Romans 6:11-14
Part one of this series is about finding out how God gives Christians power over sin. God has delivered Christians from the works of Satan that they should not obey them. Part one discussed how Satan does not have any power over Christ, and if Satan does not have power over Christ and Christ lives in Christians, then Satan has no power over Christians (2 Cor. 5:17).
This message will show the point I’m making In the next several verses of Rom. Chapter 6:11-14.There are three words to keep in mind:
A. Likewise
B. Reckon
C. Yield
Look at verse 11) (New King James Version Translation). “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Likewise means to “know”. It means having acquired knowledge about a particular subject. For example college students go to school, receive a degree and seek employment based on the knowledge they have. The Apostle Paul is saying, in order for Christians to understand verses Rom. 6:11-14, they must know or have knowledge of the meaning of the first 10 verses and what they mean (see Part one of Power over sin series to understand verses Rom. 6:1-10).
Christians must know that Jesus delivered them from sin. Christians can’t just say they know about Jesus. Christians must know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus delivered them from sin. In other words Christians must have a PhD in knowing that Jesus is real. Christians must have a Master’s degree in knowing that Jesus delivered them. Christians must know that Jesus died one Friday, rose on the third day (Sunday) went to heaven sprinkled His own blood on the Mercy Seat in the Heavenly Holy of Holies just for them.
Christians must know that it’s by the power of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of them that God can conquer any thing that Satan can throw their way. This message is going to deal with the doubts that Christians have about their own salvation. Christians doubt their salvation because of the sins they commit. Some might ask the question, “Well if I’m born again, then why do I still sin against God? Doubts start in the mind. Let’s look at Luke 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks”.
People are what they speak, it could be said that people are what they think, but people can stop the thoughts in the thinking process before they say them. Speaking comes from thinking. Before people speak words the must think them first. If people are thinking wrong then their speaking will be wrong. This concept goes for Christians as well. The word heart from Luke 6:45 can be translated and used interchangeably with spirit or mind. Because of the context of scripture the word mind will be used. So a good man out of the treasure of his mind brings forth that which is good, and an evil man out of the treasure of his mind, brings forth that which is evil, for from the abundance of the mind the mouth speaks.
Everything begins with a thought first then the speaking comes. For example, a married man can’t say that he woke up one morning and committed adultery by accident. He can’t look at the other woman and say. “Who are you? How did you get in my bed? No, it did not happen that way. One day he saw the woman and thought in his mind that he must have her, and then he acted on that thought. So Christians can’t blame the Devil for their sins. Satan and his fallen angels just plant the seed, but Christians can say for from the abundance of the heart (mind) the mouth speaks. The question now is what’s in Christian’s hearts (minds). Christians must put in their minds the Word of God. People say what they mean and mean what they say.
For example: If I said something to hurt my wife and later I began to feel bad about what I said. I should not go to my wife and say “I did not mean what I said”. If I did not mean what I said, I would have never said what I said. The reason I said what I said was because it was on the inside of me in the first place. People are not going to say anything that’s not in them. What I should have said to my wife was, “Forgive me for saying what I said”.
It’s just like people who love to use profanity. People who use profanity use it because it’s in them to use it. People, who love to tell people off, do so because it’s in them. This process started in childhood. Children learn from other people whether it’s from television, radio, or just watching and listening to their parents, children learn from other people.
If people are using profanity around children all the time and the child does not have someone there to tell them that using profanity is wrong, then they will do what they hear and see. Even when children who grew up in Christians homes will began to act on the words of the people they grew up around, people they listened to instead of using the words of God to help them in their lives. Now Christians can understand what Jesus meant when He said “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. Christians must watch what they say, because what they say comes from the heart.
Another example of this is found Prov. 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you”. Christians just like anyone else are what they think, but more importantly they are what they say and act on. People can change their thinking. Christians can stop the bad thoughts from taking over their lives. Christians can’t stop the bad thoughts from coming to them, but they can do what 2 Cor. 10:5,6 says, “casting down imaginations (arguments) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Phil 4: 8 says “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate (think) on these thing”.
Christians need to start thinking on good things instead of bad things. It’s just like those Columbine boys who killed their classmates. There was a bomb of hatred ticking on the inside of them waiting to explode. They allowed their minds (hearts) to be saturated with evil thoughts and those thoughts came out through their actions. If Christians are not careful, what’s on the inside of them will come out one day. It may not be today, tomorrow or next week, but if Christians dwell on it long enough it will come out through their actions. That’s why Christians should think on good things.
Another example is Prov. 6:16-19 “These six things the LORD (Yahweh) hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A HEART THAT DEVISES WICKED PLANS, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren”. God hates when people especially Christians; use their minds to think of wicked things. God hates when people use their minds to think of evil things they could do to someone else.
God has given everyone an imagination. People can use their imagination for good or for evil, and if they use it for evil, God hates it. Some may say “You don’t know what I’m thinking about” They must understand that people let others know what they are thinking by their actions, because before they act they must think first. Christians can say that they love God all they want, but action speaks louder than words.
The only way anyone can know that Christians mean what they say is through their action.
Look at Ps 38:12 “Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long.” In other words David is saying that there are people who sit around and think of evil ways to hurt people. There are people out there who just don’t like others.
In my life I have had supervisors try to get rid of me by writing me up on false accusations, but what happened was that they lost their job not me. You see “….The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jas. 5:16). The world does not know that “…since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you… (2 Thess. 1:6). The word of God says “….for the battle is not yours, but God’s (2 Ch. 20:15).
Christians don’t have to worry about people in this world and what they can say about and do to them. It does not matter what they think or do, God will and can turn it around.
Gen. 6:5 says, “Then the LORD (Yahweh) saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The people before the flood used their minds to think of evilness all the time. That’s why God destroyed the world with the flood, because the people thought about doing wicked things all the time.
Gen. 11:5-6, “But the LORD (Yahweh) came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD (Yahweh) said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose (imagine) to do will be withheld from them.”” When Christians make up in their minds (hearts) to do a thing then God can’t force them to do anything else? Christians have just tied the hands of God from working in their lives through their unbelief (Mark 6:5,6).
God has made human beings free moral agents, which means that God won’t override their wills. Christians must line up with the will of God. The only way God stopped the people at the tower was by changing their language. If they could not understand each other then they must stop building the tower.
What are Christians thinking about? What are the things that are on the inside of their minds? What do Christians see themselves doing in your minds? The bible says in Josh. 1:8 “This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success”.
If Christians put God’s word in their minds and meditate on his word then they will become successful in whatever they do, along with the persecution of being a Christian. If the doctor told me that I must diet and exercise to lose 30 to 40 pounds, and I tell him “I won’t do it”, then it will be my fault for the heart attack or stroke that I may have. I will reap what I have sown. If Christians don’t have a job and a fast food restaurant is hiring, but they don’t want to work at a fast-food restaurant, then they just don’t want to work. They will reap what they have sown.
Christians should put good thoughts in their minds. Isa. 55:8 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD (Yahwah). ” Think about this, let Christians get rid of their ways and their thoughts and use God’s ways, and God’s thoughts. If Christians make God’s ways their ways, and God’s thoughts their thoughts, then they can’t go wrong. Christians must get rid of their wicked imaginations, and pick up God’s word; place it on the inside, which is their hearts (minds). When Christians put God’s Word on the inside of their hearts then it will come out through their speaking and action.
Personally, I stopped watching uneducated TV and stop listening to the worldliness of the radio a long time ago. Instead of singing down at the Cross, I was singing songs by worldly musicians and singers. I was speaking their words more than I was speaking and doing God’s word. Who do Christians know more information about than they do Jesus? Do other Christians know the TV or movie stars more than they know about the only true star, Jesus the Christ? Other Christians need to know more about Jesus than anyone else. No celebrity can save humanity like Jesus did.
Heb. 11:1 says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Another way of saying “hope for” is “Seeing it in the future through the imagination”. The only way a Christian could see something that they hope for is through their imagination. For example, in the winter season, a lot of people imagine themselves seating on a beach in Jamaica or California sipping on an ice cold glass of lemonade. Some people drive old beat up cars can see themselves through their imagination driving a brand new car. Some people want to live in a better house than the house they live in so they can see themselves through their imagination living in a better house.
Heb 11:1 says now faith is the substance of things hoped for or what is being sought after in the future. Christians can see the future through their imagination. Don’t twist what’s being said here. Those examples were used so Christians can see how they can as humans use their imagination. God wants Christians to use their imagination for good. God wants, born again believers to see themselves doing His will, and living His word. Who’s words do you mediate on; the world’s word or God’s word.
A preacher has been quoted saying that when Christians meditate they pre-play their future. When Christians remember something they re-play their past. Children of God should stop re-playing their past and start pre-playing their future through the word of God.
The second word to be discussed is “reckon”, reckon means to consider. James said in Jas. 1:2 “My brethren, count (consider) it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;” When saints of God are going through different trials and temptations they must consider that God has already made a way for them to escape. Christians must say, “I know that this problem is not going to last because God has made a way. I have already seen it by faith through my imagination”.
That’s why God gave human beings an imagination, to see Him deliver them out of their situation before they are delivered. If Christians use their imagination by the power of the Holy Ghost, they will see God delivering them every time.
One reason why Christians don’t really believe that they have been delivered from the power of Satan is because they don’t hear about it enough. The Bible says in Rom 10:17 “That faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Christians must read, study, and listen to sermons talking about deliverance from the power of Satan.
Christians must get in the Word of God and say, “LORD I have a situation in my life”, and then they must find the scriptures that coincide with their situation and wait for the manifestation of their answer. Christians must put those scriptures and prayers in their hearts (minds) and confess them out of their mouths and act on and wait for the manifestation.
Mark 11:23,24 says, For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ’Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” It starts with the thinking process; do Christians doubt God’s word? Or do they believe that God’s word will bring them out every time? Christians need to “Likewise” study God’s word and “Reckon” consider God’s Word first in any situation.
In conclusion Christians need to “Yield”. Rom. 8:12-14 says “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 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. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
When Christians are going through temptations in their lives, they must get a picture on the inside, ( of their hearts which is your minds) seeing themselves doing what God wants them to do, and when they see themselves doing what God wants them to do they will began to “yield”. Yield the members of their bodies as instruments for God. The question might be asked, “How do I use the members of my body for God? Well children of God must mediate day and night through careful study, prayer, confession and acting on God’s Word. Use the imagination to see yourself doing God’s word. When temptation days come for the Christian, they will have the word of God to help them fight the temptation. If Christians need a job, they can quote
“Phil 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus”. After born again believers quote the scripture then they should see themselves through their imagination having their needs met by God, then confess that their needs are met. After they confess then Christians should act on the Word of God by going out and finding a job and don’t give up until they find one. It might take one day, one week, one month, or one year, but wait until the manifestation comes. If you don’t have food in your refrigerator then get a picture on the inside of your holy ghost imagination and see God filling your refrigerator with food and then act on his Word by going out and believe that God will help you find the resources. Christians walk by faith (believing, confessing and acting on God’s Word) not by sight (2 Corinth. 5:7). Christians walk by what the Word of God says not by what the world says.
Paul says yield ye your members to righteousness not unrighteousness. Christians were unsaved and in the world. Before Christians were saved they used their minds and bodies for the world, which is Satan’s system of living. But one day they repented of their sinful nature and accepted Jesus as your savior and Lord, now by the power of the Holy Spirit they can use their minds and bodies for God. So remember to “Likewise” which is to say study, “Reckon” which is to consider the Word of God, and “Yield” which is to use the power of the Holy Spirit to help you use your mind and body for God, because sin (the sinful nature) does not live here (inside you) anymore.
