In Pastor Steve's opening sermon to this series called In Christ, he said,
! If we misunderstand our relationship with Jesus, then we entirely misunderstand what it means to live the Christian life.
! What it means to live the Christian life.
What it means to be a Christian determines how we live as a Christian.
God gives Christians this understanding in the Bible and in many places.
So we're going to explore some of these passages in this season so that anyone here or tuning in can get a true picture of what a Christian is and of their new life in Christ.
So pray with me and let these words be your own words.
Lord God, from your word, would you reveal all that Christ has done for me?
Please give me a greater confidence in your grace to me, a deeper assurance of my hope in Jesus, and strength from your spirit to live my new life in Christ.
Amen.
Imposter syndrome.
Most of us know what the feeling of imposter syndrome is, even if we don't know the phrase.
It's when we are out of our depth or we feel like a fraud.
You might be performing on stage.
You might be one of a couple who are bringing a newborn baby home for the first time.
And there's no manuals with babies.
You might be writing a report or an essay or a sermon.
At any moment, someone might realize that you don't know what you're doing, that you don't belong.
That feeling can come at any time and in any group in your life, that feeling of being an imposter.
And back when I was first calling myself a Christian, I felt like an imposter.
I was 15 and I was watching my youth leaders live out their lives thinking, I don't live like that.
I must not yet be good enough at being a Christian.
They seemed to never struggle with sins like I did.
I worried that I wasn't really saved.
Whenever I counted my sins, I thought sin still ruled me and not Jesus.
I felt like a Christian imposter.
This misunderstanding is dealt with in Romans 6.
Today's passage in front of us.
It answers the question, what should Christians do about their sin in their life in Christ?
What should Christians do about the sin that persists as they live as Christians?
There are two extreme reactions to this.
Should Christians be just anti-all rules?
If Christians are saved by the unending, unearned grace of God through faith,
then can't they just ignore sin going on in their life or even embrace it?
But Paul starts off Romans 6 by shouting,
by no means!
See, I told you I'd get loud.
By no means!
Shall we go on sinning?
Every Christian in their life has softened a sin that they are aware of
or refused to find sin and root it out in their life.
And we may discover that we've defined ourselves by our sins and our feelings rather than Christ.
That is not allegiance to Christ.
It is giving him our momentary attention while remaining in allegiance to ourselves,
our sins and our feelings.
But what if Christians, at the other extreme,
were only saved through obeying all the rules kind of Christians?
Anti-grace, legalistic believers.
That is not faith at all.
Paul, at the end of our verse,
shouts again,
you are not under the law,
but under grace.
Christians need to be ruled by grace,
not Christian rules.
feeling controlled or mastered by sin leads to despair.
How can I call myself a Christian if I don't act enough like one?
This is not an acceptance of grace.
This is a desire to just get a little bit of help from Christ
and will earn the rest of the way to God.
Have you embraced a Christian identity
that is just about living a little less sinful?
Or is Christ your new identity?
The gospel doesn't support either of these two extreme perspectives.
But as we open the word and go through it in detail,
think about which of those two extremes or misunderstandings
you might be allowing to dismantle the confidence
that you could have being in Christ
like I did when I was first a Christian.
In recent weeks,
we've heard about salvation
and forgiveness in Christ
and justification
with righteousness credited to us
in Christ.
But what do we do about the persisting sin
in our life
while we are in Christ?
What is God's alternative
to Christian imposter syndrome?
Well, Romans 6 is going to show us
that the presence of sin
does not dismantle our salvation,
doesn't rip it up and throw it in a bin,
but that our salvation
dismantles the rule
of sin over us.
So here are my two points
that are going to help us explain
and apply this.
In Christ, our sin is dead
and we have new life.
Point one.
Point two.
Counting sin dead
in our new life
in Christ.
So, point one.
In Christ, our sin is dead
and we have new life.
In our community group in this season,
we have decided to read
the book of Luke,
same as Vox
is going to be opening up
in a few weeks.
Luke is,
as the Vox video said,
it's a historical account
written by a non-Jew
from eyewitness accounts.
And in our community group,
we wanted to see
the life of Jesus
if it's relevant to us
as a group of,
small group of non-Jews
2,000 years later.
And in Luke 3,
the prophet John
was baptizing
repentant people
in the wilderness
to ready them
to meet their Christ,
their saving King,
the one who could
forgive their sins.
The repentant were sinners
and they knew it.
They were on the extremes
of society
like the tax collectors
and the soldiers
ruling over the people.
But they came asking,
what shall I do?
What should I do
about my sin?
But their answer came
in a person
who asked to be baptized.
Jesus came to be baptized
alongside repentant sinners.
even though he was not
a sinner.
And when Jesus was baptized,
the proof that he was not
a sinner came
from heaven.
A voice came from heaven
and said,
you are my son
whom I love.
With you,
I am well pleased.
Jesus wanted to be baptized
to align himself
with repentant sinners
a hint
to how he would
forgive their sin
by being baptized again
but in a different way.
That's what Romans 6
helps us get into.
I don't know
if you've been baptized.
You've stood in front of people
and been baptized
and declared your faith
amongst us.
A couple of Fridays ago,
one of our youth
was baptized at youth.
It was an amazing thing
to witness
and be a part of.
It's a symbol
of going from death
to life.
We go down,
dunked into the tank
of water
to show our desire
to die
to our old way
of life
but we don't stay
under the water.
We come out
of the water
set free
to live a new life.
And so,
let's have a look
of Romans 6
in verse 3,
Paul used
the baptism practice
of Christians
to show us
something deeper
about
what being
a Christian
is.
He says,
all of us
who were baptized
into Christ Jesus
were baptized
into
his death.
All Christians
were
baptized
into Christ
the moment
we decided
to follow Jesus.
Now,
just as an aside,
that doesn't mean
all Christians
have to be
baptized
or dunked
underwater
or splashed
on the forehead.
When we come
to faith,
this baptism
happened.
Verse 4,
we were
therefore
buried
with him
through
baptism
into
death
in order
that
just
as
Christ
was
raised
from the
dead
through
the
glory
of
the
Father,
we too
might
have
life.
Jesus'
death
and his
resurrection
were a
kind of
baptism.
Jesus
was
dunked
under
and
drowned
under
the ocean
of the
sin
of all
mankind.
And when
that sin
was justly
punished
on the
cross.
But on
the third
day,
Jesus
was
raised
out of
the
water
to
everlasting
life.
To
pledge
allegiance
to
Christ
is to
join
in his
baptism
of
death
and
new
life.
In a
similar
way to
Jesus
choosing
baptism
in Luke
3,
but with
the
rolls
completely
backwards.
Because when
we go under
the waters
of Jesus'
death and
declaring our
faith in
him,
as he
took our
sin and
died for
it,
we are
raised to
a declaration
from heaven,
God is
pleased
with us.
What a
grace.
Look at
verse 6.
We see
that just
like our
symbolic
church
baptisms,
this
spiritual
baptism
in Christ
is the
moment,
happens at
the very
second,
when we
turn from
our own
way of
life to
follow
Christ.
It says,
for we
know that
our old
self was
crucified
with him,
so that
the body
ruled by
sin might
be done
away with.
In a
way,
when you
come to
Christ,
you are
baptized,
and that
moment is
your funeral.
Baptism
was your
funeral,
in a way.
When you
followed
Christ,
you said,
I die
to my
old way
of living.
I die
and I
turn to
God and
live for
him in
all I
do.
It's a
moment of
death where
every old
allegiance is
dead,
killed,
so that
we may
follow
Christ.
Another
way of
putting it
might be
that the
eye of
the
Christian
died with
Christ and
was replaced
with Christ
in me.
When
Christ
died,
my sin
was killed.
Verse 7,
anyone who
has died
has been
set free
from sin.
That's how
sin works.
When the
person who
committed the
sins dies,
the sin is
paid for and
dealt with.
It's gone.
So if our
sin goes to
Christ and
his death
has already
died,
then our
sin is
completely
gone.
When Jesus
died,
the sinner's
death,
their sin
died with
him.
sin is no
longer our
master.
In our
new life in
Christ,
verse 6,
we should no
longer be
slaves to
sin.
When sin
once reigned
over us,
our
enslavement
from sin
is over
and we
are freed
spiritually,
completely,
once and
for all
in Christ.
Sin is
no longer
our
master,
for we
have a
new
allegiance.
We are
in sin
no more,
but we
are in
Christ.
That's
why Paul's
shouting at
the beginning,
like in
verse 2,
is so
strongly
worded,
we are
those who
have died
to sin,
how can
we live
in it
any longer?
Well,
one answer
might be
that like
a reflex,
sometimes we
continue to
hear and
respond to
the voice
of our
old
master.
Now,
when I was
a child,
the first
movie,
I think
the first
movie I
ever went
to see
at the
movies,
in the
small town
where I
grew up,
in the
one
room
theater
in my
small town,
was the
movie
Aladdin.
I don't
know if
you've
ever seen
it,
it's a
very old
Disney
film,
it's
one of
the
best
films
ever,
in my
opinion,
I
love
it.
And in
that
movie,
there is
a
genie.
He lives
in a
lamp,
and Aladdin
finds the
lamp,
tries to
clean it
up,
and the
genie
comes out.
The
genie must
grant three
wishes to
anyone who
finds his
lamp.
The genie
is a
prisoner
to the
lamp,
and a
prisoner
to the
will of
his
master.
Genie
says,
phenomenal
cosmic
powers,
itty
be
living
space.
He wears
these gold
shackles on
his wrists
to show us
that he's
a slave.
He may
only grant
wishes and
then disappear,
unless,
unless his
master uses
one of those
three wishes
to set him
free.
Of course,
no one ever
had.
It would have
been thousands
of years,
according to
genie,
that he'd
been in
slavery.
And why
would anyone
do that?
Why would
anyone give
up one of
three wishes?
Have you ever
played the game,
if you had
three wishes,
what would
you do?
And you
can't wish
for more
wishes.
It's really
hard to
only think
of three
things,
isn't it?
I wish I
had five,
I wish I
had ten,
I wish I
had twenty
wishes.
You're not
going to
burn one
on setting
the genie
free.
But,
spoiler alert,
Aladdin
does.
Genie,
I wish
for your
freedom.
Immediately,
Genie is
kind of
overpowered
and his
shackles
fall off,
powerless,
on the
floor.
And as
if to
test his
new freedom,
looking down
at his
wrists,
and then
at Aladdin,
he grabs
Aladdin and
says,
wish for
anything,
say,
I wish
for the
Nile,
wish for
the
Nile.
And
Aladdin
says,
I wish
for the
Nile?
No way!
Ha ha ha!
And he
laughs in
his face.
Because he's
free.
He's
truly free.
But imagine
if that movie
ended with
Genie getting
back in the
lamp.
Why would
the Genie
get back
in the
lamp?
Genie was
no longer
enslaved
by his
old
master.
That is
how dead
our sin
is against
God.
The
shackles
are gone
and we
are dead
to sin.
Sin is
no longer
our master
once our
allegiance
is in
Christ.
But so
often Christians
live like
their
shackles
are still
on.
So what
does this
new life
in Christ
look like
without
shackles
on?
There is
a new
life to
be lived.
Look at
chapter
verse 8.
Now if
we died
with Christ
we believe
that we
will also
live
with him.
Paul's
logic is
this.
Jesus
was bodily
raised from
the dead
and cannot
die again.
Unlike
Lazarus who
Jesus did
raise from
the dead
but who
did die
again.
This proves
that the
consequences
of our
sin,
our death,
has been
died along
with all
our sin.
Even the
sin from
after we
believed in
Christ for
all of the
rest of
our life.
Christ
already
died it
dead on
the cross.
Verse 10,
the death
he died,
he died to
sin once
for all.
But unlike
the death
of our
sin,
the life
we are
to live
in Christ
is in
the present
and ongoing.
Our sin
has been
dealt
with,
that our
life and
being alive
in Christ
is now
and into
the future
and then
beyond the
grave.
For
Jesus,
the life
he lives,
he lives
to God,
lives,
happening
now.
As we
are unified
with Christ,
his baptism
of death
and
resurrection,
we are
made
dead
to sin
and we
are
raised
from the
dead,
verse 4,
raised from
the dead
through the
glory of
the Father,
we too
may live
a new
life.
The
resurrected
life of a
Christian
has
already
started.
While we
will die
one day,
our
relationship
with God
will not.
In
Christ,
our
life
is
Christ's.
To
another
church,
Paul said
that we
should think
of Jesus
as
Christ,
who is
your
life.
It's
hard for
someone
claiming to
be a
Christian
to hold
on to
the
ownership
of the
choices
of their
life,
choosing to
live in
line with
their
feelings,
or their
desires,
or their
sins,
or their
plans,
any longer
because
their life
is no
longer
theirs
to live
but
Christ's.
My second
point is
counting sin
dead in
our new
life with
Christ.
This is
what we do
about it.
Spiritually,
we are no
longer slaves
to sin,
and yet,
the living
experience of
a Christian,
every single
Christian,
is a
continued
struggle
with sin.
Sin has
no
spiritual
hold on
us.
So while
it remains
in our
life,
how might
we take
hold of
it?
In the
same way,
Paul says,
count yourselves
dead to
sin,
but alive
to God
in Christ
Jesus.
That's a
verse in
your Bible
worth
highlighting.
Verse 11.
Count
yourselves as
dead to
sin,
but alive
to God
in Christ
Jesus.
Paul suggests
that we
choose to
witness the
death and
resurrection of
Christ like
the ticking
seconds hand
on a
watch or
a clock,
counting
the proof
that sin
is dead.
Paul doesn't
expect you
to live
without
sinning
anymore
or command
you to
be dead
to sin.
Instead,
he says,
count your
sin dead.
And there
are two
ways that
Paul
encourages us
to do
this counting.
He says,
let sin
reign in
you no
more,
in any
part of
you.
We're to
be
Christians
who resist
the power
of sin
over us,
yet without
despair.
Do not
let sin
reign in
your mortal
body so
that you
obey its
evil desires.
Do not
offer any
part of
yourself to
sin as
an instrument
of wickedness.
We're to
pay internal
and external
attention
to the
avoidance,
rejection,
fleeing from,
repenting of,
and talking
openly with
other Christians
about our
ongoing,
yet dead,
sin.
Internally,
we must
battle our
desires towards
sin,
as if our
old master
sin is
still directing
our reflexes,
our longings.
We can
still hear
and feel
sin's
voice.
Almost like
we are
addicts
who hate
and flee
from their
old behaviour,
yet cannot
stop leaning
back on it,
yearning
for another
hit.
It is
good that
there is
infinite
grace for
those who
sin.
But
externally,
we must
not let
our bodies
be wicked
instruments
of sin.
Look at
your hands,
hold them
in front of
your face.
Do it.
There's still
some crossed
arms, pull
your hands
out.
I want
you to do
this.
Yeah.
These hands
can hold
another's,
in comfort.
But they
can also
strike
in violence.
Now move
your tongue
around in
your mouth.
Mm-hmm.
Your tongue
creates your
words.
They can
heal.
They can
bring joy.
They can
even carry
the words
of God.
But they
can also
lie and
lead away
from Christ.
Do even
more damage.
It does
not follow
logic and
is not
good that
our lives
in Christ
be called
new without
a constant
set-free
battle
against sin
being openly
waged alongside
others in
community,
alongside
others who
are living
that new
life alongside
you.
It's not
in my
script.
But that
young kid
who thought
himself a
Christian
imposter,
when I got
to uni,
I found
two others.
We
together
felt like
imposters and
we went to
the Bible
together and
saw that our
sin was dead.
But without
their help,
I would not
have seen
it.
Their actions
and their
words led
me to the
grace of God
in Christ.
So the
alternative then
is to,
verse 13,
rather offer
yourselves to
God and to
those who have
been brought
from death to
life and
offer every
part of
yourself to
him as an
instrument of
righteousness.
We want
Christ to
reign in
every part of
us, inside
and out.
To offer
ourselves to
God is not
just to give
him
only our
attention
sometimes,
or when it
suits you,
or when you
feel like it,
when you've
finally answered
all your
emails and
your task
list is
completed,
when you've
answered all
your text
messages and
you've got
every response
in return.
No.
To offer
yourselves is
worship language.
It's whole
body and
life sacrifice.
It's full
allegiance as
if Christ
was living
your life
now.
Galatians,
another church
that Paul
wrote to,
he wrote
this in
verse 20
chapter 2,
I, Paul,
a Christian,
I have
been crucified
with Christ
and I no
longer live,
but Christ
lives in me.
The life I
live in the
body, I
live by faith
in the Son
of God.
So if
someone asked
you, what
is being a
Christian about?
What does it
mean to be a
Christian?
Would you
say, I
no longer
live, but
Christ lives
in me?
Our
offering of
ourselves to
Christ is to
be complete,
or we are
not living in
Christ.
If we are
to be
instruments,
of
righteousness.
For
instruments
make noise,
don't they?
Like my
guitar this
morning.
Instruments
make noise
for all to
hear.
We are to
be instruments
of righteousness.
We must
count ourselves
as dead to
sin and
alive to
God,
alive to
Him,
and alive
to
righteousness.
Now that
train of
thought,
Paul continues
in the rest
of chapter 6,
and we don't
have time to
go through
that this
morning.
I
encourage you
to read
it.
In light
of hearing
about verses
1 to 14.
But next
week we're
going to
hear about
how allegiance
to Christ,
how being
in Christ
inspires a
grace-born
desire for
holiness.
Count
yourself as
dead to
sin and
alive to
God in
Christ Jesus.
Christians
receive God's
grace through
faith.
God's grace
through faith
in a
relationship
with Christ.
And it's a
relationship that
is dynamic
and it's
living.
And it's
formed once
for all by
the saving
worth of
Jesus on
the cross,
proven at
His
resurrection.
salvation.
And it
includes the
gift of
Christ's
righteous
life when
we are
justified in
Him.
But now we
must add
to that
what a
Christian is
and does
counts
themselves
dead to
sin but
alive to
God in
Christ Jesus.
So if you
feel like
a Christian
living with
imposter
syndrome
or you've
stopped
caring about
the sin in
your life as
you follow
Jesus,
let me say
that whoever
you once
were,
you no
longer are
if you
follow Jesus.
Whatever sin
characterized
your life
in your
past,
no longer
characterizes
your life
and your
present.
In Christ,
sin is
dead.
A Christian
who sins
experiences
their
dependence
on Christ
in a way
that keeps
them coming
back to
Him.
Look for
your sin.
Repent
of your
sin.
talk to
others about
your struggles
because in
Christ,
sin is
the imposter,
not you.
The presence
of sin
does not
dismantle
your salvation
but Christ's
salvation
dismantles
its effect
on you.
So count.
count.
In verse
11,
the word
count,
in different
English
translations
it's
translated
as
reckon,
consider,
regard,
look at,
count.
They're all
an action
that we
are to
do in
rhythm.
They're for
you to do
repeatedly.
Count,
reckon,
consider what
being a
Christian really
is.
Start by
exploring
Scripture
in
rhythm
as
often
and as
regularly
as you
can
because no
single
Christian
ought to
stop
counting
the
graces
of
Christ
towards
us.
The Bible
is thick
with
unending
joys for
the
Christian,
fuel for
our
righteousness
and grace
for our
struggles
with sin
on every
page.
You will
never get
away
from your
daily
need
for
counting
your
faith
in
Christ.
Paul wrote
Romans 6
because he
knew or
was witnessing
or even
experienced
himself how
prone we
are to
forget
to count
our
blessings
in
Christ.
That's
why this
service is
on
weekly.
we're
counting
together
in
corporate
worship
who
we've
been made
to be
in
Christ.
And if
you're
struggling
to open
the Bible
on your
own
and do
that,
take
the example
of me
as a
young kid,
open the
Bible with
other
people.
Weekly
we have
community
groups on
where we
open the
Bible and
we see
how it
is shone
onto our
lives so
that we
can see
the sin
in our
life and
wrestle with
it, even
as we are
in Christ
and it
is dead.
Join a
community
group.
If you're
here today
or you're
watching online
and you
are not
in a
regular
pattern of
coming to
be a
part of
a service,
stick it in
your diary,
make it a
priority above
everything else
in your
week,
over your
work,
over your
rest,
over everything
and gather
with God's
people and
count the
grace of
God every
week together.
But if
you're not
yet a
Christian,
consider
reading the
Bible with
someone else.
There are
people in
this room
who long
and are
excited to
read the
Bible with
you.
so come
speak to
me and
I will
connect you
to them
or I
will read
the Bible
with you.
There's a
time and a
place that
suits.
Can you put
up verse 11
on the screen,
Dean?
What we're
going to do
is we're
going to sing
a response
to God.
It's a
prayer,
very much
in line
and in
a helpful
way,
reflecting on
Romans chapter
6 and
everything that
I've just
shared.
Before we
do,
take one
minute to
reflect on
this verse
and be
thankful for
all you have
in Christ.
For you are
dead to sin
and alive to
God in
Christ Jesus.