RETURN TO HOLINESS: Death and Burial of Sin
May 28, 2023

Sunday, May 28, 2023 AM
RETURN TO HOLINESS: Death and Burial of Sin
Mike Teel, Pastor

FOCAL PASSAGES:

10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. —Romans 8:10-13

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. —Colossians 3:1-6

Let’s look at 7 general directions that apply to all our subtle sins…

FIRST DIRECTION: APPLY THE

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. —I Timothy 1:15

–Remember the Full Gospel is the entirety of the Good News that Jesus came to save us.
–What this means is essentially two things:
–God has already forgiven ALL the sins of those who trust Him as Savior

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. —Colossians 2:13-14

–Not only has God forgiven our sins. He has also credited to us the perfect righteousness of Christ. God see us as if we have not sinned.

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. —Romans 5:1-3

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. —Romans 8:1-4

–Understanding and recalling sin has been forgiven and God sees us righteous allows us to deal with the sin that plagues us so often.

SECOND DIRECTION: ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

–Remember, it is by the Holy Spirit that we put to death the sins in our lives.

13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. —Romans 8:13

–Far too often we forget the power source available to us and begin to lean on our own willpower.
–Without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit we will be defeated every time in dealing with these consistent sins.
–It is like an electric appliance that is not plugged into an outlet.

DIRECTION THREE: RECOGNIZE YOUR

–While depending on the Holy Spirit we must also recognize our responsibility to pursue practical steps for dealing with our sin.

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. —James 4:7

–We must be active in taking steps to not put ourselves in a position of temptation or when tempted looking for the exit.

13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. —I Corinthians 10:13

–If we are going to be successful, we must apply this direction to our Spiritual life.

FOURTH DIRECTION: SPECIFIC RESPECTABLE SINS

–That is identify those areas in our life that we have grown accustomed or that we are even unaware.

23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. —Psalm 139:23

–The work of God through the Holy Spirit can help us fully understand some of the sins we have become comfortable with in our lives and begin to move toward dealing with them.

FIFTH DIRECTION: AND APPLY APPROPRIATE

11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. —Psalm 119:11

–The Psalmist reminds us of the importance of hiding God’s Word in our hearts to combat temptation and sin in our lives.
–The concept of “hidden” in Psalm 119 is to “store up or to lay aside for future needs”.
–When God reveals a promise or a method to defeat a particular sin in your life, you need to personalize that passage so that it applies personally to you.
–For instance, if I am dealing with confessing sin and seeking to live a forgiven life.

13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. —Proverbs 28:13

–Paraphrased and personalized would sound like this: If I conceal my sin, I will not prosper, but if I confess and renounce my sin, I will find mercy.
–I can use this personalized passage as a promise God has given to me to confess my sin and receive His mercy.

SIXTH DIRECTION: CULTIVATE THE PRACTICE OF

–When dealing with sins we tolerate we must bathe those sins in prayer.
–Jesus reminded the disciples on the night of His betrayal of this importance:

41 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. —Matthew 26:41

–He began His ministry with this encouragement in what is known as the Model Prayer or what we call the Lord’s Prayer.

12 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. —Matthew 6:12

–Many times, God intervenes, and we never have to deal with some temptations because He intercepts and dismisses them.

SEVENTH DIRECTION: HAVE AN PARTNER

–Having someone in your life you trust to give you good counsel and also to hold you accountable for your giving into temptation is a good thing to have.

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. —James 5:16

–James encourages us to have such people in our lives that we can honestly and openly share our failures and struggles with and who will be faithful to pray for us.

12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. —Ecclesiastes 4:12

–When considering an accountability partner consider these suggestions:
—-Partner needs to be of the same gender.
—-Someone who is mature in the Lord.
—-A person who can be both gracious and hold you accountable.
—-Someone who is available and who can listen.
—-Someone who can be decisive and challenge you as what your next step might be.
—-Someone you respect and can be totally honest with.
–I believe if you honestly pursue them, you will begin to experience victory in your struggle with the sins that have established a fortress in your life.

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. —II Corinthians 10:3-6

–It will take time to tear down the strongholds Satan has established in your lives.
–I am confident if you determine today to die to sin and bury it, you can begin to experience the victory God has for you.

LIVE IT OUT

–What sin has God placed His finger upon in your life that you need to begin to deal with today?
–The first step in dealing with any sin in our lives is to admit the sin exists. Will you take ownership of it today?
–What actions is God instructing you to take today to begin to deal with your sin? Will you be obedient to the Lord?