Last week we had looked at verses 23 and 24, but they are only part of the sentence. Today we are going to focus on the next verse (25) and examine what it means for us today just as it did during the time the Book of Hebrews was written. Looking briefly at verses 23 and 24, we see that believers in Jesus Christ should hold on tight to the object of their faith, Jesus Christ. Why? Because He is faithful toward believers. Yes, He is faithful toward believers – He reaches out to the lost, those that have not trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation and He shows them great mercy – but they are not under Jesus Christ’s grace. Jesus Christ always keeps His promises and He will save those that have truly come to Him – holding nothing back in repentance – and will save them to the uttermost.

People must turn to Him and trust in Him and repent of their sins – looking to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the payment for their sins.

D.L. Moody wrote: Professor Drummond once described a man going into one of our after meetings and saying he wanted to become a Christian.

“Well, my friend, what is the trouble?” He doesn’t like to tell. He is greatly agitated. Finally he says, “The fact is, I have overdrawn my account” — a polite way of saying he has been stealing.

“Did you take your employer’s money?” “Yes.” “How much?” “I don’t know. I have never kept account of it.” “Well, you have an idea you stole $1,500 last year?” “I am afraid it is that much.”

“Now, look here, sir, I don’t believe in sudden work; don’t steal more that a thousand dollars this next year, and the next year not more that five hundred, and in the course of the next few years you will get so that you won’t steal any. If your employer catches you, tell him you are being converted; and you will get so that you won’t steal any by and by.”

My friends, the thing is a perfect farce! “Let him that stole, steal no more,” that is what the Bible says. It is right about face. Take another illustration. Here comes a man, and he admits that he gets drunk every week. That man comes to a meeting, and wants to be converted. Shall I say, “Don’t you be in a hurry. I believe in doing the work gradually. Don’t you get drunk and knock your wife down more than once a month?” Wouldn’t it be refreshing to his wife to go a whole month without being knocked down? Once a month, only twelve times in a year! Wouldn’t she be glad to have him converted in this new way! Only get drunk after a few years on the anniversary of your wedding, and at Christmas, and then it will be effective because it is gradual!

Oh! I detest all that kind of teaching. Let us go to the Bible and see what that old Book teaches. Let us believe it, and go and act as if we believed it, too. Salvation is instantaneous. I admit that a man may be converted so that he cannot tell when he crossed the line between death and life, but I also believe a man may be a thief one moment and a saint the next. I believe a man may be as vile as hell itself one moment, and be saved the next. Christian growth is gradual, just as physical growth is; but a man passes from death unto everlasting life quick as an act of the will — “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”

Think this phrase in your head: “God does not care if I sin a little.” That does not sound right, does it? What did Jesus Christ tell the woman caught in adultery? “Go and sin just a little.”? No! He said, “Go, and sin no more.”

Hebrews 10:23, 24 are blessings to the believer and encouragement to the believer. Because believers can trust in Jesus Christ — because He is faithful – then we should exhort one another in love and encourage good works to be done by each other. Note again, the good works mentioned in verse 24 comes AFTER the faith in Jesus Christ. Good works are the product of faith.

Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (24) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: (25) Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

How can verses 23 and 24 happen if believers are not gathering together in order to exhort one another? And what better place to come together than at church where believers should praise God and worship God and read from His Word and hear His Word preached?

Romans 10:13-17 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (14) How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (15) And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (16) But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? (17) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

We all need to hear the Word of God preached! Thus, we all need to come together and worship God together and hear His Word preached together! I imagine that all of us have been to some sort of sporting event in our lifetime. As you watch the game you get caught up in the action and the players will feel the energy coming from the crowd and it is something everybody is doing together. The crowd cheers and boos and does the wave and applauds and so forth. But can you imagine what the game would be like if there were nobody in the stands. Can you imagine the Carrier Dome being empty except for the two teams playing basketball? How much different an event that becomes. We need to be here and the more there are that are of a Godly mindset, the better. Hebrews 10:25 is for the believer and about the believer. Now the lost person needs to come to church too, because they need to hear the Word of God rightly divided, but this verse is for the believer, encouraging them to praise God and edify each other.

Believers need to spend time together and lost people should be among them to see the difference Jesus Christ makes in their lives. Is going to a football game the same as watching it on TV alone? Is going to a NASCAR race the same as watching it on TV alone? No, to both of those. We need to gather together as part of the body of Jesus Christ to help each other and to encourage each other and , yes, sometimes rebuke each other.

Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Sunday mornings are special times because that is when we gather together here at God’s house. We should look forward to being together and look forward to spend time together with God. Can a person be a Christian without joining the church? Yes, but it is like a soldier without an army; a student who will not attend school, a salesman without a customer, a sailor without a ship, a bee without a hive, an author without a reader, or a baseball player without a team. These situations might exist, but they would not be very satisfactory. And a lost person should come to church as well – how else are they going to get to know God if they do not spend time with His people? For example, none of you have met Dr. Crowley, but each of you know at least a little something about him. Why? Because I have talked about him. We have him and his wife on our prayer list. I have quoted him. The same is true for a lost person and God. The lost person does not personally know God, but they can know more about Him by hearing about Him through His people. Statistically, being in church is one of the safest places to be.

1. Do not ride in an automobile (or get in the way of one), as automobiles cause 20 percent of all fatal accidents.

2. Do not stay at home; that’s where 17 percent of all accidents occur. 

3. Do not walk across the street; pedestrians are victims of 14 percent of all accidents.

4. Do not travel by air, rail or water; 16 percent of all accidents are the result of these activities.

5. Only .001 percent of all fatal accidents occur at church and almost none of these during worship and Sunday School.

Obviously, the safest place to be is in worship and Bible Study with your family and fellow Christians.

God wants His people to gather together to worship Him and hear His Word. Jeremiah 7:2 Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. Psalm 5:7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. Believers should need to come to God’s house to sing songs of praise and hear His Word preached. The result is Psalm 138:3. Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Note the last phrase: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. What does this mean? What day is approaching? Again, this book was written to believers in Jesus Christ who were also Hebrews. They were meeting daily at the Temple (Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple,). They were at the Temple for the Day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Peter and John were going to the Temple when they met and healed the lame man at the gate. But there was coming a day when the Temple was going to be destroyed. Jesus Christ had prophesied that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed. So the writer to the Hebrews was telling these believers to continue to assemble together after the Temple was destroyed. The believers were not to forsake each other in the difficult times. I think those times are coming in America. There may be a day coming when it will be against the law to have churches. At this point, the school board in New York City is moving forward to evict churches from school property, but the New York City Housing Authority has backed off and will continue to allow churches to meet in city-owned community centers. If our meeting place is outlawed, then we will find another meeting place. Why? Because believers are not to forsake the assembling together to worship God and hear His Word.

Last week we looked at New Year’s resolutions and saw that there is nothing wrong with them, but they should focus on the spiritual first before we resolve to do the physical resolutions. Each of us are able to keep New Year’s resolutions if we have Jesus Christ at the center of them. It is only through His influence and guidance that we can accomplish anything worthy in God’s eyes. That is because Jesus Christ is suppose to be our foundation and it is on Him alone that we can truly solidly stand. A short man wanted to drive a nail in a wall to carry a big picture. He stood on a chair, but it was not high enough. His wife set out a small box and, balancing himself precariously, he began to give the nail hesitating taps with the hammer. His wife said, “Why don’t you give a brave blow or two, and settle it?”

He replied, “How can a man give a brave blow or two when he is standing on a foundation like this?”

That settles the question of certainty or uncertainty. It depends upon the foundation upon which the person is standing. The Hebrew prophets never sounded a note of uncertainty, for God Almighty was their Foundation, and they knew that He stood behind their “Thus saith the Lord.”

Every believer should be able to speak with surety about Jesus Christ because they know Him and know who He is. The more time we spend with Him, the better we will know Him. And He must be the foundation of our faith. If we replace Him with any other foundation, we will no longer stand on sure, holy ground.

Matthew 21:42-44 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? (43) Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. (44) And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

In Matthew 21, Christ calls Himself the measuring stone, or, as it is translated in our Bibles, the cornerstone. He is quoting Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. The cornerstone, in the minds of most Americans, is the stone that tells that a building was erected at a certain time, when a certain person was mayor, and so on. It is merely an exaltation of man. But when the Bible refers to a cornerstone, it refers to the first stone laid for the foundation. The builders would get a stone from the quarry and chisel it carefully to get as near a right angle as possible. They would measure the placement of all the other stones against that cornerstone, that first measuring stone. It was the standard by which all the walls of the building were determined.

When Jesus Christ is called the cornerstone, God is saying, “I measure everything by Jesus Christ.”

Because it is God’s standards that He measures everything by Jesus Christ and that Jesus Christ is the foundation of the believer’s faith, that people should heed the warning Jesus Christ gave in Matthew 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. It would be better to be on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ rather than under the foundation. Turn to 1 Peter 2.

1Peter 2:1-8 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, (2) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (3) If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (4) To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, (5) Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (6) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (7) Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, (8) And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Jesus Christ is the Rock of all believer’s foundations. People try to replace Him with other things, but they are like shifting sand and will not hold the person up in the long run. The foundation will shift and the person will sink or fall over. Think about the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower was built over a time frame of 177 years and is seven stories tall with a bell tower. After two floors were built, it began to shift in the ground and tilt. The name of the city, Pisa, means “marshy ground” which explains part of the problem. The other problem is that the foundation of the Tower is only about ten feet deep. As they continued to build the Tower, they began to build the walls on the side that was leaning taller to compensate for the lean. If the Tower were made to stand up straight now, it would appear curved. The builders constructed the Tower on a poor foundation and the results are obvious. The top floor of the Tower leans over almost thirteen feet from where it would be if it stood straight.

Likewise, in a person’s life, if the foundation is not Jesus Christ the person will eventually topple over into sin. Why? Because they do not have the right foundation. Jesus Christ is the solid rock on which we are to stand. Look again at verses 6 and 7 in 1 Peter: Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (7) Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,. The person that trusts on Jesus Christ as their foundation will not be confounded. That word “confounded” is interesting: today people define the word to mean “confused or perplexed” but Webster’s Dictionary of 1858 states: “To mingle and blend different things, so that their forms or natures cannot be distinguished; to mix in a mass or crowd, so that individuals cannot be distinguished. To throw into disorder. To mix or blend, so as to occasion a mistake of one thing for another.” Think about that for a moment: Peter wrote, under Holy Spirit inspiration: Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. When Jesus Christ is the foundation, believers will not be confounded. That means than that the believer will not be confused: remember the definition from Webster’s Dictionary: “To mingle and blend different things, so that their forms or natures cannot be distinguished; to mix in a mass or crowd, so that individuals cannot be distinguished.” When a person has made Jesus Christ their foundation, when a person has made Jesus Christ their corner stone, then they will NOT be confused with other people! One person should be able to look at a believer in Jesus Christ and see that there is something different about the believer through their words and actions. It should be difficult to mix up a believer from a non-believer. He or she that believes in Jesus Christ should be distinguishable from the rest of the world! “We are not to be isolated but insulated,” said Vance Havner, “moving in the midst of evil but untouched by it.” Separation is contact with contamination. Jesus was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb. 7:26), yet He was “a friend of tax publicans and sinners” (Luke 7:34). All believers must be careful about what their words and actions say about Jesus Christ to non-believers. Look at verse 8.

1 Peter 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Jesus Christ, as the Rock, is the foundation for the believer, but for the non-believer, Jesus Christ is the stone that trips people and offends people. Why? Consider when you are walking across a field, especially one you are familiar with, when you suddenly trip over something unexpected. For the next few moments you are confused and confounded, because you did not expect to trip. That is exactly what Jesus Christ does to the lost, the non-believer: they are comfortable in their own little world until Jesus Christ trips them up through His Word. They stagger at His Word and cannot regain their balance because Jesus Christ is a large rock to stumble over. And think about this Christmas season we just finished celebrating: people have celebrated Christmas and, at the same time, have rejected Jesus Christ! The Apostle John wrote: John 1:10-11 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. (11) He came unto his own, and his own received him not. Can you imagine celebrating someone’s birthday and not inviting the one whose birthday you are celebrating? But that is exactly what is happening in the world today. Go back to Hebrews 10.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Note that the writer of Hebrews tells believers to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. That means believers are to grab on and not let go and it also means that the faith is something tangible – someone we CAN grab onto. Remember from last week, it is not the amount of our faith that is first important, no, what IS important is WHO we have our faith in: Jesus Christ. We can sit down in the same chair everyday for year and feel confident that that chair will not break. But if we sit down in that chair every day for twenty years, we probably should not have the same amount of faith in that chair. Plus the chair will not look as good as it did twenty years earlier because of wear and tear. However, Jesus Christ can be trusted everyday forever and He can always be the only object of faith and always looks better the longer we know Him. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Jesus Christ is the only solid foundation that believers can always trust and believe in. Believers can hold fast onto Him and not waver or have any doubts while doing it. If we would always keep our eyes on Him, then we would not waver or lean. When you have a little child, you teach them to carry their dinner plate with both hands. Why? Because using both hands makes the plate more stable and food is less likely to fall off. But what happens as the child grows older? They want to start using one hand because they believe they are older now and can carry the plate that way. They have faith in their ability, but what happens? At some point the plate tips and loses food, because they were not really ready to carry the plate with one hand. Believers in Jesus Christ are the same way, we grab onto Him in faith with both hands, but then, after a while, we slowly start to let go and our grip loosens and what happens? We have begun to waver. We are no longer holding fast onto the object of our faith and have replaced Him with a different object: ourselves. And we are a poor foundation to build upon. Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Jesus Christ is faithful and true to His promises – it is us that waver and doubt. Hebrews 13:5b, 6 …for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Because Jesus Christ is the foundation, believers should hold fast onto Him. He is faithful and will never forsake His children. He is the Good Shepherd that will go after that one lamb that has gone astray. Believers should never doubt Him, but when we do, we must realize that we have taken our eyes off of Him and realize that we are no longer holding fast to Him. When we have done that and come to our senses, then we must repent and ask God for forgiveness. It is humbling, to be sure, but we must repent and hold fast to Jesus Christ again. Charles Spurgeon wrote this about doubt: There are many who cannot believe in Jesus because they have a besetting sin that they cannot give up. There is the bottom of most men’s doubts. They would not doubt if they did not sin. If they could have their sins and be believers, they would be believers fast enough. But there is that company that must be given up, that company which, instead of sanctifying the soul, depraves it. Salvation is by faith. Damnation comes by doubt. Of all of God’s creations, only one doubts. Do you see the animals ever doubt? No, man does doubt, but when man holds fast to Jesus Christ, he never needs to doubt.

Let me meet you on the mountain, Lord,
Just once.
You wouldn’t have to burn a whole bush.
Just a few smoking branches
And I would surely be …your Moses.

Let me meet you on the water, Lord,
Just once.
It wouldn’t have to be on White Rock Lake.
Just on a puddle after the annual Dallas rain
And I would surely be…your Peter.

Let me meet you on the road, Lord,
Just once.
You wouldn’t have to blind me on North Central Expressway.
Just a few bright lights on the way to chapel
And I would surely be…your Paul.

Let me meet you, Lord,
Just once.
Anywhere. Anytime.
Just meeting you in the Word is so hard sometimes
Must I always be…your Thomas? – Norman Shirk

Today is the first day of the new year, what will we do with this new year? People choose January to be the month to make resolutions and decide to make changes in their lives. Diets are started, smoking is stopped, and other resolutions are made. And I agree that resolutions should be made and, when made, they should be kept. Those that are children of God should take care of their bodies because they are the temples of God. The Apostle Paul is quite explicit in his warning in 1Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. God is holy and He expects His temple to be holy. If we do not keep His temple holy, God will destroy it. Believers are to be sanctified and set apart to God and if believers choose to go in directions that do not glorify God, He will at first chastise the believer. If the chastisement fails and the believer does not respond, then God will take further action. As we make resolutions for the new year, let us keep in mind God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Why? Because Jesus Christ is coming soon as we are promised in Hebrews 10:37 For yet, a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. We have just finished celebrating His first advent here on earth and Jesus Christ has not made His return yet because it is not time yet. God has His own timetable and Jesus Christ has not tarried – He WILL return when God says that it is time.

In the meantime, there is nothing wrong with making resolutions, but let be sure to make spiritual resolutions as well as physical resolutions. Frances Havergal wrote the following as a poem in her New Years greeting cards and then it was turned into a hymn.

1) Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
In working or in waiting, another year with Thee.
Another year of progress, another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

2) Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.

3) Another year of service, of witness for Thy love,
Another year of training for holier work above.
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
On earth, or else in Heaven, another year for Thee. (Frances Havergal)

Hebrews 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

Believers can boldly go before the throne of God – this verse is not speaking of pride or arrogance, believers must humbly go to God, but assured that God has kept His promises in the past and will keep them in the future. But why can believers boldly enter into the holiest? Because of what was written previously in chapter 10 and truly the whole Book of Hebrews. But for today, go back to verse 14.

Hebrews 10:14-18 For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. (15) Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, (16) This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; (17) And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (18) Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

For by one offering…ONE offering was all that Jesus Christ had to offer for the remission of sin. ONE offering was all that Jesus Christ had to offer to perfect or to consecrate or to set apart those that believe on Him. ONE offering was all that Jesus Christ had to offer for the salvation of those that trust in Him and have repented of their sin. Multiple offerings are not necessary anymore. When the Tabernacle or the Temple was in place and before the first advent of Jesus Christ, then sins were only remitted through the sacrifice of animals and the sins were only temporarily taken care. The shedding of the blood of bulls and goats was necessary for payment of sin, but they were not the perfect sacrifice that Jesus Christ was and is and forever will be. The bulls and goats that were sacrificed had to be unblemished but they were still not the perfect sacrifice. If they were, then Jesus Christ would not needed to be sacrificed on the cross of Calvary. Only ONE offering was necessary when Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross, because, as God, Jesus Christ was and is and forever will be the only perfect sacrifice. That is why believers in Jesus Christ do not need to perform animal sacrifices today, because HE was the ONE offering – no more are needed. Look at verses 17 and 18:

Hebrews 10:17, 18 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (18) Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

What a blessed thought for believers in Jesus Christ: when we have confessed our sins and repented of them to God, then He will not remember our sins anymore. Believers are not under the Law, they are under God’s grace, because the Law that was given to Moses never saved anyone. The Law was given so the Israelites and the Gentiles could see their desperate need for the Messiah. The Law only brings death in the end because trying to solely keep the Law will bring the person under the judgment and wrath of God. Nobody was ever able to keep the Law other than Jesus Christ and nobody will ever be able to keep the Law. It is Jesus Christ that gives life because He was willing to die for my sins and the sins of everyone else in the world past, present and future. And because of His sacrifice, as the Bible says in verse 18, there is no more need for offerings for sin. And that is why believers are to be LIVING sacrifices for God, in obedience to God, in the service of God.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

That gives us an inkling why believers can boldly enter into the holiest and go before God – because as the Bible says in verse 19: Hebrews 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, – believers can only go there because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ – AND ONLY by the blood of Jesus Christ – there is no other way to Heaven. There is no other way to go before God but by His Son, Jesus Christ. We have been studying the Tabernacle for Sunday School and just as there was only one entrance into the Tabernacle, there is only one way to God – through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:19, 20 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, (20) By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

We just finished celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, but it was not His birth that saved anyone. The Bible does not tell us that we may boldly enter the holiest by the life of Jesus Christ, believer enter by the blood of Jesus Christ – because of His death, believers have a new and living way. Believers have been made sacred because of His sacrifice. The veil of the Temple was torn at the moment of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, showing people that everyone may enter the presence of God. This was only possible because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In verse 20, the Greek word “new” means “recently slain.” What does that mean for us today? That through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus Christ has opened up a new and living way to God. Animal sacrifices are no longer needed, Jesus Christ was the only sacrifice needed. And He only had to be sacrificed once.

Hebrews 10:21, 22 And having a high priest over the house of God; (22) Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

The blessing in all of this is that Jesus Christ was not only the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world through His sacrifice, but He is also the High Priest who performs the sacrifice because He gave up His life on the cross. Note in verse 22 the invitation that is given, but to whom is it given to? The word “us” is used here implying born again believers in Jesus Christ, but I believe that verse can be applied to those coming to Jesus Christ for salvation as well. The writer of the Book of Hebrews is pointing to the priests of the Old Testament in verses 21 and 22and how they needed to be washed before serving God in the Tabernacle or the Temple. When they were dedicated to the service of the priesthood for God, they were washed with water (Exodus 40:12), and they were set apart for the service of God. Not just anyone could serve in the Tabernacle, just those that were set apart by God to serve. Today, all believers are set apart by God and are priests unto God. As the Apostle Peter wrote: 1Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Believers are a peculiar people, people set apart and have been washed with pure water. But that water is not two parts Hydrogen and one part Oxygen, but the washing by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Note in Hebrews 10:22 that the Bible says in full assurance of faith. That statement has nothing to do with the amount of faith any of us have. Think about this: if any of us had faith the size of a mustard seed, we could move mountains (Matthew 17:20) or tell a sycamore tree to plant itself in the ocean (Luke 17:6). in full assurance of faith has nothing to do with the amount of my faith – instead, it has everything to do with the object of my faith, Jesus Christ. We can place our faith in some person here on earth, but we will be disappointed in them at some point. We can place our faith in something, like entertainment, sports, school, drugs, alcohol, or intellect but they will all disappoint in the end. True faith is based on Jesus Christ, not myself, because I will ultimately disappoint in the end too. True faith means that you have truly received Jesus Christ as your Saviour. True faith trusts in Him alone.

D. L. Moody once said, “A rule I have had for years is to treat the Lord Jesus Christ as a personal friend. When I go away from home I bid my wife and children goodbye; I bid my friends and acquaintances goodbye, but I never heard of a poor backslider going down on his knees and saying, ‘I have been near you for ten years; your service has become tedious and monotonous; I have come to bid you farewell. Goodbye, Lord Jesus Christ.’I never heard of one doing this. I will tell you how they go: they just run away!”

As we make resolutions this year, let us not only resolve to take care of the physical, let us also resolve to focus on the spiritual, with Jesus Christ as the focus. I am going to close today with the resolutions that Jonathan Edwards wrote back in the 1700′s.

Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), from the Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 1

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humble entreat Him, by His grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ’s sake. [I will] remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God, and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration; without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general.

Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.

Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

Resolved, Never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.

Resolved, Never to do anything out of revenge.

Resolved, Never to speak evil of any one, so that it shall tend to his dishonour, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

Resolved, Never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession which I cannot hope God will accept.

Resolved, To ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better.

Resolved, Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

Resolved, After afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them; what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them.

Resolved, Always to do that which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. Let there be something of benevolence in all that I speak.

The title for today’s message is “Fear Not.” There are four “fear nots” that appear in the chapters of the Bible that center around the birth of Jesus Christ. Each of the “fear nots” are uttered by an angel and were a source of comfort to those being spoken to. And truly what does any believer have to fear when they realize that God is with them? What can any man do to us that God cannot deliver us from? God is able to deliver believers from anything and what a blessed thought that is! 2Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

The only fear that any believer should have is the fear of God as the Bible says in Proverb 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. The proper fear of the Lord is what helps believers to respect Him and revere Him and follow Him. Other than the fear of the Lord, the believer in Jesus Christ should “fear not” because of Jesus Christ and His promises to every believer. As it is written in the Book of Hebrews: Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (6) So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. We all need to remember that declaration by Jesus Christ that He will never forsake His children and He will never leave them. People can abuse believers verbally or physically, but Jesus Christ is always there for the believer. He does not give believers a spirit of fear, believers do it to themselves because they do not trust God enough. If the Lord is my helper, then what can any man do to me? If God keeps all of His promises and He has promised to never forsake me, then why do I not trust Him more?

Pastor James Brown wrote: There is no situation I can get into that God cannot get me out. Some years ago when I was learning to fly, my instructor told me to put the plane into a steep and extended dive. I was totally unprepared for what was about to happen. After a brief time the engine stalled, and the plane began to plunge out-of-control. It soon became evident that the instructor was not going to help me at all. After a few seconds, which seemed like eternity, my mind began to function again. I quickly corrected the situation.

Immediately I turned to the instructor and began to vent my fearful frustrations on him. He very calmly said to me, “There is no position you can get this airplane into that I cannot get you out of. If you want to learn to fly, go up there and do it again.” At that moment God seemed to be saying to me, “Remember this. As you serve Me, there is no situation you can get yourself into that I cannot get you out of. If you trust me, you will be all right.”  That lesson has been proven true in my ministry many times over the years.

An unknown author wrote this about Jesus Christ:

Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee, – Trust Him when thy strength is small,

Trust Him when to simply trust Him – Seems the hardest thing of all.

Trust Him, He is ever faithful, – Trust Him, for his will is best,

Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus – Is the only place of rest.

The first “fear not” is found in Luke 1. Luke 1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

This “fear not” is about unanswered prayer and the fear that God has not heard our prayers. God hears His children when they pray to Him. However, believers may not be properly praying to God or praying for something that is good for them. James wrote: James 4:2-4 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. (3) Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (4) Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

When we pray we need to pray about our concerns and our needs, but we should also examine ourselves and our motivations behind our prayer. Even though I may be praying for someone else, am I really praying for something for me? For example: Do I pray for someone to get saved because I think that it may make my life easier? We should examine our motivations and be honest with ourselves about the things we pray for and why we pray for them. What a wonderful promise Jesus Christ gives us in John 14: John 14:13-14 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. But when we are praying in the name of Jesus Christ, make sure it is worthy of His Name.

In Luke chapter 1, Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth, were older people and had been praying for a child for quite some time. God chose to wait before blessing them, for reasons of His own, but the birth of John the Baptist was an event that glorified God. The implication in the Bible seems to be that Zacharias and Elizabeth were past the normal child-bearing years, when means this answered prayer brought all the more glory to God. God still answers prayers, it may not be in the way we expect or when we expect, but God is in control and knows what is best for us.

The next “Fear Not” was spoken to Mary. Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. Luke 1:35-37 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (36) And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. (37) For with God nothing shall be impossible. This “fear not” is of the humanly impossible. What is impossible for man, is not impossible for God. The miracles recorded in the Bible all happened because of God. After all, He is the Creator of all things, so He should be able to do anything He wishes. If He wants to make a day run extra long to help the Israelites in battle, then He can choose to do that. If He wants Abraham and Sarah to have a baby at their advanced years, then He can choose to do that. If He wants Zacharias and Elizabeth to have a baby, then He can choose to do that. And if God determines that Mary, as a virgin, will give birth to Jesus Christ, then He can choose to do that.

J. Vernon McGee wrote: There is nothing impossible with God when He has determined to do it,But He will not necessarily do the impossible we ask of Him. Many people use this verse as a cliché to cover up the fact that they want their own selfish desires. Anything God determines to do He can accomplish, because there is nothing impossible with God. But that does not mean He will do everything Believers want Him to do, because somethings are not included in His plan.

The next “fear not” is found in Matthew chapter 1. Matthew 1:18-20 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. (19) Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. (20) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. Matthew 1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, This “fear not” is of immediate obedience – we never fear to be immediately obedient to God. If God has directed us to do something, then we should do it, without question, and when He tells us to do it. Joseph was within his rights under the Law to put Mary away for being with child, but he chose to obey God instead. Mary was chosen by God to bear the baby Jesus, but remember that Joseph was also chosen by God. Joseph was a just man and sensitive to the situation he found himself in. Before the angel of the Lord appeared to him, Joseph could have had Mary stoned to death. In verse 20, we see that Joseph was level-headed, taking the time to think things through rather than simply reacting to the situation. Joseph was able to immediately obey God, because he knew God and knew he could trust Him. Joseph spent time God was sensitive to His calling and direction.

When we get in the car, I always make Aubrey and Linda have put on their seat belts. Not because it is the law of the land and I fear getting a ticket, but because I want them to be safe. They obey because they know I have their best interests at heart.

We should obey God because we love Him. We obey because He has done so much for us and we have done so little for Him. We obey because love is never content to accept but must always give. Jesus said, John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. We then come to realize that our disobedience not only breaks the laws of God, it also breaks the heart of God. Psalm 78:40 tells us: How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! We should obey God because we should know that He has own best interests at heart.

Such obedience is far fuller, richer, and freer than can ever come from a legal motivation. Imagine a woman who is a nurse and a mother. She may work at a hospital all day caring for the sick. When she has worked eight hours, she goes home. Upon arriving home, she finds her child is seriously ill. She will then give her child the same care she gives the hospital patients. However, when she has cared for her child for eight hours, she will not quit. She gives care no one can buy. The difference is the motivation.

“What is your major motivation? Seek to know God better, and you will find yourself obeying out of love. It will become ‘richer, fuller, deeper’ and will become ‘sweeter as the years go by.’”

The last “fear not” is found in Luke chapter 2. Luke 2:8-11 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. (9) And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. (10) And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. This “fear not” is about salvation. The salvation that can only come from Jesus Christ. Those shepherds were in the field with their sheep when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared and the glory of God shone all around them. What a magnificent sight that must have been for the shepherds! To see the heavenly host and hear them praising God was a sight that believers look forward to seeing in Heaven, and these shepherds were blessed to experience it here on Earth.

The Saviour is born! The Messiah has arrived! The angels told the shepherds to fear not and come and see the Christ! Today is the day of His birth! Do we remember that? Do we remember what the meaning of this holiday season is? Two women who were having lunch in an elegant hotel were approached by a mutual friend who asked the occasion for the meal. One lady replied, “We are celebrating the birth of my baby boy.” “But where is he?” inquired the friend. “Oh,” said the mother, “you didn’t think I’d bring him, did you?” What a picture of the way the world treats Jesus at Christmas. People would rather think about Santa Claus than think about Jesus Christ. People celebrate His birthday, but do not invite Him to the party! Contrast that with how the shepherds reacted: they ran to Bethlehem to see the Christ child and then they went out and told others about Jesus Christ.

Luke 2:17-20 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. (18) And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. (19) But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. (20) And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

It is very easy to get caught up in everything else this holiday season, but believers should never forget who this season is about and be ready to let others know about salvation through Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of all!

By Andrew Skoog

We have been looking at the role of death and life in the life of the Christian. And death is important for the believer in Jesus Christ: the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross and the death of self in order to better follow and love God. Believers are to set aside their desires in order to follow God’s desires and commandments. This means that believers are to mortify their members in order to accomplish God’s will in their lives. And believers are to mortify the deeds of the body in order to follow God.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1, 2 are very well known verses and let us compare something about them with Romans 6:13.

Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

The word that is translated as “present” in Romans 12:1 and the word that is translated as “yield” in Romans 6:13 is the same Greek word. And the idea is the same in both verses: as believers in Jesus Christ we are to present ourselves before God and we are to yield before God. One day, believers will stand before Jesus Christ at the Judgment Seat and our works will be tried in fire as to our obedience to Christ.

1Corinthians 3:12-15 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; (13) Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. (14) If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

But remember, we are to present ourselves to God everyday as a living sacrifice to Him. The idea here is that we are to yield to Him – let our will go in order to follow His good, acceptable, and perfect Will. Consider how a sacrifice was made during the Old Testament: a man would come to the Brazen Altar and present a bullock or a lamb to the priest for sacrifice on the altar. The animal would be slain and placed on the altar for burning. The sacrifice of the animal would temporarily atone for the man’s sins. The man had to present the animal to God and he yielded the animal to God – it became God’s to use as God wished, not how man wanted. God wanted the sacrifices performed as a sweet savor to Him. God had no need for the animals, what He wanted was man’s obedience to Him. God wants us to yield ourselves to Him and present ourselves to Him on a daily basis. I repeat the quote by Francis Schaeffer that I read last week. We are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died. We are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead [Francis Schaeffer]. It means: That in our thoughts and lives now we are to live as though we had already died, been to Heaven, and come back again as risen [Francis Schaeffer].

That requires, as Paul stated in Romans 12, that we do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds to the things of God. That can only happen when we yield ourselves to God and not to sin. Yielding ourselves to sin will not renew our minds or bring us closer to God. Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. When believers go back to the things of the old man, they are yielding to unrighteousness. When believers go back to the things of the old nature, they are yielding to sin. Once sin is yielded to, it is hard to get back under control. Charles Spurgeon wrote: An officer in India had tamed a leopard. From the time when it was a kitten he had brought it up, till it went about the house like a cat, and everybody played with it. But he was sitting in his chair one day asleep, and the leopard licked his hand. But as he licked, the skin was broken, and the taste of blood came to the leopard. It rushed forth to kill, and was no more at ease till it reached the jungle. That leopard, though tamed, was a leopard still. So a man, sobered by moral motives but unchanged in heart, is a fallen man still, and the taste of blood, I mean the taste of sin, will soon reveal the tiger in him.

As believers, we have to choose to whom or what we are going to yield to – to whom or what are we going to present ourselves to? The old man or to God? Paul wrote:Romans 6:6 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. Someone wrote about this verse: One of the best men I ever knew said, at eighty years of age, “I find the old man is not dead yet.” Our old man is crucified, but he is long at dying. He is not dead when we think he is. You may live to be very old, but you will have need still to watch against the carnal nature, which remains even in the regenerate [Spurgeon]. As believers in Jesus Christ we must yield ourselves to Him and not to sin.

And our yielding or presenting to God is to be heartfelt and sincere. God does not want us to be hypocritical with Him or anyone else. Going through the motions may fool everybody here on earth, but God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. And what are your actions or inactions saying to others around you? What are your actions or inactions saying about what is important to you? And what are your actions or inactions saying to God about what is important to you? Turn to Isaiah 66.

Isaiah 66:1-4 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? (2) For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. (3) He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. (4) I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

God wants us to be good stewards of what He has given us, but remember, the earth is His footstool. The earth is not as important to Him compared to His children. The Lord asks, where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? The earthly temple could not contain God. Solomon declared: 1Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have built? God does not need an earthly home, for He is far beyond that. So where is at least some of His dwelling place today? In the blood bought, born again believer in Jesus Christ.

1Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

2Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Every believer is the temple of God, so shouldn’t we act that way? In 1 Corinthians 3:17, Paul wrote that the temple of God is holy, so shouldn’t we be holy? Believers are the temple of the living God, so believers should act that way! There should be a difference in our lives and we should behave that way! D.L. Moody said: A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine.

Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

God is looking to use men and women that realize who they are before the all holy God. God wants men and women that are contrite or broken hearted about their sin and the sin of others. God wants men and women that tremble at the Word of God and have the proper fear and respect of Him. God wants men and women that are obedient to Him, not out of obligation, but out of love for Him.

Isaiah 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

This verse really stuck out to me this week. God wants our sacrifices to be true. If we are presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to Him, then our sacrifices to Him must be true, not hypocritical. Our sacrifices must be done His way, not our own way. Look at again at what the LORD said in verse 2: Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. The Israelites were performing the sacrifices that God had asked for, but they also offered up sacrifices to other gods as well. And when they did sacrifice to the LORD, they chose to do them their own way, not God’s way. Sadly, they were not truly presenting themselves as a living sacrifice to God and they were not yielded to God like they should have been. They were half-heartedly serving God because they were also serving idols and false gods. Half-heartedness consists of serving God in such a way as not to offend the devil. And we do the same today. Are you delighting in what God would call an abomination? Is your heart set on following God and loving Him with all of your heart and soul? Or is your delight in things that are not godly? Or is your time spent in forsaking time with God for other delights? Some people can talk Christianity by the yard, but they cannot walk it by the inch. Look at what God said He would do to those that act as in verse 3:

Isaiah 66:4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

God called for them, but they were so busy with their false sacrifices and false living, that they did not hear. God called, but they did not answer. They chosen to yield themselves to unrighteousness and present themselves to sin rather than to God, so when He came calling, they were not able to answer. Why? Because they were busy doing evil before God’s eyes and chose to do that which God takes no delight in. Note whose standard God is using: His Standard! Too many of us justify our actions, or our words, or our thoughts and use our own standards and pretend they are God’s standards. God has His Own Standards and they are written down in His Book so there can be no mistaking them! Believers must follow His standards, not our own standards. Sin is sin and you hate sin just insofar as you love Christ. Relevation 3 has a similar passage to Isaiah 66:4.

Revelation 3:19-20 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

This is not a salvation verse – this is Jesus Christ speaking to believers. Are we listening for Him? Are we looking for His knock? Are we following Him the way He wants us to follow Him?

Romans 6:22-23 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The wages of sin have never been reduced and when believers regularly remember what our sin cost, then believers will look to regularly follow God.
Sin, when viewed by scripture light,

Is a horrid, hateful sight;
But when seen in Satan’s glass,
Then it wears a pleasing face.

This is the seventh part of going through Romans chapter 6 and living the Christian life. We have spent a lot of time looking at the effect death has of the life of the believer in Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus Christ paid the debt our sins have accumulated and that debt is paid when a person has accepted and trusted Jesus Christ for salvation. The apostle Paul tells us in the Book of Romans that believers have died with Jesus Christ on the cross and believers have been raised with Him from the dead. Why do believers have to die with Jesus Christ on the cross? Because a person cannot be born again if they have not first died. And a dead man cannot sin. If a person continually follows the leading of the Holy Spirit, then they would not sin, because the Holy Spirit does not lead anyone to sin. Before we continue on, let us sum up a few things that we have covered over the last six Sundays:

First, Jesus Christ died. It is a historical fact that Jesus Christ did live here on earth. He is not a made up character or a legend or a myth. It is a historical fact that He died on the cross of Calvary. He did die on the cross – He did not swoon or fake His death.

Second, Jesus Christ did rise from the dead. This is again not a legend or a lie or a myth made up by His followers. Considering all of the martyrs deaths that believers have endured over the centuries, they would not have been willing to die for a lie. You might think: what about the Muslim martyrs there have been over the last twenty or so years, are they willing to die for a lie? Apparently the answer is “yes” because look at the difference between the Christian martyrs and the Muslim martyrs. The Christian martyrs were willing to die alone for their beliefs. The Muslim martyrs are also willing to die for their beliefs and take as many others as possible with them when they die.

Third, believers died with Jesus Christ when they accepted Him as their Saviour. The individual Christian’s salvation is rooted in two space-time historic points. The first is the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, and the second is the point of time when, by the grace of God, the individual accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour [Francis Schaeffer]. Turn to Romans 5:1.

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Note the two tenses here: Therefore being justified by faith is past tense, and we have peace with God is present tense. Romans 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Again “that are dead to sin” points to the past for the believer and “live any longer” points to today and the future. Romans 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Again, the past and the present are emphasized: believers are to be dead to sin so that we can then walk the way we are suppose to walk: in path of Jesus Christ as led by the Holy Spirit. As Francis Schaeffer wrote: The Bible says that in the present life we are in practise to live by faith as though we are dead now.

Romans 6:10-11 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ did not sin and with His death on the cross, He died unto sin once. Likewise, as believers, we are to figure ourselves to be dead everyday and live each day as if we are dead. Why? Because a dead man cannot sin. A dead man cannot control him or herself but is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:13 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. Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: As believers we are to mortify the deeds of the body – in other words set aside the desires we have in favor of God’s desires and will. If we are following the Holy Spirit, then there will be no desire to sin and do the deeds of the body. Those deeds of the body are in the old man, but when a person is born again, they have put on the new man and have become a new creature in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. When people have become born again, then they should want to act as that new creature – the things that pleased the old man should no longer please the new man. If the things that please our old man would not please God, then as new creatures, we should not want to do them! If an action or a thought would not be pleasing to God, then we, as new creatures, should not do them. By faith in Jesus Christ, we are new creatures and should look to only please God. If God does not like something, then we should not like it – or even make jokes about it. As children of God, if God warns us not to do something through His Word, the Bible, then we should not do it. Children sometimes do not listen. They hear what they want to hear. We, as their parents, often strive to work in their lives and give them guidelines to follow for their own good and because we love them. We know and understand this, but many times our children do not. They become angry and resentful towards us because they believe we are robbing them of fully experiencing life, and we are taking away their opportunities for fun and happiness. We sometimes want to beat our heads against a wall in frustration.

I wonder if God feels that way also in regards to us, His children? Listen to this story:

There was once a lamb and its mother. It seems the lamb passed a pig pen each morning on the way to pasture with its mother. Watching the pigs wallow in the mud seemed like fun to the lamb, and on an especially hot day the lamb asked his mother if he could jump the fence and wallow in the cool mud. She replied, “No.” Then the lamb asked the question, “Why?” The mother just said, “SHEEP DO NOT WALLOW.”

This did not satisfy the lamb. He felt she had “put him down and exercised force she should not have,” etc. So, as soon as the mother was out of sight, the lamb ran to the pig pen and jumped the fence. He was soon feeling the cool mud on his feet, his legs, and soon his stomach. After a few moments he decided he had better go back to his mother, but he could not. He was stuck! Mud and wool do not mix. His pleasure had become his prison. He cried out and was rescued by the kindly farmer. When cleaned and returned to the fold, the mother said, “Remember, sheep do not wallow.”

Lets continue to read Colossians 3. Verse 5 tells the believers what they should be avoiding and mortifying their members from: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness.

Colossians 3:5-11 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (6) For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: (7) In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. (8) But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Verse 6 states that the children of disobedience do these things therefore the wrath of God is upon them. In verse 7, Paul points out the the saved Colossian believers used to do those same sins when they were unsaved. Verse 8 tells believers that since they have gotten saved, they have stopped the previous named sins and are to put off the following as well: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, and lying. We have to be very careful about what we are saying, how we are saying it and where we are saying it, as Paul wrote: 1Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. And note the last half of verse 9: seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;We are to no longer do the deeds that our old man did – Essentially we are to take off the old man suit that we were wearing as unsaved people and put on the new man suit that Jesus Christ provides for us. Jesus Christ wants everyone to come to Him as they are, but they should not go away the same as they were before. I heard a preacher once say: “The saying should not be ‘a new suit for every man’, but instead: ‘ a new man for every suit!’” Being a Christian is suppose to be different from everything else, because nothing else works except Jesus Christ! Verses 10, 11:

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Believers are to be new people in Jesus Christ. Believers should put on the mind of Jesus Christ and follow what is told to us in the Bible. There should be no compromise – we cannot mix the world and God’s Word together. There should be no compromise – you cannot mix truth and lies together and

get the truth.

Winter was coming on and a hunter went out into the forest to shoot a bear out of which he planned to make a warm coat. By and by he saw a big bear coming toward him and raised his gun and took aim.

“Wait,” said the bear, “why do you want to shoot me?”

“Because I am cold,” said the hunter, “and I need a coat.”

“But I am hungry,” the bear replied, “so maybe if we just talk this over a little, we could come to a compromise.” So the hunter sat down beside the bear and began to talk over the pros and cons. In the end, the hunter was well enveloped with the bear’s fur, and the bear had eaten his dinner. We always lose out when we try to compromise with sin. It will consume us in the end.

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Note that Paul is telling us that we can walk in newness of life NOW! Believers should be walking in newness of life NOW! Believers should not be walking the same way that they use to walk before salvation and there should be a difference in their lives and a desire for Jesus Christ. Consider the caterpillar, it spends its days eating leaves and other parts of plants. If they eat too much of the plant, the plant will be damaged or die. However, after the caterpillar has made a cocoon and emerged from it as a new creature – a butterfly, does it continue to eat leaves and damage the plant? No, it does not, the butterfly drinks nectar or other liquids from the plant. The butterfly – the new creation – no longer behaves the same way as it did before as a caterpillar – the butterfly now walks in newness of life. It no longer has a desire to eat leaves as it did as the old man, the caterpillar.

Romans 6:6 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.

How can true believers no longer serve sin? By faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When does this happen? At the moment of salvation and everyday. We are to live by faith now as though we were now dead, as though we have already died. We are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead [Francis Schaeffer]. It means: That in our thoughts and lives now we are to live as though we had already died, been to Heaven, and come back again as risen [Francis Schaeffer].

This only can happen when believers humble themselves before God and state: “Not my will, but thy will, God.” Believers need to be usable by God. A businessman told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.

As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.

“Forget about the repairs,” the buyer said. “When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.”

Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God’s, the old life is over. He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build. [Ian Wilson]

2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

For the past few weeks we have looking at the importance of death in the life of the believer in Jesus Christ. In Romans chapter 6, the apostle Paul contrasts what everyone was before salvation, and what believers should be like after salvation. The blessing for the believer is that they no longer have to fear physical death, but now they must die to self – to mortify their members (body parts that can lead to sin) in order to walk in obedience to God. That does not mean believers literally slay their members, but that the believer should set aside their fleshly desires in order to follow God’s desires.

Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Note that Paul points out that covetousness is also idolatry and really, all sin is idolatry because the sinner has decided that they know what is the best way for them to go. The believer should flee from sin in order to properly follow God. However, the Christian life is not about NOT doing certain things. The person cannot declare that they are right with God because they do not do certain things or that they DO certain things. The believer must have the right motivation for the things that they do and have the right motivation for the things they do not do. And that motivation must be because they love God and want to honor and glorify Him. A believer cannot do that if they have idols in their life.

Romans 8:13 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.

Thankfully, God has given every believer the means to be able to properly follow God. That means is the Holy Spirit. People are able to mortify their members and the deeds of their body, their people that can lie down on a bed of nails believing that action brings closer to their god. Some people live in monasteries and nunneries and deny themselves marriage and wear uncomfortable clothing believing this brings them closer to God. But God does not require these types of actions by the believers in Jesus Christ. These actions are going beyond what is taught in the Bible. God gives the believer to not sin if they would follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. The believer can have triumph of sin if they would continuously follow the Holy Spirit.

J.N. Darby wrote: For there is power of life in Christ to enable us to triumph over sin and death, and not to live unto ourselves, but unto Him who loved us, and died for us, and is now seated at the right hand of God. We are already risen in Him and to be manifested with Him in the glory. Shall I, then, allow any wretched object or idle vanity to occupy me instead of Christ? It may be perhaps some folly, or some piece of self-importance, or some evil disposition, or even the cares of this life!

Ephesians 4:29-30 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (30) And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

When believers are not following the Holy Spirit, they are grieving the Holy Spirit. To grieve the Holy Spirit, means to bring pain to Him because we are not following His leading. The Holy Spirit will lead the believer, but the believer must be willing to be led. D.L Moody said, “I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled.” Think about this: if you take a dog out for a walk, the dog will want to decide where it wants to go. If the dog is big enough and determined enough it will pull the dog walker all over the place even if it has a leash. The dog will dash to one spot because something smells interesting and then will want to quickly run elsewhere because something has caught its attention. But if the dog is properly trained, no matter how big the dog, the dog walker will be able to decide where the dog will walk. And the first thing that happens is that the dog is trained to follow the will of the walker not the desires of the dog. The dog is trained to obey the dog walker. The same is true for the believer in Jesus Christ – the believer must be trained to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading and go where God wants. The believer must humble themselves and walk where God wants, not where the believer wants to go. The believer must be willing to say to God, “Not my will, but thine.”

D.L. Moody was to have a campaign in England. An elderly pastor protested, “Why do we need this ‘Mr. Moody’? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, “No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody.” D.L. Moody desired to be sold out for God and he determined to follow God, not fight God.

Each believer in Jesus Christ must not grieve the Holy Spirit, because when that happens they lose discernment. The longer the believer grieves the Holy Spirit, the less and less discernment they will have in their lives. They will have trouble knowing what is right or wrong in the eyes of God, because they will have stopped praying and have stopped reading their Bible. When the believer grieves the Holy Spirit, then sin is working in the believer’s life and makes it more difficult for him or her to follow God. Sin begets sin and the believer’s neck will stiffen and their heart will harden about the things of God. The believer’s spiritual sense will dim and sin will lead the believer further away from God. This is why the believer must daily die to self and humble themselves before God so they can be led by the Holy Spirit and follow God in love and obedience. The believer must decrease so the God can increase.

Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, “How can I get the air out of this glass?” One man shouted, “Suck it out with a pump!” Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass.” After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. “There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.” He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by “sucking out a sin here and there,” but by being filled with the Holy Spirit. Go back to Romans 6.

Romans 6:12-13 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

In verse 12, Paul warns that believers should not allow sin to control them. Sin is never full for long, once it starts it will continue to grow if the believer does not realize the sin and repent of it. Believers cannot allow sin to control them nor allow it a foothold in their lives. There’s an old story about a man who tried to save the city of Sodom from destruction by warning the citizens. But the people ignored him. One day someone asked, “Why bother everyone? You can’t change them.” “Maybe I can’t,” the man replied, “but I still shout and scream to prevent them from changing me!

In verse 13, Paul warns the believer to decide who or what they are going to yield to: sin or God. Believers have the choice and Paul is urging them to yield to God’s will and not their own will. Believers must look to follow God and not their own desires that are contrary to God. This can only happen when believers humble themselves and do not grieve the Holy Spirit. This means that the believer needs to grow and mature in Jesus Christ and not remain stagnant. J. Vernon McGee wrote: A little girl fell out of bed one night and began to cry. Her mother rushed into her bedroom, picked her up, put her back in bed, and asked her, “Honey, why did you fall out of bed?” And she said, “I think I stayed too close to the place where I got in.” And that’s the reason a great many of us fall, my friend. It is because we are actually yielding ourselves to our old nature. We’re following the dictates of the old nature; that is what gets us into trouble.

Believers are always going to have a sin nature, but believers do not have to choose to yield to it. Remember that: we choose to sin, but we do not have to sin. Romans 6:4-6 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (6) 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.

The believer’s old man is his or her sin nature – that desire to please the flesh – but the believer does not have to be the servant of sin. Please remember that sin does not serve us, because sin does not have our best interests at heart. We become servants of sin because once we start, we desire to add to it and build it up. Sin becomes our every thought and our every imagination.

Please remember that the Christian life is not a matter of simply following certain rules and avoiding certain things. Keeping the Law that Moses delivered does not save anyone. J. Vernon McGee wrote: The Christian life is not following certain rules; you can follow rules and regulations and still not be living the Christian life. Somebody asks,”The what is the Christian life?” The Christian life is to be obedient unto Christ. It means communication with Christ. It is not how you walk, but where you walk – are you walking in the light, walking in fellowship with Christ? Sin will break the fellowship, of course, and then we are to confess our sin. The Lord Jesus said to Peter in the upper room, “If I wash you not, you have no part with me (John 13:8)”. We do not have fellowship with Him unless we confess our sins to Him as we go along. Our part is confession; His part is cleansing (see 1 John 1:9). The important thing for you and me is to have fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and to obey Him. Then we will be living the Christian life.

Romans 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

When the believer is dead to sin, then they are free from sin. Why? Because a dead man cannot sin! Furthermore, because the believer has died with Jesus Christ on the cross, was buried, and rose with Jesus Christ, the believer is no longer under the penalty for sin. God looks upon the believer has has declared him or her righteous. The believer is declared not guilty, why? Because Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for the believer.

Romans 6:8-9 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: (9) Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Remember, the three steps for the believer: rejected, slain, risen. Every believer must go through those steps, just as Jesus Christ did for the believer. If the believer died with Jesus Christ then they will also be risen with Him. The believer has newness of life now and the believer will be resurrected one day after they have physically died. Look at verse 9 – what is the first word? Knowing, not hoping, not maybe, not possibly, but KNOWING. Paul wants the believer to realize that they should KNOW death no more has dominion and that Jesus Christ forever lives. As Jesus Christ told the apostle John: Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Romans 6:10-12 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Jesus Christ died once and will never die again. The believer has the same promise. The believer must realize that they are dead to sin and do not have to choose to sin. If the believer chooses to not sin, then they will live a fuller life following God in love and obedience. That does not mean they will live an easier life, but it will be a life more satisfying. Charles Spurgeon wrote: We are one with Jesus being both dead with Him, and risen in Him; ours therefore it is to live the new life, and view ourselves as dead to all the sinful joys of our former lives. Of for grace to carry this out to the full.

Continuing our look at Romans chapter 6 we see the importance of death in the life of the Christian. It is only through death that the Christian can truly experience life. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ ensures those that believe on Him to have eternal life. And daily the believer is exhorted to take up their cross and follow Jesus Christ. The only way that anyone can take up their cross is to forsake their own wants and desires for the sake of God and others. Remember the acronym JOY: Jesus, Others, You. When we have the proper order in our lives then we will be following Jesus Christ. When our focus is on ourselves first, then we will have difficulties in being obedient to God and loving and serving others. From an unknown source comes an article titled, “How To Be Miserable.” It says, “Think about yourself. Talk about yourself. Use “I” as often as possible. Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others. Listen greedily to what people say about you. Expect to be appreciated. Be suspicious. Be jealous and envious. Be sensitive to slights. Never forgive a criticism. Trust nobody but yourself. Insist on consideration and respect. Demand agreement with your own views on everything. Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown them. Never forget a service you have rendered. Shirk your duties if you can. Do as little as possible for others.”

Death to our desires is not an easy thing, but it is the mark that every believer should be pressing toward. Remember again the lesson taught by Jesus Christ in Luke 9.

Luke 9:22-26 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. (23) And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (24) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (25) For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? (26) For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

The order for Jesus Christ was: Rejected, slain, raised and that is the same order for the believer: Rejected, slain, raised. It is going to hurt when we are rejected by family, friends, neighbors, strangers, but remember, Jesus Christ was rejected first and if people are going to reject you, it is because they have rejected Jesus Christ. He said in John 15:

John 15:18-19 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. (19) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

J. Vernon McGee wrote: Notice what will happen if you are a child of God. The world will hate you. I believe that a Christian’s popularity can be an indication of how he is representing Christ to the world. I do not believe a Christian can be popular in the world. No Christian has any right to be more popular than Jesus was. Beware of a compromising position in order to be popular. The world will not love a real child of God. The world will love you if you are of the world. John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. Charles Spurgeon said this about verse 18: Therefore there is nothing to wonder at when men slander and abuse us; it is their ordinary manner of saluting every vessel which bears our great Captain’s flag.

Yes, the cross of Jesus Christ is rough and it has splinters. The cross is not the smooth fancy things that we see in stores – no, the cross that Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on was rough wood and when believers take up their cross it is rough on them too. There will be rejection and there will be pain, but, in the end, it will be worth it. And remember, the cross must be taken up daily by the believer. Francis Schaeffer wrote: In Luke 14:27 Jesus says: And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. He is not saying that a man cannot be saved without this, but that you are not Christ disciple, in the sense of following Him, if this is not your way of life: rejected and slain daily! We are in an alien world built upon man’s rebellion against God, and in this life the Christian himself is not yet totally free from elements of this rebellion within himself.

Romans 6:4-7 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (6) 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. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Please note that the first half of verses 4-6 deal with death for the life of the believer. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him. The only way for anyone to get to the second part of these verses is by going through the first part. There is no skipping ahead. Death must happen in order to have new life. Death must happen in order to be born again. And then after being born again, the believer must take up their cross and follow Jesus Christ. But the believer does not have to take up that cross alone! Jesus Christ will help every believer with their burdens! Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

But in order for Jesus Christ to help us with our burdens, believers must humble themselves before God and ask for His help. I cannot do it alone, I need His help every day. Remember the hymn: I Must Tell Jesus. I must tell Jesus all of my trials; I cannot bear these burdens alone; In my distress He kindly will help me; He ever loves and cares for His own. O how the world to evil allures me! O how my heart is tempted to sin! I must tell Jesus, and He will help me Over the world the victory to win. I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! I cannot bear my burdens alone; I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.

Remember, Jesus Christ humbled Himself for my sin. Paul wrote: Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. If the Creator of the world was willing to humble Himself in front of His creation, then I, as a believer, should be willing to daily humble myself in order to love and serve my Creator and to love and serve my neighbor. We would not worry so much about what other people thought of us if we knew how seldom they did. The apostle Peter wrote: 1 Peter 5:5 …God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. When we try to avoid being humbled, we are avoiding a means of grace. Andrew Murray said this about humility: Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is for me to have no trouble; never to be fretted or vexed or irritated or sore or disappointed. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord where I can go in and shut the door and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace as in a deep sea of calmness when all around is trouble. It is the fruit of the Lord Jesus Christ’s redemptive work on Calvary’s cross, manifested in those of His own who are definitely subject to the Holy Spirit.

In order to truly follow Jesus Christ, believers must be willing to take their crosses daily and follow Jesus Christ. How can we know what God wants us to do? Through His Word and through prayer. Here is an illustration of how to find God’s will that has been useful to many: There was a certain harbor that was treacherous and dangerous. In order for the captain to guide his ship safely into this harbor, he had to be very attentive to the three lights that were used to guide him. When all three lights lined up as one, he knew it was safe to proceed. Then, and only then, would he be able to bring his ship safely to port. As we seek guidance, we, too, have to be attentive to three lights that are used to guide us into the harbor of His will: the Word of God, outward circumstances, and inner conviction. When all three of these lights line up, we can proceed with assurance that we will be led safely into the harbor. The apostle Paul wrote: Ephesians 6:5-8 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; (6) Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; (7) With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: (8) Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. To do the will of God, believers must be willing to set themselves aside in order to please and glorify God first.

A lady had a little gold cross, on the upright part of which the words, “God’s will,” were engraved. On the crossbar were the words, “My will.” At the touch of a spring the cross disappeared and left only a straight beam bearing the words, “God’s will.” Thus, when our will is lost in God’s and we are indeed dead unto sin, it is no longer a cross to follow Christ. We shall no longer complain that we do not get our own selfish way, because we shall not have any. When our will is contrary to God’s will, then we have a cross to bear.

The believer must be rejected and slain before being risen. Listen to this illustration by JM Boice: During WWI, Donald Grey Barnhouse, led the son of a prominent American family to the Lord. He was in the service, but he showed the reality of his conversion by immediately professing Christ before the soldiers of his military company. The war ended. The day came when he was to return to his pre-war life in the wealthy suburb of a large American city. He talked to Barnhouse about life with his family and expressed fear that he might soon slip back into his old habits. He was afraid that love for parents, brothers, sisters, and friends might turn him from following after Jesus Christ. Barnhouse told him that if he was careful to make public confession of his faith in Christ, he would not have to worry. He would not have to give improper friends up. They would give him up.

As a result of this conversation the young man agreed to tell the first ten people of his old set whom he encountered that he had become a Christian. The soldier went home. Almost immediately–in fact, while he was still on the platform of the suburban station at the end of his return trip–he met a girl whom he had known socially. She was delighted to see him and asked how he was doing. He told her, “The greatest thing that could possibly happen to me has happened.” “You’re engaged to be married,” she exclaimed. “No,” he told her. “It’s even better than that. I’ve taken the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.” The girls’ expression froze. She mumbled a few polite words and went on her way. A short time later the new Christian met a young man whom he had known before going into the service. “It’s good to see you back,” he declared. “We’ll have some great parties now that you’ve returned.” “I’ve just become a Christian,” the soldier said. He was thinking, That’s two! Again it was a case of a frozen smile and a quick change of conversation. After this the same circumstances were repeated with a young couple and with two more old friends. By this time word had got around, and soon some of his friends stopped seeing him. He had become peculiar, religious, and — who knows! — they may even have called him crazy! What had he done? Nothing but confess Christ. The same confession that had aligned him with Christ had separated him from those who did not want Jesus Christ as Savior and who, in fact, did not even want to hear about Him. I am not sure who wrote this:

My precious Lord, for thy dear name – I bear the cross, despise the shame;

Nor do I faint – while thou are near; I lean on thee; how can I fear?

No other name but thine is given – To cheer my soul in earth or heaven;

No other wealth will I require; No other friend can I desire.

Yes, into nothing would I fall – For thee alone, My All in All;

To feel thy love, my only joy; To tell thy love, my sole employ.

Luke 9:22-26 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. (23) And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (24) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Death is central to the Christian life. Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? But death is absolutely essential to the life of the believer in Jesus Christ. First, it is because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that gives everyone the good news of eternal life with Jesus Christ – if people would repent and believe in Him. Second, it is His sacrificial death on the cross that paid the wages of my sin debt. Third, death is an ongoing process for the believer as he or she seeks to mortify their members and die to self in order to better love and serve God and to better love and serve their neighbor. Turn to Luke 9:

Luke 9:22-26 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. (23) And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (24) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (25) For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? (26) For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

Look at verse 26: Jesus Christ is putting in practical terms what the believer is going to go through every day of his or her earth-bound life. Every day believers are going to be in situations – whether purposely or by accident – that their actions and words will demonstrate whether or not they are ashamed of Jesus Christ and His Words. Believers live in a world that encourages them to “Just Do It” and “Do whatever feels goods,” but those they are probably not the right things for believers to be doing or saying. It is natural for the believer to want to follow their fleshly desires and to say “YES” to themselves, however, God tells believers to deny themselves in order to love and serve and others better. People want to be accepted by others, that is a natural characteristic of people: we want others to like us. But to be a believer in Jesus Christ, there will be times that we have to choose whether we want others to like us or if we want to follow God. In Acts 5:29, Peter and the apostles, after being imprisoned and scolded by the high priest and the chief of the temple, declared: We ought to obey God rather than men.

For the believer to grow and mature in their walk with Jesus Christ, they must be willing to slay their desires and wants when they conflict with God and His Holy Word. Believers must be willing to reject themselves and things in order to better follow Jesus Christ. The question becomes, what are you going to do or say, when a situation arises: are you going to be ashamed of Jesus Christ and His Word or are you going to be willing to say, “Thus saith the Lord!” Look at Luke 9:26 again, if we are going to be ashamed of Jesus Christ and His Word, then Jesus Christ is going to be ashamed of us! That alone should be enough to motivate us to serve and love God. And to serve and love Him in the fashion that He desires, not the way that pleases me. Believers need to be willing to let go of their fears and doubts and trust that Jesus Christ will work things out to His glory.

A drunken man entered his row boat one night to cross the river. He picked up the oars and pulled away-so he thought. He rowed all night but did not reach the destination. When daylight came, he was surprised to find that he was just where he started the night before. He had forgotten to untie his boat. So it is with many of the Lord’s followers. They are tied to their habits, desires, wills, or some cherished idol or idols of the heart. Consequently, their lives are fruitless. Shore-bound Christians never flourish and are of little or no help to others.

Luke 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

That is the order for the believer today as well: rejected, slain, raised. There will be times when people of this world will reject the believer because they are willing to take a stand on God’s Word. Believers will be called unloving and hateful. As believers, do we want to be seen as being ashamed of Jesus Christ and His Word? That may be the easy route, but it will cause Jesus Christ to be ashamed of us and it will be harder to take a stand later on God’s Word, because people will not believe the strength of your convictions. Believers will be rejected by the people around them and that is not easy to bear, but Jesus Christ tells us to take up our cross daily – not weekly or monthly – but daily.

Romans 6:2-3 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Believers in Jesus Christ are dead to sin from the standpoint that Jesus Christ died for our sins. That does not mean that the believer no longer sins, but fortunately, when the believer is properly walking with the Lord, then they will not sin. If believers just continuously walk with God, then they would not sin, because God is not going to lead anyone to sin! Furthermore, God is willing to help the believer to walk the way they are suppose to walk. Isaiah 42:6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee… Someone once said: “It is a great deal easier to do that which God gives us to do, no matter how hard it is, than to face the responsibilities of not doing it.” The cost of obedience is nothing compared with the cost of disobedience. Turn to Galatians 2:20:

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

What does this verse mean for the believer? When Jesus Christ gave up His life on the cross of Calvary not quite two thousand years ago, believers also died with Him. The people that have trusted Jesus Christ for salvation and repented of their sin died with Him on the cross and were resurrected with Him three days later and believers are still connected to Him today. He indwells every believer. What a wonderful blessing that is and something that no other religion claims. Believers have died to sin, but believers still have a sin nature and will have that sin nature for the rest of their lives. But believers are never alone. Unashamed believers will be abandoned by the world, but they are never alone because Jesus Christ lives in every believer as it says in Galatians 2:20. Believers have no power over sin on their own, only through Jesus Christ can anyone have victory over sin. Believers cannot crucify themselves. They cannot be alone and be crucified. A person can die many ways alone – they may take poison or hang themselves or shoot themselves, but they cannot crucify themselves. The believer may be able to nail one hand to the cross, but how will they nail the other? Believers were crucified with Jesus Christ when He died on the cross. Back to Romans 6.

Romans 6:2-3 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Please realize that as we read through Romans chapter 6, that when the word “baptized” is used, it is not referring strictly to water baptism. Water baptism is important for the believer and it is commanded by God, but this passage is not solely about water. The word “baptize” is a Greek word that the King James Bible translators made into an English word. The word “baptize” essentially means “immersed” – in other words fully covered. So what the apostle Paul is stating in verse 3 is that the believer is immersed with Jesus Christ or identified with Jesus Christ. Believers are identified or baptized into Jesus Christ and His death. Think of it this way: Jesus Christ was sacrificed on the cross of Calvary and every believer was there too. But I was the guilty one – not Jesus Christ. You were the guilty one. My sin and your sin put Jesus Christ on the cross and believers are identified with Him.

In the eyes of God, believers have been identified with Jesus Christ, but what about to the rest of the world. If the believer is unashamed of Jesus Christ and His Word, then people will identify the believer as being a Christian. So do your words match your actions? The renowned artist Paul Gustave Dore (1821-1883) lost his passport while traveling in Europe. When he came to a border crossing, he explained his predicament to one of the guards. Giving his name to the official, Dore hoped he would be recognized and allowed to pass. The guard, however, said that  many people attempted to cross the border by claiming to be  persons they were not. Dore insisted that he was the man he claimed to be. “All right,” said the official, “we’ll give you a test, and if you pass it we’ll allow you to go through.” Handing him a pencil and a sheet of paper, he told the artist to sketch several peasants standing nearby. Dore did it so quickly and skillfully that the guard was convinced he was indeed who he claimed to be. His work confirmed his word! People follow what we do on the stage of life. They look to see if our conduct squares with our profession. Are we drawing the picture of Christ, as it were, or of a different person? What the world wants to see is reality in our actions. It has been said that God has great and wonderful things to display if He finds suitable showcases. Are you a good showcase for Jesus Christ?

If the believer is properly walking with God, then he or she will be identified with Jesus Christ by the world. Two little children, a boy and a girl, who played together a great deal, received Christ and were converted. One day the boy came to his mother and said, “Mother, I know that Emma is a Christian.” “What makes you think so, dear?” “Because she plays like a Christian. If you take everything she’s got, she doesn’t get mad. Before, she was selfish, and if she didn’t have everything her own way she would say, ‘I won’t play with you; you are a mean little boy.’ ” That’s what the world sees, the result of our possessing part of the fullness of God. If we have God, then we must act like Him.

Death is central to the life of the believer in Jesus Christ. To the world, death is a negative idea – why? Because they have no hope in the future. This world has seen amazing technological advancements in the last 100 years – how many kids to day know what an eight track player was? For the believer, death is necessary for their everyday life with God AND because of the death of Jesus Christ, the believer has hope for the future. Just as Jesus Christ was rejected and slain, the believer must go through the same process – there is no skipping ahead to risen. Jesus Christ did not skip over the first two steps: He was rejected and He was slain by the very people He created. The believer must also be rejected and slain. Everyday, the world intrudes into our lives through our interactions with others and the forms of entertainment we have and the things we read and watch and listen to. The believer’s viewpoint should not mirror the world, it should mirror the kingdom of God. The believer should be willing to deny themselves the things that hinder their walk with God.

Romans 8:13 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.

To mortify means to bring into subjection or slay. It is a negative statement – to the world, to the lost. The world declares that we should grab all the gusto we can! But the Bible tells us to mortify the deeds of the body. The declares we should do and try everything! But God’s Word tells us to mortify the deeds of the body. The world declares that we should do whatever we want and not worry about the consequences! But the Bible tells us to mortify the deeds of the body – why? So the believer may live. If the believer lives after the flesh, they will die. If the believer lives through the Holy Spirit, they shall live. That means that the believer must deny himself or herself and seek first the kingdom of God, not their own pleasure. That means the believer must humble himself or herself and seek to love and serve God first, then seek to love and serve their neighbor second, then love themselves third. Jesus Christ was rejected and slain, two things every believer must go through as well before the third step: risen. Where is your spiritual walk today? I will close with five questions that each of us need to ask ourselves daily:

1. Whom are you trying to please? 2. What insecurities are you pampering? 3. With whom or what are you competing? 4. What rewards are you seeking? 5. What shame are you covering?

Romans 8:13 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.