The Great Dethroning of Reigning Sin – Part 1

Romans 6:10-14, preached Sunday, June 21, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Here is an excerpt:

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There is a battlefield around us that many know nothing about. It is a battle that all must fight, and win, else it cost you your life. The reality of the battle against the dominion of sin is a real one…and he who denies the reality of the battle is a fool. From John Owen's "Mortification of Sin":

"…sin is always acting, always conceiving, always seducing and tempting….If, then, sin will be always acting, if we be not always mortifying, we are lost creatures. He that stands still and [allows] his enemies to double blows upon him without resistance, will undoubtedly be conquered in the [battle]. If sin be subtle, watchful, strong, and always at work in the business of killing our souls, and we be slothful, negligent, foolish, in proceeding to the ruin thereof, can we expect a comfortable [outcome]?

That is not a very popular teaching in evangelicalism today. The teaching that we are to be actively engaged in the battle of killing sin in our lives. It is not a popular thing, to say that those who live sinful lives…those who are ruled and live under the power and reign of sin…even those who are good people in the eyes of the world, but live a life that is oblivious to the battle against indwelling sin that goes on all around us….shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.

This is a huge teaching! And many have taken on the Christianity of culture, which says that there is no standard, postmodernism is the rule, if it feels good do it, let us sin so that grace may abound, I'm covered in the blood, therefore my sin is no big deal, don't waste my time talking to me about sin and death and hell….the Christianity of culture says, "I want to have life improvement, I want stuff, and food, and wealth, and sex, and my own morals that are not dictated to me by anyone else, I want to please myself and my desires"…those who speak thus therefore are dead to what I am saying here today. There is no emotion connected to it, no desire to hear the Word speak to it, to fight sin and pursue holiness…only deadness and lifelessness and numbness to this, one of the greatest teachings in all of the Christian faith – that as Christ has died to sin to live to God, so all who are His, are dead to the reign of sin, and live in the reign and power of God.

O, Father, create life, where there is only death! Create in those who are deaf to your words, hearing, and to those who are totally blind to your truth, give sight! Where there is hardness, create tenderness and emotion! There is a battle, and we are on the battlefield! Let us hear Your Word, and be triumphant in the power of the Spirit of God who raised Christ from the dead!

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Newness of Life – Part 1

Romans 6:1-7, preached Sunday, May 31, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Here is an excerpt:

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What did the death of Christ accomplish? It crushed the head of Satan. The death of the Son of God thwarted Satan's rule over God's people. It is exactly contextually complete with what has been said already. In Adam, we died. Satan wielded the power that God gave him, and used it to inflict a mortal wound. But God made a promise, directly concerning this…that the seed of the woman would come. Perfect, sinless Man; infinite, holy God in human flesh would live and die and be raised again conquering death. That the death of Christ, being just a bruise on His heel, would crush the head of Satan. Satan, who tempted and drew mankind into sin, who rules and reigns as the god of this world, has been dealt a fatal blow to the head, in that he cannot rule and reign over those who are in Christ. His throne has been debunked.

Now again, I do not wish to make this statement sound incredulous, or otherwise hard to believe, but I do want it to be said in the sense and in the power of argument in which the Apostle makes it. In the same way that the free gift of grace sounds too good to be true to the unbeliever, so as much that it sounds scandalous, we find here the same sort of scandalous teaching of Paul….in that sin can no longer rule over believers! Now let me say this about this statement, which has been said of the statement in verse 1…. "....If your preaching of salvation has not been misunderstood in this way, then you had better examine your sermons again, and you had better make sure that you are really preaching the salvation that is offered in the New Testament"

Folks, it is wrong to use the pulpit as a place of condolence to shallowness. No, it is a place to say the incredible things that the Bible says, and to let them rest on your minds and hearts as incredible. I won't say what is too often said, "…Well, we are all sinners, so we can't help what we do." God forbid! We who are in Christ are not sinners, in the sense that sin is the controlling influence on us! I shall by no means shallow-up these deep waters so to make you think you can wade in them. Because if you come in expecting to wade, you will drown. Brothers and sisters, I shall not do any such thing, but I desire to show you how deep the water is, and then teach you how to swim in it, adoring its depth!

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Click here to download the audio and listen now!

You can download the complete sermon manuscript by clicking here.