GOD CONDEMNED SIN IN THE FLESH

Pastor James J. Barker

Text: ROMANS 6:1-16; 8:1-9




INTRODUCTION:


  1. According to the Bible, we are in a battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil.
  2. And the battleground for this fierce conflict is the flesh.
  3. Romans 8:8 says, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Yet unfortunately, many Christians are in the flesh.
  4. The world uses the flesh. Hollywood appeals to the flesh. Television appeals to the flesh. Advertising appeals to the flesh. Rock music and rap music appeal to the flesh.
  5. The devil uses the flesh. He did it right from the beginning when he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden.
  6. The Bible has many, many warnings about yielding to the flesh (cf. Galatians 5:16-21).
  7. The attack may come from the world, or the attack may come from the devil, but inevitably the battle is fought in the flesh.
  8. But the Bible has the answer.
  9. Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
  10. Romans 6:11 says we are dead to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
  11. Romans 6:18 says, "Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."
  12. We need to understand what it means to walk after the Spirit, and appropriate what it means to be dead to sin, and free from the power of sin.

 

I. THE CONDEMNATION OF OUR SINFUL FLESH

  1. Romans 8:3 says that when our Lord died on the cross for our sins, He "condemned sin in the flesh."
  2. The word "flesh" is found twelve times in Romans 8.
  • We are not to walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit (8:1, 4).
  • God "condemned sin in the flesh" (8:3).
  • "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit" (8:5).
  • "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (8:8).
  • "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit" (8:9).
  • "We are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh" (8:12).
  • "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (8:13).
  1. There is a vivid contrast in Romans 8:3 -- our sinless Saviour, and our "sinful flesh."
  2. Our Lord was sinless. The Bible says God sent his own Son "in the likeness of sinful flesh." This means that our Lord came in flesh "like" ours, but yet it was not sinful.
  3. The Bible emphasizes the sinlessness of Christ. In John 8:46, our Lord said to His adversaries, "Which of you convinceth me of sin?"
  4. The word "convince" here means "convict." Strong's Concordance says the word means "to convict, with a suggestion of shame of the person convicted; to find fault with, to correct; to reprehend severely, chide, admonish, reprove; to call to account, and to show one his fault."
  5. But no one could find fault with our sinless Saviour.
  6. Worldly Pontius Pilate said to the chief priests and to the people, "I find no fault in this man" (Luke 23:4).
  7. You will recall that our Lord was crucified between two thieves. One thief repented and then he rebuked the other thief, and said to him, "For we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss" (Luke 23:41).
  8. Hebrews 4:15 says Christ was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
  9. Hebrews 7:26 says Jesus "is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens."
  10. First Peter 3:18 says, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit."
  11. First Peter 2:22 says, "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."
  12. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
  13. First John 3:5 says, "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."
  14. In contrast to the sinlessness of our Saviour, we have the sinfulness of the sinner. John 3:19 says, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."
  15. Job 15:14-16 says, "What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?"
  16. What a vivid description of sinful man! "How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?" (Job 15:16).
  17. Abominable, filthy, drinketh iniquity like water. All men (except the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God) are born sinners.
  18. Psalm 51:5 says, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."
  19. Psalm 58:3 says, "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies."
  20. Romans 8:3 says that when our Lord died on the cross for our sins, He "condemned sin in the flesh."
  21. The apostle Paul says in Romans 7:18, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." Therefore, all efforts to reform the flesh, or improve the flesh are in vain.
  22. One preacher put it this way -- he said the flesh "is like the structure of a house that has been eaten up by termites. You can paint the inside, put down new carpet, and buy new furniture, but you have not fixed the structural problem...So you may as well mark it down. There is nothing of value to God in your flesh. Your old address has been condemned. That’s why it must die. God doesn’t want it in heaven, and you can’t fix it here on earth. Now if you don’t understand this, you are going to waste your time trying to improve your flesh, whether through New Year’s resolutions or by sheer effort, gritting your teeth and giving it your best shot. It’s true you may be able to make a few minor improvements that way. The authority to do what we’re talking about, however, doesn’t come from you. It comes from the authority of the Holy Spirit in you. But a lot of us are like lion tamers, trying to whip the flesh into shape. It cannot be done. The flesh is totally diseased. It attracts sin like a magnet. Sin appeals to the flesh because sin pleases the flesh. The thing that makes the flesh so bad is that it seeks to serve and please self rather than serve and please God. But your new inner person seeks to please God" (Tony Evans, The Promise: Experiencing God's Greatest Gift, the Holy Spirit).
  23. The flesh is condemned. And when Christ died on the cross, He "condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3).
  24. This is basic in our understanding of what it means to be free from the power of sin. Jesus died on the cross to deliver us from the penalty of sin (hell) and the power of sin.

 

II. THE CRUCIFIXION OF OUR SINFUL FLESH

  1. The apostle Paul says in Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."
  2. The Bible teaches that our old self was crucified with Christ (cf. Romans 6:6, 7).
  3. So "that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin" (Romans 6:6).
  4. The word "destroyed" means made inoperable and powerless. God wants us to "know this" (Romans 6:6; cf. verses 16-18).
  5. Strong's Concordance says the word translated "destroyed" in Romans 6:6 means, "to render inactivate, inoperative; to cause a thing to have no further efficiency; to deprive of force, influence, or power."
  6. According to the Bible, the judicial crucifixion of our sinful flesh took place over two thousand years ago.
  7. In his epistles, the apostle Paul refers often to our identification with our Lord's death and resurrection (cf. Col. 3:1-4).
  8. Colossians 3:3 says, "For ye are dead." When Christ died, we died. Therefore, "he that is dead is freed from sin" (Romans 6:7).
  9. Not "free to sin," but "freed from sin."
  10. Some people misunderstand this. They think that now that they have received Christ they can sin and get away with it. Paul says, "God forbid."
  11. In John 5, our Lord healed a certain man, who had an infirmity thirty eight years. After healing this man, our Lord said to him, "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14).
  12. In John 8:11, our Lord said to the woman taken in adultery, "Go, and sin no more."
  13. First John 2:1 says, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not."
  14. There was a pastor of a big church out in Indiana who apparently thought he could get away with sin, and his church recently fired him for committing adultery.
  15. As a pastor he should have understood that the Bible says, "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23).
  16. Now there's another scandal for the world to laugh about! How sad!
  17. He has "given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme" (II Samuel 12:14).
  18. Romans 6:14 says, "For sin shall not have dominion (not have power) over you." But sadly, sin does have dominion over many Christians.
  19. Many Christians struggle with sin because they do not understand the crucifixion of our sinful self.
  20. Romans 6:7 is clear enough if we would just believe it.
  21. John Phillips illustrates it this way:
  22. The story is told of two Irishmen, Pat and Mike, who found a most unusual turtle. The animal's head had been completely severed from its body, but the turtle was still running around as though nothing had happened. Pat maintained that it was dead, but Mike denied it stoutly and the argument waxed louder and louder until presently along came O'Brien. They decided that O'Brien should arbitrate the matter and that his verdict would be final. O'Brien took one look at this remarkable turtle and said, "It's dead -- but it don't believe it!" This is exactly the problem with many Christians: they are dead but they do not believe it. This is a tragedy, for it is the truth of this verse fully and unreservedly believed that breaks sin's stranglehold (Exploring Romans).
  23. Romans 6:6 says, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."
  24. This does not mean the flesh (our old sinful nature) is completely eradicated. By walking in the Spirit, the flesh is subdued but never completely eradicated. Moment by moment we must always depend on the grace of God and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1).
  25. Dying to self is a moment by moment experience. In his book, Why Revival Tarries, Leonard Ravenhill says the apostle Paul "had no ambitions -- and so he had nothing to be jealous about. He had no reputation -- and had so had nothing to fight about. He had no possessions––and therefore nothing to worry about. He had no 'rights'––so therefore, he could not suffer wrong. He was already broke––so no one could break him. He was 'dead'––so none could kill him. He was less than the least––so who could humble him? He had suffered the loss of all things––so none could defraud him."
  26. Paul said in Galatians 6:14, "the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."
  27. This is the key to victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. Can you say that? And mean it?
  28. That is the crucifixion of our sinful flesh.

 

III. THE CANCELLATION OF OUR SINFUL FLESH

  1. I borrowed this nice alliterated outline from Pastor Stephen Olford: The Condemnation of our Sinful Flesh; and The Crucifixion of our Sinful Flesh; and The Cancellation of our Sinful Flesh (from Not I But Christ).
  2. Romans 6:7 says, "For he that is dead is freed from sin." This not only means free from the penalty of sin. It means free from the power of sin.
  3. Charles Wesley wrote, "He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free; His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me."
  4. This is a matter of faith, not feelings. You may not “feel” dead to sin. But we do not walk by feelings; we walk by faith.
  5. Romans 6:11 says, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
  6. The word "reckon" means to "count yourself dead," or "to consider yourself dead." It is an attitude of faith, based on facts. God says, "Consider yourselves to be dead to sin."
  7. Since God reckons us dead to sin, we must believe God and reckon ourselves dead to sin.
  8. “Dead to sin” does not mean the death of sin as a power in the heart. The Bible does not teach that sin is dead to us.
  9. What it teaches is that those of us who are in Christ are dead to sin (6:11). But we must continually reckon ourselves to be dead to sin.
  10. W.H. Griffith Thomas wrote, “When sin makes its appeal we must refuse to recognize it by reckoning that we died to it in Christ, and at once it will go, its power broken” (St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans).
  11. This is a matter of faith, not feelings. You may not “feel” dead to sin. But we do not walk by feelings; we walk by faith.
  12. The Bible says, “our old (unregenerate) man is crucified with Him…” (6:6).
  13. Therefore, we must simply believe God’s Word, and continually reckon ourselves dead to sin.
  14. "Reckon” is a faith word, not a “feelings” word. Too many people act upon their feelings.
  15. "Reckon” is a fact word. “Yield” (6:13, 16, 19) is an “act” word.
  16. A dead man cannot sin (6:7-9). At the cross, Christ died as our Substitute. He died for our sins.
  17. Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
  18. Therefore, we have been saved from the power of sin.

 

CONCLUSION:

  1. F.B. Meyer said this about "the secrets of victory over sin."
  2. Remember that the blood of Jesus is ever at work cleansing you.
  3. Reckon yourself dead to the appeals of sin.
  4. "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).
  5. As soon as you are aware of temptation, look instantly to Jesus.
  6. F.B. Meyer said, "It was first taught me by a grey-haired clergyman, at Southampton. Once, when tempted to feel great irritation, he told us that he looked up and claimed the patience and gentleness of Christ; and since then it had become the practice of his life to claim from Him the virtue of which he felt the deficiency in himself. In hours of unrest, 'Thy Peace, Lord.' In hours of irritation, 'Thy Patience, Lord.' In hours of temptation, 'Thy Purity, Lord.' In hours of weakness, 'Thy Strength, Lord.'
  7. That lesson was a great help and blessing to F.B. Meyer.
  8. I hope it will prove a great help and blessing to you as well!


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