ROMANS 6B SLAVES TO WHAT?

ROMANS 6B    SLAVES TO WHAT?
Introduction:   
We talked Sunday morning about dead men walking.
The old man died when we gave our hearts to Christ.
The sinful man died.
We are walking as a new man.
So yes we are a dead man walking.
We are walking in abundant grace.
We move to verse 15 today. 
There must truly be a problem in Rome with believers continuing to want to or look for excuses to sin.
Paul brings the idea of just continuing to sin up again.
He brings it up in a slightly different light.  Shall we sin because we are no longer under the law. 
Our study tonight takes a look at Paul’s answer.

I.    We are slaves to the master that we choose to obey.

A.    By no means.
Paul starts his response with a resounding no way. 
The root of their thinking must be well if the law is gone then we don’t have to worry about carrying out any of it.
So does that mean that nothing is sin?
The law is gone so we won’t even know what is sin or not. 
That does not mean that we are free from the moral commands of the commandments or the law. 
Grace means with God’s help we have the power to keep the moral commands of the law. 
The moral still stands. 
Righteousness is the heart of the matter now.
The thought of slavery dominates these verses. 
Words related to slavery is used 8 times in these short verses.
We will realize here that we are either sin’s slave or God’s slave.
Vs 16

B.    A slave to sin
Obeying the temptation to sin makes you a slave to sin. 
Vs 19 speaks of being weak in your natural selves.
Paul elsewhere says that spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
The old man keeps trying to come out of the grave and lead us astray.
We need to keep this body and its parts away from slavery to impurities.
Paul talks here about ever increasing wickedness.
Good habits are hard to establish.
Bad habits seem to come about so easy. 
When I read about this ever increasing wickedness that reminds me about how it becomes easier to yield to temptation each time we yield. 
It is so easy for wickedness to increase. 
A slave to sin is outside of the control of righteousness.
We know that sin leads to death. 
Vs 23,  The wages of sin is death.
Vs 16b,  which leads to death.
Vs. 21b Those things that result in death.
The lead us through shame in the road to death.
Vs. 21
The pleasures of sin are only for a season.
They quickly lead to guilt and shame.
The quote benefit is short lived but the shame carries on for a long time.
The benefit is not very good if the end result is death.
This death is more than a physical death.
It is an everlasting destruction and being shut out from the presence of the Lord.
II Thessalonians 1:9
The opposite of eternal life,  verse 23.

C.    A slave to righteousness
This is what we need to be.
We need to be a slave to obedience which leads to righteousness. 
Paul is rejoicing in verse 17 in their whole hearted obedience to the teachings that they were entrusted with.
He is excited that they have been set free from sin.
He loves the reality that they are so attached to righteousness. 

II.    The great benefit of being a slave to righteousness

A.    He adds in verse 19b that their slavery to righteousness leads to holiness. 
Holiness is a benefit.
Hebrews 12:14 says we will not see God without holiness.
God longs for us to live holy and upright lives. 

B.    The end result is eternal life.
The gift of God is eternal life.
That is a great ending to the story of life.
It is not an ending.
It is an amazing forever.

C.    The heart of this all is Jesus Christ our Lord.
His birth, sinless life, death, and resurrection has made this gift and this life possible for us.

Conclusion:   
Thank you Lord for the gift of your son and the life that He brings to us.