Again…Are we to Continue in Sin…No
We are dead to Sin
We are able to resist Sin
We do not yield our Bodies to Sin
NCBC, 2/22/03, Romans 6:11-13
How should you and I look at our salvation and this walk that we are walking?
Is there any hope for us? There is every hope.
Even Paul the Apostle said that when he did not want to sin, he still sinned, based on this I know that I will have failures and setbacks in my walk with Christ.
I know that many days I will err in doing what is that “Good and Perfect will” of God.
It is the times that I become prideful and seek after what will bring me things and get my mind off of and out of the “mind of Christ” that I end up...
Getting Angry…
Having unkind thoughts…
Being prideful…
Seeking after things instead of seeking after the things of Christ…
Yet there is one thing I know…I do not get up thinking that I will go out and sin…I get up seeking to be more like Christ each and every day.
What about you???
Let’s see why the true believer does not continue in sin and does not live in
sin. We are counted in Christ to be able to conquer and triumph over sin…in and through Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are dead to Sin
Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We are to count ourselves dead to sin, but alive to God.
The question becomes “How does the believer keep from walking in sin?”
We are to count ourselves dead to sin. If we are true believers, then we
have died with Christ. God has taken our belief and counted us as having died in Christ,
and a dead man can do nothing; he cannot sin...Praise God.
We are simply to receive this truth into our heart and life, having total conviction and being convinced of it.
Again we must lean not only on our understanding because, God has given the Holy Spirit to stir and build confidence of this glorious truth within us.
The Holy Spirit is our “seal,” our guarantee, of salvation.
So one might ask what is our part in overcoming sin?
Trusting fully in God…
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
“God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer
therein?...Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body
of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he
that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:2, 6-7).
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections
and lusts” (Galatians 5:24).
“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3).
“It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with
him” (2 Tim. 2:11).
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we,
being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were
healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
If we are dead to sin, then we must count ourselves to be “alive in Christ”.
We are not only identified with Christ in death, we are identified with Christ in resurrection.
God not only counts our faith as death in Christ, HE counts our faith as life in Christ.
We are counted to have risen in Christ’s resurrection.
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus counts as the resurrection of the believer. As Jesus Christ was raised to a new life, so we have been raised to a new life.
Amazing our identity in Christ, Isn’t it?
As Jesus Christ was raised to live in the presence of God and to serve HIM forever, so we are raised to live in the presence of God and to serve HIM forever.
How is your service???
Have you received into your heart and life the truth of Jesus’ resurrected life.
If so then you should “live unto God.”
Then it follows that you would have the greatest desire to “serve God and
not sin.”
Let the believer walk before God in his new, resurrected life; let him walk
soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Let him walk... •counting himself •treating himself •considering himself •regarding himself...as alive to God, now and forever serving God.
“For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him”
(Luke 20:38).
“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive
unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11).
“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or
die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8).
“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live
unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor.
5:15).
Who indeed is responsible for this great transformation that people see in us?
Is it us? No indeed.
The most glorious truth is that our new life is due fully to Christ and Christ alone in our life.
All that we know—his glorious deliverance from sin and the wonderful victory
of eternal life—is due to Christ’s death and resurrection.
We need to understand that if we really keep our mind upon the death and resurrection of Christ that is when we may walk above sin.
In Christ we have the freedom to walk free from sin in Christ Jesus who conquered it every step of the way bringing glory and honor to God by the victory of HIS righteous life.
We must continuously remember…The believer who keeps their mind and thoughts upon their position in Christ’s death and resurrection will conquer sin—every time.
We are able to resist Sin
Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
What are we to do then?
We must simply resist sin and the lusts thereof.
This is an imperative—a forceful command. It requires action on our part.
It is up to the you and I to resist sin through Christ Jesus in our lives; we are responsible for resisting it.
1. We must not let sin reign: have authority, rule, control, occupy, hold sway, or prevail over us.
The present tense is used, so the idea is a continuous attitude and behavior. The believer is always to keep his mind off sin.
Imagine that in this day and age of television, news, internet, video games, books and every other sort of media that is out there that tells you that sin isn’t too bad in little portions.
We is to keep our mind under control by keeping our mind off... •wealth and material things •position and power •recognition and fame •the lust of the eyes •the lust of the flesh •the pride of life •parties and sex •appearance and clothes
We are simply not to allow sin to dominate, control, and reign in our mortal body. Sin is not to dominate our thoughts and life. We are to resist sin by standing against it and by
rebuking and fighting against it. We are to oppose sin with all our might.
“Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto
thee” (John 5:14).
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in
the lusts thereof” (Romans 6:12).
“Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of
God: I speak this to your shame” (1 Cor. 15:34).
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if
any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous” (1 John 2:1).
Believers must not obey sin in its lusts. The word means strong desire, craving or passion.
You must recognize that the pull of sin is sometimes strong, very strong and our flesh truly knows what it is to lust after things, after more and more, whether it be money, property, security, position, pleasure, fun, or mental are fleshly stimulation.
We are not to yield to these pulls. We must not let the lusts of our eyes and flesh rule and regulate our mind and behavior. We must not let lust order our life. We must not obey sin in its lusts, in its cravings, desires and passions. We must resist the lusts of this “mortal body.”
“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it
is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy
whole body should be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29).
“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13).
“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the
flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Romans 13:14).
“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness,
which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5).
“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from
fleshly lusts, which war against the souls” (1 Peter 2:11).
“That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts
of men, but to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2).
How are you doing in this battle? Again it can be won only when you daily strive to be in the mind of Christ.
We do not yield our Bodies to Sin
Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Why Shouldn’t we yield our bodies to Sin???
Because God tells us through Paul…
(1) Sin is an offense and a disease, it is a master or a ruling power.
(2) Sin is not “destroyed” in the believer. It is still active and can still injure. The believer is to fight against its pull.
(3) The body is not the source of sin, but the Bible says and man’s experience proves that the body is the instrument of sin, the very organ sin uses to manifest itself and satisfy itself.
The body is under the heavy influence and severe power of sin and corruption—so much so that we often allow the sensual appetites of the body to enslave our soul and lead us to sin, even against what we all know to be better judgment.
We have ample evidence of the worlds view in this…as we see this in the recent attempt to bring homosexual marriages to regular mainstream life in New England and California…which in reality this nation already has done in many cases…
Homosexuals now have protects in numerous states that aren’t even afforded our children…
Many states allow every benefit to go to these individuals who choose to openly live in sin…
Don’t get me wrong…God loves them…they just need to understand that HE can only save them if they repent of their behaviors and come to God on HIS terms…recognizing that homosexuality is a sin and a desecration to all that is good and perfect in this world.
In their chosen separation God will not accept a piece of paper from any country or government that is contrary to HIS commandments and choosing to live a sin stained life belittling the suffering of Christ.
Therefore, true believers are strongly encouraged to resist—“let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies” (Romans 6:12).
This nation allowed it to be legal to a certain degree for people to consume alcohol many years ago, we still suffer the greatest of tragedies from this decision…we know that sin is the disease, not alcoholism or homosexuality or theft or sexual crimes…but sin.
We are able to stand strong in the word of God Philippians 4:13 (KJV) I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Have you found this strength in your life?
Do you even know what is right and what is wrong and why it is right or wrong?
You should be able to see easily from Paul’s writing that this is a difficult situation that we face and Paul encourages us…not in ourselves but by turning to Christ Jesus in our each and every situation to be victorious in our walk with Christ.
Of course we have to be found in Christ to be able to do all things through Christ, and the question then becomes…are you found in Christ???
Is your name written in the Lamb’s Book of life?
So what about you? So where is your hope or help today?
You see, God’s word gives us the answers to life’s most complex and complicated questions if we will only follow up, don’t give up, but get up, look up, and allow God to lift us up in our lives and the situations which come our way.
We can come to this place only after we truly come to Jesus. How?
We must come and admit to God that we are sinners. The bible tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
So if we recognize that we are sinners God calls us to repentance for “While we were yet sinners God sent HIS only begotten son to die for all who believe and call on Jesus’ name.”
Is God is leading you today? Do you want to come to a place of acceptance so that you can follow up, get up, look up and allow God to lift you up, then we ask you to come forward?
We would love to pray with you today, to help you become one with Christ, so that you may begin to walk in newness of life.
Then you can begin to daily faith by faith work out your sure salvation in the ways that God leads.
If you have any prayer needs or concerns we would love to pray for you. We will continue to lift up the leaders of the United States and all of the allies that are aligned against the nations of terror. We will also lift up our men and women in uniform and those loved ones while they are out doing the will of God.
Closing Prayer.
Bruce P. Landry
Nome Community Baptist Church
Ranger1401@hotmail.com
