May 26, 2020
Romans 6 is Lesson 7
Welcome and I’m so glad you’re here. Romans is a fantastic book and I’m enjoying going through it, I hope you are as well. If you’re not caught up yet, go back and scroll to where the lesson you are on is, they’re all still here. This is another chapter of wonder. I hope you see it.
This one has a different title depending on what Bible you use to go through it. I have three I’m looking at right now, and of them, this one is my favorite:
When Death Becomes Life
The Message
I don’t know what Jesus is going to tell me to write today. So first, let’s pray.
It’s Bible Study day, Lord Jesus! This is my favorite time of the week. Thank You for making it so wonderful every single time You give me this chance. Thank You for always being ready to write and work with each of us. Thank You for always being right here, right in, with, above, below, and around us at all times. Deploy the shield around us right now as we go through Romans six and focus our attention on You. Lead us and teach us, Lord, It’s all Yours. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Romans 6:1-2 MSG
1-2 So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good?
The imagery in those two verses is so understandable. I saw this Beth Moore simulcast many years ago that illustrated that so well. She had this fake doll she trudged around the stage to illustrate how we don’t always leave our life of sin, even though it’s dead, we’re carrying it around with us all the time. Set it down. You are free, you are new, you no longer live in that sin ‘house.’
Read Romans 6:3-4 NIV
We have been _______________ into Christ Jesus, and that baptism was into His ___________. We were _____________ with Him in order that…we too may _______ a _________ _________.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Romans 6:5
Read Romans 6:6-7 NIV
We know that our ________ self was ________________ with Him, so that the body ruled by _______ might be done _________ with and we should no longer be _________ to ________—because ______________ who has ________ has been set ___________ from ______.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Romans 6:8
Read Romans 6:9-10 NIV
For we know that since Christ was __________ from the __________, He cannot _____ again; __________ no longer has ___________ over him. The death He died, he died to ________ once for ____; but the life He lives, he _______ to _______.
Singing break:
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way
He lives, He lives, Salvation to impart
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:11
Read Romans 6:12-14
Therefore do not let sin _________ in your mortal body so that you _______ its _______ desires. Do not ________ any part of _______________ to _______ as an _____________ of ________________, but rather _________ yourselves to ________ as those who have been __________ from _________ to ___________; and ___________ every part of yourself to ______ as an __________ of ____________________. For ______ shall no longer be your ____________, because you are _______ under the _____, but under __________.
We’re switching back to the Message here because we don’t really know what it’s like to be slaves, but we do know what it’s like to live in sin.
Romans 6:15-18 MSG
15-18 So, since we’re out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!
Listening is a very important skill. God does speak. You can hear it, though it requires practice and intentional listening most of the time. The most valuable way to learn how you know it’s Him, is to read His Word consistently.
Prayerfully sing…
Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it Jesus, is my plea
Daily walkin’ close to Thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Romans 6:19-21 MSG
19 I’m using this freedom language because it’s easy to picture. You can readily recall, can’t you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God’s freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?
20-21 As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn’t have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you’re proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.
Different. Yes, how much different is living in freedom? Healed and expansive in holiness. Watch for this this week. Live from this and watch.
Romans 6:22-23 MSG
22-23 But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
in [or through] Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 NIV
Sing again:
Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King
The Hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find
None other is so loving, so good and kind
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way
He lives, He lives, Salvation to impart
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart
Let’s end with a prayer:
Thank You, Lord, for this chapter. Thank You for assurance that You have done it all for us. Thank You for this new life you’ve promised us and the wonder of this that made it so very clear. Jesus I ask that each person reading this would know Your presence is with them and every single word is true. You have given us new life and will one day give us eternal life. You are the only one worthy, Lord Jesus. In Your name, we pray. Amen.