This evening we have the privilege of looking at Romans 6:8-16.
Theme: The purpose of grace.
There is one thing I know: all theology must become biography.
We must apply theology to our lives in a practical way.
Christian living is always dependent upon Christian learning because duty follows doctrine.
We believe in faith - but we must also behave in faith.
Christ died for me - and that should effect how I live each day for Him.
Romans 6:10 tells us that Jesus "died to sin once for all." For you and for me.
That is the "what," of grace.
Paul then goes on to give us the "how."
"In the same way," he writes in Romans 6:11.
"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
That's a command (the first command given in the book of Romans). It is a command that is to be acted out daily in our lives.
We are dead to sin. We are alive to God.
In other words, when you are faced with a temptation, respond to it as a dead man would.
You know as well as I do that a dead man in a casket is not tempted by a piece of hot apple pie with ice cream on it! Why? Because he is dead!
When you are tempted, you can pray something like this: "I count myself crucified with Christ and therefore I am dead to this sin and alive to God. I consult my account and know that what Jesus has accomplished has been credited (counted to me) to me. I appropriate it and apply it to this situation."
In other words, we must talk theology to ourselves.
Paul goes on to say, "Therefore (because of your position in Christ) do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." (verse 12)
How do we "not" let sin reign in our bodies? By refusing sin.
Here's the principle: don't excuse sin - refuse it.
Finally, yield your life to God.
"Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments (the word "instruments" means "weapons.") of righteousness.
So the question of the day is this: What part of your body have you yielded to God?
Your mind? (Colossians 3:2,3)
Your heart? (Jeremiah 17:9)
Your eyes? (Job 31:1)
Your ears? (Proverbs 18:8)
Your mouth? (Proverbs 13:3)
Your hands? (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
Your feet? (Psalms 37:31)
Your intimate parts? (1 Corinthians 6:12-18)
It all comes down to a choice.
In his book Hidden in Plain Sight, author and pastor Mark Buchanan writes about a woman named Regine.
Originally from Rwanda, Regine came to Christ while reading her sister's Bible during the genocide that ravaged her country. When she fled to Canada for refuge, she met her husband, Gordon.
They decided to return to Rwanda to show the love of Christ to the people who had once been her enemies.
Regine told Mark Buchanan this story of agape love:
A woman's only son was killed. She was consumed with grief and hate and bitterness. "God," she prayed, "reveal my son's killer."
One night she dreamed she was going to heaven. But there was a complication: in order to get to heaven she had to pass through a certain house. She had to walk down the street, enter the house through the front door, go through its rooms, up the stairs, and exit through the back door.
She asked God whose house this was.
"It's the house," he told her, "of your son's killer."
The road to heaven passed through the house of her enemy.
Two nights later, there was a knock at her door. She opened it, and there stood a young man. He was about her son's age.
"Yes?"
He hesitated. Then he said, "I am the one who killed your son. Since that day, I have had no life. No peace. So here I am. I am placing my life in your hands. Kill me. I am dead already. Throw me in jail. I am in prison already. Torture me. I am in torment already. Do with me as you wish."
The woman had prayed for this day. Now it had arrived, and she didn't know what to do. She found, to her own surprise, that she did not want to kill him. Or throw him in jail. Or torture him. In that moment of reckoning, she found she only wanted one thing: a son.
"I ask this of you. Come into my home and live with me. Eat the food I would have prepared for my son. Wear the clothes I would have made for my son. Become the son I lost."
And so he did.
Agape lovers do what God himself has done, making sons and daughters out of bitter enemies, feeding and clothing them, blazing a trail to heaven straight through their houses.The only way she was able to do this was by giving her grudge to God. She yielded the memories in her mind, and offered up her rights for revenge that were hidden in her heart.
What do you need to surrender to God today?
So - what is the purpose of grace? To propel us, prompt us to live a holy, righteous life.
Just a thought for a Wednesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment