Psalm 68:1-6 | Pastor Chris Searcy | 6.21.26

¹ May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
    may his foes flee before him.
² May you blow them away like smoke—
    as wax melts before the fire,
    may the wicked perish before God.
³ But may the righteous be glad
    and rejoice before God;
    may they be happy and joyful.

⁴ Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
    extol him who rides on the clouds;
    rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
⁵ A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
    is God in his holy dwelling.
⁶ God sets the lonely in families,
    he leads out the prisoners with singing;
    but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Master/Teacher/Rabbi | Pastor Jannai Washington | 6.14.26

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of Righteousness

Romans 6:15-23.

What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Absolutely not! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over, ¹⁸ and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. ¹⁹ I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. ²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. ²¹ So what fruit was produced^[e] then from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death. ²² But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification—and the outcome is eternal life! ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We’re going to talk about, “If salvation is by grace, can believers continue living in sin?”

Salvation By Grace

Through Christ's death and resurrection, believers have experienced a transfer of ownership. We were once slaves to sin, but now we belong to God. Freedom from sin does not mean freedom to do whatever we want. Rather, it means freedom to serve God in righteousness.

Jesus taught that everyone serves a master.

Matthew 6:24 (CSB)

"No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

In this portion of scripture, Paul is presenting to us two masters (Kingdoms, Reign, Dominion)

• Righteousness that leads to life eternal
• Sin that leads to death

I. Sin Is a Master That Leads to Death

Romans 6:15-16 (CSB)

"What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! Don't you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey, either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?"

Explanation

Grace is not permission to sin.

Everyone serves something. Whatever controls our choices becomes our master.

Before salvation, sin ruled our thoughts, desires, and actions.Jesus described this bondage:

John 8:34 (CSB)

"Jesus responded, 'Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.'"

Sin promises freedom but produces slavery.

Proverbs 5:22 (CSB)

"A wicked man's iniquities will trap him; he will become tangled in the ropes of his own sin."

James 1:14-15 (CSB)

"But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death."

Application

• Sin is not harmless.
• Sin always seeks mastery.
• Repeated obedience to sin strengthens its control.
• Every sinful habit eventually produces spiritual death and destruction.

II. Christ Has Set Believers Free From Sin's Dominion

Romans 6:17-18 (CSB)

"But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over, and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness."

Explanation

Notice the past tense:

• You used to be slaves of sin.
• You have been set free.
• You have become servants of righteousness.

This freedom comes through Christ's work on the cross.

John 8:36 (CSB)

"So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free."

Colossians 1:13-14 (CSB)

"He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Paul emphasizes that salvation is not merely a change of destination but a change of ownership.

We have been transferred from Satan's kingdom to Christ's kingdom.

III. Believers Must Present Their Lives to God

Romans 6:19 (CSB)

"I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification."

Explanation

Before Christ, we willingly gave ourselves to sin.

Now Paul says we should deliberately present every part of our lives to God.

• Our minds
• Our speech
• Our eyes
• Our hands
• Our time
• Our resources

The result is sanctification, becoming more like Christ.

Romans 12:1 (CSB)

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship."

Psalm 119:9 (CSB)

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping your word."

Application

Righteousness is not passive.

Every day, believers choose to surrender themselves to Christ.

IV. Remember What Sin Produced

Romans 6:20-21 (CSB)

"For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. So what fruit was produced then from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death."

Explanation

Paul asks believers to look back honestly.

What did sin produce?

• Guilt
• Shame
• Broken relationships
• Bondage
• Spiritual death

The enemy often tries to make believers romanticize their old life.

Paul reminds them that sin's harvest is death.

Galatians 6:7-8 (CSB)

"Don't be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit."

Isaiah 57:20-21 (CSB)

"But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its water churns up mire and muck. There is no peace for the wicked, says my God."

V. Righteousness Produces Holiness and Eternal Life

Romans 6:22 (CSB)

"But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification, and the outcome is eternal life."

Explanation

A new master produces a new life.

Sin produces death.

God produces holiness.

The fruit of serving God includes:

• Peace
• Joy
• Spiritual growth
• Christlike character
• Eternal life

John 15:5 (CSB)

"I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me."

Psalm 1:1-3 (CSB)

"Instead, his delight is in the LORD's instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season."

VI. Two Masters, Two Wages, Two Destinies

Romans 6:23 (CSB)

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Explanation

Paul concludes with a powerful contrast.

Sin Pays Wages

A wage is earned.

The payment for sin is death:

• Spiritual death
• Separation from God
• Eternal judgment

God Gives a Gift

Eternal life cannot be earned.

It is received through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (CSB)

"For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift, not from works, so that no one can boast."

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (CSB)

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances."

This Old Testament promise is fulfilled in Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Jesus Is Our New Master

The word "Lord" means Master.

Jesus did not merely save us from sin; He became our Lord.

Luke 6:46 (CSB)

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do the things I say?"

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (CSB)

"You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body."

Believers now belong to Christ.

He is our Rabbi, Teacher, Master, King, and Lord.

Key Truths:

• God is not looking for perfection; He is looking for surrender
• God is calling His people back to surrender before a greater shaking comes to the earth.
• Holiness becomes evidence of a transformed heart.
• Genuine salvation produces visible fruit.
• Holiness is the fruit of obedience to God.
• Eternal life is God's gift through Jesus Christ.
• Christ is now our Lord, Master, and Rabbi.

Christ the Head | Pastor Chris Searcy | 6.7.26

Christ the Head / Head of the Church / Head of the Body

• Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18

Ephesians 5:23

23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.

Colossians 1:18

18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.

Head = Christ

Body/Bride = global church

Regional body = Churches in a city/region

A Church (Ekklēsia) = assembly/gathering of believers (ephesians)

Assembly/Gathering = Made up of Families

Families = Husband, Wife, Children

1 Corinthians 12:12-27
One Body with Many Members

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Ephesians 1:9-10
9 And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ.

22And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 4:25-32

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another. 

26 “Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger, 

27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

29 Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. 

32Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 5:1-6, 11

1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, 2 and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.

3 But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them.

11 Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Ephesians 5
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her

Ephesians 6:1-4

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.”

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13 Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then…..

Why Fresh Anointing exists: What we are here to do:

Ephesians 4:11-16

11And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. 16 From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.