A CONSCIENCE PURGED OF SIN
INTRODUCTION
If the problem of SIN is a concern to you, and/or if you’re serious about the “ministry of reconciliation,” then you will want to read this post and/or watch this video sermon. To the guilt-ridden people it offers relief and freedom from the bondage of sin. To the ambassadors of Christ it provides the clarity and scriptures to help minister to others the true message of the gospel of GRACE and how to be reconciled to God.
WATCH: 55-min SERMON VIDEO – A Conscience Purged of Sin – Pastor Troy Clemens – http://goo.gl/5zXLKD
or READ: The text below is a paraphrased transcription of Troy Clemens sermon, “A Conscience Purged of Sin.” It is
not an exact word-for-word duplication. It is written so that it can be read and understood on its own without the video. However, it is mostly quoted directly from Troy Clemens’ own words as he has delivered it in the video, and as the intended meaning has been understood. It has been edited and expanded upon for clarification because of things like unfinished sentences and such.
A CONSCIENCE PURGED OF SIN
A Paraphrased Transcription of a
Sermon by Pastor Troy Clemens
Apostle Paul writing to Titus …
Tit 1:9 KJV: “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able BY SOUND DOCTRINE both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”
In the above verse Paul is telling Titus that the ONLY WAY to convince others of the truth of God is by sound doctrine from the word of God; by showing them what the scriptures actually say.
Paul continues …
Tit 1:10 KJV: “For there are many UNRULY and VAIN TALKERS and DECEIVERS, specially they of the circumcision:”
What’s Paul saying? He’s warning Titus about those who are hard to manage, those who refuse to submit to the word of God—therefore being ungovernable—and those who are full of spiritually useless, prideful and trivial words. Paul is also warning against those who mislead others away from the truth of God’s word.
Paul says “specially they of the circumcision.” Who’s he talking about when he says ‘the circumcision’? The Jews, specifically the church of Jerusalem. By the time Paul’s ministry gets going who’s giving him all the trouble? The people from Peter’s church. They were coming into the grace churches that Paul had already established and were convincing them that they must follow the law.
Tit 1:11 KJV “[ i.e. the circumcision; the Jews ] Whose mouths must be stopped, who SUBVERT WHOLE HOUSES, teaching things which they ought not, FOR FILTHY LUCRE’S SAKE.”
Paul is warning Titus about these Jews teaching a false doctrine based on the law, which had resulted in leading entire home-churches away from the truth for the Jews own financial gain.
You would think that if you preached GRACE people would see that their sins are PAID FOR
—and that there’s nothing they’ve got to DO—and that they’d love it and flock to it. But, it’s
actually just the opposite. People flock to something that makes them feel good IN THE FLESH. And, they want to do something that makes them feel ‘special,’ but you’re not going to find anything that makes you feel ‘special’ in grace.
Apostle Paul continues …
Tit 1:12-13 KJV: “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. [13] This witness is true. Wherefore REBUKE THEM SHARPLY, THAT THEY MAY BE SOUND IN THE FAITH;”
Now, everything that Paul has been saying so far: is he talking about how they’re
living in the flesh or what they’re
teaching? He's referring to what they’re teaching; not how they're behaving. But, you know what the flesh wants to think? Most folks want to think about how the flesh LIVES. They want to take the word of God and always make it about cleaning up the flesh, don’t they?
Apostle Paul continues …
Tit 1: 14 KJV: “Not giving heed to Jewish FABLES, and commandments OF MEN, that turn from the truth.”
Paul is warning against these made up stories and man-made rules that the Jews were insisting upon, and he is reminding Titus that the Jew’s false teachings were turning the grace believers away from the truth of God.
Today we don’t usually come up against the Jewish laws, sometimes we do, but mostly what grace believers must contend with are those Christians who preach that we must give up a long list of sins: stop drinking, stop cursing, stop this and stop that. These are present day examples of “the commandments of men.”
Well, THE TRUTH IS that Jesus Christ DIED FOR OUR SINS. But, when you teach people that they must live up to a certain standard, does that put the focus on what Jesus Christ DID or what they can DO? It puts the focus on what they can do and it gives them something that they can glory in: their flesh.
Apostle Paul continues …
Tit 1:15 KJV: “UNTO THE PURE ALL THINGS ARE PURE: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.”
Now, what in the world is Paul talking about in the above verse? “Unto the PURE,” … how is a person made ‘pure’ in the eyes of God Almighty, today? By trusting Christ as your Saviour by believing the gospel of Christ [ i.e. 1Cor 15:1-4 KJV ].
What is it that happens when you trust Christ by believing the gospel? Does your FLESH CHANGE? No! There’s nothing about your flesh in it. Then what does takes place at the moment of salvation? You are spiritually and eternally SET FREE from the PENALTY of sin. Therefore, in your MIND you’re FREE FROM trying to keep the law; you’re FREE FROM trying to be “good enough” to get into heaven; you’re FREE FROM working to gain God’s acceptance.
The result of LIVING IN GRACE means obtaining PEACE with God, thus enjoying the peace of God.
“Unto the pure all things are pure:” … Paul says this another way too …
1Co 10:23 KJV: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.”
In other words, could Paul do anything that he wanted to do? Yes. Was God going to punish Paul for it? No; Jesus Christ died for his sins. But, if Paul had done anything and everything he felt like doing, would that have been spiritually profitable for him or his ministry? No.
Is there anything you could do today that you think God would judge you for? No way! And, people don’t like talking about this. God Almighty will NOT judge you today, because God Almighty already judged His Son IN YOUR PLACE. If God judged His Son on the Cross as your substitute then later judged you, God would be ignoring what His Son DID on the Cross.
Its not that the sin is okay, nor does it mean God likes our sin. Our Saviour had to die for what we are. But, what Christ did on the Cross doesn’t change what our flesh is: a body of sin. Our sin was put to His account, and it can never be put to our account.
Paul says it like this …
Ro 6:6 KJV: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that THE BODY OF SIN might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
Now, lets continue with Titus chapter 1 …
Tit 1:16 KJV: “They [ i.e. those false teaching Jews ] profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
What’s Paul talking about? What does Paul mean by “they profess that they know God; but in works they deny him”? Yes, it’s a kind of idolatry, they are trying to WORK for their salvation. In other words, what Paul is saying is: they SAY they trust Jesus Christ as their Saviour but they are still cleaning up the FLESH, aren’t they?
Listen, I’m all in favor of clean living, and the first one of you that figures it out, I want you to come show me how, because I don’t know how (congregation laughs). I mean I’m just being honest with you: I don’t know how. BUT, I know this: Jesus Christ died for my sins. Then whatever I am in God’s eyes was put to the account of Jesus Christ, wasn’t it? Yes. Therefore, is there any sin that I carry the burden of IN MY MIND today? NO WAY! Jesus Christ took that burden away for me.
Now THAT’S having your MIND purified.
In other words: you change WHAT YOU’RE TRUSTING. I use to put all my trust in MY ABILITY TO TRY and change. Nope … I couldn’t change. [ but once I finally understood grace ] I quit fighting it.
Turn to Hebrews for a minute.
Remember that the book of Hebrews is written TO the Hebrews, the JEWS, those FUTURE tribulation saints. The book of Hebrews is NOT our doctrine to obey today, but lets look at the following scriptures; we can still learn from them provided we study them in light of Paul’s teachings.
Heb 9:1 KJV: “Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.”
The first covenant being Moses’ covenant, the old nation’s old covenant; it had all the sacrifices, it had a tabernacle and these other things …
Heb 9:2-4 KJV: For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. [3] And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; [4] Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;”
These things were at the holy of holies.
Heb 9:5 KJV: “And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the MERCYSEAT; of which we cannot now speak particularly.”
This comment is interesting: "which we cannot now speak particularly.” And what took place on the mercyseat? The BLOOD ATONEMENT.
Do they, the Jews, HAVE the atonement yet, or is their atonement in the future? It’s in the future.
What did apostle Paul say about us, the Body of Christ? He said “we HAVE the atonement.” And, God gave Paul the authority to speak on that.
Lets continue …
Heb 9:6-7 KJV: “Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. [7] But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:”
When the Jewish high priest went into the tabernacle to make an offering, the first thing he had to do was make an offering for himself because he was a sinner, right?
Heb 9:8-9 KJV: “The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: [9] WHICH WAS A FIGURE FOR the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;”
So, all those things were a FIGURE, a type, a shadow.
The way the law worked was this: the Hebrews had a camp and if anyone became ‘unclean’—by breaking the law or disobeying any of the many ordinances (rules)—that person had to leave the camp; he was sent away from the camp.
Then he had to bring an animal sacrifice as his substitute and set it on the altar of this tabernacle, and that animal would temporarily cleanse his flesh from sin. And after he did that he could come back into the camp.
But, it was only a temporary cleansing. As he is laying that animal on the altar, what was that man probably thinking? Most likely, “I’m going to have to do this again soon because I am a sinner.”
Now today, we don’t offer ANIMAL sacrifices for our sins. However, there are many people today that do practice offering to God a different kind of sacrifice for their sins. What are they? Repenting from their sins, confessing their sins, asking for God’s forgiveness, etc. – which ends up being a never-ending cycle. Will that EVER free a person’s MIND from sin? No. They will be just like those Jews who had to continually offer their animal sacrifices to temporarily cleanse their flesh from sin.
Some folks go to extremes with these offerings. I knew of one guy that even placed his pack of cigarettes on the altar at church one Sunday. Now, that’s silly to us, but what did his actions tell me? The SACRIFICES he was willing to make to God; instead of trusting the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That man was trying to offer his own sacrifice to God.
Heb 9:9-10 KJV: “Which WAS A FIGURE for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that COULD NOT MAKE HIM that did the service PERFECT, as pertaining to the conscience; [10] Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them UNTIL THE TIME OF REFORMATION.”
Now, the “reformation” COULD HAVE come at the Cross, but the Jews REJECTED it. So, because of that the reformation won’t come until the SECOND COMING when He restores all things.
Those sacrifices that the Jews made, all that did was POINT to Jesus Christ; they were an example of the Redeemer to come.
Heb 9:11-12 KJV: “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle [ i.e. Christ’s own body ], not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; [12] Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he ENTERED IN ONCE into the holy place, having obtained ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US.”
Did Jesus Christ have to go into the holy place TWICE to offer His blood? NO!
How many times did the Jews have to offer those animals? Over and over and over again.
Understand that the blood of animals WAS INNOCENT BLOOD, but it wasn’t the blood of GOD. Jesus Christ did it ONCE for all. Jesus Christ was able to offer Himself as THE FINAL SACRIFICE because He IS God.
Heb 9:13 KJV: “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:”
So, in that Jewish camp a man would sin and his flesh would then be labeled as dirty; kind of like today, they do the same thing, don’t they? So, this ‘unclean’ Jew brings an animal sacrifice and lays it on the altar and then his flesh is suddenly seen as ‘clean’ again. But, he’s just going to dirty it up again, isn’t he? Yep; he’s going to go do something stupid again. So, that practice never helped his thinking; it never set his MIND free from the penalty of sin, it just temporarily cleansed his FLESH.
Now, watch what he says next in verse 14, but lets read verse 13 again first …
Heb 9:13-14 KJV: “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: [14] How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Now, that can be a little confusing, so lets talk about it a minute. He is essentially saying that if the blood of an animal could cleanse their sin temporarily off of their FLESH back then, HOW MUCH MORE today can the blood of Jesus Christ cleanse our CONSCIENCE?
The blood of Jesus Christ today does nothing for a believer’s FLESH. Our flesh is sinful and dead and will be destroyed and replaced someday. However, the blood of Jesus Christ in a believer’s MIND SETS US FREE from the penalty of sin. Why? Because we know He died one time for all, and PAID for our sins. That’s the peace of God.
Lets read it again …
Heb 9:13-14 KJV: “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh [ i.e. cleansing their FLESH temporarily ]: [14] HOW MUCH MORE shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, PURGE YOUR CONSCIENCE from dead works to serve the living God?”
In other words: if an animal’s blood could temporarily cleanse their flesh, then when we understand that Jesus Christ died FOR our sins—IN OUR MIND the burden is gone. We are mentally SET FREE from the penalty of sin. It does nothing for our flesh.
In times past under the law, animal sacrifices helped the flesh, but it did nothing for the mind. But now, when we understand and believe the final sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the Cross—it does nothing for our flesh, but it does free our MIND, purging our conscious of guilt. And THAT is what is called the peace of God.
Which would you rather have? Would you rather be temporarily cleansed in the flesh, or would you rather in your MIND know, “Okay, a sinner is what I am, but Jesus Christ died for my sins and the penalty is gone! My conscience is set free from it!” This is called “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,” and it only comes to a person when they can truly understand and ACCEPT that no matter what they are in the eyes of others, that in God’s eyes their sins are PAID FOR. But, what does the world teach? Just the opposite.
What did Hebrew 9:14 say? It’s going to “…purge your conscience FROM DEAD WORKS…” –Well, what is a “dead work”? Doing something that’s worth nothing. Is there anything you can do today that would have any effect on what Christ did? No. Now, think about what people are doing today; they say, “Yeah, I believe He died on the Cross, BUT YOU GOT TO ___________.”
They’ll tell you things you supposedly have to DO in the flesh. And, doing anything in the flesh to win God’s acceptance is simply glorying in the flesh. That’s all it is.
Someone said to me that this teaching is the same as telling people that they can go do anything. No, I’m NOT saying that! I’m not saying it’s okay to go and do anything; I'M SAYING we’ve already gone and done anything. Is that not the truth? Yes. Then, what we do or don’t do isn’t the issue. The issue is: can I trust my ability to change my flesh, or can I trust what Jesus Christ did on the Cross?
Let’s read it one more time …
Heb 9:14 KJV: “HOW MUCH MORE shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, PURGE YOUR CONSCIENCE FROM DEAD WORKS to serve the living God?”
Remember what we read in the book of Titus? Paul said with the mouth those Jews professed to know Christ, but in works they denied Him. If a person today observes your sin and makes a judgement call on it, what makes you think that person has SEEN what Christ did? They haven’t. You see how simple that is?
When Jesus Christ died on the Cross did the sin of the whole world go to hell? Yep. Was it destroyed? Yep!
Now, I’m not saying we don’t still in the flesh—we do—but what I’m telling you is God is not judging us for it, so why should we?
Many want to make Paul’s letters about how we have to live, and how we must behave. But, when you honestly SEE WHAT YOU ARE—which is just as rotten as every human being that’s ever lived—all of a sudden you have peace. You put the act away and quit with the show. You’re able to just admit, “THIS is what I am.”
If we’ve broken just ONE law, we’ve broken all of the law. I’m just as guilty as you are, and you’re just as guilty as I am. No one is more of a sinner than the next person. We’ve ALL sinned and God found the whole human race guilty. That’s WHY He had to come die on the Cross: TO PAY FOR OUR SIN.
This BODY OF SIN is why we are ALL thieves, liars, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, and murderers.
So, get your MIND off of sin.
Here’s the problem today: people want to continue in sin. And I don’t mean they want to continue sinning. What I mean is: people want to continue with THE IDEA THAT SIN IS THE PROBLEM. They want to continue judging sin and judging each other.
Why do human beings want to continue in sin?
If you continue making sin the problem today, in any fashion, then you’re not trusting what Jesus DID on the Cross. Jesus Christ put the sin away; it was destroyed. So, why would sin be the issue? It’s not the issue.
Heb 10:1a KJV: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, …”
In other words: the law was just pointing forward to the real thing, wasn’t it? What did ALL the law point forward to? Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “in the volume of the Book it is written of me.” When they offered that little lamb, who did that point to? Christ. When they put that tabernacle up, who did that point to? Christ. When they kept the feast day, who did it point to? Christ. All of it pointed to the coming Redeemer Jesus Christ.
Let’s continue …
Heb 10:1b KJV: “… the [ i.e. law ] image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.”
In other words, was there ANY righteousness that could be had by keeping Moses’ law? NO. The only people back there in the Old Testament that were ever declared ‘righteous’ were declared ‘righteous’ through FAITH. Abraham, faith. David, faith.
Heb 10:2a KJV: “For then would they not have ceased to be offered? …”
In other words: if there was a sacrifice under the law that could have taken care of sin, they could have offered it once and been done with it, couldn’t they have? But, there wasn’t.
Heb 10:2b KJV: “… because that the worshippers once purged should have had NO MORE CONSCIENCE OF SINS.”
Now, I want you to look closely at the verse above. If there had been a sacrifice in the Old Testament that could have made them perfect—verse two says, “then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers ONCE purged SHOULD HAVE HAD NO MORE CONSCIENCE OF SINS.”
What does CONSCIOUS mean? The MIND. Did Jesus Christ offer a sacrifice ONCE that took care of all sin? Yes! Then, if you BELIEVE that, should you have any more conscience of sin? No. You just let it go. Quit trying to CHANGE what you are.
Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t change our habits, nor am I saying its ok to go out and rob banks. But, what’s the difference between keeping the extra change that happens to spill out of a soda machine and robbing a bank (under the law)? There is no difference. Why don’t we rob banks? Because we don’t want to go to jail; it ain’t got nothing to do with Jesus Christ. Come on, now, let’s admit what we are!
IF I SEE what Jesus Christ did, and IF I BELIEVE what He said, and IF I BELIEVE He is the perfect Son of God, then if He does a job, how is that job going to be done? PERFECTLY. Therefore, if He died for the sins of the whole world, is there even one sin left out of that perfect job? Nope. Did He take ALL sin to hell? Yes! So, there is no point in continuing on trying to change what you are.
Until you have honestly seen REALLY what you are, you WILL continue to try to “clean up” your flesh to please God, to be ‘accepted’ by God, to get ‘right’ with God, , to ‘get closer’ to God etc.
Think about it: if you’re saved, God LIVES INSIDE OF YOU always and forever. How much CLOSER to God do you think you can get than that?
One of the reasons God Almighty lets us continue in this flesh to allow us to SEE what we are. We might fool ourselves into believing that we’re self-righteous for a while, but eventually, hopefully, our sins show us what we really are. At some point we have to admit we have a real problem and think to ourselves, “I keep making the same stupid mistakes over, and over, and over, and I never learn from them. I ought to and I know what the result is going to be.”
Have you ever looked up the word “insanity”? You know what one of the definitions of ‘insanity’ is? It’s doing the same exact thing over and over and over again, and each time expecting a different result. Now, THAT’S insane. Let’s be honest, aren’t we all insane? That’s our nature. But, God Almighty is not holding our nature against us.
I like to use Otis as an example …
I always wanted an English Bulldog. Well, Janette researched English Bulldogs and told me that I really didn’t want one of those because they’re sick all the time. They are known for their innumerable health problems that can cost the owner a small fortune and lots of time at the vet. But, I went and got an English Bulldog anyhow. After bringing him home he was non-stop trouble! Otis was trouble from day one. He never quit having health issues. He had yeast infections in his ears constantly. His feet stunk like an old pair of gym socks and he would lick them, then stink up my whole bedroom. He had gas that would drive you slap out of the house. We took a trip with Otis to Rhode Island and me and Janette were nauseous all the way there and all the way back. He was disgusting!
But, do you think I loved Otis? How could you love something like that? Yet, how could I hold his nature against him? Didn’t I know what he was before I got him? Yep.
Did God know what the human race was before? Yes. How is it that a holy God is able to NOT hold our sinful nature against us? Because Jesus Christ took care of that at the Cross.
Let’s look at Romans chapter 6. Some folks really like to twist this chapter.
If Jesus Christ took on the sin of the world and the sin went to hell, and in God’s eyes the sin was destroyed, then is it possible for sin to continue in God’s eyes? No. It’s IMPOSSIBLE, right? Then, why would you and I want to let it continue (in our minds)?
And, that’s what this chapter is addressing …
Ro 6:1-2 KJV: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? [2] God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, then have you been identified in His death? Yes. You are reckoned dead. Well, let me ask you this: if I rob a bank, shoot a guard and get the death penalty, they put me in the chair and execute me. Then next week they find out that I had robbed another bank LAST YEAR. What are they going to do to me? They can’t kill me twice. You see the point?
Folks, if you’ve trusted Christ as your Saviour, YOU’VE DIED—SIN CAN NOT EFFECT YOU. Jesus suffered the penalty for you; it’s PAID.
Ro 6:3 KJV: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were BAPTIZED [ i.e. a spiritual identification having nothing to do with water ] INTO Jesus Christ were baptized INTO HIS DEATH?”
“Baptized” means ‘identified.’ If you have been identified with Jesus Christ—by believing He is the sacrifice God gave and that He is your substitute—then, were you identified in His death also? Yes!
Ro 6:4 KJV: “Therefore WE ARE BURIED WITH HIM by baptism into death [ i.e. in God’s eyes you died ]: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
There are many who teach that “we also should walk in newness of life” means to go and sin no more. You've heard that, right, “Walk in newness of life” ... 'sin no more'? Now, if that’s what it means, then we’ve got a problem, don’t we? Because we know we can’t stop sinning.
So, let’s look at it again.
Ro 6:4a KJV: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that LIKE AS [ i.e. in the same manner as ] CHRIST was raised up from the dead …”
Was Jesus Christ raised up from the dead saying, “I’m going to flip over a new leaf, Lord, and quit sinning”? NO! Then, how could you and I? It’s after His pattern, right?
Reading on apostle Paul makes it very clear …
Ro 6:4b-5 KJV: “ …LIKE AS CHRIST was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. [5] FOR IF we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the LIKENESS OF HIS RESURRECTION.”
In other words: was Jesus Christ raised from the dead? Yes! Then how are you suppose to live today? As raised from the dead. If you’ve already died, how are you going to suffer the penalty of sin again? You CAN’T! IT’S IMPOSSIBLE. In God's eyes you DIED on that Cross with Jesus.
Seriously, it’s heartbreaking when you show people this and they never get the idea of what Jesus Christ actually accomplished on their behalf. Folks He took care of it; it’s done!
Now, verse 6 says …
Ro 6:6 KJV: “Knowing this, that our OLD MAN [ i.e. our flesh in sin ] IS CRUCIFIED with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
It says, “we should not SERVE sin.” If the sin was destroyed, how can I serve sin? Most people read that and say, “See there; you got to quit your sinning; that’s what Paul’s is saying there.” But, how am I going to sin if sin was destroyed? THERE IS NO SIN IN GOD’S EYES.
The Bible says where there is no law, there is no sin. How could God judge sin (sin is a transgression of the law)? Did Jesus Christ nail the law to His Cross? Yes. Then what does God use to identify sin? Its not there. How are you going to get a speeding ticket if there’s no speed limit?
It’s not that our sins are okay; they’re not. The point is that our Saviour already suffered and died for our sins. The penalty of ALL SIN has been PAID IN FULL; it’s done; it’s finished.
So, to CONTINUE SERVING SIN is to continue confessing one’s sins, to continue to try to live to a certain ‘standard,’ to continue judging others, to continue to picket with the world’s religious system against this sin or that sin. That’s what it means to “serve sin.”
So, why would I picket against any sin? Or, why would I stand up here and preach against any sin? It’s a waste of time, isn’t it? So, why are a lot of folks preaching against sin? Because they don’t REALLY BELIEVE that all sin was paid for and that all sin was destroyed at the Cross. They are SERVING sin.
Now, watch what Paul says in verse 7 …
Ro 6:7 KJV: “For he that is dead is FREED FROM SIN.”
Have YOU died in Jesus Christ? If you’ve really believed the gospel of Christ, you have died. So, what sin can be put to your account? NONE. There is no sin; it was destroyed at the Cross.
Verse 8 …
Ro 6:8-9 KJV: “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: [9] Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.”
Are the wages of sin death? Yes.
Did Christ die? Yes.
Then, did you die in Christ? Yes.
Then how are you going to be charged again? You can’t be.
Now, verse 10 …
Ro 6:10 KJV: “For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.”
Now, you want to know how you ought to live everyday? That’s always what people want to talk about.
But, first let’s think about those people that like to brag to others about how much God has blessed them. In reality, is their life really any better than ours? No, their life is no better than anyone else’s life. We all have ups and downs; we all have good times and bad times throughout our lives. Every family has their share of situational problems, relationship challenges, wrong attitudes, and bad behaviour … with no exceptions. And, we ALL sin. We’ve all got the same human issues.
There’s no such thing as this ‘blessed life’ that some claim to have. So what are they doing? What is that? It’s an ‘outward show’ or ‘putting on a show.’
And, what is the very definition of “RELIGION”? It’s an ‘outward show.’
Now, lets see what Paul says in verse 11, but beginning with verse 10 again …
Ro 6:10-11 KJV: “For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. [11] LIKEWISE [ i.e. in the same manner ] RECKON YE ALSO YOURSELVES TO BE DEAD INDEED UNTO SIN, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
So, how do we LIVE everyday, then? We live through Jesus Christ; we live IN Christ.
Should we get up every morning and think, “I’m going out into the world and show people, in my flesh, how God has changed me”? Nope.
Should we get up every morning and think, “I’m going out into the world and show people, in my flesh, how God can change them”? Nope.
Then, how are we supposed to live everyday? We should get up every morning PREPARED for any opportunity that might present itself, to SHOW someone FROM THE SCRIPTURES—with a KJV Bible in our hands—what Jesus Christ DID for us on that Cross. That’s how we are to LIVE.
Romans 6:4 said, “LIKE AS CHRIST,” right?
If Jesus Christ were to walk into this room right now—He’s not, of course, but let’s just suppose for a moment—if Jesus were here right now, what do you think He would talk about? Would He says things like, “Hey, did you catch the ballgame Sunday?“ or would He say … “Y’all think it will rain tomorrow?” … or might He say, “Who’s black truck is that; man, that’s a good-looking truck!” Do you think Jesus would talk about these kind of things? Of course not! What do you think Jesus Christ would want to talk about if He was here today? He would want to talk about what He accomplished for us on the Cross.
Folks: is THAT not what all this is about?
Do you think Jesus would talk about anything else? No; there would be no need. Why? Because everything else is just a waste of time. Everything else in this world is a waste of time. Now, I’m right there with y’all wasting my time with you; I’m no better. But, do you see where our focus ideally needs to be?
We watch TV, movies, go to ballgames, attend celebrations … but what good, really, do these activities do for the furtherance of the gospel of Christ? Nothing. So, how can we judge someone else’s sin when we’re wasting time doing such things ourselves? Wasting time is wasting time; no matter how you’re choosing to do it.
Paul said, “All things are lawful unto me.” So, can we participate in such activities if we want to? Yes. Is God going to judge us for it? Nope. Can we go drink, gamble, and curse? Yep. Is God going to judge us? Nope.
Paul also said, “but all things are not expedient:” – that means ‘not profitable.’ In other words: We can do whatever we want to do everyday, and God is not going to judge us. But, someday, when we stand before the Lord to receive a reward, will those things that waste our time today produce anything then? Nope.
So, WE CAN do those things, but the question is: Are those things profitable for us? Nope; not at all. In other words, we’re just wasting our time when we’re doing those things. That’s all it means. And, most of our time IS wasted; isn’t it? Yep.
In the meantime, aren’t we suppose to love others? Shouldn’t we show ‘charity’ toward people? Yes. But, most of the time, are we really doing that? Nope.
How do we do it? How can we show ‘charity’? We show charity by showing others HOW TO SEE what Jesus did on the Cross for them, while WE SUFFER patiently through THAT PROCESS in a kind and truthful manner, THAT’S REAL CHARITY.
Charity is WANTING the other person to have what you have in Christ—that knowledge, that peace of mind that comes when we really believe what Jesus did on the Cross for us—and PUTTING FORTH CONSCIOUS EFFORT TOWARD HELPING ANOTHER PERSON TO FULLY UNDERSTAND what it means for them, and showing them HOW TO APPLY IT to their own life, and teaching them HOW TO go explain all of that others! THAT’S ‘charity’ in the true Pauline doctrinal sense.
And, such work is not easy, because most refuse to receive it. Therefore, we suffer through trying to get others to understand what Christ did and trying to get them to accept God's free gift. ‘Charity’ is a particular kind of love that involves suffering, thus requiring our patience in standing firm in God’s word of truth.
Have you yourself had that moment when it finally came to you? That moment when ‘the light comes on,’ and you SEE IT? And, all of a sudden you realize what Jesus did for you and you kind of relax IN Christ, and think something like, “I’m okay and all my sins are paid for! Jesus Christ did it all for me on the Cross and I’m going to heaven! And, nothing I DO can ever change that! Thank God He paid for my sins!!!”?
Have you ever gotten to that point? Has the burden of sin been lifted from your conscience like that? Have you put all your trust in what Jesus DID on the Cross?
Being saved doesn’t mean you’re not going to sin anymore; our flesh will continue to sin. Believing the gospel of Christ means we relax in Christ ALWAYS HAVING THE KNOWLEDGE that at the moment of our last breathe we WILL be with the Lord in heaven.
Let’s continue with Romans 6, verse 12 …
Ro 6:12 KJV: “Let not sin therefore REIGN in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the LUSTS thereof.”
Often times people will read that verse and say, “See there, that’s sex and what-not.” But, that’s not what this verse means. What is ‘lust of the flesh’ according to the Bible? Our flesh wants to ‘glory’ and it naturally wants to take the glory from Jesus Christ. What’s another word for ‘glory’? 'Bragging.' When we are bragging we are taking the focus off of Christ and putting it on us, and glorying in the flesh.
Here's an example. Say a group of people come in and say, “We’ve baked 30 turkeys for the poor!” Now, that’s a nice thing to do, but who’s taking the glory? They are. It’s fine to help others; we SHOULD help one another when we can. But, does that have anything to do with telling someone the gospel? Nope. What if I baked you a turkey and brought it over to your house, and while we sat down together to eat, I talked to you about what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the Cross? Now, that’s a different story, isn’t it?
So, to let SIN REIGN in your mortal body, means to try and live up to a certain standard, striving to rise above what you are—I mean even just a little bit. But, is it possible to change your flesh? Obviously, you can change your HABITS—who doesn’t want to do that—but can you really change WHAT YOU ARE? No.
What if you say to yourself and God, “Today I’m down here sinning, but my goal is to work to get all that sin out of my life, so that in the future I will have risen above all this sin. My goal is to get rid of some of this sin every day, and cleanse my life. Lord help me do that today.” Repent and confess, repent and confess, repent and confess, blah, blah, blah, day in and day out.
What are you serving when you live with that kind of mentality? SIN. You’re serving sin; you’re working under sin. Why in the world would you serve sin, when God says it’s GONE?
Imagine a slave that has a master who has beat on him his entire life, and that slave NEVER being able to please his master. No matter what he did it was never good enough. Then, someone comes along and buys that slave from that master and sets that slave FREE. Then the very next day, that same slave comes right back to work. That’s crazy isn’t it? If you were that slave, wouldn’t you want to get out from under that burden? Well, that’s what Jesus Christ did for us; He redeemed us from sin. We've been set free if we’ve believed the gospel. So, why would we put ourselves back under bondage?
Verse 13 …
Ro 6:13a KJV: “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of UNRIGHTEOUSNESS unto sin: …”
“Unrighteousness” has nothing to do with drinking, smoking, and gambling—or any other kind of sin—“unrighteousness unto sin” in the King James Bible means ‘working for your salvation.’
Ro 6:13b KJV: “… but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are ALIVE FROM THE DEAD, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”
How are you going to render ‘your members as instruments of righteousness unto God’?
Question:
What’s the ONE thing you can do AFTER you’re saved if you want to live as an ambassador for Christ?
Answer:
Tell people what Jesus Christ DID for them! THAT’S HOW you can render ‘your members as instruments of righteousness unto God’ … by sharing the gospel of Christ with others.
Paul says in verse 14 …
Ro 6:14 KJV: “For sin shall not have DOMINION over you: for ye are NOT UNDER THE LAW, but under grace.”
You see, if you’re not under the law, you can’t be under sin, can you? No. There is no sin without law, and there’s no need for law when there is no sin, in God’s eyes. ‘Dominion’ means to have someone/something ruling and reigning over you. Has there ever been a time in your life where sin has ruled and reigned over you? We all have lived through such times, haven’t we? Yes. And when you try to CHANGE what you are, it really reigns hard over you then, doesn’t it? Yep. Why? Because you are serving a master that you can NEVER satisfy. You’re trying to get something out of your life that’s ingrained into your fleshy nature.
Paul says in verse 15 …
Ro 6:15 KJV: “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.”
Now, I want you to THINK about this statement: ‘GOD FORBID.’ If God FORBIDS something, is it possible for it to be, or is it possible for it to happen? No; it can’t. If God forbids something, He made it NOT possible. God forbid we continue in sin, because God DESTROYED sin at the Cross. In God’s eyes it doesn’t exist. God forbid it; it’s fixed.
Verse 16 explains it …
Ro 6:16 KJV: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Hey, I can make it my goal everyday to ‘live clean’ and ‘get out from under my sin’ and fail every day, day in and day out. And all the while, I’ll be FOCUSED on ‘living better,’ and praying, “Lord, please help me to avoid this sin and stop doing that sin.” However, throughout the day while I was trying to ‘live to a higher standard,’ was my MIND focused on telling someone what Christ did at the Cross? Nope. Why not? Because my mind and heart were focused on what I was doing instead of what Jesus did. My thoughts were focused on cleaning up my flesh, instead of on telling others about the finished work of Christ. What a waste of time serving sin is!
Focusing on sin = serving sin
Trying to get rid of sin = serving sin
Judging other people's sins = serving sin
Verse 17 …
Ro 6:17 KJV: “But God be thanked, that YE WERE the servants of sin, but ye have OBEYED from the HEART that form of doctrine which was delivered you. [18] BEING ((( THEN ))) MADE FREE FROM SIN, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
“Being then made free from sin,” … Have you been made free from sin? That’s what this is all about.
If you’ve been made free from sin then you should have a testimony that involves a time when you just finally GAVE UP and thought, “I can’t do it.” If you’ve been made free from sin you probably remember a time when you thought something along the lines of, “I’m going to hell; I can’t change! I keep doing the same things over and over and over!” And it finally came to a point where you just gave up on your own efforts to change what you are, and you recognized you needed help. Then, you heard the gospel of how Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose to life on the third day, and you decided to BELIEVE IT.
And, THAT was when you were made free from sin. In that moment, in that trusting frame of mind, you got it. You understood and felt relieved from the burden of trying to change, and just relaxed into Christ, trusting in Him alone as your Saviour and accepting what He DID for YOU on the Cross and you received God’s free gift of salvation and righteousness. And, you were thankful to God for doing what you could never do for yourself: making you clean in the eyes of God, and giving you “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” And, you were, THEN, able to start living in Christ. You gave up the fight, and gave up the act, and put away all that vain work saying, “I’m done. This is what I am but Christ died to pay for it.”
Do you have a testimony similar to this?
If so, there are many people that could benefit from hearing about it! Many people have been saved because of those who have given their testimony of salvation.
Still trying to stop sinning? Still trying to live better? Still worried you won’t make it to heaven? Then, you probably aren’t saved. Won’t you just let go and accept what you are, a sinner, and trust that Jesus already took care of your sin debt at the Cross? That’s what God wants you to do – BELIEVE it and be freed from sin. Be reconciled to God and have the peace of God.
Amen!
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The above is a paraphrased transcription created by LeighAnn Mycko, which was based on the video sermon “A CONSCIENCE PURGED OF SIN” given by Pastor Troy Clemens.
All glory to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for His perfect mercy and grace!
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WATCH: 55-min SERMON VIDEO – A Conscience Purged of Sin – Pastor Troy Clemens – http://goo.gl/5zXLKD
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