The Things We Think

• Praise

• Pray

• Resources for this study are: Bible, Foundations For Christian Growth – Hufton / Tucker (Christian Outreach Church) , Sparkling Gems From The Greek – Rick Renner

• We will learn today that we are free from sin and have been given the ability to choose to sin or holiness. (holiness is nothing more than living and doing things God’s way)

• We will back this up with scripture and learn the provisions God has set in place when we don’t  live up to His and sometimes our own expectations. 

Text Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13 -  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Another way to say this is: There is nothing that tempts you or me that doesn’t tempt any one else: but God, in looking out for his kids, will not let us encounter anything He has not equipped us to handle, and when temptations do come, He has provided an escape hatch so we can deal with it.

In re-establishing His Kingdom, God sent His Only Begotten Son – God on earth, (Jn 1:1 & 14), to conquer sin and death – as a substitute for us and in the ultimate sacrifice pay our debt.

1 JN 4:10 

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

Col 2:14&15

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

[And] having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it

Rom 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us..

1)     Paul tells us that In Christ there is hope and we have conquered sin – if we are In Him

2)     Paul use the word “are” – present tense and is telling us it is a done deal!

3)     We must accept this free gift from God

                 

1. Dead to sin

         

a)            God will not give us a command that He does not give us the ability to fulfill.

b)         ability to walk above sin – New Birth  John 3:7

You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'   

c)           At New Birth (accepting Jesus as our Lord And Savior) God gives us a new nature. Paul calls this the “old man” and “new man” (Rom 6:6)

                 

d)         read Rom 6 :1-6

2. Born into death

a)        Adam’s sin sin enters world – Gen 3

b)            Adam sins through disobedience – sin enters world and man is forever born into death (Gen 3) (Rom 5:12 says  through Adam’s disobedience sin enters the world)

c)            God gives law to man – it is holy and exposes man’s sinful nature, a condition that has death as the only escape  (“wages of sin is death” – Rom 6:23)

1.    un-dealt with sin

2.    temp. sacrifices only covered sin and did not deal with “sin condition” of mankind.

3.   Restored back to life – Old Testament

a) OT sacrifices to redeem people from sin – temporary covering

                 

1.    covering of Adam and Eve in garden a type (hint or inkling) of sin covering – need to be covered for “we are naked”

2.    God provides covering of animal skins as a type (hint or inkling) of sacrifices   or temporary sacrifice offering

3.    God started dealing with sin condition as soon as man fell and indeed had a plan to restore mankind and regain His Kingdom on earth by conquering sin

4. Restored Back to Life – New Testament

a)         Foretold by Isaiah 400 years previous. (Isa 53)

b)         tells of sending The Redeemer Of Mankind – Mary told (lk 1:29-31)

c)         God came to earth Himself to personally pay the debt for sin (Col 14&15) 

d)         God redeems man through Jesus and we have life

Rom 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

                                   

1.    righteousness = right standing with God

2.    Even though we have been made whole and have been given the ability conquer sin, The Bible teaches us that we are 3 part beings: spirit , soul, body.  Our spirit is born again, we renew our mind to The Word Of God (soul) but our body is unregenerate until we get to heaven (don’t want to get into the timeline of Daniel and Revelation now) – In Gal 5:17 Paul tells us of the war between our flesh and spirit:

 Gal 5:17

For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

e)   God has given us the ability to do all things through Christ

f) Through Christ, we have been given the freedom of choice to choose sin or not choose sin – we can effectively not sin. – Remember Creation – God big on freewill

Phl 4:13

 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

                       g) Jesus constantly told people “go and sin no more”

GOD LOVES US AS HIS CHILDREN AND NATURALY WANTS US TO OVER COME SIN TOO!

• Saturate your mind and those you are responsible for with GOD’S WORD
• Meditate on God’s Word – Josh 1:8 & Rom 12 :1-2

Can’t emphasize importance of this enough – form relationship with Him through His    Word – your thinking will eventually line up with the mind of Christ

·        The Word says to be like Him – but remember controlling your flesh (self control – Fruit of the spirit, Gal 2) is to control a raging battle within us. That battle is btwn your un-renewed flesh and your Christ renewed spirit, so remember : 1 John 4:4 that says –

 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

·        We can pick ourselves up again and move on the good news is – if we are saved God has made a provision for us – Confess our sins and Repent (be truly sorry)  1 John 1:9

·        God says if we do this, He can be counted on and it is the right thing for Him to do to forgive us (to give His kids another chance [as many as it takes] )

·        Don’t put yourself in the position to commit sin – the Bible tells us to “flee all appearance of evil” – if it doesn’t look right, get out of there!

·        By default, if we believe in good, we also believe in evil. Therefore if we believe in Jesus, we, by default believe in the devil. Now the devil is not an excuse for us to sin, we can’t say “the devil made me do it”

The devil and our flesh are 2 different things (although our flesh is the work of the devil).

• Once again, our spirits have been renewed – made perfect through Christ, our flesh (body) will not be perfected until Christ comes back, there in lies the battle
• It is not a sin to be tempted, only wrong to give in to sin – temptation of Jesus (Mat 4) – creation (Gen 3)