The sermon by Jason Dohm, titled 'Not Being Under Law but Being Under Grace,' is based on Romans 6:14-23 and explores the concept of believers living under grace rather than law. Paul asserts that sin does not have dominion over those who are under grace, and this grace does not provide a license to sin. Instead, it leads believers to live holy lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. The sermon emphasizes that true believers are in union with Christ and not under the law, which has been settled by Jesus. Paul confronts misconceptions that grace allows for sinfulness and stresses that obedience to God leads to righteousness, not sin. Believers are urged to exhibit heart obedience, responding to the gospel with repentance and faith. The transformation from being slaves to sin to slaves of righteousness is highlighted, with a call for believers to pursue godliness with the same fervor they once pursued sin. The sermon concludes by contrasting the disastrous consequences of living a life under sin with the eternal life promised through grace in Christ Jesus.

All right, Romans chapter 6, the sermon text will be 15 through the end of the chapter, verse 23, but for context we'll be backing up into the conclusion of verse 14. Romans chapter 6, starting at verse 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace certainly not do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness.

But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, Yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness for when you were slaves of sin you were free in regard to righteousness What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

But now, having been set free from sin and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let's pray Oh Good and gracious God we do thank you and praise you for another day another Sunday father to come and to hear this glorious word preached to hear these wonderful truths that we are not under law but under grace and it doesn't mean that we can just sin without license since we are under grace, but oh God, that because we are a slave to you that we can live holy lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lives that are every day being more and more conformed to the image of your Son Christ. Oh God help us today.

Give us hearts that are ready to hear your word. Give us hearts that are ready to repent where there needs to be repentance. Give us hearts that desire to see your glory more and more today, more than when we first came in. Oh God, help us today. Remove distractions, give Jason wisdom as he preaches, may he speak words from on high.

God, we thank you that your word does not return void and those that don't know you today. Oh God with this glorious words Would they run to you? Would they see their state of being under law and under a penalty of sin of? Eternal death. Oh God, and would they turn to you the one true living God?

Would they know you today? Would they repent and believe on you, the one true living God? Would you turn their hearts today? Change them, Father. Thank you, Lord God, for this time.

Bless the rest of the service in your sons and we pray, amen. The title of the sermon this morning is not being under law, but being under grace. Human beings can only be in one of two states. Under law in Adam or under grace in Christ. There are no other states.

You are in one of those conditions or the other. True believers in Jesus, people who only trust in Jesus to save them, have come into union with Christ. They have been made one with the Lord Jesus Christ. They are in Christ. So they are not under law.

Matters between themselves and the law have been settled because of their head, Jesus Christ. They are under grace. Paul has been teaching that. In fact, look at verse 14. This was the last verse from last last week's text.

Verse 14, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Paul is writing to believers, not unbelievers, believers in Rome, you're not under law, you're under grace. Now, what conclusions can be drawn from the fact that believers are not under law but are under grace? Well, there's a false one. Well, there's a false one.

So just as Paul did in this chapter verses 1 through 14, so he's going to do here. Look back at verse 1. He's just doing exactly the same thing for a second time in the chapter. The first time in the chapter He did it began in verse 1. What shall we say then?

Shall we continue in sin? That grace may abound. In the verse before that he had just said where sin abounds, grace super abounds. Sin is no match for the grace of God. But he knows there's a kind of knucklehead that will conclude from that, well if sin abounds, grace super abounds, then I know how to make grace super abound by continuing in sin.

Paul is saying, I'm not saying that. I don't believe that. I don't teach that. Paul knows that there's another kind of knucklehead that will accuse Paul of believing that and teaching that. If he doesn't make it clear.

So he wages war against both kinds of knuckleheads. The kind of knucklehead that will use what Paul has been teaching as an excuse for sin. They just want to continue in sin and they'll say what he's teaching is very consistent with my desire to continue in sin. Paul said you're a knucklehead. I don't believe that.

I don't teach that. And that there's another kind of knucklehead that will say, see where this leads? See where all this salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone leads? It leads to nothing but sin and more sin. Paul says, I don't believe any of that, I don't teach any of that.

He's doing the same thing here. He just made a statement about law and grace. And there's a false conclusion that can be drawn. And he again wants to wage war against both kinds of knuckleheads. And it's the same two groups.

Let's pray as we go to the text. Ask God to help us. God, I thank you for the clarity with which Paul teaches and how precisely he draws the lines so that he's careful to be understood and he's careful and he's careful not to be misunderstood. His teaching can't be used as a weapon against truly walking with the Lord and as a weapon for continuing in sin. I pray that these lines would be drawn with such precision in our hearts.

We would know exactly what these great doctrines mean and exactly what these great doctrines don't mean, please teach us in Jesus' name. Amen. We're subdividing into four parts this morning. The first part is verses 15 and 16. So please follow along as I reread Romans chapter 6 verses 15 through 16.

Paul writes, what then? Shall we sin because we are no longer, because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not. Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one slave whom you obey? Whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness.

Here in these two verses, Paul again confronts a false conclusion. If you're taking notes on the handout by filling in blanks, false fills in the blank. Paul again, like in the beginning of the chapter, confronts a false conclusion. Verse 15, we have the question and then the answer that Paul is continually using, certainly not, The most literal translation of that would be, may it never be. But anyway, Paul is recoiling from your thinking that in any way, shape, or form, what he's teaching equals that we can continue in sin because we are not under law anymore but the believer is under grace.

That whole thought just makes Paul recoil from it. He wants to make sure you know that he's not giving you any sort of comfort in your sin. And he doesn't believe that and he's not teaching that. That is not a correct implication from the things that he's been teaching. So Paul forcefully teaches that not being under law but instead being under grace is in no way a basis for sin no longer mattering.

You're not under law, you are under grace, but I'm not saying that that means that sin no longer matters. The question is, no longer matters for what? No longer matters for salvation? Then yes, Paul stands by his teaching that law keeping plays no part in the salvation of a sinner. Because If law keeping played a part in the salvation of a sinner, then no sinners would be saved.

So, Paul is teaching salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. He's not backing away from that. But now Paul is teaching that this does not mean that we are free to conclude that sin no longer matters at all. Just because it doesn't matter for salvation is not the same thing as saying it no longer matters at all in any category. Jesus died to save me from slavery to sin.

God, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, God hates sin as much now as before the cross. The cross did not wipe out God's hatred against sin. Do you buy that? Sure, surely you buy that. That the cross is not a sign that God has gone soft on sin.

As you look at the cross and look at God pouring out his fury against sin, surely you don't conclude for that that this now means that God doesn't care about sin anymore. It cannot mean that. It does not mean that. Verse 16, Paul begins to explain his answer. He begins by working backwards.

It's an interesting form of logic where you start at the end point and then work up to the source. Instead of starting at the beginning and working to the end. You start at the end and work backwards from there. That's what he's doing. Who is your master?

Whoever you're obeying. So you just start at the end. Who are you obeying? That will tell you who your master is. You're a slave of whoever you're offering your obedience to.

I don't need a signed affidavit from you. What's a signed affidavit? It's a legal and approved and authorized legal declaration that I make and sign my name to it. I promise this is true. Then it gets the stamp of the notary and you have a signed affidavit that can be even presented to a court.

I certify that this is true. I don't need a signed affidavit from you, an approved legal document from you. I just need to be able to observe your life for a while. To understand if you follow Jesus. Or if you're still a slave.

I just need access man. To your public life, Yes, I'll start there, but I need access to your private life. I need access to the contents of your thoughts. I need access to your motives. But you give me access to those things and time and opportunity to observe your life.

I don't need your legal declaration. I'll know who your master is whoever you're obeying Are you offering your obedience to sin? Sin have the controlling Dominating influence over you if so you can believe it will lead to death. That's the track that leads to death. Are you offering your obedience to Jesus?

If so, you can believe that it will lead to righteousness. It will lead to righteousness. If Jesus is your master, it will lead to righteousness. As sure as sin leads to death, Jesus as your master leads to righteousness. Now it should be pointed out that Paul does not stick rigidly to his analogy.

Why do I say that? Because if he was sticking rigidly to his analogy, he would say, obeying sin leads to death, and obeying Jesus leads to what's the opposite of death? Life okay, is that what he says. It's not what he says The opposite of death is life not righteousness. He says obeying sin leads to death, obeying Jesus leads to righteousness.

So he's broken from his own analogy. He is not sticking rigidly to his own analogy. Why does he do that? Well the text doesn't say, but I'm here to speculate. I speculate that Paul doesn't stick rigidly to his analogy because Paul will not say that obedience to Jesus leads to life.

He's been teaching chapter after chapter after chapter that what leads to life is trusting in Jesus. The obeying Jesus ship has already sailed. It is true that perfect obedience from the first breath of your life to the last breath of your life would have led to life, but that ship sailed when? Some of you have small children. You know how long ago that ship sailed.

You know. Faith leads to life. Verses 17-19. Let's move into the next section. Romans 6, 17-19.

Follow along as I reread it. But God be thanked, that though you were slaves of sin, Yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness and of lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness." In these verses, Paul speaks of what the believer was, what the believer is, what the believer should do.

So if you're filling in blanks, there are three. Was, is, and do. Fill in the blank. What the believer was in time past, what the believer is now, what the believer should do with this new reality. This reality that begins when you are joined to Christ.

His work becomes yours. Paul renders thanks to God that for the believers in Rome and for all believers, their slavery to sin is past tense. Their slavery to sin is in the past. You were slaves of sin. Something happened to them.

Something happened to believers. What was it? They obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which they were delivered. The Christian faith is more than facts to be believed. It is a body of truth to be obeyed from the heart.

I just want you to nod. Yes, yes, I understand. The Christian faith is more than just facts to be believed. Are there facts to be believed? Yes, there are facts to be believed, but it's more than that.

It is a body of doctrine, a full body of truth to be obeyed from the heart. In our summary of the Gospel, which is borrowed from 9 Marks, there are just these four words. God, man, Christ, response. God. What's the summary of what the Bible says God is?

What He's like? What's the summary of what the Bible says God is? What He's like? What's the summary of what the Bible says man is? What he's like?

Then all of a sudden when you have the Bible's view of God and the Bible's view of man, the problem should be blindingly obvious to the person you're sharing the gospel with. And that brings you to Christ. What does the Bible say about Jesus? Who He is and what did he do for sinners. It's not right to stop there.

God, this is who God is. Man, this is who man is. Can't you see the problem? Jesus is the solution to the problem. Thank you for listening.

Have a nice day. That is a wonderful presentation of things that are true, but an incomplete presentation of the gospel. The presentation of the gospel is not complete until you tell them, this demands a response. It's not just, thank you for listening, have a nice day. It is, God commands us to repent.

If this is true of God, and this is true of man, meaning true of you, and if Jesus has done this for sinners You must repent or be lost. You have to obey this body of truth or be lost. Christianity is a defined faith, meaning it isn't what we think it is. It is what the Bible says it is. The Bible draws the lines.

Christianity is this. We're not at liberty to invent it or reinvent it in every generation. We're not creators. We're just communicators of the defined faith represented in Scripture. This body of truth, this form of doctrine.

Christianity is a defined faith that demands heart obedience. Heart obedience, not this erecting an external religious framework that makes us acceptable to everyone, and yet there's no heart in it. Heart obedience. Christianity is a defined faith that demands heart obedience. Paul himself probably put it the most simply in Acts 17, verse 30, when he said, God commands all men everywhere to repent.

Not God, man, Christ. Thank you for listening. Have a nice day. God commands all men everywhere to repent. Not God, man, Christ.

Thank you for listening. Have a nice day. God commands all men everywhere to repent. You must repent. Repent right now and believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

God commands all men everywhere to repent is just a summary statement of course there's lots of things that need to be explained and understood in conjunction with that. But wow, is it a great summary statement to remind us that we should call for a response to this form of doctrine, this body of truth that is our faith. It is that heart obedience to the fixed body of truth that is Christianity that sets you free from sin. Heart obedience to the fixed body of truth sets you free from sin. How does it do that?

It connects you to Christ. It is what it means to believe, to repent and believe. And it makes you a slave of righteousness. This is all in verse 18. What happens when I stop being a slave of sin because Jesus sets me free.

You become a slave of righteousness. Wait, I traded one kind of slavery for another kind of slavery? Exactly, that's what Paul is teaching. Saving faith equals a new master. It must equal that.

It always equals that. When it doesn't equal that, it is not saving faith. When you believe savingly on Jesus Christ, you are set free from slavery to sin. Sin no longer has a ruling and controlling dominance over you. And you become a slave of righteousness.

To quote a great theologian, Gary Orr from Men's Bible Study, the point of, he's not even here to enjoy that, maybe he'll listen to the audio, the point of salvation is never autonomy. Are you with me? Are you with Gary? The point of salvation is never autonomy. God doesn't save you so you can be the master.

He saves so that He will be the master, that His goodness and the things that He loves will have the ruling and controlling dominance over you. Sin no longer having the ruling and controlling dominance over you, but the things that he loves, that his goodness will have the ruling and controlling dominance over you. I turn to Titus 2. I found some good commentary of Paul on Paul in Titus 2. Meaning, I think Paul expands on what he's saying here in Titus 2 in a really helpful way.

Titus 2, it's the end of Titus chapter 2. Titus is right before Hebrews practically. It's a one page letter in between, but for all intents and purposes Titus is right before Hebrews. Titus 2, follow along as I read verses 11 through 14. Paul writes, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people Zealous for good works.

Look at verse 14 again. I just read it, but look at it. Let me reread verse 14. Jesus gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed. Not so that I could be the master, but so that we would be bought out of all our lawlessness and purify for Himself His own special people zealous for good works.

Jesus died to set me free from sin, to purify me from every lawless deed. He bought me that he might be master. Then in verse 19, so we're back in our text, then in verse 19, Paul says this, I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, So now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. These Roman believers understand the practice of slavery well.

Slavery was everywhere in Roman society, permeated Roman society. So they understood all about slavery. They didn't understand these spiritual truths very well at all. So Paul accommodates these spiritual truths to a framework that they understand. They're very familiar with the framework of slavery.

So Paul uses it to teach about these spiritual truths that they're not so familiar with. I think Paul takes the trouble to point this out because the slavery analogy is very useful, but it also breaks down really fast. He doesn't want you to take the slavery analogy to the end as if it is the sum total of all that is to be taught here. It's nowhere near the sum total of all that needs to be taught here. Let me just ask this.

What is the equivalency of the old slavery to the new slavery? Oh, you're just changing masters. That doesn't sound so great. But isn't it great? It's useful to teach these things about who your master is, the change of masters.

But there is no equivalency, So don't take the analogy to the end. He's just using it because it's a useful framework to teach some things, but don't think it's the sum total of what there is to be known. Yes, we are still servants. We used to be a servant of sin, now we're a servant of God. But believers are also sons and daughters, right?

Not just slaves. Adopted as beloved children into the home. So don't take the analogy further than it's useful for what Paul is teaching, I think, is what he's saying here. Now, I love the appeal that Paul makes here. Remember the gusto with which you served sin?

Enthusiastic service of sin! Now serve righteousness with the same gusto. Muster up the same enthusiasm to serve righteousness, to do those things that God loves that are consistent with good and truth. And truth. Remember the vicious cycle of filth and lawlessness Where committing sin lowered your defenses and made it easier to commit more sin and worse sin, lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, it's a vicious cycle.

When you were small, when you were young, you were relatively innocent, not meaning blameless before God. Just means you hadn't learned the ways of sin. You hadn't become desensitized to sin. You hadn't become well practiced at sin. So sin made you blush.

But as you got better at sin, more practiced at sin, more desensitized to sin, you could do more of it. And not even think about it. You could do worse of it, not even think about it. Vicious cycle. How low will it go?

You don't even know. You're already finding yourself doing things that you never thought you'd do. And you're pretty sure you're not done yet. It's the vicious cycle. It's the vicious cycle.

Paul says, Now give yourself to the virtuous cycle of good and truth that sets you apart to God and for God more and more and more and more just like you grew in sin now you have the capacity to grow in righteousness there was a vicious sin how low will it go none of us even know how low it could possibly go We just know it took us further than we thought we would go. But now there's a virtuous cycle, one that spirals upward of good, of truth, That sets you apart to God and for God to holiness more and more and more Believer remember the death spiral Has it been so long that you trusted in Jesus that you don't remember the death spiral? Paul wants you to know that there is a life spiral. Paul says, give yourself over to it. Like you gave yourself over to the death spiral, lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, worse lawlessness, give yourself over to the life cycle.

The life spiral. Spiraling upward to God, for God. Verses 20 through 22. Just continuing in the text, Romans chapter 6 verses 20-22, Paul writes, For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed?

For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin and having become slaves of God, You have your fruit to holiness and the end everlasting life. Here Paul gives us a grid for evaluating the former life of the believer. If you're taking notes on the handout, filling in blanks, grid fills in the first blank, life fills in the second. A grid through which to view for evaluating the former life of the believer.

Believer, remember your days as an unbeliever. That's what Paul is doing in this section. Paul starts by setting the stage in verse 20. You were a slave of sin. Righteousness had no claim on you.

It doesn't mean that you had no obligation to righteousness. Don't misunderstand this. Everyone has an obligation to righteousness because God requires it. He's saying you were free in regard to righteousness. He's not saying you had no obligation to righteousness.

He's saying your status as a rebel against God settled your state. Your allegiance was your state. Your allegiance was to sin. God was your enemy. You were firmly in the enemy camp.

Now Paul gives the believer three things to measure their former life of unbelief against. Believer, do you want to measure your former life of unbelief? Paul gives you three things to measure it against. Number one, How was the fruit? Would you want to eat that rotten fruit now?

Now that you've tasted good fruit, can you bear to go back to the rotten fruit? You know, if all you have is rotten fruit, after a while you can even convince yourself that that's good, If all you've ever eaten is rotten fruit. But now the believer, having eaten the good fruit, the sweet fruit, could you go back to the rotten fruit again? How was that fruit? What did it do for you?

Oh, it did plenty for you. There was fruit. Number two, how do you view those things now? When you think back on your life of unbelief and your slavery to sin under unbelief, what do you think of that now? Would it be okay if we published the facts about your life as a slave to sin?

New York Times, full length expose. Again, you've got to give me access to your public life, yes. To your private life, yes. To the contents of your thoughts, yes. To your motives, yes.

I've got access, I've got all the information, now I write a full length expose and put it in the New York Times. Is that alright with you? What if we filmed and broadcast a video of it? The things you did in public, the things you did in private, the things you did that everyone saw, the things that you did that no one saw. How would you feel if we broadcast that?

Is it okay if we broadcast that, your life in the sim? Wouldn't you be so ashamed? All the pride, everyone sees it. All the selfishness, Everyone sees it. All the contempt, the times that you smiled at people that you have contempt for, and now your hypocrisy is there on the screen in the full length expose for everyone to see.

All the cravings you served? You'd be so ashamed. Number three, What was the end? Where was this taking you? Where was your unbelief and the life of unbelief, which is slavery to sin, taking you?

Death! That's where it has to lead. That's where it always leads. Death. Eternal destruction.

Death with no end to death. And now having reviewed your old life of unbelief and your years of slavery to sin, Consider your new master and your new life. Having just thought back on those years of slavery to sin, being dominated by sin, to the point where You didn't even have a choice in the matter anymore. You just had to serve it. Now think about your new master, your new life.

You're now free from sin, which is true liberty. True liberty. Now God is your master. Now the fruit is good fruit. It's not rotten at all.

It's sweet. The fruit sets you apart to God and for God and the end is everlasting life. It's the exact opposite of the destruction of the old life of unbelief and slavery descent. Again, this vicious spiral downward that you don't even know how low it can go is met with this wonderful spiral upward because of the life of God in Jesus. The exact opposite of your life in slavery descend.

What kind of a new master could deliver to you such a life? Verse 23, our final verse. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This last verse, the wages of sin, the gift of God. For the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life.

So this is a summary statement, we have this connecting word, for, because of all that I just said here it is in summary form The just desserts So to speak of sin is death meaning if justice delivers to you what you deserve for your sins, you get death. Remember, death is a category. You're born spiritually dead because the head of our race is Adam. So you're born spiritually dead and it leads to physical death but that continues to eternal death, eternal separation from God. Always dying, never dead.

I don't know how to explain that, but it's a terrifying thought. But it's a terrifying thought. The undeserved grace of God is exactly the opposite. So it's what's deserved versus the undeserved grace of God or gift of God. The Greek word is charis, often translated grace.

It is eternal life, everlasting life. With all that's good, with all that's true. Paul says this is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The grace of God that ends in eternal life is only in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ Jesus our Lord is the foundation of it.

If you are in Christ, then you have received the undeserved gift of God, the grace of God. If you are out of Christ, He cannot give this to you. He will not give this to you. You cannot be reconciled to Him. Applications, I'll give you three.

Being under grace is no footing for sin. This is number one. This is the first application. Being under grace is no footing for sin. This is number one.

This is the first application. Being under grace is no footing for sin. It's exactly the opposite. Being under grace is actually a footing for sanctification. Being under grace is actually the basis for progress in the faith.

The basis for growing in what's good and what's true. The only basis for it is being under grace. People who aren't under grace, who are still under the law, can construct an outward religious structure outward religious structure that is very respectable, but that is not righteousness. It only looks like it a little bit to you and me. But God sees past the outward religious structure into the heart and without the grace of God the heart is black as night, defiled, unclean, lawlessness leading to more lawlessness.

Being under grace, having those matters settled because of Jesus Christ, and being given a new heart with new affections is the basis for progress in your life. There will be no progress until that. Once you have that, there will be progress. Why? Because God is a mighty God.

He doesn't leave His people alone. He died to purify for Himself a special people. He's committed to that. He'll do that. He indwells his people with his Holy Spirit and he makes them holy.

Number two. We should pursue God and the things of God with the same gusto with which we pursued unclean things, lawless things. Think of all the things you chased them and with what enthusiasm you chased them. Now apply that to your new life. Apply that same enthusiasm for the service of your new master.

Number three. We should reflect on how terrible the life of slavery to sin was, so that we're not tempted to go back to Egypt. How was the fruit? You want to eat that rotten fruit? How do you view those things now?

Would it be okay if we made a documentary of those things? Showed everyone? Wouldn't you be so ashamed? What was the end of those things? It was a broad road leading to destruction.

We should reflect on how terrible the life of slavery to sin was, so that we're not tempted to go back to Egypt. You remember God liberated the people from Egypt, And then they get out in the wilderness. There are challenges in the wilderness. And they start pining away for the old life. Oh, remember the pots had fish and vegetables in them in Egypt.

It was so great to be a slave of Pharaoh in Egypt. Have you lost your mind? Total loss of perspective about what it was actually like to be a slave of one who says, more bricks, less hay, no rest. Serve with vigor. God brings you out and is providing and you think back romantically about your time of slavery to this terrible master.

Thinking back of what it was really like in our life of slavery descent, just reflecting on that will help us. Keep us away from this foolish notion, oh wasn't it great in Egypt. No it wasn't great in Egypt. It was rotten fruit doing things that you're ashamed of now on a road that leads to destruction. No, it wasn't great in Egypt.

Not for a second. God, I thank you for the things that you're teaching us in the book of Romans. Thank you for the corrections and the clarifications that Paul is systematically bringing to us, so that We do understand Him and we don't misunderstand Him. Pray that you would help us and use these things to give us progress. We might grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ we pray in Jesus name.

Amen.