RAP SHEET 4/27/25

SERIES: Make Believe

SERMON: Dead or Alive?

SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:1–4

REVIEW

This Easter weekend, we wrapped up the Make Believe series with a direct and powerful question: Are you dead or alive? If Jesus really did die and rise again—as we've seen clearly through eyewitness accounts, historical documentation, and fulfilled prophecy—then the resurrection demands a response from us. It’s not just something that happened to Jesus—it's something that’s meant to happen in us.

In Romans 6, Paul makes it clear that Jesus's resurrection isn’t just a theological event; it’s a personal invitation. When we put our faith in Jesus, we’re not just forgiven—we are buried with Him in death and raised with Him to new life. That’s what baptism represents. It’s not a box to check or a religious ritual. It’s resurrection rehearsal—a public declaration that we’ve died to our sins and now walk in the power of a new life in Christ.

Jesus didn’t come to offer behavior modification. He came to put the old self to death and raise us into supernatural, Spirit-empowered living. But many believers stay stuck in patterns of sin, not because grace isn’t powerful enough—but because they haven’t yet fully surrendered. You don’t beat sin by trying harder—you beat sin by dying to yourself.

We aren’t just saved from something—we are saved into a brand-new way of being alive.

APPLY

Are you alive in Christ… or just existing?

What’s one area in your life where you’ve been trying to manage sin instead of putting it to death?

What is ONE WAY you will actively die to sin this week so that you can walk in resurrection life?

(Examples: confessing a habit, recommitting to prayer, getting baptized, seeking accountability, etc.)

PRAY

Take a moment to reflect and ask:

• “God, am I living like someone who’s been raised with Christ?”

• “What am I still holding onto that you’re calling me to die to?”

• “Holy Spirit, give me the courage to walk in newness of life—starting today.”