We're going to have our Bible reading now,
so if you want to open your devices, your Bibles,
whatever you've brought with you,
we're going to look at Romans 6, starting at verse 15.
Romans 6, verse 15.
What then?
Are we to sin because we are not under the law,
but under grace?
By no means.
Do not know that if you present yourselves to anyone
as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey.
Either of sin, which leads to death,
or of obedience, which leads to righteousness.
But thanks be to God that you, who were once slaves of sin,
have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching
to which you were committed.
And, having been set free from sin,
have become slaves of righteousness.
I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations.
For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity
and to lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness,
so now present your members as slaves to righteousness,
leading to sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin,
you were free in regard to righteousness.
But what fruit were you getting at that time,
from the things of which you were now ashamed?
For the end of those things is death.
But now that you have been set free from sin
and have become slaves of God,
the fruit you get leads to sanctification
and its end, eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
Would you please pray with me briefly
as we get into God's Word?
Our Father, what we hear in this passage from you
is difficult to accept at first,
and so I pray that you might press it in to each of our hearts.
Lord, you want us to know the freedom of belonging to your Son.
So please help us understand
and help us to believe what you're saying here.
For our joy, for your glory.
I pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, as we begin,
you think I'm going to do something,
I want you to do something.
Unless people's lives depend on it
or your job depends on it,
I wonder if you would get out your phone
and put it on aeroplane mode
or turn it off completely.
Go on.
Ian, I just got a power trip listening to Ian,
so I thought,
Dave says,
put your phone on aeroplane mode
or totally off.
How many phones can I see?
Now let me give you a reason.
The reason is to give you full attention
to God's Word and being present
with God's people.
I don't want you to turn it back on
until you get into your car.
Okay.
Honesty time.
Hands up.
Who just pretended
to put it on aeroplane mode?
Okay.
Thank you, Natalie.
Thanks for the honesty.
Who's already wondering
what notifications they're missing out on?
Yeah.
Good honesty.
Thank you.
Now, I don't want to make a rule about this.
That's not my purpose.
I want to illustrate a point about freedom.
Freedom is often thought about,
spoken about,
as if it's having no constraints on you.
And I just put a constraint on you.
I tried to, anyway.
Freedom to have no constraints,
it's not possible.
So, when it comes to your phone,
I should probably do it, actually.
I haven't done that.
No.
There we go.
You can be free from receiving notifications
that steal your attention
so that you can be free for
giving your whole attention to being here,
being with God's people,
God's word.
Or, you can be free from
having all your attention grabbed
by being here
so that you can be free for
still engaging online
to some extent
with a notification.
It's one or the other.
You can't,
it's just not possible
to do both.
So, we often talk about freedom,
freedom from,
but we don't talk enough
about freedom for.
Let me put to you
a Tim Keller illustration
in my own words
and maybe the point
will sink in a bit better.
Say there's a man in his 60s
and he has two competing desires.
He really desires eating
all the junk food he wants
and he really desires,
he loves spending time
with his grandkids.
Now, he's got both desires
but he can't do both.
He can be free
to eat all the junk food he wants
but the wages of that
is probably going to be
a shorter life expectancy
and so he's going to miss out
on more time with his grandkids.
Or, he could be constrained by,
he wants more time
with his grandkids
and so he will be constrained
in terms of what he eats.
Freedom from, freedom for.
You can't have it both ways.
It's not how freedom works.
Or, picture driving on the road.
We could be free.
We could just abandon all the rules
and I can just drive
wherever I want on the lane.
I can go as fast as I want.
I can drive in whatever I want.
One of those Pee Wee 50 motorbike,
whatever.
Do whatever you want.
Turn whenever you want.
Don't worry about blinking,
exiting the roundabout.
Gee, it's so hard to remember
that.
Anyway, we could be free from that
if we want.
Or, we can be enslaved
to the road rules
for the freedom
for all of us
arriving home safely.
We've got a choice.
You can't have both.
Either I can be free
from giving my possessions away
for the good of others
for having an abundance
of possessions for myself.
Or, I can be free
of believing that life
consists in the abundance
of my possessions
so that I'm free
for sharing my possessions
with others.
You can't have both.
Jesus said that one
clearly, didn't he?
You can't serve God and money.
You can't.
You can be free
from RSVPing
to an event
so that you can be free
for having to see
if something better
comes along.
Or, you could be,
you could give an RSVP
ahead of time
so that you can be free
for being a person
known
who keeps their commitments
and who actually
respects you enough
to reply.
You can't do both.
Now, hopefully,
some of those illustrations,
I don't know
if it's sinking in or not,
but freedom is not just
about what you're free from.
Freedom is about
what you're free for.
Freedom is not about
being free
from all constraints.
That does not exist.
The world talks about that.
We wrestled with that
with the pandemic rules,
didn't we?
Freedom from constraints.
That idea
doesn't exist.
That's not freedom.
True freedom
is giving ourselves
to good constraints.
Life-giving constraints.
That's where you find freedom.
Freedom from,
freedom for.
Now, I'm labouring this point
because I think this is
really crucial to get
in our minds
as we come to this passage
about being set free
from sin
to be slaves
to righteousness.
Otherwise,
we're going to hear
that idea
of being slaves
to righteousness
as burdensome,
as oppressing
our freedom,
when it's actually
saying,
here's where
you'll find freedom.
So my experience
is that
unbelievers
often see
Christianity
as the choice
between giving up
your freedom
to be constrained
by religious rules.
That's not the choice.
Here's how someone,
Douglas Moo,
a commentator,
put it.
The choice
with which people
are faced
is not
should I retain
my freedom
or give it up
and submit to God.
The choice is
should I serve sin
or should I serve God?
That's the choice.
Sin or God?
Lie or truth?
So true freedom
isn't from all constraints.
That doesn't exist.
True freedom
is being constrained
by what gives you life.
Okay,
so how does this relate
to the gospel
and living out
the gospel life?
when we grasp
the gospel
that we are saved
by grace alone,
by faith alone,
simply by faith alone
in what Jesus
has already done,
I'm justified,
just as if
I've never sinned.
I'm saved
from the penalty
of death
that my sin deserves.
There is now
no condemnation.
I am at peace
with God.
That's what we've
covered in Romans.
If you grasp
this gospel,
then the question
Paul asks
is the obvious
question,
isn't it?
Chapter 6,
verse 15.
If I'm definitely
saved by grace,
if the law's
threat of punishment
for breaking the law,
that's gone.
If the law's
promise of reward,
of blessing,
is guaranteed,
what motivation
do I have
to not sin?
What motivation
is there?
The assumption
here is
that it's
God's law
that keeps us
doing the right
thing and keeps us
from doing evil.
Now, the law
can tell us
what is good
and evil,
but the assumption
here is that
it's the law
that has the power
to make us
do the right
thing and not
do the wrong
thing.
This is the
common objection
to Christianity,
especially among
Muslims today.
saved by grace,
you'll just do
whatever you want,
you'll just sin.
That can't be right.
What other
motivation could
there be
to doing the
right thing
and not doing
the wrong thing?
So instead of
just talking
in the abstract,
I want to frame
the rest of this
sermon in terms
of your
fight with sin,
your individual
motivation
to do what
God says.
So I'm going
to frame
the rest of it.
You're facing
the choice
of whether to
sin or not.
What motivation
is there,
if not law?
What does
grace motivate
us to do?
So hopefully
you've got your
Bibles open
to Romans 6.
Make sure
what I'm saying
is true.
Notice first
what Paul
doesn't say.
he doesn't
say sin
doesn't matter.
Go on
sinning,
yeah.
As if we
expected him
to say that.
I don't think
anyone expected
that to be
the answer.
He also
doesn't say,
well,
if a person
goes on
totally living
in sin,
then that
would show
that they
were never
a Christian
in the first
place.
He doesn't
say that.
Now,
that might
be true
in an
ultimate
sense.
If someone
just lives
their life
not caring
about Jesus
at all
for all
their life,
then yeah,
that statement
is true.
But if that
person is here
today,
they've stopped
listening to me
a while ago.
They don't care
about the answer
to this question.
So if you're
still listening,
that's great
news.
Or if you're
still searching
the passage,
that's great
news.
But do you
see what's
dangerous about
thinking,
I've got to
do the right
thing to
prove that
I'm still
under grace?
Do you
hear what's
wrong with
that?
It's really
going,
I'm saved
by Jesus,
but I need
a little bit
of law.
I'm saved
by grace,
but to make
sure I'm
saved by
grace,
I need a
little bit
of law
in my
life to
try and do
the right
thing.
That's not
the gospel.
The gospel
is you
only need
Jesus.
Jesus is
totally
sufficient.
It's
fighting sin,
that kind
of thinking
is fighting
sin with a
little bit
of fear.
If I just
do whatever
I want,
maybe that
will show
I'm not a
Christian and
therefore I'm
facing God's
judgment.
Notice that
it's actually
using fear
to motivate
us to do
the right
thing.
that's
not the
gospel.
We have
motivation
of love,
not fear.
We're going
to see that
in this
passage.
So how
does grace
motivate me
to fight
sin's desire?
First,
Paul gives
an instinctive
emotional response,
by no means.
May it
never be.
He could
not say
this more
quickly and
strongly.
Should we
keep on
sinning?
No.
He just
couldn't
help
himself.
It just
comes out
of him.
I think
this little
outburst
says more
than simply
no.
None of
us expect
him to
say yes.
I think
it shows
it's his
instinctive
response.
It's his
gut response.
If I
ask you a
different
question,
because husbands
and wives
have given
promises to
remain together
for the
entire life,
does that
mean that they
can treat
each other
however poorly
they want?
I saw some
shakes of the
head.
Did you have
to logically
think that
through to
come up with
an answer?
Didn't your
instinctive
response go,
no way,
that's not
right?
And then you
work out,
why was that
my instinctive
response?
Something deep
inside our
worldview of
relationships
told us
straight away,
no,
that's not
right.
That's what's
happening here
with Paul.
Shall we
keep on
sinning?
No.
The point
I'm getting
at is that
prior to
Paul's
conversion,
he would
have been
the one
asking this
question,
going,
the gospel
can't be
right,
I'm a
Pharisee.
He would
be the one
posing this
question,
but now
Paul is the
one going,
no way.
Yes,
it's all by
grace.
No,
something
fundamental
has changed
inside Paul.
this outburst,
I think,
comes from
Paul's grasp
of who he
now is
in Christ.
That's the
purpose of
this section.
Chapters 5
to 8
is all about
training us to
think of
ourselves as
in Jesus
Christ,
our Lord.
God.
So,
would you,
I want to
spend a little
bit of time
pressing in
this point
because
someone helped
me to see it
this week
and I haven't
seen it
before and
I just want
to show you.
So,
turn to
chapter 5
verse 1.
Chapter 5
verse 1.
What is this
section of
Romans about?
Chapter 5
verse 1.
See if you
can pick up
a key phrase
that keeps
repeating.
We're going
to look at
a few
different
verses.
Therefore,
since we've
been justified
by faith,
we have
peace with
God through
our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Now,
look,
jump to
5 verse 11.
I'm not
going to give
context,
we're just
going to
jump.
More than
that,
we also
rejoice in
God through
our Lord
Jesus Christ
through whom
we have now
received
reconciliation.
Then jump
to chapter
5 verse
21.
So that,
as sin
reigned in
death,
grace also
might reign
through
righteousness
leading to
eternal life
through Jesus
Christ our
Lord.
Have you
got the
phrase yet?
It keeps
repeating.
Look at
6 verse 11.
This is the
first command
in Romans.
Do you know
what you should
do in response
to the
gospel?
Here's the
first command
that you
should respond.
This is how
you should
respond.
6 verse 11.
So you
also must
consider
yourselves
dead to
sin and
alive to
God in
Christ Jesus.
The first
thing we're
told to do
is to
consider
ourselves
something.
Okay,
we're not
done yet.
6 verse 23,
which we've
heard this
morning.
For the
wages of
sin is
death,
but the
free gift
of God
is eternal
life in
Christ Jesus
our Lord.
God.
Then
jump to
7.
25.
Thanks be
to God.
Who's going
to save
me from
this body
of death?
Thanks be
to God
that keeps
sinning.
Through
Jesus
Christ
our
Lord.
I won't
read the
rest of
the verse,
but thanks
be to God
through
Jesus
Christ
our
Lord.
Last
one,
8.
39.
9.
Nothing,
nor height,
nor depth,
nor anything
else in
all creation
will be
able to
separate us
from the
love of
God in
Christ
Jesus
our Lord.
Did you
pick up the
key phrase
that unites
this whole
section?
In and
through
Jesus
Christ
our
Lord.
It's
training us
to think
of ourselves
as in
Jesus
Christ
our
Lord.
We
see
ourselves
as in
him.
So how
does being
united to
Jesus
motivate us
not to
sin?
I think
Paul gives
us four
ways of
thinking
now that
we're in
Christ.
There's
more than
this.
We need
chapter 7
and chapter
8.
The fact
that we
keep on
sinning,
we need
chapter 7
to go,
that is
the normal
Christian
experience.
Sin is
still present.
Who's
going to
save us
from this
body that
just keeps
on doing
what I
don't want
to do?
So we
need to
hear more
than this
as I'm
saying.
Wait for
chapter 7
and 8.
There's
more to
the story
but this
morning we
get four
motivations,
four weapons
to fight
sin with,
with grace.
The first
one is to
see sin
as it
really is,
an
enslaving
lie.
The second
motivation is
understand what
Christ achieved
for you
when he died
and rose
again.
He didn't
just pay the
penalty of
sin,
he liberated
you from
sin's dominion
over you.
You have a
new master.
The second
weapon is
compare these
two masters
and what they
offer you
and you
will find
that you
never have
to choose
between
doing what
God wants
and what
gives you
life.
You never
have to
choose between
the two.
And I
think the
fourth
motivation
we get
in this
passage is
this
slavery
metaphor
analogy,
it's not
the full
picture.
We're only
slaves in
as much
as Jesus
Christ is,
a slave
of God.
So let's
go through
each of
these.
So first,
we need
to see
sin as
it actually
is.
It's an
enslaving
lie.
So verse
16.
verse 16.
Do you
not know
that if
you present
yourselves to
anyone as
obedient slaves,
you are slaves
of the one
whom you
obey,
either of
sin,
which leads
to death,
or of
obedience,
which leads
to righteousness.
I think we
can think of
sin like the
occasional bad
decision that
we commit,
like eating
that 11th
piece of
chocolate,
or 32nd
piece of
chocolate.
We know
we shouldn't
do it,
but we
commit it,
the
transgression.
I'm not
saying chocolate's
evil,
but Paul is
saying sin
here is not
the occasional
transgression,
but really we're
still in control.
We don't have
to have the
33rd piece
of chocolate.
That's not
how he views
sin.
He sees
sin more
like alcohol,
an alcoholic.
It's not
just the
occasional
mistake.
It's
actually
controlling
the person.
It is
affecting
every area
of their
life.
It is
damaging
everything.
They don't
have self-control.
They are
under the
control of
the alcohol.
It affects
everything.
That's how
he's
viewing
sin.
Sin is
enslaving.
sin.
I just
want to
pause at
this point
and qualify
something we've
been saying
in this
Roman series
so far.
Dave and I
have been
saying that
sin is
claiming
autonomy.
Claiming
autonomy away
from God.
God, you're
not ruling
my life.
I'm ruling
my life.
Rejecting
his rightful
rule over
us.
While that's
still an
accurate description
of sin,
do you see
that it's
not quite
the full
picture?
There's
something wrong
with that
definition or
something not
quite complete.
The idea
that we can
have autonomy
is a lie.
It's a
lie.
God is
God.
You can
try and have
autonomy,
it just
doesn't exist.
God is
still
God.
What's
actually
going on
when you
try and
rule your
own life
is you're
giving
yourself
to
enslavement
to a
lie.
You're
not
living
according
to the
truth.
It's
the
fundamental
lie
that Adam
and Eve
believed.
You can
be like
God.
No,
you
can't.
The
sadly
ironic
thing is
by claiming
self-rule
we're
selling
ourselves
to be
slaves
to sin,
to a
lie,
24-7.
Whatever
we obey,
we are
slaves of
the thing
we obey.
We can
either serve
sin or
God.
So,
first,
we fight
sin by
seeing it
for what
it is.
It's not
the occasional
transgression.
It's an
enslaving
lie.
God
to
die.
The
second
thing,
and this
is the
main
motivation
in this
passage,
understand
what
Christ's
death
and
resurrection
accomplished
for you.
Jesus
didn't
just die
and rise
again
so that
you
escaped
the
penalty
of
sin,
although
that is
wonderfully
true.
Christ's
mission
was like
a prison
break.
He
came
into the
prison
to break
us
out,
or it's
like a
military
operation
to come
in and
get the
prisoners
of war
out.
It's
like a
police
raid on
a house
with women
trapped
in human
trafficking.
It's
being
oppressed
and enslaved,
not in
control.
It's a
rescue
mission.
We
weren't
just saved
from the
penalty,
we're
saved
from the
power
of sin
over us.
In
Christ,
I have
been
liberated,
I have
a new
master.
That's
what
verse 17
and 18
is saying,
but thanks
be to
God
that you
who were
once
slaves
of sin
have
become
obedient
from the
heart
to the
standard
of teaching
to which
you were
committed,
and having
been set
free
from sin,
have
become
slaves
of
righteousness.
Let me
try and
use a few
illustrations
here.
Imagine you
get a new
job,
and at
9.15am
you get a
call from
and it
happens to
be your
previous
boss,
and there's
a sharp
voice on
the other
end of
the line,
where are
you?
The meeting
started at
9.
What would
you be
thinking in
that moment?
You're not
my boss
anymore,
I'm not
coming to
that meeting.
What?
What do you
mean you're not
coming to
that meeting?
I've got a
new job,
that's who
I am,
you have no
authority over
me, I am
not turning
up, end
call.
Isn't that
how you'd be
thinking about
yourself?
You might be
more polite
than that, I
don't know,
but you have
no authority
over me.
Or to use
the illustration
by, it's on
the back of
your bulletin,
Dr. Sinclair
Ferguson, he's
a Scottish
preacher and
writer.
So say I
became an
American citizen,
I'm speaking
as Sinclair
Ferguson now,
then out of
the blue I
have a letter
from Buckingham
Palace signed
by Elizabeth
II, or
Elizabeth R as
I believe she
signs herself,
Dear Dr.
Ferguson, I
command you to
come back and
serve in the
forces here in
the United
Kingdom.
But I've
become an
American citizen.
I can send my
little letter back
to her, and
especially if I'm
no longer a
monarchist, I'm
not sure what
we'll do here in
Australia, but
Dear Lizzie,
isn't that good?
It was so nice
having you as my
sovereign, and I
actually loved
living under your
reign, but I am
no longer under
your reign.
I am an
American.
I am no longer
under your
dominion.
You have no
authority over
me.
Now, we
might be
thinking, doesn't
the fact that I
still sin often
suggest that I'm
still under the
reign of sin?
Are we just
meant to pretend
and imagine like
sin has no power
over us when,
let's be honest,
it is a strong
force constant in
our life, isn't
it?
Are we just
pretending here?
We're not
pretending, because
the grounds of this
reality is not in
your behaviour.
It's not in your
present daily
behaviour.
That says nothing
about whether you're
slaves or not.
We'll come to that
in chapter 7.
The grounds of
being set free is
what Jesus has
already done.
He died to sin,
in him we have
died.
He's raised to
live for God, in
him we have new
master.
The ground isn't in
our experience, the
ground is what Jesus
has done for us.
This is trying to
teach us, train
yourself to think
like this.
I am free from
sin, even though I
sin so much, and I
don't want to, but I
keep doing it.
I am free, because
of what Christ has
done.
Notice the passive
voice in these few
verses.
It's not that you
committed yourself to
this new master, it's
that you were handed
over.
This was something
that was done to
you.
So it's not that the
standard of teaching
was committed to
you, it was you
were committed to
the standard of
teaching.
So you were
committed into this
new life in
Christ.
It's a passive
voice.
You didn't do it,
and that's why Paul
gives God the
credit.
Thanks be to
God.
He transferred you,
he liberated you.
When did it happen?
When you first believed
into Christ.
Now that's a, it's a
strange way of
describing becoming a
Christian.
So you have become
obedient from the
heart to the standard
of teaching.
It's a bit of a
strange way of
describing becoming a
Christian, but I like
how FF Bruce, another
commentator, puts it, so
let me share it with you.
What is this pattern of
teaching?
It's the pattern of
teaching which was
embodied in Christ
himself.
So it wasn't this list
of rules.
What were we committed
to?
Christ himself.
What he embodied,
this new way of life.
So when we first
believed we have been
brought into this new
way of life, we've
been brought into
Christ.
And being in Christ,
he is both saviour and
Lord.
Alright, if you, I'm
not sure if I've said
that clearly enough, but
feel free to come talk
to me afterwards if you're
a bit confused still on
that point.
We'll talk to each other.
Maybe even better.
Okay, first one.
See sin as an enslaving
lie.
Second motivation is
realise what Christ has
done for you.
You were liberated.
You were set free.
And then we've got a
third motivation that
grace compels us.
In your daily choices,
compare what these
masters offer you.
What fruit do you get?
And that's what verses
20 to 23 are about.
There's two masters,
sin or God,
two results from
serving them,
death or eternal life,
two methods of
rewarding, wages or
free gift.
life.
So let's compare the
pair.
Hopefully that's not a
legal catchphrase that I
just said there, but
anyway, we can scrap
that.
Back then when you were
free from God, you were
free from what God said
and you were just obeying
sin, what fruit did you
get?
Try and think back.
What fruit did you get
when you just handed
yourself over to sin's
desires?
When you were full of
impurity, envy, hatred,
lying, intentionally
causing others harm,
gossiping, slandering,
hating God, insolent,
proud, boasting,
disobedient to parents,
foolish, faithless,
heartless, ruthless.
What fruit did you get
from that?
Didn't you get shame
inside of you?
Didn't you get
destruction of
relationships around
you?
Didn't you have the
knowledge that you
deserve God's
judgment, it's coming?
What kind of fruit is
that?
What fruit does
righteousness offer?
Or to turn the
question a bit, when
is doing what God
has said made you
feel ashamed?
I can't think of
the time.
I can think of the
time when people
tried to put me to
shame.
That's very different
from, so it could be
a painful thing, but
that's very different
from feeling ashamed.
That's a different
thing.
The fruit you get
from God is honour,
peace, eternal life.
These two masters
reward you by two
very different
methods.
Sin does want to
reward you.
Sin can't wait to
give you the paycheck
at the end of the
day.
You've earned it.
Death.
Can't wait to pay us.
But your new master
only wants to give
you life as a free
gift.
He is generous.
He is gracious.
That's the only way he
relates to us.
That's his character.
So I think the
motivation we're
meant to have here is
it's not saying give
up what you really
want now so that you
get eternal life later.
It's not saying that.
It's saying why would
you want to keep doing
the things that cause
you shame?
Start enjoying the
eternal life you have
now.
I think this paragraph
boils down to a thought
so profound.
It's not my thought.
I'm indebted to John
Piper for explaining
this.
It has totally reshaped
the way I think of
obedience to God.
If God will always,
sorry, if God's will,
if his will always leads
to eternal life,
always, that's the fruit,
then I never have to
choose between doing
what God wants me to do
and what will bring me
life and joy and peace.
They're never two options.
They're the same choice.
You never, ever, ever
have to choose between
doing what will truly
satisfy you and what God
commands.
they're the same choice.
It may be a painful path
at first,
but it will lead
to no shame,
the Lord's pleasure,
eternal life.
I think we see this
principle played out
most fully when Jesus
was sweating drops of
blood in the garden of
Gethsemane and he said,
not my will that yours be
done.
And what's he saying
there?
It's a painful path.
Absolutely.
He's sweating drops of
blood.
I've never done that.
Painful.
Did he want to go to the
cross?
No.
Absolutely not.
In one sense.
But then he prayed this,
not my will but yours be
done.
His most fundamental
desire was to trust that
the Father's will would
result in life and peace
and joy.
And did it?
And honour.
Did it.
Didn't we celebrate that
it did last Sunday?
As sin claims that you
will never be satisfied
until you give in to it,
you can say,
you are lying to me.
You can't wait to pay me
in death.
I never have to choose
between submitting to
God's will and what will
actually give me joy,
everlasting joy.
They are always the same
choice.
I think that's a
profound thought.
It's a profound weapon
to fight with sin.
I think there's one final
motivation in this
passage.
It's a bit disguised.
I think it's a hint that
we need chapters 7 and 8
still to fully understand
ourselves as being in
Christ.
So in verse 19 we've got
I'm speaking in human
terms about this slavery
metaphor because of your
natural limitations.
So we're slow to
understand who we now
are in Christ.
We're slow to get the
fact that being free
from all constraints,
ruling your own life,
doesn't exist.
That there's only sin or
God as our master.
We're slow to accept that.
We need this slavery
metaphor to understand
that Jesus has liberated
us.
So we need it.
But the analogy isn't
good enough.
This breaks down here,
people.
We need to understand
this.
And I think in our modern
thinking we might go,
of course slavery is not a
good example.
That's awful.
It's dehumanising.
It's brutal.
Of course that's a not
good enough analogy.
But that's thinking about
slavery with modern eyes.
If we go back into Paul's
day in Roman times, it
really depended, and talk
to Sean if you want to know
more about this.
He's the historian here.
But hopefully he's agreeing
with me when I say this,
that it really depended on
who your master was,
whether slavery was a bad
thing or not.
You could have more
security, more honour,
more status, more
prosperity if you're a
slave in Caesar's
household than if you're
a free person.
Just another pleb.
Is there a...
Okay, great.
Good.
It's more dependent on who
your master was, whether
slavery was bad or not, back
in Paul's day.
And in biblical language,
being slaves of God, Paul is
proud of that title.
He opens every letter with
that.
I am a servant, or you could
say slave, of Christ Jesus.
There's nothing to be ashamed
of.
What greater master could you
have?
And that is an honouring
title.
When we talk about saint, to
be a saint, that's basically
what we're saying.
We're saying we're totally
dedicated to God.
We are set apart for God.
Biblically, being a slave of
God is an honouring thing.
So why is this analogy of
slavery not the full picture?
I think it's because we need
to get to chapter 8.
Chapter 8, verse 15.
For you did not receive the
spirit of slavery to fall back
into fear, as you relate to
God, but you have received the
spirit of adoption as sons, by
whom we cry, Abba, Father.
I think we are only as much a
slave as Jesus Christ is
himself to God.
We need to learn to think of
ourselves as in Jesus Christ.
You read the Gospels, especially
John's Gospel.
Jesus delighted to do the
Father's will.
It wasn't a burden.
Anything he said and did, he
said, was what God the Father
told him to do.
So in a sense, he was a slave of
his father.
But, gee, that analogy isn't good
enough.
That analogy gets just expanded
out when you think of it in terms
of sonships.
We are children.
The devotion is not just the
devotion of a slave.
It's the devotion of a child to
their loving father.
So there's our weapons in this
passage to fight sin.
How will this thinking go with us
into this week and beyond?
A sin wants you to think that you
are compelled to obey it.
You will never be satisfied until you
give in to its demands.
What will motivate you not to go on
sinning?
When that lustful thought and
temptation is just overwhelming.
I have to keep dwelling on this.
When that untrue comment just
screams out, vindicate yourself,
your reputation.
When that hurtful word is pleading,
get vengeance.
Get it now.
It'll feel so good.
When the envy of our neighbour's
house and whatever they've got
spouse, children says,
you won't be happy until you have
what they have.
When the idea that your value is
tied to you being a competent
parent or competent at your job
or school or sport and so all your
concern and all your energy has to
be devoted to this thing.
We could keep describing how sin
might pop up in our week but whatever
the expression of sin is, it comes
with brutal force, doesn't it?
It just feels like I have to give in
to this.
You must obey me.
Don't fight it simply by laying down
God's law saying God says do this.
God tells me I must do this.
That is a true comment but it's not
powerful enough.
We've got stronger weapons.
Think of yourself.
Preach to yourself who you now are
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
See sin as the enslaving lie it is.
You promise satisfaction.
At the end of this, it is going to
pay me in death.
Shame and destruction around me.
Remember your liberation in Christ.
Like that old boss who calls you at
9.15.
You've got no authority over me.
I don't have to obey you.
I have a new master now.
The fact that I have a new master
means you're not it.
I don't have to listen to you.
And look ahead and compare what fruit
they're going to give you.
Aren't you sick of the payment that
sin gives you?
Like I know the feeling too well.
I don't have to choose between my joy
and what God says.
They are the same choice.
And so I want to choose life.
I want to choose peace.
It might be painful at first but
it's going to lead to life.
And I'm not ashamed of submitting to
God's law, God's way.
I'm only a slave as much as Jesus Christ
is a slave.
Obeying God is not a burden.
It's not a dutiful burden.
I'm not missing out.
I trust that my father only wants to
give me life.
Brothers and sisters, Christian,
you're not your own.
You're not your own.
You were bought at a price.
You have been set free from sin's reign
over you.
You belong to a new master.
Constrained, compelled by his love.
In Jesus Christ, your Lord, is where
you will find freedom.
Would you please pray with me?
Let's pray.
Lord, I pray that you would help us to
think of ourselves as being so united to
Jesus that what is true for him is true
for us.
Lord, I pray that you would help us to not
just hate the consequences of sin but also
hate the sin itself.
I pray that you would help us to see how
enslaving it is.
I pray that you would help us to rejoice and
think of ourselves as being free from sin's
reign.
Help us to realise the freedom we now have
belonging to you.
Lord, help us to choose what will give life for
us and those around us.
Father, I pray that you would press this into
our hearts so that we fight sin with grace
and not with law so that we can get the
victory so that we can honour you in how we
live.
Lord, we need your help.
So please do these things in Jesus' name.
Amen.