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"A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD"
Overcoming Sin
INTRODUCTION
- A wonderful blessing we receive when we become Christians is the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ
- This does not mean that our problem with sin is over...
- If we are to maintain a close walk with God, and ultimately receive the riches of glory He has prepared for us, we must overcome the problem of sin in two ways:
- By sinning less and less - 1Jn 2:1a
- By knowing what to do when we do sin - 1Jn 2:1b-2
- This lesson is concerned with helping us see how sin develops, and how to overcome sin with its terrible consequences
[To overcome sin, we need to understand how it develops. The Bible outlines the development of sin in Jm 1:12-15...]
- HOW SIN DEVELOPS
- THE FIRST STAGE IS "TEMPTATION"...
- In Jm 1:14, we see that "temptation" includes two things:
- DESIRE (some translations say "lust", suggesting a strong desire for something)
- ENTICEMENT (an opportunity and encouragement to satisfy the desire)
- Putting it in the form of a simple equation: TEMPTATION = DESIRE + OPPORTUNITY
- To illustrate:
- A small boy is TEMPTED to steal some cookies when he WANTS (desire) them and has an OCCASION (opportunity) to take them
- The temptation becomes stronger if he wants them badly, and has a good chance of getting them without being seen
- PLEASE NOTE: At this stage in the development of sin, actual sin has not yet been committed
- THE SECOND STAGE IS "SIN" ITSELF...
- "When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin" - Jm 1:15
- It becomes sin when we ACT and YIELD to the temptation
- Thus sin involves the added step of some sort of action on our part
- Again, in the form of a simple equation: SIN = DESIRE + OPPORTUNITY + ACTION
- THE THIRD STAGE INVOLVES THE CONSEQUENCES OF UNREPENTED AND UNFORGIVEN SIN: "DEATH"
- "And sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death" - Jm 1:15
- The "death" spoken here refers to spiritual separation from God
- This separation occurs first in this life - cf. Is 59:2
- If we die physically in this state, then we will experience the "second death", which involves eternal punishment! - Re 21:8
- Putting all this into a final equation: DESIRE + OPPORTUNITY + ACTION + NO FORGIVENESS = DEATH
- OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SIN...
- Sin will have overcome us if we receive the "final punishment" of Re 21:8
- But we will have overcome sin if we can avoid this punishment and experience the glories God has prepared for His children!
- How can we be sure to overcome sin? BY STOPPING ITS DEVELOP- MENT AT ANY ONE OF THE FOUR POINTS LEADING TO THE FINAL PUNISHMENT!
- HOW TO OVERCOME SIN
- CHANGE OUR "DESIRES"...
- Since this is where the process of sin begins, it is the best place for us to begin
- Bear in mind that it is a part of Christian growth to change our desires - Ro 12:1-2; Ga 5:24
- How do we change our desires?
- Notice that the WORD OF GOD has always been instrumental in helping people overcome sin - Ps 119:11; Mt 4:3-10
- To see how the Word of God can change our desires...
- As we read of God's love, longsuffering and mercy, we desire to serve Him - Ps 116:12-14
- As we read of sin and its damnable consequences, we come to hate it! - Ps 119:104
- So the more we study God's Word, the less likely we will have the DESIRE to sin, thereby beginning to overcome sin by "nipping it in the bud"!
- LIMIT OUR "OPPORTUNITIES"...
- Remember, we are tempted only when there is BOTH desire and opportunity
- So while we work on changing our desires, we should limit the opportunities to fulfill wrongful desires
- This can be done by ASKING FOR GOD'S PROVIDENTIAL HELP, as Jesus taught - Mt 6:13; 26:41
- We can cooperate with God by:
- Purposely avoiding situations that might excite wrongful desires
- Following the example of David - Ps 101:3-4
- And the example of Job - Job 31:1
- Avoiding those whose evil behavior encourages us to sin with them
- Again, David sets a good example - Ps 101:6-7
- Paul also adds his warning - 1Co 15:33
- EXERCISE "SELF-CONTROL"...
- Remember, it becomes sin when we yield to ACTION in fulfilling our sinful desires
- If we can control ourselves so as to not yield, then we can overcome sin!
- How does the Christian exercise self-control?
- Self-control is but one aspect of the "fruit of the Spirit" - Ga 5:22-23
- When we become Christians, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives - Ac 2:38; 5:32
- The Spirit is God's instrumental agent by which He imparts strength to us - Ep 3:16
- Strengthened by the Spirit, we are able to "put to death the deeds of the body" - Ro 8:12-13
- As Paul said: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." - Php 4:13
- It is through faith in God's Word that the Christian believes that he has this divine help - Ep 3:20
- It is certainly proper to pray for it, as Paul did in behalf of the Ephesians - Ep 3:16
- But equally important, to act upon it, trusting that you are not alone as you try to do God's will - Php 2:12-13
- As an exercise commercial once said: JUST DO IT!
- The Christian, then, has no excuse for yielding to a temptation - 1Co 10:13
- OBTAIN "FORGIVENESS"...
- Remember that sin is victorious when it results in punishment
- But if we obtain forgiveness through the blood of Christ, we can avoid that punishment and thereby still overcome sin! - 1Jn 2:1-2
- Yes, Christ is truly the "propitiation" for our sins!
- By His blood, we were forgiven of past sins when united with Him in BAPTISM - Ac 2:38; 22:16; Re 1:5
- By His blood, we can be forgiven of present sins when we REPENT, PRAY, and CONFESS our sins to God - Ac 8:22; 1Jn 1:9
- At any time the Christian can overcome sins that were committed, by repenting and confessing them to God!
- SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT OVERCOMING SIN...
- If you noticed carefully, you should have seen that at each of the four points in the development of sin, God is able and willing to help us overcome sin!
- God helps us to "control our desires" by providing His WORD to renew our minds
- God helps us to "limit the opportunities" through His PROVIDENCE as we pray for such
- God helps us to "exercise self-control" over our actions through His SPIRIT strengthening the inner man
- God helps us to "obtain forgiveness" through the BLOOD OF HIS SON as we repent and pray
- In this discussion we have concentrated on "sins of commission"
- That is, sins we commit by overt action on our part
- There are also "sins of omission"
- Sins which come from failing to do what is right - Jm 4:17
- Overcoming these sins is similar...
- Change our desires so we want to do what is right
- Exercise self-control so we act the way we should when we have the opportunity
- When guilty of sins of omission, obtain forgiveness in the same way
- In learning the four points at which we may overcome sin, don't think that we can simply wait until we reach the fourth point to act...
- That is, to just go ahead and sin, then ask God for forgiveness
- There are several reasons why we should not do this:
- In baptism, we were freed from the power of sin, and should now present ourselves to God as servants of righteousness - Ro 6:1-23
- Though we can receive forgiveness for sin, we might still suffer the "temporal" consequences of sins - Ga 6:7-9
- If we allow sin to deceive us so as to become "hardened",we may get to the point of sinning "willfully" and lose our salvation! - He 3:12-14; 10:26-31
- So don't take the grace of God lightly and attempt to abuse it!
[Now let's examine how this may be done...]
[But changing our desires takes time; while engaged in the process of changing our desires, what else can we do?]
[But we will unlikely remove EVERY desire and opportunity to sin in this life, what then?]
[But there may be times when we don't take advantage of the strength God provides through His Spirit, and we sin; what then?]
CONCLUSION
- How much better it would be to praise God for His grace, and use it to overcome sin in our lives!
- May the promise found in Jm 1:12 help motivate us to do so:
"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
SOME QUESTIONS TO STIMULATE YOUR THINKING...
- Are you engaged in a daily Bible study program which will help you develop the proper kind of desires?
- Do you "watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation"?
- Do you avoid circumstances and companions that you know would entice you to sin?
- Do you pray that God will strengthen you "by His Spirit in the inner man"?
- Do you ask God daily to forgive your sins, and to help you overcome sin in your life?
Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2022