Amen, alright we're in Romans chapter number six tonight and we'll start in verse number
one where the Bible reads here, what shall we say then, shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound, God forbid, how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein.
Now Romans chapter six again as I mentioned last week is just a continuation.
If you read Romans chapter one all the way to Romans chapter six, obviously they deal
with a lot of different things, they'll deal with a lot of different subjects and doctrines
but all of them kind of tie in one with another.
And you'll see that at the end of each chapter and at the beginning of each chapter it denotes
a continuation, a thought, okay and it goes to show that in Romans chapter six the same
thing is taking place.
Now if you have your Bibles open there go to Romans chapter five and verse number twenty
why does he say, what shall we say then, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound.
So look at Romans chapter number five verse number twenty the Bible says moreover the
law entered that the offense might abound but where sin abounded grace did much more
abound that as sin hath rained unto death even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
So the Bibles teaching us there that if we're saved obviously that when we sin when we do
wrong it doesn't justify our sin, it doesn't mean we can continue in sin but the fact remains
that if we do sin guess what, grace will abound, okay.
We're not gonna go to hell, we'll never pay the penalty of our sin which is hell, we'll
never go to hell no matter what sin we commit and praise God for that, amen.
That's good news but the reality is this, though grace abounds, though we'll never lose
our salvation, though God is faithful does that mean we should continue in sin, no.
And in fact he says there in verse number two God forbid and I love the fact that it
says God forbid because so many people will look at our type of churches and our type
of beliefs and say oh you guys are once you know once saved always saved you guys so you
think that if you just believe that you can just continue in sin and do the most heinous
of crimes and all these things and the answer is no, okay.
Now we'll say this if we commit those sins if we commit those acts the Bibles the Bible
teaches us that God will chastise us right but not only that we will suffer the consequences
of those actions on this earth okay God will punish us for those sins on this earth and
that's fact but the Bible teaches us that we will never go to hell for that and the
Bible teaches us just because grace abounds doesn't mean we ought to just go ahead and
sin God forbids that you see this whole argument and this whole criticism of oh you guys just
believe however you want you live however you want look in my opinion if you're in the
Word of God and you're reading the Bible and you're in a good Bible believing church you're
gonna do your best to keep your life clean you're gonna hear some hard preaching you're
gonna hear things that are gonna deal with your sin and you're gonna want to clean that
up in your life okay but the Bible tells us that grace abounds when we mess up grace abounds
when we sin and thank God for that but should we continue in sin that grace may abound God
forbid the Bible says now Romans chapter number six is a great chapter to really not just
read but memorize okay in fact I was taught many years ago that Romans chapter six is
a great chapter to memorize to combat temptation to combat sin of course the Bible teaches
us that thy word have I hit in my heart that I might not sin against thee well I think
what a great chapter to just memorize to meditate upon is Romans chapter number six it gives
you something to reflect on it gives you something it gives you a weapons to fight with when
you're tempted to do that thing which is not pleasing in the eyes of the Lord and here's
the thing just because you're saved and just because you're a Baptist and just because
you have the King James Bible does not mean you're exempt from temptation you may be in
here tonight and you're getting hard preaching on a weekly basis but you may even be involved
in things that are not pleasing to God whether it's lust it's it's it's you know the foolishness
of the foolish thinking it's anxiety it's worry it's doubt it's covetousness it's idolatry
it's drunkenness now we may not know these things that you're struggling with those but
you may be struggling with those things okay how do you overcome them well I think this
is a great chapter to meditate upon to memorize and to quote when you are tempted because
the fact remains is that when we get saved our soul is saved but our but our body is
not okay and the the Bible says that the flesh lusts against the spirit the spirit
against the flesh these are contrary one to the other so that you cannot do the things
that you would so even though we're saved today our flesh still desires to do wicked
things and if you're constantly feeding into your flesh and you're giving into your desires
guess what you're gonna be a weak Christian you're gonna constantly be giving into that
which is displeasing unto the Lord so what do we have to do we have to make sure we combat
it we got to make sure that we apply what we're gonna learn tonight in the book of Romans
but Romans 6 is a continuing thought denotes continuation there it's important because
it deals with the practical aspect of just dealing with sin okay and look obviously as
we're gonna mention we can never lose our salvation and thank God for that but that
does not mean that sin will not remove the blessings of God in our life okay it does
not mean that sin cannot destroy our lives sin can just wreck your life destroy it and
have you die with dishonor I mean how many you think of Saul right who took his own life
and though Saul started off well he ended up very wrong and he ended up committing suicide
and guess what he's now a byword and a proverb in the mouth of many preachers throughout
all ages why because of a sin okay and we could look at many people a lot is a great
example of that okay you look at David and David although David is a man after God's
own heart he made some glaring mistakes that have stuck with them throughout the ages that
people have used as an example of what not to do right and so we need to take this serious
about getting sin out of our lives we're not talking about being sin having sinless perfection
that's that's impossible but you know we need to we need to press towards the mark right
it's not like well I'm just you know I can never be sinless so we're just gonna go ahead
and eat drink and be merry and fornicate and do whatever we want because I can never attain
to that that's not God's will the Bible tells us that he that the will of God is for us
to abstain from fornication okay that each of you should know how to possess his vessel
and sanctification and honor the Bible says these are things that we ought to attain to
and try to strive for in our personal lives and in fact the Bible even teaches be holy
for I am holy say it the Lord so yeah we're not sinless but guess what God still wants
us to live holy lives and the Christians that are the most guilty when it comes to
this are the liberal churches okay and I'm talking about the liberal churches that are
saved I know the vast majority are not okay because they teach a repent of your sins gospel
and they teach a works-based salvation I get that but there are some that are saved okay
or either that or the pastor say but he teaches a really watered-down gospel right but what
are they allowing these churches they allow the leaven to just leaven the whole lump they
accept the fornicators the faggots and all these things and what happens the church is
just filled with just a smorgasbord of sin and and what happens nothing's being done
about it because come as you are leave as you were right and look every sin should be
preached on you know not just drunkenness not just for we need to preach on being effeminate
okay we need to talk about being effeminate and not acting like a girl manning up you
say oh that's not that that's not loving no that's Bible okay and that's a sin that
every Christian male Christian needs to overcome needs to be able to get down pack why because
God is not pleased with that oh but God loves everyone you know God loves his people amen
but he doesn't like the fact that we disobey him and just because he loves us doesn't give
us a license to just live the way we want no we need to make sure that we are striving
to the standard that God wants us to be at okay and the Bible goes on to say there verse
2 God forbid how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein Titus chapter
3 verse 11 the Bible says for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared
to all men teaching us the nine ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously
and godly in this present world so the Bible is telling us here because you know you have
these little churches oh we're under grace brother you know we're not under the law we're
under grace you know we're not you know we're not we're under the law we're under grace
well the Bible says here that the grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and drinking
is ungodly fornication is ungodly okay smoking smoking ganja is ungodly okay all of that
is ungodly and here's the thing if you are a Christian and you're involved in those sins
guess what the grace of God you're not learning from the grace of God so if you're saying
well we're under we're not under the law we're under grace well you're not even under
grace apparently because you're not being taught by grace because the grace of God teaches
us to deny those things okay verse number 3 in Romans chapter 6 the Bible says know
ye not that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death
so I like the way he just starts this chapter he says look God forbid lest anyone should
think that obviously you know we can use the grace of God to commit lasciviousness and
all this wickedness God says no no I forbid that so don't get it twisted don't try to
misconstrue what I'm saying and we have thousands upon thousands of churches literal churches
trying to use the grace of God to commit fornication to get divorced to do all these wicked things
that God is not pleased with and say well you know you know we're under grace brother
you know God said you know go and sin no more you know he that is without sin among you
let him first cast a stone and all this all this nonsense and all these scriptures that
they take out of context no God forbids these things okay but verse 3 he gets into this
man he says know ye not that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized
into his death therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death that like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in
newness of life now he gets into the subject of being baptized and I believe every Christian
should be baptized amen as soon as you get saved you should be baptized right away but
baptism doesn't save you okay and baptism does not save you and a prime example of that
is the thief on the cross that is the my go-to character in the Bible to go to when people
tell me that you need to be baptized in order to be saved okay and I say what about the
thief on the cross you know he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus said today thou
shall be with me in paradise but guess what he had a little hard time to getting down
from the cross he didn't get a chance to do one good work he didn't get a chance to get
baptized he didn't get a chance to do anything for the Lord why because he was hanging on
the cross but guess what he was in paradise that day with Christ okay but baptism is important
you say why is it well first of all because God commands it in Matthew chapter 28 right
after we get saved we ought to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son of
the Holy Ghost not just in the name of Jesus as some would say we got to be baptized in
the name of the Father Son of the Holy Ghost but it's a picture it's a picture it's symbolic
and if you search the scriptures throughout the Bible God likes to use a lot of symbolism
to teach us biblical doctrines why because they expand our understanding in regards to
what he's trying to convey to us okay you think of the lamb excuse me the sheeps and
the goats in the Old Testament they were a symbol of Christ who's the lamb of God who
should take away the sins of the world and there's so many symbolic meaning within just
figures and animals and in the like that God likes to use in order to expand our understanding
what he's trying to teach us well that's the same thing with baptism and what do the works
based salvation do they take the symbol and they make that the doctrine okay they grab
baptism which is supposed to be a symbol and they use that to say well you need to be baptized
in order to be safe to wash away your sins okay well you know the only thing you're washing
is your filthy skin if you haven't taken a shower I mean we used to say at our old church
look if you're not saved and you've been baptized and you didn't get baptized you just got wet okay
that's all that happened because it's just a symbol of what takes place and by the way what
okay so if baptism saves you if it's supposed to be to wash away all your all the filth what about
your the filth in your mind does that wash it out too what about the filth in your heart because
there's sin in your heart too water water's not I mean it all goes through the years but it ain't
gonna go any further than that okay so it's symbolic is what it is and and here's the thing
is it's a great symbol because baptism literally means what immersion to be immersed well when Jesus
Christ died he was and this is a great example to use when talking to the baby baby sprinklers you
know because they sprinkle the babies on their head you know the Catholics and even the some
of the Protestants and they call that baptism well that's not baptism because baptism I didn't
they didn't put Jesus head just like his head in the tomb right I mean when you bury someone
someone dies you just stick their head in the in the dirt that's kind of morbid you know the whole
body goes in and that's what baptism means it means fully immersed so when someone when Jesus
Christ died he fully went into the grave and he fully came out of the grave okay that's what
baptism pictures and look if you never get baptized after you get saved first of all you're
disobeying God right but that doesn't mean you won't lose your salvation it's impossible it's
just a symbol it's just to say this look my ring if I leave it right here does not mean that I'm
unmarried you know what I mean and then look you can see the tan line on my hand on my finger you
can tell all right he has a ring on there but this is just a symbol of my marriage okay you know if
you're broke and you can't afford a ring or something you know this is just a symbol don't
worry about it that's why we're not I'm not about the bling bling okay amen you know I mean I gave
my wife a ring and it was a nice ring but you know what it wasn't a bling bling ring okay okay why
cuz it's just symbolic the diamonds right here okay are you guys gonna get that I was waiting
everyone just kind of like looked at me trying to wake you up here so it's it's symbolic and baptism
is just that and it says there therefore we are buried with them by baptism into death that like
as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we should walk in the news
of life here's another question I have for those who believe in baptism regenerate baptismal
regeneration you know they say we got to get baptized because you know that that's what saves
you well have you been fully resurrected right because that's part of it too no we have it in
fact we're still here but according to the Bible the new man right was birth okay so baptism is
simply a picture of our salvation it has nothing to do with our salvation go to Romans chapter
number three now we'll say this the Bible does say we should also walk in the news of life just
as Christ came out from the grave and he resurrected from the grave guess what we should
walk in the news of life it's a committee like yeah you should you should have some change in
your life if you don't does that mean you're not saved no but you should have some change right we
have the Holy Spirit of God living within us we can understand the Bible now we're no longer a
natural man we have all the spiritual resources at our disposal to be able to change some things
okay but it has nothing to do with our salvation Romans chapter 3 verse 26 is for a year all the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ
have put on Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek neither bond nor free there is neither male nor
female for a year all one in Christ Jesus and if you be Christ and are you Abraham seed and
heirs according to the promise so the Bible is teaching us that we're baptized into Christ we've
put on Christ okay and I think of just the testimony of the girl that I led to the Lord
on Sunday I mean she told me right off the bat yeah I'm going to heaven because I was baptized
you know I'm a Christian I'm going to heaven because I was baptized and I said you mind if
I just show you for it was one of those things where it's just like she's gonna get saved but
I'm just gonna plant that seed because we talked about planting seeds and all these things and I'm
giving her the gospel and she's just you know cuz the sun was in her eyes she's just like kind
of listen to me and then her mom came and said hey she's already got baptized she's a Christian
she goes to Sunday school okay you know and then before I could even respond the girl turns to her
mom and says mom didn't you just hear what he said none of that even matters she's a baptism
can't even save me and it was like a rude awakening for the girl which is a good awakening
amen she understood it and I think her mom was taken back over the fact that her daughter
recognized and she said okay you know I said just give me a couple more minutes she got saved and
thankfully the mom came afterwards and said what must I do to be saved and she wanted to be saved
she got saved as well I mean she tracked me down in her car and everything like that it was it was
great but here's the thing is we're not saved by baptism and obviously like the girl understood
that right go to Titus chapter 3 he said what does that picture what is the the baptism picture
obviously pictures of the death in a picture salvation why because Titus chapter 3 and verse
number 4 the Bible reads here but after the kind that the kindness of and love of God our Savior
toward men appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he
saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost so that's a picture
of what what took place there because once we got saved guess what we were renewed right and
in a sense of we were washed away of all our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ by the renewing of
the Holy Ghost now go to 1st Corinthians chapter 12 1st Corinthians chapter number 12 I'm thankful
that next next Thursday I can start baptizing amen people can say we can start baptizing them
but you know what that's not the prime motive that we have when we're preaching the gospel we want to
get him saved and then after that we want to get him baptized we want them to identify with the
death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ 1st Corinthians chapter 12 verse 12 says for as the
body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body
so also is Christ for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body whether we be Jews or
Gentiles whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one spirit for the body is
not one member but many so again we see that the term being used again of baptism but it's not
referring to the baptism that saves our soul okay it's not a physical baptism that can save our soul
and here's the problem you know if you really believe the baptism it can save you you probably
believe you can lose your salvation too okay and if you believe you can lose your salvation how
many times you get baptized throughout your life I mean you might as well just walk around with the
baptism with you because you're always sinning all right now go back to Romans chapter number
six what shall we say that shall we continue in sin the grace may abound God forbid how shall we
that are dead to sin live any longer there in knowing not that so many of us as were baptized
into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death now the reason he emphasizes that is because he's
what he's about to get into this matter of being dead to sin he goes no you not that as many as
were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death what does that mean he's gonna
go into this matter of you got to understand the word dead to sin does that mean we don't
know but our spirit doesn't sin okay now look what it says here verse five where if we have
been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall also we shall be also in the
likeness of his resurrection knowing this that our old man is crucified with them that the body
of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin now go to Galatians chapter
number two Galatians chapter number two so the Bible says that our old man is crucified with them
now when it says our old man you know it's not talking about like your husband okay it's talking
about the old man is referring to the flesh okay and obviously if any man be in Christ he is a new
creature old things have passed away behold all things are become new but the Bible teaches us
that when we get saved obviously our spirit comes to life okay we have the Holy Spirit of God living
within us in fact the Bible says that we're sealed unto the day of redemption and he's the
earnest of our inheritance and to the to the possession excuse me until the redemption of
the purchase possession the Bible says so the Holy Spirit of God lives within us but we still
have this flesh and the Bible calls our flesh the old man that's why when you get saved and even
years after you get saved you're still gonna struggle with the sins that the old man had
before you got saved okay and no one can tell me well you know what once I got saved I had no
desire to do these things no because you still have your old man they're just in the same body
okay and so the Bible largely condemns the old man obviously and the Bible teaches us in Romans
you're in Galatians in Romans chapter number six that our old man is crucified with him that the
body of sin might be destroyed so now we have the potential and the opportunity to die to the flesh
okay you know when we're not saved it's like we're just giving it to sin it doesn't matter
to us we have no power to overcome it we can't understand the Bible so we don't have the artillery
to be able to be victorious over it but now we have the Holy Spirit of God living within us
that's why no Christian has any excuse right the only excuse is well you know I haven't read my
Bible well that's not God's fault that's your fault right well you know you don't understand
my upbringing but you know what God is your Heavenly Father now well you understand I was
raised to believe like this but you know what now you can have a book that can renew your mind to
believe what's right so now it becomes a matter of our choice because now God has given us the at
our disposal the resources necessary in order to overcome sin and he says that our old man is
crucified with them the body of sin might be destroyed look at Galatians chapter 2 verse 19
for I through the law I'm dead to the law that I might live unto God 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 go to Galatians chapter
number 5 Galatians chapter number 5 verse number 24 the Bible reads here and they that are Christ
have crucified the flesh with the infections and lust if we live in the spirit let us also walk in
the spirit so this is very important because the Bible is teaching us that we add those who are
saved we're living in the spirit okay the Spirit of God lives within us we live in the spirit that's
referring to the fact that we're saved okay Ephesians chapter 1 verses 13 through 14 explains
that to us that after salvation the Holy Spirit God comes to live within us but he says there if
we live in the spirit in other words if we're saved we should also walk in the spirit so the
living in the spirit is this matter of positionally we're saved right but walking in the spirit is a
decision that we have to make on a daily basis to walk in the spirit and another portion that
you may not fulfill the lust of the flesh okay so Christians can have can live in the spirit but not
walk in the spirit you see this is a daily decision that you have to make to say I need
to be filled with the spirit today I need a walk Bruce quiet down we need to walk in the spirit to
say you know what I have these desires in my life and God I need a I need to surrender these things
I need to die to it I need to starve the body I need to starve the flesh I need to make sure that
I'm walking in the spirit I need to quote scripture I need to read the Bible I need to pray I need to
do all these things in order to walk in the spirit and it's likened unto start starving basically
something for instance and this is an example that someone gave to us long ago and it was about a
missionary and basically he led some Indians to the Lord he loved it he led the chief to the Lord
and he got saved he came back like a year later and he said chief how's it going you know how's
everything he goes good everything good only one bad thing he said he goes in me there's white dog
and there's black dog and they're always fighting and he's talking about the flesh and the spirit
and he said so what do you do or who wins he said and he says the one I feed the most and that is a
very true statement for any Christian he said why do I keep giving it to the flesh because you keep
feeding the flesh he said why do I struggle with lust and worldliness because you won't turn off
the stupid TV you won't turn off the garbage and the Hollywood movies and the things that will get
you in the flesh and dishonoring God you keep feeding the flesh then guess what the one who
wins is the one you feed the most but you know what if you're reading the Bible you're meditating
upon the things of God that which is holy and true and and lovely the Bible says if you're
constantly filling your mind with preaching and things that are godly guess what you'll be able
to overcome the flesh the flesh is weak the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak well you
know why the flesh is weak because you keep feeding the flesh okay oh man I just I just
struggle with this matter of just lust well you know why don't you just stop watching things
that'll make you less than and look unless you're a faggot every man lusts they struggle with lusts
okay so don't give me this well you know not me then get it get the hell out of our church then
if that's not you because every man does and we have to fight it on a daily basis but doesn't mean
we give into it all time okay and that's not to say we we don't give into it obviously we're flesh
we fall short of the glory of God we'll mess up so on and so forth but the fact remains is that
God has given us promises that we can overcome those things okay you can overcome that you can
have victory over that if we just walk in the spirit okay and we ask God to fill you with the
spirit and how do you do that also by reading the Word of God saturating your mind with the Bible
and look that's why it's important that we check our thought life too and this doesn't just go for
men this goes for the ladies as well because ladies sometimes they may not necessarily struggle with
lusts but you know they struggle with just fantasizing about a life that's not this life
right or they struggle with anxiety or just being worried and and having all this anxiousness that's
what that's what ladies to often struggle with beer you know but that's because you're thinking
about it all the time you know and here's the thing the battles always in the mind that's what
the Bible says to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the
knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ okay you got
to you got to check your thought life all right and if you feel yourself slipping into that fear
or slip it into lust put yourself in check turn on a sermon okay or read the Bible quote scripture
do whatever it takes to overcome that because it's at your disposal it's your choice if we live in
the spirit let us also walk in the spirit we need to walk in that on a daily basis if we're gonna
overcome it go to Romans chapter number seven so we have the old man or what the Bible calls
excuse me the the flesh right the Bible does call it the old man as well now when it talks about
the there's also the old man but there's also an inward man and the inward man is obviously that
which who it is has been renewed by the Holy Ghost it's the new man as the Bible calls it as well and
the Bible teaches us that we need to feed that guy okay we need to strengthen the inner man you know
the Bible says Paul said in Ephesians I think it's chapter number three or chapter four chapter
three he says that you may be strengthened according to his might by his spirit in the
inner man okay God wants our inner man to be strong okay but that takes place as you submit
yourself to spiritual disciplines to reading the Word of God okay and look don't think that they
say yeah but you know you don't know my situation I do read the Bible well you need to read the
Bible more okay because we believe it works right you say yeah but my imaginations are true they're
true because you've made them true okay you need to make sure that you're in this book you're
believing the truth of God's Word and you're casting down those imaginations and just like
we talked about on Sunday night remember on Sunday night David imagined in his heart that what this
salt was gonna kill him right I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul and what did he do
he moved to the land of the Philistines because of it and was that true that saw the David end up
dying by the head by the hand of Saul no he died like any other Christian would any human being
would want to die surrounded by his family his wife and children carrying out make sure he killed
this dude and killed that I mean that's a great death you know Bruce Bruce II make sure you take
care of this guy because he talked trash on me on YouTube no I'm just kidding you know that's like
a good death and they just just go home to be with the Lord but in his younger years he became
his imaginations ruled them and he went to the land of the Philistines because of his imaginations
okay we got to make sure that we keep in we're keeping that thing in on track Romans chapter 7
and verse 22 the Bible says fried the light in the law of God after the inward man you see only
a Christian can enjoy God's Word and if you and if you claim to be a Christian but you're not
enjoying the King James Bible but you're enjoying like the NASB and the NIV I would say you're not
saved bottom line oh but brother Bruce they're just a little off yeah they're so off they're
not even saved okay because the Bible says that we delight in the law of God after the inward man
see after we're saved the law of God actually become very enjoyable to read obviously off the
bat not everything because we don't understand everything but when we read the Word of God we
will understand it and our spirit bears witness his spirit bears witness with our spirit the
children of God amen and it says verse 22 but I see another law in my members what is members
that's the body warring against the law of my mind and bringing into captivity to the law of
sin which is in my members Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body from the
body of this death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord so then with the mind I myself
serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin so here Paul clearly explains that we're
getting ahead of ourselves as far as Romans 6 is concerned but here Paul clearly explains look
after the inward man I delight in the law of God but my members desire wrong basically is what he's
saying that's why he says for me that is in my flesh dwells no good thing but he talks about
in his flesh he didn't say for me that is in my spirit dwells no good thing no he said for me
that is in my flesh dwells no good thing okay go to Ephesians chapter number four Ephesians chapter
number four and this is very important because you know intentions are good but they're just
not good enough okay you can intend to live a life that's pleasing unto the Lord to do that
which is right in his sight to keep his commandments but if you don't do it I mean good intentions are
not good enough you got to make sure that you're actually trying your best to actually live a life
that's pleasing unto the Lord and one of the ways you do that is by not sinning okay or not giving
look all of us are sinners but not all of us are involved in the most wicked sins fornication
adultery drunkenness you know so no yeah obviously we're not sinless okay but our yeah obviously
we're not sinless but that is we were just given into any kind of sin okay and we need to overcome
Ephesians chapter 4 verse number 20 the Bible says but ye have not so learned Christ if so be
they have heard him that have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus that he put off concern
in the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust now when
it says conversations I'm talking about the speech conversation means your conduct okay and it says
put that and put that away from you the former conversation the old man which is corrupt
according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind so it gives us the the the
antidote on how to do that you got to renew your mind you know you got to change your mind and then
he put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness so if this was
a matter of you know once you get saved everything just fixes itself right away he wouldn't have to
command us to put off the old man and he wouldn't have to command us to put on the new man okay it's
a command he says put off the old man put on the new man that means it's a daily decision that we
have to make it's not like look if we were perfect right off the bat he'd say just enjoy being in the
new man you know don't worry about the old man the old man is no longer there but you know what
he says put off the old man every day you got to put it off okay Colossians chapter 3 go to
Colossians chapter 3 I'm gonna read to you from 2nd Corinthians chapter number 4 verse 15 where the
Bible says for all things are for your sakes that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving
of many redound to the glory of God for which cause we feigned not but though our outward man
perish yet the inward the inward man is renewed day by day and so obviously our outward man is
talking about this this flesh and it's perishing right I mean we're getting older you know and the
body begins to fail it's not working as the way it used to be and but the Bible tells us that even
though as that's perishing the inward man the one that the part of us that saved is being renewed
day by day okay and look what the Bible says in Colossians chapter 3 verse 8 but now ye also put
off all these anger wrath malice blasphemy filthy communications out of your mouth lie not one to
another seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds and I put on the new man which is
renewed in the knowledge after the image of him that created him so it gives a parallel passage
to Ephesians chapter 4 because it tells us you got to put off anger and look man we got to put
off anger you know as men we have this tendency to just be angry sometimes you know and we just
flip out you know you got to make sure you keep that thing you know be slow to anger okay the
Bible says now that's not to say don't be angry at all okay because there's another extreme where
this culture and even part of Christianity wants to castrate men spiritually right I said well you
can't get angry you know you know don't yell from the pulpit you know I remember when we had
when we had my son and my wife doesn't get the epidural you know and Lord willing she never will
I can't speak for the future because we don't know what's gonna happen but she didn't get the
epidural for my daughter and she didn't get the epidural for my son but in place of that she just
yells like crazy I mean the whole hospital can hear my and you see my hi you know when she sees
you hi hello hi Alma you know just brother Alex and he liked that when it's at the hospital she's
like oh you know and she's like she's screaming at the top of her lungs you know and I remember
when we had my son you know we had we had some and we want to do the obviously we want to do the
the midwife thing but we can't do it as of now just because of her abrupture we want to make
sure that we were careful with that so when we had my son we had some some jerks for nurses I'm
honestly some ladies are just jerks and they were very insensitive and stuff but I was there and I
told my wife look you let me argue with them okay if they give you any any any stuff I'm just gonna
don't worry about it all right so you know she's like she's like screaming because of the
contractions are getting bad and the nurse comes I was like oh don't scream don't I'm like don't
scream so yeah but she doesn't want the epidural I'm like so what if she doesn't want the epidural
guess what she's doing in place of the epidural she's gonna scream and I'm gonna let her scream
as loud as she want go ahead scream you know I mean yell I even thought like bite me if you
have to you know I got high pain talk do what you got to do but don't get the epidural and so where
was I going with that all right but spiritually sometimes that's the same thing right the the
culture and Christianity sometimes looks at men and say okay well don't scream from the pulpit
that means you're angry use your inside voice Bible says lift up your voice like a trumpet
you ever heard of a trumpet it's loud and the Bible tells us to be slow to anger that means
we have to have our anger controlled you know and here's the thing is again it doesn't mean we're
not to be angry but you know what the Bible we shouldn't be characterized by being angry all
time by the way if you're a man and you're always moody and you're always angry you can't laugh at
anything you need to fix that don't be so prideful don't be so arrogant that you can't enjoy life a
little bit okay and you can't smile every once in a while and think you're just holier than now
see there's two sides of the spectrum on this thing because the Bible talks about kindness as
well look I'm a kind man I'm just kidding but what I'm saying is this we need to be balanced
in both obviously right we need to make sure that we're balanced in both that we're angry
when we need to be angry we're kind when we need to be kind okay the problem with most pastors
they're always kind you know even when there's sin okay even when there's fornicators in the
church even when there's bad things going on in the church it's just that we're always kind you
know and there's no place for anger no the Bible says obviously we have to put off all these and
the Bible talks about wrath and then it says as we put on the new man which is renewed again
renewed changed right in the knowledge of after the image of him that created him the Bible says
okay now go back to Romans go back to Romans chapter number six Romans chapter number six in
verse number seven the Bible says for he that is dead is freed from sin amen we're freed from from
from the wage of sin which is hell right now if we be dead with Christ we believe we shall also
live with them knowing that Christ being raised from the dead diet no more death hath no more
dominion over him for in that he died he died into sin once but in that he liveth he liveth
unto God so this is making a comparison between the resurrection of Christ resurrection of Christ
to us being freed from sin that's what he's doing there verse 11 likewise reckoning also
yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord so in other
words God's saying you need to consider yourself as though you're dead to that sin okay don't
always think you have to you have to give it look and I like what it says it says but alive unto
God through Jesus Christ our Lord let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies that you
should obey it in the lustre of so it talk it compares given into sin and given into sinful
habits as reigning okay as a king reigns right authority reigns well something that reigns over
someone is something something that has authority over you okay and it says let not sin therefore
reign in your mortal body now go to second sandwich hold your place there in Romans chapter
number six and go to second Samuel chapter number eight second Samuel chapter number eight I think
we can see a principle in second Samuel chapter eight in regards to this matter of reigning that
will help us to have a good understanding of how we can overcome sin verse number one of second
Samuel chapter number eight the Bible says here and after this it came to pass that David smote
the Philistines and subdued them and David took mythagama out of the hand of the Philistines so
obviously we know David was good at reigning I mean when he would overcome a land he would whoop
the guy knew how to fight he knew how to war and he would overcome verse 2 and he smote Moab and
measured them with the line casting them down to the ground even with two lines measured he to put
to death and with one full line to keep alive and so the Moabites became David's servants and brought
gifts David smote also had a desert the son of Rohab excuse me right right rain hop I'm getting
like stuck here ray hop king of zoba as he went to recover his border at the river river your freights
and David took from him a thousand chariots and 700 horsemen and 20,000 footmen and David hewed
all the chariot horses but reserved to them for a hundred chariots so what did he do to the horses
he basically just cut their sinew so they wouldn't be able to walk again okay he's very smart if you
think about it and when the Syrians of Damascus came to succor hit it is their king of zoba David
slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men then David put look what it says garrisons in
Syria of Damascus and the Syrians became servants to David and brought gifts and the Lord preserved
David whether so ever he went skip down to verse number 14 and he put garrisons and Edom throughout
all Edom put heat garrisons and all day of Edom became David's servants and the Lord preserved
David whether so ever he went and David reigned over all Israel and David executed judgment and
justice unto all his people so this is what David this was David's method of overcoming the land and
became basically being the one who reigns over it after he overcame it after he had victory he would
immediately put garrisons a garrison is basically a band of soldiers they were on his side right
that he would train and he'd put him in the city and what would that do well that would keep and
when he would put the garrisons that would allow him to basically go to other cities to overcome
them as well so he put garrisons in one city and says all right you guys are in charge of this then
he would go to another city overcome that city and repeat the same process now what would that
do well when you put a group of men soldiers a garrison there in that city that would protect
protect any enemy from coming in and taking over the land that you just overcame and that would
keep the inhabitants in check as well that makes sense so the garrisons keeps the enemies out but
it also keeps the inhabitants from getting out of hand as well see what I'm saying so how can we
apply that spiritually and then by the way that's why he was able to reign so that's why he was able
to overcome this city in this city this city because he had garrison set in place that would
keep enemies out and it would keep the inhabitants in check as well well spiritually speaking that's
what we need to do every time we have a victory if you have a victory over drunkenness over you know
sexual immorality whatever it may be you need to set up spiritual garrisons whether it's scripture
its standards it's coming to church it's doing things to make sure you won't get attacked when
you get attacked again you can overcome that but it keeps the inhabitants in check as well when
you're tempted right that's why it's good I mean you do what you want this helped me when I got
saved I went in my cell phone and I erased all my friends contacts I didn't grow up with like
Andy Griffith type friends either okay and not only that I got myself a new number he said why
is that I was trying to set up garrisons in my life what did that do well basically what it did
is this when I was tempted I couldn't call them because I don't have their number and when I was
strong you know the devil couldn't whisper into their ear to call me because they didn't got my
number anymore so the times of weakness or in a time of temptation I made sure I separated myself
as much as I possibly could from that which would that which would cause me to stumble in my personal
life in my spiritual life that's a garrison it's making sure you're you're basically crossing the
T's and dotting the I's in your spiritual life you're setting up garrisons you know look if you
struggle with drunkenness don't be hanging out with people who are drunks you know oh you know
I like to have a beer every once in a while you know you shouldn't hang out with people who like
to have a beer every once in a while then you know if you don't want to commit that sin obviously
right if you struggle with smoking pot you shouldn't be around people who smoke pot well
I can overcome it I got the new man but you know what you're you're being foolish by doing that
okay cuz look we all were all strong and but here's the thing the Bible says he that stand to
take heed lest he fall so you may not give in the first time you may not give in the second time but
the third and fourth time you're gonna give in that's just the bottom line and that goes for any
type of sin okay if you struggle with anything of that stature of that caliber you need to make
sure you set up garrisons in your personal life to help you not to do those things okay and look
my friends probably try to contact me plenty of times and guess what they couldn't cuz I had a
new number so maybe who knows what if I would have gotten what if during my personal Christian life
when I was discouraged you know what I mean what who knows maybe my friends would have called me
hey you want to come pick you up I'll come swoop you up we'll go out I would have been like you
know what yeah let's do it why not you know I'm discouraged I'm depressed for whatever it may be
and I could have just gave in you know but because I set up those garrisons in my personal life man
you know what I never really had to experience that and I thank God for that that helped me a
lot that saved me from a lot of heartache okay and so the Bible tells us likewise reckon yourselves
also to be dead indeed into sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord let not sin
therefore reign in your mortal bodies that you should obey it in the luster of and then it says
in verse 13 neither yield you 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 so God likens our members to instruments because here's the thing these eyes
are instruments these hands are instruments but he wants it he wants us to use it for his glory
instead of using these instruments to watch things that you're not supposed to watch use
these instruments to watch preaching amen or to look on the field for their way already to
harvest to allow your eye to affect your heart to watch those things that will move your heart to do
those those things that are pleasing unto the Lord instead of using your feet to go places where you
shouldn't go use your feet to go preach the gospel as instruments of righteousness the Bible says use
your hands to do righteous things is what the Bible is telling us your members for sins shall
not have dominion over you for ye are not under the law but under grace what then shall we sin
because we are not under the law but under grace God forbid know ye not that to whom ye yield
yourselves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether sin them to death or of
obedience unto righteousness so the Bible is telling us clearly right there there's consequences
and there's rewards to both okay it's like okay if you want to sin that's fine but you're gonna
suffer the consequences of that okay death cuz sin always brings forth death okay or you can
obey the Lord you can live righteously and benefit from that as well the Bible tells us in James
chapter 1 verse 14 but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and entice then
when lust hath conceived to bring it forth sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death
and by the way go back going back to the garrison illustration you know that's why temptation is not
sinful we know that right temptation is not sinful okay because every man is tempted okay
the temptation the the sinful part is actually given to the temptation but that's why it's
important do we have standards in our life okay standards are not they're not commandments in the
Lord but they're things that we place in our life so we stay away from the sin right it's something
that we we put in place to stay away from even temptation because if we're close up to sin all
the time oh we're not sinning we're not sinning well the the day you just slip into it you do
something wrong you're gonna sin but if temptations over here and you're like I stay far away from
temptation guess what if you slip well you're still good you can like recover from that but
if you're here and you slip you can't recover from that you're gonna be involved in sin and so and
that's not what God wants all right I must hasten let's see here verse number 16 says know you not
verse 17 but God be thanked that you were the servants of sin but you have obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine that was delivered you being that made freed from sin you became the
servants of righteousness I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh for
as he have yielded your members servants to uncleanness into iniquity unto iniquity even
so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness so here the Bible is teaching us
obviously Paul saying look I'm talking about the infirmity of your flesh the desires the desire to
sin because it comes from your flesh and he says if you yield yourself as before he's trying to
give us a perspective he goes before you were saved you just give it to sin like it was nothing
well you should have that same mentality to give into the right things right so often you can tell
who's one of the most some of the most zealous people when they get saved right or excuse me
who are some of the the most sinful people they get saved because they're so zealous that's not a
bad thing that's a good thing amen because often they transition that zeal you know that all that
zeal they put into drunkenness and drugs and filthiness and fornication and sinful acts they
put that same passion now into living for God okay and amen to that that's a good thing and that's
what God wants it's a biblical principle amen and that's not to say that if you didn't have that
life in the past then you know or you didn't have those type of temptations and simple habits you
can't be zealous of course you can anybody can the Bible says that we're supposed to be we're
supposed to put on the cloak of zeal in Isaiah okay but what it is saying is is the same the
comparison he's making is just as it used to be so zealous for sin you should be zealous for the
things of God okay let's read on here verse 18 says being then made freed from sin you became
servants of righteousness to speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your
flesh for as you have yielded your member servants to uncleanness into iniquity unto iniquity even so
now yield your member servants to righteousness unto holiness for when you were the servants of
sin you were free from righteousness what fruit had he then those things were of year and now
ashamed for the end of those things is death now I'm just gonna spend a little bit of time and this
will be done Philippians chapter 3 go to Philippians chapter 3 now obviously at face value when we read
that verse it makes a lot of sense in the sense of we're ashamed of those things that we used to
do right you know whatever you list the sin you're like man what fruit I then in those things were
of I am now ashamed you know if you're involved in drunkenness you're like man I'm ashamed of those
things you know if you're involved in gangs and violence you're like man I'm ashamed I don't even
like to talk about that stuff I'm ashamed of that but what I believe it's actually talking about
though that's a good interpretation because it says for the end of those things is death it's
saying this what fruit had even those things were of year now ashamed ashamed obviously means let
down right because in context obviously it's referred to salvation but obviously overcoming
sin I believe what it's talking about is the the fruits that we thought we're gonna produce because
we were working our way to heaven okay well workspace salvation well those things let us
down those things couldn't get us saved and it said this for the end of those things is death
okay look at Philippians 3 7 says Paul kind of reiterates this thought in Philippians 3 7 says
but what things were gained to me those I counted loss for Christ yea doubtless I count all things
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the
loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not
having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ the
righteousness which is of God by faith so even Paul said look I count those things but dung being
a Pharisee and and a Benjamite and all that stuff the pedigree that I had all these things
he's like those things are dung you know what fruit had we then in those things we're now
ashamed that's why the Catholic who gets saved don't call yourself a Catholic anymore you know
and those are the only ones I can think of who would like still stick to that sometimes how many
men people like that you know they'd still like want to stick to that because it's traditional
whatever may be no what fruit had you know and those things were of you're now ashamed for the
end of those things was death those things that religion was gonna take you to hell okay forget
Catholicism right all but my grandma forget Catholicism but my great-grandma forget it
it doesn't matter if you had ties to it if your family was a part of it that thing was gonna take
you to hell the way it took them to help okay oh you shouldn't say that look my grandparents my
great-grandparents are all in hell okay and it's a sad thought and agrees me if I think about it
long enough it'll grieve me in my heart and and it bothers me obviously but it's fact okay and
thank God that this generation in my family we're I mean I'm saved and my son is saved my wife is
saved and I'm gonna do my best to make sure the gospel gets out to the next generation is to come
after me but I'm not gonna have faith in Catholicism those things are dead those things were gonna take
me to hell okay verse 22 but now being made free from sin you became servants to God you have your
fruit unto holiness in the end everlasting life and then it says for the wages of sin is death
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and we often use this verse in
salvation it's a it's a great verse to use but when it says the wages of sin is death we obviously
know that for instance if you're involved in fornication long enough you're gonna catch an
STD or HIV you're gonna die that's a very extreme example right but it's fact or you're involved in
drunkenness you drunk you drive drunk you're gonna crash and you're gonna die because the
wages of sin is death I believe that's applicable to that but when it says death it's actually
referring to hell okay and we don't have time to expound on that but when the Bible talks about
death it's actually talking about a place called hell they're used interchangeably in the Word of
God and you can see that in Revelation chapter 20 and the Bible says there that the wages of sin is
death so when when human beings because they've sinned against God they deserve help they deserve
death and though these people are gonna resurrect to be judged and they're gonna be in a sense
present the Bible God sees them as being dead God is not a God of the living he's a guy he's
excuse me God is not a God of the dead but of the living the Bible says so even though they're
their conscience and hell when they're burning and and they're you know they they understand
that the fact that we don't believe in an annihilation of the soul they're there they're
conscious of everything that's going on according to the Bible they're dead in God's eyes okay
they're dead and they will forever be dead okay and that's why even though when we die our bodies
are physically dead but it's only for a moment you know to be absent from the bodies to be present
with the Lord and we have everlasting life obviously and when we die we go to heaven we're
just waiting to wit the redemptions of our body it's just like it's just a temporary time when
we're separated from our body okay but God sees us as being alive you know Abraham Isaac and Jacob
are alive everyone who's ever died in Christ they're alive today okay we may not see them
they're not here but that doesn't mean that they're they they're dead okay their bodies are dead you
know they're they're underground but the Bible says that they're alive but here it says the
wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and
they're used and it's used so perfectly within that verse to convey that because death is hell
but guess what we get from God the everlasting life which is the gift of God through Jesus
Christ it's a great chapter let's go ahead and bow our heads and have a word of prayer
father we thank you so much for Romans chapter number six help each and every one of us to apply
this to our lives and the principles that we learn they're so important Lord because we have
to die to our flesh every single day and we got to make sure that we're in the Word of God we're
meditating on those things which are wholesome and lovely and cast down imaginations and making sure
that we're living a life that's pleasing to you and Romans chapter 6 really drives that in and I
love the way Romans is written it gives us both sides of the spectrum of these doctrines and it
gives us a balanced view for practical living and I pray that you'd help each and every one of us to
be victorious on a daily basis but help us to do our part to make sure that we are and we praise
things in Jesus name Amen.