In his sermon 'Alive to God', Jason Dohm explores Romans 6:8-11, emphasizing the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone, and how it relates to sanctification. Dohm highlights that believers are united with Christ in both His death and resurrection. This union signifies a transformation from being dead in sin to living a life of fellowship with God. He explains that Jesus' sacrifice was a once-for-all event that dealt with sin's power, freeing believers from its dominion. Dohm urges believers to live in the reality of being alive to God, emphasizing that this is based on the promises of God rather than personal experience. He uses the analogy of Old Testament sacrifices to illustrate the transfer of sin and righteousness between believers and Christ. The sermon concludes with an encouragement for believers to live freely in their new identity, assured by Christ's finished work and their union with Him.

The sermon text for this morning is Romans 6 verses 8 through 11, but for context we'll be starting at the beginning of the chapter. Romans 6. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not.

How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, Certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin, for he who has died has been freed from sin. Now, if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.

Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all. But the life that he lives, he lives to God. Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let's pray. Our God we give you praise and thanks for your word For this wonderful truth Lord God just further Further explanation of the realities being united to Christ That those of us there and you can reckon ourselves dead to sin but alive to you Well God what a wonderful reality this is. Would you give us more of a zeal for you today, more of a zeal for holiness, more of a zeal to be More and more conformed into the image of your son. Oh God would you conform us into his image today more give us more glimpse glimpses of his of your glory Those that don't know you in this room today God pull out their hearts of stone, please give them a new heart Those that are just running running from you Lord God, would you stop them in their tracks today? Would you draw them to yourself?

Would they know you today? Give Jason wisdom as he preaches. Help him, Lord God, and help us to have ears to hear. Your son to me pray. Amen.

The title of the sermon this morning is Alive to God. I think that's self-explanatory. Last week Paul began to carefully and more fully explain the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone. What that does mean and what it doesn't mean. So he's been teaching justification by grace alone through faith alone.

Now he's starting to draw the lines so that you Don't draw wrong conclusions from the things that he's been teaching. You know exactly what he is saying and exactly what he isn't saying. This is really helpful. I'm glad he's doing this in the book of Romans. I agree with Lloyd-Jones.

By the way, it's not first name Lloyd, last name Jones. Lloyd Jones is his last name. It's hyphenated. He's Dr. David Martin Lloyd Jones.

So be glad that you don't have a name that long. But when I say Lloyd Jones, it's just his last name. He's David Martin Lloyd-Jones. And he was a medical doctor before God called him to become a preacher. So I agree with David Martin Lloyd-Jones That this is not a shift to teaching about sanctification.

Lots of commentaries say 1-5 is about justification, 6-3 is about sanctification. I don't think we're to the part that is talking about sanctification yet. It all has a bearing on sanctification because justification has a bearing on sanctification and they go together like a hand fits in a glove. But really he's drawing the lines around what he's taught about justification. And So he's really not teaching about sanctification per se, yet he's really helping us to understand the doctrine of justification better than if he hadn't said these things.

So this week we have a continuation of Paul's explanation from last week. So it's just going right down the same track and especially verse 5. So This week is really a continuation of explaining verse 5. Listen to what Lloyd-Jones says. I'm quoting this because I think he's nailed it as to the structure.

Lloyd-Jones says, in these verses we begin to look at the exposition of the second half of verse 5. We have noticed that the Apostles method in this chapter is to make a general statement and then proceed to an explication of it. The key verse in many ways is verse 5 which says, For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. So he's quoting King James there, It's a little different than ours, but essentially the same thing. We have seen that verses 6 and 7 are an exposition of the first half of the statement.

Now in verses 8, 9, and 10, the Apostle takes up the second half of verse 5 which says we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. So Lloyd-Jones is saying what we have in our text is an explanation of this thought that believers are also in the likeness of the resurrection of Jesus. And I think that's exactly right. 8, 9, and 10 is about being in the likeness of His resurrection. And Paul is just filling out the teaching.

Let's ask God to help us. God, we thank you for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank you for the implications of His resurrection for everyone who was joined to Him by faith. That These truths apply to us and must apply to us. They are as certain as it is certain that Jesus rose from the dead.

So convince us God, please. Let your spirit be working freely and mightily among us to convince us that the things that Paul is teaching are true of us if we are joined to your Son by faith. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. Okay, hopefully your Bibles are still open to Romans 6. I'm going to reread verses 8 and 9.

That will be our first subdivision. So please follow along as I reread Romans 6 verses 8 and 9. Paul writes, now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him." In these two verses, Paul speaks of dying and therefore living with Christ. Dying with Christ means something, leads to something, must lead to something, and that is living with Christ.

If you're taking notes on the handout, filling in blanks, living fills in the blank. As I've already said in quoting Lloyd-Jones, this is an explanation of verse 5, which says that those who are in Christ by faith have been united to Christ in the likeness of His death and therefore it must follow that they are united to Christ in the likeness of his resurrection. The two verses leading into our text, verses 6 and 7, explain more about what it means to be united to Christ in the likeness of his death. It means that the old man, the person under the family headship of Adam, was crucified with Christ. Christ died on the cross and that old man that the believer was in Adam, with Adam as family head, died as surely as Jesus died.

It means that the body of sin might be done away with. I didn't say this last week, but I'll say it now. That Greek word under done away with, that the body of sin might be done away with, that Greek word literally means to render inoperative. I would like to insert there, to disempower. Is that fair?

To render inoperative is to disempower. Meaning, sin had all the power. But being united to Christ in the likeness of His death disempowers sin. It takes away the domination and dominion of sin. It means that we should no longer be slaves to sin because the person who has died has been freed from sin.

That's what Paul taught as he continued the explanation of what it means to be united to Christ in the likeness of His death. That brings us to our text. Now, these verses explain more about what it means to be united to Christ in the likeness of His resurrection. Look again at verse 8. Verse 8, now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.

Those who are in Christ by faith, brought into oneness, into union with Christ by faith, shall also live with Him. They were dead spiritually, but now they are spiritually alive, And they were utterly separated from God But now they have a life With the Son of God the the Greek word Translated lives here live with him means to live together with one. So the translations don't actually give you the redundancy, but I want you to see that there's a redundancy here that if you put those together you get to live together with one, with Christ. So there is this repetition here that doesn't appear in the translation. So, believers live together with one and that one is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Don't miss the point. This is a really precious truth that I want to make sure we don't miss. Paul is communicating more than, you were dead, now you're alive. It is that, we should praise God for that, but it is much more than that. It is both death to life and separation to fellowship.

Believers live with Christ. They live together with one and that one is the Lord Jesus Christ. So it is death to life but it goes beyond that to living with Christ. Yes the life comes from Christ but it's also a life with Christ. It is fellowship with Christ.

Separation to fellowship as well as death to life. Here's my question. Can you say this about yourself? Can you lay claim to that and personalize it? So taking it out of the abstract that this is true of a group of people and say, no, no, no, not in the abstract, me.

I was dead spiritually, but now I am spiritually alive. And I was utterly separated from God but now I have a life with the Son of God. A life in the Son of God, He gave me life, but also a life with the Son of God. I live with Jesus. Paul is teaching that this is true of the believer here.

Sometimes our experience of that is really strong. I feel, I am living with Jesus. Sometimes it's weak. He feels at a distance. I think Paul would say, don't trust your feelings.

Trust the Word of God. This is true. Sometimes you feel near, sometimes you feel far. There are different reasons from that. Take God in His Word.

This is not based on experience, this is not based on what you do or don't do, this is based on promises. God promises this is true. Death to life, yes, and separation to fellowship, ongoing fellowship with God. Sometimes you feel it, sometimes you may not feel it. It's true in any event.

In verse 9, Paul gives us more about the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus was raised from the dead to die no more. Jesus conquered death in his resurrection. His resurrection signals the death of death. He kills death in his resurrection.

He conquers death in his resurrection. Let me give you two texts that I think shed light on what Paul is saying here. The first is at the very beginning of Romans. So we're not even leaving the book of Romans. At the very beginning of the letter, Paul said this in Romans chapter 1 verse 4.

He said that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection of the dead. So at the very beginning of the letter, Paul says, the resurrection of Jesus was something wonderful and specific. It was a mighty declaration, a declaration with power, from God the Father saying, this is my son. Jesus was declared to be the son of God with power. It's a mighty declaration that He is the Son of God by the resurrection of the dead.

The resurrection is a sermon, God preaching that that is His Son. Lazarus was raised from the dead. He wasn't declared to be the Son of God in his resurrection. Jesus' resurrection was absolutely unique. Lazarus died, was raised, and he died again.

Jesus' resurrection is not like that. Jesus' resurrection was God the Father's mighty declaration that Jesus' self testimony that he is the son of God is true. What do I mean? He preached all the time, I'm the son of God. Is that true or not?

True. Is Jesus' testimony about himself true or not true? And how can we know? Because God stamped it as authentic by raising Jesus from the dead. There being an empty tomb somewhere outside Jerusalem means God claimed Jesus as his son and certified his self testimony of himself that he was the son of God, that he was God.

And that God the Father fully accepted Jesus' sacrifice in the place of sinners. What do we sing in the hymn? Death in vain forbids him rise. Don't you love that Easter hymn? We sing that line.

Death in vain, meaning if the death had been in vain, then the sacrifice isn't accepted. Death in vain forbids him rise. Jesus, you can only rise if the sacrifice is accepted. Jesus rises, it is a mighty declaration that the sacrifice is accepted. Death in vain forbids Him rise, but He did rise.

So his death was not in vain. God has accepted Jesus' sacrifice in the place of sinners. Lazarus died again. Jesus was raised to die no more, because he conquered death. He won a great victory over it.

Two, so that was the first text that I think throws a lot on it, Romans 4, that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. This second text that I think helps us understand it is Revelation 1 18. Listen to Revelation 1 18. I am he who lives and was dead and behold I am alive forevermore. Amen.

And I have the keys of Hades and of death. I know repetition can get tedious but I'm gonna risk it and read that again. Just listen to it again. This is Jesus speaking at the beginning of his revelation to John. Jesus says, I am he who lives and was dead and behold I am alive forevermore.

Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death. Jesus did rise from the dead but He not only rose from the dead, He now has the keys of death. What does that even mean? It means that For a short while, he subjected himself to the dominion of sin, not his sin, my sin.

And He subjected himself to the dominion of death to fulfill his mission to save sinners but now that that work is done, he's taking the keys back. He gave himself up to his dominion for a short period of time, but now he has dominion again over death. Death did, past tense, have dominion over Jesus because he was bearing my sin and the wages of sin as death. So the only way to redeem me was to submit himself to the dominion of death for this short period of time. But God raised up Jesus, having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be held by it.

I'm quoting scripture now. I'm quoting Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, 24. Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost and this is what he said about Jesus. God raised him up having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be held by it. How could the Lord of life be held by death?

It's not possible. He submitted himself to the dominion of it to save sinners but it wasn't possible that death could hold him. And so God raised him up having loosed the pains of death, having conquered death. When the believer is united to Jesus by faith, Jesus' death becomes that believer's death. And Jesus' resurrection becomes that believer's life.

And it's life with Jesus. He not only purchases you life from death to life, but He gives you life with Him in fellowship with Him. Death is ended and is replaced by life. Separation is ended and is replaced with fellowship. Hallelujah.

It wasn't a full amen, but I got some mm-hmms. That's not bad. We're warming up, I suppose. We're in the first subsection. Alright, moving to verse 10.

Follow along as I reread verse 10. For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all. But the life that he lives, he lives to God. Here Paul speaks of dying to sin, Living to God. So there are two blanks on the handout if you're taking notes that way.

Excuse me. Sin fills the first blank, God fills the second. Dying to sin, living to God. We see Paul's building blocks here. He's building on what was just said and what he is going to say will be built on this.

As we see really often in Romans, you have this amazing chain of truth where he establishes the truth and then he puts another link on it and then he puts another link on that and then he puts another link on that right in the middle of the links right now. It is an amazing chain of truth. He starts with this connecting word for. This explains that. Why did Jesus die?

Because sin required an acceptable sacrifice if anyone is to be reconciled with this perfectly holy God. So if anyone's going to be brought together with this perfectly holy God without being destroyed by His perfect holiness, then an acceptable sacrifice is required to bridge the gap. Jesus is that acceptable sacrifice. And what follows His resurrection? Jesus lives to God.

So Jesus came, Jesus died, Jesus was raised from the dead, what now? This answers the question, what now? He lives to God. There's really not a beyond that. For eternity, he lives to God.

Let's talk about both of these things, both his dying to sin and his living to God. Paul says two things about Jesus' death. One, Jesus died to sin. God made Jesus who was perfectly sinless, who had no relationship at all with sin in his own right. Sin was unknown to him, utterly unknown to him.

God made him to be sin for us. So that as an acceptable substitute, he has to be sinless to be an acceptable substitute. He was sinless and therefore he is an acceptable substitute. As that, my sin would be placed on him and he would pay the penalty of death for it and his righteousness would be placed on me. My sin placed on him and he pays the sin debt, all of it, down to the last penny.

And his righteousness is placed on me. My Bible reading plan has me reading in Leviticus, or had me reading, I moved on to numbers now, but last week I was in Leviticus. And there's all this animal sacrifice, which is just a picture of an acceptable substitute, one without blemish, being offered up in the place with the stain of sin. And it's always happening where there's the placing of hands on this victim, on this sacrifice. And it's just symbolic, it's symbolic of the guilty one transferring all the guilt of the sin to this lamb without spot or this animal that doesn't have a blemish and so it can be an acceptable sacrifice and the placing of the hands is just symbolic that the sin is passing from the guilty to the innocent and then this is what Jesus is.

Jesus is the fulfillment of this. Only the animal sacrifices could only get you so far, but the New Testament, Paul in the New Testament, is teaching us that there's actually a transfer in the opposite direction of the righteousness from Jesus. It's like Jesus placing his hands back. I place my hands on Jesus and it's symbolic that all of my sins, of my thoughts, and my words, and my deeds are flowing to him. All of them flow to him.

And he pays the sin debt. All the penalty is paid and my record is clear. And then He places His hands on me in return, and all of the righteousness from His perfectly righteous life flows to me. My sin flows to Him as I place my hands on Him and then He puts His hands on me and His righteousness flows to me. It's a wonderful, wonderful picture.

So that's the first thing, Jesus died to sin. The second thing that Paul says is Jesus' death was once for all. Because of the infinite value of the sacrifice, Think about all those Old Testament sacrifices. You had to keep bringing animals, keep bringing animals, keep bringing animals, because they have very limited value. One lamb is not going to, one physical sheep Lamb is not going to do it for the sins of the nation This sin for this person You're symbolically transfer, but But Jesus isn't like that.

There's no limits to his values. So it's not just one sin from one person or even all the sins from one person. Because of his infinite value, all of the sins of all of his people in every generation, in all of human history, can be placed upon him. Are all of our hands on Him at once, all of our sins flowing to Him at once, and He's of such value that He can die once to clear all of that sin debt. And because of the infinite value of Jesus the sacrifice, the sacrifice does not need to ever be repeated.

Will never be repeated. Can never be repeated. It is once for all. One time, not two, not anymore, and for all. It clears all the sin debt of all of these people for all time.

Jesus conquered sin, there will be no rematch. It is finished. Jesus conquered death, there will be no rematch. It is finished. Listen to Hebrews.

The author of Hebrews seemed to be very concerned that we got the point of one sacrifice for all time. So I'm going to take you to three places in Hebrews that the author of Hebrews says it. Hebrews 7.27, who does not need daily, day after day after day after day, as those high priests to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the people's. For this he did once for all when he offered himself up. So he's saying the old covenant you have a high priest you have to offer for his own sins, and then the people keep sinning, and they need to keep making offerings.

He's saying Jesus is not like that. His offering is sufficient. He did it once for all when he offered himself up. He offered himself up once and that once did it for all his people for all time. Hebrews 9, 25-28.

Listen to Hebrews 9, 25-28. Not that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters the most holy place every year with blood of another. He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world. But now, once at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.

Finally Hebrews 10, 10-12. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But this man, capital M man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. Jesus, why are you sitting down?

Because I'm done with my work. That's what it means that he sat down at the right hand of God. Jesus, why are you sitting down? Because I'm done with my work. That's what it means that he sat down at the right hand of God.

One sacrifice for sins forever. Once forever. Paul says this about Jesus's post-resurrection life. What now? Jesus lives to God.

Jesus who is God the Son lives to God the Father. What does that mean? How is that any different from eternity passed in the incarnation? He lived to do his Father's will. So is anything different being said?

Let me take a stab at it. That means I'm not sure I got it all, but let me at least offer you what I have. First, Jesus is still and will forever be Jesus Christ. He is Christ, He is Messiah. You can use those words interchangeably.

They are synonyms. He is Jesus Christ. He is Jesus the Messiah. You are saying exactly the same thing when you say that. What does that mean?

It means He is the anointed. He has been anointed or consecrated or set apart to a mission. What's the mission? Saving sinners. Jesus has been set aside, he's been set apart to the mission of saving sinners.

And that mission is not done, and in a sense that mission will never be done. He is always, always advancing the cause of His people. He is still saving sinners today, and the sinners who he saved, he's advancing their cause through eternity. He will never cease to be Jesus Christ, Jesus the Savior of his people. He will always be that.

He will always be actively that. It's not an honorary title that really doesn't mean anything going forward. He is at the right hand of his Father, pleading the cause of his people, advancing the cause of his people, and forever will be. People and forever will be. So that's first.

Jesus is still and will forever be Jesus Christ. Just understand what that means. Second, think about Philippians 2 8 through 12. You can turn there if you want or you can just listen. I'll be reading Philippians 2, 8-12.

Paul writes, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. So Paul was already taking us here in our text. He submitted himself to the dominion of death. Continuing, Philippians 2, 9. Therefore, because of that, God has also highly Exalted him and given him the name which is above every name That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth and That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.

God the Father receives the glory for sending God the Son and for exalting God the Son. God the Father is glorified in the exaltation of the Son. So yes, we love Jesus. We love Jesus because of who He is. We love Jesus because of what He's done for us.

That glorifies God. It isn't the termination point. It extends to Him and then beyond Him to include the glory of God the Father who sent Him and has exalted Him. Jesus in his post resurrection life lives to God. Verse 12, excuse me, 11.

Verse 11. Back in Romans 6 our final verse verse 11 Paul writes, likewise you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Paul here speaks, exhorts believers to consciously live in the new reality. So our reality fills in the blank if you're taking notes that way. Consciously living in the new reality. Likewise, so he's been talking about the death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus.

And now he establishes that both Jesus' death and Jesus' resurrection should transform us. It should have a transformational impact on the life of the believer. This is not just classroom material to be absorbed and memorized. It's supposed to transform your life. It's intended to transform your life.

Paul says this to believers. Believer, Jesus is dead to sin. He has conquered it once for all, it is finished. Know that you know that you know that you are dead to sin. Because He is dead to sin.

Reckon. Know that you know that you know. Solidify yourself in the confident understanding, the unwavering belief that You're dead to sin. If He's dead to sin, then you are. Believer, Jesus lives to God forevermore.

His Father's will is precious to Him, and His Father's glory is His preoccupation. Know that you know that you know that you too are alive to God. If Jesus lives to God, if it's true that he was raised from the dead, if it's true that in his resurrection life he lives to God for eternity, Then it must be so if you are joined to Him by faith that you too are alive to God. You were dead to God, dead in your trespasses and sins. But now You are alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In Christ because of union with Christ. If you really are in union with Christ and if He really has risen from the dead, you're alive to God. It must be true. If you deny one, you have to deny the other. If you say, I'm not alive to God, well if you're in union to Christ, you're saying, Jesus didn't rise from the dead.

No one would say that we wouldn't say that Paul is saying take your confidence in one and apply it to yourself If the tomb is really empty and you're reunited to Him, you must be alive to God. It has to follow. But so often I don't feel that way. Let's let Dr. David Martin Lloyd-Jones help us.

Here's what Lloyd-Jones says. This is something which we have to believe solely because the Word of God teaches it. You do not, quote unquote, experience your position. I'm going to put an asterisk there. Remind me to come back to it if I need it.

He says, you do not experience your position. You are told about it and you believe it. That is what justification by faith alone means. Should someone come to me and say, but how can I say that I am indeed dead unto sin, when I am conscious of sin within me and I feel that I am a terrible sinner? My answer is, you have got to believe it in spite of those feelings.

Exactly as Abraham had to believe God's word that Sarah was going to bear a son though he knew that as he had reached the age of 95 and Sarah 90 the thing was a sheer impossibility on the natural level. So, Lloyd-Jones is actually pulling from what Paul's already been teaching in the preceding chapters. Remember he took us to Abraham and he said, Abraham didn't stagger at the promises of God and what promises they were. Abraham, you're 95, your body's dead as it relates to childbearing. You've got a 90-year-old wife, her body's dead, as it relates to childbearing.

When I come back next year, you're going to have a child. What did Abraham do that? He didn't stagger at the promise. He wasn't overwhelmed by that promise. Why?

Because of any confidence in his ability or his wife's ability to conceive? No, that had nothing to do with it. God said it and God can't lie and so Abraham said it must be true. Lloyd-Jones is saying we have to do that here. We are aware of remaining corruptions, of the continuing presence of sin, but God by promise is saying through union with Christ, Christ's death becomes your death, Christ's resurrection becomes your life, it is by promise.

By promise. God knows you don't feel sinless, but God has promised He's dealt with all that sin. And so he's given you a status not based on your performance, but on Jesus's performance, which is not in question. I know my performance is in question, But my status as one who is throwing myself on the mercy of Christ, my status is not in my performance. It's in Christ's performance which is not in question.

So Lloyd-Jones here, I'm coming back to the asterisk, Lloyd-Jones says you do not experience your position. If you read all that I've read of Lloyd-Jones, you would know that that is carefully explained. Not to mean that there's nothing you can experience from this position, but he's just arguing experience isn't the basis for the position. The position is true because of everything outside your experience. And that as we embrace the position, we then begin to experience our status.

It's the other way around. Not, I feel it so it must be true, but it's true and therefore then I will begin to feel it. You understand the difference in that. I mean, it's understanding which one's the cart and which one's the horse. If you try to get the cart to lead the horse, you have a mess.

The horse has to lead the cart. It's the status that leads to our entering into the experience of it. Not every minute of every day. Sometimes we feel it, sometimes we don't feel it. It doesn't make it more true or less true.

The truth isn't based on that. The truth is based on something completely outside of us, on Jesus and who he is and what he's done. That's the whole point he's making here. Abraham believed that at 95 Abraham believed that his 90 year old wife could conceive simply because God promised it. So Paul is teaching things that are true simply because God promised it.

And that means it's completely outside of ourselves. And that means it's already been secured. Over 2, 000 years ago it was secured. And there's nothing I can contribute to it, there's nothing I can do to earn it, it simply is to the believer in Jesus Christ. Applications.

Two. One. Both applications are to believers this week. If you're an unbeliever you have to come back next week. I'll apply something to you.

Arguing that your state is as certain as Jesus' state. Wow. Because your state depends on and only on his state. So, however certain his state is, your state is equally certain to the believer. To the believer.

He conquered sin. He conquered death. So you are dead to sin. You are alive to God. Why?

Because you don't sin anymore? No, because you are united to a perfect head by faith. Your state depends on his state and his state is utterly beyond question or challenge. It makes my state utterly beyond beyond question or challenge. That's wonderful.

I hope this is making you happy. It's making me happy. Two, a believer. You are alive to God and you are free to live to God. Free to live to God.

You are free, so live free! This is the whole argument. I'm setting up for next week. Two weeks from now. Setting up for two weeks from now, we take on the next.

That's going to be the whole argument. You are free, so live free. God, thank you for these truths that so fortify hearts, that are so often disquieted by the remaining corruptions that we're very well aware of. If you let us feel them all we would be crushed by it. I pray that we would be a people who stand on the promises, cling to the promises, reckon according to the promises.

Know that we know that we know that our status, because of being joined to your son by faith is as certain as his status. Make us happy in Jesus, I pray in His name, Amen. Thanks for watching!