Dead to Sin, Alive to God

When I was training to be a vicar at Ridley Hall in Cambridge quite a few years ago now, there was a New Testament lecturer called Mike Thompson who excelled in the study of Paul and his letters.

One Friday afternoon that the following week was going to be really difficult for us because we were going to be studying Romans and we all thought, gosh, if Mike says that the study of Romans is difficult, then it must be.

And it was. And it is. Let's just pray for a moment.

Lord, we thank you that throughout our lives we've just sung you have been faithful.

Lord, you are so, so good and your goodness is running after us.

And we thank you, Lord, for your word and we thank you for this letter to the Romans that is so relevant for us today.

And we pray now you'd pour out your spirit upon us and speak to us through it, Lord, as we think about the passage that Liz has just read for us.

Thank you, Lord. Amen.

So for this sermon, I used Tom Wright's commentaries called Paul for Everyone and Romans for Everyone.

I think in your home groups, you're studying Romans for Everyone.

And I would highly recommend them to you.

They explain all of Paul's letters so well and in very easy, everyday language.

Tom Wright says the following about Romans.

Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome is his masterpiece.

It covers many different topics from many different angles, bringing them all together in a fast-moving and compelling line of thought.

Reading it sometimes feels like being swept along in a small boat on a swirling, bubbling river.

We need to hold on tight if we're going to stay on board.

But if we do, the energy and excitement of it all is unbeatable.

And the reason is obvious.

Because Romans is all about the God who, as Paul says, unveils his power and his grace through the good news about Jesus.

And as Paul insists again and again, this power and grace is available for everyone who believes.

I think we all know Jesus' wonderful story of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15.

Luke 15 · chapter mention

The younger son twists his father's arm for his share of the property.

He goes off and spends it all and then comes home.

He thinks in utter disgrace.

But then, to his astonishment, he finds his father running down the road to meet him and throwing a huge party in his honour.

He's welcomed back as a son, even though he doesn't deserve it.

And even though his older brother is grumbling about it.

Now, come forward a year or two and imagine a thought creeping into the young man's mind.

Life has settled down to a reasonable humdrum existence again.

His older brother tolerates having him around, more or less.

His father is getting older.

He remembers with a happy sigh the day he came up the road and his father came running to greet him.

And he thinks, perhaps I'll do it again.

Why not help himself to enough things to survive, run away for a few weeks,

and then play the penitent and come back again?

Maybe I'll get another party.

Now, we might think this is absurd, but don't believe it.

It's exactly what a great many people think.

A famous philosopher two centuries ago said,

God will forgive me.

That's his job.

And a great many people today do believe that.

We, I'm sure, believe that.

But they perhaps also think that the only topic the church should say to anyone is the message of forgiveness.

If you do something wrong, it's okay.

God will forgive you.

The only thing to say to someone who sins is,

that's fine.

God loves you and forgives you.

Yes, God loves, reaches us while we're still sinners.

As Corrie ten Boom said,

there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still.

But God doesn't want us to keep on sinning in order that his love may go on reaching us.

It's the very opposite.

God loves us just as we are.

But he loves us so much, he doesn't want us to stay as we are.

God is in the business of transformation and turning our lives around.

And part of that process lies with us deciding to lead our sinful lives

and choosing to be led by Jesus and trusting in him for our lives.

As it says in John 10, verse 10,

John 10:10

I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

And in Romans chapter 6, Paul is trying to explain this.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

I would encourage you to take time this week to read the whole of chapter 6.

If you really want to, I'd encourage you to read chapter 7 and 8.

They're all linked.

In fact, read the whole of Romans.

In fact, read the whole Bible.

I don't know what your week's looking like this week.

But I could go on and on recommending.

But certainly read Romans chapter 6.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

And really, pray before you read.

I'm not telling you to read an ordinary book and just a chapter of it.

This is a God-breathed book that will really speak into your lives.

And as you pray and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through it,

he really will.

And the passage will come alive for you.

And verses will be highlighted for you to focus on.

Sometimes we hear in the news of someone who's suffered a bad accident

or a particular kind of illness.

And they can no longer remember who they are.

It must be, you know, a really horrible situation to be in.

Both for the person concerned who's lost their memory

and for their family and friends and those trying to help them.

We're so used to people knowing their name, where they live,

what job they do, who their family are.

So the thought of talking to someone who genuinely can't remember

any of these things is quite alarming, isn't it?

There are even those more rare occasions when we hear of a child

who's been lost as a baby.

And they're found sometime later, having been brought up by animals

without any idea of what a human is.

They've had no human contact.

And faced with one of these situations,

what we long to be able to do is to help the person concerned

to discover who they are so that they can bring their lives

back into line with their identity.

People who suffer memory loss can often be eased back,

bit by bit, into normal life,

into finding their way around once more,

and gradually sometimes the memory returns.

The child brought up in the jungle can discover overnight

all kinds of undreamed-of human possibilities,

such as speaking as a human speaks.

Paul's aim in this passage that we read for us

is to do something of the same with people

who need to learn, again, what they've forgotten.

And actually, we need to be reminded of our new identity

that we have as baptized Christians.

We often forget.

We have a bit of memory loss.

Imagine also, for a moment, a map with two types of humanity on it,

those in Adam and those in Jesus Christ.

We all begin life in Adam,

and when we give our lives to Jesus,

we move to the other side and become those in Christ Jesus.

Our old life is crucified,

and sin has no more claim on us.

We're free from all its charges.

Even if we feel like we're still in Adam,

and that our old life has a hold on us,

it's not true.

It's not the truth.

We are now in Jesus Christ.

So, what is true of Jesus is true of us as well.

However unlikely it sounds,

and however much it doesn't yet feel true,

it is the truth.

And what is true of Jesus,

ever since the glory of Easter Day,

is that he is alive again,

with a life that death cannot touch.

He hasn't come back into the same life,

as Jairus' daughter did,

and Lazarus,

and others who were raised to life by Jesus.

He has gone on through death,

and out the other side,

into a new bodily life beyond the reach of death.

A concept which can be quite hard to grasp,

but about which the early Christians are very clear.

Paul's point is that if we're in Jesus Christ,

then that is where we are.

Of course, we're not yet bodily raised,

as one day we shall be,

that remains in the future.

That future is secure and certain for all of us.

But part of the point of being a Christian

is that the future has come forward into the present,

in the person and achievement of Jesus,

so that we, his followers,

can taste the reality of the future

while living in the present.

The Christian stands on resurrection ground.

We're not in Adam.

We are in Jesus Christ,

the one who died and is now alive forevermore.

Paul declares in verse 11

that we must count this,

or calculate this.

And the word calculate that he uses

is a word used in bookkeeping,

in calculating accounts,

in working out profit and loss figures.

Now, of course, when you do a calculation,

you get an answer,

which, in a sense, didn't exist before.

But in another sense,

all that the calculation does

is to make you aware

of what, in fact, was true all along.

It doesn't create a new reality.

Until you add up the money in the till,

you don't know how much

your day's takings were worth.

But actually adding it up

doesn't make the day's takings

a penny larger or smaller

than they already are.

Paul is telling us to do the sums,

to add it up,

to work it out,

the calculation,

and not give up

our spiritual courage

for a fresh leap of faith

in which we imagine ourselves

to be completely sinless.

And here is the point.

It's often hard to believe

the result of the calculation.

But faith, at this point,

consists not of shutting our eyes

and trying to believe the impossible,

but actually opening our eyes

to the reality of Jesus

and his death and resurrection.

And to the reality

of our standing

as baptized and believing members

of Jesus' people,

those who are in Christ Jesus.

That's the challenge of verse 11.

We need to remember

who we really are

so that we can act accordingly.

Imagine renting a house

from a landlord

who turns out to be a bully,

always demanding extra payments,

coming into the house

without asking,

threatening you

with legal action or violence

if you don't give in

to his demands.

You get used to doing

what he says out of fear.

There doesn't seem

to be a way out.

But then to your relief,

you find somewhere else to live.

Someone pays off your remaining rent

and you can leave.

You move out

and you settle in your new home.

But to your horror,

a few days later,

the old landlord shows up at the door

and barges into your home.

He's angry and demands more money.

He threatens to take you to court.

The old habit returns.

You are strongly tempted

to pay him what he demands

just to get him to leave.

But you know

you're not his tenant anymore.

You've seen the paperwork.

His final bill was paid.

Nothing more is owing.

Trembling,

you get up

and tell him to leave

because he has no claim on you.

Now, depending on

how unpleasant a character

the landlord is,

you may or may not

have to call the police.

But Paul's appeal

in verse 11

of our reading

is exactly that.

Remind yourself

of the paperwork.

Remember

who you really are

in Christ Jesus.

Don't give in

to the voices

that tell you

you're still in Adam

after all

and should be behaving

just like you used to.

Resisting temptation

isn't a matter

of pretending

you wouldn't find

it easier

to give in.

It's a matter

of learning

somehow

to think straight

and to act

on what you know

to be true

and what the truth is.

That the old

has gone

and you are now

a creation,

a new creation

in Christ Jesus,

dead to sin

and alive

to God.

God.

So the choice

for us

is being slaves

to sin

or to God

and his plans

and purposes

for our lives.

Embracing

our true identity

as freed

from sin

and presenting

ourselves

fully to God

and his covenant

justice

is a choice

that only

we can make.

But I can assure you

that when you

choose to say

no to sin

and yes

to God,

you will never

regret it.

It will be the best

choice

you ever make.

I'm conscious

that I've said

a lot this morning

and it's

meaty

and challenging.

Let's just

pause for a moment,

perhaps

close

our eyes

and just

allow the Holy

Spirit

to help us

as we reflect

on what

Paul

said to the

Romans

that was read

to us

and what I

have spoken

about it

this morning.

Let's

imagine

for a moment

that Paul

is writing

this letter

and he looks

up

and glances

around the

church.

What might

he say

about us

today?

Would he

see a church

full of people

who are dead

to sin

and alive

to God?

I sense

that we all

need to be

reminded

that we are

in Christ

Jesus.

The old

has gone.

We are

dead to sin.

and alive

to Christ.

But perhaps

there are some

of us here

this morning

who are

struggling

to leave

the old

life behind.

It's as if

it's got a

hold on you

that you

can't let

go.

God wants

to remind

you that

you are

a new

creation.

No more

in condemnation

and you

can stand

boldly

in his

grace

and forgiveness.

Perhaps

you are

struggling

with

temptation.

May the

Holy Spirit

strengthen you

and flood

your being

with a fresh

sense

of Jesus'

love for

you.

I'm going

to invite

Julian and

the worship

group

to come

and play

for us

and let's

just spend

a little bit

of time

allowing the

fact that

we're dead

to sin

and alive

to God

to take

as it

were a

fresh

root

within

us

and let's

just be

thinking

about

that.

We are

dead to

sin

and alive

to God.

Lord we

thank you

for speaking

to us

this morning

through this

wonderful

letter

to the

Romans.

thank you

that we

are all

a new

creation

in Christ

Jesus.

That is

the truth

and that

can never

change

and it's

the case

even when

it doesn't

feel like

it.

Help us

Lord by

the power

of your

spirit

to put

our sinful

lives to

death

and to

be alive

to you

and the

life you

have

in store

for us.

Thank you

that you

sent your

Holy Spirit

to help

us to

lead lives

that are

good for

us

and that

glorify

you.

Amen.