¶ Our Sin Nature and Position in Christ
to the sixth chapter of the book of Romans. I will not keep you long today. Mother's Day.
So we won't keep you long.
Romans chapter. topic and did not get to the conclusion of it so we're going to attempt to do that this morning. And I want to begin a little earlier than we did, a few scriptures above our text of Romans 6. And I want to begin in Romans. Verse six And the Word of God says, Knowing this That our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth We should not Your biggest problem is not the деvo.
Our biggest problem is what is inside of us, not what is lurking in us. It is the nature of inside of you that is called the sin nature. Is the fallen part of you? As Paul said, I find that in and of myself that. is we keep trying to think that we're good. We just think that we need a promotion. We need to be, we're so good, we just need to continue to be blessed. There ain't nothing, honey, inside of you that is in your flesh that is worth blessing.
But there is one who is living inside, the child of God. Any one of you who have been born of God. Jesus Christ living inside of you by the Holy Spirit that gives you every right. I I can't baptize you. I'm not worthy to even untie your sandals.
But he did
The Father God spoke in an audible voice, so that all could hear. It was a manifestation of God. My beloved son, in whom I Well That blessing, that that statement by the I am well pleased. Inside of you and that is why. So we here at Cross River. Knowing this and I would just underline. God said through the prophet, My people die for a lack of knowledge. are not saved by what you do, you are saved by what you know and what you Why are we called believers? He didn't call us Christian doers.
He called you a believer in your very earth.
¶ Dying to the Old Sinful Man
Explaining that we are not about what we do, we are about in whom we are. Over a hundred. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul who wrote 14. In him. In whom?
In Christ.
He was continuously teaching that it is about your position. Your life will different way. Then you will begin to see fruit being demonstrated because the Holy Spirit does not produce Fruit in a believer whose faith is in the wrong place. He loves you. Spirit is quenched. Your faith comes back to the place where you were first saved, Jesus Christ and Him crucified, the Holy Spirit begins.
Now somebody turn to your neighbor and say, We don't want any of that old
The women can surely say that to their husband. We don't want the old man. Ladies, you did not marry that guy. To be an old man in your li in in your house. I'm not talking about him being a little slower now, Gene. I'm not talking about that. Talking about The old sinful man That used to carry on. This word old man in the world. it means it is completely unable to produce any good.
And the Bible says, knowing this, that our old man See, we are not to take a brother who is struggling in sin and where you see the old man is starting to rise up again and we're not to rehabilitate him. some encouragement to say you're gonna be okay. You know, you're a good guy. You'll work this out. Kill'em. Kill it. Paul writes He says that the body of
Might be destroyed. Now that word destroyed means rendered ineffective. It does not mean He brought the Holy Spirit in and second And so when you got born again, the divine nature, the spirit of God, the nature of God. and he severed, he cut away the descent nature from control.
Now why did he do that? Because your faith was right.
Your faith was in cr you were a And because your faith was right at the moment of salvation, the spirit then, working within the parameters. Of proper faith in Christ and Him crucified had the legal right to go to work. But if you get outside of He cannot do what he wants to do. Spirit of God. only within the parameters Paul's saying. That the sin nature might be destroyed. Henceforth we
Mm.
We see it in the positive, but look at it in the opposite way, knowing this, that our old man is not crucified. and that the body of Henceforth we are serving. But it doesn't have to be a good one. For he, verse seven, that is dead. We shall also Knowing this, there's the wording. That Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more death, has no more
over him, for in that he dieth, he dieth unto sin once, but in that he liveth he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon youer also yourselves to be dead, Romans six there are two words that keep positive First one is you have the word
¶ Believer's Victory Through Grace
Sixteen times in this chapter, the word sin is used. And 15
Right next to the word. So what you're seeing here is he's not going to be able to do that. And if you can sh It won't produce Or dead. The Holy Spirit is bearing down the The problem is. And the only way that the sin nature can be defeated is Flash has to And that death sometimes is a slow death.
See, here's the revelation. The sin nature is not dead in the believer's life, but the believer is now to die to the sin nature.
It still What's the word it's still? And you better keep that on your radar. Because when you think you've
Once you start thinking like that, that I've arrived, that old sin nature, that old man is coming back, and he's coming back with a fury. Because God isn't going to He is not going to give you victory in pride. He only
Between law and grace, what's the difference? And look at the fourteenth verse. For since For the sin speaking of the sin. have dominion, shall not dominate or lord over you. Some of you And if the truth was to be revealed. And we were to put your sin up on this screen. But I'm here to tell you there's hope. There will come a point God will expose it. He is so merciful and long suffering and he will allow time for you to And time But you are...
Grace. And what I want to deal with here in these few moments is Because here's the problem.
you will have victory over sin.
There will be moments. Maybe your weakness is not a little bit more. Where all of a sudden you'll hit your finger with the hand. That old man'll pop.
¶ Justification, Sanctification, Faith
If you we live under grace. Now John's gonna bring up a couple notes here to help. And number one. Mentioned last week the definition of being under law, which is That you must keep the moral law in your own strength. And this is justification by work. And if you approach salvation, To Islam, to Catholicism Justification.
According to the word of God, you will not be justified, but you will die and you will go to an eternal hell because you were depending on what you did to save you. However, And let me just explain this a little clearer for you. I mean, you've heard it many times. The statement is justification is just as if I never sinned. And that is true. When God declares someone justified,
Under law there
grace there is the mentality that Christ fulfilled the law. I've got one living inside of me that kept every commandment. He never sinned one time. And that's why Paul was careful to say that in and of my flesh I find no good thing. The Spirit of God was in them. But the struggle with Paul was
Over the spirit.
Now once you become a believer The next major issue is sanctification. See when I before you got saved and I don't know how you got saved. But I know how I got saved. I didn't know what. I'm lost, I'm messed up. I'm afraid I'm gonna go to hell.
And so when I went to the altar and I put my faith
God justify me. In that moment I mean I want to say to you. I fell in love with Jesus. Five seconds before I got saved. I didn't know Jesus. I didn't know the Bible. And I didn't even know what really a lost person was. Sheep and goat. I didn't think believer number.
But when I got saved.
And he does those miracles. Justify. But once you get saved. Now the issue becomes But now it becomes the issue of holiness. I want to please him. And so sanctification For the believer means declared holy by God. The issue of being under law or under grace reappears. And for sanctification, for a child of God to be under law, he I said to Tim The Bible nowhere in the New Testament says you have to find That fight is over. But what does it say in 1 Timothy? Fight the good fight of faith.
For the believer, the battle is not over sin. That's already been won. The battle now is do you believe it? The battle no longer is over sickness. He already did he already defeated. The battle is over, will we believe? And will we keep on believing? Will we keep on trusting?
¶ Walking in Christ's Finished Work
We've been believing. And I thought I had the right dates, but I went over to the calendar and I found out the right dates, and it was October the 9th, and October. This lady her testimony. Who was lost? And her niece got saved.
This couple were not able to have children, although that was their they wanted that worse than anything in the in their life, to want to have a child. The niece that they
And that child was born on a I got chill bumps telling you this. God is amazing. Amazing. And under this great. We are looking to Jesus. We're looking to Now look at Romans chapter five verse. justified by faith
Yeah.
Faith comes Or justification comes by faith. Yeah.
Galatians chapter three
And last night Brother Charlie brought this out on radio. Wherefore, Galatians. Wherefore the law was our school. But after that faith is not a good thing. We are no longer unless we're not. Reveal to you that you're a Carry you to Calvary's cross. Drop you off.
now has been fulfilled in Christ. Colossians 2, 6. Colossians 2 verse 6 says these words.
As you have therefore received So walk in. Now that ought to really excite somebody. You know what God is saying in that verse? Don't change the plan. As you receive Christ by faith So I walk in him by faith and heavy. Faith in my ability to keep a powerful or a committed prayer life? No.
Faith that I can memorize scripture and spit them out? No. Faith in the finished work of Calvary. That's how you got saved. Now walk in it.
The thief cut. But when you have the devil breathing down your back telling you I'm going to kill him.
And the spirit is so
And he's saying if you don't stop preaching
to kill, to steal, and to destroy.
You life. Yeah.
Yeah ever thought like this, but there was
I grew up a football Kind of rough them. I just shake it. I need his gentleness, his kindness. That's the abundant life. Self control. But where is it? Why am I not possessing it? Have you ever been there? And I'm going to tell you today, it was because.
¶ Law, Grace, and the Daily Cross
I put it together for you this morning. When you're under the law Grace.
Begs. You ever see the word I beseech you, brethren?
Law pulls. It tries to pull you. Under law. Why is it light with Jesus? Because He's did it all for us. Get a big gut and eat chips and pop and just watch TV, it's already done. Oh, they're going with the mentality of grace. Calvary, but there's a lot of work to be done for the kingdom. That's where we get tired. our salvation, but in our work to get others to salvation. O law Yeah. speck in your brother's eye, constantly trying to point out their sin. You're under law.
Do you know what grace does? Grace just loves. Grace loves right in the midst of somebody persecuting. Under law we condemn Not as bad as that. Great. When I stand and when you stand before God, you will stand alone. And you will have to answer to God. And do you know who you'll be compared to on the judgment day at the judgment seat of Christ, if you're a believer?
Jesus Christ.
Allowed through you Under law, law wants. under a law mentality. Today Under law, law says do, do, do. And grace says done, done, done. You've probably seen this through the ministry. The difference between law and grace. Under law, our focus is on self. Under grace, the focus is Jesus Christ. Under law, the object of our faith is your performance. performing good works to get victory over sin, but under grace The power source under law is willpower.
And the result for a man that lives under law is And under grace it is
So here's the litmus test.
Which one are you? You say, oh brother Mike, I'm not under law. I'm under grace. Well, here's how to know.
If is there victory over sin?
You can try to fool the There is sin in the of doing rather than pointing to Jesus.
See, when I read that scripture in John, he who the Son sets free is free indeed. I said, Lord, why am I not free?
Why is my sin? Yeah. And the truth shall make you free. And I said, Lord, what is it about the truth that I don't know?
And he opened up to me the grace of God versus the law. Oh, the Bible gives us. The key to victory. In Romans chapter six
As you go through it, it is the old man must be crucified. How do you crucify the old man? You go to the cross. Paul said, I've been crucified with Christ. The cross of Christ, you're sleepy today. The cross of Christ is not just Jesus' cross, it's your cross. I am crucified when Christ. When he died, I died.
very well. And I'm looking at Skull Hill and I'm thinking, Wow, Wow, that's where Jesus, that's where Jesus died. This is our first trip back in 2008. My mouth is, I'm just thinking, that's where Jesus died. All of a sudden, Brother Cornell, he just turned up and just slapped me. Bam!
That's where I was created. Now let me tell you something. Go to the cross every day. Paul uh Jesus said if any man wants to go to the city. Let him deny him. His cross daily. You know, this mentality, I already know this, preacher. You're in trouble right now. That's your thoughts. I've already heard this before. hear them say something a hundred times and every time they say the cross, the cross, the cross, I want to run for God because that's my victory. That's what set me free.
And that's what we're gonna take to the world. That's what we're gonna take to Uganda. That's what we're taking to Grand Island. That's what we're taking to radio.
¶ Freedom From Religious Law
There are so many people. She called in. And she said, Pastor Mike, she says, listening to the program tonight, she said, my husband is left. And he is committed. She said, What am I supposed to do? I don't want to divorce him. Divorce.
I asked her, I said, sister, are you saved? Are you born again? She said, yes.
Where do you go to church?
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I go to the Catholic church. And all of a sudden the Holy Spirit told me what to tell her. I said, Lord, I can't tell her this. I mean she won't receive this'll be Tell her preacher. That said Sister Julie. I said it doesn't feel very good, does it? That your husband is cheating on you.
I want you to know you are doing the same thing to God. You are committing spiritual adultery. He said, How so? I don't understand. I said go to Romans chapter seven. I read to her. words in this scripture that is right in the context of what we're talking about being under law or being under grace and I read to her the words of Paul that are that are spoken here in Romans chapter 7 verse 1 and I No ye not. Don't you know?
Brethren, for I speak to them that know the law, how that the law has dominion over. For the women, for the woman which has a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth. But if the husband So then, if, circle that word, if while her husband lives, she be married to another man. She shall be called an adulteress, but if her husband be dead. So that she is no adulteress. Though she be married to another man.
who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh the motions of sin, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now We are delivered from the law, but now we are delivered from the law, but now we are delivered from the law. Don't ever go back to religion. Don't ever go back to the Catholic Church. Don't go back to Protestant law, but what now the scripture says.
We are delivered from the law. Aren't you glad you're not? Aren't you glad you're delivered from up down, up, down, watching them wash their hands, hold up the Eucharist. Aren't you glad that he sets you free? We ought to make the religious world so jealous. I was at the National Day of Prayer. They asked me to pray for. I got up to pray. Just before I got With a prayer from the first.
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What do you think I said?
I was very kind. I said no I'm good. Thank you though so much that I'm good. It was pretty cold out. I was kind of tempted because I was gonna get a little warmer. I'm not going back to the prayer shawl. I'm not gonna put a little thing on the top of my head. I'm not gonna put the scriptures on my forehead. I don't have to bob. Of the letter. Spiritual adultery. Dear sister said, oh I no, no, no, preacher, I got involved. I said that's But I said the Spirit of God reveals truth.
Pretty good question on Mother's Day, I guess. To the Catholics. She said, oh no. No, no, no, Pastor. She never sinned.
And she was a virgin her whole life. Even after Jesus, she never had relations with Joseph. James was the boy. Jerusalem. He's the half-brother of Jesus. No, Pastor.
I said to her, I said, dear lady, I said, do you know the Bible says that Mary called God her Savior? She said, Where is that in the Bible?
I opened up to Luke chapter 1 and read it to her. I said, well, maybe she was, then I don't know. And God told me.
Their faith, committing spiritual adultery, and God wanted that prophet to know what it felt like to be cheated on.
¶ Clinging to the Cross and Grace
We are never to go back to law. Charlie, come on back. We are to stay under grace.
And I'm I'm gonna say a couple of things here in closing that might make you mad.
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Any church That does not preach the cross of Calvary consistently all the time, does not have the revelation of the cross as it pertains to sanctification.
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The church today is trying to build programs and formulas and sell books and sell tapes.
But I'm telling you, do you know what's happening on Crossside Radio? People are calling us and saying, this is the message I got saved on.
Last night we read Jeremiah 6, 16, and I want to close with this scripture.
Because it's not a new message. The Bible says thus. Stand ye in the way rest for your souls. But they said
I'd like to give you a better report this morning of that lady you called last night. But she would not leave Catholicism. She was married to the law. And we pray for her. But it was a beginning. I asked her, go to our website. You know, come to church and she asked me about the church. I pray she'll come and that's why I didn't want to use her name. But I want to say this this morning in closing.
If you live under law for your sanctification, you will be one of the most miserable, frustrated Christians. Because sin will dominate you. And you will continuously meet failure. But if you will learn the message of the cross and get under grace
And say nothing in my hands. simply to the cross I cling. Oh, I'm a fanatic for the cross. I'm a fanatic for the blood of Jesus Christ. Because when I go up against a demon possessed man or woman I'm not saying in the name of purpose driven come out. by the blood of the Lamb. Spirit and I tell it to go.
And I think you would do the same. But why do we have to wait to to that problem that you're facing. It could be anger, it could be discouragement. It could be lust.
It could be nicotine, alcohol. There's so many on the list. By his stripes, I am healed. God wants you to be a fighter. There is nothing in God's economy that says go back. Thirds of God's name says, Go. We go forward. Moses said at the Red Sea, stand back and see the salvation of God. You better know. And you better know. The law.
But two thousand years ago, grace.
Set us free. Set us free. Can I get you to stand please and bow your head?
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