Sin No More - But How?

Sin No More - But How? Pastor Lila Clay A while back Noelle challenged you to not only read the word but to let it stick. She said to not just be hearers of the word but doers of the word. That was how you made the word stick in your life, you had to apply it. So her message was keep the word of God, make it stick. Last week I challenged you to stick to whatever you heard the Lord tell you to do. To not let anyone change you from it. If God said to do something then you were to stick to His words to you. This week I want to ask you a question. Why can’t you stop sinning? I mean if we are supposed to actually apply what read in the scriptures to our lives and do what the Lord tells us to do then why are we all still struggling with sin? I mean, why did Jesus tell people to “go and sin no more” if sinlessness is really impossible? Did Jesus really mean it? If the Gospel is so transforming, then why are we not being transformed? How do we break the pattern of sin in our life? Is it possible that we really can go and sin no more? That we can be transformed? First, I have to help you understand that when Jesus said stop sinning it wasn’t a suggestion. Examine what Jesus said to the man he healed at the pool in Bethesda. Afterward, Jesus found the man in the temple and said to him, "See, you have been restored. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you. – John 5:14 The implication is if you don’t stop then you could face even greater consequences then you did before you were healed. Colossians 3:5-6 & Galatians 5:19-21 Now you know the truth. If sinning isn’t okay for the sinner, then it isn’t okay for the Christian either. Now if people could stop sinning by just deciding to stop, we'd all be perfect. Right? But no one is perfect. Are they? No one. Even the best of us might struggle with anger, non forgiveness, worry or even doubts. Check out this confession by the Apostle Paul. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. … For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” Romans 7:15, 18-19 “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” -   Romans 7:21-25a, NIV So we see the truth, if just making the decision to stop was enough there wouldn’t even be a need for this sermon. We just can’t do this by ourselves. That is why Paul gives glory to Jesus. It is Jesus who changes us. Repentance means "to turn." When we want to stop sinning, we must turn our hearts, our minds, our thoughts back to Christ. You begin with confession. That means you acknowledge what you are doing is wrong and ask Jesus to forgive you. Then you ask Him to help you get where you need to be. Now if we confess our sins I John 1:9 says that God is faithful to forgive us. And if the Lord told us to forgive people who do things wrong toward us “7 x 70 times” (or 490 times a day) then we know that He is willing to forgive us that many times. But if we stop there we miss the point. We will be caught in the cycle of sin. You know the cycle: • You say, I’m not going to do it. • You do it. • You feel like cap afterwards. • Guilt comes and you avoid God. • You finally ask for forgiveness. • He gives it, and you say you won’t do it again. • You start all over again. There is no relief here. Forgiveness is great but who here wants the victory? I mean how do we stick to that narrow path Jesus is calling us to walk? Know that as a Christian you are being transformed into the image of God. Transformation is a process we call Sanctification. It is the second work of grace. The first work of Grace, saves you. The second work sets you apart from the world, and begins the process of making you Holy. It is more than a good feeling, or a spiritual gift, it is a process of transformation. There have been cases of it being almost instantaneous but it usually happens over time. Prayer is crucial because you have to be in dialog about this with God. You are an active participant in this process so talk to the Lord about what you are struggling with, how you feel, where you want to go, and ask for what you need. Knowledge is also important. You need to study God’s views and let Him teach you. Don’t study the word to justify yourself but seek to know the truth. But the biggest key to overcoming sin is found here in Romans 12:2. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” In other words, do not try to be like everything else or everyone else, don’t do things like the world does, change how you think and this will transform you. This is so subtle you might miss it. But the principle is this “turn”. Let me say it another way. Replace. Let’s say a man wants to stop cursing. It’s become a life long habit. He tries and tries. Declares his intent to stop and then whacks his thumb with a hammer and boom out comes the foul language. Now he knows that this foolish talk is a bad witness. He also knows the scripture says that He is going to have to give an account for every word he has ever said, and this isn’t something he can defend. Plus it causes others to stumble, like little kids who look up to him as a Christian. He is under conviction and feels defeated even time he utters another curse word. But he learns to turn, to replace. So he asks Jesus to help him, prays about what he wants to do, and then trains himself to use words that are not bad. Raspberries, and shucks start to become the norm. Until finally even these words become less and less. Replacing bad with what is good works. Change worry to prayer time. Doubt to times of praise. Thoughts of lust to thoughts of heaven. You have to find what works for you and let Jesus help you. It is almost impossible to just stop thinking of something. Don’t believe me then the next time that stupid song gets stuck in your head just stop thinking about it. Let me guess it doesn’t work… but if you focus on a new song, you can shut the old tune out. This is why we meditate on the word of God. We need to turn our focus on Him and His ways, retrain ourselves, renew or transform the way we think with His word. TRUTH - You do not have to change to be loved. You are already loved. Remember the scripture says that while we were still sinners God loved us. No. This isn’t about earning His love, or even earning salvation. This is about you being so blown away by His love that you want to change, and allowing His love to transform you. Now here is something really cool. When you do this, that’s when you can hear the Lord speak to you. He speaks thru His Holy word. Why do you think it says, Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. When you fill your thoughts with His scripture, He will use his scripture to fill your thoughts. He will direct you this way. Now imagine being able to escape the cycle of sin. The constant guilt and shame that comes with it. The feelings of defeat and hopelessness replaced with feelings of accomplishment, relief and victory. How could this make a difference in your life if you just tried this. I’m telling you the truth, this can really transform your life if you will let it. Let God’s words stick with you, apply it to your life. What you have heard the Lord tell you to do, do it and let His word change you and give you victory over sin. So let God’s word stick, you stick to what He says, and let Him and His words change you. Got it?