WEBVTT 00:00:01.530 --> 00:00:04.190 Thank you, Dick and Zoma, for reminding us of 00:00:04.190 --> 00:00:07.469 the truth that we find in the last part of chapter 00:00:07.469 --> 00:00:12.589 five in Romans. Where sin abounds, grace does 00:00:12.589 --> 00:00:20.149 much more abound. It's good to look out and see 00:00:20.149 --> 00:00:23.609 you here today, and I'm excited about that because 00:00:23.609 --> 00:00:26.030 of the passage of scripture that we are going 00:00:26.030 --> 00:00:31.670 to begin examining today. We today come to Romans 00:00:31.670 --> 00:00:37.590 chapter 6, and we're going to read verses 1 through 00:00:37.590 --> 00:00:41.909 3. You'll notice an outline in your worship file 00:00:41.909 --> 00:00:46.509 folder. But I want to warn you in advance that 00:00:46.509 --> 00:00:48.310 we're not going to get through the whole thing. 00:00:49.750 --> 00:00:52.969 As I began to ponder the truth that is before 00:00:52.969 --> 00:00:56.469 us here, it just seemed to swell up after the 00:00:56.469 --> 00:00:59.420 outline was printed. And so rather than rushing 00:00:59.420 --> 00:01:01.380 through, we're going to take our time and you 00:01:01.380 --> 00:01:03.579 can hang on to your outline for a couple of weeks. 00:01:05.159 --> 00:01:06.939 We're going to talk about the key to victory 00:01:06.939 --> 00:01:11.260 in the Christian life. Did you know there was 00:01:11.260 --> 00:01:15.879 victory? I bet I'm talking today to some people 00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:18.340 who've almost given up that there is victory. 00:01:19.780 --> 00:01:22.640 Ready to throw in the towel. That we have good 00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:26.620 news for you. There's hope. There's freedom. 00:01:28.840 --> 00:01:33.280 Look with me at verses 1, 2, and 3 of Romans 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:38.719 6. What shall we say then? Are we to continue 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:43.739 in sin that grace might increase? May it never 00:01:43.739 --> 00:01:48.659 be. How shall we who died to sin still live in 00:01:48.659 --> 00:01:53.280 it? Or do you not know that all of us who have 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:57.760 been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:04.340 into his death. Heavenly Father, we approach 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:09.560 this scripture today with eager hearts, desiring 00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:13.740 to be taught of the Spirit. And I know that if 00:02:13.740 --> 00:02:16.439 there's any part of Romans that the devil does 00:02:16.439 --> 00:02:19.659 not want us to comprehend, it's what we're about 00:02:19.659 --> 00:02:23.580 to study. And so I pray that you would remove 00:02:23.580 --> 00:02:27.139 any distraction. I pray that you will enable 00:02:27.139 --> 00:02:32.319 us to stay alert, to have keen spiritual ears 00:02:32.319 --> 00:02:35.819 to hear what the Spirit would say. In Jesus' 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:42.259 name, amen. One of the reasons that I have never 00:02:42.259 --> 00:02:45.060 before preached through the book of Romans, quite 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:48.819 frankly, is that I have never been satisfied 00:02:48.819 --> 00:02:52.139 as to how to handle Romans chapters 6 and 7. 00:02:58.090 --> 00:03:01.870 I've never been able to quite get a handle on 00:03:01.870 --> 00:03:04.990 these two chapters in between. Well, not that 00:03:04.990 --> 00:03:09.069 I haven't studied them, I have. I've read the 00:03:09.069 --> 00:03:13.150 comments of other men on them. But frankly, I've 00:03:13.150 --> 00:03:17.150 never been satisfied that what I read and what 00:03:17.150 --> 00:03:23.990 I understood was enough to present to other people. 00:03:24.990 --> 00:03:27.569 And frankly, as I come to Romans chapter 6 today, 00:03:27.669 --> 00:03:31.409 I do not stand here as a person who has all the 00:03:31.409 --> 00:03:34.009 answers to every question that might be asked 00:03:34.009 --> 00:03:38.590 about these chapters. But I do stand here before 00:03:38.590 --> 00:03:42.789 you, having studied and having a heart that is 00:03:42.789 --> 00:03:45.509 filled with some fresh insights that have meant 00:03:45.509 --> 00:03:50.810 a great deal to me in my own life. Today we're 00:03:50.810 --> 00:03:54.949 just going to get started in it. If you go away 00:03:54.949 --> 00:03:57.629 today and never come back, you're going to have 00:03:57.629 --> 00:03:59.849 an unbalanced picture of what we're going to 00:03:59.849 --> 00:04:05.090 say about this part of Romans. If you go away 00:04:05.090 --> 00:04:07.370 today and say, well, this is what Pastor Call 00:04:07.370 --> 00:04:09.550 believes, and don't come back to hear the rest 00:04:09.550 --> 00:04:11.710 of what we're going to say about these two chapters, 00:04:13.389 --> 00:04:15.729 well, I guess I just hope that a herd of yaks 00:04:15.729 --> 00:04:19.170 camps on your front lawn or something. Some terrible 00:04:19.170 --> 00:04:25.860 thing. because you deserve it. You see, what 00:04:25.860 --> 00:04:28.879 I'm trying to say is that today we're just going 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:33.300 to get started in a subject that is so important 00:04:33.300 --> 00:04:36.660 that I hope you won't miss the weeks that we 00:04:36.660 --> 00:04:40.199 will be in, this part of Romans. They are critical 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:46.579 to the Christian life. How critical? Today, as 00:04:46.579 --> 00:04:52.720 I talk to you, there are some of us who are believers 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:57.180 in Jesus Christ and yet who appear to be enslaved 00:04:57.180 --> 00:05:03.779 to sin. That's right. Because there are some 00:05:03.779 --> 00:05:08.139 of us here today who have been overcome time 00:05:08.139 --> 00:05:14.959 and time again with lust, for example. We begin 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:22.000 to toy with fantasies, and certain periodicals 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:30.839 and activities, hating it and yet finding something 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:34.060 within us that responded to that enticement. 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:38.560 And therefore I'm talking to some people today 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:40.980 who are so discouraged with a battle for lust 00:05:40.980 --> 00:05:44.060 that you have decided that you must spend the 00:05:44.060 --> 00:05:48.759 rest of your life battling it and never yet knowing 00:05:48.759 --> 00:05:53.420 victory over it. And you may even rationalize 00:05:53.420 --> 00:05:55.240 it to the point of saying that is normal for 00:05:55.240 --> 00:06:00.879 the Christian life. I'm talking to some others 00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:04.459 who perhaps have fallen to the temptation of 00:06:04.459 --> 00:06:08.420 bitterness, not just once or twice, but something 00:06:08.420 --> 00:06:10.800 has happened in your life and you find yourself 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:16.360 so bitter inside that that is now rooted and 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:19.079 it is producing all kinds of fruit that you hate 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:21.720 and yet that bitterness is there and you can't 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:28.560 seem to be free of it. The others would have 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:32.860 to say the same thing about anger. Most of the 00:06:32.860 --> 00:06:37.800 time you're able to contain it. You have a plug 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:42.740 on it so it can't escape. But every now and then 00:06:42.740 --> 00:06:46.199 there is something that happens to you. And it's 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:49.040 almost as though something else took control. 00:06:49.819 --> 00:06:52.060 And you do things and you say things that you 00:06:52.060 --> 00:06:55.319 don't mean because there is inside of you a raging 00:06:55.319 --> 00:07:01.620 anger that you cannot always contain. And you 00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:04.519 may not even know what you're angry at. Maybe 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:08.420 it's God, maybe it's circumstances or other people 00:07:08.420 --> 00:07:17.310 or yourself. You're enslaved by anger. And though 00:07:17.310 --> 00:07:19.050 most people in church don't know it, because 00:07:19.050 --> 00:07:22.689 you come to church very pious and calm and cool, 00:07:23.850 --> 00:07:25.490 boy, if people only knew what happened in the 00:07:25.490 --> 00:07:28.269 car on the way to church, or as you were getting 00:07:28.269 --> 00:07:30.670 dressed for church this morning in the family, 00:07:32.329 --> 00:07:34.610 your kids could testify about it, your wife or 00:07:34.610 --> 00:07:42.209 your husband. There may be somebody here today 00:07:42.209 --> 00:07:46.240 who's enslaved by gossip. A thousand times you 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:48.439 have promised God that that's the last time that 00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:50.420 you're going to get involved in a gossip session. 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:57.439 You have solemnly declared to God and yourself, 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:00.139 you have made a vow that you're not going to 00:08:00.139 --> 00:08:04.980 tear down people anymore. And yet when you get 00:08:04.980 --> 00:08:08.899 into a certain crowd or situation, you find yourself 00:08:08.899 --> 00:08:13.310 drawn to that. And though you don't want to do 00:08:13.310 --> 00:08:15.870 it, you do it, there's something that responds 00:08:15.870 --> 00:08:18.610 to it, and you go away later and you weep and 00:08:18.610 --> 00:08:22.250 you hate yourself because of what you've said. 00:08:24.470 --> 00:08:26.970 I don't know if I've hit home or anywhere near 00:08:26.970 --> 00:08:33.889 your home territory, but I bet I have. That's 00:08:33.889 --> 00:08:36.110 why what we're going to talk about is so key. 00:08:36.990 --> 00:08:40.879 Because you see, it is not the will of God that 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:45.080 we go through life defeated by sin or enslaved 00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:49.120 to sin. Some of the things that we're going to 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:52.340 see in Romans chapters 6 and 7 will be new to 00:08:52.340 --> 00:08:55.840 some of you, may be a refresher to others of 00:08:55.840 --> 00:09:01.240 you. We're going to see that victory in the Christian 00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:06.320 life is possible. Indeed, it is the norm that 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:11.629 God wants us to experience. Not that we ever 00:09:11.629 --> 00:09:15.929 become sinless, but bless God it is possible 00:09:15.929 --> 00:09:22.389 for us to sin less and less, and to know victory 00:09:22.389 --> 00:09:25.350 over the temptations that have bound us and beset 00:09:25.350 --> 00:09:31.190 us for years. Today we're just going to begin. 00:09:32.549 --> 00:09:35.309 I hope that what I've said will whet your appetite 00:09:35.309 --> 00:09:40.019 for what's coming. As we come to chapter six, 00:09:40.120 --> 00:09:41.700 it would be good for us to look at the whole 00:09:41.700 --> 00:09:45.980 before we look at particulars. I remind you of 00:09:45.980 --> 00:09:48.299 the amazing statement the apostle made as we 00:09:48.299 --> 00:09:51.399 closed chapter five last week when he said, where 00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:57.179 sin increased, grace super abounded. He gave 00:09:57.179 --> 00:10:00.000 us the ratio of grace to sin. He says, if there's 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.059 sin this high, then there's grace this high. 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:04.320 If there's sin this high, there's grace this 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:09.720 high. In other words, where sin may abound, God's 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:14.279 grace super abounds and is able to cover it and 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:19.220 care for it. The apostle was aware that there 00:10:19.220 --> 00:10:21.620 would be those who would object to that kind 00:10:21.620 --> 00:10:25.259 of teaching. They would object to the kind of 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:28.279 teaching that so clearly separates grace from 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:32.179 works as his does. In fact, I wonder if we've 00:10:32.179 --> 00:10:36.100 really taught grace. to people as we ought to, 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:38.820 until we would be open to some of the objections 00:10:38.820 --> 00:10:43.179 that could have been raised against Paul. He 00:10:43.179 --> 00:10:46.460 gives us a clue to the objections that he anticipates 00:10:46.460 --> 00:10:49.759 by a little phrase that we find in verse 1 when 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:55.019 he says, what shall we say then? And he asks 00:10:55.019 --> 00:10:58.399 this question, are we to continue in sin that 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:02.330 grace may abound? In other words, if my sinning, 00:11:02.450 --> 00:11:06.409 Paul, makes God's grace abound all the more and 00:11:06.409 --> 00:11:11.690 be magnified, then why shouldn't I sin more so 00:11:11.690 --> 00:11:15.269 God's grace can be even more seen and more magnified? 00:11:16.450 --> 00:11:21.870 Logical? Twisted but logical? And so he answers 00:11:21.870 --> 00:11:25.549 that question. Then in verse 15 we find the phrase 00:11:25.549 --> 00:11:31.110 again. He says, what then? Shall we sing because 00:11:31.110 --> 00:11:34.549 we are not under the law but under grace? In 00:11:34.549 --> 00:11:37.269 other words, Paul, if I'm no longer under law, 00:11:37.269 --> 00:11:41.210 as you have stated, then that means I am free 00:11:41.210 --> 00:11:43.710 to live like I want to. I have no restraints 00:11:43.710 --> 00:11:48.809 upon me. So Paul answers that objection. He says, 00:11:48.850 --> 00:11:52.690 may it never be. And you'll see that phrase several 00:11:52.690 --> 00:11:56.700 times in these chapters in the King James. put 00:11:56.700 --> 00:11:59.139 God forbid, the word God really is not in the 00:11:59.139 --> 00:12:01.740 Greek. But it was the way the translators brought 00:12:01.740 --> 00:12:04.639 it into English to emphasize how strongly Paul 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:09.460 meant, may it never be so, brothers. It's impossible. 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:13.879 And then again, chapter seven, verse seven, he 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:16.860 says, what shall we say then? Is there no sin? 00:12:17.659 --> 00:12:22.980 May it never be, he says. In other words, the 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:26.570 third objection was with Paul. If the law causes 00:12:26.570 --> 00:12:30.309 my sin to increase and to be stimulated, and 00:12:30.309 --> 00:12:33.490 that's what he said in chapter 5, we saw it last 00:12:33.490 --> 00:12:36.990 week, if the Ten Commandments only cause me to 00:12:36.990 --> 00:12:40.429 be agitated so that I sin more, then doesn't 00:12:40.429 --> 00:12:44.230 that make the law sinful? And so in chapter 7 00:12:44.230 --> 00:12:48.090 he answers that objection. When people have objections 00:12:48.090 --> 00:12:51.429 like this, it reveals that they have not yet 00:12:51.429 --> 00:12:55.049 arrived at a balance between law and grace. There 00:12:55.049 --> 00:12:57.350 are some people who go to the extreme on law. 00:12:57.509 --> 00:13:01.049 We call them legalists. They're all involved 00:13:01.049 --> 00:13:03.710 in rule keeping. And if it's not about salvation, 00:13:03.850 --> 00:13:06.789 then it's about how to be a better Christian. 00:13:07.730 --> 00:13:10.929 You do it by keeping these rules, these laws. 00:13:12.049 --> 00:13:14.389 The Bible calls that legalism. It doesn't produce 00:13:14.389 --> 00:13:17.250 Christians, nor does it produce better Christians. 00:13:19.429 --> 00:13:25.700 The other extreme is called license. I don't 00:13:25.700 --> 00:13:27.679 have to worry about anything anymore. I can just 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:30.220 go out and sin and live the way I want to and 00:13:30.220 --> 00:13:32.639 God's grace is going to take care of it all. 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:36.860 No restraints on me. And you see that's an extreme 00:13:36.860 --> 00:13:40.820 also that is not biblical. And so the apostle 00:13:40.820 --> 00:13:43.620 is bringing us here, I think, to a biblical balance 00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:47.379 between law and grace. Teaching us how we relate 00:13:47.379 --> 00:13:50.299 to both of them and how we can experience victory. 00:13:50.570 --> 00:13:54.210 and freedom given to us by Jesus Christ. Now 00:13:54.210 --> 00:13:56.049 before we go any further, maybe it would be wise 00:13:56.049 --> 00:14:00.049 for us to set these chapters in the context of 00:14:00.049 --> 00:14:02.669 our outline of Romans we began with, way back 00:14:02.669 --> 00:14:06.850 yonder, whenever. The first three chapters are 00:14:06.850 --> 00:14:11.470 essentially of Romans. God's righteousness needed. 00:14:12.049 --> 00:14:18.190 Man's sin. All have sinned. All are enslaved 00:14:18.190 --> 00:14:24.419 to sin. I read the righteousness of God in order 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:34.320 to get to heaven. That's about God's righteousness 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:38.740 provided, man's salvation. God provides righteousness 00:14:38.740 --> 00:14:43.259 for us so that we can be saved. He provides perfect 00:14:43.259 --> 00:14:45.480 righteousness and we get it because Jesus took 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:49.120 all of our sin upon Him at the cross. And because 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:51.879 He died in our place and bore our sin, which 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:55.000 was imputed or reckoned to Him, and because we 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:57.899 believe that truth and have trusted the Savior, 00:14:58.500 --> 00:15:00.980 then all of His righteousness is given to us. 00:15:02.200 --> 00:15:06.279 God's righteousness provided. We say that it 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:09.539 is a legal declaration on God's part that we 00:15:09.539 --> 00:15:12.460 are righteous in His eyes. That's the definition 00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:16.820 of what key word. That's right. I hear somebody 00:15:16.820 --> 00:15:20.679 whispering it. justification. That's the key 00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:24.100 theme in those chapters. Now as we come to chapter 00:15:24.100 --> 00:15:26.259 6, and then through chapter 8, we're talking 00:15:26.259 --> 00:15:33.100 about God's righteousness experienced. Man's 00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:36.120 sanctification. That is right down where I live. 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:39.980 How can I experience the righteousness of God? 00:15:41.019 --> 00:15:45.929 Because I seem to be so dominated by sin. How 00:15:45.929 --> 00:15:51.409 can I know right living and not yield to temptation 00:15:51.409 --> 00:15:54.710 that seems to overpower and overwhelm me so much? 00:15:55.529 --> 00:15:58.029 That's what these chapters are all about. How 00:15:58.029 --> 00:16:02.009 can I experience God's righteousness? Well, first, 00:16:02.669 --> 00:16:06.830 I can experience it because of my union with 00:16:06.830 --> 00:16:10.149 Jesus Christ. That's what chapters 6 and 7 are 00:16:10.149 --> 00:16:13.850 all about. We'll talk about that again later. 00:16:14.710 --> 00:16:17.169 Secondly, I can experience the righteousness 00:16:17.169 --> 00:16:21.289 of God in my daily life because of my being indwelt 00:16:21.289 --> 00:16:26.289 by the Holy Spirit. That's chapter 8. So why 00:16:26.289 --> 00:16:28.730 can I experience the righteousness of God? Two 00:16:28.730 --> 00:16:32.490 reasons. Because I am in Jesus Christ and because 00:16:32.490 --> 00:16:37.230 Jesus Christ by his Spirit is in me. That's Romans 00:16:37.230 --> 00:16:43.169 6, 7, and 8. look at a book, we chop it up into 00:16:43.169 --> 00:16:46.789 chapters. It's almost like a piece of meat the 00:16:46.789 --> 00:16:49.409 butcher takes a hold of and he slices off a slice 00:16:49.409 --> 00:16:51.169 and lays it aside and he's done with that and 00:16:51.169 --> 00:16:54.029 then comes to another slice. And we make a mistake 00:16:54.029 --> 00:16:56.909 if we look at the Bible that way. As you know, 00:16:57.149 --> 00:16:59.750 Paul didn't finish chapter five and stretch his 00:16:59.750 --> 00:17:01.950 finger and take a break and come back and say 00:17:01.950 --> 00:17:05.730 chapter six, verse one, and begin writing. The 00:17:05.730 --> 00:17:08.369 chapters and verses We'll put in hundreds of 00:17:08.369 --> 00:17:10.730 years later, simply for our convenience, to find 00:17:10.730 --> 00:17:14.309 locations in the Bible. I hope that doesn't shock 00:17:14.309 --> 00:17:18.789 some of you, but that's the way it is. And so 00:17:18.789 --> 00:17:22.609 when we see divisions like this, we ought to 00:17:22.609 --> 00:17:25.369 remember that actually the apostle is flowing 00:17:25.369 --> 00:17:28.869 on with his thought. In chapter 6, there's been 00:17:28.869 --> 00:17:32.069 a flow of chapter 5. It comes from one right 00:17:32.069 --> 00:17:37.769 into the other. I think perhaps the best way 00:17:37.769 --> 00:17:41.690 to look at this part of Romans is to see chapters 00:17:41.690 --> 00:17:46.789 6 and 7 as a parenthesis. Not that it's unimportant, 00:17:46.849 --> 00:17:51.029 not at all. But as Paul closes chapter 5, notice 00:17:51.029 --> 00:18:02.950 what he says. That a sin reigned in death even 00:18:02.950 --> 00:18:07.009 so grace might reign through righteousness to 00:18:07.009 --> 00:18:10.869 eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now 00:18:10.869 --> 00:18:13.690 if you were to go to chapter 8, I think you would 00:18:13.690 --> 00:18:16.710 find the thought continues right on beautifully. 00:18:17.049 --> 00:18:20.509 Therefore, there is now no condemnation to those 00:18:20.509 --> 00:18:24.130 who are in Christ Jesus. And he goes on to talk 00:18:24.130 --> 00:18:27.519 about the fact that sin's been dealt with. Why 00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:30.119 chapter 6 and 7 then? Well, because as he closes 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:32.119 chapter 5, there are a couple of things that 00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:34.599 come up that he wants to talk about a little 00:18:34.599 --> 00:18:37.440 more before he goes on with his main theme. So 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:39.319 I think if we were to read through the book and 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:41.640 see the end of chapter 5 connecting with chapter 00:18:41.640 --> 00:18:44.480 8 verse 1, we'd have a better flow of it. And 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:49.460 then we realize how chapter 6 and 7 fit in. Now 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:55.940 in chapter 6 verse 1, He refers back to what 00:18:55.940 --> 00:19:00.660 he has just said at the end of chapter 5. Dr. 00:19:00.859 --> 00:19:03.599 Martin Lloyd -Jones emphasizes this in his book 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:05.460 on Romans 6. By the way, that's an excellent 00:19:05.460 --> 00:19:08.619 book if any of you want to have a commentary, 00:19:09.019 --> 00:19:13.660 a book of sermons, helpful comments about this 00:19:13.660 --> 00:19:15.900 chapter. That is probably one of the finest. 00:19:16.819 --> 00:19:19.700 He emphasizes this fact, and you notice that 00:19:19.700 --> 00:19:22.500 he talks about sin increasing and grace abounding 00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:24.839 all the more. And then he asks the question, 00:19:24.940 --> 00:19:27.220 what shall we say then? Are we continuing sin 00:19:27.220 --> 00:19:31.539 that grace might increase? Do you see that? And 00:19:31.539 --> 00:19:34.319 how it flows and fits together there? This is 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:37.599 Paul's concern. I think Paul had in mind, especially 00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:41.599 his Jewish readers, of course he would be sympathetic 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:46.920 with them. He is talking about grace. He has 00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:51.079 separated it from the law. And these people were 00:19:51.079 --> 00:19:54.700 so bound up in their thinking by the law that 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:57.920 they could stumble over what Paul is saying. 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:03.740 So I think in chapter six, he's answering the 00:20:03.740 --> 00:20:06.960 Jews who would say that, Paul, if you emphasize 00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:10.140 grace like this, it means that people are going 00:20:10.140 --> 00:20:14.299 to sin. And so he tells them, no, in fact, it 00:20:14.299 --> 00:20:17.480 means that we're free from sin. We're no longer 00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:21.390 under its domination. Then in chapter 7 he can 00:20:21.390 --> 00:20:25.250 hear them say, but Paul, what purpose does the 00:20:25.250 --> 00:20:28.990 law have then if we're not saved by it? What 00:20:28.990 --> 00:20:30.990 does it fit in? What does it function? Chapter 00:20:30.990 --> 00:20:35.250 7, he answers that question. I'm now forced to 00:20:35.250 --> 00:20:37.869 focus on our text for today, which we're going 00:20:37.869 --> 00:20:41.210 to just get started in before we have to close. 00:20:42.450 --> 00:20:46.910 He says, are we to continue in sin that grace 00:20:46.910 --> 00:20:52.079 might increase? May it never be, how shall we 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:58.779 who died to sin still live in it? In verse 2, 00:20:58.900 --> 00:21:01.140 I think we have the key thought for this whole 00:21:01.140 --> 00:21:06.740 chapter. It's in those words that say, we died 00:21:06.740 --> 00:21:16.299 to sin. If you and I can get a hold of that one 00:21:16.299 --> 00:21:20.410 truth. and get it down into reality in our lives, 00:21:20.589 --> 00:21:23.309 it will change the way most of us are living 00:21:23.309 --> 00:21:32.809 today. We died to sin. In that statement, I want 00:21:32.809 --> 00:21:37.049 to focus this morning on one word, and that is 00:21:37.049 --> 00:21:40.549 the word we, because I think it's the key to 00:21:40.549 --> 00:21:50.140 what Paul is saying here. Are we, considering 00:21:50.140 --> 00:21:56.299 who we are, to continue in sin? He says, How 00:21:56.299 --> 00:22:01.859 shall we, considering who we are, continue in 00:22:01.859 --> 00:22:07.460 sin? We died to sin. Don't you know that all 00:22:07.460 --> 00:22:09.799 of us who have been baptized in Christ Jesus 00:22:09.799 --> 00:22:13.539 have been baptized into his death? What he's 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:16.890 really talking about here is our identity. and 00:22:16.890 --> 00:22:21.450 who we are, and what's happened to us. And folks, 00:22:21.549 --> 00:22:24.789 if only we can get a hold of that, it will revolutionize 00:22:24.789 --> 00:22:29.849 us. Let's ask that question, who are we that 00:22:29.849 --> 00:22:33.930 he talks about? Well, we're the ones who've been 00:22:33.930 --> 00:22:38.609 justified by faith, back in chapter five, who 00:22:38.609 --> 00:22:41.250 have the seven blessings we talked about in verses 00:22:41.250 --> 00:22:47.079 one through 11. We are the ones who were in Adam, 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:54.000 in sin and in death, but who now are in Christ, 00:22:54.819 --> 00:22:59.700 and in grace, and in righteousness. That's who 00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:05.839 we are. Dr. Martin Lloyd -Jones has this statement 00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:11.650 in his book. We are in Christ. And because we 00:23:11.650 --> 00:23:16.349 are in Christ, all that belongs to him will become 00:23:16.349 --> 00:23:20.049 ours, even as all that belonged to Adam has already 00:23:20.049 --> 00:23:24.069 become ours. This goes back to the basic concept 00:23:24.069 --> 00:23:26.890 of our union with Adam by our natural birth that 00:23:26.890 --> 00:23:31.210 we talked about last week. But that by supernatural 00:23:31.210 --> 00:23:35.950 birth, we have now been united to Jesus Christ 00:23:35.950 --> 00:23:38.950 so that we can say whatever has happened to Jesus 00:23:38.950 --> 00:23:44.470 Christ. has happened to us. Another book that 00:23:44.470 --> 00:23:46.609 I would recommend to you, though it's not just 00:23:46.609 --> 00:23:49.349 on Romans, is one that has been published recently 00:23:49.349 --> 00:23:53.450 by Multnomah Bible College in Portland in their 00:23:53.450 --> 00:23:58.609 press. It's called Birthright. You may not agree 00:23:58.609 --> 00:24:01.529 with everything that you read in here, but I'll 00:24:01.529 --> 00:24:04.890 guarantee you a stimulating session every time 00:24:04.890 --> 00:24:06.990 you sit down to read a chapter in this book. 00:24:07.410 --> 00:24:11.900 It's written by David Needham. It is a book that 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:14.839 gets a handle on some of the truths that we are 00:24:14.839 --> 00:24:19.960 talking about today. I suppose the basic thesis 00:24:19.960 --> 00:24:23.579 of Needham's book is that you and I need to find 00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:26.859 out who we are and what our purpose is in this 00:24:26.859 --> 00:24:31.920 world. And if we will learn that, then we will 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:34.420 live the kind of lives that we want to live down 00:24:34.420 --> 00:24:40.400 in our deepest selves. I believe that the basis 00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:45.099 for holy living is discovering who we are and 00:24:45.099 --> 00:24:49.859 our meaning for being here. Who are you? Well, 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:55.359 someone says, I'm a sinner saved by grace. Well, 00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:59.160 that's got a good sound to it. There's even a 00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:01.960 hymn written by a great theologian, man of God 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:04.640 James Gray, with that statement in it. But did 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:07.140 you know that statement, as it appears there, 00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:12.039 is not found in the Bible? God never identifies 00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:15.779 you as a sinner saved by grace. You are identified 00:25:15.779 --> 00:25:20.579 as a sinner and you have been saved by grace. 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:23.460 That is true. But did you know that's not how 00:25:23.460 --> 00:25:30.099 God looks at you? Did you know that? God does 00:25:30.099 --> 00:25:35.319 not see you as a sinner. God sees you as a what? 00:25:36.599 --> 00:25:43.079 A saint. Go back to Romans chapter 1 for a moment. 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:46.880 Look at verse 7. What we're talking about here 00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:51.400 is our basic identity, who we really are in our 00:25:51.400 --> 00:25:57.299 deepest self. In Romans chapter 1 verse 7, he 00:25:57.299 --> 00:26:00.640 says, to all who are beloved of God in Rome, 00:26:00.940 --> 00:26:07.480 called as saints. What are saints? Saints are 00:26:07.480 --> 00:26:12.319 holy ones. It doesn't refer to a select group 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:16.099 of people who have been appointed as saints by 00:26:16.099 --> 00:26:20.119 some religious body. The word saint in the New 00:26:20.119 --> 00:26:24.720 Testament refers to every child of God, every 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:29.259 one, and it simply means a holy one. Did you 00:26:29.259 --> 00:26:32.960 know that's how God sees you? Did you know that's 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:40.910 who you are, a saint? Your real identity is not 00:26:40.910 --> 00:26:45.549 in your flesh. It is in your spirit as a child 00:26:45.549 --> 00:26:51.329 of God. You see, the new birth made you an entirely 00:26:51.329 --> 00:26:56.069 new person. Needham says, a Christian is a person 00:26:56.069 --> 00:27:03.109 who has become someone he was not before. When 00:27:03.109 --> 00:27:09.140 you have saved a radical change, took place in 00:27:09.140 --> 00:27:15.579 you. I think we can say that you are not what 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:18.920 you were and you are what you were not. Does 00:27:18.920 --> 00:27:23.380 that confuse you? I hope not. All I'm simply 00:27:23.380 --> 00:27:26.859 saying is that what you were before in Adam is 00:27:26.859 --> 00:27:31.880 not what you are now. Before you were a sinner 00:27:31.880 --> 00:27:36.519 in Adam. All you say, but Paul says, He talks 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:39.059 about sinners and he says, of whom I am chief. 00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:43.019 Paul is not saying there that he's the chiefest 00:27:43.019 --> 00:27:46.400 of sinners at that point in his life. He is looking 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:48.759 back at what God's grace has done in his life 00:27:48.759 --> 00:27:50.839 and in his past. He can't see anybody who was 00:27:50.839 --> 00:27:53.700 worse than he was. That's what he means. He's 00:27:53.700 --> 00:27:59.079 not saying he's a sinner now. You see, a radical 00:27:59.079 --> 00:28:01.359 change took place on the road to Damascus when 00:28:01.359 --> 00:28:04.279 he was saved and born again to God's family. 00:28:05.559 --> 00:28:10.339 Paul became a new person, a new creation in Jesus 00:28:10.339 --> 00:28:18.339 Christ. So did you. Now sit up just a moment 00:28:18.339 --> 00:28:20.539 and pay attention, because I'm going to say something 00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:24.119 that will be different for some of you. Frankly, 00:28:24.220 --> 00:28:29.619 it's different for me. Because I was steeped 00:28:29.619 --> 00:28:35.700 in a theology that taught that as a person, I 00:28:35.700 --> 00:28:39.619 have two natures as a Christian, an old nature 00:28:39.619 --> 00:28:45.359 and a new nature. Once one has learned a particular 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:48.819 doctrine like that, it is very difficult to objectively 00:28:48.819 --> 00:28:55.940 examine it. I have tried to do that and to be 00:28:55.940 --> 00:28:59.759 honest with what the Word of God says, and I 00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:02.099 must confess to you today that I no longer can 00:29:02.099 --> 00:29:04.940 accept that position. as being consistent with 00:29:04.940 --> 00:29:09.619 the Word of God. You see, when we were born into 00:29:09.619 --> 00:29:13.740 God's family, such a radical change took place 00:29:13.740 --> 00:29:17.460 in us that it means that a righteous nature was 00:29:17.460 --> 00:29:21.220 not added to our sinful nature, but rather a 00:29:21.220 --> 00:29:24.339 profound change took place and something happened 00:29:24.339 --> 00:29:27.160 to your old nature. We'll talk about that in 00:29:27.160 --> 00:29:31.000 the weeks to come. But it is no longer present 00:29:31.000 --> 00:29:35.339 in you. Now please, I am not saying that you 00:29:35.339 --> 00:29:40.319 can't sin. We all know better than that. And 00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:42.940 Paul clearly says that in the Word of God, as 00:29:42.940 --> 00:29:47.700 do other writers. But what I am saying is that 00:29:47.700 --> 00:29:52.579 in the essence of who you are as a person, you 00:29:52.579 --> 00:29:56.140 are not some kind of a spiritual schizophrenic 00:29:56.140 --> 00:30:00.200 who is at one time the old man and the new man. 00:30:04.200 --> 00:30:08.319 Who is the old man anyway? That's what I was 00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:17.299 in Adam. That's the old me. It's the unregenerate 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:25.259 me. Isn't that right? Who is the new man? That's 00:30:25.259 --> 00:30:29.720 the regenerate me. That's the me that I am now 00:30:29.720 --> 00:30:34.220 since I have become a Christian. How can I be 00:30:34.220 --> 00:30:37.759 unregenerate and regenerate at the same time? 00:30:42.440 --> 00:30:46.980 I never wanted to ask that question before because 00:30:46.980 --> 00:30:49.640 I couldn't answer it, and there isn't an answer 00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:54.839 to that that's consistent. Again, I repeat, I 00:30:54.839 --> 00:30:58.900 am not saying that we cannot sin because we do 00:30:58.900 --> 00:31:03.220 sin, but I am saying that in the deepest, part 00:31:03.220 --> 00:31:08.059 of you. You are a completely righteous being. 00:31:08.660 --> 00:31:12.119 That is your identity, and that is why God calls 00:31:12.119 --> 00:31:18.380 you a saint. I want to read just a paragraph 00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:23.019 from Needham's book in which he says, contrary 00:31:23.019 --> 00:31:26.359 to much popular teaching, regeneration, being 00:31:26.359 --> 00:31:29.559 born again, is more than having something taken 00:31:29.559 --> 00:31:33.190 away that is sins forgiven. or having something 00:31:33.190 --> 00:31:36.029 added to you, a new nature with the assistance 00:31:36.029 --> 00:31:40.470 of the Holy Spirit. It is becoming someone you 00:31:40.470 --> 00:31:44.589 had never been before. This new identity is not 00:31:44.589 --> 00:31:48.069 on the flesh level, but on the spirit level, 00:31:48.250 --> 00:31:52.410 one's deepest self. This miracle is more than 00:31:52.410 --> 00:31:56.930 a judicial act of God. It is an act so real. 00:31:57.720 --> 00:32:01.359 that it is right to say that a Christian's essential 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:06.759 nature is righteous rather than sinful. All other 00:32:06.759 --> 00:32:10.839 lesser identities each of us have can only be 00:32:10.839 --> 00:32:13.000 understood and appreciated by our acceptance 00:32:13.000 --> 00:32:18.259 and response to this fact. This morning, that's 00:32:18.259 --> 00:32:20.319 the one thing I want you to get if you get nothing 00:32:20.319 --> 00:32:23.759 else out of this message, that if you are a Christian, 00:32:24.029 --> 00:32:28.349 You are a brand new person. You have a new identity 00:32:28.349 --> 00:32:35.210 and your essential self. What you really are 00:32:35.210 --> 00:32:38.529 is different than what you were before you were 00:32:38.529 --> 00:32:40.910 saved. Now, does that have any effect on the 00:32:40.910 --> 00:32:45.430 way that we live? Sure ought to. For example, 00:32:46.769 --> 00:32:49.130 over in 1 Corinthians, the apostle addresses 00:32:49.130 --> 00:32:53.680 those believers. He calls them brethren. He reminds 00:32:53.680 --> 00:32:57.700 them of who they are, and then he rebukes them 00:32:57.700 --> 00:33:01.440 for the divisions in their church. He says, you 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:05.160 fight over personalities. He says, you're acting 00:33:05.160 --> 00:33:09.599 like mere men. What's he saying? He's saying, 00:33:09.680 --> 00:33:12.079 you have a new identity that you're not living 00:33:12.079 --> 00:33:21.309 up to. You're acting like mere men. I am fundamentally 00:33:21.309 --> 00:33:25.950 a spirit being, not a physical one. My meaning 00:33:25.950 --> 00:33:31.329 is found in that realm of reality. The last statement 00:33:31.329 --> 00:33:34.809 takes some thinking about. I want to make it 00:33:34.809 --> 00:33:38.309 again and I have to go on. Because I am fundamentally 00:33:38.309 --> 00:33:43.089 a spirit being, not a physical one, my being 00:33:43.089 --> 00:33:50.160 is found in that sphere of reality. What is my 00:33:50.160 --> 00:33:54.900 purpose in life? Why am I in this world anyway? 00:33:58.019 --> 00:34:00.759 The answer to that is that we are here to reflect 00:34:00.759 --> 00:34:03.779 God's holiness and his glories to the world around 00:34:03.779 --> 00:34:09.300 us. Turn back to 1 Peter chapter 2. I want you 00:34:09.300 --> 00:34:12.519 to notice verse 9 of this chapter is very significant, 00:34:12.719 --> 00:34:19.760 no matter what we've said this morning. I want 00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:21.780 you to notice that in this verse, in 1 Peter 00:34:21.780 --> 00:34:25.599 2 .9, the first thing Peter does is to tell us 00:34:25.599 --> 00:34:29.920 who we are, and then he gives us our meaning, 00:34:30.320 --> 00:34:39.260 our purpose in life. He says, but you are a chosen 00:34:39.260 --> 00:34:45.320 race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people 00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:48.420 for God's own possession. That's who we are. 00:34:48.809 --> 00:34:52.050 Notice he doesn't anywhere say there that we're 00:34:52.050 --> 00:34:55.889 sinners, saved by grace. He uses exalted terms. 00:34:57.210 --> 00:35:01.889 That's who we are. Then he says that, you may 00:35:01.889 --> 00:35:05.929 proclaim the excellencies of him who has called 00:35:05.929 --> 00:35:09.349 you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 00:35:10.190 --> 00:35:12.469 Do you realize that is your single purpose in 00:35:12.469 --> 00:35:16.329 the world? That you may reflect the glory of 00:35:16.329 --> 00:35:22.070 God? And the reason you can do that is because 00:35:22.070 --> 00:35:26.429 of who you are. You're a saint. Now that you 00:35:26.429 --> 00:35:30.670 always live saintly, all of us know better than 00:35:30.670 --> 00:35:36.769 that. I mean, this morning, if God somehow would 00:35:36.769 --> 00:35:40.090 pull back the curtains on the minds of some of 00:35:40.090 --> 00:35:45.309 us, it would be X -rated. If God would reveal 00:35:45.309 --> 00:35:49.889 some of the motives in the hearts We would all 00:35:49.889 --> 00:35:52.650 run out of here in shame and shock and embarrassment. 00:35:53.289 --> 00:35:57.389 We don't always live saintly. But what I am saying 00:35:57.389 --> 00:35:59.630 to you is that fundamentally you are a saint 00:35:59.630 --> 00:36:02.869 and that your purpose in the world is to live 00:36:02.869 --> 00:36:06.349 saintly. So that you can reflect the glory of 00:36:06.349 --> 00:36:10.809 God. Have you ever seen a prism? I suppose that's 00:36:10.809 --> 00:36:14.250 part of basic elementary science. That's where 00:36:14.250 --> 00:36:17.869 I learned it. A prism is a piece of glass that 00:36:17.869 --> 00:36:23.449 has been especially designed to receive the light 00:36:23.449 --> 00:36:27.969 of the Sun and then to reflect the spectrum of 00:36:27.969 --> 00:36:31.889 the colors on a surface. Isn't that right? That's 00:36:31.889 --> 00:36:35.190 why it exists. That's why it is polished and 00:36:35.190 --> 00:36:38.849 pure. Because it must take in the light of the 00:36:38.849 --> 00:36:42.449 Sun and reflect it accurately in all the spectrum 00:36:42.449 --> 00:36:48.650 of its colors. May I suggest to you today that 00:36:48.650 --> 00:36:54.969 that's what you are, your prism. God has made 00:36:54.969 --> 00:36:58.809 you something very, very special in this universe. 00:37:00.429 --> 00:37:05.030 As a saint, you are a prism, and your purpose 00:37:05.030 --> 00:37:09.190 is to receive his life, which you have done, 00:37:10.329 --> 00:37:14.489 and then to allow that life to be reflected in 00:37:14.489 --> 00:37:18.880 all the colors of God's character. And what's 00:37:18.880 --> 00:37:22.539 the surface that reflects on all the people around 00:37:22.539 --> 00:37:28.340 you? All those various relationships you have. 00:37:30.360 --> 00:37:32.840 The character of God is to be seen in all of 00:37:32.840 --> 00:37:37.500 its beauty in your relationships to them. That's 00:37:37.500 --> 00:37:43.380 your purpose. Is that who you're living? I would 00:37:43.380 --> 00:37:48.820 dare say not many of us are. I think I would 00:37:48.820 --> 00:37:54.239 have to say, because I know me, and I think I 00:37:54.239 --> 00:37:58.000 know a lot of you, that most of us are living 00:37:58.000 --> 00:38:06.920 as clouded prisms that have yet to figure out 00:38:06.920 --> 00:38:09.420 how the life of God can really be manifested 00:38:09.420 --> 00:38:13.119 through us, and that we can know God's holiness, 00:38:13.639 --> 00:38:16.960 God's righteousness in our lifestyle. how we 00:38:16.960 --> 00:38:23.199 can know victory over temptation and sin. Dear 00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:25.000 Christian friend, that's where God wants you 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:28.699 to be. One fellow came up after the service the 00:38:28.699 --> 00:38:30.360 first hour and said, you know, Pastor, I'm going 00:38:30.360 --> 00:38:35.699 to get two prisms, one for my office and one 00:38:35.699 --> 00:38:39.119 for home, to remind me that that's what I am 00:38:39.119 --> 00:38:42.980 to be for God. Maybe something for all of us 00:38:42.980 --> 00:38:49.409 to do. Now please, we have only begun to understand 00:38:49.409 --> 00:38:53.530 Romans chapter 6. It begins with who we are. 00:38:53.989 --> 00:38:56.030 If you go away today and you never come back, 00:38:56.130 --> 00:38:58.449 you're going to have such a distorted, unbalanced 00:38:58.449 --> 00:39:01.150 view of all that we're going to say that you're 00:39:01.150 --> 00:39:03.110 going to be mistaken if you try to quote me on 00:39:03.110 --> 00:39:07.869 anything. So may I encourage you to be back here 00:39:07.869 --> 00:39:09.849 regularly with us in our study in the book of 00:39:09.849 --> 00:39:16.809 Romans. I think I can promise you that if you 00:39:16.809 --> 00:39:20.010 will be here, you will open your heart to what 00:39:20.010 --> 00:39:23.650 God has to say. You're going to find your Christian 00:39:23.650 --> 00:39:27.429 life enriched beyond what you may now even believe 00:39:27.429 --> 00:39:31.829 is possible. Because I know very well I'm talking 00:39:31.829 --> 00:39:36.969 to some people who are so bound by sinful habits 00:39:36.969 --> 00:39:40.389 that you think you can't possibly ever escape 00:39:40.389 --> 00:39:44.489 it. But bless God, I want you to know there is 00:39:44.489 --> 00:39:50.050 freedom in Jesus Christ, and that freedom can 00:39:50.050 --> 00:39:53.590 be yours if only you will learn how to reflect 00:39:53.590 --> 00:39:59.510 it as a good prison, a pure prison. Heavenly 00:39:59.510 --> 00:40:06.590 Father, we have so many needs today. There are 00:40:06.590 --> 00:40:09.389 some of us here who are on the verge of tears 00:40:09.389 --> 00:40:14.559 and who are aching inside. Because in our deepest 00:40:14.559 --> 00:40:17.559 self we want to do what is right, we want to 00:40:17.559 --> 00:40:21.760 live holy, and yet we find temptation so quickly 00:40:21.760 --> 00:40:26.059 overcoming us. We find ourselves overpowered 00:40:26.059 --> 00:40:33.760 by the urge to sin. I pray that as we dig further 00:40:33.760 --> 00:40:36.659 into this truth that you will reveal it to us 00:40:36.659 --> 00:40:40.519 and open our hearts to understand it. so that 00:40:40.519 --> 00:40:43.659 we may begin to experience, maybe for the first 00:40:43.659 --> 00:40:47.380 time in our Christian walk, what it is to be 00:40:47.380 --> 00:40:54.639 free from the dominion of sinful habits. With 00:40:54.639 --> 00:40:56.860 our heads still bowed and as the Spirit of God 00:40:56.860 --> 00:41:00.039 searches our hearts, I just believe that there 00:41:00.039 --> 00:41:03.579 are some of us today who though we may not understand 00:41:03.579 --> 00:41:06.260 what it's going to take with the truth that's 00:41:06.260 --> 00:41:10.880 coming, nonetheless feel the impulse of the Spirit 00:41:10.880 --> 00:41:14.880 of God to respond this morning. So that we should 00:41:14.880 --> 00:41:18.059 go forward and by faith we are saying, I'm staking 00:41:18.059 --> 00:41:21.840 my flag here. This is my claim. That's where 00:41:21.840 --> 00:41:24.360 I want to live by the grace of God and I want 00:41:24.360 --> 00:41:31.179 to learn this truth. I want to be free. Dear 00:41:31.179 --> 00:41:33.940 Christian, will you today make that statement 00:41:33.940 --> 00:41:37.980 as we close this service? Maybe you're here without 00:41:37.980 --> 00:41:41.260 Jesus Christ as your Savior. You're still that 00:41:41.260 --> 00:41:45.460 old man, still in sin. Your need today is to 00:41:45.460 --> 00:41:49.059 trust the Savior so that you can have freedom. 00:41:51.059 --> 00:41:53.300 Maybe there's another spiritual need that God's 00:41:53.300 --> 00:41:55.360 been talking to you about or a commitment perhaps 00:41:55.360 --> 00:41:58.539 for membership that you want to make public as 00:41:58.539 --> 00:42:01.179 we have the invitation in a moment. It's an opportunity 00:42:01.179 --> 00:42:03.179 for you to respond right then. Will you come? 00:42:03.260 --> 00:42:06.000 Father, have your way in this invitation now. 00:42:06.110 --> 00:42:12.570 and seal in our hearts those decisions that should 00:42:12.570 --> 00:42:17.929 be made this morning. Let's stand together and 00:42:17.929 --> 00:42:25.429 sing the second verse of number 284. Everyone 00:42:25.429 --> 00:42:27.809 standing please, I want you to notice the words. 00:42:28.550 --> 00:42:30.349 I've selected the verse carefully.