Alive unto God
A Sermon on Romans 6:5-8
Scripture
5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve …
Sermon Description
What fear should the Christian have? In what ways ought the believer be gripped with worry or anxiety? Unruly fears, anxieties, and worries lead the believer to spiritual depression. This need not be. In this sermon on Romans 6:5–8 titled “Alive Unto God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones declares the believer’s sure hope: they are raised with Christ. What one believes must be driven by facts. The fact is that Jesus was raised from the dead, and all who have died with Him have the confidence that they are raised with Him. In the face of temptations, these facts lead the Christian to an unshakable certainty: death has no power over them. As the believer is dead to sin and alive to Christ, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that their future is absolutely certain. They cannot continue in sin, and will never again submit to the slavery of sin and death. Worry, fear, and anxiety are wrapped up in death. Death is rooted in sin. If Jesus has dealt with sin, He’s dealt with death. If death is no more, everything changes. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones leads to the truth that calms all fear: Christ has been raised from the dead, and the Christian life is hid in Christ with God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact, not an idea or metaphor.
- The Christian faith is based on historical facts, not ideas. We must always start with the facts of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection.
- The resurrection has profound implications for believers because of our union with Christ. His resurrection means our resurrection.
- We have been "planted in the likeness of his resurrection" (v. 5). This means we have new life in Christ. Our old self has died and we have been raised to new life.
- We are "alive from the dead" (v. 13). Though we were once dead in sin, we have been made alive in Christ. We have passed from death to life.
- "If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his" (v. 5). Christ's resurrection guarantees our own resurrection.
- "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him" (v. 8). Christ is our life. We share in his resurrected life.
- We must "count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (v. 11). We must reckon ourselves to be dead to sin's power but alive to God's power.
- "Sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace" (v. 14). Sin has lost its dominion over us because of God's grace.
- Nothing can separate us from God's love in Christ (Rom. 8:38-39). Our salvation and future glorification is assured because of our union with Christ.
Spiritual Depression
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.