READ: Romans 6
BACKGROUND: In Romans 5:20, Paul makes the statement, “where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” This statement is sometimes looked at as an excuse for Christians to sin. Kind of like a hall pass for sinning. We sometimes think, “Since God’s grace will continue to cover me – I guess I’ll keep sinning the same way I always have.” We learn in Chapter 6 that God’s grace is no excuse to sin since it’s through God’s grace we’ve died to sin and it’s in God’s grace we’re free to live as God’s instruments. (6:13)
By Verse:
1-14 – We are dead to sin…but alive in Jesus.
1-2 – When you said YES to Jesus and became His follower, you said NO (died) to satisfying your sinful desires.
3-4a – One of the ways we publicly confess faith in Jesus is by baptism. Baptism demonstrates on the outside what Jesus has done for us on the inside of our lives… dying to our sin.
4b-7 – The best part of baptism comes when we are raised from the water. We are making the statement that we’re ready to live in the new life Jesus has to offer us. Just like Jesus didn’t remain in the tomb He was buried in, we don’t remain in the sin we once lived in. We’re free in Jesus to live because we are no longer slaves to sin.
8-10;14 – If we die with Christ, we may also live with Christ and since death and sin has no power over Him we also live in the freedom of sin having no power over us.
11-13 – Letting sin hang around in our life is foolish when we have committed our life to Jesus. God wants for us to be used as His “instruments” to bring glory to Him and reach others for His name’s sake.
15-18 – We choose who we will obey (become slaves to)… either sin and death or obedience and righteousness.
19 – Living our lives for God leads to holiness.
20-21 – Living our lives for sin leads to death.
22 – Being free from sin and living our life for God produces good fruit in our lives and in the end gives us eternal life.
23 – Our paycheck (wage) for sin equals death. Sin always equals death. We are reminded one last time in this verse that God gives us another option through Jesus Christ… Eternal Life!
THINK: Hey my name is Tony – I’m a youth pastor in Iowa and I’m super excited about this amazing resource that Pastor Mike is putting together! I want to share a little bit about how God has challenged me over the course of the last year through Romans 6.
During the fall semester of 2011 my youth group did a series called “I AM SECOND.” We watched testimonies of famous athletes and actors who shared their personal stories of choosing to serve God with their talents and abilities rather than put themselves first and serve their sinful desires. You can check out some of those videos at iamsecond.com. Our group was amazed and challenged by the ways these individuals surrendered of themselves as they pursued Jesus. We quickly realized that each one of us has an option of who we will serve with our lives.
The truth is, God has gifted and hard-wired each of us with unique talents and abilities. We have the choice to serve either ourselves and the sinful desires rooted in us or bow our knee to the creator of life and offer our everything for His service and plan for our lives. Paul doesn’t mince words in Romans 6:16. He says we are SLAVES to the one we obey – our sin or Jesus Christ .
So the question to you is who will you bow to? Will you hold on to sin in your life and be controlled by the consequences sin always brings? Or will you choose to surrender, putting God in first place and using your gifts to further God’s kingdom while you are here on earth?
DO: (1 John 1:9) Confess and repent if there is sin in your life that you are currently enslaved to.
READ: 2 Corinthians 5:17-20
PRAY: Take a minute or two to ask God how He would want you to join the ministry He has in store for those who believe in Jesus Christ. Ask God to show you what it will take to put Him in 1st place in your life.
throughin2.com 