ROMANS CONTINUED

Rom 6:7-12 For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

(We left off in our Part Five speaking about how we must change our CONCEPT of Christianity.)

• what holds many people back is their idea that they already know everything about Christ's death on the cross.
• and since they have no victory, they feel there simply is no more victory to enjoy.
• we must realize that the depths of work Jesus did on the cross will require us to take years learning about them all.
• Learning all the blessings provided for us by Jesus is like a wonderful journey!
• The sky's the limit!

We learned that God deems us dead in Christ.

• but we may not realize that is how God looks at us.
• we must look at ourselves differently
• Our old lives are gone
• In God's mind we are completely new creatures
• We died once, and therefore have no need to die again
• God raised us above sin and death by Christ's substitutionary experience.
• Christ died, was buried and rose again -God declares that all who believe in His salvation plan and obey it also are therefore dead, buried and risen.
• in order to ENJOY the benefits of that resurrection life, which is rightfully ours', we must CHANGE OUR CONCEPT of our Christianity, and RECKON these facts to be true for us.
• We must REALIZE it
• To realize something is to make it REAL to ourselves!
• making it real is the result of a revelation that this is how God saved us from sin. We did not know these details when we were first saved. We learn them afterwards. And we afterwards become so convinced that God sees us dead, buried and resurrected, that we EXPECT to have victory over sin.
• faith for healing makes you EXPECT healing

Rom 6:11-12 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

• When you realize that you are DEAD TO SIN, through the fact that Jesus' death was for your death to sin, you will not allow sin to reign.
• you realize that you have power over sin, which you did not realize before.

Roma 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

• more than substitution
• He died UNTO SIN
• Sin is the CAUSE of sins, the effects

I. TWO PARTS - PRESENT SELF AND PRESENT YOUR MEMBERS

Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

• Since you are able to reckon yourself dead now, there is something to do about it.
• You must stand up against sin
• you can stop it from ruling you
• you most likely did not know this before but now you know sin does not have to reign in you.
• so... we do not yield ourselves as instruments as unrighteousness
• yield ourselves as those alive from the dead
• Here is where reckoning ourselves dead unto sin and alive unto God becomes practical.
• REALIZE you are alive unto God now
• Present yourself to God that way.
• You will say, "Use me," and not force yourself to do good.
• we must do good, but we will never do it by forcing ourselves to do it
• only by presenting ourselves to God will we find the POWER to do good

ROMANS concerns people who are concerned about living for God. This Book tells you HOW.

• Step out and let God use you
• Present yourself to Him, by saying, "God Please use me for your will," and then expect Him to PROMPT you to do something
• It is within you to hear from God
• everyone who is greatly used of God today had to start at a time when they did not ever experience it before
• they took a step of faith and beleived God spoke to them after they asked Him to, and they found HE REALLY DID!
• it is not God's will for you to get a touch at the altar and a great blessing and then simply go home and around town awaiting another night when He will touch you at the altar
• consciously recognize that you are alive from the dead, and are FIT MATERIAL FOR GOD TO USE.
• Those set free who are backward and bashful about being used of God do not realize they are alive unto God.
• YIELD, here, means TO PRESENT
• Present yourself as one who is alive unto God and dead to sin.
• When you truly reckon yourself dead to sin you will then present yourself to God for His use
• if you feel unworthy, you do not reckon yourself as dead to sin.
• unworthy feelings arise from lack of KNOWING you died to sin.

• when we died with Christ, our OLD MAN DIED
• our old man did not die and rise again.
• a new man rose from that grave.
• we do not consecrate our old man to God for use
• never depend upon weak human abilities
• present yourself as AN INSTRUMENT for God's hand to use.
• that means HIS POWER will work through you.
• In Acts 2:38, receiving the Holy Ghost corresponds to resurrection.
• repentance is death, baptism is burial
• resurrection is RECEIVING GOD'S SPIRIT
• you have NEW LIFE if you have the Spirit
• to walk in newness of life is to walk in the power of that Spirit - But you have to consciously pray For God's Spirit in you to use you, and expect it to happen!
• we are new creatures
• But new creatures can lower themselves down to live as OLD SINNERS by living without ever presenting themselves to God for His service.

• Presenting ourselves will not be done until we are convinced, through revelation, that we are NEW.
• This goes beyond mere mental agreement
• a revelation CHANGES you
• revelation is a real experience you get from God.
• it ILLUMINATES your understanding with power

(1) KNOW

(2) RECKON

(3) YIELD

(1)KNOW

• when you receive REVELATION, then you KNOW

(2) RECKON

• and when you know then you RECKON yourself as DIFFERENT now

(3) YIELD

• and when you reckon it, then you DO SOMETHING about it
• walk the life!
• FOLLOW JESUS
• which means live like He lived
• when you have reckoned yourself as DEAD, then you see the wealth of being ALIVE UNTO GOD

• The life we now have is RESURRECTION LIFE
• not old sinner life
• it is not just low, natural living we can enjoy now
• it is HIS LIFE
• If it is HIS LIFE in me, then that life wants to live forth, so I present myself to Him. ...yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead...

• ...and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
• this ties with...

1 Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

• our bodies are His
• notice the connection with the Spirit being in us (new life) and the fact that we are His
• you realize that all our bodily parts are His
• verse 10 says we LIVE UNTO GOD.

Rom 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

• then it says we must reckon this to be true for us.
• we do not live for ourselves and our own desires
• this is TRUE holiness
• one brother described how he was in a train car with three men who wanted him to play cards with them
• the man said, "I would if I had my hands with me, but I cannot."
• they looked at him strangely
• he said that he lived unto the Lord and that Jesus bought him with the price of His death on the cross.
• he was able to testify about salvation.
• we are not holy by removing something, like clothes or something in your home.
• we are holy by being separated from the world towards God
• We are God's people, and live for Him and do what His will is, and not our own worldly desires SANCTIFICATION
• one was sanctified in the Old Testament by being publicly anointed to show recognition of God's choosing
• they were then looked at as being SET APART to God from that point on
• nothing evil was removed
• likewise, we have died to sin
• we have been publicly anointed by the Holy Ghost baptism
• that is what speaking with tongues is for
• public recognition
• God publicly sanctifies us to His Kingdom
• we are then SEPARATED
• Paul desired believers to be WHOLLY SANCTIFIED.

1 Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;

• THIS IS OUR GOAL
• this is through experiencing the revelation described in Romans 6.

• God does not want us to present our human abilities to Him
• as though we should say, "Lord, use my abilities and my ideas."
• no, we are to give OURSELVES and our BODIES to Him in the sense of surrendering to His will

Rom 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

• ask yourself if the will of God is "good and acceptable" to you.
• if not, your will is too strong and you have not obeyed verse 1:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

• the strong, independent willed believer must take that strong independent will to the cross
• how can God live His life through us if we do not give Him our lives for Him to live through?
• people who have problems giving up the world have never had a revelation that they died in Christ
• and they never experienced the revelation of much greater and more enjoyable God's will is then the world's joy.
• true "knowing" believers want God to know they are ready and willing to do anything He wills
• do we know He wants all of our lives?
• will we give Him that?

Luke 9:16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.

• Jesus BROKE the bread given to Him
• He takes what we give and BREAKS it
• not many like that
• so they do not give themselves to Him
• but AFTERWARDS He blesses others with it -many get broken, and cease presenting themselves at that point
• they are left broken and useless to both God and the world.
• let God break you, and the sacrifice of being willing to do His will instead of your own will be replaced with 1000 times more joy than what you could ever have in doing your own will.

Roma 6:13-14 Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

• We do not have to yield to sin since sin shall not have dominion over us.
• we are dead to it
• we do not have to allow worry to rule us
• all we have to do is use our authority and apply what we have learend in this chapter and thereby CHOOSE to have victory
• we are often like the ten spies who doubted when we worry and are taken over by fear.
• God gave us victory over sin
• GRACE IS GOD'S RICHES AT CHRIST'S EXPENSE

• The reason sin has no dominion over us is due to the fact we are delivered from the Law
• Law cannot free you from sin
• Law shows that you are under sin
• grace needs to come next and cleanse you

Roma 6:14-15 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

• freedom from law does not allow you to sin
• we need to recognize that freedom from Law means victory over sin
• Law said sin was sin, but didn't give you power over it

Similar to:

Roma 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Paul goes back to the same point the brought out in the start of the chapter.

• Paul catches the soul who might try to jump to conclusions
• After mentioning that we are freed from Law he makes sure we understand that this does not mean we can sin
• many think that freedom from Law is freedom from sinless living
• they associate standing against sin with Law alone
• they do not realize that GRACE gives you power over sin.
• GRACE to live above sin
• Grace means "DIVINE EMPOWERMENT"

Roma 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

• Law of Moses showed God's hatred against sin
• God's mind hasn't changed with Grace
• God hates sin as much as ever
• It should never be, "How far can I go without sinning?"
• It should be "I will live to the highest righteousness."
• We have a CHOICE in the matter
• before salvation we HAD to sin
• since salvation we either "YIELD" to sin or to righteousness
• that is a choice.
• TWO OPTIONS
• We choose what we will present ourselves to.
• this is the CRUX of the verse
• CHOOSE what you will yield to.
• yielding to sin is accomplished by so many who do not even realize what they are doing
• we yield to sin when we present ourselves to sin
• when we fill our minds with nothing spiritual we are void of God's empowerment
• to experience His Grace we must YIELD TO HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
• give yourself to God
• give your mind's thinking to God
• "obedience unto righteousness? "
• what is the obedience we must perform?
• we obey the words of verses 11-13

Roma 6:11-13 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God.

• Our obedience is this:
• Reckon ourselves to be dead
• Then refuse sin to work
• Then Yield ourselves to God for His service
• we are to hold the general attitude of obedience to God
• "I am not my own. God is the Lord of my life."

Roma 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

We are still servants, but not servants to SIN.

• all men and women are servants of sin
• all are born enemies of God and all are servants to sin
• by GRACE we are freed from sin

• we obeyed the doctrine
• not walk the aisle
• not raise a hand
• not "join" a church
• we obeyed "from the heart"
• we were freed from slavery to sin and made servants to God
• what a beautiful servitude.

We must understand that we are not our own bosses and never were nor will be our own bosses. This is a great key to understanding Romans' victory

• we serve something and somebody
• God created man to SERVE Him and rule the world
• Adam was to become the VESSEL of either
• (1) LIFE or
• (2) knowledge of good and evil
• He would CONTAIN God's Spirit or something else.
• We are all containers, or servants

SERVANTS

First he uses the example of SERVANTS

• over half of the 120 million people in the Roman empire were slaves
• 1/2 of the city of Rome were slaves
• They knew what it meant to be a slave
• Paul used this note to express two important things:
• 1) TOTALLY LEAVE SINFUL LIFE
• 2) SUBMIT TOTALLY TO GOD

• But God will not make you submit
• He leaves that up to you
• He will not force you
• you either yield to unrighteousness and sin or to righteousness

ILLUSTRATION ONE

SLAVERY was first illustration to show we are not nor ever will be our own bosses

ILLUSTRATION TWO:

BRANCHES is the next illustration

Roma 6:21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things [is] death.

FRUIT grows from a branch

• a branch needs and requires the VINE
• trunk

Both SLAVES and BRANCHES show that we will depend on one thing or the other

• it is in our natures to "manifest" something
• we will contain sin or righteousness
• serve sin and commit works of sin in obedience to it
• serve righteousness and commit works of righteousness
• be a branch of sin tree
• or a branch of the righteous tree

• people think they do what they want, but that is not so
• you do what you have become a container of
• you do what you have become a branch of
• what good was the fruit we produced from a life of sin?

ILLUSTRATION THREE:

WIVES

Roma 7:1-2 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to [her] husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of [her] husband.

• like branches and slaves, a WIFE produces offspring for her husband
• a slave does things according to another's direction
• a branch bears a certain fruit depending upon the vine for life
• a WIFE cannot bear children without a husband
• all three illustrations drive home the same point
• all three have a common denominator
• THERE IS A NEED TO BE LINKED TO ANOTHER

There was never a time when we were "single"

• this means there was never a time when we did not produce a life independent of any other force
• we are either servants to sin or to righteousness
• before salvation we were all servants to sin
• afterwards we are servants to God

• WIVES
• we will bear children from sin or from God
• BRANCHES
• we will bear fruit from sin or from righteousness
• SLAVES
• we will serve sin or righteousness

The problem comes in our lives when we do not realize we are supposed to be a CONTAINER of something.

• we think we are independent and our own bosses
• we think that we can do our own thing
• that is not true
• whether we believe it or not we are SERVANTS to something
• if we think this way, instead of YIELDING to God's Spirit, we will try to make ourselves do good
• and THAT IS WHEN WE MESS IT UP
• I truly believe that all Christian failures stem from the fact that people do not know that they are never meant to make themselves do anything so much as they are supposed to YIELD to God.
• when people sin it is only the OUTGROWTH of the fact that they yield to sin, although they do not realize it
• they fill their minds and become containers ONLY of fleshly and worldly things
• they never think about God nor pray, and they wonder why they cannot do good things
• we must understand that our key to victory is in YIELDING TO RIGHTEOUSNESS
• PRESENT ourselves to God's will
• 1) pray
• 2) Give God your members of your body
• 3) Think about God and His Word
• 4) Fill your heart with the things of God

Matt 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Luke 6:45-47 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:

• to call Jesus Lord is for you to be His SERVANT
• how can we say we are His servants if we never do His will?
• it is a simple fact that WE WILL do His will if we are his BRANCHES, SERVANTS or part of HIS WIFE, the BRIDE OF CHRIST
• We are going to be an extension of something
• we are extensions to whatever we present ourselves to
• what do you give your MIND to?
• what do you present your thought-space to?
• (Even computers can only pump out what their memories are filled with)

• THE BIG ERROR IS WHEN WE MISUNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF BEING "CONTAINERS" AND TRY TO MAKE OURSELVES DO GOOD WORKS BEFORE WE PRESENT OURSELVES TO GOD
• AND THAT IS WHY WE MESS UP
• IT CANNOT WORK THAT WAY
• WE ARE NOT BUILT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE OURSELVES DO GOOD

• Some may have one or two times made themselves do good, and they think that is the answer.
• WRONG Romans 7 says that a woman is bound by law to one husband as long as he lives
• only when he dies can she be married to another husband
• this is an illustration of how God saved us and made us free
• we are the WIFE in this picture
• the husband is sin
• we are SOLD UNDER SIN until SIN dies
• we WANT to be married to Christ
• Christ is a better husband than sin
• Paul is taking it for granted that we are wives to something
• we are wives of "SIN", and we produce fruit unto death - "SINS" - children in this picture are the sinful acts
• we want to produce children of righteousness but we cannot break free from our marriage to sin unless sin dies.
• But since sin will not die, so Paul said, WE MUST DIE
• and since Christ died FOR US, INSTEAD OF US, we therefore have died, so we are free from the marriage
• and we are not single and then marry Christ
• as soon as we are dead and let loose from sin, we are then married to Christ
• there is no in-between time when we are not married to something.

• we must settle it in our minds that we are servants, branches and wives to something
• you may be set free from sin and married to Christ, but if you do not understand that you are only a container of something, you will not understand that you are meant to "manifest" something from another source besides yourself.
• and you will try to make yourself do good without presenting yourself to God.
• this is like a woman trying to have babies without a relationship with a man
• it cannot be done
• we will try to make ourselves good without going to the SOURCE and we will go haywire!!
• A woman who says she has a relationship with a man but does not produce children is either unhealthy or a liar!
• likewise, believers who do not have the fruit of the Spirit coming through their lives are simply not having this relationship with Jesus.
• Jesus is the VINE and we are the branches
• When the branch has dependence upon the vine, it is like a woman with realtionship with her husband
• Like a servant receiving instructions from his master
• SOMETHING IS PRODUCED

Roma 7:2-6 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to [her] husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of [her] husband. So then if, while [her] husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, [even] to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not [in] the oldness of the letter.

• the woman is freed BY DEATH
• since the man will not die, she will
• under those circumstances, she could not enjoy marriage to another
• But spiritual truths exceed the limits of natural facts
• WE DIED to be free of sin and death, and we are thus made free to enjoy marriage to Christ and to produce His children - FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT - rather than children of sin - sinful actions.
• Not by OUR DIRECT DEATHS are we freed, but by his DEATH IN OUR PLACES