Dead to Sin, Alive to God

In one paragraph

Pastor Mark opened Memorial Day weekend by walking through the cost of American wars, from the Gulf War to the Civil War, before turning to Romans 6:1-14 and the death and resurrection language Paul uses to describe what happens when someone identifies with Christ. The sermon held those two things together: soldiers who died so others could live in freedom, and the one Hero who died so all who...

Read together

1. Romans 6:1-14 the main passage for the sermon, read and expounded at length
2. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 used to illustrate a timeline of salvation, sanctification, and glorification
3. 1 Corinthians 1:18 quoted as the main thesis of 1 Corinthians: the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but the power of God to those who are being saved
4. Galatians 2:20 cited to personalize the crucifixion language: I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me
5. 1 Timothy 3:16 quoted as an early hymn of the church about the mystery of godliness, Christ revealed in the flesh

Talk about it

1. The pastor opened with the casualty numbers from American wars, from the Gulf War all the way to the Civil War. Which of those numbers hit you hardest, and why do you think remembering the dead matters to us as a congregation?
2. The pastor described our position before God as a binary function: you are either identified with Adam or identified with Christ. What does it mean to you personally that everyone starts out identified with Adam, and how did that change for you?
3. The pastor used the image of a cucumber becoming a pickle to explain what baptizo means, the idea that you are not just dipped but actually changed. Where have you seen that kind of real change in your own life since you came to faith?
4. The pastor talked about the sanctification timeline, the gray space between the moment of belief and the final glorification, and said you can gain ground for a while and lose ground for a while. How do you personally recognize when you are moving up or sliding back on that trajectory?
5. Paul's command in Romans 6 is not to let sin reign as your master, and the pastor said God can use absolutely everything you have ever been through. Is there something in your past that you have had trouble believing God could actually use, and what would it look like to present that to Him as an instrument of righteousness?