Summary of this week's sermon
Every week we want to have a 5 day devotional recapping our previous sermon so we can grow deeper together.
This Sunday Pastor Scott continued in our series on Romans. Looking at Romans 5:12-6:14.
Day 1: From Death to Life: The Moment Everything Changes
Devotional
Have you ever experienced a moment that completely changed the trajectory of your life? Maybe it was meeting your spouse, the birth of a child, or receiving life-changing news. These moments create a clear 'before' and 'after' in our story. When it comes to our relationship with God, there's an even more profound transformation available. Through Adam's choice in the garden, we all inherited a sin nature that separates us from God. We're born naturally inclined toward selfishness and rebellion. But God didn't leave us in that hopeless state. Through Jesus Christ's perfect obedience and sacrifice, we can experience complete transformation from spiritual death to life. This isn't a gradual process or self-improvement program. It's an immediate, total change that happens the moment we put our faith in Jesus. The beautiful truth is that only you and Jesus know when that actual moment occurs. It might happen during a church service, in your bedroom late at night, or while walking down the street. The location doesn't matter - what matters is that genuine faith in Jesus creates an instant, irreversible change. This transformation goes beyond feeling different or trying harder to be good. When you put your faith in Jesus, you don't become a new version of yourself - you become a completely new person with a new identity, new purpose, and new power to live differently. If you've experienced this transformation, take a moment to remember and celebrate that pivotal moment. If you haven't yet, know that this life-changing encounter with Jesus is available to you right now.
Bible Verse
'Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned' - Romans 5:12
Reflection Question
Can you identify a specific moment when you moved from spiritual death to life in Jesus, and how has that transformation impacted your daily choices?
Quote
There is a moment where you move from a dead man walking to covered by the blood of Jesus, and you become new. You become new.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the incredible gift of transformation from death to life. Help me to remember and cherish the moment You made me new, and give me courage to live authentically as the new creation You've made me to be. Amen.
Day 2: A New Creation, Not A New Version
Devotional
When we buy a new phone, we often transfer everything from our old device - photos, apps, contacts, even our problems and digital clutter. We might have a newer model, but we're essentially carrying forward our old digital life with some improvements. Many people approach their relationship with God the same way, thinking that becoming a Christian means getting an upgraded version of themselves. They expect to keep their old identity, habits, and patterns while adding some spiritual features. But this completely misses the radical nature of what God offers. When you put your faith in Jesus, you don't get Christianity 2.0 of yourself. You become an entirely new person. The old you - with all its bondage to sin, shame, and spiritual death - is gone. The new you is alive in Christ, with a new nature, new desires, and new power to live righteously. This truth should fill us with incredible hope and confidence. You're not trying to fix a broken version of yourself or manage your old sinful tendencies better. You've been given a completely fresh start with a new identity rooted in Christ's righteousness, not your performance. This doesn't mean you'll never struggle or make mistakes. But it does mean that sin no longer defines you or controls you. You have a new nature that actually wants to please God and live righteously. The person you were before Christ is dead and buried - you are genuinely, completely new. Embrace this truth today. Stop trying to improve the old you and start living as the new creation God has made you to be.
Bible Verse
'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!' - 2 Corinthians 5:17
Reflection Question
In what areas of your life are you still trying to improve the 'old you' instead of embracing your identity as a completely new creation in Christ?
Quote
When I put my faith in Jesus, I am not a new version of me. I am a new person.
Prayer
Father, help me to fully embrace my identity as a new creation in Christ. Stop me from trying to fix my old self and empower me to live confidently in the new life You've given me. Thank You for making me completely new. Amen.
Day 3: Grace That Confronts, Not Accomodates
Devotional
Imagine a friend who truly loves you discovering that you're in a destructive relationship. A friend who accommodates might say, 'Well, if it makes you happy...' and enable your harmful choices. But a friend who truly loves you will confront the situation, even if it's uncomfortable, because they want what's best for you. Some people have a dangerous misunderstanding about God's grace. They think that because God's grace is free and abundant, they can live however they want without consequences. They treat grace like a 'get out of jail free' card that accommodates any lifestyle choice. But grace doesn't work that way. True grace doesn't accommodate sin - it confronts it. Grace isn't God saying, 'Sin doesn't matter.' Grace is God saying, 'Sin matters so much that I sent My Son to die for it, and now I'm giving you the power to overcome it.' When you receive God's grace, you also receive the Holy Spirit, who empowers you to choose righteousness over sin. Grace doesn't make you comfortable with sin; it makes you uncomfortable with it. Grace doesn't give you permission to continue in destructive patterns; it gives you power to break free from them. This is actually incredibly good news. You're not left to fight sin in your own strength, hoping that grace will cover your failures. You've been given divine power to actually live differently. Grace confronts sin by providing a better way - God's way. If you've been using grace as an excuse to continue in sin, it's time to let grace do what it's designed to do: transform your life from the inside out.
Bible Verse
'What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?' - Romans 6:1-2
Reflection Question
Are there areas in your life where you've been using God's grace to accommodate sin rather than allowing it to confront and transform those areas?
Quote
Grace doesn't accommodate sin. Grace confronts it.
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for any ways I've misused Your grace to excuse sin in my life. Help me to receive Your grace as the transforming power it is, and give me strength to choose righteousness over sin. Thank You for loving me enough to confront what hurts me. Amen.
Day 4: Breaking the Chains of Habitual Sins
Devotional
We live in a world that often excuses destructive behavior by calling it addiction, saying people 'can't help themselves.' While we should have compassion for those struggling, there's an important truth we can't ignore: habitual sin is ultimately a choice. Habits aren't formed accidentally. Whether it's checking your phone first thing in the morning, reaching for coffee, or engaging in sinful behaviors, habits develop through repeated choices. The good news is that if habits are formed by choices, they can also be broken by choices. As believers, we have something the world doesn't understand: we are no longer controlled by our sin nature. Yes, we still have a sin nature, but it no longer has authority over us. We have the Holy Spirit living within us, giving us the power to make different choices. This doesn't mean breaking sinful habits is easy, but it does mean it's possible. When we continue in habitual sin as believers, we're essentially choosing to live below our new identity in Christ. We're choosing to be controlled by something that no longer has the right to control us. The key is recognizing that you have a choice. Every time you're tempted to fall into that familiar pattern, you can choose differently. You can choose to pray instead of worry, to speak truth instead of gossip, to serve instead of being selfish. Some of us say we want to be used by God, but we won't make the choice to give up the vice that's keeping us from being used. Today is a new day to make a different choice. You have the power through Christ to break free from whatever has been holding you back.
Bible Verse
'In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.' - Romans 6:12
Reflection Question
What habitual sin or destructive pattern in your life do you need to acknowledge as a choice and begin taking steps to change with God's help?
Quote
Habitual sin is a choice. We choose to do things habitually. Habits are not formed accidentally.
Prayer
God, I confess that I've allowed certain sins to become habits in my life. Help me to see these as choices I can change, not chains I can't break. Give me Your strength to make different choices and live in the freedom You've provided. Break every chain that's holding me back from the life You have for me. Amen.
Day 5: Living Authentically as God's Creation
Devotional
Have you ever met someone who claimed to be something they clearly weren't? Maybe they said they were a professional athlete but couldn't run a block, or claimed to be a chef but burned water. There's something unsettling about people who don't live authentically according to who they claim to be. As believers, we face a similar challenge. We've been made new creations in Christ, given new identities as children of God, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. But sometimes we live as if none of that is true. We live according to our old identity instead of our new reality. Authentic Christian living means aligning our daily choices with who God says we are. We're not trying to earn our new identity through good behavior - we already have it. Instead, we're learning to live out the reality of what God has already done in us. This involves a daily process of putting off the old self and putting on the new self. It means renewing our minds with God's truth instead of the world's lies. It means choosing to act like the righteous person God has made us to be, even when we don't feel like it. The beautiful truth is that the more we offer every part of ourselves to God, the more we get to experience the grace we don't deserve. When we live authentically as new creations, we discover the abundant life Jesus promised. God can break every chain you're carrying. He can free you from the sin you've been stuck in and give you new life when you step into faith that believes Jesus is who He says He is. The question is: will you choose to live authentically as the new creation He's made you to be?
Bible Verse
'You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.' - Ephesians 4:22-24
Reflection Question
What would change in your daily life if you truly lived as the new creation God has made you to be, rather than according to your old identity?
Quote
When I offer every part of me to God, the more I get to experience the grace I don't deserve.
Prayer
Father, help me to live authentically as the new creation You've made me to be. Give me wisdom to put off my old self daily and put on the new self You've created in righteousness and holiness. Thank You for the new life You've given me - help me to experience it fully. Amen.