SIN LESS
Part 1
August 17, 2014
MF Blume
Romans 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Jesus
Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (2)
(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
(3) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the
seed of David according to the flesh; (4) And declared to be the Son of
God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead:
Romans deals with the truth of how we live for God in faith as opposed to Old Testament Law.
- The 3rd and 4th verses hint at the point.
- Jesus was two things.
- One thing according to the flesh, and the second according to the Spirit of holiness.
- Seed of David according to flesh.
- His fleshly quality made Him heir of the Kingdom.
- But the POWER and His relationship to GOD was according to
something totally distinct from the flesh—the Spirit of holiness.
- Recall what caused Him to be Son of God with Power by the Spirit?
- THE RESURRECTION!
- This sets a pattern for us.
- These are the two different perspectives from which to view ourselves.
- You can confuse how you are supposed to live for God by focusing on the aspect of the FLESH.
- THIS is where everyone who struggles to serve the Lord actually have their problem.
- THEY SERVE HIM AFTER THE FLESH.
The POWER that Paul said Jesus Christ was with as Son of God BY THE
SPIRIT, was just that—BY THE SPIRIT and not by His flesh.
- His life of the flesh DIED on the cross.
- Whatever qualities He had in the flesh could not do what the SPIRIT OF HOLINESS did in Him!
- RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.
2 Corinthians 13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he
liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall
live with him by the power of God toward you.
Paul compared how Jesus lived (resurrected after death) by the power of
God with how WE live WITH HIM—sharing the same thing with
HIM—by the power of God.
- The LIFE OF POWER in Jesus was limited to HIS TIME AFTER HIS RESURRECTION.
- Paul called it the SPIRIT OF HOLINESS.
- HOLINESS means separation, and we will explain that more.
- The SAME POWER that caused Jesus to live in power is FOR US AS WELL!
- We will live with Jesus—as Jesus lives—by the same thing that CAUSED HIM TO RESURRECT.
- So, you could say, this life we live when we understand this and
start to believe God to enjoy it, can be called RESURRECTION LIFE.
- It’s the life Jesus enjoyed in POWER.
Ephesians 1:19-20 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to
us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, (20)
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set
him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
This POWER of the Spirit is towards us.
- That means that it is ours to enjoy.
- It’s FOR US.
- BY THE RESURRECTION!
- Paul mentioned that POWER a little later in Romans.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek.
Notice that BELIEVING is the key that is required for this power to work IN YOU.
- He said the same thing that we read in Ephesians 1.
- Ephesians 1:19 KJV And what is the exceeding greatness of his
power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty
power,
Notice he did not say THE POWER IS TO THOSE WHO DO GOOD THINGS THE MOST.
- It’s not for people who are perfect in their behavior.
- It’s not for people who know how to read a Law and keep it perfectly.
- IT IS TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE!
- We look at POWER as a rose that God throws to a performer on stage who impresses Him.
- That is what is called LEGALISM.
- It is the one single-most PLAGUE amongst Christians.
- It is looking at your behavior as something THAT EARNS God’s blessings and power.
- No, it is YOUR FAITH that moves God to bless and empower!
- TO US WHO BELIEVE.
- As far as success in being able to DO GOOD goes, not only is
DOING GOOD not what God looks for in order to be pleased with you, BUT
DOING GOOD IS MEANT TO DIE
- WITH US WHEN WE DIE WITH JESUS through the work of the cross.
- Jesus did not die just as something to do in order to save us some how.
- The whole point of His death involves the one thing you need to know if you ever want to please God.
- YOU MUST DIE WITH HIM, because NOTHING YOU DID MADE YOU A SINNER.
- You were BORN A SINNER because ADAM CAUSED YOU TO BE A SINNER.
Romans 5:17-19 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much
more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (18) Therefore
as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation;
even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men
unto justification of life. (19) For as by one man's disobedience many
were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made
righteous.
If you want to talk about DOING GOOD to please God so he will save you, YOU CANNOT DO IT.
- None of us can ever be THAT good enough to do what pleases God for salvation by works.
- ONLY THE OBEDIENCE OF ONE PERSON COULD PLEASE GOD, and that one is not you or me.
- IT IS JESUS.
- Paul taught that YOU DID NOT MAKE YOURSELF A SINNER by what you did.
- ADAM made you a sinner.
- By the same token, YOU CANNOT MAKE YOURSELF PLEASING TO GOD.
- Being pleasing to God is BEING RIGHTEOUS.
- BY JESUS’ OBEDIENCE YOU ARE MADE RIGHTEOUS, not by your own.
- Yes we have to obey God.
- But THAT OBEDIENCE is not what pleases God and it is not what saves us.
- Our obedience simply is done to NOT LET SIN AND FILTH CORRUPT US and make us abandon the righteousness God gave us.
We said that the power of God is for those WHO BELIEVE, NOT DO GOOD THINGS.
- If you get all discouraged by the lack of GOOD THINGS you do, and
the amount of BAD THINGS you do, the answer is not changing that so you
start doing good.
- THE ANSWER IS believing MORE that WHAT JESUS DID causes GOD TO BE PLEASED WITH YOU!
Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is
the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek. (17) For therein is the righteousness of
God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live
by faith.
We do not live, and not die instead, by doing good deeds.
- We live and EXIST as people of God who please Hiim BY FAITH!
- Therein—in the BELIEVING that he mentioned in verse 16—is the righteousness of God revealed.
- Not OUR righteousness, but GOD’S!
- That means that HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS shines through!
- For people who always concern themselves with doing good to be a
Christian to please God, SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS COMES FORTH, and it is an
UGLY SIGHT TO SEE!
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and
our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
The Bible said that the JUST shall live by faith because NO ONE CAN BE
JUST unless BY FAITH they trust in Jesus’ goodness and His
obedience FOR GOD TO GIVE US RIGHTEOUSNESS!
- So you do not EARN righteousness by doing good deeds and making sure you do nothing bad, but you BELIEVE for righteousness!
- When we get discouraged with ourselves because of all the bad things we do, we have slumped into legalism.
- We have missed the whole point of being a Christian, when being a
Christian was so much of a concern that we became seriously discouraged
because we felt we lost it.
- Being discouraged shows we are really concerned over being a true Christian.
- But it also shows we ARE MISSING THE VERY THING THAT MAKES US ONE!
- Believing that it is NOT OUR GOOD BEHAVIOUR that makes God love
us and call us His people, BUT THE GOODNESS OF JESUS CHRIST THAT WE
DEPEND UPON FOR GOD TO BE PLEASED WITH US, is what pleases God.
- The more you can GET AWAY FROM the idea that your bad behavior
cuts you off from God’s love and what it takes to go to heaven,
and BECOMING MORE CONVINCED that
- YOUR goodness is only found in JESUS, the more YOU WILL PLEASE GOD!
- The more you can push away the discouragement about not being
good enough due to how many good things you do not do, the more you
become a TRUE CHRISTIAN.
- When we focus on behaviour so much that it discourages us, we are proving that we are legalists.
- This does not mean Christians do not have to be good.
- Immediately some people start thinking I believe we can sin and it means nothing.
- NO!
- God wants us to get to the place that we SIN LESS AND LESS.
- But sinning LESS is not what makes God pleased with us more.
- In other words DOING GOOD does not make us righteous.
- We must be concerned with being righteous more than anything.
- RIGHTEOUSNESS is what is going to take us to heaven!
- Doing good does not make you righteous.
- The ticket to heaven (righteousness) is BELIEVING THAT THE
OBEDIENCE OF JESUS IS COMPLETELY WHAT GOD LOOKED FOR TO BE PLEASED WITH
YOU.
- His death on the cross IN YOUR PLACE, AS YOU, is THE single obedience that makes God PLEASED WITH YOU!
Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after
this the judgment: (28) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of
many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time
without sin unto salvation.
Why would it say that CHRIST DIED ONCE because it is appointed for US TO DIE ONCE?
- Shouldn’t it say that we die once because it is appointed for us to die once?
- This shows us that JESUS DIED because of the need for OUR DEATHS.
- That means HIS DEATHS COUNT AS OURS.
- And HIS DEATH was THE ACT OF OBEDIENCE that makes God pleased with us.
Philippians 2:8-9 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
(9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name
which is above every name:
He was so ultimately obedient, that GOD HIGHLY EXALTED HIM and MADE HIS NAME ABOVE EVERY NAME!
- That is why we baptize IN JESUS’ NAME.
- It puts US INTO HIS DEATH.
- And THAT NAME that is so great because of His ultimate obedience, BECOMES OUR NAME!
- THAT is the obedience that makes God PLEASED WITH US to make us righteous.
- NOT YOUR OBEDIENCE.
- Are we made righteous because of the bad things we do not do, and the good things we do?
- What is done in order for us to be righteous?
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no
sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The way we might become the righteousness of God is for Jesus to be MADE SIN FOR US AND KILLED.
- And God then actually makes us RIGHTEOUSNESS!
- And it is ONLY BY BEING IN HIM!
- IN JESUS!
- DEPENDING UPON HIS GOODNESS for God to be pleased with us!
- We ARE MADE the righteousness of God.
- We do not EARN the righteousness of God by being so good.
- WE ARE MADE His righteousness.
- You have to be MADE RIGHTEOUS if you are going to be righteous.
- You cannot work for it, but need GOD TO MAKE IT for you!
Romans 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more
they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Righteousness is a mere WORK if we have to stop being bad and start doing only good.
- And EARNINGS are what you WORK FOR.
- But Paul said IT IS A FREE GIFT!
- FREE means you don’t work for it.
- And GIFT doubly stresses that point, that we do not WORK FOR IT.
Yes, we work and do good things as Christians.
- BUT NOT TO GET SAVED.
- BECAUSE WE ARE SAVED!
- Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that
thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be
careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable
unto men.
Notice he spoke about you who “have BELIEVED IN GOD.”
- You BELIEVED in Him to be righteous.
- You knew you could not BE GOOD in order to be righteous.
- But after you believed and were MADE RIGHTEOUS, you still need to be careful to maintain good works.
- This is not to tell you that you can sin and sin does not matter any more.
- Just puts DOING GOOD in its proper place OUT OF THE POSITION OF WHAT WE LOOK FOR TO PLEASE GOD.
- It’s just that GOOD WORKS do not make you pleasing to God.
First we need to know what pleases God enough to save us from hell.
- Then we will grow and learn how to stop sinning and change our BEHAVIOUR.
But the behavior issue needs to come AFTER THE ISSUE ABOUT WHAT MAKES US RIGHTEOUS.
When you truly know that Jesus’ work on the cross MAKES US
RIGHTEOUS, totally apart from whether or not we did good works, WE WILL
SEE THE BLESSING OF GOD COME UPON US!
- The more you trust IN JESUS’ GOODNESS to make God pleased with YOU, the MORE the power and blessing of God comes upon you!
Romans 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Right now, whether you do more bad things than good or not, if you can
make yourself realize that THE GOODNESS OF WHAT JESUS DID ON THE CROSS
is what makes God pleased with YOU, if you are sincere and ask
forgiveness when you do wrong,
- as far as being righteous is concerned, it does not matter about all the bad things you do.
- YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS ONLY BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS DID ON THE CROSS!
- That will take off all the pressure to have to DO GOOD, and get your focus off that to where it should be.
- TRUSTING TO JESUS.
- …Because the same trust in Jesus that you look at in order
to know YOU PLEASE GOD is the same trust that will eventually BREAK OUT
in your behavior and allow God to CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOUR that you are so
incorrectly concerned about now, anyway!