Dead & Alive in Christ

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.

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.

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,

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

Romans 6 · chapter mention

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.