8. THE PATHWAY TO ROME

8. THE PATHWAY TO ROME

Before he ever came to Rome, Paul wrote the book of Romans. His letter to the Romans came prior to prepare them for his coming.

Romans 6:1-23

 Slaves to Righteousness

1. By reminding ourselves we are dead to sin (verse 11).

“Count” means "to occupy oneself with reckonings or calculations."

Be occupied with this every day of your life. Remind yourself that sin has no hold on you, except what permission you give it to have. On the cross of Calvary, all of our enemies were defeated; Satan, the world-system, and the flesh. No longer can they presume any authority over us, but they can have authority by our invitation. Remind yourself every single day of your life – I do not have to take this, and I am not bound to this anymore.

2. By deliberately resisting the reign of sin (verse 12).

Deliberately set out to refuse sin the right to reign over you. We cannot ignore God, and we cannot ignore sin. We have to learn how to deal with it openly by deliberately making the choice to refuse it any authority over us. God is very clear on this.

3. By deliberately offering ourselves to God (verses 13; 12:1).

We have to make sure that we have bowed to the authority of God. The word “sacrifice” means that death has got to take place. Sometimes when we are placing our desires on the altar, it hurts. There are things we cling to by way of sin. Make it a sacrifice of praise; offer it up in worship to Him. We do it as an act of worship before God, because He will do it as an act of worship to set us free. God’s mercy on us is offering ourselves entirely to God.

4. By knowing our rights as those united with Christ (verse 14; Galatians 5:1).

Romans 6:14 – Sin is not your master. You do not have to give into that, no matter how strong the temptation is. It cannot rule over you without your permission. Offer yourself as a living sacrifice to God.

Galatians 5:1 – To ignore being bound up and act like it could not be possible based on my salvation is foolish. God’s Word is very clear that it is possible. God set us free so we could be free. Our right as a child of God is to be free.

5. By not misapplying the doctrine of grace (verse 15).

To continue just because we can count on grace is misappropriating the doctrine of grace. Paul is teaching us to look at the gift of grace and say “Lord, because you poured out so freely, I desire to pursue holiness.” Salvation is a gift, but holiness, or godliness, is a pursuit.

6. By realizing no substitute exists for whole-hearted obedience in our quest to be free from slavery to sin (verse 17).

We have to decide to obey, even when everything within us is driving us back toward that area of sin that is holding us captive. Long-term victory over the yoke of sin-slavery; and the only way that we are going to be free, is a day-by-day quest of trusting Christ and being obedient to Him. Along-term victory happens one day at a time. Our obedience is for our freedom.

7. By facing the weakness of our natural selves (verse 17).

We have to face the fact that in ourselves we are weak, by facing the weakness of our natural selves. It is in understanding the weakness of your natural self that you come to Christ, so that He can pour a spirit through you that will bring you to a place of strength and victory over sin in your life. There is no reign of sin that is your friend. None. Be very aware of the betraying nature of being a friend to any area of sin. That is the Judas sin.”

8. By acknowledging the ever-increasing nature of wickedness (verse 19).

This reminds us that we are not going to be able to stay at the same level, and find a safe place, and think, “Well, this is not too bad.”The way sin works is that it is ever-increasing. It sneaks up upon us, and then gets a tighter and tighter grip on us. That is why we pray that God will give us an open eye from the very beginning to what is being worked against us.

We keep walking in the light, so that everything that comes up is exposed at that time, and confessed at that time, before Satan can ever get to God’s throne and start accusing us. Quick confession and walking in the light.

9. By never forgetting the powerless feeling of being out of control (verse 20).

Never forget the powerless feeling of being out of control. Do the right thing until God brings your heart to a place where you are surrendered finally to feel the right thing.

10. By counting the cost of slavery to sin (verse 21).

Remember what it cost you the last time. You do not want to walk through that door again. Count the cost of slavery to sin.

11. By recognizing the benefit of slavery to God (verse 22; Micah 7:8, 18-19).

Romans 6:22 – Our freedom is in slavery to righteousness in Christ. It is for freedom that we have been set free (2 Corinthians 3:17; John 8:36). Christ put us in His yoke so that He can lead us in the walk of freedom. That is why He set us free.

Micah 7:8, 18-19 – One of the most important parts of becoming a slave to righteousness, is understanding that when you come before Him in sincere repentance, it is gone!