On Sunday, March 13, 2016 I preached a message based on Romans 6:15-23 at Wildwood Community Church.  This sermon was part 2 in the “Set Free” series.  Below you will find the sermon audio and video.

 

To download the audio to listen to offline, click on the link below:

Set Free (part 2)

 

To listen to the audio online, use the media player below:

 

To watch the sermon video, use the Vimeo video below:

On Sunday, March 13 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Romans 6:15-23.  This message was part 2 in the “Set Free” sermon series.  Below are a set of questions for personal reflection or group discussion related to this message.

 

Sermon Questions for Reflection or Discussion:

1. Pray
2. Read Romans 6:15-23
3. Romans 6:15-23 indicates that we all serve SOMETHING.  What are some of the things that you have noticed people “serving” with their lives?  (i.e. the most important organizing thing in their lives)
4. When you break it down to its most basic level, we sin because (at least part of us) WANTS to sin.  Sin is at least somewhat attractive to us.  Paul describes sin in today’s verses, however, in very unattractive terms (impure, lawless, associated with shame, leading to death, etc.).  What are some ways you can help yourself (and those around you) remember what sin REALLY is, not just what it LOOKS LIKE to us in the moment of temptation?
5. Paul here indicates that we are saved in order to live the righteous life God has for us.  We are to be sanctified, and pursue righteousness through obedience.  What are some areas of your life TODAY where God is calling you toward a higher level of obedience?
6. The only U-Turn available in life is to repent and trust in Jesus Christ.  Are you trusting in Christ today?
7. Anything in particular stand out to you about this message today?

To download a pdf of these questions, click here.

I grew up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma – and I still have a lot of family there.  Multiple times every year (and countless times in my lifetime) I have driven from Norman to Bartlesville or vice versa.  I could almost make this drive in my sleep . . . thankfully though, I have always been awake!

The main road between Bartlesville and Norman is the Turner Turnpike.  The majority of the miles between my house today and the house of my youth are logged on this tolled section of I-44.  Since I have made this drive so many times, I have a Master’s level understanding of that road.  Since it is a turnpike, it has one dominant feature — very few on-ramps or exits.  The lack of access to the road allows drivers to safely drive at high speeds.  The lack of exits, however, also means that once you get moving on the turnpike, it is difficult to turn around.  If you get on in Oklahoma City, you most likely won’t get off until Tulsa, with only a few exceptions in between.

In a sense, drivers are under the control of the turnpike.  Based on the laws of road travel enforced by the Highway Patrol, we are slaves to the direction of the road.

I was thinking about this today while preparing for Sunday’s message at Wildwood Community Church.  This Sunday, we will be looking at Romans 6:15-23 together in part 2 of the “Set Free” series.  In these verses, we will see that (to some degree) life is a turnpike headed in one of two directions:  either towards God or towards sin.  If we place our life on the highway of sin, we will most likely not get off until we arrive at the destination of impurity, lawlessness, shame, and death.  If we place our lives on the highway of obedience to God, however, we will surely experience the joy of righteousness, sanctification, and eternal life.  The Apostle Paul seems to be pointing out (in these verses) what should be obvious to us – why would we ever intentionally drive to death, when we could instead drive to life?

All too often people want to assume that life is much more like a residential street than a turnpike.  On a typical residential street there are almost unlimited numbers of opportunities to change course or turn around.  You could use driveways, side streets, even U-turns if necessary to correct course.  However, Paul’s argument in Romans 6 seems to imply that there are far fewer chances to turn our lives around than we might think.  In fact, there is but one chance . . . the turnaround he describes as the “free gift” found only for those who are “in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  It is only through Christ that we can head towards life instead of death . . . and if we have a chance to drive towards life, why would we ever choose death instead?

Join us Sunday in our 8:15, 9:30, and 11:00 worship services as we will look at this idea from God’s Word together.  Join us and bring a friend!

On Sunday, March 6, 2016 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a message based on Romans 6:1-14.  This message was part 1 in the “Set Free” series.  Below is the audio and video from this message for you to watch/listen/or share.

To download the audio to listen to later, click on the link below:

Set Free #1

 

To listen to the audio online, use the media player below:

 

To watch the sermon video, use the Vimeo video below:

This morning at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a message based on Romans 6:1-14.  This message was the first message in the “Set Free” series.   Below are a set of questions for personal reflection or group discussion based on the sermon.

Sermon Questions for Reflection or Discussion:

1. Read Romans 6:1-14
2. Paul anticipates a question in Romans 6:1 (in response to his teaching on the Gospel of Jesus Christ from Romans 1-5).  He seems to expect someone to think that the Gospel is dangerous . . . that it would lead people to living more sinful lives.  Have you ever thought this?  Have you ever heard a presentation of the Gospel that left you thinking, “that is really dangerous – it could encourage people to sin more?”
3. In the big picture, what is Paul’s response to the question he asks in Romans 6:1?
4. What are some of the things that we Paul says we need to know about our connection to Christ from Romans 6:1-10?  In the message, we talked about several ways to help remember these things (baptism, Scripture memory, etc.)  Is there any particular application you took from this section of the message?
5. In 6:11, Paul moves from the head to the heart, and focuses on us “reckoning” or “considering to be true” the things he has just said in 6:1-10.  What would it look like for you to truly “consider” or believe these things are true in a particular sin struggle in your own life?
6. From 6:12-14, Paul focuses on presenting our hands (or all our members of our body) to God to serve Him in righteousness.  Think of the members of your own body:  Mind, eyes, ears, hands, feet, wallet.  What does it look like for us to present ALL our members to Him?
7. Anything in particular stand out to you about this message today?

To download a copy of these questions in pdf format, click here.

If the presence of God’s grace is a good thing (and it is), and if God’s grace increases to cover my sin (and it does – see Romans 5:20), then wouldn’t it be good for me to sin SO THAT God’s grace shows up even more?

Let me put it another way:

If salvation is on the basis of what Jesus has done and not on what I do, then why should I care at all about how I live?  I might as well sin all I can!

Thinking of this, American poet W.H. Auden once quipped,

“I like committing crimes.  God likes forgiving them.  Really the world is admirably arranged.”

Have you ever thought anything like this?  At Wildwood, over the past few weeks, we have been going through Romans 4-5, and have emphasized that it is faith in God and what He has done for us through Christ (NOT OUR WORKS) that turns the ignition of our salvation.  As we walked through that series, did you ever want to stand up and say, “Yeah, but wait a minute!  What about our lives?  Doesn’t it matter how we live?”

If you have ever had any of these thoughts, you are not alone. In fact, Paul anticipated these questions as he presented the Gospel in Romans 1-5; he knew that people would wonder about the implications of Christian theology on Christian living.  So, in Romans 6, Paul begins to answer the question: “How now shall we live (as Christians saved by grace not works)?”

Paul answers that question by first pointing out WHY it is absurd for the follower of Christ to pursue or consider a sinful/alternate lifestyle, then shares HOW a Christian lives a truly Christian life (a conversation He will continue from Romans 6:1-16:27).

We will be looking at Paul’s message from Romans 6 the next two Sundays at Wildwood in a series we are calling “Set Free.”  Make plans to join us and invite others to come with you for this relevant (and needed) study of God’s Word on March 6 and 13.  This Sunday, we will focus on Romans 6:1-14.  I hope to see you in our 8:15, 9:30, or 11:00 worship service!

 

P.S.  The title for this series comes from Romans 6:7, “For the one who has died has been set free from sin.”  The chains/slavery/prison imagery reminded me of some of the ministry I have been able to be a part of in a local prison.  A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of speaking at a week long event at the prison, and wrote 3 blog posts about the experience.  I am linking those below in case you are interested:

• “Prison Epistle” 1
• “Prison Epistle” 2
• “Prison Epistle” 3