The evidence of true salvation is more than words; it is evidenced by a life transformed by God, a rejection of sin, and obedience to God.

One of the struggles for the church in a post-Christian culture is rediscovering what it means to be saved. In a Christian culture, salvation was often assumed rather than evidenced. Now that we live in a post-Christian culture, many are no longer compelled to obey the most fundamental commands of God, like gathering with the saints on the Lord’s Day, but still claim to be saved. Today, the church must rediscover a biblical understanding of the evidence of conversion.

Romans 6:20-23 is about the consequence of sin and the hope of the gospel. It is a precious passage that I have often preached in no small part because of the great gospel promise of verse 23. Generally, when preaching this passage, the majority of attention is given to the hope of salvation, which is the main idea of the passage. However, with this sermon, I want to give attention to the warning concerning sin.

All sin leads to death, both physical and spiritual.

In the confusion and brokenness of this world, the consequence of death is sometimes ignored but more often celebrated and even encouraged. Abortion brings death but is celebrated as a way to preserve sexual freedom, ensure individual autonomy, and provide gender equality. Abortion, as with all sin, is presented by the world as good and desirable, but it produces the rotten fruit of death.

The sanctity of human life is not first a political issue; it is, first, a theological issue. Christians must be clear concerning the cost and destruction of sin. Only then will you appreciate the great and glorious hope of the gospel.

This passage exposes sin’s necrotic nature and the remedy of the gospel.

The only hope of salvation is in Jesus Christ.

There is no hope in the wisdom of man or the works of man. However, since Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, the common struggle of man is to attempt to attain righteousness apart from God.

The question that this psalm is wrestling with is the relationship between God and man. How are you to understand the relationship of man with God? Psalm 14 teaches three fundamental truths that define man's relationship with God and testify to the hope of salvation found only in Christ Jesus.

Feelings are not facts, and emotions often obscure the truth. However, this does not negate the seriousness of feelings and the dramatic impact emotions have on how you see the world. God created you with emotions; however, because of the fall and the corruption of this world, emotions can be destructive and deceptive. Psalm 13 is a psalm of David that deals with his feelings of spiritual abandonment. David feels like God has forgotten him, refused to respond to him, and left him to be shamed by his enemies. David feels abandoned.

Psalm 13 is written in three stanzas. Stanza one contains David's despondent questions, which flow from his fear of God's abandonment. Stanza two is David's prayer for God to see him and answer his pleas. Stanza three is a response of faith in God's goodness. Psalm 13 teaches three ways to respond when you are struggling with feelings of abandonment.

In a day when words are used to confuse, distort, manipulate, and misdirect, hope is found in the eternal, never-changing word of God and His faithfulness to keep His word to every generation.

The foundation of the Christian faith is that God is truth, and the Bible is His inspired inerrant word. Every believer is called to believe in faith and stand firm in God's truth. Psalm 12 teaches three requirements for standing firm in God's truth.