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Bro. Otis Fisher
Romans, the sixth chapter. Some special notations in the beginning. In this chapter, every place you see the word sin, read it, sin nature. Now, there's a few places that the nature won't fit, but you'll see that very obviously.
First verse. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in the sin nature that grace may abound? Throughout this chapter, the apostle proves that they who imagine that free righteousness is given to us by him apart or separate from the newness of life is to divide Christ into fragments, is to deny the word.
Righteousness comes with the new life. That's what it is. God forbid, how shall we that are dead to the sin nature live any longer therein? The word dead is perfect, past tense, means a one-time action that has the effects forever.
So how shall we, and the we refers to who, Russell? Right. So how shall we that are born again and we are dead to the sin nature, how can we live in the sin nature any longer? Dennis, it demands a negative answer.
You just cannot do that. Live, how can we live? Live is imperfect. Now, if the perfect was one time forever, imperfect would be what? Did any of you take high school grammar? It's an action that continues forever.
We live and we live and we live until finally it just becomes a straight line. He says God forbid means perish the thought. When we're born again, our spirits are put in control of our bodies and our minds.
In the spiritual dimension, we fellowship with God and are conscious of him. Anyone that is not born again, Greg, can comprehend or understand the spiritual truth of the Bible? Well, then doesn't it just make sense those that are born again cannot live any longer in the old sin nature?
That's right. Now, we try to once in a while, but really we're not living there. So David, what does that mean about the real us? What is the real us? The new man, the righteous man, the born again person, that part of you that will go to heaven someday, not the old fleshly body.
There is no redemption plan for the flesh, just as there is no redemption plan for the angels. Verse three, know you not. Now, what does mean Deborah by that statement, know you not? What would we probably say?
Don't you know? It's common knowledge. Don't you know this? Everybody knows this, that so many of us or all of us that were baptized, and please there's no water connected with this whatsoever, into Jesus Christ, into means what?
Great, outside. So you were brought from where you were into something else. In this case, baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death, replaced instead of baptized. Know you not that so many of us as were placed into Jesus Christ, were placed into his death, into his death.
Now, when did Russell, when did Jesus die? On the cross. Now, understand the spiritual part of him, the Christ office didn't die, the human part died. Jesus, and it's that same Jesus that's going to return, we're told.
Now, let's be sure we understand this third verse, because it's the key to understanding your salvation. Turn to 1st Corinthians the 12th chapter and the 15th verse, please. 1st Corinthians 12 13, did I say 15?
Well, erase that, go to 13. Russell, read the 13th. Are we talking about physical or spiritual? Spiritual. Now, go to 1st Peter 3 21. Greg, you read that when you arrive. 21. Now, let's be sure we understand this word baptism.
I know we've been over before, but if you're like me, you forget. The word baptism, first of all, means circulation. Immerse and immerse. Go in and come out. Let me give you again the full definition of baptize.
It is the placing of a person or thing from one environment into another environment, and doing it in such a way that it changes the state of that person or thing in relation to its former environment.
Russell, that's a long definition. It simply means placed into. Now, if you placed a hymnal back into its rack, did the hymnal do it? It demanded somebody else to do it, didn't it? Well, that's what happens to us.
We cannot do it. Now, there's lots of folks say that sprinkling is enough. Well, think about sprinkling. Debbie, if I was to sprinkle Paul, what would I have to do to Paul? If I was to sprinkle Paul, if I was to sprinkle water, what would I do?
Thank you. If you're to sprinkle water, you put it in a container, you pour it out and it sprinkles. If you're to sprinkle Paul, you'd have to grind him up and sprinkle him. So, you can't sprinkle somebody.
You sprinkle on somebody, but you can't sprinkle. So, that's how. Now, you can't dip, but that word is, what did I tell you, David? Apo? Or am I thinking of dog food? Bapto. Bapto means to dip. And baptizo means to immerse and leave it until the pickle is changed, the cucumber is changed to the pickle.
It's baptizo in a solution and it takes on a different state. Same way with baptize. Now, what good is our being baptized? David, what's the purpose or what's the good of a child of God going through the baptismal waters?
Of what? Can anybody think of any other picture? Alright. Now, does it do anything to you? What? Does it do anything for you? I've learned to just wait on her. Alright. Now, beg pardon? Alright. It saves us from inward questions.
Saves us from fears. Provides us with a good, clear conscience. Inward peace before God. Because you are demonstrating what you believe to be yours through the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Has nothing to do with salvation.
Has nothing to do with getting you clean physically. It has nothing to do except you are publicly making a statement, as Opal said. You are publicly making a statement. Now, to us, baptism is not, unfortunately, that important as it was at the time Paul was writing.
But go back with me now to that time in history. If you were a Jew, Orthodox Jew, you were living under the law, you were going to the temple, you were doing everything according to the law, even though the gospel is here, the Christian church is here, but you're not participating in that.
You're still living under the law, you think. How would you, an Orthodox Jew, treat your brother that suddenly become converted and saved and baptized? David, you would probably hold a funeral for him.
Because to you, he's dead. He's gone. He'd lose his business, his family, his money, his political stature, if any. He'd lose everything. Now, do you see how difficult it would be for this new Christian to, in the view of all of the Orthodox Jews, partake of the water baptism, making a firm statement to all of them that you now were no longer a Jew as they are a Jew, you're different?
This would cost you something. Now, you're saved and nobody knows it. Oh, you act different, you look different, and you talk different. But when it comes to making that public statement by baptism, it would take a very, very strong, determined faith on your part to go through with it.
We don't have that problem in this country. That's why baptism has been relegated to something almost unimportant. But I'm to tell you it isn't. It has nothing to do with salvation. I have to keep repeating that.
Why was Jesus baptized? As an example? Only? What? Obedience to who? Speak up. Alright, what did the baptism do for him? Alright, he did no work until after that. Something else. Alright, but we've already got that answer.
Something else. Something big. Russell? We're talking about the baptism of Christ, right? Yes. It sparked God's healing. Alright, Brian, explain that a little bit more for me. It sparked God's healing.
Well, it took the seal, God put the seal on this individual as his son. And from now on, they're going to listen to him. The Holy Spirit came down upon him and the only way that it could be described by those men was that it resembled a dove coming down.
It doesn't mean that's what it was. But it was a public statement, just as ours is. Only this was from the man himself, Jesus the Christ. So if he did not have to get baptized to be saved, then we must not.
He did not start his public ministry until after that. And I've come to believe that if you're really going to be a tool, surrender to God, first you go through the baptism. Yes, absolutely. So, now in the third verse we read, we were baptized into Jesus Christ, into his death.
Not at his death, but into his death. Now, go to chapter 1, verse 1 of Romans. What's that say, Debbie? And we'll deal just with the word servant. He starts most of his letters like this. I, Paul, being a servant of Jesus Christ.
That's my words, but that's what he says. Now, Opal, by the very fact that he said, I am a servant of Jesus Christ, he was also saying, I used to be a servant of Satan, but I'm not anymore. And Greg, the word for servant here is what?
There's about six different what? Doulos. Can you explain to the group what that word means in Greek? Alright, but what's the process of getting this done? Well, go to Exodus 21. 6. Brian, read that for me, please.
Yes. Then his master shall bring him to the judgment. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. Now, the custom changed over history.
Sometimes they would be branded, sometimes they would put an iron band around their neck, maybe on their ankle, different ways. But they were marked in a certain way to show that they were a bond servant.
The bond servant master relationship is what we're after. The only way that that earthly relationship could ever be broken was if the servant died or the master died. Well, that just makes sense. If he's a bond servant for life, then when life stops on either side, no longer a bond servant.
So, Paul and us, being at one time a servant, a bond servant, we couldn't get out of it to Satan. Now, please understand, we were only a servant. We were never the seed of Satan. That's a different category.
But being a bond servant of Satan, the only way I can get out of that relationship, which was spiritual, there had to be a death. Either Satan had to die, or I had to die. Well, Satan's not going to die.
And since that was a spiritual relationship, I didn't want to die in that state, spiritually. So, God took care of it through the language of the Greeks. And Paul then says, I am a bond servant of Jesus Christ.
Now, how did he, or how do we, become a bond servant of Jesus Christ? Right. There has to be a death. And Jesus provided that death on the cross. That's why we were not put into him in the grave. We were not put into him after he died.
We were put into him at his death. We started this Christian journey in the death of Jesus Christ. Because that was the death, Greg, that broke the old bond servant relationship to Satan. So, it was mandatory.
It had to be in order for us, then, to become a bond servant of Jesus Christ. Now, how long, then, are we to be a bond servant of Christ? Or until death? Spiritual death. Now, Russell, are you ever going to die spiritually?
Well, we can rule out yours, then. Is our Lord ever going to die spiritually? No. Well, then, how long are we going to be locked up with him? Forever. Because the only way it can be broke is by death.
And, David, that's not going to happen. You see the beauty of the Greek language and the understanding of grammar. We read in the Old Testament where, under certain conditions, a slave can become a bond slave.
He is never free unless the master dies, or he dies. Paul says, I am a bond servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle. That's wrong. He was called an apostle. Separated under the gospel. The word separate, Debbie, has two meanings.
What are they? What's one? Alright. Anyone else? Indirectly, maybe. But if I separate this watch from this corner, I've got to put it someplace. So, it was separated from here to here. So, he's separated unto something, as well as from something.
Separated. Always look at the context. He was separated unto the gospel. It means he was taken away from someplace and placed into the gospel. Separated into the gospel. So, it follows that for any bond servant to be loosed from Satan, there must be a death.
Here in this verse 3, Paul tells us about that death that released us from Satan. I hope you all understand this. This is why we all start our walk with the Lord, by being put into his death. Because it was required.
Now, why is it that we could not die for ourself, David? Why? Dennis, if a cow is dead, can it die again? Then, what? That's true, but the question was, why couldn't we die for ourself? It's because we're already dead.
It's impossible. We're already dead. You mean dead in America? Right. There's lots of dead people walking around, more outside the cemetery than in. I never understood why they put a fence around cemeteries.
To keep the loudspeakers out. Nobody in there is going to get out. Nobody out wants to go in. To keep the dead people out. I guess so. Alright, someone give me, in just a few words, what's the meaning of baptize placed into verse 4.
Are there any questions now, through verses 1 through 3? There ought to be one. I'm not that good a teacher, if you understood it all. Alright, let's go on. Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Therefore, we are buried. Okay, what do you usually bury? Dead things. So, our being buried with him, we had to be dead, didn't we? By the very terms of the word. Buried. That's the old man. Buried with him by this act of baptism into death, by being placed into his death, to help us understand the passive verb, let me make this statement.
The boy was hit by the ball. Now, did the boy do the action? Or did the ball? Okay. So, it's passive then, he was hit by something else. He didn't do it. Baptized, same way, we can't do it. We get hit with baptism.
Alright. Into death, that like as Christ, or so that, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, or by the power of the Father, or the dunamis of the Father, even so we also shall walk in newness of life.
Dennis, what does the word walk mean here? Live. Live once a day? Once a week? With every breath, isn't it? How far are we from not living? One breath. We were buried in Christ, the old flesh dominated nature, in baptism was buried, and the new creature is born free from sin.
Now, in verse 6, notice the words change a little bit. For if we have been planted, now, okay, what things do you usually plant? Things that you want to do what? Grow. So, you see the beauty here? The old man was buried, the new man was planted.
So, if we have, or since we have been planted, together, sumphotos, and you all know what that means, together is the word we're looking at, planted together, born together, this word together means this, of joint origin, grown together, united with, it's like Siamese twins, we grow up together with Christ, we were planted in Christ, and together, we will walk in newness of life, so together means to be born together, of joint origin, grown together, united like Siamese twins, we grow up together.
Now, you might say, well, how can that be? Jesus Christ is full grown, physically and spiritually. Well, just bear with me a moment. It is because of this little word together, that it causes us to understand how a 5 year old child can be saved, and an 85 year old person can be saved.
Because to each one, Christ appears at their own age. A little word together. Everybody grows together with Christ. Our daughter was saved when she was 5, and I'm sure I can get inside her head, but to her, she could see Christ as one of her own.
An old, old, old man, much older than me, if he was saved, he would see Christ as an adult, not as a little bitty child. The beauty of the language of this word. We shall also, in the likeness of his resurrection, we were placed into him at his death, that got rid of the old connection.
We were buried in him, which got rid of the old, we were planted in him, and when he arose, we arose, because Dennis were in him. And we cannot escape that. When he ascended back to heaven, we went with him.
Spiritually. And we are there now. Spiritually. Someday we'll physically, spiritually be there. Or spiritually, physically. Knowing this, verse 6 now. That our old man, this should read, our old man was crucified.
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified. It should be was crucified. With him. That the body of sin nature might be destroyed. Destroyed is to cause to cease. Put an end to. Do away with. Annul. Abolish.
To pass away. To be done away. To be served. Severed from. Separated from. Discharged from. So the old nature is totally destroyed. It is dead to us. Now we're dead to it. It's not dead to us. Anytime we serve the old nature, we have to resurrect it.
And too many times we try to do that. That henceforth we should not serve sin, what? Nature. You're not going to serve the old sin nature any longer. A little later he tells us, let us not do this. The sin nature shall never again have dominion over your soul.
Never. It's impossible. The Holy Spirit's on that throne. And greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Greg, who is it's in the world? Satan. Now, in verse 8. 7. For he that is dead is freed from sin nature.
Just a pure simple statement, David. But my, what power. He that is dead is freed from the old sin nature. Now. You are dead to sin. The old man's not here. You're alive in Christ. And he has, Satan has nothing in Christ.
Our old life died in him on the cross. Now if, or since we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Are we to live? Dennis, let me. No, let me ask Greg. Greg, are we? Well, I know we're supposed to be obedient.
We're supposed to walk in faith. We're supposed to live our entire life in such a way that God can really use us. Is that right? How many would agree with that statement? How many disagree? Dennis, explain to me what's wrong with it.
You weren't listening real close, Greg. The question is simply, are we to live in such a way that the Lord can use us? That's not what I ask. That's right. That's right. Do you all understand that? It's not up to us.
He doesn't take us and use us because we have certain talents. When we come to the Lord, we come with what? Nothing. If you're the world's greatest trumpet player, you can't say, well, now I'm going to use my talent for the Lord.
That's wrong. He may use it and he may not. But you didn't bring it. You're not the one to say that you're going to use it. So many people, popular singers, have turned to religion and they say, now I can sing for the Lord.
Well, let me tell you, when you come to the Lord, you come with zip. Nothing. Nothing at all. Then he makes out of you that which he wants. I'm sure what you said was right. I didn't get it all. But you won't bring it in your hands or any other place.
In your pocket or nothing. You come with nothing. Understand that. Now, where are we? What would I say? I would say, first, praise him. Don't brag on me, brag on God. Because I'm a living example of the statement I've just made.
All of my early life in school, I hated school. I didn't want school. Never studied English. Didn't know anything about anything. Graduated, but I didn't care anything about it. And today, my whole life for the last 48 years has been wrapped up in teaching.
If there was ever anybody ever born that would never be suspected of being a teacher, it's me. Yet, that's what I turned out to be. So, it's God's work in me, not me. And if you learn anything, it's the Holy Spirit that teaches you, not me.
I'm glad that some people feel like that, but I don't want them to tell me because that gives me a very strong opportunity to sin. And I don't want that. Now, don't discourage me either. Yes, very much.
That's right. That's exactly right. Very important. Neither does he work through you. He works in you. If it was through you, you'd have no responsibility. Knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more.
Death hath no more dominion over him. I guess that's the end. Death hath no more dominion over him. There were two deaths of Christ on the cross. Can you name them? Paul, can you name them? There are two deaths in Jesus on the cross.
The first one is very obvious. It was what? Physical. What was the other one? Spiritual. Do you understand the spiritual? Can you quote me a scripture or get close to it where we know that there were spiritual deaths?
Right. Absolutely. I heard a well-known large preacher in this town read that and say, Now, I don't believe God really turned his back on him. Believe you me, he had to. Because he had to come to where we were, Debbie, and we were separated from God.
He didn't stand outside that door and reach in and get us. He come inside. So he had to be separated from God. So it was a physical and spiritual death of Jesus, not Christ. Jesus, the man. Any questions?
None at all? Then we're going to stop. What? No. He did not go to hell. In fact, that's a good question. What happened during those three days that we thought he was in the tomb? That's a good research question.
Look at the activities. If you really want to know, look at the activity of the high priest in the tabernacle at the Day of Atonement. Well, we're going to stop here. And we'll begin where? Alright.