Declaring Independence from the Devil
Introduction
As we celebrate our national day of Independence, le us remember that as Christians we enjoy an even greater freedom in Christ.
John 8:36 says “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”
In Christ we have freedom from the dominion of sin.
Romans 6:22 “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. “
Also in Romans 3:23 we find that all of us struggle with sin. Whether or not we are made free from sin depends on how we deal with the fact that there is sin in our lives. Today we want to look at three responses people make to the sin in their lives.
a) The first two are bad, they keep us in the bondage of sin
b) The last one is the proper response to the sin in our lives. It is the only way out of the maze of confusion that Satan wants us to stay in forever.
Some respond to sin by denying it exists.
From the beginning of time people have tried to make excuses for their conduct so they could feel justified.
Back in the Garden of Eden we see Adam blaming Eve, and even God for his sin. (Genesis 3:12 And the man said, "The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.")
In turn Eve blamed the serpent (Genesis 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate.")
Today courtroom defendants have taken denial of responsibility to new levels.
a) The boys in Littleton, Colorado; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Pearl, Mississippi; and every other city where school violence has escalated into mass shootings are not to be blamed for their actions. They were mistreated in school, called names, not picked first to play a team sport. The violence was not their fault.
b) Nobody wants to admit, “I did it!” instead we all want to be victims and tell everyone what was done to me. That’s why across the board public repentance is down along with personal responsibility of taking the gospel into all the world.
Sinners who refuse to see themselves as lost in sin will never seek forgiveness.
They may pray but their prayers are cold and like those of the Pharisee in the temple.
(Luke 18:10-15 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ’God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ’God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted." And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them.
The spiritually blind need to clear their vision so that they can see themselves as they truly are. Christ’s message to the church in Laodicea applies to so many today. Revelation 3:17-18 “’Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.”
Some respond to sin by getting defensive about their sin.
Preaching against smoking and drinking will cause some people to get fighting mad.
I even know of a story where a preacher preached on Marriage divorce and remarriage and was challenged to a fight after worship.
In Acts chapter 7 we read of Stephen rebuking his audience for their sins.
In Peter’s sermon in chapter two we see the crowd was cut to the heart and said Men and brethren what do we do?
Following Stephens’s sermon we see that they were also cut to the heart but verse 54 says they began to gnash on him with their teeth. The mob took him out of the city and stoned him.
Both sermons accused their audiences of murdering the Christ but the reaction was very different.
In Matthew 14:8 we see that Herodias was much more cunning and pre-meditated in her response to John the Baptist’s remarks about her sinful marriage. She arranged for John to be beheaded and his head brought to her on a silver tray.
Our first response when we are face to face with our own sin should not be accusation but self-examination.
Don’t ask how can I get back at the one who accused me. Or how can I make my accuser look worse than I do?
Ask “Is it true?” 2 Cor 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?
We should react to sin by moving from that sin and closer to God.
The first step in AA’s 12-step process is to admit that you have a problem. The same is true in declaring independence from the devil. We must admit that we are sinners.
We must be honest in our self-examination. Don’t try to justify our actions or our reactions.
2 Samuel 12:13 shows us David’s right reaction to his sin when he was confronted by the prophet Nathan. “I have sinned against the Lord!”
We need to be people of confession.
It has been said that confession to God is admitting to Him what he already knows we have done.
Never the less we read in the Bible the importance of Confession to God and to others.
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Next we need to make a commitment to change.
Repentance is required before Forgiveness takes place.
Acts 17:30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent,
Acts 8:22 "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.
Luke 17:3-4 "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ’I repent,’ forgive him."
Repentance is a change of mind about Sin – it is not enough to just say I’m sorry. You need to be sorry enough to do something about it. A change in thinking that leads to a change in behavior. The desire for sin must be killed. (Romans 6:2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?)
Follow Through
Having good intentions is not enough. Many people fall back into sin because they don’t keep the commitments they made.
In first Peter 5:8 we can see how tough of an opponent the devil is. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. We must constantly be on guard against him.
But we can successfully declare our independence from the Devil.
James 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.
Conclusion
Close with the story Bought to be freed. (Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks Vol. 1 page 52-55. )
