Let us return to that chapter we read in Romans, Romans chapter 6. We are going to look at this whole chapter. There's a lot in this chapter. We're not going to delve too deeply in it, but we do want to highlight one or two things. If you're really looking for one verse that would sum up the sermon, you might find that there, verse 14, where we read, For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law. but under grace. And particularly the first part of that verse, for sin shall not have dominion over you. And the title I'd like to give to our meditation this morning is Victory Over Sin. Victory Over Sin. Those of you who know the history of our nation and of the world will know that people delight in victories. It's great when a country is victorious, especially if they have to go to war, and the war may well be described as a just war, and they come back and it's victorious. Whatever the enemy was, it has been defeated, and there is great rejoicing, as indeed there should be. If it's a just war and the country has to go to war, and they win, and their freedoms are secured, indeed it is a great victory, and it's something that should be celebrated, and it's something that we should give thanks to God for. Well friends, what do we find here in this chapter, chapter 6 of Romans? We have the ultimate victory, a victory over our greatest enemy, victory over something that's so strong and so powerful that we cannot handle it in of ourselves. And it took none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to come to this world in order that he might secure this victory over sin. And here in this chapter, Paul is highlighting this victory. And basically what he's saying to the people he's writing to, he is telling them and reminding them of the victory of Christ. And that victory of Christ has ramifications and implications for the ordinary Christian who's seeking to live out his life in whatever part of the world that he lives in. First of all, then we notice this was written for Christians. In fact, we could argue that the whole of the Bible was actually written for Christians. Oh, we know it can be applied and spoken to the unbeliever, that's true, but ultimately It could well be argued that this book is written for the church, it's written for Christians, it's written for believers. Well that's certainly true here of what we find in the book of Romans. Paul was writing to a young church, a strong church in Rome, a church that he had not founded, a church that he had never visited. Instead, he was going to write them a letter, and in that letter he was going to outline the gospel that he proclaims. In other words, it was an introductory lesson from the apostle to this church that he hoped to visit. And in order that he would send his letter, that they might know something about the gospel that the apostle Paul preached everywhere he went. And if you want to know the gospel, what the gospel is, you need to study the book of Romans, because it clearly outlines the gospel of our Lord and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in the previous chapters, he's highlighting the gospel. In chapters 1 and 2, we might say he's revealing the exceeding sinfulness of man, both in the Gentile world and even in the Jewish world. He outlines the fact that ultimately in chapter 3, there's no difference. There's no difference between the Jew or the Gentile. The Jew may have the law, he may have the Scriptures, they may have been chosen by God, but still they're under sin, just like the Gentiles. And the Jew and the Gentile need the gospel. And he outlines the gospel in the previous chapters. And now, having outlined the gospel, which is basically justification by faith, What does that mean? Well, quite simply it means that someone, a sinner, a hell-deserving sinner, who by nature is under the wrath and condemnation of God because of his sin, might be justified. Before, in his natural condition, in his natural state, he's under the wrath and condemnation of God. How can that possibly change? The only way it can change is because Jesus Christ has come and suffered and died in his room and place, and when the unbeliever believes upon the Lord Jesus, truly, savingly, He is justified by faith, and what that means is this person who was once condemned can now stand before God uncondemned. Now this is a remarkable change, and this has been brought about because of what Jesus Christ has done. God has not gone soft in sin, He has punished sin in His Son. He is our substitute. And when we believe upon the Lord Jesus, as He is freely offered to you in the gospel today, no matter where you've come from, no matter your background, no matter your sins, The gospel is clear that if we will come to the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be cleansed, every one of us. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is still efficacious. It still has the power to cleanse our sins and to make us right in the sight of God. This is what he's telling the people. This is the gospel he's proclaiming to them, a full and free, unfettered gospel. That's what the apostle Paul was noted for. Now, as this letter would have been read in a congregation like this before the Roman Christians, Paul is anticipating that there might be some objections to the gospel that he proclaims, the gospel that he has outlined in the previous chapters. What are these objections? Well, There are at least two in this chapter, and there's another one in chapter 7. So he's beginning to answer at least three objections that his readers and hearers might well be thinking after they have read what he has written. So what are these objections? Well, if this gospel is so free, Some would say, if God's grace abounds when we sin, let us continue sinning so that we might experience more of God's grace. This is basically what he says in verse 1 there. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? What does he say? God forbid! Of course not! we're not to be like that." And he goes on and he answers that objection. Another objection would be found, if we are no longer under the law, then we are free to live as we please. We find that in verse 15. Following on from our text, if you like, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace." Oh, that's great. I'm not under the law, then I can live any way I like. I'm under grace. He answers that. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid, he says. No, this is not to be the way that you are to live. This is not what follows from someone who's truly been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. No, no. And the other objection that he answers, we're not going to look at it today, maybe on another occasion, you'll find it in chapter 7. What's that other objection? Well, the other objection is that some would say because of his preaching you have made God's law sinful. Nonsense, of course. The law of God reveals our sin. The law itself is not sinful, instead it reveals our sin. And therefore some of these people who are raising these objections, these objections that he anticipates would lead us to believe that they neither understood the law or indeed the grace of God, the saving grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. So, he is telling us, particularly in this chapter here, that we are to live a life of victory. In chapter 7, we are to live a life of liberty. And in chapter 8, that wonderful chapter, we are to live a life of security. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We want to look then briefly at this chapter here, chapter 6. And he's instructing them and encouraging them to live a life of victory, victory over sin, because that is what Jesus Christ has secured for his people. And how are you to then achieve this victory over sin and to live a victorious life? Well, there are three things that we want to highlight from this chapter that Paul encourages the people to know and to practice. What are these three things? First of all, then, the first thing, they are to know. They are to know. Christianity, friends, will inform us. It will inform our minds. It does not keep us in ignorance. We are to know certain things. He's talking about the doctrine of justification by faith. He is defending it, and he is explaining it, and he wants them to know the implications of this glorious, wonderful, life-transforming doctrine, and they are to know it. In verses 3, verses 6, and verses 9, and also in verse 16, we have know or knowing. Verse 3, know ye not. Verse 6, knowing this. Verse 9, knowing that Christ being raised from the dead. Verse 16, know ye not. He doesn't want them to be in ignorance. He wants to inform them. And what does he want to inform them? He principally wants to inform them that the Christian, when he comes to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus, is joined with Christ. He is identified with Christ. What happened to the Lord Jesus? He went to the cross. He was crucified. The believer was crucified with Christ. Christ died on the cross. The believer died with the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ was put into the tomb and rose again. So the believer rose to new life in Christ. You are to be identified with Christ. That's what he's saying to them. This glorious doctrine, justification by faith, you are to realize the implications of it. You are to know this. that you are identified with Christ and where Christ is and what He experienced, you have experienced. We could think of the first Adam, our first parent, our first father. What happened? He was created perfectly. He was innocent. He was pure. He was holy. He was righteous. But when he sinned, we sinned in him, and we were condemned in him. But now in Christ, we are united to Christ. We're no longer in Adam. We're no longer under condemnation. We're no longer on the broad road that leads to destruction. The Christian has a glorious hope because Jesus Christ is the firstfruits from the dead. He is alive and alive forevermore. And Christian, this is what you are to know. You might not feel it. We're not talking about your feelings. You might not think it, but you have to think biblically. You have to look at your life differently. You have to realize this is what God is saying that has happened to you. You are joined with Christ and you are identified with his life. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ. What about him? He died for sin. He died for the sins of his people, and he also died unto sin. There's a slight difference, friends, if we can grasp this. Sins, if you like, are the fruit of sin. Sins, if you like, are individual sins, fornication, adultery, drunkenness, lying, swearing, blasphemy, pride, covetousness. These are the things that come from sin. Sin is the root, and sins are the fruit. Now Jesus died for our sins, but he also died unto sin. He took away the power that sin has over the life of the Christian. That's the difference. He not only died for your sins, but he broke the power of sin. That power that holds all unbelievers today, that dreadful powerful power that it has upon every individual. Well, Christian, for you it's different. That power is broken. Jesus died for your sins, but he went to the root, and he died unto sin itself. And because of that, you are dead to sin. You're not to live in sin. Sin is not to be your experience. No, you have new life. And that power that once entangled you, that once fettered you, is broken. You have newness of life. And it goes on, the believer should not serve sin. The natural man serves sin. Oh, he thinks he's free. You often hear it when you try to speak about the Bible or Christ or spiritual things. It's my life. I can do what I like. And to some extent, that's true. But they are servants to sin. We have an illustration of that surely in the parable of the prodigal son. The prodigal son, where was he? He was home with his father and his other brother. His father loved him. Oh yes, his father loved him, but the prodigal son, he didn't love his father. He wanted away from his father. He felt that his father was fencing him in. His father was restricting him. He couldn't do what he wanted in his father's house. He wanted to be free. Give me my inheritance. Basically what he was saying is, I wish you were dead. That's what he was saying. His father gave him his inheritance, and not long after he went off into a far country. And did he not have a great time? He did have a great time. He served his lusts. He was drinking, he was eating, he was romancing, he was womanizing, he was having parties, and he was having wonderful friends. Oh, they were all around him, all around him. He was buying the rounds for them. He was providing their parties, their entertainment. But what happened? His money ran out. Where were all his girlfriends? Where were all his party fanatics? They left him. He came to his senses and he realized that he was far better off at home with his father who loved him. And that's the way it is for the natural man. He thinks he's free, but he's not free. He just serves his lusts. And whatever you serve, that's your master. Well it's not for the Christian. You have a new master. You have a glorious master. You have the Lord Jesus Christ. He is your Lord. He is your Savior. And because of that, He has broken the power of sin, and you are to serve Him and Him alone. And you are to honor Him with your body, with your hands, with your feet, with your mouth, with your eyes, everything. Again, another biblical illustration will help us. We all know Lazarus, do we not? We know that glorious story, Lazarus, come out. Jesus said to Lazarus, who was in the grave four days, he was stinking, he was rotting. Jesus says unto him, come out. What happens? He comes out. He's got his grave clothes on. He's tied. He's fettered. Loose him. That's what happened. He was loosed. He was set free. And what do you find in the next chapter? In chapter 12, you find Lazarus sitting, eating with Jesus. Dead. out of the grave, fettered, loose him. Then he had fellowship with the Lord Jesus. That's a perfect illustration of the life of the Christian. Once we were dead in trespasses and sins, we heard the call of the Lord Jesus Christ, come out. He loosed us from our fetters, and now we have fellowship with him. You are to therefore honor Him. Honor Him. You are to be very careful what you do with your eyes. You're not to look at pornography. You're not to look at books that are not savory. You're not to look at TV programs that are debasing. You are to make sure your eyes are to be used profitably. Same with your hands. Same with your feet. Same with your whole body. Why? Because it is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and you are to have victory over sin. We could think of David, a man after God's own heart, but during his time of backsliding He didn't use his members. This is what the Bible calls the parts of our body, our members. He didn't use his members profitably, did he? He looked at a beautiful woman and lusted his eyes were not put to a good use. He wrote a letter that brought about the death of an innocent man. and we could go through maybe all of his members and we could realize that he used them in a sinful manner. That's not to be the way of the Christian friends. You're to know that you have liberty and you are to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and you are not to serve sin because sin has been crucified. You are to know these things then. As someone said, we're not free to sin, but we're freed from sin. Oh, there's a big difference. There's a world of difference. And there are many people today who might profess to be Christians, and they will say, we're free to sin. No, you're free to do anything but sin. because Jesus Christ has saved you and he has given you that power, a power that you never had before because the power of sin has been broken by his life and death and resurrection. And these are the things that Paul wants them to know and these are the things that God wants us to know as we battle the same battle as these Roman Christians We're maybe in a different world in some sense, but we face the same temptations and the same problems and the same persecutions, and we're going to fight the same fight by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, what's the second thing we want to highlight? The second thing we want to highlight is that Paul tells them to reckon something. Verse 11, for instance, this is how we're to, he's outlined what he wants them to do, but now how are they going to do it? He tells them what they should do, how are they going to do it? And he says here in verse 11, Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is how it works out in our everyday life and experience. This is how it works out on Monday morning and Tuesday morning and Wednesday and Thursday morning as you go through your daily life, this is how you're to work these things out. You are to reckon this. You are to understand this, that this has actually been applied to your life. You are not to trust your feelings. You're not to trust your thinking. You are to trust what God has said in His Word. This is for you, Christian. This is for every single Christian. Paul is a mighty Christian, an experienced Christian, but it's also for the weakest Christian. It's also for the poor, faltering Christian. This is the way you're to reckon this. You are to reckon that Christ's righteousness has been imputed unto you. God looks upon the believer in Christ, and you're to reckon that these things have been given to you by free grace. Sometimes we might look at this word reckon when it says here like likewise reckon we might think it means well this is the way we are to think or I guess or or I suppose no no it means this is a reality this is what God has done And he's done for every single Christian. And therefore, we are to act upon what God has said, not upon what we think. You know, the Christian is a work in progress. And very often we have to battle with our own minds and our own thinking and our own feelings. We must rise above these things, and we must put our faith and hope and trust, and we must act upon what God has given to us in His Word. And that's the way it is. This is not just hypothetical things we're talking about. This is everyday life. You're to be dead to sin. You're to hate it. You're to run from it. You are to avoid it, because it shall not have dominion over you. That's what he's saying. For sin shall not have dominion over you. Even the weakest Christian, even the youngest Christian, even the most advanced Christian, even a great spiritual warrior. Sin shall not have dominion over you because of Jesus Christ. Well Paul's first instruction was that people should know this and surely that would say it's centered upon the mind. To know is connected with the mind. Paul wants them to know this in their minds. But the second instruction, like Reckon here, focuses on the heart. We are to absorb these things, and they are to be a reality to the Christian. It's to be in our hearts, and it's to motivate and to direct our lives. And the third thing he notices here for our edification is that we are to yield. We are to yield, and this surely then touches our wills. We have the mind, the heart, and the will all being affected by the teaching that Paul brings here concerning the fact that we have victory over sin. And we are therefore to yield to a different master. The word yield is found five times in the last section. of this chapter in verses 13 and 16 and 19. And what is it principally teaching us? It's teaching us that we are to yield to the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone's different, of course, and your experience is not my experience, and I must not make your experience my experience, and I must not feel deficient if my experience doesn't match your experience and vice versa. Some people can tell about a day and an hour when they were converted. Others don't have that experience. That does not make them in any sense less of a Christian. The apostle Paul had a wonderful conversion. Lydia, as we have said on many occasions, her heart was simply opened. God did a wonderful work, and when did it happen? We don't know. Lydia herself didn't know. But the evidence became clear when she acted upon the things that the apostle Paul spoke of. And therefore, it was clear that she was a Christian by the fact that she was obedient. She yielded to the apostles' teaching. which of course was the teachings of Christ. And that's what's required of the Christian. There may be a point in your experience when you can go to a date in your life when you came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in some sense you yielded to him then, You recognized that He was your Savior. You recognized you were lost. You recognized you were perishing, and somehow the Savior was revealed to you, and you yielded to Him then. But it's an ongoing experience. We've got to yield to the Savior day by day, because our old nature is still there. It talks in this chapter here about being destroyed, but It's not annihilated. It's maybe made inactive to a certain extent, but the old nature is there. And therefore, we have to continually yield to the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's a very interesting quote from someone. The Lord may ask some of us to die for Him. How would that be? How would you feel? I can only speak for myself. This would terrify me. The Lord may ask some of us to die for Him, but He asks all of us to live for Him. No exceptions. He will have some martyrs. He will have some who will have to lay down their lives for Christ. And if that falls into our lap, friends, we hope that we'll have grace to be able to do it. And God will give grace. But the likelihood is that most of us, probably all of us, will never have to lay down our lives as martyrs for the cause of Christ. But Jesus, he asked all of us to live for him. That's what it means to yield yourself to Christ. It's to follow Him wholeheartedly. This is the practical outworking of this glorious doctrine, justification by faith. How are we to yield? We yield upon the fact of what Christ has done. This is how we are to yield. He gave up himself. We are to give up ourselves. We are not to indulge in sin. We are to have Christ the Lord as our example. And we are to yield because of God's favor. What a privilege to be a Christian. What a privilege to have all your sins forgiven. What a privilege to have your eternity secured. Oh, if you were called home today, Christian, plenty would mourn, but you wouldn't. because you have an eternal security. To be with Christ, which is far better, seems strange for us to say these things, but that's the reality. and it is a glorious thing to be a Christian. Oh, the world may hate you, but oh, if the love of God is upon you, friends, surely that's a wonderful blessing, surely that's a favor above all things. What can compensate for the love of God to be upon you, for God to set His love upon you in eternity? If he set his love upon you in eternity, it will be unto all eternity, because God is eternal. And Christian, this is what we have. If we're in Christ, then God has loved us before the foundation of the world. Will we not yield our lives to him then? Will we not, say, be done with sin? And we're to yield to him because of freedom. Freedom. Everybody wants freedom. There's no one as free as the Christian. No one free from sin, free from his guilt, free from his power, and we're heading to that place where we are free from its presence. Hallelujah! What a glorious victory then we have over sin. Let us live out that victory Let us grow up, but maybe I'm speaking to someone who knows nothing of this, and sin has overtaken him or her. Their lives are ruined because of sin. The answer is Jesus Christ, behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. Come to the Lord Jesus. Come! Your sins will be forgiven, and that power that sin has over you shall be broken. New life. That's what we have in Christ. Come, therefore. And know this victory over sin. Amen. And may God bless His Word.