Unless

I. Introduction: In our everyday conversation, we communicate very easily using simple words. Yet we can read these same words in the Bible and people will disagree about the meaning. If a parent tells a child, “Unless you clean your room, you cannot have dessert” we know that the parent expects the child to clean their room in order to get the dessert. If an employer tells his employee, “Unless you turn in your timecard, you will not get paid” the employee knows to turn his timecard in if he wants to get his money. The Bible uses the word “unless” is in the very same way. Unless we do certain things, consequences will follow.

II. Text: Romans 6:1-11

III. Unless you believe

A. John 8:23-24 – Unless you believe you will die in your sins

B. Hebrews 11:6 – “Without faith it is impossible to please God”

C. Belief is the foundation for our spiritual growth

D. John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

E. Mark 16:16 – “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

F. We must believe in Jesus or we will be lost

IV. Unless you repent

A. If you do not repent, you will die in your sins, Luke 13:3-5

B. We must repent of our rebellion against God

C. When we sin, we transgress God’s law and make ourselves His enemy. We must change our mind about sin and to make changes in our lives to refrain from sinning in the future. Since we always have temptations and times of weakness we must be vigilant and, if we fall, ask God’s forgiveness and change our lives.

D. Repentance is part of our transformation into the image of Christ, 1 Cor. 12:1.

V. Unless you are converted

A. Matthew 18:1-4 – If we are not converted, we will die in our sins

B. Conversion is a change from one form to another.

C. Like a caterpillar to a butterfly. George Jackson: “For one man conversion means the slaying of the beast within him; in another it brings the calm of conviction to an unquiet mind; for a third it is the entrance into a larger liberty and a more abundant life; and yet again it is the gathering into one of the forces of a soul at war with itself.” We need conversion because we need to be renewed in God and recreated into the person we were intended to be from the beginning.

D. We are converted into the image of Christ

E. 2 Corinthians 3:18 and 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 Change into Christ Galatians 2:20 – Crucified but Christ lives in me Matthew 16:24-27 – We find our life in Jesus

F. How are we converted?

G. It is something that we must do, Acts 3:19. Parallel statement with Acts 2:38 (CHART) In baptism we put on Christ, Galatians 3:26-27. Through repentance, acknowledgement of Jesus’ deity and authority, obedience, and baptism we begin the conversion of the new life. Romans 6:1-11 – Raised to a new life

VI. Unless you abide in Jesus

A. We cannot bear fruit apart from Jesus, John 15:1-8.

B. Jesus is the source of spiritual nourishment.

C. If we cut ourselves off from Jesus, we cut ourselves off from the source of life, knowledge, and righteousness.

D. Those who do not abide in Jesus will be destroyed.

E. Hebrews 2:1-5 – We must not drift from Him Hebrews 10:26 – We must not cut ourselves off from Him

F. If we remain in Him we are nourished and protected by Him.

VII. Unless we do these things, we cannot be saved.