HE CONQUERED SIN
Romans 6:1-19
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for joining us for this Palm Sunday (a day the church has traditionally honored as that Sunday that Jesus entered into the great ancient city of Jerusalem as He headed to the cross, to provide salvation for you and me).
On that day, the people roared and cheered with excitement — expecting Him to destroy the powers of Rome and set them free. They expected nothing less than the crowning of their earthly King. But Jesus had other plans. While He was their King, He was their Heavenly King — the greatest King. The King above all other Kings.
And while He intended to deliver them from bondage, His concern was with the bondage of sin (a much more ruthless enemy than Rome). And so, as He entered into the city on that day, He made His way to cross — a place that would end in pain, agony, insult, and death. But as we will discover this week and next — it was in His death that we were given access into a life of promise and great reward.
Through Jesus’ great sacrifice we have been awarded a great victory.
He’s not just our great conqueror — the conqueror over sin and death, He is also our great redeemer, making us conquerors as well.
Jesus’ work on the cross overcame sin for you and me.
TRANSITION
Sin’s penalty must be dealt with. We are told that God will not let the guilty go unpunished. So how does he take our sin away? By taking them upon Himself. Jesus took our place.
In John 1:29 we find a story of John the Baptist, the preacher and prophet who prepared the way for Jesus. It is here in this passage that one day, while speaking to some people about God’s plan for their lives — looked up and saw Jesus. As the Bible puts it,
“…John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ”Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29 (NIV)
What John proclaimed on that day, is what I want to proclaim to you on this day.
Jesus came to do what we could not do. He came to cancel the debt of sin that we owed — to set us free from the pain and penalty of sin.
He didn’t come merely to suppress sin, but to conquer it — making it powerless over the lives of His followers.
Sin was defeated in Christ, and any who are in Christ have been freed from sin.
Some time ago I came across an incredible story of sacrifice that in many ways parallels the sacrifice of Jesus. It’s about a soldier named Sgt. Dennis Weichel.
Weichel — a 29 year old National Guardsman from Rhode Island died in Afghanistan back in 2012. One day, he and a group of his men were riding in a convoy in eastern Afghanistan when they spotted some children standing in the middle of the road ahead of them.
These children were working hard — trying to pick up all the expended shell casings that were lying on the road. Like many during those days, they were collecting the casings to be recycled for money.
When Weichel and other soldiers reached them, they jumped out of their vehicles and moved the children off the road. Behind them was a long convoy of heavy trucks transporting equipment.
After all the children had been moved the men returned to their vehicles. But as Weichel looked up, he noticed that one of the young girls had darted back into the road for one last casing. Noticing the speeding 16 ton armored truck, Weichel jumped out of his vehicle and dove quickly to move her to safety. And while he succeeded in saving her life — his act of bravery cost him his own.
Like that young girl, our sin had placed us squarely in the path of God’s wrath and judgment. With nowhere to run, Jesus stepped into the path of our pain and sacrificed his own life to save ours. His act of grace stood between us and God’s righteous wrath. And in doing so, He conquered sin once and for all.
He shed his blood that we might be free from the penalty of sin. Doing so, he conquered sin — rendering it powerless over us.
Through the years there have been numerous songs and hymns of our faith that have told this story — this story of our need and Christ’s powerful and sacrificial act as our great conqueror.
One such song is one that many of you may recall. The words ask the question:
”What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus
Oh, precious is the flow — That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know. Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.”
It’s this incredible act of Jesus’ sacrifice that we honor and celebrate as Christ-followers. In fact, next Sunday (Easter Sunday) is the day that we traditionally look back upon this incredible act of grace. It is this act that has given us hope and made us right with God. Forgiven, and set-free.
Because Jesus faced the cross and allowed His blood to be shed, we can live free from sin’s tyranny. But, make no mistake about it — without the blood of Jesus there would be no forgiveness for our sins.
That’s why Paul writes in Ephesians 1:7 and says,
”In him we have redemption THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
And listen to the words of John from the book of Revelation. In chapter 1 he tells us Jesus ”…loves us and has freed us from our sins BY HIS BLOOD.”
Jesus came to take away our sin. Jesus came to free us from the penalty of sin. Jesus came to pay the sin debt that we had incurred and to set us free from the law of sin and death.
Some of you say that is great, but I still struggle with sin in my life. We all do but we don’t have to. We are no longer slaves to sin. Not only did Jesus take away sin’s penalty, He has broken its power and we do not have to subject ourselves to its authority any longer.
We are no longer helpless against our old sinful habits, patterns, attitudes and addictions, those things that characterized our life before Christ. Through Christ we can break the pattern of what harmful and sinful things may have been handed down to us.
Because Jesus faced the cross, wore that crown of thorns, and sacrificed His life — conquering sin, we now have the promise to live free and like him — be conquerors over sin.
There’s a team called the Washington Generals that you always see playing the Harlem Globetrotters. While they are a professional ball club — stacked with really great players, they almost always lose. In fact, that’s their job — to lose to their opposition. Since their beginning in 1953, the Generals have lost over 17,000 games and only won 6 throughout their existence.
Sometimes I think we (as Christians), live our lives as if we too are playing for the Washington Generals. In our minds our battle with sin is a continual losing battle and we just live in hopes of doing our best. But it is so important that we understand that this mindset is inaccurate.
Paul explains in Romans 6 that we can not only have victory over sin, but that Christ has already defeated sin — and when we become united with Christ, His victory over sin becomes our victory over sin.
So to us who are in Christ, sin has already been defeated.
We have already been declared victors over sin. Even so, we often live as if we are still held captive to the darkness and struggle to the power of sin.
But in this passage, Paul teaches us how to overcome sin and live like a conqueror. This happens to be the most practical chapter in the Bible on walking in victory over sin.
When I think of sin (and it’s effort to control our lives), it reminds me of something I read about a species of bird.
Did you know, the English Cuckoo never builds her own nest. Instead, she lays her egg in the nest of another bird. Typically, a nest that has a few other eggs already there. Once placed in the nest, the Cuckoo works to camouflage her egg so that when the other mother bird returns, she doesn’t recognize an additional egg.
Now here’s the interesting part. As the eggs begin to hatch, the mother bird thinks the Cuckoo is one of her own. And so, she feeds it. Along with the other birds, the Cuckoo is cared for and grows. But in time, as the birds mature, the Cuckoo will outgrow the other birds and will seek to eliminate them from the nest. Typically she will push the other birds out (one by one) as the mother is away finding food. This happens day after day — until the cuckoo has completely taken over the nest, and is able to gain all the attention and all the food.
You know, when we are saved by God’s grace and start to live our lives in Christ, its not long before we too find that there’s someone else trying take over our lives. And sin, like the Cuckoo, has an insatiable appetite, and it tries to take over our lives.
So, how do we gain victory over sin?
Look with me at Romans chapter 6.
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 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. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Romans 6:1-18 (NIV)
So, according to the apostle Paul, we conquer sin in our own lives by trusting in Jesus and His victory over sin through the cross.
As Paul tells us, there are three primary steps to being victorious over sin. And the first is:
1. KNOW THE TRUTH.
Notice again, in verse 3 Paul says,
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
And then in verse 9 he adds,
9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
Through salvation by grace, we as believers are united with Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-6). This union with Christ is the foundational concept of the life of grace.
Union with Christ means that when Christ died, I died with Him. When Christ was buried, I was buried with Him. When Christ was raised from the dead, I was raised with Him. Now I live “in newness of life.” The life of Christ is the life of grace.
Being a Christian is not just believing about Christ or trying to imitate Him or follow His teaching. It is a vital, dynamic, living relationship with the living Christ.
So our faith is not just faith about Christ, but rather faith into Christ. We believe into Christ: that is, we are united with Christ. Christ died for me: my justification. I died with Christ: my sanctification.
Everything I need to live a victorious life of grace is found in Christ—and I am united with Him. So, know the truth!
Secondly, Paul tells us,
2. EMBRACE YOUR DESTINY.
Paul tells us in verse 11 that we need to count…or consider our new reality in Christ.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
The word COUNT means to reckon or consider the fact that you and I are now dead to sin.
The word count that Paul uses here was a word that was almost exclusively used in bookkeeping. Its a term used to keep a record — to regard something that’s true as an established FACT.
And so, he reminds us that because of Jesus’ sacrificial work on the cross — we are now dead to sin — but ALIVE in Jesus! Because of Jesus victory over sin, we too are now made conquerors.
So, Paul says — “consider” this — or take not of this. You are not who you used to be! You have been changed. SO, EMBRACE YOUR DESTINY and your true identity in Him! YOU ARE A VICTOR.
So, don’t wallow in doubt or self-pity any longer. You are no longer a slave to sin. You’ve been changed. Your entire life has been changed. You no longer carry the weight of being weak and powerless. But now, the same power that was resident in Jesus is now resident in you! So, believe it! And live it! And EMBRACE YOUR DESTINY!
And you should probably notice verse 10 again as well. Paul says of Jesus.
10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Now, most of us are aware that Christ died for sin. But are you also aware that He died to sin? Meaning that He didn’t just die to give us freedom from sin’s guilt, but He also died to give us freedom from sin’s power.
Here is the point Paul is making: Because Jesus died “to sin” (and you and I are united with Christ), then we too have died to sin —and have been made victors over sin’s dominion in our lives.
While we may still feel the pressure of sin, its power over us is broken!
When sin, like that Cuckoo, tries to take over our lives and demands that we give it a place to live within us — we can declare: “Sin isn’t our master any longer. Because we are united with Christ!”
So, Paul tells us — if we want to live as conquerors over sin, then we must:
- Know the truth!
- Embrace your identity!
And lastly,
3. LIVE EMPOWERED.
Look again at what Paul said in verses 13:
13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
And skip down to verse 17, where he says:
17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.
Paul urges us to live empowered — with intentionality and purpose. What he’s saying is allow the Spirit of Christ to give you strength and live above the sins influence.
Rather than succumbing to the temptations of our flesh — he tells us to live obediently from our hearts! He points out that when we use our lives to sin — its like giving a weapon to our enemy. And so, he says — don’t do that. Don’t give the enemy access to your life.
Instead, he says to offer your body to God. He says, act intentionally — and present yourself as a living sacrifice to God. Since sin is no longer your master, let God’s power and His grace guide you.
In Galatians 5:16, God tells us His grace enables us to have the victory through His indwelling Spirit (Galatians 5:16). When we recognize in our hearts and minds that we are no longer who we used to be — then we will begin to live differently.
— So Paul says, stop seeing yourself as defeated — as a sinner.
— Instead, allow the most power force on the planet (the Spirit of God), to rule your heart and mind.
— And in Christ, choose to be an overcome, a conqueror, a victor (not a victim).
— Stop obeying sin and begin obeying God!
When you live your life in Christ — as someone who has been made alive in Him, then as Paul declares in verse 14,
14 …sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Sin is a harsh tyrant in your life. But Christ not only died for our sins, He died to sin. He has conquered sin and the devil and He gives those who are united with Him a victorious life of grace.
So, put your faith in Him and experience true victory over the sin — once and for all.
That’s my prayer for you!
- Know the truth!
- Embrace your destiny!
- And Live empowered!