John Piper expounds Romans 6:11-14 to give 6 strategies for killing sin. Each one of them is exegetically sound and gospel based. As always Piper is both powerful and passionate in his preaching. This sermon is highly recommended as most Christians have been bombarded with sermons on sanctification which rarely takes into account what the gospel declares. It is so characteristic of preachers to divorce the gospel from teachings on sanctification. This error is so grievous and only leads people to legalism and despair. However the Bible does not promote any false dichotomy between the gospel and the teachings on sanctification. Rather it teaches sanctification, in light of the gospel. For without the gospel, no one can count God as precious. And without counting God as precious, no one can deny the lies of sin. Piper says “yes, there is a real engagement of our will. Choose to say, No! But it is so much more. It is based on what God did in Christ, and what happened to us in Christ, and who God is for us in Christ and who we know ourselves to be in Christ. We embrace all that as our treasure. And because of that, we say, No.”
The sermon begins with Piper summarizing part 1 of his exposition of this passage. He identifies the battleground and the participants involved in it. From the text he thus points out eight things of warfare in these verses. He then notes how the enemy works his way with us. He shows how the main way sin does battle against us is to turn servants into traitors. This section is followed by his six strategies for battling against sin.
In this sermon, Piper proves how the secret to sanctification is nothing but the gospel. He shows how having our thinking and affections firmly rooted and guided by the gospel is the key to counting God alone as precious and preferring Him over sin’s fleeting pleasures.
Very highly recommended for all Christians.
