You judge a person by his heart, not by his house.”
–Elmer Kelton (The Day the Cowboys Quit)
“Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.”
–Romans 6:6 (NLT)
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How To Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World
Key Verse: “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one.” –1 John 5:19 (NLT)
I had to go to the post office and as I was doing my transaction I became involved in a conversation with the postal worker. We were talking about the state of the country and the world when she suddenly announced, “the world is just plain evil; all that is happening is because of evil.” So how do we deal with it? How do we protect our souls, and those of our loved ones? First, realize the fact that it is evil, and second, recognize that this evil and control comes from the devil.
I am not going to rewrite the questions I had yesterday, but take time to look at them again. These were challenges being presented in John’s day and they continue on through our day. I will, however, write the verses we are currently looking at, this time from the HCSB.
4 — Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law.
5 — You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins, and there is no sin in Him.
6 — Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him.”
Jesus did not come to reveal God, though through His life He did. He did not come to teach us about God, though as a teacher He did. He did not come to give man a moral life for man already had the Law and to live by the Law was to live a moral life. Jesus did come because of sin and man’s predicament.
John was answering the early Gnostics and the “antichrists” of his day. He said that Jesus fulfilled the Law–He was obedient. Jesus, because of His obedience and His holiness was the perfect sacrifice–the perfect offering for sin. John the Baptist, at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Jesus came to take away my sin.
“He took my sins away,
He took my sins away,
And keeps me singing night and day…”
There are those who call sin “mistakes” or “failures,” but it was sin that put Christ on the cross. Listen, sin is not trivial; it is not to be taken lightly–we are not holy for the sake of being holy. I heard a preacher once who said at the beginning of every message for the week, “…I am a sinner.” I wanted to shout, “NO!” Now be careful and don’t take me wrong. We no longer practice sin, yet we may sin. I wanted to say, “I am a saint!” because of the work of Christ. He took away my sins on the cross, He delivers us from the power of sin and the pollution of sin. It may have been Spurgeon who wrote, “In the past we were delivered from the penalty of sin. In the present we are being delivered from the power of sin. In the future we will be delivered from the presence of sin.”
The past, on the cross, the awful penalty for sin was given with the work of our Savior Jesus Christ. Right now, currently, we are being delivered, day-by-day from sin’s power.
“We are growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord; we are increasingly being made to conform to the image of His Son. We are being delivered–we have been, we are, and we shall be ultimately.”
–D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Live in the Light. Live in the power of His resurrection. Live in the knowledge of His sacrifice and substitution.
–Romans 6:6 (NLT)
———————————————————
How To Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World
Key Verse: “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one.” –1 John 5:19 (NLT)
I had to go to the post office and as I was doing my transaction I became involved in a conversation with the postal worker. We were talking about the state of the country and the world when she suddenly announced, “the world is just plain evil; all that is happening is because of evil.” So how do we deal with it? How do we protect our souls, and those of our loved ones? First, realize the fact that it is evil, and second, recognize that this evil and control comes from the devil.
I am not going to rewrite the questions I had yesterday, but take time to look at them again. These were challenges being presented in John’s day and they continue on through our day. I will, however, write the verses we are currently looking at, this time from the HCSB.
4 — Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law.
5 — You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins, and there is no sin in Him.
6 — Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him.”
Jesus did not come to reveal God, though through His life He did. He did not come to teach us about God, though as a teacher He did. He did not come to give man a moral life for man already had the Law and to live by the Law was to live a moral life. Jesus did come because of sin and man’s predicament.
John was answering the early Gnostics and the “antichrists” of his day. He said that Jesus fulfilled the Law–He was obedient. Jesus, because of His obedience and His holiness was the perfect sacrifice–the perfect offering for sin. John the Baptist, at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Jesus came to take away my sin.
“He took my sins away,
He took my sins away,
And keeps me singing night and day…”
There are those who call sin “mistakes” or “failures,” but it was sin that put Christ on the cross. Listen, sin is not trivial; it is not to be taken lightly–we are not holy for the sake of being holy. I heard a preacher once who said at the beginning of every message for the week, “…I am a sinner.” I wanted to shout, “NO!” Now be careful and don’t take me wrong. We no longer practice sin, yet we may sin. I wanted to say, “I am a saint!” because of the work of Christ. He took away my sins on the cross, He delivers us from the power of sin and the pollution of sin. It may have been Spurgeon who wrote, “In the past we were delivered from the penalty of sin. In the present we are being delivered from the power of sin. In the future we will be delivered from the presence of sin.”
The past, on the cross, the awful penalty for sin was given with the work of our Savior Jesus Christ. Right now, currently, we are being delivered, day-by-day from sin’s power.
“We are growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord; we are increasingly being made to conform to the image of His Son. We are being delivered–we have been, we are, and we shall be ultimately.”
–D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Live in the Light. Live in the power of His resurrection. Live in the knowledge of His sacrifice and substitution.