Passover Preparation: Examine Yourself
Passover Preparation: Test Yourself
Passover Preparation: Know Yourself
Beyond Today Daily
Passover Preparation: Examine Yourself
Listen
Audio file
There is one faith and there is one truth. Are you in that one faith?
Transcript
[Darris McNeely] In a very short period of time, we're going to be upon the Passover, very solemn night for Christians who observe the New Testament Passover, the time when we remember the suffering and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. There's an anchoring verse for me and for many that I call to mind at this time of year. It's in 2 Corinthians 13:5 and a Scripture that I use to help me to prepare for Passover.
It says this, "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless, indeed, you are disqualified." 2 Corinthians 13:5. Paul is writing this to a church that he wants to kind of settle and to help. He's given them some correction. They need some encouragement. They need to be encouraged that they are in the right way, that they are, in a sense, in a good relationship with God and they can find their way back to a solid relationship even among themselves.
In this verse, he gives three keys that I'd like to focus on in three separate "BT Dailys". He says, "To examine yourself, whether you're in the faith. Test yourselves." And then he says, "Know that you are." So, examine, test, and know. Let's look at the idea of examining ourselves here in this daily. You remember the examinations that we would have in school, how difficult they would be, and challenging.
It was a moment of reckoning to get to a final exam for math, history, physics, whatever it might have been. Some people would do well, some tests well, some don't do well in tests even though they have good knowledge there, but we always have to produce, on an exam, true answers to be able to pass the course.
And that's what Paul is doing. He's wanting them to come to a true examination, to a true answer. And he tells them to examine whether or not they are in the faith. Now, there's one faith. There's one truth to which we are called. Let me ask you, have you repented of your sins? Well, I think most of you would say yes, you came to understand God's law that sin is the transgression of God's law.
And as you began your walk of faith and relationship with God, you had repented of your sins. That is a very good place to begin. Ask yourself as well. Does sin rein in your life? Does it control you? Does sin have dominion over you? Well, we all are going to slip, make mistakes, but to be in the grip of a sin, that's something that, you know, we have to ask ourselves, but more times than not, the answer is no. We might sin, but it doesn't have a dominion over us because we're moving in faith toward God and in a relationship with Him.
A Christian is set free from sin and we are to become the slaves of God. We're servants of God. We're servants of the living Christ. And the walk we begin is a new walk. We're not perfect, but it is a new walk that we begin in. And that's what Paul is aiming us toward, examine ourselves, whether be we be in the faith. Are you on that path? Are you walking toward the kingdom?
Are you walking in a way of life where sin doesn't have dominion over you and your life is with God? Then we are in the faith and we should be encouraged by that. As we examine ourselves at this time of year, we're going to sin. We're to make mistakes. But when we confess that sin, God is just to forgive us. And He will.
We will, at times, even war within ourselves. In Roman 7, Paul makes a great deal about the fact that he wanted to do what was right, but there was a law within him, an internal struggle that sometimes he didn't always do what was right even though with the mind and the heart, he wanted to.
And that's where we find ourselves so often, but that shouldn't discourage us because at the very end of that passage, in verse 25 of Roman 7, Paul says, "I thank God through Christ Jesus, our Lord. So, then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin." He understood that he had a relationship with God and that he was on the right path.
And though he, at times, made mistakes, his examination brought him to the point where he could thank God. And that's what the examination to determine whether we are in the faith should do. That's the first step toward a settled approach toward Passover. We'll talk about the second one, testing yourself in part two.
That's "BT Daily." Join us next time.
Darris McNeely
Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43 years. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. He also is a resident faculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren.
Related Media
After reflection, we should have a confident knowledge that we belong to Jesus Christ.
The world has gone through some traumatic times. What have you learned the the tests and trials that you've been...
Given In
Victory
If we live after the Spirit, we will be able to overcome any trial. Paul knew that, that's why he said, who shall deliver me from this body of death? Thank God through Jesus Christ, that by walking after the Spirit, we can deal with all issues of overcoming. It doesn't mean you won't make mistakes. But whatever issue you face in life can be dealt with, but it takes God in you for some of them. Walking in the Spirit has great benefits.God gives us the victory through Jesus Christ.
Transcript
[Frank McCrady] Well, we're here on the Sabbath day of Unleavened Bread. We have commemorated the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf; partaking of the Passover. We have, for seven days, put out leavened bread and partaken of unleavened bread, symbolic of repenting and rejecting sin as well as, again, taking in the unleavened bread or that of righteousness, wanting to be like our savior, Jesus Christ.
Romans, chapters 5, 6, 7 and 8 are very good chapters to study during this time of the year, during the Passover season, the Days of Unleavened Bread, as well as Pentecost. They go through and discuss many of the concepts, many of the understandings that we have about these days. They are very important sections that help solidify our understanding of the Passover, Unleavened Bread, as well as Pentecost. They discuss being saved by grace; that would be the Passover. They discuss the value of God's law; you can look at Unleavened Bread in that section. It also talks about living by the Spirit, which also involves Unleavened Bread and Pentecost, because we live by the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth made possible by the Spirit that God gives to us. So Paul talks about a number of different subjects and he talks about grace and he talks about law.
And you will find some writers who will tell you that Paul was conflicted, you know, he wasn't sure what he was talking about at times, because he talked about being saved by grace, but he talks about the value of the law, that we're not under bondage; and you have those who believe in salvation by grace without the law and they'll quote Paul extensively. Then you have some who read the apostle Paul who do believe in law, and they will quote other sections of Paul that talk about the value of law. Now we, of course, realize and believe that it isn't just grace or law but it's law and grace; that they flow together very beautifully and that Paul was not really conflicted in how he wrote.
For all of us here we need to understand that when Paul talks about salvation, when he talks about being saved, he writes about the grace of God and that the law can't save you. And, of course, the reason being is the law cannot, what? Can't forgive your sins. And so he talks extensively about the Passover, the grace of Jesus Christ, but then he also writes about the value of law--so he has another subject that he will cover, and when he talks about a standard to live by; how we are to live our lives. He talks again about the value of law. Unfortunately, there are too many (quote, unquote) “educated people” who can't put that together and comprehend that. Now I realize Peter said that Paul's writings are sometimes hard to be understood based on how he expressed himself. Now, I'll tell you this, if Peter says it was sometimes hard for him to understand, where does that put us, you know? But we can understand.
In chapter 5, still in the introduction--I mentioned chapters 5, 6, 7 and 8. In chapter 5, Paul talks about being justified by faith; that's the Passover--specifically verse 1. In verse 20 he says:
Romans 5:20 - ...but where sin abounded, grace abounded...much...more.
Again, talking about the Passover. In verse 21 he discusses being saved by grace through Jesus Christ; again, Passover. Then he drops on down to chapter 6--now, Paul didn't drop down to chapter 6--he wrote it. We had someone come along and divide it up for us, which I am very grateful they did, personally. But you come to chapter 6 and Paul asks this question--it says he devoted so much time to grace and Christ and salvation through Him, and not so much of the law. He says in verse 1 of chapter 6, shall we then continue in sin that this grace I've been discussing can abound? He says, certainly not; God forbid. How can we who have died to sin, who put the leavening out, live any more that way of life? So now he talks about the value of law. We're dead to sin, he tells us, following verses 1 and 2. We died to sin. And, of course, we know 1 John 3:4 tells us, what? Sin is the transgression of the law. We've died to wanting to transgress and go against the teachings of God Almighty. You drop down to chapter 7. You find now the apostle Paul discussing how the law identifies sin--verses 6 and 7. He also says that sin was the issue, not the law; as a matter of fact, he says the law is holy and the commandments holy, just and good--verses 11 and 12.
And then Paul discusses his dilemma--things that he faced with this understanding--he discusses his dilemma, a dilemma that some of us might face at times. I think all of you know the dilemma I'm referencing in Romans chapter 7, do you not? He talks about how wonderful the law is, but he says, I find myself at times acting carnally. I find myself living after the flesh occasionally, because the things I want to do, I don't find myself doing at times. The things I don't want to do, I what? Find myself sometimes doing it. He found himself in a dilemma. Now, I don't want any show of hands--have any of you ever been in that dilemma? No, no, none of you, right? (ha ha). I think we all have faced that at one time or another. In Romans chapter 7 and verse 14--I want to read this from the New Living Translation--it puts it really well; because Romans chapter 7 and verse 14 says:
Romans 7:14 - For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin...Paul said; and I really like the way this is put in the New Living Translation. Paul writes, or it's stated here...so the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human...at times...that's the dilemma.
And Paul wanted to figure out how do I deal with this dilemma? How do I deal with this human element? This human flesh that sometimes wants to rise up and this human mind that sometimes doesn't want to flow as it should? I can relate to that. I'll be vulnerable a little bit. A number of years ago, there was a situation that happened that I felt was very, very unjust. It involved someone close to me; I felt something was done that was totally inappropriate, and, uh, I found myself caught up emotionally, after finding out what had transpired. So I sat down and I wrote a letter. Now wisdom would have told me, don't sit down and write a letter. Wisdom would have told me, sleep on it, give yourself a day or two. I didn't do that. Now what I wrote in the letter I thought was appropriate as far as what was stated--the facts--but the emotions and some of the things I said were totally inappropriate, and I had to repent of that; and I had to change myself and learn from that, that I didn't always use my mind the way I needed to--I had a dilemma like Paul; the things I didn't want to do, I found myself doing. And I had to actually, uh, apologize to a particular individual for; and I did, I apologized to his face.
Anybody ever been in that situation? Maybe thinking of something different? I wanted to share that with you. I can understand what Paul is saying here. He wanted to be a part of what God is doing, he wanted to deal with his dilemma, but he knew that sometimes the old flesh raised his head, or his mind got out of control. And then in Romans chapter 7, verse 24--we'll start reading here, where he talks about the law of God being valuable; he talks about another law that sometimes affected him--the law of sin--then he says in verse 24 of Romans chapter 7:
Romans 7:24 - O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?...who has the answer?
Who's going to move me forward? Who's going to help me deal with these issues that I have so that I don't do them like I used to do, or I perform like I want to perform? Or will help me realize I need to keep myself under control, and if something is unjust, make sure that I deal with it properly? Who's going to help me with that? Who's going to do that for me? And then he says in verse 25:
Romans 7:25 - I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
He thanked God that God would give him the answers; he thanked God that Jesus Christ would be the One to give him the delivery, or deliver him; he thanked God that through Jesus Christ he could be victorious over his life. That's one of the primary lessons we need to learn during this time of the year; that God gives us the ability to be victorious over our flesh and over the mind; that we don't have to serve sin any longer. Am I saying that we'll always be perfect? No, but it does tell us that we're not to practice sin; that is the direction that God wants us to be going.
Now chapter 8 - I want to spend a lot more time in, because we move on now to chapter 8, which really discusses the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Chapter 8 discusses living by Pentecost, or the teaching of Pentecost--the power of God's holy spirit--not living after of the flesh. If we want to deal with our flesh, we're going to have to learn to live even more by the spirit and the power of God Almighty. That is imperative. So chapter 8 discusses how Jesus Christ would help him (Paul), and help us, and that is the subject of this sermon today; being victorious.
Paul gives the answer to the question that he asks, because he knew the answer. God wants us to be successful in controlling our lives, and successful in being delivered, through Jesus Christ. So let's look at chapter 8 a little more carefully. Verse 1 of chapter 8, we find Paul now beginning to discuss what he meant by, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin--verse 25 of Romans 7. In essence, what he's saying is, if I allow myself to live after the flesh, I'm going to sin, but if I allow myself to live after the spirit, I'm going to serve God. That's the whole sermon that I want to cover with you; I just did it in one verse. But we're going to develop that a little bit, okay? So now after he says, the law of the spirit and the law of the flesh, it says in verse one of chapter 8:
Romans 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but...now walk...according to the Spirit.
There's no condemnation. It doesn't mean that we don't condemn sin--sin brings pain; who walk in Christ, who are united to Jesus Christ; that denotes a close and intimate union, an intimate walk, an intimate conduct, an intimate life with Him. That's what that means; if we're going to overcome sin, and overcome some of the issues that we may still have in our life, it's going to happen because we begin to walk better with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That's the key, and having God's spirit to work closely within us. And not after the flesh; in other words, we don't live to gratify the corrupt desires and passions of the flesh--verse one is talking about. To walk after the flesh is clearly seen in Galatians 5:19 and 21, 19 through 21. I'll read that to you so you don't need to turn over there. What do the works of the flesh look like? What does walking after the flesh mean? Well, Galatians 5 verse 19 says:
Galatians 5:19 - Now the works of the flesh are evident which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness...verse 20 - idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies...verse 21 - evils...murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like...that's a pretty good-sized list there.
And Paul told the church of Corinth; he says, some of you walked in these, before you were called and had God's Holy Spirit, and began to walk after the Spirit. Some of you lived this lifestyle. Again, no show of hands--any of you ever lived this lifestyle, or had elements of it? Only you can answer that question. So Paul says, if we're going to live after the flesh, then we're going to serve sin, and this identifies that.
So it follows that a man or a woman whose purpose in life is to gratify his own personal corrupt desires, cannot be a Christian, cannot live as a Christian, cannot practice Christianity. And when you understand it and when you look at this section where it talks about the works of the flesh, it's a very easy test to be applied in your life and my life. All I have to do is look at these and say, is this what drives me, is this what motivates me? That's a test of what Christianity is not. It's an easy test when you really understand it. If a man or woman lives this way, there's no need to question his or her character. It is what it is!
Unleavened Bread says this is what we come out of. So he says, if we live after the flesh--these things, we will serve the law of sin. Made very clear in Romans chapter 8 verse one:
Romans 8:1 – but...those...who do not walk...after...the flesh, but...after the...Spirit...will serve God and serve the Spirit.
As the Holy Spirit leads us, prompts us, guides us and produces fruits in us.
Now, what do the works of the Spirit look like? Same section of scripture--Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 through 26. It says:
Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness...verse 23 - gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Verse 24 - And those who are Christ's...who are walking after the Spirit...have crucified the flesh...those things we just read...with its passions and desires. Verse 25 - If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
So that's what living after the Spirit is all about. And if a man has these fruits--or any of you ladies out there--have these fruits, Paul says you're living the life of a Christian. You're living the life of following and walking in the Spirit. That also is a test that is easily applied, is it not? Do you see yourself in Galatians 5: 22 through 26? Do you see that as predominantly your character and your life that you live? Again, remember, I'm not talking about perfection--I'm talking about a way of life that we walk. We have to deal with the dilemmas at times. But God gives the power and strength for that as well. Verse two of Romans 8 says:
Romans 8:2 - For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
He talks about the law; the law of the Spirit. All he's saying there when he says the law, is the command or the influence of the Spirit, the rule of the Spirit, what the Spirit does for you. And that the Spirit produces life. In other words, it exerts a control which is here called the law. The law of the Spirit; it's a control, that if we utilize God's Holy Spirit, produces something. So he calls it a law. It's how we're ruled or governed by as opposed to the flesh. And he says, it has made me free from the law of sin and death. In other words, it has delivered me; isn't that what Paul was wanting to uh, wasn't that the question Paul asked when he was dealing with his dilemma--O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me? Paul knew Who it would be. He was making sure that the church at Rome understood as well, because chapter 8 is very clear on whose going to be doing the delivering when we tie closely in to Him. He has made me free, or delivered me from the predominant influences and control of sin.
You see, brethren, you are not under the control of sin. If you are, then you are not utilizing the walk with the Spirit effectively enough. Or I am not, if I am that way. It has made me free or delivered me from the influence or the control of sin; not talking about perfection, but it is talking about what I John 3:9 states. I John 3:9 says:
I John 3:9 - He that walks after the Spirit is begotten of God and does not practice sin.
So that is the walk of a Christian. He's not practicing sin, but he's practicing the way of life that God has given to him. It is through Christ that we're delivered from the influence and the control of what you see in society; and specifically, the law of sin and death, or again the controlling influence of sin, which leads to what? Death. Romans 6:23 says:
Romans 6:23 - for...the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Verse 3 of Romans chapter 8:
Romans 8:3 - For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh...and...on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.
For what the law could not do; the law of God is a moral law. It's a law that God wants us to live by. But the law cannot free us from sin and condemnation. The law identifies sin, but it cannot forgive you your sins. What the law could not do, God did, how? By sending His own Son. He did it or He accomplished it by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, so that the likeness of sinful flesh, or in the likeness of sinful flesh (that is, Jesus Christ coming in the flesh, born of Mary) being sacrificed for sin; then through Him condemns sin in the flesh. In other words, He makes it possible for us to be forgiven our sins; that which the law could not do. That's why He talks about grace and forgiveness of sin through grace, that is a standard of life, living by the law. So Christ condemned, again, sin in the flesh; He came and died for sin, and He died because of sin, and He died because we were sinners.
And I think all of us left Passover sobered, or we left Passover, what? Elated and happy, that we did not have to pay the penalty that Jesus Christ paid in our behalf. That's what Paul's talking about here. The value of Jesus Christ. Verse 4 of Romans chapter 8:
Romans 8:4 - that the...righteousness...of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
So he says, Christ came to enable us to be forgiven our sins; He came in the flesh as a human being; – and he says, one of the reasons that He came, or here is the specific reason in Romans, is that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. What he's saying is that by the power of God's Holy Spirit, and by walking by the Spirit, we can be confirmed into the law; or we can come to be more obedient to the requirements of the law, with the help of God. And that we, again, are no longer under the influence of the flesh and its corrupt desires, but we are under the influence of God's Holy Spirit. And he says that it might be fulfilled in us, that we might be obedient, and comply with the laws He made us.
Now, those in Dayton, and Cincinnati north, know, one of the primary reasons that God gave us His laws and why He wants us to comply with His demands. If I were to ask any single person from Dayton or Cincinnati north, they would know the answer to that, right? Ladies and gentlemen from, yeah, I see all the heads shaking in Cincinnati and in Cincinnati north.
God says, I want you to be obedient to Me--Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 12. I want you to live by the commandments that I give to you, and they all would tell you--finish the sentence, Frank--for your good, for your benefit, for your well-being. And that's how we need to look upon the law of God. It's beneficial, it's good. And that Christ says, sin has lead you astray--your old pulls of the flesh and mind of the past--now that you're converted, I'm giving you the strength to walk by the Spirit, because as you walk by the Spirit, it enables you to comply or conform to the way of love, the way of God's law in the spirit--not just the letter--and you will be blessed by it. It will be a benefit for you. Passover, Unleavened Bread--beautiful days--blessings that God gives to us; that we might be conformed to the law or be obedient to its requirements. And we no longer have to be under the influence of the flesh and its corrupt desires.
But you notice, it's who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. It's very, very important. Verse 5, Romans chapter 8, he said:
Romans 8:5 - Because they who are after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh.
Those who just want to live and have their minds totally focused on what the world desires--the three elements that are in the world-- if they live after the flesh, they do the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, do the things of the Spirit. Those of the world are under the influence of the corrupt desires and nature that mankind does have. God didn't create mankind with that nature, we all understand that, do we not? We all understand that, I hope. When you look at creation, God said, all of those days, including the creation of man; He says, it was good. As a matter of fact, He says, it was very good.
How did this sinful nature, how did this evil desire, how did this corrupt flesh become a part of man? Well, there was an adversary, an individual called, Lucifer, who became Satan, the devil, who was out to destroy man and he came in and he influenced Adam and Eve, and Adam and Eve chose to follow that influence. They chose to partake of Satan's fruit. And they chose to disobey their Father. They chose to decide what was right and wrong, and humanity has decided from that time forward to do that; and we know the outcome, do we not? We know the outcome and others who would be out there called Noah. I'm not going to watch it, I heard it's lousy--but we all know what happened during the time of Noah, right? And why the flood came? It says that the heart and the mind of man was set to, what? Continually do evil! Man had become so perverted and corrupted by this evil nature, that he chose to follow Satan, that mankind had to start over. So God brings mankind across the flood.
And God knew, based on what He said about Jesus Christ there in Genesis, that He would have to bruise Satan's head and bring about a change in mankind's nature. That's why Christ came, and why the Holy Spirit came, that we, who are part of God's way of life, live a different lifestyle. It leads us in a different direction. We reject Satan. He flees from us. That which is in us is greater than that which is in the world. So society is under, you know, the desires of the flesh. They are un-renewed in their approach to life. We are to be renewed in ours. They mind things of the flesh. But they that are after the Spirit, we again see in verse 5, are supremely devoted to the gratification of God; we're under His influence, and we're led by the Spirit. It says, the things of the Spirit, those are the things that the Spirit produces, are which affects the mind. Again, Galatians 5:21 through 23. Verse 6, for these days of Unleavened Bread, Paul goes on to say:
Romans 8:6 - For to be carnally minded...that's a mind apart from God. Anybody here ever had Chili Con Carne? To be carnally minded, that's just means a meaty mind going contrary to God. To be carnally minded...is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace...and is our deliverance; what delivers us.
So again, he's just repeating over and over about the flesh and the minding of the Spirit, making the Spirit the object of our love, and the object of our life. Romans 7, he then goes on to say:
Romans 8:7 - Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. Verse 8 - So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Is he saying, the fact that all of you are human beings--fleshly human beings--you can't please God? Is that what He means here? Or does He mean, based on the context; those again, who are walking after the flesh?
I want to read something to you--in my preparation and my studies the past week, week and a half--I was going through a number of commentaries, getting some concepts about Romans 5, 6, 7 and 8; going through some of my old apostle Paul epistles of Paul notes, and I found Barnes notes to be very interesting; it's an interesting concept, the carnal mind. Let me read this to you. Barnes notes says, it's not, it does not mean the mind itself--the intellect or the will--it does not suppose that the mind is physically depraved. We know that God made us, what? Good. But it means that the minding of the things of the flesh, giving in to them, or giving them supreme attention, is hostility against God. It involves the sinner in a controversy with Him; and hence, leads to death and woe. This passage should be--this passage should not be alleged, according to Barnes, should not be alleged in proof that the person is physically depraved. Sometimes I've heard people say, well, the world is just physically depraved. No, it's not. It's going contrary to God, but the world as a whole is not physically depraved. There are a lot of people who eat from what? Knowledge of good and evil, or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and a lot of people eat from the good side. A lot of people eat from the bad side; eat more (let me rephrase)--a lot of people eat more from the good side, and a lot of people eat more from the bad side. I would say, Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, Hitler, Mussolini, kind of ate more from the bad side. But I see a lot of people who really want to help and serve mankind, and they understand that concept of giving, and they're blessed by it.
Mr. Armstrong used to say that God's laws are eternal, and whatever laws you keep, whether you know it or not, you're going to be blessed by it. I have always believed that. I have always believed that. So he says, this passage should not be alleged and proof that a person is physically depraved, but merely that where there is a supreme regard for the flesh, there's hostility to God. It does not directly prove the doctrine of universal depravity, but it proves only that where such attention exists to the corrupt desires of the soul, there is hostility to God. It is indeed implied that the supreme regard to the flesh exists everywhere by nature, but this is not expressly affirmed. For the object of the apostle here is not to teach the doctrine of depravity, but to show that where such depravity in fact exists--and I like this next sentence--it involves the sinner in a fearful controversy with God. Or it exists because we've separated ourselves from God, and we've allowed ourselves to live according to the flesh. Paul says, humanity's gone that way, and now we need to live according to the Spirit.
You want to deal with your issues? Do you really want to deal with your issues, if you have any? You've got to live by the Spirit of God. You've got to live by walking after the Spirit. That is the fundamental key to the development of a righteous life. We already saw what walking after the Spirit is like.
I wanted to read that to you because I'd never read anything like that in my 45 years in the ministry. The first time I've read anything like that, and I thought, that was interesting, I'm going to share that. Now, not everybody will agree with that, but as I read this, looking--over the audience--I saw a lot of heads going like this too. A lot of people understood and were shaking their heads; aah, that makes sense. It makes sense. So he said, the carnal mind is enmity against God because it walks after the flesh, it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. It's enmity, it's hostile, it's against God and towards, you know, Satan--is not subject--it just isn't going to be, as long as it's walking after the flesh, and neither indeed can be. It's an absolute certainty, that as long as you walk that way, you are not going to be subject to God or His law. It ain't going to happen. That's why we have to learn to live after the Spirit and walk after the Spirit. Romans 8 verse 8:
Romans 8:8 - So then...they...who are in the flesh cannot please God.
In other words, it follows, it leads to the fact that, as long as you're willing to live in the flesh, or how the flesh wants to drive you, you cannot please God. Those who are un-renewed, that supremely follow the desires of the flesh and appetites, are going to be contrary to God; you just cannot please Him.
How are your appetites, brethren? Well, probably some of you are wanting a nice piece of French bread right now, right? But how are your appetites? What is it that you really want to eat and partake of? Is it the leavened bread of sin, or the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth? What is your appetite? What is it you really want to do? What is it that drives you? I have to ask myself those same questions. And in Romans 8 verse 9, it's very encouraging. Paul is talking about how to be delivered and what keeps you separated and in bondage, and what delivers you. Then he tells you this: For you in Cincinnati today, you are not in the flesh--you're not in the flesh. Now you can pinch yourself and say, yes I am; but that's not even what he's talking about, right? He says:
Romans 8:9 - But you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if so be the spirit of God dwells in you; and if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His.
So he says, those of you who have been called by God, who have been converted, who have given in to that conversion, who have walked after the teachings and values, have God's holy spirit; you don't live by the flesh anymore. It doesn't drive you any longer, because we have God's holy spirit in us. We're now spiritually minded. We're now under the direct influence of God's holy spirit, not the flesh, because it dwells in us.
Now notice it says, it dwells in us. It doesn't say it occasionally passes through, right? The holy spirit dwells, it doesn't make an occasional visit, like we may make an occasional visit to the throne of God in prayer. No, it dwells in us, it dwells in us. And the word dwells denotes intimacy of connection. It means that those things which are the fruits of the spirit are produced in our hearts and in our minds, because it dwells in us. And if it doesn't--again, here's a test of Christianity--then it doesn't apply. We're not a Christian. Drop down to verse 14. Romans 8 and verse 14. It isn't a matter that Christ says the holy spirit is in you and makes you a Christian, that's part of it; but if you want to overcome and you want to move forward in your Christianity, and walk and get rid of the leavening spirit out of your life, then verse 14 Paul says, is also important. Paul understood that verse 14 was necessary for him to be delivered from that wretched man that he was--to have to be delivered from the dilemmas that he faced. It's also needed for us to be delivered from our own personal dilemmas; myself, and allowing myself from being carried away emotionally and saying and writing something I should have never have written. He says:
Romans 8:14 - For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are...the...sons...or the children...of God.
It isn't just having God's Spirit in you, being baptized, and receiving the spirit and saying, done, accomplished, finished. I was baptized, I have God's Holy Spirit; done. No, he says, once you have God's Holy Spirit you then now need to let that Spirit lead you; that's walking after the Spirit. That make sense? Sure, it absolutely does. He says, these are the sons of God. In other words, we submit our lives to God's influence and God's control. In other words, the Spirit is shown to be influencing, suggesting and helping us in the walk that we have. He says, these then are the sons of God; these are the individuals who are part of the family of God, begotten today with God's Holy Spirit. These are the individuals that one day will receive the ultimate deliverance, shown by the way you look at Passover, Unleavened Bread and Pentecost, as magnificent teachings of Holy Days on deliverance. Then you look at Trumpets, Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day as great events; that the first three make possible when you fully understand it. So the deliverance ultimately occurs at one of the great events. What event is that, anyone remember? Trumpets--the great event of Jesus Christ returning; and we are delivered ultimately to being a spirit being. Ultimately being an individual who no longer has the flesh, but is spirit, delivered. Actually delivered from the last enemy, which is death. We are now the sons of the living God.
So now that we've gone through and took a very cursory look at chapter 5, 6 and 7 of Romans, and saw how they fit with Passover and Unleavened Bread, as well as Pentecost, and then took a little deeper look into chapter 8, where Paul gave the answer to his dilemma; who shall deliver me from this body of death? Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit living His life in us, and showing us that we walk after the Spirit; that's how we're delivered.
Now that we've seen Paul show us how to have victory in overcoming ourselves, and that it involves our hearts and our minds in-tune with God's Spirit, I want to evaluate a particular scripture, maybe two; we'll see if we have time for the second one--I want to evaluate a scripture that's commonly misunderstood, based in the context of what we've covered here. And that scripture is found in Isaiah 55 verse 8 and 9. And I say this is commonly misunderstood--and I'm not going to say where I heard this--but I heard an individual talking with another person, and first of all, he was telling that person that because he's human, he's still carnal; he still has an evil heart. He also told him that you can't think like God, because God's laws are higher than ours; and you know, I wasn't (eavesdripping) but the guy was speaking loud enough, and I was about 5-6 feet away, that I heard this; and I'm sitting there shaking my head, saying, wait a minute; that's not what conversion and having God's Holy Spirit is all about. The human heart, the fleshly heart, God says in Jeremiah 17:9, is evil. But what does He say to you as a Christian? What does He say to me? You become converted, and I've cut the stony part of your heart away, and I've given you a heart of flesh. I now take it and put in your mind and your heart the spirit of My law, so that you can think differently. Romans 8 is talking about a different heart and mind.
Anyway, I walked away, and the following Sabbath I gave a sermon in Cincinnati north on that subject, because I said, people need to understand the difference in carnality and conversion.
Now, don't get me wrong; you can go back and have a heart, you can remake that evil heart. You can go back and resurrect that evil, hard-headed carnality that walks after the flesh. All of us can. Paul says, that's like what? The dog turning back to its vomit? The pig to the miry clay, or the filth. But it's a choice that we make. Individuals can go back to it, but that's not how you are when you're living by God's way of life that He gives to you and by the Spirit that He has placed within you. I will always disagree; there might be ministers who disagree with me, I don't know; but I will always disagree with the fact that you have an evil heart and an evil mind, if you have God's Holy Spirit in you. I'm not saying it's a perfect mind or a perfect heart. I already told you about my dilemma. But that's not how I want to be. That's not how I want to walk. How I want to be and how I want to walk is in service to God, my Savior Jesus Christ--that's what I want.
And that's what John says my M.O. is, you know, don't sin, he says. Your M.O. should be to fall, but if you do, you have a Savior--I John chapter 2, who will forgive your sins, even when you write this stupid letter. Isaiah 55 verse 8 and verse 9 says:
Isaiah 55:8-9 - For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.
Isaiah 55:9 - For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
This individual was using those two verses to tell these individuals they can't think like God; God's far above our way of thinking.
But why does God say what He does in these scriptures? What's the reason for Him saying these things? Like I said, there are some who believe that we can't think like God because of this scripture. I ask, is that true? Now I think we all know that God's IQ is greater than ours; duh, right? But is that what he's talking about? That's not the point. The point of Isaiah's writing here is that Israel and Judah, as far as that's concerned, were both sinning grievously against God. They were sinning grievously. They were abusing the widow, they were abusing the orphans. The leaders were taking bribes, and they were perverting justice. They were involved with idolatry. Their thoughts and their actions definitely were not God's. As a matter of fact, their thoughts, ideas, concepts and actions were of Satan. And so God says, look, My thoughts are not your thoughts, you're not thinking like I'm thinking, you're not acting like I'm acting. My thoughts are so much higher. You're in the face of the earth; you need to begin to think and set your eyes on those things that are above. Your thoughts are not My thoughts. Your ideas, concepts and actions are not My actions. Notice verse 7 of chapter 55, before he makes the statement in verse 8 and 9, Isaiah says:
Isaiah 55:7 - Let the wicked...man...forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts...in other words, forsake the way you are living and what you are doing, forsake the way you are thinking, because you're not thinking like Me, and instead...Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
So God isn't saying you can't think like Him, He's saying you are not thinking like Him, Israel, Judah. And so you need to repent and do what? What's the bottom line? What is the context telling us? So you need to repent and do what? Begin to think like Me. You need to repent and begin to act like Me, because My thoughts are up here, and that's where your thoughts need to be. That's where my thoughts need to be, not on this earth, not dealing with the pulls of the flesh and living that way of life.
I pulled a statement out of Matthew Henry's commentary as well; like I said when I was preparing this, on Isaiah 55, 8 and 9; I think he puts it really well. He says, if we look up to heaven, we find God's counsel there high and transcendent. We find His thoughts and His ways infinitely above ours. The wicked then are urged to forsake their evil ways and thoughts, and return to God and His way of thinking. To bring their ways and to bring their thoughts to concur and comply with His; that's the context and the meaning of Isaiah 55:8. For He says, My thoughts and ways are not yours. And they sure weren't; theirs were evil. They were thinking evil thoughts and evil actions. He goes on to say, yours are conversant only about things beneath. They are of the earth, earthy. But Mine are above, as the heavens are high above the earth, and if you would approve yourselves true penitence, yours also must be too, so set your affections, and your thoughts, your minds on things above.
So the point being made by Isaiah isn't that we can't think as God does, but we better think as He does. That is what will lead you to deal with your dilemmas. We better walk, as we've emphasized extensively, after the spirit, and not after the flesh.
So Matthew Henry's correct, walking after the spirit is setting your mind and affections on things above. After all, isn't that what Paul said? Colossians chapter 3, turn over there. You want to walk after the spirit, deal with your dilemmas? Colossians 3 verse 1:
Colossians 3:1 - Since then you have been raised with Christ...our baptismal, definitely symbolic of that...since you have been raised with Christ...set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, and set your minds...So we're talking about the minds and the hearts.
Colossians 3:2 - Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things...that's what Isaiah was referencing.
Colossians 3:3 – Because...you died, and your life is...now...hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:4 - and...when Christ who is...your...life appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory.
Then verses 12 through 17 gives us clear instructions again of walking after the spirit, similar to Galatians. If you drop down to verse 12 it says:
Colossians 3:12 – Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly beloved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Verse 13 - bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Verse 14 - and over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Verse 15 - And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace, and be thankful. Verse 16 - And let the word of God dwell richly in you...dwell in you richly...as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. And as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Verse 17 - And Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of our Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
How else does walking after the spirit look? How else does it look? Philippians 4 verses 8 and 9. This is where our minds need to be, brethren. Philippians 4: 8 and 9:
Philippians 4:8-9 - Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things...Have your mind focused on these things. Verse 9 - And whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice, and then the God of peace will be with you.
You might even tie 1 Corinthians 10:5 in with that. You don't need to turn there. II Corinthians chapter 10 verse 5 says:
1 Corinthians 10:5 - bringing every thought into captivity...that is done by fulfilling Philippians chapter 4--bringing every thought into captivity.
We already covered Galatians chapter 5, so we don't need to do that again. So those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires, and since we live by the Spirit, we let the Spirit drive us and keep us moving forward. Romans chapter 12 verse 2--and for time I'm just going to reference these; if you want to turn to read them, that's fine. Romans chapter 12 verse 2 talks of a spiritual transformation. It talks about going from being conformed to the world to being conformed to God. And when you read that section of scripture, that equals a renewal of your mind, how you think--similar to putting off the old man in the renewing of your mind--Ephesians 4:23. Hebrews 8 and verse 10. This is quoted from Jeremiah 31 and verse 33, where Paul tells us according to the New Covenant, of which all of you are a part, all of you are part of the New Covenant; the New Covenant now places God's laws into the mind and into the hearts of the believers, no longer written on stone. It's now a part of us, and as we saw in Romans, by the Holy Spirit, God enables us now to actually live more that way of life, it's now actually within us.
Now as we move forward, getting closer to the conclusion; those are words people love to hear--let's go back to Romans 8. Paul also tells us something very important for something we need to understand. In Romans 8, that's walking after the flesh, or walking after the spirit is up to us. It is up to us. It's our choice. We have the choice in how we will live, because we're all free moral agents. If you will notice in some of my reading, I didn't emphasize it at that time; I will now--there are many ifs in Romans chapter 8. So which choice will you make? What choice will I make? There are many ifs. Notice, Romans 8 verses 7 and 8, it talks about the carnal, fleshly mind that's enmity against God. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God; that doesn't mean as long as we're physical we can't please God. Verse 9--maybe it's a matter of our individual choice. Notice it says:
Romans 8:9 – If the Spirit of God dwells in you, you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit...that's a big IF...if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. Verse 10 – If Christ is in you, then the flesh is dead, and the Spirit is life. Verse 11 – If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus Christ dwells in you, it will give life to your mortal body through that Spirit that dwells in you...notice it says the Spirit must reside in you, not an occasional visit. Verse 13, it says:
Romans 8:13 – If you live according to the flesh you will die; but if you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live.
IF is huge in Romans chapter 8. IF, IF, IF, IF, IF. All that is saying is, brethren, in Cincinnati and Dayton, we have a choice. IF these things happen one way, this is the outcome. IF they happen another way, this is the outcome. Which side of IF are you going to come down on? Which side of IF am I going to come down on? What choice am I going to make; live after the Spirit, or live after the flesh?
In conclusion, if we live after the Spirit, we will be able to overcome any trial. Paul knew that, that's why he said, who shall deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ, that by walking after the Spirit, I can deal with all these issues. It doesn't mean you won't make mistakes. But whatever issue you face in life can be dealt with, but it takes God in you for some of them. Walking in the Spirit has great benefits. Again, I'm just going to quote some of these for you: Romans 8:37:
Romans 8:37 - no matter the trial or hardship, God says...in all things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.
We're more than conquerors. More than conquerors. So Paul doesn't leave them hopeless or helpless. He gives them great encouragement. They too, like him, can deal with their issues. Christ said in John chapter 16 verse 33, in the world you will have troubles. I like the expression, in the world you shall have tribulations, or you shall have issues, but we don't put a period there. When you are walking in the Spirit, Christ says, don't worry; I overcame the world. And in Me, walking with Me, walking in the Spirit, you can overcome it too. You can be victorious. I John 4:4, we can overcome the world and Satan because we're told that that which is in us is stronger than that which is in the world; it's that power of God's Holy Spirit. In I Corinthians 15:57--I will ask you to please turn to that one. This will be the last scripture. 1 Corinthians 15:57--the resurrection chapter--the final enemy to be destroyed is death, and I want you to notice the specific statement that can be applicable to whatever we face in life. I Corinthians 15:57; it's here that God gives us the victory through Jesus Christ:
1 Corinthians 15:57 – But thanks be to God, He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
That's where the victory comes. We've got to have Christ in us. We need to use the Holy Spirit. We need to reject the way of the flesh, the leavened bread, we need to accept the Spirit of God, the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, and of course, that flows right on into Pentecost.
So, brethren, Christ didn't become our Passover; He didn't live His life in the flesh, and go through the ridicule, the abuse, the beatings, and ultimately death, that we should fail. He didn't come here that we should fail. He came here that, what? We should be successful. He came here that we may be victorious; that's why He came.
We want to be on Jesus' side, brethren, because Jesus Christ always wins. He never loses. I want to be on the winning side, that's where I want to be. He never loses, He always wins! And He will give us the victory.
Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43 years. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. He also is a resident faculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren.
Let Us Keep the Feasts: The Solution for Sin
36 minutes
read time
Listen
Audio file
This is part 3 in the Bible study series: Let Us Keep the Feasts. What does the Word of God say about sin? This study will focus on several aspects of sin. Yet, as sinners, how are we made right with God? What can we do to be just in God’s eyes? We’ll explore these areas and also delve into the ultimate solution to sin.
Transcript
[Steve Myers] Of course we're continuing our series in 'Let Us Keep The Feast.' That's the title to our overall studies that we've been doing for the last several weeks. We're going to continue on for the next several weeks as well.
This particular study, we're going to look at some of the background to the festivals. As we're instructed in the Bible to keep God's Feast, we're shown that they're symbolic and they represent several steps in the plan of God.
Now, one of the biggest obstacles that we as human beings face is the obstacle of sin. What does God have to say about sin? Well in this particular study we're going to focus on this topic of sin, look at several different aspects of it and maybe even more importantly than that, how are we made right with God? We are sinners and yet how can there be a solution to the problem? To the problem of sin. In fact, what can we do? What can we do about it? How can we be right in God's eyes? Is there a way that we can be justified? Is there a way that we can look at life in a way that God wants us to? So I thought it might be helpful to take some time and explore these various aspects and ultimately delve into the solution to sin. That's our topic for the night, the solution to sin. But before we get into the solution, I think we've got to first deal with the problem.
The problem of sin of course is the fact that sometimes it's not always that discernible. It's not always that easy to see it and to grasp it, to understand it and recognize it. I think an important example is the example of Adam and Eve. You remember what God told Adam and Eve after they took from the wrong tree? Remember he told them that on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die. Well did they die that very day? No, they didn't. In fact it wasn't a year later or 5 years later or 10 years later, or 50 years. It was hundreds and hundreds of years later that ultimately they died.
I think that makes an interesting point for all of us, that there is a connection between cause and effect. We certainly have that. Sin is the cause, death is the effect. And because sometimes there's a space between the cause and effect, that we can get taken in by that. We can get fooled by that very aspect of sin. So as we begin to consider that, we need to think about the formidable features of sin. I have two formidable features of sin that I would like to begin with tonight.
One of the things that is a formidable feature when it comes to sin is the fact that it's universal. What do I mean by that? Sin is all-inclusive. It is everywhere. We know probably that passage in the Bible, maybe even some of us have memorized it, that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Remember where that particular passage is? Romans 3:23. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Not a few, but it's universal. It's all-encompassing, all-inclusive.
In fact, if you want to turn with me over to Romans 5, we're going to spend just a few minutes in the book of Romans. Romans 5:12. It harkens back to that example that I began with, with Adam and Eve, and recognizes where that sin began in the human race and speaks to this very point, that sin is all-encompassing, it is all-inclusive, it is universal. Notice Romans 5:12. Says, 'Therefore, just as through one man, sin entered the world and death through sin, thus death spread to all men because all sin.'
Sometimes we may think of sin kind of like a disease. But is sin really like a disease when you consider it? Like a disease it seems like well, how about the flu? In winter time it seems like a lot of people get the flu. But then there seems to be quite a few that don't. So is sin sort of like that? Like a disease that some people get it and some people don't?
Well not according to what Paul wrote here in the book of Romans. Death spread it says to all men. That's comprehensive, that's wholesale sell out to sin by humanity. Complete, full, all-inclusive. Nobody is left out here. In fact, if you were to read this in a couple of different translations, the Good News Translation says the whole human race, it will spread to the whole human race because everyone has sinned.
There's an interesting translation in the voice version of the Bible. It says this. Look at verse 12, says 'Consider this, sin entered our world through one man, Adam, and through sin death followed in hot pursuit.' Imagine that imagery. Sin is on the prowl. It is in hot pursuit after everyone. In fact it goes on. 'Death spread rapidly to infect all people on Earth as they engaged in sin.'
So the whole human race is infected. That's a word that really stands out, isn't it? It's infected the entire human race. So that's all-encompassing. I was watching a nature program the other day and it was on the giant squid. Anyone ever seen that program? I think it was on Discovery and they were searching for the giant squad, they found it. One of scenes that they showed were the tentacles on these gigantic squid. And as it's grasping onto this big fish, the tentacles were just curling and wrapping all around this thing until it just engulfed this giant fish and just consumed it. Pretty soon the fish was just gone and these tentacles were just wrapped around every. . .yeah, it's kind of disgusting I guess. But isn't that kind of reminiscent of what Paul is describing here what sin is like? It's got its tentacles everywhere, everywhere, and once it has a hold on us, it isn't about to let go. It's going to bind us, encompass us, surround us and take us in. And not just us, everyone. Anything, any type of food that's going to get in the way, it's going to be food to the squid.
In fact, I saw another nature program, it was about the anaconda. Anaconda works a little bit differently than a squid. But it showed these anacondas as they were hunting capybaras. A kind of a rodent looking thing. If you've ever been to or live in Louisiana you know the nutria. Kind of like a gigantic rat looking thing. These capybaras are even bigger. They can get up to 150 pounds or so.
So they were showing how the anaconda would hunt these things in South America. And once they grabbed one of those things, they immediately started wrapping their long body around the capybara. And one of the interesting things about it is once it's got it, it's not that it just grabs it and wraps around it that kills the animal. What it does is every time that animal tried to take a breath, that's when the anaconda would tighten up. And then it would try to take a breath again and then as it exhaled it would tighten up even more and more until really what it did is it just squeezed the life right out of that rodent. And I think sin is also like that. It wraps itself around us and it wants to squeeze the life right out of us.
So whether you want to think of it like a giant squid with tentacles that just go everywhere, or once it gets a hold of us it's going to wrap around us and it is not going to let go until, like the story of Adam, until death, it wants to squeeze life right out of us. And it is a universal thing. It infects the whole human race. Now I'd mentioned two formidable features. I'll put features up here.
The second feature is how sin dominates. Sin has dominion, and this is a little bit different aspect than just this idea of being everywhere, but sin's dominant. It takes control of its territory and doesn't want to relinquish it. Just like that anaconda prowled its territory, sin is no different than that. Sin is after us, and because we're human beings we're in its territory.
In fact, if you flip over a couple of pages to Romans 6, Romans 6:12, we find an example that Paul uses as he describes this dominance of sin over the human race. In fact he describes it in an interesting way. Now he doesn't use anaconda or doesn't use a giant squid, or what was that big thing in the movie, the Kraken, giant's tentacles and all that sort of thing. Paul personifies sin in this section. Kind of makes it seem like he's talking about a being. And he shows how it's holding power and how it has influence and control. Let's notice it, Romans 6:12. "He says therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lust. Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace."
You see, Paul is making this point by personifying sin after us. It's trying to get us to obey it and bow down to it and be taken in by it, present ourselves to sin. And he says that it uses us. It can use us if we don't recognize the way that sin works, how sin wants dominion over us. It wants to dominate us, and it can take us in if we're not careful and understand the way that it works.
Skip down to chapter 7. Look at what it says in 7:17. This isn't just a minor little thing. When we talk about dominion and dominance, we are talking about the trait of sin that wants to take control over us. So just try to visualize this. Maybe think of it in terms of that capybara that's getting squeezed to death by that anaconda or by that giant squid and that fish. The tentacles can get around us and it is a serious matter. Romans 7:17, it says "But now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me." Here's this personification of sin. Now it's in me, it's infected me is what Paul is saying. He says 'I know that in me, that is in my flesh nothing good dwells. For to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good, I do not find'.
Here is sin exerting its dominance over us. He says, 'The good that I will to do, I don't do, but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.' Now, if I do what I will not to do, that is no longer I who do it but sin dwells in me. You see sin's taken over, it's dominating us. It's dwelling now in us. Verse 21: "I find a law that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members."
So here in a way Paul is describing sin taking over our bodies, taking us over, exercising its authority over us. And in a sense he's using an example to help us to recognize the way that sin works. He's trying to help us to visualize how it can be enticing, how it can seem, well not that bad. It seems like its mesmerizing.
It's amazing when you watch that anaconda at work, that little capybara doesn't know anything is wrong, doesn't have a clue that that snake is right under the water ready to pounce on him. Doesn't even have a clue of it. And right at that time, because it's so deceiving. Because it's so deceitful and devious, it can take over. And here we kind of get that impression as Paul describes sin and in a way almost visualizing Satan himself at work. Certainly sin has that satanic origin I suppose you could say. And here we're shown how sin wants to dominate us in a way and extending its dominance to every part of our life. It's ready to tie us up. It's ready to wrap its tentacles all around and pile more and more and more on us. It's how one lie leads to another lie, this sin leads to another sin, another issue, another problem. And that's the way sin is, it wants to pile on.
So in a way Paul's talking about two different mindsets. This mindset of sin, this mindset of physical outlook, versus godly character, godly nature, the divine nature versus the sinful nature. And boy, are they opposite of each other. They're adamantly opposed to each other. As human beings, members of God's way, we've got to choose between these things, and which will it be for us? This malicious power that wants to dominate us, or are we going to reject that? Because we know it can infect everyone if we allow it to. It doesn't matter what our race is, our status is. It doesn't matter if we claim to be a church member, we claim to be converted. It doesn't matter. We are in a battle, we are in a war, and we can't be taken as POW. We have to resist. We have to resist because there are no prisoners.
Sin kills. Sin leads to death. Imagine without the resistance, without God's Holy Spirit, we will be taken in. We will be brainwashed, because sin's grip is so basic, so strong, it is so inescapable is what Paul is saying. It's not just something that's on the outside ready to grab us, even though those images of the anaconda and the squid kind of bring things to life a little bit. It's not just something that's out there trying to get us, but he's also saying that this has gotten into us already.
Look back at Romans 6:6. Romans 6:6 kind of points to something that's interesting when you consider this dominance of sin. It's saying here in the book of Romans, Romans 6:6 he says, "Knowing this, our old man was crucified with him that the body of sin might be done away with. That we should no longer be slaves of sin."
So it's not just that sin is out there, trying to get us, we can be enslaved to it and that's something that comes from within. Because sin is persistent and its appeal is so subtle, it's almost as if we could be brainwashed. And when we don't consciously stand up against it, we don't fight it, we can become good at it. We can become masters at sinning. Pros, professionals at sinning because it becomes a way of life.
Paul talks about that as well, how the human race can fall prey to what's not only on the outside, but like Paul is implying here, sin dwelling in me. It's in there, and we've got to consciously stop it somehow. How in the world can we do that? How is it even possible to be able to do that? Paul deals with that a little bit. In fact, if you turn over to Jeremiah 4:22, in Jeremiah 4:22 it shows this not only universal aspect of sin but how it dominates us and in fact, Jeremiah prophesies about the fact that God's people became good at it, became good at sin. Jeremiah 4:22, it says, "For my people are foolish, they have not known me. They are silly children and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil but to do good, they have no knowledge."
Kind of a scary passage when you think about it. We don't want to be in that position. Even the apostle Paul talked about the battles that he fought because sin was dwelling in him. So if we're going to fight this, we've got to know our adversaries. We got to know what it's about. We've got to have a complete understanding of how it works in us, how it works against us so we can begin to have a better understanding on how to wage the kind of war that God would have us wage.
So let's think about that for a minute. How would you describe it? Certainly it has these features that it's everywhere and it wants to dominate us. Those are general characteristics of what sin is like. That describes the kind of formidable enemy that we face. But if you had to describe this is what sin is, how would you describe that? If you had to say this is what my definition of sin is, is there anything that comes to mind?
One of the passages that we often will think about is over in 1 John 3:4. And when we look at 1 John 3:4, it kind of gives us a little bit of a definition of sin. Here's what it says, "Whoever commits sin, also commits lawlessness." Sin is lawlessness. So I think we could put that down as part of our description. If I can get it all in here, oh, I just can squeeze it. You probably saw that little cartoon about the guy writing on the board, and he wrote 'think ahea.' It's supposed to be 'ahead' and he didn't have room to put the 'd.' I'm going to think ahead when I'm writing on the board here.
Well here we're shown, sin is lawlessness. That is from the Greek word 'anomos' without law. In other words, not following the law of God. We commit sin, we are not following law. In fact we're shown a little bit of bigger description in 1 John 3:4. We skip down just a couple of verses, look at verse 8. 1 John 3:8, it also tells us that sin is of the devil. He who sins is of the devil for the devil has sinned from the beginning. So we could say of the devil. This 8 we know, anomos, the devil was certainly not following God's law. Before the fall he disobeyed God, that took care of that. Sin is of the devil. There is part of the origination. He sinned from the beginning it says. In fact, we know of Satan there's no light in him, there's no truth in him. His behavior is opposite of God, opposite of righteousness. In fact if we keep going here, just maybe flip the page or so, to 1 John 5:17. We see a little bit more of this description of the lawlessness of sin as it's described here as unrighteousness. Not only is sin of the devil, but here in 1 John 5:17 it says all unrighteousness is sin.
Then it goes on, and there is a sin not leading to death, a sin that could be repented of. But unrighteousness, a lack of following the law of God is certainly unrighteousness. Unrighteousness is sin. And so even here in 1 John we can round out our definition of what lawlessness is. What anomos, the absence of law, certainly of the devil. Unrighteousness, opposite of the character of God is sin. And yet, this concept of lawlessness could even be expanded a little bit further.
If you want to write down or maybe turn over with me to Proverbs 10:19. In Proverbs 10:19 we're shown another aspect of how this can play out in our lives if we're not careful. Proverbs, did I say 19:10? Proverbs 10:19, kind of adds to this. Puts it in an interesting way here in Proverbs 10:19. "In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise." Almost reminiscent of that passage in James, where James 3 says if we don't stumble in our words, if we don't offend in our words, if you don't stumble in word, it says you're a perfect man.
So multitudes of words can get us in trouble. And where do those words come from? Well they come from inside us, they come from our thinking and our actions. Then they follow our thinking and that can also be things that work against God. They're lawless, they're outside the realm of the law of God. And so that's certainly another aspect of how sin can be recognized as a lawless kind of thing.
In fact, Paul even expands that a little bit further. We were over in Romans before, if you want to flip back to Romans. Romans 14:23, here he puts it a little bit differently. He says, Romans 14:23 "He who doubts is condemned if he eats because he doesn't eat from faith, for whatever is not from faith is sin." Here they were dealing with meat that was offered to idols. It was meat that could be eaten and yet some did not have the faith to be able to eat it.
So whatever is not of faith, he says, is sin. Because he contrasts the difference between what is godly and what is not. Doubt, fear, worry, those things are opposite of what God stands for. There's confidence and there's faith and so here he contrasts that. Kind of rounds out this definition for us of what lawlessness can begin to entail. Now we could probably keep going on and on and on in a number of different ways to round out this concept of lawlessness, but it seems to be all over the place. In fact, there's quite a few different words both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament that describe sin. And they all seem to point to deviance. I like that word, deviance. We deviate from God's...when we get off the path, when we deviate from Gods way, when we fail to follow His law, when we are lawless, we fail to live up to the standards and all these words seem to point in that direction. Whatever word we focus on.
In fact, I'm going to look at two other ones, just to kind of round out, not only lawlessness but a couple of other aspects of what sin is. And these two are found over in Ephesians 2 right at the very beginning of that chapter. Ephesians 2:1.
Let's notice what it says here in Ephesians 2:1, it says, "And you he has made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins." So he lists these two things, trespasses and sins. Now we read before in 1 John 3:4 that sin is lawlessness. Now these are different words than anomos. This is not absence of law. The first one as we see here is trespasses. Let's take a look at that for just a second.
This trespass is not only used here in Ephesians, it's used in many many places throughout the New Testament. It's the Greek word 'paraptoma.' I won't write it down. We can just try to spell out loud. Paraptoma, and it means to get off the path. To get off the path, to fall aside or to slip on the side. To deviate from the right path, and so that's our deviation here. So we get off the path. We slip off, or we can wander, we can wander off.
So this trespass seems to entail that aspect. Now that's quite a little bit different than an absence of law, than not following a law at all. Well we're trying to walk the path but now I wandered off. I got off the beaten path and now I am lost. I am out in the woods and I don't know how to find the home office, like some of our girls that were walking through the woods tonight. You deviate from the path, you can get lost, and this trespass, I'm not trying to use the girls as an example here because they did find their way and they did have their GPS so they knew all along they were right.
But this idea of trespass carries that kind of an intent, that we've gotten off the path, and this is not a good thing. Galatians 6:1 is another example. I'll just write that one down, Galatians 6 at the beginning of the chapter, if you want to flip over to Galatians 6, maybe we'd fill this in. Because here's one of the passages that use the same word for trespass, let's notice it. It says, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you with your spiritual restore such a one with a spirit of meekness considering yourself lest you also be tempted." Guess which word is the word trespass there, the word paraptoma. It's fault. It's the one that was overtaken in a fault, in a trespass. One that has wandered off the path.
In fact, in the book of James, it talks about confessing your faults one to another. That's that same word, paraptoma. Confessing that I've wondered off, I've deviated from the right way and I've got to get back on God's path. He uses this to help us to visualize what sin can be like. Oftentimes we're on a different path and we don't even recognize we've gotten off God's path. That's the challenge here. When you recognize what God's talking about, we're overtaken in the fault. We didn't even recognize that that's the way that we were going. So this concept of sin is described here in that way as well.
Now, if you remember back in Ephesians 2:1, it also used a second description, it said trespasses and sins. You who he made alive were dead in trespasses and sins. Now, that's not the word for lawless there either. So we had paraptoma here for trespasses. This word for sins is 'hamartia.' Hamartia, that's the Greek there and hamartia is an interesting word. It's used most often in the Greek in a military sense. So they would use it in the military, especially when it would be looking at people who missed the mark. They were aiming but they were off. They were shooting at the target but they missed the bull's eye, and literally that's what hamartia can mean, to miss the bull's eye.
So sins could be we're shooting for the goal, we're shooting for the bull's eye, but we miss and we're off target; to go wrong. It can also entail trying to live to the standard but not meeting the standard. It's a failure to be what we ought to be, to live the way we ought to live, to be what we should be, to miss the mark in the way that we live. And so that's what hamartia literally means, to miss the mark, miss that bull's eye. If we were still over there in 1 John 3:4, where I talked about sin is lawlessness. It's also interesting there. The beginning of that very same letter where Paul described this hamartia says, 'If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.' That word for sin is missing the mark. If we say we don't miss the mark it says we're deceiving ourselves, and there's no truth in us. The truth is not there. And so we do miss the mark.
So when you put these things together, whether it's the lawless, the trespasses, the deviation, the hamartia, or missing the mark and missing the bull's eye, boy, it really makes it so obvious that we come face to face with the reality of sin. The reality of sin. We have missed the mark, we have failed, and it's not just something that's out there trying to wrap its tentacles around us, it's something that's in us, in our thinking. Just like Christianity is supposed to be a way of life, we recognize that sin can get into our lives and try to be in every single facet of it because it's in us. Jeremiah said our heart is deceitful, it buries itself even in our heart and it conceals itself and it can become a way of life.
Remember what Christ said, he said that's it's not what's on the outside that defiles a man, he said it's what comes from the inside that defiles a man. Within the heart of a man is where evil thoughts are perceived; where adultery is perceived, murders, that kind of thinking. So when we recognize these aspects of sin, we begin to see that it reaches right into our relationships. It reaches right into the things that we do. It reaches into the things that we wear, our clothes. It reaches into how hospitable we are. It reaches into every aspect of our life, with our relationships, with our marriages, with our child rearing. It deals with our discouragement, it deals with jealously, greed, hatred, and bitterness. It can get its fingers all in that entire range of human attitudes and emotions and thinking. And we can become prideful if we're not careful. So when we recognize these trespasses and sins and you put that together with the lawlessness in 1 John 34, it starts to become evident. Sins that we might think are kind of minor maybe not that big a deal, not that important, they're kind of lesser things. But you know they tie right back to the law of God.
We have to come up to the standard and that standard we fall short of is the standard of Jesus Christ. It's described over in Ephesians 4:13. And we take a look there. Here's the standard. In Ephesians 4, look at verse 13. It talks about coming to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the son of God to a perfect man. To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. There's the goal. There's the standard. That's the mark. That's what we're shooting for. There's the bull's eye.
Yet we find ourselves falling short of that bull's eye. We've all been involved in sin. We've all had sin's tentacles wrapped around us. And we've all had sin coming out from within us. Because I think we kid ourselves if we don't think sin is right there. Paul said when I want to do good it's right there at the door. Here's the apostle, the man who wrote most of the New Testament saying it is right there. Sin is something that guides this world. In fact, more than guides this world I think it's a driving force behind this world. And so that's the battle that we're fighting. That's a battle that's a spiritual battle. Battle that is one that we're fighting spiritual wickedness in high places and it motivates and it tries to involve us with concepts that are directly opposed to God.
So that is the challenge. That is the problem. Well what about the solution to these things? How can we begin to deal...is there any way that we can begin to overcome, since it is universal, it has dominance and it seems to be everywhere. What can we do? What can we do to battle this evil force?
Well, let's think about that for a minute. The apostle Paul wrote something interesting about that very concept. It's back in the book of Romans. Flip over to Romans 3:21, because it comes down to these things certainly separate me from God when I deviate from the path, when I miss the mark, when I am anomos, when I am living without the law of God. How can I be made right? How can I be justified before God's sight? How can I have status with God that I'm acceptable to him? Well, Paul wrote about that in Romans 3:21. He says "Now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed. Being witnessed by the law and the prophets." So the Old Testament has a lot to say about this as well is what he's saying.
He says "Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe." He says "There is no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Sounds like where we started. Started at the universal nature of sin. So all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but verse 24, "Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at this present time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
So through this section Paul begins to demonstrate what can we do to be justified in the sight of God? Is it that I'm without law so that if I perfectly keep the law of God, then I have to be right with God? Is that what it is? Paul says no, that's not it. God gives His grace, God gives His favor to us and it comes through His son, Jesus Christ. So there's no amount of law keeping that can earn us salvation. Not going to happen. Now that doesn't mean we don't keep the law. The law doesn't make us right in God's eye, but the law does have a purpose. The law reveals what sin is. The purpose of the law is that the law of God exposes and reveals and condemns sin. Its purpose is not to forgive sin, it's not the solution to sin. The law is not going to save us and that point is made over and over and over again throughout the book of Romans. Over and over and over again, maybe one of the best is over here if we just flip over to chapter 7. Look at verse 7. Romans 7:7, it's certainly a reminder that that's not a function of the law. Romans 7, what shall we say is the law sin, he says certainly not. I would not have known sin except through the law. I would not have known covetousness, unless the law had said you shall not covet.
So the law shows sin. The law exposes what sin is, but then all right, if that doesn't make me right in God's eyes, then what does? How can I be right, how can I be righteous before God? Well, Paul was indicating back here in Romans 3, I'm back there again. where he says we're justified, which literally means were lined up with God. We are declared righteous, we are made righteous in God's eyes. Sometimes it can even entail a legal sense, that we are legally acquitted. That we were sinners, we are guilty as charged, but God acquits us. God releases us from that sin, He counts us as just. Now, how has that happened though? How are we declared righteous? How are we right before God?
Let's turn over to Galatians 2:16, it expounds a little bit on what Romans 3 talked about. Galatians 2:16, let's notice what it says here in Galatians 2. He makes a similar point as he did in Romans 3. He says, 'A man is not justified by the works of law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.' That's not my purpose to tear apart this scripture in great detail, but it's not only God's law, any law. Any system that tries to earn you favor in God's sight to make you just isn't going to cut it. It doesn't happen. It doesn't matter how much you keep the Sabbath, it doesn't matter how much pork you don't eat, none of that is going to earn you the Kingdom of God. Not going to happen.
He says 'but by faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.' So no law, whether it's God's law or any other law that exists could possibly earn us the Kingdom God, could possibly declare us righteous in God's eyes. There's none of those things that can acquit us from the guilt that all of this sin brings. So we don't earn righteousness, it is given to us because we have faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I'll just write down Romans 5:9 a couple of pages over, it talks about that very thing. Justified by his blood, by his sacrifice. The sacrifice of Christ and us accepting that sacrifice, having full faith and confidence in his sacrifice lines us up with God. God grants us justification we could say. He acquits us from sin and we are right before God.
That's ultimately the solution to sin. It's found in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and so in a way there's kind of an order of things, maybe a sequence of things you might say. The first one, the step here is that we've got to believe. We've got to come to believe and I think that's critical. Without belief, it's not going to happen. In fact, all the way back in the book of Acts when the New Testament church was beginning, it was critical. When someone was going to come to God, they had to repent and believe. That belief is synonymous with faith.
To have the confidence and believe that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. So it starts by having full faith in the true God. In fact, when you look back at this whole section of 1 John 3, it discusses that very thing as well. It's through that faith in God that starts this whole process going. When we believe, we begin to recognize that there are certain things that we have to do, that that belief then begins to motivate us to obey God. And we begin to grow in faith. So as we come to believe, as God calls us and works with us, we begin to grow. We see the need to change. We see the need to repent and we do something about it. God drives us as He works with us and He calls us to repent of our sins and be baptized. We respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember what He did when he first began preaching and teaching? In Mark 1, He said himself, remember how he started? As He began he told people repent and believe the gospel. And of course, the ultimate meaning of the gospel is that sacrifice of sin that Christ would give of his own self so that eternal life would be possible.
So we come before God and we repent and we express our faith and our confidence in Him and He justifies us by giving us the favor of His grace and applying that sacrifice to us. So we don't earn it, God gives us His grace. We are forgiven. We are finding favor in His eyes and we are lined up with Him and He declares us righteous and He acquits us from sin. Sometimes it's equated with unmerited pardon. We don't deserve that pardon but we are justified because God is good. And He is a graceful God. So He gives us that repentance so we can change, and He forgives us and lines us up with His way of thinking and acquits us from the sin that has its tentacles wrapped around us.
Of course, it doesn't stop there though. That's where so many lose track of things. Here we have to continue then, we have to continue to remain faithful. Continue to remain faithful. Oftentimes I think Christians get in a bind, because they'll say well Ephesians 2:8 says I'm saved by grace through faith, and that's the end of the story. Well there is no doubt we are saved by grace through faith. Faith is the key, it has to start there. God gives us His grace and justifies us, removes our sins when we repent.
Now what do you do? Now what? Is that the end? Is that the end of the story, done? Finished, over? Now I can do whatever I want because I've taken Jesus into my heart and I have God's grace and I'm finished. But see, that's not the case, that's not the case at all. In fact, I think 2 Corinthians 6:1 comes into play there. I won't turn over there, you'll probably recognize it, because the apostle Paul says, "I do not take the grace of God in vain." You see there is a useless grace, a grace that doesn't go anywhere, but because God does show us His favor, because we fully believe and have faith and confidence in God and His promises, that grace moves us to obey. It moves us to want to please the one who has shown us favor, who has given us His grace, who has justified us and forgiven our sins. And that justification also ties in with having a right relationship with God so that we can have a relationship. That grace then that God has given us should move us to continue that process to remain faithful, to strive to hit that mark more fully in our lives.
So no wonder James put it a little bit differently. In James 2:24, I will turn over there, because this is the passage that sometimes confuses many people. Those that don't understand the implication of what grace is about when we receive God's favor and we are given that pardon and got lined up with God and acquitted from sin and forgiven and coming to a right relationship with God is something that we need to continue. James saw that so clearly, so he put it in an interesting way. James 2:24, he says, "You see then a man is justified by works and not by faith only." Some Christians' mantra is by faith alone. That's not biblical. That is not biblical. You see, this grace that we've been given, it justifies us, acquits us from sin, brings us into a right relationship with God and then it motivates us so that we don't have the grace of God in vain, it motivates us into action. James is not saying oh, these works are going to save us. That's not what he's saying here at all, but he's showing how they go hand in hand. How once we're forgiven and once we're justified, and once we've accepted the sacrifice of Christ, we've repented, we've come before God. That faith is confirmed in what we do.
Now what do we do, what do we do next? Well, we remain faithful. We strive. We also know it says we're to grow in grace and knowledge. Because we have been given grace we're going to grow and become more Christ like, like Philippians 2, we're going to put on the mind of Christ. So we set our course on His way, we strive to follow him. We are given God's spirit that makes it possible to obey. So we submit to God's spirit, and it enables us then as we submit to His spirit to remain faithful and continue to strive to overcome that way that works against us, that works away from God and His way.
So we put it into practice, and we exercise that faith; and if we slip and when we slip we get lined up, we come to repentance immediately, we go before God and we get lined up all over again with God's law. And so what an amazing process that God has put in place, that He's given us a solution to sin.
Now the way this all ties in then with the theme of our Bible studies, "Let Us Keep The Feast" is that this is all based in the understanding of our savior Jesus Christ. When God calls us, He's given us the sacrifice and God's festivals and Holy Days are intertwined in what that meaning is all about. The symbolism behind these days, the Passover. That there is a sacrifice for sin. There is a solution. In fact, if you think of the Holy Days in general, they are a solution. They are symbolic of God's solution to sin. That we do have a Savior. We have the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So we can be justified, we can come out of sin as the Days of Unleavened Bread represent, and we can remain faithful because we've been given God's spirit and we have the power to overcome, like Pentecost talks about. With the Spirit of God. It is possible and it's not just something for you and I, but it's for everyone.
And so as we move to the fall Holy Days, they are continually focused on Jesus Christ as well, and what He does. So He will return and Satan will be cast aside, and we will be responsible for our own sins and ultimately God's going to set up His Kingdom on Earth, where sin will be recognized. And it can be rooted out as the whole world begins to understand the infectious nature of sin, and how to deal with it so that all can come to receive the grace of God and make the choice of whether they will follow God or whether they won't. Ultimately, everyone will have that opportunity. Everyone who ever lived and died will have an opportunity to understand the sacrifice of Christ to be able to implement that solution for sin in their lives as well.
So it's a big story and there's a lot to it. God has given us His wonderful days. The festivals and the Holy Days exemplify God's purpose and His plan. Ultimately His purpose to root out sin and establish His Kingdom and its all, all of it, every bit of it is made possible through the sacrifice of His son, our savior, Jesus Christ. So every year we rehearse these days that remind us that there is a solution to sin.
All right, well that will do it for out study tonight. We're going to begin it together once again in two weeks. So we look forward to seeing you back on the Web and right back here in the room again as we continue our studies on "Let Us Keep The Feast."f Have a good evening, be safe and stay warm too.
Course Content
Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We follow Him by preaching His message, caring for His disciples and serving others as He served.
