Phil Beach Jr. preaches on 'Victory Over Sin,' emphasizing the human tendency to blame others for our sins instead of taking personal responsibility. He illustrates this with the example of Adam in the Garden of Eden and the Israelites blaming Moses for their troubles, highlighting that such blame leads to self-deception and a hardened heart. Beach asserts that while Christians are new creations, the old sinful nature remains, and true victory over sin comes from recognizing this and choosing to live in the power of Christ rather than yielding to the flesh. He encourages believers to actively put off the old man and embrace their identity in Christ to experience true liberation from sin.

We're going to continue the messages that we have been ministering on. We started out with the deceitful heart, then we went to the defensive heart, then we went into the problem within the man and the solution, and then we went into the blaming heart. This morning we preached on the blaming heart and how it is within the heart of flesh to want to blame what you are on someone else, to blame it on a circumstance, to blame it on a person, to blame it on an unfortunate mishap that occurred in your life in order to prevent taking responsibility yourself. And we showed how Adam was the first human being to exemplify, to manifest this fruit of sin. You remember when God came to Adam in the garden, and God questioned Adam and said, Adam, what happened? Instead of taking responsibility for his sin and looking at God and saying, God, I was tempted to do wrong and I yielded to my temptation and I sinned against you. Forgive me. I'm asking for mercy. No, Adam played the shift game. We called it the shift game and it's called the blame game. How many have played the blame game? The blame game. We blame someone else for what we are. We blame someone else for the sin that is in our heart and that manifests. And in blaming someone else, we discover three things. First of all, you become self-deceived. Secondly, your heart becomes hardened. And thirdly, you continue in that state of blaming someone and you don't receive the liberation, you don't receive the freedom, you don't receive the glorious release that is yours in Christ Jesus as long as you blame somebody. Then we went into Exodus 18 and we discovered that the children of Israel blamed Moses for their sin. They were grumbling, they were complaining, they were sinning, they were tempting God, they were cursing God. And finally, when they had to give an account of what they were doing, instead of coming before God and saying, Lord, we confess that these trials that we're going through have served one purpose, and that is this. Instead of saying, God, you tested us, you tried us in the wilderness, and we've discovered that sin lurks within our life. Instead of thanking God for the trials and thanking him for not giving them water three days in order to thank God because of seeing the sin that lurked within them, instead of thanking God, they blame Moses. They said, Moses, it's your fault that we're like we are. Now, isn't that interesting? They were blaming Moses and blaming God for their sin. See, that's an easy escape. What happens when you blame someone for what you are? First of all, that releases you from taking responsibility. So that means if you are released from taking responsibility for your sin, then you can continue in that sin and not feel guilty about it. See, if it's someone else's fault, then you've got every right to be like that, if it's someone else's fault, but it's not. Whenever anything unpleasant surfaces in you, it's not because of someone else, it's because that's what lurked within you all along. And God was able to use this external circumstance to surface it. And this is what we've been ministering on the past couple months, and that is we must be delivered from the vanity and the lie of the present-day philosophy that is infiltrating the world, and not only the world, but is infiltrating the Christian church. And it is a philosophy that is suggesting that we have the right to feel the way we do when it is in opposition to God's word, and that we are the way we are because of circumstances. That is in direct opposition to the word of God. We learned in Mark 7 this morning that we are what we are, not because we are made that way through external circumstances that come our way, but we are what we are because our hearts are sinful. Jesus said, within the heart of man dwells adultery, fornication, evil thinking, blasphemy, lasciviousness, licentiousness, stealing, murder, hatred, bitterness, unkindness, impatience. That's the very nature of flesh. That's the very nature of flesh. And I want you to know that when you become a Christian and a new creation, you do not cease from being flesh. You do not stop being flesh. Therefore, the disposition of flesh does not change when you become a Christian. It does not change. Yes. Now, we're going to get to that. We're going to get to that. That's okay. That's good. We're going to get to that. Now, listen. Like I said, when we become a Christian, we do not cease from being flesh. This is very important to understand, very important to understand. Because if we did, then what is it that comes out of you? What do you do in screaming and yelling and still sinning? Where's that coming from? Where's it coming from? I haven't met a Christian yet who, after becoming a Christian, is incapable of sin. So the question is, now that we are new creatures in Christ Jesus, we must understand that our flesh, what we are, the flesh does not change. Listen, flesh is flesh is flesh is flesh. Flesh does not change. So within the heart of man, within the flesh is corruptness, utter corruptness. That corruptness is not sanctified. It stays the same. It does not change. It stays the same. That's why God provided, as George was saying, which is we're going to get to it, God provides a way to escape the influence of flesh over our life, but not the presence of flesh over our life. The influence of flesh over our life, but not the presence of flesh over our life. Now, what we're going to do is we're going to fill this in, and then we're going to give you another illustration and a picture. And we're going to explain this again, but only in picture form. First of all, we want to see through this illustration that I am sinful or I am flesh. The Bible says in Romans chapter 7, Romans chapter 7. You could turn there if you like. Romans chapter 7, Romans chapter 7, verse number 20. Romans 7.20. Now, if I do that, I would not. It is no more I that do it, but the sin that dwelleth in me. I find in a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me 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 of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with my mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin and death. Now, the key in understanding this, let's go with two more scriptures before we... First of all, let's put down Romans chapter 1, verse 9, Romans 7, Romans 7.19. Now, let's go to Ephesians chapter 4, and we'll put this all together and understand the way of victory over the old man. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse number 17. This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in a vanity of their mind. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart. Who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanliness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ, if so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. Listen, that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man. Now, who's he talking to now? Christians. But Christians are to put off the old man. So therefore, the flesh has to be recognized as an enemy to God. Now, we can go into the book of Corinthians and show how the flesh is not subject to God. We can show how the flesh is at enmity to God. We can show how the flesh cannot receive anything from God. The flesh is flesh, is flesh, is flesh. And the flesh is corruptible. The Bible says in verse 22 of Ephesians chapter 4, that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt. The old man is corrupt. Don't expect your old man, don't expect that flesh to respond to the things of God. It will not respond to the things of God. That's why we have to recognize what God's provision for the old man is. And we're going to see that in a moment. So that's Ephesians chapter 4, verse number 23. Ephesians 4, 23 and 24. Also, let's turn our Bibles to Colossians chapter 3. This is the same thing here that Paul is teaching in Colossians as he is in Ephesians chapter 4. Colossians chapter 3, we're looking at verse number 1 in Colossians chapter 3, and we'll read down to verse number 10 and 9. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on the things above, not on things on earth. Now, I want you to know that setting your affection means setting your will. Setting your will on things above rather than things on earth. Because if you set your will on things on earth, that's not only talking about earthly things externally, but that's also talking about setting your will on earth inside. And what happens when you get interested in earthly desires? You discover the flesh which is wholly corrupt and which is completely perverted. And if you keep your mind and your will and your heart on the flesh and on the corruptness of your old nature, then you will indeed begin to be driven by His desires. And if you are driven by His desires, then you are indeed most miserable. You see? So this is why Paul says, if you be risen with Christ. In other words, if you've been quickened with Christ, if God has given you new life in Christ Jesus, be desirous to learn about the new life. Don't be lingering in the old life. Don't be sniffing the old man. Don't be sniffing the old man and giving... Listen, don't give the old man an occasion to express his evil corrupt desires through your mortal body. Don't give him an opportunity. Through the power of grace, through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the power of the indwelling Christ, and through the power of the Word of God, resist the old man. And that's how we do it. So if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections, set your desires, set your volition, set your will, set your intentions on Christ, on things above, on heavenly things, on holy things, on spiritual things, on things that have to do with redemption and salvation and the fruit of the Spirit. Listen, the old man has not been annihilated. The old man has not been eradicated. The old man has not been sanctified. He is yet living in the body of your flesh. Not your human flesh, but inside. There is a disposition in you that is corrupt. It is the old man. That is the hope of righteousness for which we are waiting. Galatians 5, on the day of redemption when Jesus comes and transforms us, then and only then will we find complete liberty from the corruption of the old man, and we will be brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God. That's the hope that the Christian has in Galatians 5. We can find that Scripture. We wait for the hope of righteousness. But right now, while we are yet in these mortal, corruptible vessels, there is yet still power to be free from the dictates of flesh. We are not delivered from the presence of the old man. We are not delivered from the presence of sin. We are not delivered from the presence of all of the deceitful works of the flesh. But we are delivered in Christ from the dominion and the tyranny of the flesh. In other words, the flesh, now that we are Christians and Christ dwells in us, the flesh does not have dominion over us. That is, if we choose to follow Christ rather than the flesh. So we have, I am flesh. I am sinful. Romans 7.19, Ephesians 4.23-24, and Colossians 3. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Now listen carefully. When Christ, our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. In light of those facts, verse number 5 is written, in light of the fact that you have been saved from your sins. Number 2, you have been given the Holy Spirit. Number 3, Christ now dwells in your heart by faith. Number 4, you have been caused to dwell with Christ in heavenly places. Number 5, in light of all of these wonderful finished acts of redemption that have been wrought in you, the moment you believed, in light of all these things, Paul says in verse number 5, put to death, mortify your members which are upon the earth. What is he talking about? What did we read in Ephesians? Where was it? Ephesians chapter 4, verse number 21. If so be that ye have heard Him and have been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus, that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man. So when Paul talks about mortifying your members which are upon the earth, he's talking about putting to death or making it impossible for the flesh to express its evil desires through you. Put to death, see because you know what's in the flesh, you know what's in the heart of man, you know what lurks within all of us, and there's no one, not even Christians that are free from this. What I'm trying to say is the flesh doesn't change. Listen, your spirit is redeemed and you have become a partaker of divine nature. That is true. But your flesh remains the same. It doesn't matter how holy, how sanctified, or how close you get to God. You are a man, your old man is yet alive in you, and if you don't continue to abide in Christ, those corrupt desires are just as strong as they ever were. See, that's why it's important for us to understand this. Many Christians expect that someday they're going to wake up and they're suddenly going to be holy in that they're going to be free from the corruptness of flesh. Not so. The corruptness of flesh will be with us until the day of redemption. And then it's when the trumpet is sounded and when we are loosed from this body of death, then we enter into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, which refers to in Romans chapter 8. So Colossians chapter 3, verse number 4, verse number 5, mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth. Now this is what lurks within the heart of sinful man. This, you need to know that your old man, if you are a seed from Adam, this lurks in you. Now watch this. Fornication. You know what that means? Fornication is any form of sexual activity, whether it is physical, whether it is through magazines, whether it is through television, I don't care what it is, any form of sexual activity that is outside of marriage is absolutely sinful, absolutely sinful. Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, that means evil desires, evil desires, and covetousness, which is idolatry. See, they're the deeds of the old man. They're the deeds of the old man. For which thing's sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience? Now listen, in the which ye also walked sometimes when ye lived in them, but now ye also put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth, lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, listen, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. So what we have to do as Christians is we have to learn by the grace of God, by the working of God's word in our life, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we have to learn to put off the flesh, the old man by faith, and to put on the new man, which is renewed in the image and likeness of God who created him. And this is a daily process. So this is Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 through 10. Verses 1 through 10. Now, let's turn to Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter 5 describes the glorious act by which God has declared us righteous and just through Jesus Christ. But now that we stand as children of God, now that we stand as those who have been redeemed and saved, and we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit, and the person of Christ dwells in us through the Holy Spirit by faith. Verse number 6, or chapter 6, verse number 1 comes in. What shall we say then? What are we talking about? In the state of being saved. It's talking about in the state of being saved. Now that we are saved and children of God, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Here's what Paul's saying. Now that we are saved, shall we continue to set our heart on the flesh? Shall we continue to follow the corruptness of the old man and the deeds of the old man? Shall we allow the old man to express his deeds through us now that we're saved? Now that we're new creations in Christ Jesus? What's Paul saying? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Now I want you to notice, it's very important. The Bible doesn't say sin is dead to us. The Bible says that we're dead to sin. There's a great difference. We are dead to sin. Here it is. What is sin? Sin is the flesh. The flesh is sin altogether. We are dead to sin. Here it is. We are dead to sin by virtue of being in Christ. As, listen, as we are in Christ, abiding in Christ, obeying Christ's word, the deeds of sin, the deeds of flesh do not express themselves through us. That's how we're dead to sin. We are dead to sin through abiding in Christ. For in Christ, there is no sin. In Christ, there is no expression of sin. In Christ, I triumph over the old man. In Christ, I find power over the corrupt deeds of sinful flesh which yet lurk within me. In Christ, rather than the flesh expressing itself through me and manifesting the corrupt deeds that I am in the flesh, I find that as I abide in Christ, then what Christ is expresses himself through me. What Christ is begins to be seen in my character and begins to be seen in my nature. Now, let's go on here because this is a very important part. God forbid, how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so many of us, as we're baptized into Jesus Christ, we're baptized into His death? Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life. Now, you see, we are to walk in newness of life. Now, see, I am a new creature, okay? 2 Corinthians 5, 17. Now, watch this. As a new creation, as a new creature, Christ lives in me. Number two, the Holy Spirit lives in me. Number three, the Word of God lives in me. Okay, now, what is it to walk in newness of life? Here's what it is to walk in newness of life. As I walk in newness of life, I am drawing my very life and my very strength from Christ who is in me, from the Holy Spirit who is in me, from the Word of God who is in me, rather than drawing my life and my strength and my unction from the old man who is to be crucified with Christ. Now, we're going to get into that right here in this Scripture. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, by the way, Christ's death, you have to understand if we have been buried with Him in His death, His death was for your sins. So, when the Bible says we've been buried with Him, what it is actually saying is, Christ going to the cross was a sign that our sins were abolished. So, therefore, if we participate in Christ's death, we are basically saying, I consider my old life as God considers it, and that is dead, corrupt, useless, unprofitable. It cannot please God. It will not please God. It is not at all holy, and therefore, listen, I am going to forever ignore it by the power of God's Word. I'm not going to yield to it by the power of God's grace. I am going to reckon my old man as crucified with Christ. The victory over the old man comes to a believer as the believer, as the believer progressively understands the position that he is in Christ and what God says about the old man. Listen, the deeds of the old man will not express themselves through any Christian who learns to hate the old life and love the new life. Listen, you obey, now we're getting a little bit ahead of ourselves, but choice, guess what determines choice? Okay, Colossians 2.9 also, we'll go to 2.10. We'll go to that in a second, but guess what determines choice? Love. You obey who you love. You obey who you love. And if it's the old man that you are yet committed to, his deeds you will obey, and he will express himself through you. But as the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts through the power of the Holy Ghost, what happens? Our wills, our affections start changing. And rather than allowing the old man to express himself through us, which leads to death and destruction and misery, we then resist the old man. We reckon him as dead. I didn't say we reckon him as not there. He's there. And don't try and play the game of ignoring him like he's not there anymore. He is there. He's there. But as we fall in love more and more with our Savior, and as love captivates us more and more, we're going to find less and less of the desire to want the old man to express himself in us, and more and more a desire for the new man to express himself through us. And there's the secret of power over sin. We incorporate the finished work of Christ. He has triumphed over death. He has triumphed over sin. And he has triumphed over the old man. We incorporate that. Plus, we experience on a daily basis the love of God. And those two combined together bring absolute victory on a daily basis in the Christian's life. Colossians chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2, which also conforms to the point that we just make about being a new creature in Christ. Colossians chapter 2, verse number... Let's begin in verse number 6. Colossians 2, verse 6. I love Bible studies. I hope you do. Colossians chapter 2, verse number 6. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Now you see, we have received Christ as Lord. I am a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. But Paul is saying, if you have received him, then walk in him. Don't walk in the ways of the old man anymore now that you are a new creature in Christ. Don't walk in the ways of the old man. But now that you have received Christ, draw your strength from Christ. Draw your strength from the Holy Spirit. Draw your strength from the Word of God. And we do that by staying humble before God and by staying close to him and by seeking and by asking him to reveal himself to us more and more and more. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. You see, it's Paul's desire, not only for the sinner to become a new creature in Christ and experience new life, but it's Paul's desire, which is the Holy Spirit, for the believer now to become so deeply rooted in the life of Christ, so deeply grounded in the life of Christ, so drawing everything that the believer is from Christ, as opposed to drawing life from the old man and still wallowing around in the old life. Paul's saying, don't wallow around in the old life. Don't continue to allow the old life to manifest itself through you, but by the power of grace, by the power of the Word of God, so allow God to plant you so deeply in Christ, in so much that the very life of Christ himself becomes the very life that is expressing itself in your mortal body. That's victory over sin. Glory to God. That's victory. Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith. I like that. We need to be rooted. We need to be built up. We need to be established in Christ. Isn't that good? My Lord, God, loose us from the old man. Loose us, Lord. Shed abroad, pour out into us your love, so we could be free from the dictates of the old man, because we've been delivered from the consequences of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation. We don't need to walk around in fear, because God is exposing in us an area where we are yet in allegiance to the old man. We don't need to be in fear. If we are genuinely children of God, hallelujah, we're free from condemnation, so I can approach this whole subject now, not in fear, but in hope. See, I don't have to approach this sin that lurks in me, and I don't have to come to God wrestling with sin anymore, with fear. But I've been delivered from fear. I've been delivered from torment, so that I can come to God as one of His children and say, Lord, this flesh is evil, and I see that there's still an area in my life where I am committed to the flesh, where I am allowing the flesh to express its evil desires through me. But Lord, I'm one of yours, and I don't want this to be. Deliver me, Lord. Have mercy upon me. Oh, what liberation. My God. This liberates you, beloved. This liberates you. Now, verse number eight. Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and all power. Now, you are complete in him. As a Christian, Christ is dwelling in you, and in him you are complete. In other words, you don't need anything more than Christ Himself, who dwells in your heart by faith. And your entire behaviors and your actions will all change. Listen, in relation to how much you draw your life from Christ now rather than the old man. Glory to God. Let's draw our life from the new man, which is Christ in me and my spirit joined to Him. See, my spirit is now joined to Christ. I am a new creature. I've been made a partaker of the divine nature. 2 Peter 1, verses 1-9. I am actually a partaker now of the divine nature. My spirit and God's spirit are joined together and we are one. That unity of my union with Christ now, my union with God in Christ, gives me the power over the flesh. See, the fact that God has joined His spirit with my spirit, and now I am a new man, I've been given a new nature, I've been given a new disposition. The fact that I've been joined together with God now gives me in Christ the power over the old corrupt man. Gives me power over the corrupt man. I don't have this power in myself, but I have it in Christ. By virtue of God living in me, by virtue of deity Himself has come in Christ and has joined Himself to your spirit if you are a believer. Now that I am in Christ and that my spirit is joined with His spirit, Paul teaches this in 1 Corinthians 6, the two become one spirit. Now, as I learn, this is the secret now, as I learn to yield to the desires of Christ rather than the desires of corrupt flesh which dwells in me and which will be there until the day of redemption, as I learn to yield to Christ rather than to the old man, I am daily victorious. Now this is the process that we're undergoing now. Now let's go to Romans 6. Verse 11, Colossians 2, in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. Putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. Putting off the body of the sins of the flesh. You see that? In Christ. In Christ, you put off the old man and his deeds do not find expression in you. But what expresses itself through you when you're in Christ? Jesus does. Jesus expresses Himself. Hallelujah. The victory is Jesus Himself. Now, let's go to Romans 6. And let's go into this matter of choice now. Romans 6. Romans 6. Remember what we said now. Verses 1-4 described our participation in the identity, identifying with Christ. Now watch this. Verse 5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, that is, if we have put off the old man by being translated into Christ, if we've been translated into Christ through the redemption, through the new birth, we shall also in the likeness of His resurrection be. Listen to this now. Knowing this, that our old man is or was crucified with Him. Now, here's the biblical remedy to the old man. Now, how many people here understand what I'm saying when I talk about the old man? That's the flesh. All right? That's the flesh that if you give a foothold to, will express His evil desires through you, right? Sure. But what's the solution to flesh? What's the solution to the flesh? You can't pretend it's not there. You can't confess it away. You can't cast it out. You can't find some deliverance minister to come and lay his hands on you and say, I command you flesh in the name of Jesus, come out and then be free from the flesh. No. Here's God's remedy for the flesh. Verse number six. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Christ. Listen. That the body of sin might be destroyed. Now, the word destroyed in the Greek. Listen to this. The word destroyed in the Greek literally means to make powerless. To make powerless. How is the old man, the flesh, which is corrupt, made powerless? Through Christ Himself, the old man is made powerless. You see? The old man is made powerless. Now, does that mean that the old man can't express himself through you anymore? Absolutely not. Think about it. Use your heads here. Can the old man express himself through you anymore? Of course he can. So how is he made powerless? As we participate in Christ, the old man is made powerless. As we are rooted and grounded in Christ, as we yield ourselves therefore unto God. If we're yielding ourselves to God, we are drawing our strength from Christ and the old man is rendered powerless. He doesn't go away. He stays corrupt, but he doesn't express his evil desires in us. He lays dormant. Rendered inoperative. Rendered inoperative. Knowing this, that the old man is crucified, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. See? The old man cannot be saved. The old man cannot be sanctified. The old man cannot put on religious garments and try to become holy. The only place for the old man is crucified with Christ. Reckoned as dead. You have to consider your old life corrupt, like God's word says it is. You have to consider your old life to be something you shouldn't touch. You shouldn't want to touch. And if God shows you that it is still expressing itself through you, you should find in God's grace and in God's power the ability to resist it. Break your allegiance to the old man so that that area of your life can be free from dominion of the old man and brought under the control of Christ. That's what the believer should desire every day. Right there. Because the old man is crucified with Christ so that what? We should not serve sin. So we find that sin, the root of sin is in the old man. The law of sin continues to work in the old man. That's why our bodies are getting old and dying. But the law of sin, though it is operating in our bodies, yet should not be operating in our members. That means we shouldn't be obeying its desires. Because God's going to deliver us from the body of sin on the day of redemption. But now we've been delivered from the dominion of sin, not the presence, but the dominion of sin through Christ Jesus. Now watch this. Verse 7, for he that is dead is freed from sin. See, we are freed from sin in Christ Jesus. We're freed from sin in Christ. Now it's appropriating that on a daily basis. Now, if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more. Death have no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died under sin once. But in that he liveth, he liveth under God. Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ. In other words, if you as a of the old man, sin does not have dominion over you in Christ. The reason why sin oftentimes controls a believer or has dominion over a believer is because that area of their life has not been freed from the old man. There's yet an area in their heart that needs to be brought under the lordship of Christ. And once it's brought under the lordship of Christ, the deeds of the old man are immediately broken. Theoretically, we are broken completely. But experientially, we are being broken daily as the searching word of the Holy Spirit reveals to us areas in our life where we need to turn from. So this is the faithful work of God in our life. Verse number 12 is the consummation. Let not therefore sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lust thereof. Do you see what he's saying? In light of the fact that we are Christians, in light of the fact that Christ dwells in us, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, in light of the fact that we have the word of God, in light of the fact that we've been delivered out of darkness, in light of the fact that we've been washed by the blood, in light of the fact that our old man has been crucified, in light of all these things, don't let sin reign in your body. Even though the old man is there, don't let him have his way. You say, well, how can I do that? In Christ, through Jesus. It's the power of Jesus. As Jesus' life flows through you, and as you saturate yourself in the word of God, as you saturate yourself in the presence of Jesus, sin does not reign. Sin does not reign. You see? Neither, verse 13, neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness. Now, how do you yield your member to an instrument of unrighteousness? What is an instrument of unrighteousness? The flesh. If you yield yourself to the flesh, unrighteousness will express itself through your body. But if you yield yourself to Christ, what will express itself? Jesus, and what he is, and that's holiness. And righteousness. Neither yield yourselves 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. Listen, for sin shall not have dominion over you. For you are not under the law, but under grace. Ah, beloved, we have glorious freedom and glorious liberty in Christ. This is a growth process. And this growth process is done in us by God as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and allow the word of God and the Holy Spirit to work this great work in us. So therefore, the flesh is rendered powerless in Christ. The flesh is made powerless in Christ. And I am in Christ. But when I sin, it is not Christ that makes me sin. It's not Christ that tempts me to sin. But when I sin, it becomes flesh expressing itself through me because I yield, because I obey, and because I submit. When I submit to the dictates of the flesh, I sin. Though now as a Christian, I do not have to submit to the dictates of the flesh, because in Christ, there is deliverance from all the flesh. So the intricate daily work of sanctification involves the breaking of my will from being in allegiance to sinful flesh to being in allegiance to Christ in me. When Christ expresses himself through me, the fruit is what? Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, patience, and so on. When flesh expresses itself through me, the results are hatred, bitterness, strife, adultery, all those things in the sinful human heart. So the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of the word of God is to daily free our will from allegiance to the old man, because God has put the old man to death, and it's to be rendered as absolutely untouchable. You shouldn't even mess with it. It's there, but just ignore it. Keep your eyes on Jesus. So the daily work of sanctification is the liberation. Here it is. This is the whole thing. The liberation of the human will from allegiance to the old sinful flesh, which is crucified with Christ, so that we can be in accord with Christ in us, so that Christ can grow and bring forth fruit in us that is pleasing to God. This is the whole source of conflict in the believer. Many believers are looking for their flesh to disappear. It will not disappear. Many believers are looking for their flesh to be sanctified. Your flesh will never be sanctified. Many believers are looking for their flesh someday not to be there, so that they no longer have it within their flesh to be sinful. Not so. That'll never happen. The only place for the flesh now is to be crucified with Christ, which is you ought to consider the flesh to be an untouchable, unholy thing, and any time you have any dealings with it and it rises up to want to express itself, you should say no by the grace of God and by the power of God and resist it. And there's the victory of the new life in Christ Jesus. And this is what God's doing in each one of our lives. Yes. Well, the word sanctified in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 means set apart. It means set apart. In other words, Paul's saying, no, I know. Paul's saying, I pray that your body, listen now, watch this, your body would not give occasion to the flesh, your soul would not give occasion to the flesh, and your spirit would not give occasion to the flesh, but that your body may express Christ, your soul may express Christ, and your spirit may express Christ. In other words, Paul's saying, I'm asking that God will free everything that you are from the dictates of the old man, so that you can become a vessel, holy yielder to everything that Christ is. So that everything that Christ is can express himself in you and through you, so that the world can see that Jesus really is alive. See, that's okay. That's all right. We ask questions. Anybody else have a question at all? Now, in reference to that scripture in Galatians, you say, well, what about the old man? If he can't be sanctified, if he can't be changed, what happens to him? Well, here's what it is. Galatians chapter 5, verse 5. For we through the spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. So what we're doing is we are waiting for the hope of righteousness. Now, right now, we have access to Christ, and we have power over the old man. But we do not and are not free from the presence of the old man. And this is the hope. That on the day of redemption, when Jesus comes and delivers us out of the body of corruption, will be no more. Flesh will be no more. And we will be brought, as Paul says in Romans chapter 8, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, and free from corruption, the corruption of the old man. So it pleased God to save us with hope, the hope of being free from the presence of the corrupt man. And even though he's with us now, and that is part of us, yet greater is he that is in us than the old man, and the devil, and the flesh, and sin. And through the power of God's grace and the power of God's word, we can indeed find complete freedom. And this is why Jesus offers himself to us. Because we are free in Christ. By the way, this message is found in the whole Bible, from Genesis on to Revelation, and including the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 61. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives. Beloved, this is a message of liberty. We are free from the dominion and tyranny of the old man. Even though we live in bodies of sinful flesh, even though our hearts are yet corrupt, yet God promises to give us a new heart. He promises to make us new creatures. And through Christ in us, drawing our strength from him, we have complete power over the dominion and tyranny and power of the flesh life. Which makes the flesh life there, but rendered powerless and inoperative. And that's what the believer must remember. The flesh is there, but in Christ it's rendered powerless. And that's why it's on the cross. It's powerless. It can't express itself. See, when you're on the cross, you can't express yourself. You're just there. You're just there. See, I want to do something. I can't. See, when the flesh desires, when the flesh desires to rise up and express itself through us, we must learn. What does it say in Titus chapter 2? The grace of God has appeared unto all men, teaching us to say no to ungodliness and worldly lusts. You have to learn by the grace of God to say no to the old man and say yes to Jesus. So that's a good scripture, Tom. To proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God. To comfort all that mourn. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion. To give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Amen. Anybody else have a question or anything at all? Beloved, ask God to show you your identity in Christ. Ask him to show you that Christ dwells in you. Listen, you're acquainted with the old man, aren't you? You know what he can do. You've seen him. He's messed your life up, hasn't he? Is there anyone here who has not been messed up by the life of the old man? Nobody. Okay, let me encourage you to do something. If you've seen how devastating the old man is and you have seen when he's in control what he can do, I want to ask you if you're a Christian, get to know about the Jesus in you. Because if the old man can tear your life up, how much more can the new man build it up? Greater is Christ than the flesh. Therefore, you're no longer a slave to flesh. You can be a love slave to Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's pray. Let's pray. God has spoken to hearts tonight through his word, and we want to give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to minister. Jesus be the Lord of all the kingdoms of my heart. We're going to sing that song. For Jesus to be the Lord of the kingdoms of our heart, it means that we're asking him to break the influence of the old man so that we are following the dictates and desires of the new man. Father, we're asking in the name of Jesus that you would quicken this word to every soul. Draw every person here to the place where they say, Lord, free me from the old man and let me enjoy and live in the life of Christ. Let's sing this song. And I want to make an invitation. If God is asking you to make a commitment to him and to the new man and to Christ and to turn from the old ways and in Christ, find the power to please him. I want to pray for you tonight. As we sing this song, the altars are open. I want to invite you to come. God will meet you. Jesus be the Lord of all.