Be Free From Sin Series

Todays’ message is from our Series CHRISTIANS OUGHT TO and

is titled CHRISTIANS OUGHT TO - Be Free from All Sin (Part II of III)

Romans 6:10-14 (NKJV)

10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives,

He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin,

but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your

mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members

as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being

alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

We are to be “dead indeed to sin.”

But “alive in Christ Jesus.”

We “therefore” are NOT to “let SIN REIGN” in us

Why? We would then OBEY the LUSTS of SIN.

And we are NOT to use any parts of our body as

“INSTRUMENTS of UNRIGHTEOUSNESS” to SIN

And finally, “SIN shall NOT have DOMINION” over you and me.

Let’s try to put this into a simple list for us to understand and follow:

1. DEAD to SIN

2. ALIVE in CHRIST

3. SIN shall NOT REIGN

4. DISOBEY the LUSTS of SIN

5. Keep our body PARTS from UNRIGHTEOUS things

6. SIN can NEVER DOMINATE

The key here seems to be DOING AWAY with the SIN in our LIVES!

How many of us find that easy to do?

I mean completely divorce ourselves from SIN?

Most likely if you said “YES” you probably just told a FIB!

Paul presents to you and I several good arguments in two categories

concerning this exoneration (to be vindicated; acquitted) of SIN.

1. Mortification [more-tiv-eh-cation] (embarrassed and to rid or subdue)

2. Vivification [vive-eh-cation] (to be re-vitalized, brand new)

Mortification

1 Peter 4:1-3 (NKJV)

1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh,

arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who

has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in

the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in

doing the will of the Gentiles--when we walked in

lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties,

and abominable idolatries.

Peter agrees with Paul and goes on to tell us that

we have spend enough of our lifetime SINNING and

it’s high time to CEASE all the SINNING…

NO MORE SINNING… NOTHING but the WILL of GOD

According to verse six we are to DESTROY the old self…

HARSH words

BUT necessary words

We are to NOT only CEASE from the ACTS of SIN

BUT we MUST ARREST those vicious HABITS and

INCLINATIONS

Our motivation should be SERVE GOD not SIN

Thus…WE MUST be dead to SIN and let it GO!

Allowing it NO LONGER to REIGN in our LIVES

It MUST never RULE over your LIFE or your DECISIONS

We must never HASTEN to the VOICE of SIN and its LUSTFUL thoughts

And don’t forget about the MEMBERS in verse 13.

NO PART of us should be INFLUENCED by SIN

Don’t TOUCH, Don’t SPEAK, Don’t HEAR, Don’t TASTE

And Don’t WATCH

Instead be SANCTIFIED!

Before going on to Vivification, let’s once again make a list

of what we just covered so that we never forget:

1. CEASE and DESIST SINNING

2. DESTROY the OLD SELF

3. ARREST OLD habits

4. SERVE GOD NOT SIN

5. KNOCK SIN off the THRONE

6. SIN will NO LONGER RULE

7. MIND the MEMBERS (the five senses)

Can we remember them? We can if we keep going over them…

And making them part of our NEW SELVES

Vivification

We need to be REVITALIZED… we need to be ALIVE in CHRIST!

We are to be NEW CREATURES

Like with the bath water… OUT with the BAD and IN with the NEW

This NEWNESS includes brand new… shiny NEW HABITS

Like reading His Word each day

Finding NEW COMPANIONS that want to SHARE in your NEW WALK

You SHOULD be what you were NOT and DO what you DID NOT

You MUST DELIGHT in the LORD and NOT be COMPLACENT

Your HEART should BURST with the LOVE of CHRIST!

REMEMBER: Anima est ubi amat, non ubi animat…

The SOUL is WHERE it LOVES, rather than WHERE it LIVES.

Our SOUL is to have a DEEP DESIRE towards GOD

We should WANT… FEEL the NEED… to HONOR and GLORIFY Him

And we MUST GIVE ourselves to Him… to DO His WILL

We are to SERVE Him… NO LONGER OURSELVES (2 Cor 8:5)