re talking about baptism into the spirit when you’re baptized, baptized into the body of Christ.
And so we’re going to pick that up here in Romans chapter six start, verse four, it says, “We were buried, therefore with him by baptism into death.” Now again, this word is simply means immersion. It could be immersion into a person. It could be immersion into a liquid. It could be immersion into an attitude. All those scenarios apply biblically. This is talking about your actual baptism when you were saved, that water baptism is an outward picture of that inward reality. That’s what Paul’s referring to when he says this is who’s the we here. This is believers in Christ. These are those who’ve been saved by grace, through faith, who have heard the gospel declared. Salvation has come by any works of man. It’s nothing you do. The gospel is an authoritative pronouncement, an authoritative news gospel. Evangelioni used the word there in the announcements. It simply means good news or a good decree. And so you don’t live the gospel, you don’t perform the gospel, you don’t do the gospel. You don’t demonstrate the gospel. There’s no such thing as that. You simply announce the gospel. It’s an authoritative historical truth of what God has done in Christ, Jesus to rescue sinners by sending His own Son in it, to die in their place and to live in their place, so that they could be righteous as he is. He takes what we deserve. We get what he deserves. How weird would it be if you turned on the news and they were trying to live out the news? Wouldn’t that be weird? You know, there was a house fire today and the news reporter sets the studio on fire, that’d be weird, wouldn’t it? Because he’s trying to live out the news. No, no, no, we live out the fruit of the Spirit. We don’t live out the Gospel. We just simply declare it, and that’s why we’re to be reminded of it consistently. So when he says this, he’s speaking to believers. And what I’m going to teach you today every single believer that supplies to you, bar none, there are no exceptions to these rules. These are God’s words, okay, we were buried with Him, therefore with him by baptism into death that covered that last week. In other words, the guilt is gone forever. It’s buried and gone. In order that I want you to notice this, in order that this took place so that something else would be made possible, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Now you need to understand this. This phrase right here is in the subjunctive in the Greek, it’s predicate subjunctive. So it’s saying something that’s going to set up the subjunctive. What is the subjunctive? Same as in English? It speaks of potential, something that is being said so that something else can happen. That’s what this is talking about. So when you read this statement in order, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life, this walk right here is not the focus the newness of life is this is the focus. And the focus of the newness of life is not something you do in this context, but rather something that has been done inside of you. This is the regenerative, regenerative work of the Holy Spirit giving you new life inside that, out of that, out of what God has worked in you will eventually walk out. This isn’t saying that you. Earn it. This isn’t saying that you keep it. This is an issue of new identity. Everything right here today and in these verses, is identity. That simply means you knowing who you are. I’m going to posit this to you. I know it’s true, and if you’ve been around church long enough, if you try to disciple long enough, you’ll figure this out. Most real Christians, even real Christians, they don’t know who they are yet. They just don’t. They’ve been confused for a long some of you for a long time. I say you, but you in general, not you, Third service.
Let me say it to you this way. There is no moral obligation in these passages right here, none. This is not telling you what to go do. This is not saying anything that you will do now, eventually, you will do it. You’ll take steps in obedience. You’ll walk out these good works that God has ordained for you, according to Ephesians chapter two. But that’s not what this is talking about. This is talking about the fruit. No, this, I’m sorry, this is talking about the root that leads to that fruit. This is what’s at root. If you miss this part, you’re going to think that Jesus died for you, yes, he was buried for you. Yes, he rose from the dead. And now, if you get on the stick and work your behavior good enough, then you’ll get what he deserves. That’s not how it works. Regeneration is a free gift, no moral obligation. This is speaking about the life that’s been imparted. Let’s keep going into verse five, you’ll start to count. Start to catch this. For if we have been united with Him now that if is since right, this is the conclusion, if we have been united with Him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united right with Him in what? In a resurrection like His.
Okay, let me explain something to you the context of this passage, and the essence of the language here is not talking about the resurrection of the body. Is it true? We’ll be resurrected in our body? Yes, that’s not what this is talking about. Again, we haven’t gotten to that. Yet, in what the apostle is saying, Salvation works in three ways. Okay, right? Spirit, soul and body. So this is how salvation works. A man or woman hears the gospel, the Holy Spirit regenerates them and gives them faith to believe and repent of their sin, they are born again in what their spirit that is their initial salvation. Then through the remainder of their life, they are being saved. They’ve been saved. Now they’re being saved, but saved where in their soul? This is a process called sanctification in your Bible that people go through from the time you’re born again to the time you either go to be with Jesus, or he returns, you are being saved spirit, then soul, and then finally, what at the return of Christ, the body raised from the dead, immortal, incorruptible. That’s, that’s, that’s how salvation works. And so when verse five says, We shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like his, this is speaking about spirit resurrection. If you are in Christ, you are a new creation. In other words, your dead spirit was raised from the dead. You’ve already experienced a resurrection. Spiritually speaking, you’ve experienced this. This is past tense. That’s what this is talking about. If you get this wrong, what you’re going to think is, well, I’ve got to work all this stuff out so that I can earn the resurrection. Nothing could be further from the truth.
How do you figure that your works will apply to your resurrection? Right? How does that work? You’re laying there. Your body is ashes, or maybe you drown. God forbid that you drown. But let’s say you become fish food, and all of your molecules are scattered all over where you know food goes in the ocean. And one day the resurrection takes place. What would you possibly do to raise yourself from the dead? What is your game plan? I’m just going to try real hard. No, you’re totally trusting in God’s faithfulness. You’re totally trusting spiritually speaking, it’s exactly the same condition here, when he says united, right here, it’s predictive of time, no of logic. One thing precedes the other.
Let me read you Kenneth Wiese quote. I’ll just read you this. The future aspect of these words we shall be is not that of a predictive future so far as time is concerned, but that of a logical future. The expression is defined by its context, the physical aspect of the resurrection, namely the glorification of our bodies, is not in the apostles mind here, for he’s writing in the context of sanctification and not glorification. We have to keep that in mind that we share in His resurrection. So if you’re a Christian, I’m going to tell you this, you have been raised from the dead, and you will be raised from the dead. Theologically speaking, we deal with with things like this, what is called the already and not yet. This is common if you ever study systematic theology with us, if we train. You to do that, you’ll understand what this means. You see it all through the Bible already and not yet. I can give you a couple of examples.
Let me put it this way, is Jesus Lord and King right now? Yes, He is. Is He Lord and King on the earth right now, yes, He is. Let me ask you this, is He Lord and King over every single person that’s on the earth right now, no, He’s not. He’s not. They will not submit to Him. Now, is he still Lord? Yes. Is he still king? Yes, but not over them. They won’t let him reign over them. They, they won’t submit to that King. So here’s how we explain that. It is already and not yet. There are some things that Jesus accomplished in his first coming. There are other things that He will accomplish in his second coming. He comes in His first coming, He comes as the Lamb, and He lays his life down. He comes as His second coming, He doesn’t come as the Lamb, Fam, that was cool how I said that. Oh, you’re awake now. Good, welcome to Sherman. Bible. No, He’s not coming as the Lamb again. He’s coming as the Lion that is the conqueror, that is the king, that is the one who will rule the nations with a rod of iron. You see already and not yet. You’ve already been saved. You are being saved in sanctification, and one day you will be saved spirit, soul and body. You’re delivered first and foremost, what? In salvation and regeneration, in your resurrection, from your spirit. You’re delivered from the punishment of sin. You’re being delivered from the power of sin. He’s working in you to change you through the word of God, and one day, you’ll be delivered from the very presence of sin in a glorified body.
Colossians puts it this way, so we can see it in the past tense. This is Colossians 2:12, having been that’s past tense, isn’t it? Yeah, having been buried with him in baptism. And by the way, that’s not talking about water baptism, it’s talking about your actual baptism into the body of Christ. That’s the context here. Having been buried with him in baptism, you were past tense, also raised there it is with Him through faith and the powerful working of God who raised him from the dead. Past tense, a true Christian is someone who’s already experienced a spiritual resurrection, just as you experienced the death of the old man, the burial of the old man, gone forever, the guilt forever buried. You’ve also experienced the resurrection. You are alive eternally in your spirit already, if you get this fundamental truth wrong, you’re never going to sort out your identity as a Christian. I guarantee it, you will let the world conform you to its image. And let me tell you what brothers and sisters, they want to do it. I’m telling you the world wants to tell you who you are. Here’s why. Because if they can tell you who they are, who you are, they can manipulate you into believing what you need. Did you know that? Did you catch that? That’s Madison Avenue’s whole job. That in Madison Avenue, by the way, that’s the whole that’s the advertising industry of the United States of America. First they want to tell you what’s broken about you so that they can give you the prescription. They want to convince you you’re ugly, and then they can sell you something to make you pretty. Or they want to convince you that if you take their product, you’re going to have a successful life. You’ll have a lot of money, or you’ll have a lot of sex. Have you ever noticed? You ever seen a beer commercial? Why don’t the beer commercials show people who drink a lot of beer? Look, I’m not anti alcohol, because the Bible’s not. I’m anti a lot of alcohol, right? People that drink a lot of beer. Do not have eight pack abs playing volleyball with a great tan. It just isn’t. Some of you wish it was that way. Don’t lie. You’re in church. You can’t beer yourself into six pack abs. But this is what the industry does. It lies to you and tells you who you are, and you find yourself believing their narrative. Listen, instead of God’s narrative that says who you actually are is a resurrected creature, born again by the Holy Spirit, adopted into the family, justified by blood, fully accepted and clothed in righteousness, that’s who you actually are, not the you that you see struggling in your mind, will and emotions, and not the you that you see physically in a body that is undergoing decay. Now, those of you that are under probably the age of math, 30-40, years old, you don’t believe me yet, but one day you will, if you live long enough, you’ll be like that crazy pastor. He was right. He told the truth. We need this in our identity. This is fundamental.
Ephesians two says it this way. Look at these three verses. But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead, right, spiritually dead in our trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ. That’s regeneration. Your real baptism, brought into the body of Christ by grace, you have been saved. And look what He did. And he raised us up with Him. He raised us up with Him. And what else did He do? He seated us with him in the heavenly places. Did you know if you’re a Christian, you are spiritually seated with Jesus Christ, with Jesus Christ in the heavenly places. Now you might be here being going, “Oh, I know where I am, dude. I’m on Lamberth. I’m in Sherman, Grayson County, Texas.” But the spiritual reality of who you actually are in Christ is right here, and you are not your own. You’ve been bought with a price. That’s the motive to glorify God with your body. But if you don’t understand this first, your fundamental identity is turned around, and someone, somewhere, somehow, is going to figure out a way to convince you of who you are. Instead of letting God’s word do it.
Look at 2 Corinthians 5:17, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that’s a regenerate person, that’s someone who has believed the gospel. You found yourself believing, and you have some love for the Jesus of the Bible, and you see some fruit in your life because he’s been working in you. That person is what is a new creation. The old passed away. New has come. Now you look at your life and you say, “Wait a minute, there’s a whole bunch of the old still in me.” Right? It’s there’s vestiges of your old nature. I get it. There’s still what chapter seven of Romans will call sin that dwells in your members, that is your physical body. That’s why this body’s going to die. Thank God we’re not taking these bodies to heaven. Aren’t you glad? Some of you smiled real big. The ones of you that didn’t, you’re in really good shape. I know you ran like 10 miles this last week. You’re like, I’m pretty happy with my body. I didn’t really see anybody do that. Is that is anybody? I don’t ask for show of hands. I want a new one. Yeah, and that’s what this is saying. You’ve been given a new spirit. You’re being given in transformation, not a conforming to the world, but being transformed by the renewing of your mind. We’ll get to that in chapter 12 of Romans, and one day you’ll have a glorified body. But this is who you are right now, the old man has passed away, and the new has come. What spiritually, a resurrection has taken place, and you’ve been seated with Christ in the heavenly places. It’s your fundamental identity, and for you to live any way other than that as a Christian, that’s hypocrisy, not you doing what’s right and having some ulterior motive you’re ashamed of. You are made to do the right thing in Christ, but that’s not how you get in Christ. I remember years ago, there was a guy that came to our church and he preached a message, and one of the things he kept saying was this. He kept saying, Not here, by the way, not at Sherman Bible, but he would always say this. He made the same statement. He said, do the right thing and God will bless you. Do the right thing and God will bless you. That is wrong. Nothing could be further from the truth. Listen to me. Here’s why Jesus did the right thing, and God will bless him. He is the only true Israel. He is the only true Jew. And if you’re in him, he did the right thing. That’s how we get blessed. All of the blessings of God are in Christ, Jesus, just as all of the curses from God. We’re taken in Christ, Jesus. You don’t get any blessing from God outside of Christ. Now there’s common graces everybody gets, but not the promises and covenants of the Bible. It’s always in Christ based upon what he did. That’s why we are a new creation. So when we see this clearly as an identity issue, we can put this together in the logical order that Paul gives it in Romans.
So I want to go backwards now. I want to go Romans chapter six again, and I’m just going to read and make a couple of comments on verses four through 11. You’re like, wow, we’re getting to verse five past verse five. Okay, you don’t think that third service too dumb jokes. Don’t kid with them. Here we go. Ready. We were buried, therefore with him by baptism into death, the guilt is gone forever, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. That’s that resurrection. This is this raised. We saw this for if we have been united with Him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with Him in a what, in a resurrection like his and we were now, will we have the bodily resurrection as well, yes, but that’s not what he’s talking about. Yet. It’s really wonderful how the Holy Spirit guided Paul’s logical mind to stay in context. He’s not hopping all over the place. He’s still speaking about what is indicative. It’s in the indicative mood in the Greek. It’s not in the imperative. It’s not. Now telling you, get out there and do this. It’s saying, This is what has been done. Oh, wouldn’t it be great if they changed the bracelet from W W J D, what is that? What would Jesus do to W D J D, what did Jesus do? That’s a better bracelet. And if you have the other tattoo, maybe you can get it changed. He’s already done this. We share in this resurrection. And he goes on. We know that our old self, what’s that? That’s the old nature that was in our forefather, Adam, was what crucified with Him. That’s what Paul meant in 2:20 of Galatians, I’m crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I, but Christ lives in me the life that I now live in the flesh. I live by faith, in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin. That’s just another way of saying the old nature, the old self. These are the same things might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Now, did you know this, a true Christian is the only person that has a truly free will. If you’re not a true believer, if you’re not born again by the Spirit, you have somewhat free will, but your freedom is in what kind of sin you’ll do. You can’t choose righteousness. Because you won’t choose righteousness doesn’t mean you can’t do a good deed, but it means you can’t do anything based on faith, whatever it was not a faith is sin, according to Romans. See, so a Christian has a true free will. We can choose what we’re going to do, whether we’re going to obey God or not, we’re free. Why?
Because we died. How do I know that I cheated and I read ahead to the next verse. This is verse seven, for the one who has died has been what set free from sin. You say, Well, I don’t walk that out. How? How can that be true about me? But I don’t walk it out because something has happened in the past that’s permanent. But now you are in a place of transition where you are. You are being sanctified, you’re being washed, you’re being changed through this life. You will not reach sinless perfection in this life. If anybody’s still breathing, they’re still in the process of sanctification, if they’re an actual Christian and listen, that includes you from Nazarene church. Okay, Nazarene church teaches that you can be perfected in this in this lifetime, you cannot. It’s not going to happen. You’re going to become more and more like Jesus. But perfection is not attainable. It’s the goal, but you won’t have that until you get the new body because of sin that dwells in your mind. In your members. He goes on in verse eight. Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him, right? When? When? Now. Now, it’s saying, in other words, if there was a death, there was a resurrection. This is speaking spiritually. It doesn’t mean to sweet by and by it’s true we’ll have a resurrected body. But that’s not the context of Paul’s argument. He goes on, we know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died. He died to sin once for all, but the life He lives, He lives to God.
Look at verse 11, finally, so you also must what consider yourselves. Consider yourselves as what here’s how you have to consider your identity, dead to sin and alive to God. This is the crucifixion and the burial, and this family is the resurrection, and it’s in current terms. This is not talking about the future. It’s talking about current reality. In other words, you to accept who God says you are, rather than who you might think you are, or your family taught you who you were, or Madison Avenue wants you to feel like you are, or your friend group around you wants to, you know, make you feel like who you are, that you look to God’s word and you say this, okay, the media gives me a report about me. My conscience gives me a report about me. People give me a report about me, but God gives a report about me, recorded in Scripture, and I have a decision. Whose report will I believe? Am I going to believe what man tells me that I am and even sometimes my eyes observe of myself? Or am I going to believe what God’s Word says? It always comes down to this. Are we going to trust what His Word clearly says? This word consider, by the way, logos, oh my, it’s got the same root word as logic. This means to take inventory. Now, that can be problematic, can’t it? You say, Wait So when he says, So, you also must take inventory of yourselves. Oh, now, what does that look like? That looks like you numbering your sins. But that’s not what it means, because if you take inventory of yourself, what you’re going to do is you’re going to be like, All right, I did this in traffic yesterday. I was mean to the dog. All right? I you know, I stole 10 paper clips. Okay? No, 11 from work, right? I cut off that jerk at church in the parking lot. I know they have video of me. I ate too much, I drank too much, I slept too long, and you mark those transgressions. The Bible says, If the Lord marked your transgression, who could stand, no one is the answer. The inventory that you’re to take is not what the world says about you. It’s not what you say about you the inventory you’re to take here, what this is speaking of is you are to take inventory and consider yourself what the Bible says about you. That is where you’re to find your identity, and sometimes what you’ll find is that will be an already and a not yet. Yes, I’m justified in him. Is all my behavior just and and correct? Is always my Christian experience, always a Christian experience. No, no, no, no, no, no. That doesn’t change the fundamental issue of who you are. It just absolutely doesn’t. You’ve been brought out of a kingdom and into a new one. You’ve been brought out of darkness and in the light, and you’re not going to be changing that God is the one that started it.
Let me say it to you this way. I wrote a couple of notes. Shocker, considering here is not claiming a promise. It is acting on a fact. God does not command us to become dead to sin. God does not command us to feel dead to sin. God tells us that we are dead to sin. God tells us that tells us that we are alive unto God, and then He commands us to take him at his word. Well, there it is. Most people, they they hear this, the good news of the gospel like this, and it’s like, well, yeah, but I can’t see it yet. I don’t, I don’t feel like I measure up, right? That’s the whole point. We know you don’t. You can be assured I don’t. But if you’re born again, your spirit is a partaker of the divine nature. Peter tells us the divine nature, that means it can’t sin, that means it’s holy that has absolutely been raised from the dead. And are you being changed? Are you in a process? Yes. And what people sometimes argue is, well, if I could see it in my life more, then I would believe it. You’ve got it backwards when your fundamental identity is set correctly in Christ, that’s where all the actions flow out of. These are issues of root. You must put root before fruit. If you put fruit before root, you will live a confused, disoriented life and your identity as a believer. I’m just telling you. I’m telling you this because I love you. I don’t want you to be living like that. But people tend to say this. Well, I mean, if, if I could see it, I’d believe it. No, it’s really just not true. I’ll give it a little straight to you. This way, any of you that have grown in Christ, you’ve grown into trusting him in different areas, and some of those areas, maybe you struggled with some more than others. You trust him that he’s good, you trust him that he’s merciful. You trust him that he’s faithful.
Well, I had an early struggle, and I’ll tell you about it, and I’m not the hero in this. There’s no stories where I am because there’s no stories where that exists, because I had a real issue when I was saved with trusting God to provide for me. And I meant like financially. I meant like money. I meant like food. I meant like clothing. Really, really struggled. I don’t know if you know part of my testimony, my sister and I, we were orphaned. I was 10 years old, and she was 11 and a half. And the state of Texas took us out of our family, out of the household. They took us out of the home because it was abusive. And I grew up in foster homes and in shelters, and I became a ward of the state of Texas, and so thank you, taxpayers. Appreciate that, and that’s how we grew up. And so I didn’t have anything as a as a young person coming up. I had to depend on the the benevolence of others, but there was really no security. I didn’t find in that. And I never really felt like I was provided for in my family, because that happened. Well, I came into I came into Christ at 19 years old, and I mean, those parts of my mind and my emotions, those didn’t change overnight, right? I had a deep distrust toward God. Now I trusted him in salvation. I knew he was my Savior. I knew I had no other I knew I had no hope in myself. But when, when things would come up with money, I would almost panic. It was almost like, I mean, gosh, I I’d feel so insecure. I’d feel so disoriented, because I didn’t realize that my identity was sound in him, and he was going to provide for every need that he is. Jehovah, Jireh, I learned those things, but it didn’t seep down into my heart till about 10 years and it took a decade, I’m sad to say. And even still, I mean, I could still fall into that if I’m not careful, it’s fundamental. But what I noticed is my pastor told me, because I went and told him this, I said, I’m afraid about these things related to being provided for. And so he had me start writing in a journal. Okay, I know that sounds maybe some of you guys are like, who wrote in a journal? All right, you’re tough guy, good. So I’d write down things that I was afraid of financially sometimes. And I write, you know, I just, I need, I need a raise, or now I’m looking for a job. Now my truck’s air condition went out or whatever. I mean, it became a long list, and every single time it’s been almost 40 years, God provided now my list wasn’t I can’t afford a Ferrari that’s still on the list. I don’t want a Ferrari. Why? Because I don’t need a Ferrari to serve God, right? I don’t need that. And he’s gone even over and above all I’ve ever asked or thought. But I had such timidity and such fear, and I would write these things down and listen. I would always think this. I would always think, God, if you come through on this one, I will you ever say that. I’ll never doubt you again. And I know God’s up there going wrong, almost like he’s like, you’re dealing with a little kid. I know, buddy, come on, there’s good. No good, yeah, God again. And he’d hold my hand, he’d be patient with me, and I’d celebrate. Oh my gosh, my truck, it got paid off, or, you know, whatever it was, I got the new job, or my took my tuition to go to college. I made another semester worth Oh, God, I’ll never doubt you again, and the next problem shows up. Oh, you brought me into this wilderness to kill me. Why didn’t you just do it earlier? You know, when God was patient. He always is. He still is. It’s like he’d make the provision, and then he’d train me in it, and he’d take me by the hand, and he gently walked me to the next time to trust Him, and more and more and more. And what I found was this, there was never going to come something I would see that would convince me I needed to see his word. I needed to trust Him. When he says he’ll take care of it, when he says, I’ve never seen the righteous man forsaken or his seed begging bread, because that was horribly hard when you start having kids right at 26 years old, I was in full panic mode. Man, I was in panic mode. I hadn’t even been saved 10 years. Also, there’s this little people. I had to hide myself in the Word of God, or I never would have gotten away from it. Listen to me. Your identity is no different. You’re not going to see enough changes on Earth for you to finally believe the word, believe the word up front. Put your yes on the table. I am who God says I am. I don’t see it all, but it’s already and not yet, but he’s working in me. That is the key to growing in Christ that way. So here’s an insight into the journal. You can rip this off and you can say this to yourself, and I was in Christ when He died for me. I died in him, I went through the judgment of God without a single drop ever touching me. When I rose again in him, I was a new creation. Sin had been drowned, and the rainbow of God’s magnificent promise shined over me, and my life became a living sacrifice to God with a new heart of thanksgiving to the one who loved me so much that he covered me from what I deserved in order to give me what he deserved. So now I have been crucified, died, buried, nevertheless I live. Yet it’s not I, but Christ who lives in me. Because when he rose, so did I, because I was in him, and just as he has raised me from the dead and made me alive in the spirit, so one day he will raise up my ashes from whatever grave they may be laid in, and I will have a glorified body, incorruptible and unperishable. In other words, what has already happened on the inside of me will one day happen to the outside of me. That is the identity of you, if you’re in Christ, here’s the admonition, don’t argue with it. Take the win. Take the good news. And most people hear this gospel, and they hear how good it is, and it’s like, I just can’t accept that. It’s almost too good to be true. Well, it is in the natural, but it’s not in the supernatural.
Here’s how we know this. Romans 10:17, says So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word, through the word of Christ, that that is why we have to see ourselves through the lens of Scripture. John 17:17, Jesus prays this for you and for me. He says to the Father, Sanctify them, clean them, take them through in the truth. What is that? Your word is truth. That’s why we stay in the word we believe. It’s report there again, Romans 6:11, so also you must what. You must take inventory and consider yourselves, what dead to sin and alive to God. In Christ, through your life, you’re to walk this way. And when you get into Romans seven, and you have this understanding, it’s going to make sense, because you’re going to be, wait a minute, I’m doing what I don’t want to do, and I’m not doing what I don’t want to do. How does that work? Well, you’re going to realize, Oh yeah, I’m crucified in Christ, but there’s still sin dwelling in my members, and yet, I’m a new creation. I am who the Bible says I am. The question is, Will you believe it? Philippians? Says this, I’m sure of this, that He who began, he begins it a good work in you. He will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. If he started it, he’ll finish it. Now you might look at your life, and you might go, “Well, I don’t see much fruit.” My question is this, do you see any fruit? Does anybody see any fruit? Do you see a change in your heart? Do you see a change in your mind? Do you now acknowledge that things were sin that you used to not think were sin or called sin? Have you have you seen a change in your heart of warmth toward God, of the Jesus, of the Bible, toward other people? Those are the first fruits of salvation. Don’t be bothered that you don’t have a whole vineyard, that you don’t have 100 fold, that when you walk in a room, people don’t just go, Oh my gosh. I thought you were Jesus. Hey. I mean, if it weren’t for you not having a beard, I would have thought this was the Lord. If he started it, he’s going to finish it. This is fundamental to your identity.
Again. Security breeds intimacy. Look at 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 how these two epistles to the Thessalonians And this first one concludes this way, Now may the God of peace Himself do what sanctify you completely. What does that look like here? And may your whole spirit done and soul doing and body not yet be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. How will that happen? Look at the next verse. He who calls you is faithful, and he will surely do it. God’s going to do that. God’s going to do that. He’s going to be faithful to that. The question you have to ask yourself, Christian is who’s going to sell you your identity? Is it going to be you? Is it going to be your imagination? Is it going to be the media? Is it going to be your Facebook friends? Oh, it’s quiet. The Methodist church here this morning. You hear that no, or it needs to be God’s word.
One last time, Romans 6:11. So you also must imperative. You got to do this. Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ, Jesus, if you’re getting this, you’re understanding Romans six in the first half, and it will be the fuel, the fuel of love for the God that did this without your permission and called you into His family. That will be the fuel for you to walk out everything else, this fundamental identity.
KEYWORDS
Baptized into Christ, Romans chapter six, Biblical Theology, Water Baptism, Immersion, Gospel, New life, Regenerative Work, Holy Spirit, Resurrection, Sanctification, Identity, New Creation, Faith, Obedience, Audio Sermon, Sherman, Texas
SPEAKER
Steve LeBlanc