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Text Sermons : ~Other Speakers S-Z : Robert Wurtz II : The Dispensation of the Gospel - Lesson 3

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LESSON III
SAVED FROM SIN

TEXT. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

There is a change of heart that accompanies the genuine born again experience in which sin is no longer viewed as a means to gratification or happiness. Sin is seen as the means of death that is the source of all evil, pain, and suffering. Unrepentant sinners are proficient in sin through their own vain imaginations coupled with the various inventions of others. In contrast, the born again understand that they cannot be saved from hell until they are first saved from sin. Sin is not their friend. Satan is not their friend. The world is not their friend. They realize that sin is forgiven when it is repented of and not while persisted in. The purpose of God in saving man was not to abolish the law and allow man to sin with impunity; that would be antinomianism (lawlessness). The purpose was to establish the absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ as we walk in the Spirit in harmony with the personality of God. In this lesson I propose to briefly examine:

I. Salvation from the penalty of sin.
II. Salvation from the power of sin.

I. Salvation from the penalty of sin.

Justification is an act on the part of God in which He pardons man from the penalty of sins that are past by faith in Christ’s shed blood and declares them to be righteous. The sin that once separated the sinner from God is pardoned and the sinner is sanctified unto God. To understand justification we must first realize that we are speaking primarily of the legal process of God meeting out justice for sin committed against His law. In this case we will examine:

A. The law of God
B. Charges of sins committed against that law
C. The evidence of sins committed
D. The verdict
E. The pardon

A. The law of God

The first biblical principal we must understand is that man is responsible for everything they know or should know about God’s will. Men are made to know right from wrong first by the law of God written upon their hearts from birth (Romans 2:15). The conscience uses these laws as the measuring rod with which to judge the actions. The conscience is either condemning or excusing our behavior. Additional knowledge of God’s will is added to the laws written on the hearts. Some have greater access to the knowledge of God’s will than others and all are judged based upon the extent of their privilege. Here we meet a second principal and it is that of God supplying more revelation when the first revelation is rightly responded to. For those who walk in the light they possess- God will supply more light (and so on). Excuses are void once a means of knowing God’s will is readily available. Failure to know God’s will when the means are available does not diminish a person’s accountability before God, but rather, aggravates their crimes as they have rejected the opportunity to know God’s will. (Hosea 4:6) These factors are assessed in God’s perfect justice and charged to sinner’s accordingly. This principal is summed up in one passage; to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him it is sin. (James 4:17) Moreover, any doubtful act is sin. That is, if a person believes something might be sin it is certainly sin to them (Romans 14:23). A right response and true acknowledgement of God would be to refrain from any doubtful act that might possibly offend Him. In contrast to this is presumptuous sin, which is reckless willful sin against light and conscience in blatant and highhanded disregard of God. All of these and many other aspects of God’s law ought to forever humble every human being as all are convicted in their own conscience of their guilt.

B. Charges of Sins committed against that Law

God Himself has declared all to be under sin. (Galatians 3:22) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:10-18)

C. The evidence of sins committed

Man’s own conscience testifies against him that he/she is a sinner. The conscience has made known through a pricking in the inward parts for every unlawful deed done and has reminded everyone faithfully of their neglect of known duties. Moreover, every transgression and disobedience is recorded individually by God in the eternal record of remembrance to ensure that God’s justice is fully meted out. (Hebrews 2:2)

D. The verdict

The condemnation is brought to bear upon the mind by the power of the Holy Ghost who convinces men of sin. In this life it is made known to man that they are sinner’s awaiting sentencing and execution. If they meet not God at the place of propitiation they will meet Him at the Great White Throne judgment. Men are convinced of their guilt and are admonished to accept by faith the free pardon of their sin and with that a transformation in their whole person that will allow them to walk in conformity to the will of God that they have heretofore shunned. This is summed up in this saying; Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:25, 26)

F. The pardon

Justification is an act of God’s grace in which He pardons us for our sin by means of the death of Christ upon the Cross. This justification comes about from our having been “in Christ” by faith. Christ is the propitiation for our sin. His blood expiates our sins. Propitiation is the price paid to bring reconciliation between enemies. This propitiation allows God to pass over (Gk. paresis) our sins. When we respond rightly to the drawing of the Holy Spirit and exercise genuine faith in the blood of Jesus Christ we are pardoned of all of our past sins. This act of faith towards God is total and not partial. It is a complete turning to God with all bridges burned behind. This justification brings with it the blessedness of having ones sins forgiven and transgressions blotted out. Once pardoned, no matter have great the sin, the sinner is reconciled to God.

II. Saved from the power of sin

A. Evidence of freedom from sin

We supremely love whom we supremely desire to please. This axiom either proves our love for self or Christ based solely upon the evidence. Freedom from sin is expressed by loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbor as ourselves.

B. Habitual sin is unchristian and fatal to the soul

Real obedience to God involves and implies supreme regard for His authority. We honor that authority by our obedience to Him. Disobedience for a Christian is not normal and must not be habitual. Christians do not live in known sin. They are to live their lives with a conscience void of offense towards God and man. (Acts 24:16) As it is written; Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. (I Timothy 1:5) This is to walk before God without any known sin between man and God and man and their fellow man. In the epistle of John we read; For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. (I John 3:20, 21) Trying to live the Christian life in known sin is to shatter our confidence toward God. Those who live in known sin have no confidence that God will answer their prayers or that He will anoint them for service.

REMARKS

God has set men free from the power of sin through the born again experience. This liberty also renders us justified before God and under no condemnation so long as we walk in the Spirit. Occasionally, under the force of great temptation a person may commit a sin or displease God; but this is in no wise the normal order of the genuine Christian life. Those who are justified and are born again do not continue in sin. They are dead to sin and cannot live any longer therein. (Romans 6:1, 2) Their old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin being destroyed, so that henceforth they do not serve sin. Being dead with Christ, they are free from sin. (Romans 6:6,7) The born again are dead unto sin, and alive unto God. (Romans 6:11) Sin hath no more dominion over them, who are not under the law, but under grace; but that these, being free from sin, are become the servants of righteousness." (Romans 6:14, 18) This does not mean they do not suffer temptations. (I Corinthians 10:13)

The solution to temptation is found primarily in Romans 8:13,14; For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. This passage is parallel to Colossians 3:5-6; Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. Notice the contrast in these passages. The difference between the sons of God and the Children of disobedience is that the sons of God mortify the deeds of the body by the Holy Spirit, while the children of disobedience do not. The Holy Spirit is the means of mortifying the deeds of the flesh. You must remain filled with the Holy Ghost or there will be no victory over the flesh. This axiom is simple; when the deeds of the flesh live our relationship with God dies and when the Spirit mortifies the flesh we live.

We are saved from the power of sin by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does a work that puts the deeds of the flesh to death in us. The flesh is only as dead as you are full of the Holy Ghost. This fullness comes as the result of a different picture of justification of sin and it is that of the cleansing of the Temple. The sacrifice is made and the blood sprinkled to both expiate the sin and purge the defilement caused by the sin. The Spirit fills the believers, once purged, and they become the habitation of God. All of the various means of invitation to the Holy Spirit can now be employed to bring us to fullness.






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