Living Sin Free
We were talking about SIN a couple of weeks ago…
Rom. 6:14
For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
The wonderful news for all of us is that God has made a way for human beings to be free from destructive beliefs and behaviors—we do not have to live our lives bound up and out of control.
Last time, I was iterating 5 perspectives that will help a person walk out from the influence of prevailing sin:
1) Recognize SIN has been conquered in Jesus Christ
Paul writes:
Rom. 8:2
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
If patterns of sin are going to lose dominion or power over us…we have to RECOGNIZE that, legally, SIN HAS BEEN CONQUERED (even if it seems very alive in your life)
JESUS made a way for the monkeys on your back to get off your back…so you can be free to choose wisely and righteously…
2) The second key perspective is that the defeat of sin is only possible through a vital, living relationship w/Jesus Christ (each of us has to work through what that means for us…how do YOU connect w/Jesus with your personality and background and experience), WE MUST CONNECT WITH JESUS BECAUSE SIN IS BIGGER than us (in our human effort alone)
Heb 2:18 Because he [Jesus] himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
We need help in this.
God isn’t looking for US to decide to just stop sinning…there is no easy button!
THE HARD, COLD FACT is: All of us have AREAS OF WEAKNESS (addictions) that are bigger than us…
Heb. 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
I TOLD YOU THAT something in me doesn’t want to accept this. As far back as I can remember (15)…something in me has always thought…I can beat sin in my life…just a little more commitment…just a little more time in prayer or in the Word of God…
And then, when I found myself stumbling…I would think, “I should have been able to avoid this…” and then back to, “I could, if…”
The “shoulds” and “coulds” defined my relationship w/God.
But you never walk free from sin’s power with shoulds/coulds.
Some people get stuck in some pretty horrible things.
Things that others snub at.
i. Sins like
1. Anger
2. Alcoholism
3. Chemical dependency
4. Eating disorders
5. Lust
6. Envy
7. Embezzlement
OTHERS GET STUCK IN SINS THAT DON’T SEEM LIKE SINS.
HOLY SINS.
ii. Like:
1. Addicted to Pride – better than everyone else and you know it
2. Addicted to Perfectionism = looks like discipleship or being a good mom
3. Addicted to Worry = looks like concern and compassion
4. Judgmentalism = discernment
5. Favoritism
But the truth is everybody gets stuck.
Wherever we find ourselves, we have to recognize that there is an “area” of wrong that is BIGGER than us—stronger than our ability to manage.
So, if you are going to walk free from sin, recognize (NUMBER ONE) that SIN HAS BEEN CONQUERED
TWO – SIN IS BIGGER THAN US—WE NEED JESUS!
3) [THIS ONE SEEMS ODD AT FIRST] SIN isn’t the major issue with God—IT IS AN ISSUE…HE DOESN’T WANT US LIVING IN SIN BECAUSE IT DESTROYS US….BUT IT ISN’T THE MAJOR ISSUE. WHY?
SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED THAT MAKES OUR SIN SEEM LIKE NOTHING in the eyes of God. THE CROSS. The Cross is bigger
2 CO. 5:19 NEW LIFE VERSION
God was in Christ. He was working through Christ to bring the whole world back to Himself. God no longer held men's sins against them. And He gave us the work of telling and showing men this.
1John 2:1-2
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Through the cross God’s mercy is stronger than our sin (like a dad/mom—God sees potential)
PSA 103:10-14
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion (mercy) on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
For sin to no longer dominate your life, recognize:
ONE – SIN HAS BEEN CONQUERED
TWO – SIN IS BIGGER THAN US!
Three—Sin is not the major issue w/God
4) The major issue w/God is the issue of BELIEF—BELIEF is what God is after
This is a tad hard to grasp, but Christianity is NOT a human development deal…
We are not supposed to pray to make ourselves better OR TO STOP SINNING, we need to pray to know God better.
Eph. 1:17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Phil. 3:10-11
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Knowing JESUS is the ticket...not fixing ourselves!
WHY?
There is a law of LIKENESS espoused in the Scripture:
1 John 3:2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
OLD COUPLE IN MILWAUKEE AIRPORT…
Psa. 17:15 And I — in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
Faith is NOT a self-development mission, it is NOT about us living in self-analysis and beating ourselves into looking like Jesus…it’s about GETTING TO KNOW GOD…looking for God.
When we see him THERE IS TRANSFORMATION!
2 Co. 3:17-18 NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Here is the skinny:
Gal. 3:1-4 THE MESSAGE VERSION
You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it's obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the Cross was certainly set before you clearly enough.
2Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? 3Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? 4Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!
HERE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS WE ARE TO BELIEVE:
a. Believe that Sin has been conquered (hard when you are stuck)
b. Believe that SIN is bigger than me (I’m a loser)—If I just try harder…pray more…cultivate a stronger commitment
c. Believe that SIN is not the major issue w/God==that the Cross is bigger” in God’s view than YOU
DARE TO BELIEVE THIS:
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
i. This Obviates shame
ii. Obviates guilt
You and I have no right to be full of shame and guilt…
IF WE DO…WE ARE SAYING THAT WE BELIEVE what WE do is greater than what Jesus did—
I’ve lost my way in my faith before…it about destroyed my whole life…the hardest thing to believe when you fail is that this isn’t ABOUT YOU…that the cross is bigger!
For sin to no longer dominate your life, recognize:
ONE – SIN HAS BEEN CONQUERED
TWO – SIN IS BIGGER THAN US!
Three—Sin is not the major issue w/God
Four-Belief is the issue!
5) There is a way of escape designed by God UNIQUE to you
1 Co. 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
This often involves some complexity
IT IS TRUE THAT SOMETIMES freedom from compulsive things comes instantly:
DARYL BURDICK…SMOKING!
VS.
JOYCE MEYER
Vs.
Chip Acker (came to me…there is a way out…)
I know some who have been deeply helped by AA.
Others don’t get it that way…
Pastor friend told me of a lady w/rocking horses…
I don’t know what your way out is, but there is one!
It may not be instant for you:
1-800-DELIVERANCE
1) It may involve God showing you how you are triggered towards that inappropriate behavior and how to redirect at those trigger points…
2) IT may involve the discovery of THE ACHE…
Psa. 63:1 (captures this)
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
SOMETHING IN US ACHES FOR EDEN…FOR PERFECTION…WE WERE DESIGNED FOR A PERFECT WORLD…
sin is a medication of THE ACHE
WE MEDICATE…
HERE IS ONE MORE COMPLEXITY…this one will make you nervous…
The Bible talks very explicitly about the idea that there is a literal devil and that he has this army-like group of demons.
Paul TALKS about the devil and the demonic and says there is some kind of structure they work within:
Eph. 6:10-12
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against [here is their hierarchical structure] the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms [devil/demons].
Paul also says the demonic seeks to influence and control people.
We see this in a simple way with a wrong influence during a conversation:
Matt. 16:22-23
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
TO WILD, WILD WEST DEVILS:
Luke 8:26-37
They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” [these things have names!—THIS IS ON THE LIST OF THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO BBBBBHBBHHHHHH]
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
Demonic beings are TALKING in this story…does anyone else think that is weird????
These beings have PERSONHOOD.
And they influence in various ways…
So, what are demons?
We don’t know exactly.
The Bible talks about them as being actual spiritual entities.
It talks about them as having various characteristics. Pretty eerie.
The Bible talks about:
• Unclean Spirits
• Foul Spirits
• Lying Spirits
• Seducing Spirits
• Religious spirits
• An antichrist Spirit
• Perverse Spirits
• Familiar Spirits
• Etc.
And these spirits or demons messed w/people:
1Sam. 16:14
Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.
ARE THERE STILL ANY OF THESE TORMENTING DEMONS ON THE EARTH TODAY?
WHAT IF SOME FOLKS WHO ARE BOUND DEEPLY IN SIN HAVE THE AID OF THE DEMONIC IN THEIR BONDAGE?
THERE ARE UNCLEAN SPIRITS
SEDUCING SPIRITS
LYING SPIRITS
ARE THERE COMPULSIVE SPIRITS?
NRB in Dallas and the Baptist guy talking to me [Wes]…
JAMES ROBISON—BAPTIST EVANGELIST AND LUSTFUL THOUGHTS WHILE HE WAS PREACHING…GETTING WORSE…
I’m not trying to freak you out here…I’m trying to say there is some complexity in all this spiritual stuff.
The Bible is clear that even believers can give place to the demonic in their lives…
1Tim. 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
Eph. 4:27
And do not give the devil a foothold.
2Tim. 2:26
And that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
I don’t’ think a Christian can be demon possessed but he/she can certainly be oppressed!
In all fairness, there are many committed followers of Jesus who think talk of a literal devil and demons is too fantastical and that they are not real personalities but metaphorical descriptions of how our brains and bodies go crazy in a fallen world…they believe that because Jesus was in a pre-scientific world he used the metaphors and analogies of the demonic so that he would be understood those people.
Even if that is how you view this… it’s obvious that something bigger than us influences us negatively and we need Jesus’ presence and activity in the human life to help clear up whatever it is, demons or chemicals or whatever.
Here is the good news about the demonic: Lordship of Jesus! Word of God…demons flee!
Here is why this is important to the freedom from sin issue…
EVEN THOUGH FREEDOM IS OURS…THERE IS COMPLEXITY IN GETTING OUT OF SIN…
BECAUSE OF THAT…WE WILL STRUGGLE TO SOME DEGREE TILL DEATH…
Heb. 12:4
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
IN ANY GIVEN WEEK WE WILL BE STRUGGLING WELL OR STRUGGLING POORLY.
The things we’ve talked about this morning will help you struggle well.
AGAIN:
For sin to no longer dominate your life, recognize:
ONE – SIN HAS BEEN CONQUERED
TWO – SIN IS BIGGER THAN US!
Three—Sin is not the major issue w/God
Four-Belief is the issue!
FIVE – there is an escape!
We were talking about SIN a couple of weeks ago…
Rom. 6:14
For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
The wonderful news for all of us is that God has made a way for human beings to be free from destructive beliefs and behaviors—we do not have to live our lives bound up and out of control.
Last time, I was iterating 5 perspectives that will help a person walk out from the influence of prevailing sin:
1) Recognize SIN has been conquered in Jesus Christ
Paul writes:
Rom. 8:2
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
If patterns of sin are going to lose dominion or power over us…we have to RECOGNIZE that, legally, SIN HAS BEEN CONQUERED (even if it seems very alive in your life)
JESUS made a way for the monkeys on your back to get off your back…so you can be free to choose wisely and righteously…
2) The second key perspective is that the defeat of sin is only possible through a vital, living relationship w/Jesus Christ (each of us has to work through what that means for us…how do YOU connect w/Jesus with your personality and background and experience), WE MUST CONNECT WITH JESUS BECAUSE SIN IS BIGGER than us (in our human effort alone)
Heb 2:18 Because he [Jesus] himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
We need help in this.
God isn’t looking for US to decide to just stop sinning…there is no easy button!
THE HARD, COLD FACT is: All of us have AREAS OF WEAKNESS (addictions) that are bigger than us…
Heb. 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
I TOLD YOU THAT something in me doesn’t want to accept this. As far back as I can remember (15)…something in me has always thought…I can beat sin in my life…just a little more commitment…just a little more time in prayer or in the Word of God…
And then, when I found myself stumbling…I would think, “I should have been able to avoid this…” and then back to, “I could, if…”
The “shoulds” and “coulds” defined my relationship w/God.
But you never walk free from sin’s power with shoulds/coulds.
Some people get stuck in some pretty horrible things.
Things that others snub at.
i. Sins like
1. Anger
2. Alcoholism
3. Chemical dependency
4. Eating disorders
5. Lust
6. Envy
7. Embezzlement
OTHERS GET STUCK IN SINS THAT DON’T SEEM LIKE SINS.
HOLY SINS.
ii. Like:
1. Addicted to Pride – better than everyone else and you know it
2. Addicted to Perfectionism = looks like discipleship or being a good mom
3. Addicted to Worry = looks like concern and compassion
4. Judgmentalism = discernment
5. Favoritism
But the truth is everybody gets stuck.
Wherever we find ourselves, we have to recognize that there is an “area” of wrong that is BIGGER than us—stronger than our ability to manage.
So, if you are going to walk free from sin, recognize (NUMBER ONE) that SIN HAS BEEN CONQUERED
TWO – SIN IS BIGGER THAN US—WE NEED JESUS!
3) [THIS ONE SEEMS ODD AT FIRST] SIN isn’t the major issue with God—IT IS AN ISSUE…HE DOESN’T WANT US LIVING IN SIN BECAUSE IT DESTROYS US….BUT IT ISN’T THE MAJOR ISSUE. WHY?
SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED THAT MAKES OUR SIN SEEM LIKE NOTHING in the eyes of God. THE CROSS. The Cross is bigger
2 CO. 5:19 NEW LIFE VERSION
God was in Christ. He was working through Christ to bring the whole world back to Himself. God no longer held men's sins against them. And He gave us the work of telling and showing men this.
1John 2:1-2
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Through the cross God’s mercy is stronger than our sin (like a dad/mom—God sees potential)
PSA 103:10-14
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion (mercy) on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
For sin to no longer dominate your life, recognize:
ONE – SIN HAS BEEN CONQUERED
TWO – SIN IS BIGGER THAN US!
Three—Sin is not the major issue w/God
4) The major issue w/God is the issue of BELIEF—BELIEF is what God is after
This is a tad hard to grasp, but Christianity is NOT a human development deal…
We are not supposed to pray to make ourselves better OR TO STOP SINNING, we need to pray to know God better.
Eph. 1:17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Phil. 3:10-11
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Knowing JESUS is the ticket...not fixing ourselves!
WHY?
There is a law of LIKENESS espoused in the Scripture:
1 John 3:2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
OLD COUPLE IN MILWAUKEE AIRPORT…
Psa. 17:15 And I — in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
Faith is NOT a self-development mission, it is NOT about us living in self-analysis and beating ourselves into looking like Jesus…it’s about GETTING TO KNOW GOD…looking for God.
When we see him THERE IS TRANSFORMATION!
2 Co. 3:17-18 NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Here is the skinny:
Gal. 3:1-4 THE MESSAGE VERSION
You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it's obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the Cross was certainly set before you clearly enough.
2Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? 3Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? 4Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!
HERE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS WE ARE TO BELIEVE:
a. Believe that Sin has been conquered (hard when you are stuck)
b. Believe that SIN is bigger than me (I’m a loser)—If I just try harder…pray more…cultivate a stronger commitment
c. Believe that SIN is not the major issue w/God==that the Cross is bigger” in God’s view than YOU
DARE TO BELIEVE THIS:
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
i. This Obviates shame
ii. Obviates guilt
You and I have no right to be full of shame and guilt…
IF WE DO…WE ARE SAYING THAT WE BELIEVE what WE do is greater than what Jesus did—
I’ve lost my way in my faith before…it about destroyed my whole life…the hardest thing to believe when you fail is that this isn’t ABOUT YOU…that the cross is bigger!
For sin to no longer dominate your life, recognize:
ONE – SIN HAS BEEN CONQUERED
TWO – SIN IS BIGGER THAN US!
Three—Sin is not the major issue w/God
Four-Belief is the issue!
5) There is a way of escape designed by God UNIQUE to you
1 Co. 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
This often involves some complexity
IT IS TRUE THAT SOMETIMES freedom from compulsive things comes instantly:
DARYL BURDICK…SMOKING!
VS.
JOYCE MEYER
Vs.
Chip Acker (came to me…there is a way out…)
I know some who have been deeply helped by AA.
Others don’t get it that way…
Pastor friend told me of a lady w/rocking horses…
I don’t know what your way out is, but there is one!
It may not be instant for you:
1-800-DELIVERANCE
1) It may involve God showing you how you are triggered towards that inappropriate behavior and how to redirect at those trigger points…
2) IT may involve the discovery of THE ACHE…
Psa. 63:1 (captures this)
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
SOMETHING IN US ACHES FOR EDEN…FOR PERFECTION…WE WERE DESIGNED FOR A PERFECT WORLD…
sin is a medication of THE ACHE
WE MEDICATE…
HERE IS ONE MORE COMPLEXITY…this one will make you nervous…
The Bible talks very explicitly about the idea that there is a literal devil and that he has this army-like group of demons.
Paul TALKS about the devil and the demonic and says there is some kind of structure they work within:
Eph. 6:10-12
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against [here is their hierarchical structure] the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms [devil/demons].
Paul also says the demonic seeks to influence and control people.
We see this in a simple way with a wrong influence during a conversation:
Matt. 16:22-23
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
TO WILD, WILD WEST DEVILS:
Luke 8:26-37
They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” [these things have names!—THIS IS ON THE LIST OF THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO BBBBBHBBHHHHHH]
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
Demonic beings are TALKING in this story…does anyone else think that is weird????
These beings have PERSONHOOD.
And they influence in various ways…
So, what are demons?
We don’t know exactly.
The Bible talks about them as being actual spiritual entities.
It talks about them as having various characteristics. Pretty eerie.
The Bible talks about:
• Unclean Spirits
• Foul Spirits
• Lying Spirits
• Seducing Spirits
• Religious spirits
• An antichrist Spirit
• Perverse Spirits
• Familiar Spirits
• Etc.
And these spirits or demons messed w/people:
1Sam. 16:14
Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.
ARE THERE STILL ANY OF THESE TORMENTING DEMONS ON THE EARTH TODAY?
WHAT IF SOME FOLKS WHO ARE BOUND DEEPLY IN SIN HAVE THE AID OF THE DEMONIC IN THEIR BONDAGE?
THERE ARE UNCLEAN SPIRITS
SEDUCING SPIRITS
LYING SPIRITS
ARE THERE COMPULSIVE SPIRITS?
NRB in Dallas and the Baptist guy talking to me [Wes]…
JAMES ROBISON—BAPTIST EVANGELIST AND LUSTFUL THOUGHTS WHILE HE WAS PREACHING…GETTING WORSE…
I’m not trying to freak you out here…I’m trying to say there is some complexity in all this spiritual stuff.
The Bible is clear that even believers can give place to the demonic in their lives…
1Tim. 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
Eph. 4:27
And do not give the devil a foothold.
2Tim. 2:26
And that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
I don’t’ think a Christian can be demon possessed but he/she can certainly be oppressed!
In all fairness, there are many committed followers of Jesus who think talk of a literal devil and demons is too fantastical and that they are not real personalities but metaphorical descriptions of how our brains and bodies go crazy in a fallen world…they believe that because Jesus was in a pre-scientific world he used the metaphors and analogies of the demonic so that he would be understood those people.
Even if that is how you view this… it’s obvious that something bigger than us influences us negatively and we need Jesus’ presence and activity in the human life to help clear up whatever it is, demons or chemicals or whatever.
Here is the good news about the demonic: Lordship of Jesus! Word of God…demons flee!
Here is why this is important to the freedom from sin issue…
EVEN THOUGH FREEDOM IS OURS…THERE IS COMPLEXITY IN GETTING OUT OF SIN…
BECAUSE OF THAT…WE WILL STRUGGLE TO SOME DEGREE TILL DEATH…
Heb. 12:4
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
IN ANY GIVEN WEEK WE WILL BE STRUGGLING WELL OR STRUGGLING POORLY.
The things we’ve talked about this morning will help you struggle well.
AGAIN:
For sin to no longer dominate your life, recognize:
ONE – SIN HAS BEEN CONQUERED
TWO – SIN IS BIGGER THAN US!
Three—Sin is not the major issue w/God
Four-Belief is the issue!
FIVE – there is an escape!
posted by salt tv at 7:46 AM
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