Teaching Text

Romans 6:1-14

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 

Sermon Recap

This Sunday in our Missional Formation series, Pastor Sam Gibson spoke on the distinctive of Crucified and Consecrated, focusing on the discipline of fasting. Living a crucified and consecrated life allows believers to put to death their fleshly desires and makes space for Jesus to resurrect His desires in us. Building a lifestyle of fasting is one of the most effective and powerful practices that brings about this transformation in our lives. Yet, while many Christians know they should fast, they often don’t understand why or how best to approach this discipline. More than just abstaining from eating, fasting is an intentional act of surrender that positions us to receive more of God.

The Pharisees in Jesus’ day had a strong and consistent fasting culture, but they missed Jesus when He was in their midst. In the same way, we can miss Jesus when we focus on performance over His presence. To provide a more wholistic view of fasting, Pastor Sam outlined six key benefits of fasting he has encountered in his experience with this discipline. First is the Quiet Soul: fasting silences the distractions of life, helping us tune into God’s voice. It shifts our focus from external noise to internal stillness, where we can better hear and experience the Lord. Second is the Amplified Word: when we fast, Scripture comes alive in a fresh way. Our hearts become more sensitive to God’s Word, and His truth speaks with greater clarity and power. Third is the Exposed Heart: fasting brings what is truly in our hearts to the surface. It reveals areas of struggle, unhealthy attachments, or misplaced dependencies, allowing us an opportunity to surrender them to God.

Fourth is the Solid Identity: Fasting reminds us that our identity is not in what we consume, produce, or accomplish, but in who we are in Christ. Fasting re-centers us on God’s love and sufficiency instead of our own strength. Fifth is the Holy Hunger: Physical hunger mirrors our spiritual hunger. Fasting deepens our longing for God and reignites our passion for His presence, breaking complacency, and stirring fresh faith. Finally, the sixth benefit is the Spiritual Breakthrough: Some breakthroughs require more than just prayer, and fasting adds power to our intercession. Throughout Scripture and history, fasting has been a key catalyst for spiritual renewal and divine intervention. Pastor Sam warned that oftentimes we might only seek this benefit in fasting, but it will fall short without the previous five.

While fasting is a powerful discipline, it is important to approach it with wisdom and grace. As we build a culture of fasting both as individuals and as a church community, Pastor Sam provided practical steps for integrating fasting from food into our lives. He encouraged us to start small (such as fasting from sunup to sundown once a week), build gradually (progressing to longer fasts over time), keep our focus on God rather than on ourselves, remember God’s sufficient grace, exercise wisdom for our season and circumstances, and most importantly, pray for God’s help.

For additional information and resources about “Crucified + Consecrated” you can check out the guide here.