Amen.
And so our text this morning is not going to be Psalm 37.
If you read ahead, that's awesome.
You'll be very prepared for next week.
But this morning, our text is Romans chapter 6, verses 1 through 14.
And so please, if you would, take your Bibles.
Let's open them up to Romans chapter 6, verses 1 through 14.
And when you found that, let's stand in honor of the reading of God's word this morning.
Paul writes,
Now, if we have died with Christ,
we believe that we will also live with Him.
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.
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions.
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness,
but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life,
and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law, but under grace.
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Would you pray with me once more?
Father, we have a tremendous gospel to unpack and to understand and to rejoice in this morning.
And so we pray, Father, would that gospel be clear?
And would you empower the preaching of your word by your spirit,
for the good of your people, and for the glory of your name?
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
You may be seated.
Next month, Amanda and I will get to celebrate 14 years of marriage.
That doesn't sound like a lot.
Maybe to some of you, maybe to others of you, it does sound like a lot.
Now, I know for Amanda, that's an incredible achievement.
But 14 years is coming up, and so about this time each year,
I start to think about this incredible gift of marriage.
And I remember the beginning and the walking down the aisle.
I remember the pronouncement of man and wife and the presence of many witnesses.
I remember that weird feeling of having a ring on my finger for the very first time.
And then I remember just kind of getting used to the fact that we are actually married.
It's not just my life anymore.
It's our life.
It's not just my plans.
Now we're bound up together.
It's our plans.
And as I consider all that God has done over 14 years,
I just marvel at the fact that I have this incredible union to celebrate with my wife.
You know, it's no accident that the Apostle Paul tells us in another book, Ephesians chapter 5,
that this marriage idea is actually a picture of the gospel.
John Murray says,
John Murray says it like this.
He says,
Union with Christ is the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation.
It is not simply a step in the application of redemption.
Rather, it underlies every step.
Church, there are few doctrines as beautiful and as vital for us to understand as our union with Christ.
And it's to this union that Paul points us here in Romans chapter 6.
And it's that union with Christ that the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper so beautifully represent to us.
And so this morning, we're going to examine this idea, this doctrine of our union with Christ.
And we'll look at it together in three stages this morning.
This will be our outline if you're taking notes.
First, think with me about entering the union.
Entering the union.
And Paul takes us back to the beginning of our union with Christ here in verses 1 through 11 as you look at Romans chapter 6.
He spent the first five chapters of Romans exalting the grace of God in the gospel of Christ.
He delivered first the terribly bad news that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
He delivered the bad news that all of us are by nature under His wrath.
And so all of us by nature are deserving of hell.
And all of us by nature are enemies of God.
Every last one of us, he says, whether Jew or Greek, rich or poor, Democrat or Republican,
all in all or Mount Pleasant, Clemson or South Carolina,
all of us by nature are under this curse of sin.
That's the bad news, Romans 1 through 5.
But then he gives us the glorious good news, he tells us,
that God has provided the way of salvation for sinners like us
in sending Jesus Christ.
That He has fulfilled the law by His own perfect life.
He has lived the life that we should have lived but failed.
He has died the death that we should have died in our place as a substitute for sinners.
And now He lives and reigns and rules and resurrection power over all the forces of sin and death and the devil.
This is the good news.
God has provided the way of salvation for sinners in His Son, Jesus Christ.
There is a way for sinners like us to be declared righteous in the sight of God.
Simply by putting our faith in Jesus.
That's Romans 1 through 5.
But now by the time we get to chapter 6, Paul, he senses an objection here.
If the gospel is all about magnifying God's grace, and it is.
If the gospel is all about the praise of His glorious grace towards sinners, and it is.
If you cannot earn your salvation by what you do.
If your righteousness matters not at all, and Christ's righteousness is all that matters.
Then here's a question, Paul.
Why does it matter how we live?
Why does it matter what we do?
Why not just keep on sinning?
Because, Paul, if I understand you rightly,
if I just keep on sinning, and then God shows me grace,
and then God gets the glory,
then we all win, right?
Right?
Paul says, by no means.
Why?
Because if you are a Christian,
then you are now united to Christ.
The moment you put your faith in Jesus,
you have now entered into this brand new reality.
You are no longer dead in sin.
Paul says, you are now alive to God in Christ.
To say it another way,
you are no longer alive towards sin and dead towards God.
You are now dead towards sin and alive towards God.
Why?
Because Jesus is dead to sin, and you're in Him.
And Jesus has risen and is now alive towards God,
and you are in Him.
And so now you are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.
This is what it means to be a Christian.
It means you have now entered into this breathtaking union with King Jesus.
I am sure you realize,
and if you haven't realized this yet,
you will realize it soon enough.
It is a recipe for disaster when a married man keeps on living like he is single.
That will not last.
Not for long.
You have entered into a new reality,
a new union,
a new identity.
You're not single anymore,
so stop acting like it.
Paul says,
neither are you, Christian.
Keep on sinning?
What are you talking about?
You have entered into a new union with Christ.
Stop thinking,
and stop acting,
and stop living like you're still single and dead in your sin.
Spurgeon says it like this.
He says,
you are one with Christ.
The same blood that flows in His veins now flows in yours.
You are part of His body,
of His flesh,
and of His bones.
Here's what this means, church.
God has performed a miracle in you, Christian.
He has taken what was dead
and has now made it alive.
He has taken what was His enemy
and has now adopted you into His own family
as His own son or His own daughter.
He's taken what was separated from Him
and under His wrath
and now has united you to Himself
and placed you under infinite grace and blessing in Christ.
And that brand new reality, Paul says,
is pictured in baptism.
Now, I want you to notice just a few things here
that Paul shows us about this ordinance,
this sign of baptism.
For one, notice here,
baptism pictures our union with Christ.
Baptism portrays visibly our union with Christ.
This is what he says in verse 3.
Do you not know
that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into His death?
We were therefore buried with Him
by baptism into death
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.
And the question is,
well, Paul,
what kind of baptism are you talking about here?
Are you talking about water baptism
like what we're about to do out here?
Or are you talking about spirit baptism,
meaning conversion?
And the answer is both.
Not because that water baptism saves you,
it doesn't,
but because that water baptism
is almost shorthand
for the entire reality of salvation.
Your baptism, water baptism,
is like the wedding ring on my finger.
This ring does not make me married.
A single man can go buy a wedding ring
and slip it onto his finger.
That does not make him married.
But this ring on my finger
is shorthand for the entire message of marriage.
It is shorthand for all the glorious benefits
of this union with my spouse.
And so you can say things like,
put a ring on it.
Beyonce, if you like it,
you should have put a ring on it.
And we know what you mean.
You're not just talking about the ring, are you?
Right?
You're talking about
all the glorious benefits of marriage.
Paul uses baptism in the same way.
Baptism is a visible sign,
shorthand,
for a believer's union with Christ.
You are buried with Him.
You are raised with Him.
The old is gone.
The new has come.
It visibly represents
what God has done
in the heart of a believer.
Which is why, notice,
this is why baptism is for believers only.
Baptism is not an engagement ring.
It is a wedding ring.
Baptism is not a symbol of promises made
that may or may not come true in time.
That have not yet come to pass.
Baptism is a symbol of promises realized.
This is where we take a different path
from our Presbyterian friends
who we love very much
and appreciate deeply.
But just think about Paul's argument here
in Romans 6 with me.
In what sense could any of this be said
of a non-believer
or an infant?
An infant has not yet died to sin.
They have not yet received
new resurrection life.
They are not yet freed from sin's power.
Not until by God's grace
they put their faith in Jesus
and are actually united to Him.
And then,
in obedience to Christ's command,
then,
we symbolize that union with Christ
in the waters of baptism.
In the Great Commission,
what does it say?
Jesus commands all His disciples,
go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them,
the disciples,
those who hear the Gospel
and respond in faith.
And so,
when we baptize someone,
as we're preparing to do today,
we're not saying,
gee,
I hope that God saves you.
we are saying,
we believe that He has.
And we believe that
you are united to Christ by faith.
We believe that
you have been buried with Him
and now you have been raised with Him.
And so,
we're going to represent that visibly
through the waters of baptism.
And notice here,
final point before we move on.
You notice I say we.
We.
We are doing this.
Who is the we?
One more key here.
Notice that He instinctively connects
baptism with the local church.
Remember who He's talking to here
in this book of Romans?
He is not just talking to
disconnected,
isolated,
lone ranger Christian
who happens to be passing through Rome
at the time.
Who is He talking to?
He is talking to
an organized,
recognizable,
local church
of Jesus Christ.
One that has elders
and deacons
and members
and they know
who is the church
and who is just passing through.
Why?
Because the normal assumption
of the New Testament
is that
if you have been united
to Christ,
then you will have
that vertical union
recognized
and affirmed
horizontally
by Christ's people,
the church.
This is what we,
together,
church,
do in baptism.
In baptism,
the individual says,
I'm a Christian
and the church says,
yes you are,
we agree.
We affirm that.
The individual says,
I want to walk with Jesus
and the church
collectively says,
yes,
we're going to do that with you.
We're going to link arms with you.
We're going to do that together.
To be baptized
is to say,
I am a part of the body
and then for the body
to say,
yes you are,
you're a part of us.
And again,
church,
I am so excited this morning
that we get to hear
the testimonies
from Carl
and then from Savannah
and then we go outside
and we get to symbolize
their entrance
into this union
with Jesus
but then we don't just
send them off
to go figure it out
on their own.
At the very same time,
we get to welcome them
formally,
officially
into membership
of this local body
of Christ.
What a gift that is.
Baptism,
like a wedding ceremony
is the one time
initial pronouncement
of your union
with Christ
in the presence
of many witnesses.
But of course,
we also need
regular reminders
of this union.
So the second stage here
that we'll consider,
second,
Paul says,
consider the union.
Second is,
considering the union.
And it's just amazing to me
how Paul does this.
And this is,
this is the hardest part
of preaching.
He lays out
all of this
glorious,
big picture,
gospel truth
of our union
with Christ.
He gives the church
in Rome
all of the gospel doctrine
that they could possibly handle.
And then,
he gives these specific,
clear to the point,
practical commands.
These aren't just ideas.
These ideas are meant
to shape our lives.
Right doctrine
ought to produce
right living.
And so he says,
by way of inference,
remember the objection,
don't keep on sinning
that grace may abound.
Christian,
live as you are
in Christ.
Consider this union
with Him.
And he gives us
a couple of images
to help us
understand what that means.
The first image here
is,
it's death to life.
He says,
we have been baptized,
buried with Him
in baptism,
raised to walk
in newness of life.
That's a command.
He says,
walk as someone
who has been raised
to new life.
And so the first image here
is death to life.
He gives us a second here
in verses 5 through 11.
And here,
the image is
slavery to freedom.
Look there at verse 5.
He says,
for if we have been
united with Him
in a death like His,
we shall certainly
be united with Him
in a resurrection like His.
We know that our old self
was crucified with Him
in order that the body
of sin might be brought
to nothing
so that we would
no longer be enslaved
to sin.
For one who has died
has been set free
from sin.
See,
the bad news is
you were dead.
The good news is
Christ has died
in your place.
And you've died in Him.
The bad news is
you were enslaved to sin.
But the good news is
Christ has now shattered
those chains of sin
for all who are united
to Him by faith.
If you are in Christ
by faith,
if you are united
to Him,
Christian,
you are free
from slavery to sin.
This is almost unbelievable,
isn't it?
Do you understand
non-believer
that you are not free?
That you are
enslaved
to the powers of sin?
And do you understand,
believer,
Christian,
that you are now
free
from the power of sin?
Yes,
of course,
you will still wrestle
with the presence of sin
in and around you.
You will wrestle
with indwelling sin
in you.
All of us do.
You will feel the pain
that sin causes
and brings against you
in your life.
We all do.
But the difference now
is you are no longer
enslaved
to the power
of sin
over you.
The presence
and the pain
and the persistence
of sin
are all there,
but His power
over you
is no more.
You are,
as He says
in 2 Corinthians 5.17,
you are a new creation
in Christ.
The old is gone,
behold,
the new has come.
Christ is alive,
you are alive
in Him.
Christ is victorious
over sin,
you are victorious
over sin
in Him.
This is what He says
in verse 8.
If we have died
with Christ,
we believe
we also will live
with Him.
And 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 to sin
once for all,
but the life He lives,
He lives to God.
Friend,
this is what it means
to be united
to Jesus.
When you get married,
it's no longer
just your wife's problems.
Guess what?
Now they're your problems too.
Amen!
It's no longer
just your debt.
Now this is our debt.
This is our balance sheet
together.
There's this blending
of lives
that happens
in a healthy marriage.
Paul says
this is exactly
what happens
when you're united
with Christ
by faith.
His death,
guess what?
That's yours.
His life,
guess what?
That's yours.
His freedom,
guess what?
That's yours,
Christian.
His victory
over sin,
guess what?
It is yours.
apart from Him
before you were
united to Him,
you were a slave
to sin,
but now,
praise God,
sin has no more power
over you,
Christian,
than it does
over Christ,
Jesus Himself.
So Christian,
live as you are
in Christ.
Christ.
This is what Paul
calls us to.
Our problem
is that we're so quick
to forget this
reality-shaping union
with King Jesus.
And we're just saying,
didn't we,
prone to wonder,
Lord,
I feel it,
prone to leave
the God I love.
So what do we need
to do,
church?
Paul commands us
in verse 11.
So you also
must consider yourselves
dead to sin
and alive to God
in Christ Jesus.
Jesus.
Consider yourself
dead
and consider yourself
alive.
Consider the union
and consider
what it means.
Consider yourself,
reckon yourself
to be who you are
in Christ.
Consider yourself
to be dead to sin.
Consider yourself
to be alive in Christ.
Consider yourself
to be free
from sin's enslavement
and consider yourself
to be victorious
over it in Christ.
And this isn't just
think about it,
although that's part of it.
This is,
let this truth
shape your very identity.
Drop your maiden name.
Wear your ring proudly.
Consider yourself
united to King Jesus.
Stop living as a slave.
Start living as a free man
in Christ.
A free woman
in Christ.
Christian,
do you understand
if you're in Christ
by faith,
this is objectively
true of you.
It means you are now
spirit indwelt,
reborn,
made new,
set free.
This is good news.
Paul says,
let this gospel
shape your very identity.
Would you consider yourself
dead to sin
and alive to God
in Christ?
In church,
there is more application
here than we have time
in the week
to apply to us,
but we'll give you a few.
Consider yourself
dead to sin
and alive to God.
How?
By saturating your mind
with God's word,
not with the world.
Do not be conformed
to the patterns
of this world,
he tells us
in chapter 12,
but be transformed
by the renewal
of your mind.
How?
Saturate your mind
with God's word
in Holy Scripture.
Consider yourself
dead to sin
and alive to God.
How?
By praying
without ceasing
and enjoying
this union
with your God.
Abide in me,
he says.
He invites you,
Christian.
Come to him.
Speak to him.
Bear your soul to him.
You'll be heard
and received in Christ.
Consider yourself
dead to sin
by killing
any lingering sin
in your heart.
Put off the old man
and put on the new man
in Christ.
Be killing sin
or sin will be killing you,
John Owen tells us.
Consider yourself
alive to God
by seeking to satisfy
your heart in him,
by treasuring him
above all else,
by feasting
on the abundance
of his steadfast love.
for you in Christ,
by fixing your mind's eye
on his return
and the promise
of eternal joy
with him
in that time,
in that day
when sin's presence,
sin's pain,
sin's persistence
and sin's power
are gone.
Consider yourself
dead to sin
and alive to God
by joining yourself
meaningfully
with your local church
community
in pursuit of Christ
together.
but you know
one way
that we
consider
this glorious
union together
as a church?
We consider
ourselves
dead to sin
and alive
to God
by partaking
of communion
together.
Have you ever
thought about it
this way?
What is communion?
Communion
is a
visible,
tangible
reminder
of the gospel
of Christ.
It shows us
visibly before our eyes.
We hold it
in our very hands
what Christ has done
in shedding
his blood
and breaking
of his flesh.
And it's a sign
of our unity
both to Christ
vertically
and also
horizontally
to Christ's people.
Paul says
in 1 Corinthians 10
because there is
one bread
we who are many
are one body
for we all
partake of the
one bread.
Church this is
a family meal
for those
who have been
united to Christ
and to one
another.
Baptism
is the one
time entrance
and communion
is the ongoing
reminder
of our union
with Christ.
Baptism
is putting
on the
team jersey
and communion
is the regular
team practice.
Baptism
is the wedding
ceremony
and communion
is the anniversary
getaway
or the weekend
date night.
It is a
regular
ongoing
reminder
of our union
with Christ
and our unity
together
as a body
which is why
again
these two signs
are so
interconnected.
Baptism
looks back
at the beginning
of our union
but communion
feeds us
along the way.
It's a family
meal
where every
baptized believer
gets to come
and remember
and feast
on what God
has done
for us
in Christ.
Christian
when you
come to
the table
you feed
on Christ
by faith
and you
remember
you remember
his body
broken for you
and his
blood shed
for you
the blood
of the new
covenant
shed for the
forgiveness
of your sins
you eat
and you
drink
in faith
and you
consider
yourself
in him
dead
to sin
and alive
to God
and again
what a gift
church
and we get
to celebrate
this together
this morning
if you're a
baptized believer
you're welcome
to come
and remember
what God
has done
in bringing
you from
death to life
and freeing
you from
slavery to
sin
would you
come
this morning
and consider
yourself
dead to
sin
and alive
to God
in Christ
praise God
but then
church
we see
third
Paul directs
us
to living
in the
union
living
in the
union
the big
moment
of the
wedding
ceremony
and the
honeymoon
is over
and then
what happens
you come
back home
and what
then
the
anniversary
celebration
is great
you get
to reflect
on your
love for
one another
express
your love
to one
another
but what's
next
what's
after that
what's
next
is daily
faithfulness
daily
enjoyment
of living
faithfully
in the
union
God
has given
you
and this
is what
Paul shows
us in
verses 12
through 14
now we're
about to
go and
eat and
drink
symbolically
the body
and the
blood of
Christ
we're about
to go
and feast
on the
promises
of the
gospel
by faith
but then
we're
going to
leave
and we're
going to
start a
new week
we're
going to
go
baptize
Carl
and Savannah
but then
they're
going to
dry off
and they're
going to
change their
clothes
they're going
to drive
back home
and then
normal life
starts again
Monday is
right around
the corner
what does
all of this
mean when you
get up and
go to work
tomorrow
everything has
changed but at
the same time
it all just
looks the
same
what does
it look
like
to live
every day
in this
union
with Christ
Paul tells
us in
verse 12
let not
sin
therefore
reign
in your
mortal body
to make
you obey
its passions
let not
sin
therefore
reign
in your
mortal body
to make
you obey
its passions
what does it
look like
tomorrow
church
it looks
like
war
Paul says
refuse it
do not
let it
reign
it wants
to
there is
now and
will be
until the
day you
die or
Christ
returns
a battle
for your
heart
a battle
for the
throne
sin has
been
effectively
dethroned
but it
constantly
is trying
to sneak
its way
back
on
Paul says
don't
let it
reign
Christian
don't
let it
make you
obey
its
passions
Christian
don't
go eat
this bread
and drink
this cup
and go
into the
water
and come
up out
of the
water
and then
go out
of here
and live
like you're
still enslaved
to sin
don't
present your
members
he says
in verse
13
to sin
as instruments
for unrighteousness
but present
yourselves to
God as
those who
have been
brought from
death to
life
and your
members to
God as
instruments
for righteousness
for sin
will have
no dominion
over you
since you
are not
under law
but under
grace
here we go
back to this
grace again
this grace
remember the
keep on
sinning
objection
Paul says
this grace
being under
grace
if you truly
understand it
it should not
lead you to
give yourself
over to sin
but rather to
freely
and fully
give yourself
to God
and there is
no in between
how do I live
in this union
with Christ
what does it
look like
it looks like
love the Lord
your God
with all
your heart
and all
your soul
and all
your mind
and all
your strength
and love
your neighbor
as yourself
as Jesus
did
it looks like
all the
members of
your body
your mind
your eyes
your ears
your mouth
your hands
and your feet
your heart
and your soul
all of it
has now been
set free
from sin
and made
alive by the
spirit
so Paul
says don't
offer any
of them up
as instruments
to sin
rather give
yourself
wholly
to God
this
is the
daily
life
in union
with Christ
as you abide
in him
and bear much
fruit each
and every day
you're asking
God
God how can I
use my lips
to glorify you
today
God how can I
let what comes
into my ears
be honoring
to you today
God would you
guide my thoughts
and lead them
to be honoring
to you today
I don't want
to set my mind
on anything
that's false
I want to set
my mind
above where
Christ is
seated at the
right hand
of God
God would you
allow me to
set my hands
and my feet
today in ways
that are honoring
and pleasing
to you
not to tear
down but to
build up
God would you
would you allow
me to treasure
you above all
else in my
heart today
would you remove
any false joy
any false
treasure
any false
delight far
from me
and satisfy
my heart
this morning
in your
unfailing love
God would you
do that
this is what
it looks like
to live
daily in your
union with
Christ
the ordinances
of baptism
and the
Lord's Supper
church
they are
beautiful
pictures
of our
union
with Christ
but I want
to make it
clear to you
as we close
they are not
just empty
religious
rituals
they both
demonstrate
and demand
new life
in Christ
do not
partake
of these
elements
if you have
no intention
of living out
what they
represent
if you have
been baptized
and if you
take communion
what you're
saying
church
is I
am in
Christ
sin has
no dominion
over me
how can
we who
have died
to sin
still live
in it
Paul gives
this exact
warning
clearly in
Romans
in 1st
Corinthians
chapter 10
he warns
the Corinthians
that simply
partaking
of these
signs
apart from
genuine
faith
and genuine
repentance
it means
absolutely
nothing
for you
in fact
it may
be
it may
mean
trouble
for you
listen to
this warning
from 1st
Corinthians
10
he says
for I do
not want
you to be
unaware
brothers
that our
fathers
were all
under the
cloud
and all
passed
through the
sea
all were
baptized
into
Moses
in the
cloud
and in
the
sea
do you
hear
there
a
picture
of
baptism
all
of them
were
baptized
as it
were
rescued
out of
slavery
in
Egypt
brought
into
freedom
through
the
waters
of
the
red
sea
do you
see
an
image
of
baptism
he
goes
on
and all
ate
the
same
spiritual
food
and all
drank
the
same
spiritual
drink
for
they
drank
from
the
spiritual
rock
that
followed
them
and the
rock
was
Christ
there's
a
sermon
for
another
day
do you
hear
there
a
picture
of
communion
this
redeemed
!
community
who
all
of
them
brought
out of
slavery
all
of
them
baptized
as it
were
through
the
waters
all
of
them
now
called
to be
God's
people
God
sustained
them
with
this
spiritual
food
on
their
way
to
the
promised
land
does that
sound
like
us?
He
reminded
them
constantly
of
his
care
and
his
provision
for
them
he
reminded
them
constantly
of
his
faithfulness
to
them
that
they
were
his
people
and
he
was
his
God
and
yet
he
goes
on
nevertheless
with
most
of
them
God
was
not
pleased
for
they
were
overthrown
in
the
wilderness
here's
the
point
these
ordinances
are
incredible
signs of
God's
gift of
grace
in the
gospel
of
Christ
they
are
visible
and
tangible
expressions
of our
union
with
Jesus
but
again
church
apart
from
real
repentance
and
apart
from
real
faith
they
are
empty
so
Paul
says
these
things
took
place
as
examples
for
us
that
we
might
not
desire
evil
as
they
did
do
not
be
idolaters
as
some
of
them
were
as
it
is
written
the
people
sat
down
to
eat
and
drink
and
rose
up
to
play
so
we
must
not
indulge
in
sexual
immorality
as
some
of
them
did
and
23,000
fell
in a
single
day
we
must
not
put
Christ
to
the
test
as
some
of
them
did
and
were
destroyed
by
serpents
nor
grumble
as
some
of
them
did
and
were
destroyed
by
the
destroyer
now
these
things
happened
to
them
as
an
example
but
they
were
written
down
for
our
instruction
on
whom
the
end
of
the
ages
has
come
church
they
are
written
down
for
us
for
us
as we
come
to
the
table
for
us
as we
go
down
into
the
waters
of
baptism
for
us
as we
reflect
on
our
precious
union
with
Jesus
Christ
friend
have
you
been
united
to
Christ
by
faith
have
you
been
united
with
him
in
his
death
to
sin
and
his
life
to
God
do
you
live
now
in
resurrection
victory
over
sin
have
you
entered
into
that
union
if
not
then
friend
what
would
keep
you
from
coming
to
Christ
this
very
morning
and
calling
out
to
him
in
faith
and
if
so
Christian
consider
yourself
dead
to
sin
and
alive
to
God
in
Christ
live
in
the
union
God
has
purchased
for
you
in
the
gospel
of
Christ
let's
pray
father
God
we
praise
you
for
this
unfathomable
grace
that you've
given
us
in
Christ
that
all
who
come
to
King
Jesus
by
faith
you
have
removed
our
sins
from
us
as far
as
the
east
is
from
the
west
you
have
made
us
new
in
Christ
you've
given
us
a very
new
identity
Lord
we're
no
longer
dead
we're
alive
we're
no
longer
slaves
we're
free
we pray
father
that we
would
live
in
this
union
that
you've
given
us
in
Christ
we
praise
you
now
that
we
get
to
see
it
represented
in
the
waters
of
baptism
and
in
the
Lord's
supper
would
you
feed
us
by
faith
as
we
partake
of
these
elements
we pray
in
Jesus
name
amen