Dealing With Sins
Romans 6:2 – God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
1. Wrong ways to preach on sin.
a. Stop sinning! Repent! What you’re doing is sin – This is how most sermons on sin are preached, this is like someone telling me the oil in my car needs to be changed. It’s right information but doesn’t help me accomplish anything.
b. Your sin doesn’t matter, we’re under grace – The last part is true, the first part no so much – Rom 5:20-6:1, Eph 5:3-7.
c. Real Christians don’t sin – 1John 3:4-9 has to do with law keeping and is dispensational – Eze 36:25-27 - but what about these verses – Rom 7:25, 1Cor 3:15, Eph 4:30.
d. Confess your sins for forgiveness – Mark 1:4-5, 1John 1:9, James 5:16…….. but – Eph 4:32, Col 2:13
2. Right doctrine = Right behavior – 1Corinthians 15:33
a. You first must be saved from sins before you can overcome them – Romans 4:24-25, 5:8-9, 6:23,
b. You must also be honest with yourself when you do sin, confession and repentance are good things, but not for forgiveness – If we are to not be partakers with the unrighteous, we need to be able to identify what unrighteousness is – Eph 5:3-7, this comes from having Gos word in you - 2Timothy 3:16-17.
c. You must know who you are in Christ, believe it, and walk in it – Eph 5:8, Col 2:8-14, 1Cor 6:11.
d. Being in Christ is not a work you do, God does it – 1Cor 12:13, 1Cor 1:30.
3. In Christ we are dead to sin
a. The phrase “dead to me” means – An expression of such utter distaste for a person or object that it calls for the personal denial of its worldly existence – This is how we should think of our old man
b. Knowing this, the old man is crucified – Romans 6:6 – God performs this at salvation, not us.
c. In Christ you are dead to sin – Rom 6:2,4,6,7 – It takes reckoning this to be true to overcome sins – vs 11.
d. The battle over sins is won in the mind first – Romans 12:1-2.
e. Yield yourself to God – Romans 6:12-13, 2Cor 5:14-15.
4. It’s a daily battle
a. A common phrase “Saved from the power of sin but not the presence of it”
b. Paul still struggled with sin – Romans 7:14-25
c. We need strength in the inner man which comes from the Spirit – Col 1:9-11 – Knowledge comes from Gods word – Eph 5:18-20, Col 3:16-17.
d. Replace sinful thoughts and actions with good ones – Phil 4:8-9
e. Replace sinful deeds with doing Gods will – 1Tim 2:4, Eph 2:10, 3:9-10.
f. Don’t live in the past – Phil 3:12-14.
