Man's Love In Response To God's: Removing Sin From Our Lives

How God not only proclaimed His love for man in such but backed it up in sending His Son as the perfect sacrifice for sin and continues to protect our salvation through His blood today.

Today, we are going to shift from “God’s Love For Man” to “Man’s Love In Response To God’s Love.”

This knowledge of God’s love for us embarks upon all mankind a response.

To those that ignore God and/or want nothing to do with Him “in reality” the response is typically visceral and negative.

To those that want to please God there is only one response…“what must I do to change?”

Those with a true heart understand their weakness and frailty away from their Creator and are willing to “change” to have the type of relationship necessary to have an enriched life here and a perfect life in heaven.

This means one thing, “Man’s Love In Response To God’s” begins with ending sin in our lives.

Repentance

Defining repentance.

Hugo McCord once wrote, “The word ‘repent’ is derived from the Latin word repoenitere, which means to be sorry again. The word ‘repent’ is not an accurate translation of the Spirit’s word mentanoeo, which means to think afterword, to have an afterthought, to change the mind.”

Now, biblically speaking, we know grieving because of sin and regretting you have sinned are what is necessary to lead to this “change of mind.”

2 Cor 7:9-10

2 Corinthians 7:9–10 ESV

9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

We also know that simply “changing our minds” to sin is not the end all but only the beginning of biblical repentance.

Matthew 3:8 ESV

8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

Repentance as defined by the Bible means...

To change ones mind from sin to righteousness and spiritually grow to the next level.

Summery

Repentance, as defined by the Bible means...

To change ones mind from sin to righteousness and spiritually grow to the next level.

Seeking the “next level in our spiritual walk.”

When we think of God’s great love for us how can we not want to “change our mind to sin” and grow spiritually closer to Him each and every day?

This means...

Loving God Means Ending Sin

God demonstrated His love giving us hope.

When God the Spirit begot Jesus in the womb of Mary and when Jesus freely gave His life as a sin sacrifice for mankind it gave us a hope not found since the Garden of Eden.

Romans 5:2–5 ESV

2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Now, remember biblical hope is not “wishful thinking” or “simple desire” but assurance.

Rom 5:

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

God has given us assurance i.e. hope in salvation, therefore...

Let’s demonstrate our love giving God hope.

God knows who He has assurance in and who He doesn’t.

Remember the words of God concerning Job to Satan.

Job 1:8 ESV

8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

Job 2:3 ESV

3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”

Remember God’s response to Ananias concerning Paul.

Acts 9:15 ESV

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

Ac 9:15-16

We need to make sure we are giving God assurance or biblical hope in us.

Do we try to “fight Satan and sin” or do we simply role over and give in to it?

1 Timothy 6:12 ESV

12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

James 4:7 ESV

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Do we try to “flee Satan and sin” when fighting fails or do we simply give up?

1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV

18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

1 Corinthians 10:14 ESV

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

So, how do we fight sin and win?

First, we prepare everyday to battle sin, we spiritually exercise.

1 Corinthians 9:27 ESV

27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Second, we put on the whole armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10 ESV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Ephesians 6:11 ESV

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Third we resist Satan at every turn.

James 4:7 ESV

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

How do we flee when fighting fails?

Listen there are going to be times where it doesn’t seem we can “when the fight.”

Remember, even Paul could always when against the Jews and had to be led out of a city in a basket through a window.

2 Corinthians 11:32–33 ESV

32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

2 Cor 11:

First, we seek the “way of escape” made by God.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Second, we flee the sin by pursuing righteousness.

1 Timothy 6:11 ESV

11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

2 Timothy 2:22 ESV

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

:22

Summery

Loving God means ending sin in our life.

We do this by fighting and if necessary fleeing Satan and sin.

Conclusion

If we truly love God then we will have no problem “changing our mind” toward the sinful things in our lives and striving to conduct ourselves in accordance to God’s Word.

Seeking the “next level in our spiritual walk.”

Invitation

Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Philippians 2:6–7 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Hugo McCord “A Change of Mind” (https://livingstoncoc.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/a-change-of-mind-hmccord)

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