Wonderful. Wonderful. One of my favorite songs. I promise you that. I'm thankful. There's a lot of, uh, confusion among Christians and what we do. We liked, I think we were, uh, brother Justin was teaching our teens today and he did a fantastic job. And he was talking really about how we, in our courage, we ought to really be simple. In other words, he talked about how Jesus really was clear in his teachings. So with the parables, sometimes they didn't understand exactly what he was saying, but, but there's all this. We live it today. And we've got all this political stuff going in this, like, well, nobody will say exactly what they believe, right. Or what they're going to do. And it's bled. It's really part of Christianity too. You don't want to, you don't want to preach the unadulterated truth of the word of God. Because if you do it might offend some people and then they wouldn't come to church. Right. And so we have to, uh, I say we, uh, let me rephrase it. They have to, uh, make it cloudy, right. And ambiguous. And that way, uh, people are not offended and you can take from it what you want to. Right. But, but the, uh, the Bible said the word of God is, is sharp. Right. and it and so as she sang that song that you know that God doesn't throw the clay away and and there's we nitpick over terminology it's like I remember God telling me said do you believe in the lordship of Jesus Christ and I was like absolutely and he said well technically or what what you're saying I said I believe when you get saved Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life he has the authority And he was saying, well, so do you believe in lordship salvation? I said, I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I said, here's what I know. I said, I got saved. Really brother Matt, when I really got saved, I ain't talking about some shallow profession when I really got saved. I want to give God control of my life. Now that doesn't mean for the last all this time that I've always, Brother Shane, done the right thing, but it was not this, you know, I want to nitpick and say, well, I want to say a prayer so I can go to heaven, but then I want my life to be what I want it to be. If that's what you're thinking, and that's really what we're dealing with in Romans chapter six, grace is not a license to sin, right? The grace of God is not God's unmerited favor so therefore I can go do whatever I want to do. If you really understand the grace of God it should arrest you to where it controls or confines you to want to live within the Word of God. Right? Now that doesn't mean that we don't sin. Right? If you believe in sinless perfection you're inaccurate in your interpretation of scripture because nowhere does it teach that. Right? Now, one day we'll be perfect without sin, but that's not on this side of the grave. But what I'm saying is, as she was singing that song, this thought came to my mind. You know, we start talking about terminology. Well, do you believe in a second work of grace? I do. I believe in a second and a third and a fourth and a fifth. Every time God gives you another opportunity, that's the grace of God. I don't believe you get saved more than one time. But God's unmerited favor, that's the grace of God. Listen, when you sin and God doesn't send you to hell, that's God's unmerited favor, right? When God allows you, right, to live your life, that's God's unmerited favor. So stop. See, we get so nitpicky, Brother Dennis, about, well, you know, do you believe that? We want to show our intellect. Well, here's the thing. Here's what, remember this? went up before the authorities, Paul's, he was, when he laid out his credentials, he told them he was basically the best Jew they'd ever seen. I mean, buddy, he was, religiously, intellectually, politically, Paul was everything. So he goes up to the authorities, right, and he starts telling them about the Lord, and they said, well, Paul, much learning doth make thee mad. Right. No, it wasn't the learning. It's the fact that he had been with Jesus. And so stop trying to intellectualize this thing of serving God and have a relationship with him. And, uh, you know, those early disciples and, uh, brother Justin said this said that, that, that, that their testimony was it, that they'd been with Jesus. Well, listen, if you, you can't, you can't live for God. If you're not spending time with him now. We look and say, well, we want to see God move. We want the presence of God. Well, let me tell you this. You will never experience the presence of God outside of the Word of God and prayer. Anything? If you can do that, then it's not really the presence of God. Because He confines Himself by His Word. Now sometimes he'll manifest himself in supernatural ways. We'll get in a church service and they'll sing a song and preach it and God will be more real to you. But listen, God is everywhere all the time. And when you get it, think about this. He, his spirit resides in every believer. So he said this, where two or three are gathered in my name I'm in the midst. So what I'm saying is sometimes we'll be more aware of the closeness of God. But I've heard preachers say, well God he's not within a million miles of this place. Well sure he is. He occupies every place all the time. Again, the fact that he may be more real in your experience with him is something totally different. So what I'm saying is, We tend to emotionalize a lot of Christianity and intellectualize it to where it's like, you know, I just want to know him, right? I mean, Bojake, I'm not probably the smartest guy you've ever met, but I'm also not the dumbest, right? And I just want to know him. And I think when you want to get to know him, it changes everything else. And as she's saying, I'm not perfect. And I'm sure I'm glad He's still molding me. And I'm still glad His grace is sufficient. Amen. Amen. Romans chapter 6. This morning? We're still morning? Yes, we are. It's afternoon somewhere though, isn't it? Romans chapter number 6. We want to begin verse number 1. Verse number 1. I like Romans chapter number 6. I like Romans chapter 5. I like chapter four, right? I think what, again, as we preach through the book of Romans, we talk about the Romans' road, and I think of Romans chapter five, verse number eight, but God commended his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, right? And we know in Romans chapter six, in verse 23, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. So Romans chapter five, DEALS WITH THE FACT THAT JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS AND THAT WE WERE YET SINNERS. HE DIDN'T DIE FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE A GOOD PERSON. HE DIED FOR YOU BEFORE YOU EVEN KNEW HIM. BUT THEN YOU COME TO CHAPTER 6 VERSE NUMBER 1. And again, understand what he's saying. He's laying out the fact that the grace of God and the gift of salvation, Jesus is the gift of salvation. And that it's free, right? That it's free to you. It cost heaven the very best it had, but it's free to you. And so we look at it and he's laying out this idea of grace. And now in chapter 6 he comes to the place where he's saying, listen, if you really understand the grace of God, you won't want to sin. Now I just don't buy into this whole garbage where people say well you know God knows we're not perfect and so therefore he just wants us to be happy and he doesn't care what we do. You won't find that in your Bible. You have to read somebody's book to believe that. Not his book, somebody's book. So Romans chapter 6. Here's what Paul wrote. What shall we say then? Right? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? But Shane, I don't know how in the world this modern version of Christianity can read that verse and think it's okay to go out and live your life like the world and then walk in the house of God and talk about how much you love God. You cannot get, not one thing, and I know I'm gonna get in trouble somewhere, somebody's gonna write something dumb on our face, but you cannot look at this modern day Christianity, where it's come as you are, do as you please, leave like you came, live like the world, and still talk about how much you love God and God loves you, and read that verse. What shall we say then shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Hallelujah. I mean, Jimmy, you know this book. So verse 2, here's what he said, God forbid. He said, how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life. Newness. Not like you used to. Well Johnny am I wrong there? Newness means not old. Okay. We'll make sure I'm right. For, in verse five, if we be planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Notice that scripture did not say that we never sin, it says that we do not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Makes sense. Guess what? When you're dead, you don't have not one. You don't have not one issue with gossip. Somebody laying right there. They don't gossip, right? They don't look at pornography, right? They don't commit adultery. They don't lie. They don't steal. When you're dead, you don't do any of those things. It's impossible because you're dead. Deep theology, right? So, he said, now if we be dead with Christ, in verse 8, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Well, here's what the world teaches. The world teaches opposite of that, right? The world will say in verse 11 that you are dead if you serve Christ and you only live if you serve sin. That's what it says, right? That's why, that's why this whole world centered around self and sin. And it's like, uh, you, you do whatever it makes you happy. Whatever feels good to you. Don't worry about serving God. Don't worry about what the Bible says. Don't worry about what the preacher says. You, you just do what you, whatever you, you feel is good for you. No matter the cost. The Bible says it's sin. It really isn't. And here's the thing. What that does is it humanizes God and deifies man to where you are determining what is right and wrong in your life. Well, go back to the Old Testament. The Bible said they did what was right in their own eyes. So we're going back to that thing of humanism, where we're looking at man as their own God. That's what this whole thing's about. That's why they're telling you, well, if you don't think, young person, that you don't feel like you're a girl, and you feel like you're a boy, nobody can tell you what to believe, and you ought to be able to do what you... That's deifying who you are, saying God made a mistake. Now, by the way, before you jump on the bandwagon of that, They've proven that they've hidden reports because what they'll say is, your kid's suicidal. If you don't do this, they're going to kill themselves. And it's messing with their mental health. Well, now, guess what? They're uncovering the fact that they did not report that it did not help their mental capacity by doing this. They lie. I know that. It's an agenda, by the way. It's an agenda. What happens when you do that when they're 7 years old and then when they're 18, they realize that they were going through a fad. Right? In other words, we're all gods and we get to determine that we're in the wrong body or we like the wrong person or, you know, whatever it is, we can do all that. Well, that's not what the Bible teaches. So Christ's victory Calvary liberates us not only from sin penalty but from his power it's one thing see we like the fact that it liberates us brother in from the the the penalty of sin we like the fact and there's where we stop There's where modern Christianity stops. I don't have to go to hell now because I've accepted Christ. But we forget the fact that it liberates us from the power of sin over us. And so therefore we say, well, you know, all I'm doing is, and here's the other thing, ready? They're saying now, they're saying, well, you know, humans are just simply animals. Right? That's what, that's their mindset. That we're, since we're mammals and see if we can say that, if we can prove that we came from animals. Well now when you have that animal instinct right then you should not be you should not be held accountable for what you do. Well here's the problem. See God gave you something different. He gave you the spirit. He gave you a spirit. He made you in the image of God and so therefore you're not an animal. Matter of fact he gave man dominion over animals. So when animals do what they do, right? And we'll say, well, we're just animals. So when you do that, what happens is they say, well, we're just animals. So therefore, we're just reverting back to our animal instinct and you cannot hold people accountable for that. That's nonsense. God gives you a conscience. He gives you the ability to know right from wrong. And so therefore, He gives you His Word, He's created you in His image, and so therefore, our guide must be our conscience and the Word of God. And the Word of God must teach the conscience to be the guide. So you can't just go do, well, I'm saved, but listen, I don't believe that. Well, you don't believe the Bible then, you're probably not saved. So our security gives us no excuse to continue in sin. Here's the argument. People say, well, if you believe in eternal security, that gives you a license to sin. That's not what that says. It said, what shall we say? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid, how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? So again, if you're truly born again, I'm not saying you won't sin, you will not want to sin. You don't want to. But man, I don't want to sin. I do, but I don't want to. Right. So who we, who were once dead are now dead to sin. So you, you're saying the wage of sin is death. All right. John chapter three, right? Where we looked at this in John three 16, we know that. For God so loved the world gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. But the Bible, you go on to verse 17, 18, we're condemned already. You're already condemned and if you don't get saved, your destiny has already been set. What the love of God does is changes the direction and the destiny for you. So in Romans chapter 6, I want to give you these three things I may not get a past introduction I'm really having a good time with this. Right. So we're not free to sin we're free from sin. You're not free to go out and do whatever you want to because Jesus died for you and you say I'm saved therefore I can't die and go to hell now. Then you don't understand what this thing's about. He's saying you're free from it to where you don't have to do it. You don't have to, it doesn't have dominion over you anymore, right? So we're not free to sin, we're free from it, and so the expression free from sin occurs three times in Romans chapter six. So according to Paul, ignorance is a key factor. Well, there's two kinds of ignorance. There's willful and unwillful. Some people are willfully ignorant because they won't study the word of God. If that's you, that's easy. Start studying the word of God. If you're ignorant because you just don't know, then you need help. Then you ought to stay the word of God as well and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. So I don't understand people. It's amazing to me that people say they're saved, but they won't come to church. And then when they get off in sin, they're like, well, that's just who I am. No, see if you're ignorant and ignorance is not a bad thing. Ignorance means you don't know. Stupidity means you choose not to know. Right. You can be ignorant. And that just means, well, you know, uh, you don't know, but if you willfully choose not to know, then that's a whole different thing. So understand the first air of ignorance, which Paul deals with is the domain of death. So death was once our enemy, but it is no more. Now let me say this, time out. I don't have a death wish. I don't want to die, Brother Gary. I mean, I'm not afraid. I know where I'm going. But it's not like I'm going out there saying, well, today, let's see what we can do to head on to eternity. Right? But it does not have that same fear for me. Right? Now, I don't know what's beyond. I mean, there's still some apprehension, let's be honest. I don't know what heaven's going to be like. We don't get all that. So there's some misunderstanding. Either I'm going to trust God or I'm not. Bottom line, today, you're either going to trust him or you're not. So the reality, number one, the reality of our death with Christ, he deals with in verse one through five. And in verse one and two, he deals with the truth of it. And he says this, nothing is more non-responsive than someone who's dead. Now I've used this illustration before, but I'll say it again. You go to the funeral home and there's someone laying in that casket. You can cuss them out. You can slap them. You can spit on them. You're not gonna get a response out of it. Right? I'm not trying to be morbid. I'm trying to, that's what he's saying. That you do not get a response out of someone who is deceased. Well that's how we ought to be when it comes to sin. Now I realize that, again, time out. Some of you looking at me like, you're talking about sinless perfection. No, I'm talking about this battle that is going on with us because we're still in this stinking flesh. See, the difference is when you don't desire to sin, when you do not let it have dominion over you, you still are going to sin, but it's not habitual and continual and excuses made for it like, I can't help it. Right? But see, what we do, Brother Kenneth, is we make everything a disease. Well, they've got the disease of alcoholism. No, if you start drinking alcohol and you get hooked on it, you can't call that a disease. You call that a habit, right? So what we've done is everything is a disease. So therefore, it's not your fault, right? I lost half of you on that one. That's fine. So God is saying the believer is dead to sin. We should not respond to sin. And there should be such an experience of the reality of our death in Christ that we are dead to sin. Now again, understand, time out again. I have to keep reiterating this. That does not mean that you never sin. We have the capacity not to sin. But let's be honest, we live in a world where it's easy to feed the flesh, feed the flesh, feed the flesh, and then we sin. Now if you never feel bad about it, there's a problem. That's probably, when you sin, here's a good question. When you sin, do you feel bad about it? Or do you just go, oh well, I'm saved, going to heaven, no big deal. There's your problem. You're not dead. Right? So, so the truth of it, but then he in verse three and four, he says this, he said, no, he not that so many of us that are baptized were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also walk in newness of life. Well, here's the triumph of it. The fact is, we're immersed into a union with Jesus Christ. When you get married, the Bible says you become one. Right? Husband and wife become one. And you see that after you're married for a while, you don't see it when you first get married because you're still two lives and you're trying to merge it into one. But the longer you're married, what happens is those two lives are merged so much together. You have kids together, they move out, grandkids, retirement, sickness, hospital, doctor, you know, see what I'm saying? So the longer you're married, the more your life is merged together and it makes sense. We've been married 31 years and Brother Dennis, we realize that the longer you're married when that spouse dies part of you dies it just does they're never the same part of them is gone that's hard to understand that when you've been married three months but the longer you're married you get that so the triumph the triumph of this thing is that we're in the Bible likens the church being married to Christ So we're one with Him. So therefore, the divine nature of Christ is implanted through our identification with Christ. In other words, we've got the Holy Spirit of God inside if you're truly born again. I'm not talking about some shallow profession. Hey, I don't want to die and go to hell. I said the sinner's prayer. Listen, you can die and go to hell on your sinner's prayer. Right? If there's no chain, If there is no change in your life, you didn't get it. You say preacher, that's judgmental. No, that's my testimony. I know what I'm talking about. Many of you do as well. I did. Listen, I did it. Eight year old boy. I don't want to go to hell. Went to a youth revival, went to the altar, said a little prayer. Oh, hallelujah. You feel better, don't you? Yeah, I felt better, but nothing ever changed. And if nothing changes, then you're not dead to sin. Right? Raised in newness of life. There should be a desire to want to serve God if you're born again. Why? Because He died for you and as you and therefore once you're really saved, you're bought with a price. So the reality of our death was we become vitally united with Christ. We share in His very life. Well that's unusual then. Because the world says the only good life to live is outside of Christianity and serving God. That's what the world says, right? I mean, you don't see commercials, you know, you look at the Super Bowl, you don't see commercials about going to church, right? You don't see commercials on there about using your money to further the gospel in foreign countries. The closest they got to it was this He Gets Us campaign, which is totally anti-biblical. You don't see that. What do you see? Budweiser commercials. Car commercials. You see all that. What the world is saying is your life is better without Christ and it advertised it and so what we've tried to do is we've tried to merge right we figured out a good hybrid we've tried to merge this old life in the new life so well I've got newness in Christ theoretically but it has not changed my life here here's the problem you can't find that in that book right You can't find it in the book. Yeah, but I feel, well, but you can't find it in the book. Right? So the reality of our death with Christ, the old man's dead, the new man lives in Christ. Number two, is this the reason for our death with Christ in verse 6-7? He said, knowing this. That sounds to me like it's something that should be internalized by us. In other words, it ought to be a fact we know. So he said, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Right? Didn't say that we never committed, we don't serve it. For he that is dead is free from sin. Now, if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. So, notice, first of all, sin stronghold. Why do we need a Savior? Because you cannot, listen to what I'm saying, I'm not talking about the human race, you couldn't keep the law. I mean, here's what happened, right? So God put Adam and Eve in the garden, perfect. Again, we said this last week, don't eat of that tree right there. They did. So God killed some animals, made them a covering, right? Then mankind sinned, kept sinning. And so finally God said, alright Moses, here's what we're going to do. They obviously are not getting how sinful this is, so I'm going to write it down for them. Right? Remember that? He goes up on the mountain, spends time with God. God writes it down, right? That's the first time we ever got anything from the cloud, right? See, Apple wasn't the first to come up with that stuff. What happens, Moses goes down and they're all run around naked, right? Idols. Then here's his associate pastor. Moses went up there to spend time with God and his associate pastor, that's the way a lot of them do. Not Brother Jimmy, but most of them, right? They just want to be liked. Brother Jimmy don't care if you like him or not. Right? So they cater to the people and, oh, I know the preacher's terrible and Aaron's like, oh, I know Moses, he's old fogey and he's up there and he's gonna go get some laws, but hey, I'm with you guys. Let's change the way we worship. Let's do something new and modern. Right? We're gonna make our own idol. So here comes Moses. and the law the tablets were broken so it goes back up God didn't change his mind he didn't say well let's revise these he gave them the same ones and he gave them so that man would realize that he's not good enough to get to heaven that he needed a savior right? and we're no different The fact is, sin has a stronghold. And then we, you know what? Remember they're wandering through the wilderness and the people going, oh, God's trying to kill us. He's such a tyrant. And you brought us out here to kill us and we wish we were back in Egypt. Well, Egypt is a picture, it's a type of the world. You know what they were saying? We don't like, and the Red Sea was a picture of salvation. And they're saying, we don't want to be saved anymore. We like the old life when we were slaves. And that's the picture, folks. When you look at this, that God has liberated you from the bondage of sin and you desire to go back, what you're saying is that you don't care about the Red Sea experience. You want to go back to being in slavery. And so Moses brings the law down, gives it to them. They say, oh, that's no problem. We can handle this. Right? And they never could. And we're no different. See, the old man sends stronghold. The old man corrupts human nature or man before salvation. That's who you are. But when you get saved, the Bible said you're a new creature. If you're not new, if you're not different than you were before you quote unquote God saved, you're not born again. Let me say it again. Who do you think you are, the Holy Ghost? I'm reading it to you from the authority of the Word of God. There is a change that will take place in your life if you're truly saved. And if there's no change, you're not saved. Then, in verse 6 and 7, it deals with sin's stranglehold. So, sin has an organized power acting through the members of the body. So understand this, the believer is to regard his body as dead, right? So here's the picture, that sin is working through your body, okay? Your hands, your feet, whatever. Again, this is not deep theology. Brother Sean, if your hands and feet and legs are dead, they can't get into trouble. The kids get up here. What's that song they sing? Be careful little eyes what you see. Be careful little hands what you do. Be careful little ears what you hear. A dead man don't have any problem with any of that. Right? You put whatever you want to on the screen. He can't see it. It doesn't tempt him. Right? You can say whatever you want to, play rap music and worldly music and country music and all that stuff and you know, that's how America lives, that's real life stuff. No it isn't. But he don't have a problem with any of that stuff. He didn't have a problem with gossip. He can't hear. Your life would be a whole lot easier if you'd be blind and deaf to this world. Right? But instead, you know what we got? Did you hear? And you know where one of the worst places is? Church! Oh, I'm just concerned about them. I want to pray for them. No, you're not. You're a gossip. You're a stinking gossip is what you are. No, I'm not, preacher. I'm just so concerned about them. No, you're not. If you're concerned about them, you wouldn't get what you heard and go tell somebody else about it. That was free by the way, that's not in the outline. So the body, the believers regard his body as dead. Because sin has, you can't live for God and live in sin, can't do it. got a stranglehold on you so then number three the results of our death in Christ is verses 8 through 11 so first of all in verse 8 the Bible said now if we be dead with Christ we believe that we shall also live with him knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more death has no more dominion over him so therefore we appreciate the victory of Christ what do you mean by that if we identify his death we must identify his resurrection see it's not enough that he died Brother Dennis in the choir sang a song about resurrection. It's not just the grave, because everybody's in the grave, but he's the only one that rose from the dead. Right? So therefore, the power is not in the death. And see, we like to make much of the death of Christ, Brother Jerry, because we're like, he died for our sins. Yes, but if he died for your sins, but he didn't rise from the dead, you could not have the power to live the life that you have to live as a Christian. You don't have the ability. I'm just going to try harder. Let me give you the 411. You'll fail. You're going to fail. And you're going to fail. And she sang about it. Over and over, you're going to fail. Over and over, He's picking you up. Over and over, the grace of God. And that's what I'm saying. There's not a desire to sin. There's a desire not to sin. And then when we sin, it's not running from God. It's running to Him saying, I've done it again. Right? See, the condemned man runs from God. The saved man, the man that understands that the grace of God runs to God to confess to him what God already knows because he has enough confidence in the grace of God to realize that the Bible said, if I confess my sins, his faithful just forgive me. See, if you're running from God right now, well, I'd go to church, but I just, I'd go to the doctor, but I'm sick. Right. I mean, I'd go to the doctor. I'm not going to the doctor if I'm not sick. Right? But people do that. It's like, well, I'm just not living for God and I'm not going to church. But you're missing the point. The point is for you. This is not a place for everybody that's got it figured out to come and boast about how good they are in Jesus Christ. If you've got it figured out, you probably don't need to be here. I mean, you need to go find the church where all the self-righteous people, right? All the perfect folks. That ain't us, man. I mean, as far as I know, I know it's not me. That ain't us. We're sinners and we're trying to live for God and we're trying to love God and we're trying to figure this thing out. But here's what I do know. What I have figured out is that when I got saved, God told me this, you're different now. Listen, I still haven't got all that figured out, but I know that I'm different and that I want different things. So I'm not saying I always pursue them like I should, but I'm saying there's a desire there. So the appreciate, I appreciate the victory of Christ. Well, how do you show appreciation? Well, listen, young people, If you, you'll get it one day, right? You'll get it. Cause here you'll appreciate utilities. When you start having to pay for your utilities, you appreciate how much electricity costs when city of Lexington sends you your bill for you and your children. You appreciate how much hot water costs when you start getting the water bill from Davidson Water, right? But you don't appreciate it. You'll appreciate groceries when you have to go buy them. Right now it's like, you know, mom goes to the grocery store, why didn't you get all this stuff? I don't like this old nasty stuff here. I want Doritos and Fritos and Cheetos. If it's got O's at the end, it's not good for you and it costs a lot of money. Right? I don't want all that stuff. I want all this stuff. And I want ice cream. Right. But then, I don't want the generic stuff. I want the name brand stuff. Well, what we're going to do when you move out, we're going to go to your house and see what you buy. Huh? You show you appreciate it. By doing what you're told, right? By living as you're expected to live, right? Well, same thing here. You appreciate the victory you have in Christ while not acting like a reprobate, but by living, right, for Him. Then you appropriate the victory of Christ. What do you mean by that? Well, verse 10 and 11, for in that He died, He died unto sin once, but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ. So what's that mean? That God made adequate provision for the sinner. It's enough. You don't have to add to it. He doesn't need your help or mine. It's good. He's good. He dealt fully and forever with sin. And so that word reckon means to count, to compute, to take into account. Is it enough? Yep. So we must not only believe, we should experience it. I'm going to finish with this and I'm done. A lot of folks have this intellectual salvation. Right? Brother Justin, see, well, and we promote it. That's why we're careful down there in the children's ministry. You're probably not ever going to see, well, you had 15 get saved. You don't want to die and go to hell, do you? No. You believe you're a sinner, don't you? Yes. You want to ask Jesus into your heart, don't you? Yes. Oh, we had 15 get saved this morning. And then there's this confused as a termite in a yo-yo because they never really understood they were a sinner. They never understood what Jesus did for them. I'm not talking about making it complicated, Brother Bart. I'm saying, well, it'd be thorough enough that people understand what they're signing up for. I'd love to have 10 people get saved in here this morning. But I'd rather have people get saved and stick with it than get saved and then you never see them again because they're like, well, all I did was said that prayer so I could go to heaven. No, when you get saved, there's a responsibility once you're saved to live for God. It's not legalistic, by the way. It's an appreciation that I know that I would be in hell if it weren't for the grace of God. And now, since He died on the cross for me and as me, I want to live my life to honor Him. That's what it is. You don't have to come to church to be a Christian. But you also can't say you believe that book. Right? I mean, you ought to try it. I know some of you are going to get mad at this. Well, that would be all right. You ought to try to be here every time the doors are open. Right? You say, well, I don't think you ought to go to church here. Well, why not? Well, the Bible said, Hebrews, forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the men or some is, but as more, much more, as you see the day approaching. You ought to be coming to church less. I mean more, not less. Oh, I about messed up. Some of you, see, you said less, preacher. No, I didn't. I did not say that. Right? More. We need it more. Right? So, so, no, you. You don't have to tithe to be a Christian, but how do you not want to give back to God for what He's done for you? Right? You don't have to hand out tracts. You don't have to lead people to Christ, but why wouldn't you want to? I mean, if what you've got is so good, right? I mean, we give our advice on everything. I'll tell you what you ought to do. You ought to get one of these new phones. This is the greatest thing that ever happened, right? I got this new TV. Man, it's got all these cool laps on it. I'll tell you what I'd do if I were you. Jerry, I've had some issues with my truck. You know how many people have told me what they think is wrong with it? And I know they're trying to help. I'll tell you what's wrong with it. Well, quit telling me and if you know what's wrong with it, it's right out there, jump in there and fix it. Right? We'll see if you're right. Then if you blow the engine up, you can buy me a new one. Right? But the stuff we're confident about, we'll talk about. Then when it comes to Jesus, I don't want to offend nobody. But you don't mind offending Him. I'm more concerned offending Him than I am somebody. And I don't want to be offensive. I try to be nice to everybody. Even people that are Alabama fans. Right, Belita? I even love Alabama fans. God's been too good to us. It ought to be our privilege as a church. I say this often, Brother Jimmy. We ought to spend $100,000 a year on tracks. They're out there. There's a whole table full of them. You ought to take about 15 handfuls. I just want to tell you. But you know what? I don't want to offend nobody. But what about him? Oh, he loves us. He wouldn't be offended. Well, I'm pretty sure there's a verse in there somewhere, if I'm wrong, tell me, that if I'm ashamed of him, he said he'd be ashamed of me. Now how do you reconcile that with God doesn't care? So this morning, understand that Jesus loves you. He died for you. He died as you He rose from the dead on the third day and He wants you to be saved But also understand when you're truly born again It changes you You cannot you cannot reconcile Romans 6 1 & 2 With this Say a little prayer Go live like the world. You can't reconcile it. There's a definite change in who you are. If there's no change, then what I would do this very morning is I'd get on this altar and I'd say, God, search me. I'll tell you this. Here's how I got saved. I went to the altar, Brother Shane, and I just felt like I wasn't living for God. I couldn't live for God. I didn't want to live for God. And I said, Lord, I want to rededicate my life to you. I thought, that ought to do it. And I went back to my seat. And the Holy Ghost said, that's not it. I got up, went back to the altar. And man, let me tell you something, you don't do that in the flesh. I went to the altar, said my peace, went back to my seat, and the Holy Ghost said, no, that's not it. So I got back up and went back to the altar. And I didn't get off the altar. I don't know who was there. I don't know who left. I didn't care. See, here's the thing. When God gets hold of you, you won't care about all that. That pride issue of who's looking, it don't matter. And I said, I'm not going anywhere till I get this settled. I don't know how long I was on that altar. I don't know who left. There was a few people still there when I got done. But when I got up from there, me and the Lord were okay. Because I'd asked Him to save me. And I'm talking about it wasn't this one, two, three, repeat after me. It was God, I'm a sinner, and I'm nasty, and I know it. I've been a liar because I've told my church and my Sunday school class I teach and the choir I sing in that I love you and I was a deacon in the church and I lied to everybody. I lied to me. And I tell you this, you ready for this? Went to church the next Sunday and the devil said, you better not tell nobody. They're probably going to kick you out of being a deacon and a Sunday school teacher And I stood up that Sunday morning, I said, I just want you to know I got saved. Brother Matt, there wasn't nobody looking at me like, huh, thought you were already saved. Not one person, not one person. See, some folks get, well, what will they think? Who cares? If they love you, which they do, if they love you, they're just glad you're not going to hell. Amen. I'd rather be embarrassed on this side of the grave than us get to heaven one day and say, where's old so-and-so at? They didn't make it. Today's the day of salvation. Do business with God. If you're here today and you're 100% sure you're saved, but you're struggling with sin, listen, then ask God to be more real in your life, to empower. The more you submit to the Holy Spirit of God, the more that He will live through you. But if you don't have any desire to live for God, well, I'm saved, I know, because I said the little prayer when I was 8 years old, 10 years old, 20 years old, whatever it is. You get on the altar and get it right this morning. You're never going to have victory until you have that settled. Never going to have it until you have that settled. Stand with me this morning. Stand with me. Let's bow our heads. Our pianist is coming. No one's looking around. Thank you so much for your attention. This morning, nobody's looking around except for me and Brother Jimmy. I want to pray for you if you're here this morning. and you're not sure, I'm talking about 100% sure that you'll go to heaven when you die. I want you to do this. I want you to put your hand up and put it right back down. Preacher, pray for me. Not sure if I'd die today, I'd go to heaven. I want you to do it. Is there one? Don't be embarrassed, don't be ashamed, be honest. Thank you. Is there another? Is there another? You didn't raise your hand, but you don't know for sure. Please come. Please come. If you did raise your hand, please come. Father, thank you for the precious soul that raised their hand. You know their need. Know every need in this place. Know every heart. Do business with these folks, and I pray, God, that you would convict where it's needed, comfort where that's needed. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's keep our heads, bow these and pray. If you raised your hand or you didn't, if you need to know, you come. Many praying for you. I didn't raise my hand, but I don't know for sure. Come. If you've not done business with God, if your life is not matching up to what your testimony is, I'd come do business with God. You may be saved, maybe you're living far from it, but something's not right. Who you say you are should be who you are. You say you're a Christian, there should be a change in your life. I didn't say you're perfect. See, that's what the devil does. He'll remind you. He'll say, oh yeah, listen to what the preacher's saying, but what about so-and-so? He said he's a Christian, and he's a hypocrite. Maybe. But he's not perfect. There's not a one. It's too serious, too important not to have it settled. Come on, you mind God. People are praying, doing business with God, you need to come, you come. Jesus, thank you for what you've done in the service. Thank you for speaking to hearts and thank you for the word of God. Every decision that's been made for you, we thank you for. Thank you for loving us and giving us a second chance and a third chance, but may we see that you're not obligated to give us any chance. So every chance is an opportunity. We thank you for Jesus name. We pray.