Ashes:Victory over SIN!!

 

Rom 6:1-3What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

 

SIN….A three letter word that God hates and our flesh loves.The word first occurs in the Bible in Genesis 4:7

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

The Bible personifies SIN.Its equivalent to a person whom you encounter.You meet that person only after a particular step.WHEN YOU DO NOT DO WHAT IS RIGHT,SIN crouches at your door.At the door of your heart,you will find SIN.This guy desires to have you.It will pull you away from the communion you need to have with God.

 

The Lord wants/expects you to MASTER over this guy called SIN.

 So SIN is not an ACT,it’s the effect of an ACT.You do something not right,you meet this guy called sin.

Then there can be only 2 results.EITHER Sin will pamper you or You will subdue it.

CAIN succumbed to SIN..Let me explain about effects of sin from this chapter(Gen 4)

1. Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him(v8)Sin justifies your act.The most evident nature of sin is you get pampered that you do not know what you are doing.SIN satisfies your momentary sinful desire.It makes you blind on what you do.
2. Sin causes you to sin more.Its effect is exponential.Here after the Lord enquires about Abel,Cain tells a lie”I do  not know where he is”
3. Sin causes you to go away from the Presence of God(v16)

The cycle of sin is common in every case mentioned in the scriptures,

We do something not right(in our thoughts or deeds)àWe encounter sinàWe try to justifyàWe try to cover upàPresence of God is lost

 

 

The Holy Spirit in one’s life signifies the presence of God in Him.In Psalm 51 after David understood his sinful act he cries.

 

Cast me not away from thy presence O God and take not thy HOLY SPIRIT from me.

NOW God didn’t design man to be overcome by SIN,but He wants man to overcome the sinful nature he is in.

Paul writes to HEBREWS.

4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood

So it’s a struggle,a struggle lifelong between 2 natures in you,the flesh and the SPIRIT.When you succumb to the flesh you encounter sin,when you submit to the Holy Spirit,you encounter His presence!!

What should be our response when encountering sin

1)Confess it clearly to God the father.(1 John 1:8-9)

8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

 Ps 51:3 For I know my transgressions,
       and my sin is always before me.  4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
       and done what is evil in your sight

 

2)Claim the deliverance from the Lord Jesus Christ.(Isaiah 1:18)

The Lord says Come now, let us reason together,"
       says the LORD.
       "Though your sins are like scarlet,
       they shall be as white as snow;
       though they are red as crimson,
       they shall be like wool.

 19 If you are willing and obedient,
       you will eat the best from the land;

God promises to cleanse you through and through.He promises deliverance through the cross and resurrection power of our Lord Jesus.The act of deliverance from your sins belongs to God.Jesus did it all.This is the power of the gospel,the good news,yes we can be delivered from the power and bondage of sin.

Sin offers a wage and that is death.Rom 6:23”The wages of sin is death”

We read in 1 cor 16 Where, O death, is your sting?"^[h] 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

JESUS CHRIST CAME TO OUR WORLD to save us and deliver us

Heb 2:14-15 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Child of God claim your deliverance.

God made him who had no sin to be sin^[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 cor 5:21)

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.(1 peter 2:24)

 

3)Cling to the Holy Spirit for power from above to fight the good fight of faith.(Acts 1:8)

Lives yielded to the Holy Spirit is powerful.Sin’s clutches cannot torment us again,only if we hear the voice of God and live accordingly.Our Lord did not leave those 12 disciples without power.He said”When the Holy Spirit will come upon you,you shall receive power”.O what a difference the Spirit makes in our lives.

He gives a purpose and a passion in our lives for more of God and less of flesh.

See Isaiah 35 for understanding that realm which God wants us to be.

Remember GOD IS MIGHTY,though we are weak.lets say bye to our sins,our egos..Live the Life God wants us to have.Abundant life and not stolen life!!!

 

A famous hillsong chorus goes like this.

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, Author of Salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave