The Sin Within

We've been going through the series, Holidays vs Holy Days: By Whose Authority? We've seen how that the Passover actually began with Abraham, and not just with the children of Israel alone; and how that the Passover is a special covenant between the one that God calls through Jesus Christ, to God the Father and Jesus Christ. So, we have the covenant relationship with God, and we just completed the Passover the other night. And so here we are on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

In Exo. 12 we find—I think this is a very important point for us to understand and realize—the command to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days immediately following the Passover Day. It's important for us to realize and understand this, because the Passover that the Israelites had in Egypt was God's passing over their firstborn. But it was also a judgment against all the gods of Egypt, meaning all the gods and religions of this world! So, that is a very important thing for us to understand.

When God gives the command to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, let's understand a very significant point. As we have seen in the sermon that I gave several years ago, Which Came First, the Ritual or the Day? we will see that the day and the command for the Feast of Unleavened Bread came before any of the animal sacrifices required in Lev. 23 and Num. 28.

Just like the Passover started with Abraham and the covenant that God made with Abraham in Gen. 15 that carries on down to Christ. Likewise we have here the Feast of Unleavened Bread given to the children of Israel before they received the Ten Commandments.

As we have seen in studying through The Law Of Moses Without the Veil how that God mentioned time and again:

• the Feast of Unleavened Bread
• the Feast of Weeks
• the Feast of Ingathering

All without any reference to any animal sacrifices, the official ones! This is important, because a lot of people use the excuse by saying:

We don't have to keep these days because that was all ceremonial and ritual, and was all wrapped up in the sacrifices. So, since Christ did away with the sacrifices, therefore we don't have to keep these days.

Even some of those who believe in keeping the Sabbath have that reasoning toward the Holy Days. But that argument falls apart when you remember and understand that even on the Sabbath day they had required sacrifices.

Exodus 12:15: "You shall eat unleavened bread seven days; even the first day you shall have put away leaven out of your houses; for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel."

Now that means they're cut off from the understanding of God. We've also seen this, too, in those brethren who allowed themselves to be deceived into giving up the Passover and giving up the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Holy Days of God! What has happened to them? They have been cut off from the Church of God! They have been cut off from God because they weren't keeping these days.

Verse 16: "And in the first day there shall be a Holy convocation… [that's today] …and in the seventh day there shall be a Holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you. And you shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread… [here's the reason]: …for in this very same day… [The Night To Be Remembered] …I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you shall keep this day in your generations as a law forever" (vs 16-17).

When does the Feast begin? Verse 18: "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at sunset, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at sunset.

Lev. 23—here is where we find all the Holy Days combined together with a general command of the required offerings that were to be given at the temple. As we know, it starts out with the Sabbath, because the Holy Day Sabbath sanctifies and is the lead-in to all the annual Sabbaths. Remember that God has said that these are His Sabbaths:

• a Holy Day is a Sabbath
• a Holy Day is a Holy convocation
• a Holy Day, as God says, is an appointed time
  • which He has established
  • which He has created
  • which He gives us the instruction to keep according to the Calculated Hebrew Calendar

Leviticus 23:4:  "These are the appointed Feasts of the LORD, Holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their appointed seasons."

• doesn't give us any option to not
• doesn't give us any option to keep anything else

God tells us not to keep any of the pagan holidays of this world.

Verse 5: "In the fourteenth day of the first month, between the two evenings… ['ben ha arbayim'—between sunset and dark] …is the LORD'S Passover, and on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. You must eat unleavened bread seven days. On the first day you shall have a Holy convocation. You shall not do any servile work therein, but you shall offer a fire offering to the LORD seven days…" (vs 5-8). Those were the temple offerings!

One man said that 'maybe we should give the Holy Day offering, instead of on the first Holy Day and the last Holy Day, all seven days.' Another man said that 'if you add them all up you've got 19 days that you give offerings on.' Well we're going to see that is confusing the required animal sacrifices at the temple that God required and the offering that God expects each individual to give.

In Deut. 16 we'll see the difference. Your personal offering is different than the animal sacrifices. However, if you were to bring animals to sacrifice, surely you didn't have to bring one for every day. You couldn't afford that. You would soon wipe out your flock or herd. But the sacrifices that were required for the priests to do at the temple were required for every day.

Deuteronomy 16:16: "Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which He shall choose: in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles. And they shall not appear before the LORD empty."

This is not the animal sacrifice that this is talking about. This is the individual offering that you give to God! As we've seen in the series on tithing and offering—Wealth & Income: The Biblical Truth About Tithes & Offerings—and especially going through the economic situation as it was in Galilee and Judea in the days of Jesus Christ, we saw that it was a merchandising society much like we have today. So, the offerings that they had of the animal sacrifices were just the rituals that they performed. Most of the rest of the people, unless they had a vow, did not offer any animal sacrifices at that time, but rather, they put the money into the treasury (Luke 21).

Here is the command; v 17: "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God, which He has given you."

We also know that God says He loves a cheerful giver. We are not to give because of compulsion; we are not to give because we have to; and we are not to give in a grudging manner, but "…according to the blessing of the LORD your God, which He has given you."

While we are taking up the offering, you figure out the blessings that God has given you. You thank God for everything that He has provided, not just the physical things, but the spiritual things:

• the spiritual understanding
• the knowledge of the Word of God

All of those things are the blessings that come from God because we can't understand anything unless God gives us the understanding for it.

(pause for the offering)

Now let's come to the New Testament, and let's see the very reason and purpose, and also a command, to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; very clear. Also, this command was given to the Corinthians, which then was mainly a Gentile church. Remember, it started out in a synagogue when Paul first came to preach. Then there was such an uproar that the synagogue split in two, and then Paul had his church, the Church of Corinth right next to where the synagogue was. In fact, one of the leading rabbis came over and was converted and was attending the church right in the next building. Let's see the command here that we have, and why in the New Testament we keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

1-Cor. 5—Paul is correcting them because they allowed a man to come to church who was committing incest with his step-mother, or his father's wife, which was probably not his mother. Paul commanded that the evil one be put out. The Corinthians were glorying in it and saying, 'Oh well, the grace of God is so good, it covers all this'; much like the Protestants today!  

1-Corinthians 5:6: "Your glorying is not good. Don't you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?"

So during the days of Unleavened Bread, leaven is a type of sin! Today we are going to talk about the sin, or the leaven that's within:

• How do we handle it?
• How does God handle it?
• Why do we have it?
• How do we overcome it?

Here's what we need to do; here's a key! We will see this as we follow through. "…Don't you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?"

Once there's a little bit of sin, it breeds and breeds, and gets worse and worse! Just look at our society today, perfect example. In order for there to be change, in order for us to overcome, Paul says:

Verse 7: "Therefore, purge out the old leaven, so that you may become a new lump…" That's spiritually speaking!

We are to purge out all the sin with the help of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. We will see how God makes that possible for us to do.

"…even as you are unleavened…." (v 7).

They hadn't learned the lesson of getting the leaven out of their homes. This is the one thing that God wants us to do. He wants us to look for the leaven in our homes and get it out of our homes, because this is a reminder to us of

• how common sin is
• how easy it comes by
• how it seduces us so very easily

It needs to be purged out! We need to look for it! We need to be on guard against it! Here's the reason:

"…For Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us." (v 7.

You cannot live in sin and accept the forgiveness of your sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and then get up and continue in sin.

Verse 8: "For this reason… [because of the sacrifice of Christ] …let us keep the Feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of Sincerity and Truth."

That is a complete reconstruction of human nature and the human spirit, which can only be done through Jesus Christ!

Today we're living in a time when lawlessness is multiplying and the love of many is growing cold. Just as Jesus said, 'As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of man,' where everyone's imagination was given over to evil continually.

This is what is happening worldwide. It's happening even within the Church, because they are not fighting the sin within. We'll cover a little later on how to fight the sin without, because there is sin that comes from the outside in. They are not fighting the sin within and they are not allowing the laws and commandments of God to be written in their hearts and their minds through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is the unleavening agent for change within us! Then they lower the standards down, down, down. That is evident in the proliferation of translations of the Bible, which degrades and takes down the Bible and tears it apart.

Let's see what we are to do. Let's see the command of the Apostle Peter, what is to happen in our lives, and how it takes place. It talks about how that they killed Christ, the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead.

Acts 3:19: "Therefore, repent and be converted…" That's what has to happen!

We have to change from the human nature, which is the evil within, desperately wicked and deceitful above all things, and we have to be converted from within so that we don't go the way that seems right to a man, the ends thereof are the ways of death; that we are not living in sin.

Verse 19: "Therefore, repent and be converted in order that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."

That time of refreshing is change, renewal and conversion! That's why every year we renew the covenant through the Passover, and we walk in God's ways. We are renewed, and we are changed, and we have in us developed the very character of Christ!

What is this sin within? We're going to spend a little time in the book of Romans. Let's read the condition of the human race today. I just want you to think about what is going on in the world? When you sit down and you watch the evening news, any news, and see all the reports of war, killings, beheadings, disasters, sin and murder. Just like now (at the time of this message) everybody's glued to the court reporting cases about the BTK killer, who was finally caught. He's even confessed to them. What was he on the outside?

Oh, he was an upstanding man. He worked for the county; he had an enforcement job with them. He was a family man, he was a church man.

Even the pastor of the church was flabbergasted when they found out that he was the one. This also shows something very important, too:

• God knows the heart
• God knows what's within
• God knows that that sin must be changed
• God knows there is one way to do it

that one way to do it is

• through Jesus Christ
• through the power of the Holy Spirit of God
• through the laws and commandments of God
• through keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days of God

That is the only way that human nature is going to be permanently changed! Then finally, at the resurrection, as we know.

Romans 3:9: "What then? Are we of ourselves better?.…" Paul is applying it to the Jews, but let's apply it to those who are in the Church. Are we of ourselves any better than other people in the world? No!

"…Not at all! For we have already charged both Jews and Gentiles—ALL—with being under sin, exactly as it is written: 'For there is not a righteous one—not even one! There is not one who understands; there is not one who seeks after God'" (vs 9-11).

Yet, if they would seek after God He could be found. It says in

Isaiah 55:6: "Seek the LORD while He may be found..."

Acts 3:12: "'They have all gone out of the way… [God's way; Genesis 6 before the Flood of Noah] ...together they have all become depraved. There is not even one who is practicing kindness. No, there is not so much as one! Their throats are like an open grave; with their tongues they have used deceit… [hardly anybody tells the truth anymore] … the venom of asps is under their lips… [ready to bite you in the back] …whose mouths are full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood… [just witness what's going on in the world] …destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes'" (vs 12-18).

Verse 19: "Now then, we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."

What is this telling us? The whole world is under judgment by the Law of God. All have sinned.

Verse 23: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"—that's the sin within!

We'll talk about fighting the sin without and Satan the devil on the last day of Unleavened Bread. What is the solution to the problem? Repentance, to be converted, and forgiveness! That's what's important: true, deep, profound repentance! It says there in 1-John 1 that if we sin and confess our sins, Christ is faithful and just to forgive us our sins! Because, as we'll see, we still have to fight the sin within!

Here is how it is forgiven: there is no forgiveness of sin without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, period! Remember what Jesus said on the Passover night: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life! He is also the way to the forgiveness of sin.

Verse 24: "…But are being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

• Christ is the way
• Christ is that redemption

Through Christ and His blood alone, since He is the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world, and to take away each one of our sins individually, it has to be through Christ. We'll see this a little later as Paul develops what he's writing here in the book of Romans.

Let me just say that there is no way that anyone can understand how to overcome sin—the origin and source of sin, the way of forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ—without the book of Romans that Paul was inspired to write. This tells us the way! The forgiveness is in Christ Jesus:

Verse 25: "Whom God has openly manifested to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness…"

Why does God have to demonstrate His righteousness? Because we need forgiveness! Only God can give it! That's why it's futile to go to a confessional booth and confess to a priest because he can't forgive sin! Only God can forgive sin. No man can forgive sin. Yes, we are to forgive each other our offenses, that is true; but that's between person and person.

But between you and God, it can only be forgiven through Jesus Christ! He is the propitiation! The very fact of being crucified and being the perfect sacrifice, that is the demonstration of His righteousness,

"…in respect to the remission of sins that are past" (v 25).

• WHEN you repent you have those removed!
• THEN you are in right standing with God!

You have been justified through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ!

Verse 26: "through the forbearance of God; yes, to publicly declare His righteousness… [justification from sin] …in the present time, that He might be just, and the One Who justifies the one who is of the faith of Jesus." It has to come through Jesus Christ!

Now let's just read into the record, v 31: "Are we, then, abolishing the Law through faith? MAY IT NEVER BE! Rather, we are establishing the Law"

Now it's going to be written in our hearts and our minds, and that we live by it. Then through the Holy Spirit we have conscience, which convicts us of sin, the sin within. God did this for us before we were even created.

• He has preserved His Word for us that we may know
• He's given His Spirit to lead us
• He's given His Spirit to be in us so we can understand it and have our sins forgiven

Romans 5:6: "For even when we were without strength, at the appointed time Christ died for the ungodly."

What was that appointed time? It was the Passover Day in 30A.D.

Verse 7: "For rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, although perhaps someone might have the courage even to die for a good man. But God commends His own love to us…" (vs 7-8).

That is the ultimate that we are to achieve, as we get the sin within out of us, the love of God!God expressed His love first. That's important to understand. We don't come to God because we are good and we have something great that we are going to give God. No, we are all sinners. We need God to forgive us, and we need God to help us in every way. That's what He's provided with Christ.

Verse 8: "But God commends His own love to us because, when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, therefore, having been justified now by His blood…" (vs 8-9).

As we took the Passover with the wine and the unleavened bread, and the foot-washing, that renews the covenant, and now we, on the first day of Unleavened Bread focus on the sin within so that we follow God's instructions with the power of God's Spirit to get it out.

"…we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His own Son, much more then, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the reconciliation" (vs 9-11).

Then Paul goes on to tell us how the sin within began. Let's see what Jesus says about the sin within. You can see this in little children, too. Jesus said:

Mark 7:21: "For from within…" We're going to talk about today how to get the sin within removed! But we have to understand how it got there.

"…out of the hearts of men go forth evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickednesses, guile, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evils go forth from within, and these defile a man"(vs 21-23).

The very reason and purpose why Christ came, and the very reason and purpose that we keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread is so that we never forget that we have the sin within! As long as we are human beings we are going to be fighting the sin within!

What we are going to find, combined here with Rom. 5 and then a little later Rom. 7, that sin is a very part of our being. It's part of the nature that is the result of the curse that came upon Adam and Eve when they sinned. It's a very part of our nature within our very genes.

Romans 5:12: "Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and by means of sin came death…"

What did God tell Adam? In the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die! When He pronounced that he would return to the dust, the law of death became part of human beings, beginning with Adam. We'll see a little later on that Paul also talks about the law of sin that is within our members.

Because we all receive a nature of death, and we are physical, let's see what happens. There is nothing that we can do to be Holy and spiritually righteous without God! It's an impossibility, because this is what happens:

"…and in this way…" (v 12).

After the pronouncement there, and then Abel was born and Cain was born, and they had the law of sin and death in them; and look at what Cain did, and look at what the society before the Flood has done. Look at what all of history shows us, with the depravity and sin of man.

"...In this way, death passed into all mankind…" (v 12).

Scientists today know that there is a mechanism within the human body that when it comes time to die, the body shuts down, either by disease, malnutrition, sickness or by old age. Something happens to the body that the death is within, and that's why all die. That's why Christ was resurrected, to overcome death!

"…and it is for this reason that all have sinned" (v 12).

You have a nature of death, because you are physical, because you are not perfect, though in the flesh you have many things that function harmoniously, wondrously and awesomely, but still it breaks down. We have a nature of death. If we have a nature of death, which is the result of sin, we also have a nature of sin within us because of that very fact. That's why little children, little babies express the sin within.

• that's why they need guidance
• that's why they need correction
• that's why they need to be told no
• that's why they need to know what is right and wrong

God has also given choice so that we can, with choice, choose not to sin. If we are taught what is right and what is wrong, that gives us some control of the sin within. It doesn't cure the problem, but it gives us some control.

Verse 13: "For before the Law… [the covenant given to Israel] …sin was in the world. However, sin is not imputed when Law does not exist; nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even upon those who had not sinned in the likeness of the transgression of Adam…" (vs 13-14).

Adam was right there in the presence of God. Adam was personally created by the very hands of God. For Adam and Eve to sin, this was a grave sin and affected all human kind from that time to now.

Adam "…who was a type of the One Who was to come" (v 14). Adam was the first man; the last man, the second Adam was the One from heaven.

Verse 15: "But should not the free gift be even as the offense was?...."

In other words, since by one man we all ended up being sinners, we are going to see by the righteous act of Jesus Christ's sacrifice many can be made righteous. There's a comparison that he's giving here.

"…For if by the transgression of the one man many died, how much more did the grace of God, and the gift of grace, which is by the One Man, Jesus Christ, abound unto many?…. [that's God's solution] …And should not the free gift be like that which came by the one who had sinned?.… [Christ had to do it first. Christ had to pave the way first] … For on the one hand, judgment was by one unto condemnation… [we are all judged sinners because of Adam] …but on the other hand, the free gift… [the forgiveness of sin and the graciousness of God] …is by one to the justification of many offenses" (vs 15-16).

That's why we need the sacrifice of Christ! There is no other way to have the forgiveness of sin!

Verse 17: "For if by the offense of the one man death reigned by the one, how much more shall those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness… [put in right standing with God] …reign in life by the One Jesus Christ)."

I'm going to cover Rom. 7 first so we can understand a little bit more about the sin within. When we hear and see the commandments of God we know they are good; we know that they are to life. There can be a small modification of behavior by keeping the commandments of God in the letter. But that still does not change the sin within. This is what Paul brings out.

Romans 7:7: "What then shall we say? Is the Law sin?.…"

Most people think the Law of God is sin because it defines the sin, and they don't want the sin defined as sin, and they want to do their sin. So, rather than in repenting of their sins they say:

The Law is sin. We ought not have that. If we didn't have it, there wouldn't be any problem.

Well, no, that's not true. The Laws of God are eternal. The Laws of God are always there.

"…Is the Law sin? MAY IT NEVER BE! But I had not known sin except through the Law. Furthermore, I would not have been conscious of lust, except that the Law said, 'You shall not covet.' But sin, having grasped an opportunity by the commandment… [because the commandment defines it] …worked out within me every kind of lust…" (vs 7-8).

Because when it came to his consciousness of what covetousness really was, there was all this lust within him and he didn't know how to cope with it. He's even talking about how he's coping with it here as an apostle some 20 years after he was an apostle.

Verse 9: "For I was once alive without Law…"—that's before he came to the full understanding of the laws and commandments of God!

"…But after the commandment came, sin revived, and I died" (v 9).

That means he died through the death of water baptism. He obviously didn't physically die. Then here's the conflict of the sin within that we are always fighting. This is why we need the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome it. Because when we are overcoming the sin within we are purging out the old leaven. We are purging out the old sin. We will see that we have to put in the new as well, because when you purge something out then you have to replace it with what is right.

Verse 10: "And the commandment, which was meant to result in life, was found to be unto death for me… [he was trying to cope with the sin within and he couldn't stop it] …because sin, having taken opportunity by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore, the Law is indeed Holy, and the commandment Holy and righteous and good. Now then, did that which is good become death to me? MAY IT NEVER BE!…. [here is the purpose of the Law when there is transgression]: …But sin, in order that it might truly be exposed as sin in me by that which is good, was working out death; so that by means of the commandment, sin might become exceedingly sinful" (vs 10-13).

This is what happens with the Spirit of God. When we have the Spirit of God and we are fighting the sin within we begin to see and comprehend and understand the enormity of sin, the exceeding sinfulness of sin that's within us.

Then Paul makes the conclusion, v 14: "For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am carnal, having been sold as a slave under sin… [here's the struggle]: …because what I am working out myself, I do not know. For what I do not desire to do, this I do; moreover, what I hate, this is what I do" (vs 14-15).

That's the struggle with the sin within. Now let's see how he describes it.

(break)

Verse 16: "But if I am doing what I do not desire to do, I agree with the Law that it is good. So then, I am no longer working it out myself; rather, it is sin that is dwelling within me" (vs 16-17)—the sin within! That's what we all need to overcome on an individual basis.

Verse 18: "Because I fully understand that there is not dwelling within me—that is, within my fleshly being—any good.…"

This body is going to be corrupt! We're all going to die. No good. That which is eternally and spiritually and lastingly good cannot come from the human flesh. It cannot come from the human mind. It must come from the Spirit of God. And that is, as we will see, the true unleavening agent.

"…For the desire to do good is present within me…" (v 18).

All the good intentions in the world. And what is the famous saying? The way to hell is paved with good intentions! Paul had the good intentions:

"…but how to work out that which is good, I do not find" (v 18).

A testimony to the fact that this is a true statement, look at all the religions in the world that try and have some way so people can do good. It always ends up in corruption. Why? Because they don't understand the principal thing, which is the sin is within!

Verse 19: "For the good that I desire to do, I am not doing; but the evil that I do not desire to do, this I am doing. But if I do what I do not desire to do, I am no longer working it out myself, but sin that is dwelling within me. Consequently, I find this law in my members, that when I desire to do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man; but I see another law within my own members, warring against the law of my mind, and leading me captive to the law of sin that is within my own members" (vs 19-23). The sin within!

• How is that going to be overcome?
• By what way is it going to be overcome?

It will be through Christ and Christ alone!

Verse 24: "O what a wretched man I am! Who shall save me from the body of this death? I thank God for His salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of this, on the one hand, I myself serve the Law of God with my mind; but on the other hand, with the flesh, I serve the law of sin" (vs 24-25)—when he does the things that he doesn't want to do!

How is this solved? Let's see what the solution is!

Romans 6:1: "What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? MAY IT NEVER BE! We who died to sin, how shall we live any longer therein?" (vs 1-2).

How did we die to sin? By baptism, by entering into covenant with Jesus Christ! That's how we died to sin, that we no longer live unto sin. Now let's see how Paul explains it:

Verse 3: "Or are you ignorant that we, as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death?"

What was the death of Jesus Christ for? It was for the remission of sins! That's why He died. Then He was raised through the operation of God. Now with Christ at the right hand of God as our High Priest, that we may receive justification from our sins through the forgiveness that comes through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon our repentance.

Verse 3: "Or are you ignorant that we, as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through the baptism into the death…" (vs 3-4)—because there's only one! That is, the very death that Jesus Christ took upon Himself!

This is why we enter into covenant. When we are baptized, that is the covenant death of our old self, just like the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was the covenant death to bring forgiveness of sin through His perfect sacrifice. This goes all the way back to Abraham when He made the promises to Abraham. This is the covenant death that we are conjoined to.

Verse 4: "Therefore, we were buried with Him through the baptism into the death; so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, in the same way, we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been conjoined together in the likeness of His death…" (vs 4-5).

All your sins have been taken and conjoined with the death of Jesus Christ, Who was the sin offering for the world, the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world.

That's a tremendous thing. This is an individual thing. This is why Jesus Christ is your personal Savior, my personal Savior. But it has to be done according to the way that God has shown, because there are many counterfeits out there in the world.

Protestantism, though it has some understanding of the Word of God, is worshipping God in the wrong way at the wrong time on the wrong day, and does not understand about baptism. Some have baptism, but they don't understand the real meaning of baptism, and they are worshipping a false Christ. That's to say nothing of Catholicism and the rest of the other religions in the world. Because, as we've already covered, Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and there is no other way! That's what it's talking about here.

When it comes to the forgiveness of your sins, when it comes to fighting the sin within, it must be according to God's way. The way that we walk after baptism is in newness of life, as he describes here:

Verse 5: "For if we have been conjoined together in the likeness of His death, so also shall we be in the likeness of His resurrection…. [that is the promise of eternal life] …Knowing this, that our old man was co-crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be destroyed… [this shows it's a process]: …so that we might no longer be enslaved to sin…" (vs 5-6).

It doesn't say we won't sin. We already saw where Paul said that the law of sin and death was in him. We will see how God looks at us because that is there. But when we have repented and have been baptized into the death of Jesus Christ—being conjoined to His death and co-crucified with Him and receive the Holy Spirit—now then we are no longer going to be enslaved to sin, and we start the process of destroying the body of sin within.

Verse 7: "Because the one who has died… [in water baptism] …to sin has been justified from sin."

You are put in right standing with God! That's why we are given the promise that if we confess our sins He will forgive our sins because the ongoing grace is needed, because we are overcoming the sin within.

Verse 8: "Now, if we died together with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has any dominion over Him. For when He died, He died unto sin once for all; but in that He lives, He lives unto God" (vs 8-10).

Here's the parallel. Here's what we need to follow:

Verse 11: "In the same way also, you should indeed reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God through Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin rule in your mortal body by obeying it in the lusts thereof" (vs 11-12).

With the power of the Holy Spirit of God, we don't have to obey the sin that is within. We don't have to yield to the lust. It takes time for us to grow in the grace and the power of God's Holy Spirit to overcome. As we'll see, it is a process! If we put sin out, we have to put in righteousness. Paul tells us how to do that.

Verse 13: "Likewise, do not yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin…"

Do not yield to it. Have a choice. It is a mental process. As Paul said, bringing every thought into the captivity, to the obedience of Christ. That's how you don't yield to it.

"…rather, yield yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God… [that's how we are to live] …For sin shall not rule over you because you are not under Law, but under grace" (vs 13-14).

God's grace is there. It is like an umbrella, with God's Spirit to give us:

• His grace
• His mercy
• His forgiveness
• His love

Verse 15: "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? MAY IT NEVER BE! Don't you realize… [Paul is getting very specific here, and we need to understand this, too]: … that to whom you yield yourselves as servants to obey, you are servants of the one you obey, whether it is of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (vs 15-16).

We can chose not to sin. When we are under temptation, it becomes difficult. But again, if we slip and fall Christ is there to help us and lift us up.

• let's see our standing before God
• let's see how this grace works in our lives
• let's se how the process of overcoming and getting rid of the sin within takes place

This we will see is the starting of it!

Romans 5:1: "Therefore, having been justified by faith… [because we believe in the sacrifice of Christ, we have been baptized, we have kept the Passover] …we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Whom we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand…" (vs 1-2).

You can't see it, but the lights used for this video, there are two umbrellas which reflect the light in a moderate way to light up the one who is speaking; in this case, me. As I look at those two umbrellas, it reminds me that the grace of God that we are under is like standing under a huge umbrella:

• with God's blessing
• with God's mercy
• with God's protection
• with His angels about us
• with access to God the Father through Jesus Christ for the remission of sins
• with access to grow in grace and knowledge through the circumstances in our lives

As we study and pray, and all of these things together! So, we stand in this grace:

"…and we ourselves boast in the hope of the glory of God" (v 2)—because the ultimate is to be in the Kingdom of God, to attain to the resurrection of the dead!

As Paul said, that he did everything within his might and power and strength, through the power of God's Holy Spirit, to attain to the resurrection of the dead. That's the hope of the glory of God.

Verse 3: "And not only this…"

IF you have that goal, and you have the overall knowledge and understanding—and you keep it focused in your mind that that's where you're headed—THEN you can handle the difficulties and problems which come from without as well as within.

Verse 3: "And not only this, but we also boast in tribulations, realizing that tribulation brings forth endurance."

Are you really going to obey God in all circumstances whether it is easy? or whether it is difficult? That's what it's talking about here.

Verse 4: "And endurance brings forth character…"

Character is what God is molding within us: His very character and love, to replace the sin within.

"…And character brings forth hope. And the hope of God never makes us ashamed because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us" (vs 4-5). That's a tremendous thing to understand!

Let's take one more look here as how God looks at us even when we are overcoming and trying to overcome the sin within. Does God condemn us? No, as long as we repent there is no condemnation! As long as we are in Christ there is no condemnation.

Paul said that the salvation of this sin within was going to come through Jesus Christ. Now because we are human and we have the weakness of flesh, how does God look at us? Well, He doesn't knock us down every time we sin, does He? No, but He gives us conviction of conscience that we need to repent of sin!

Romans 8:1: "Consequently, there is now no condemnation…"—as compared to what it was when we were still the descendents of Adam rather than the descendents of Christ!

"…to those who are in Christ Jesus, who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit…" (v 1).

• you are led by the Spirit
• you want to do the things of the Spirit
• you want to obey God and love God with all your heart, mind, soul,- and being

There is no condemnation to you!

Verse 2: "Because the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has delivered me from the law of sin and death."

You are delivered from it. It hasn't been removed, but you have deliverance from it. In other words, you can be saved from it. Here's why:

Verse 3: "For what was impossible for the Law to do…"

Let's understand something here very important: no law can forgive any sin! Law defines sin; that's all the Law can do. Transgression of which results in death.

Verse 3:"For what was impossible for the Law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh…" That's why:

• we always need to look to Jesus Christ
• we always need to look to the sacrifice of Christ

Through that alone can we become unleavened; through that alone can we fight and overcome the sin within. Notice that the reason is because when we fight the sin within and we overcome the sin within:

Verse 4: "In order that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." That's what God is doing here!

Let's see how this is done. There is a way to do it. Let's see:

• what God has provided for us
• how He has provided for us
• how we need to respond to God
• what He is going to give us to enable us to overcome the sin within

This is fantastic, brethren! This is all part of becoming converted, and conversion is a process, which takes place over a period of time and throughout our lives.

Colossians 1:9[transcriber's correction]: "For this cause we also, from the day that we heard of it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."

When we purge the old leaven out, we have to put something in! What we put in is "…the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthily of the Lord, unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work…" (v 9-10).

Why? Because: you are replacing the sin within:

• with the Spirit of God
• with the characteristics of God
• with the love of God
• with the obedience of God

So that you are fruitful in every good work!

"…and growing in the knowledge of God…" (v 10).

• that's what God wants us to have
• that's why we study
• that's why we pray
• that's why we have the Sabbath every week

Because it is the appointed time, where God places His presence so that we can learn of Him through His Word and the Holy Spirit!

That's how we need to prepare for the Sabbath. That's how I prepare for the Sabbath. Every single sermon that I do is new. I never go back and get any old sermon and say that we'll dust this off and give it. We do cover some of the same things, but it is all new, because:

• every year the circumstances have changed
• every year we have grown and overcome
• every year we still have sins left that we need to overcome

That's why we have to be growing in the knowledge of God continuously!

This is the knowledge of the Eternal God! So, regardless of how long we live in the flesh we are never going to understand everything we need to learn from the Word of God about the knowledge of God, because it comes in 'line upon line, and precept upon precept,' and through living, experiencing and falling down and asking God to pick us up and go on, and so forth.

Verse 11: "Being strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, unto all endurance and long-suffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father, Who has made us qualified for the share of the inheritance of the saints in the Light" (vs 11-12).

Notice that this is very important because it has to do with how God is dealing with us:

Verse 13 "Who has personally rescued us from the power of darkness and has transferred us unto the Kingdom of the Son of His love."

We are under the jurisdiction of God the Father and Jesus Christ, Who is the King, Who is going to bring the Kingdom when He comes, and we will become part of that Kingdom of God with an inheritance when Christ returns.

Verse 14: "In Whom we have redemption through His own blood, even the remission of sins."

Then he shows how Christ is greater than all, above all! Through all of this, here is what God wants to do with us.

Verse 20: "And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things to Himself; by Him, whether the things on the earth, or the things in heaven. For you were once alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works; but now He has reconciled you" (vs 20-21).

We can overcome the sin within—that's what we need to understand—with the very mind of Christ!

Verse 22: "In the body of His flesh through death, to present you Holy and unblamable and unimpeachable before Him; if indeed you continue in the faith grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which you have heard, and which was proclaimed in all the creation that is under heaven; of which I, Paul, became a servant" (vs 22-23).

Verse 26: "Even the mystery that has been hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been revealed to His saints."

If you understand what we're talking about here, it is a special revelation that God gives through His Holy Spirit and His Word so that we understand the great and grand and glorious plan of God.

Verse 27: "To whom God did will… [by God's will, by God's calling] …to make known [to you, to me, to all that He calls] …what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

What God is going to do in getting rid of the sin within is to replace it with Christ in us! As Paul says:

Philippians 2:5: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

Let's see how we combat and fight the sin within; Hebrews 12:1: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great throng of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight…"

• every care
• every problem
• every difficulty
• everything that comes along to cause us difficulties and problems

"…and the sin that so easily entraps us; and let us run the race set before us with endurance" (v 1). Here's how to do it; this is why:

• we pray every day
• we study every day
• Paul tells us to pray without ceasing
• we are told to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

Here's how we overcome the sin within:

Verse 4: "Having our minds fixed on Jesus, the Beginner and Finisher of our faith…"

• look at His example for what He did for us
• look at what He endured for us
• look at what He went through for us

"…Who for the joy that lay ahead of Him endured the cross, although He despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God" (v 2)—as our High Priest, as our Intercessor!

Verse 3: "Now meditate deeply on Him Who endured such great hostility of sinners against Himself so that you do not become weary and faint in your minds." Give up! You say it's too hard, God expects too much!

Verse 4: "You have not yet resisted to the point of losing blood in your struggle against sin." We will see how to get rid of the sin within:

• you have to repent and put it out
• you have to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
• you have to let God put His character in you through the power of His Holy Spirit

That's why it says, 'Purge out the old leaven.' Get rid of the old sin! Yes, absolutely. But we are now to put in the righteousness of Christ. That's what Colossians 3 is all about. So let's go there and begin right in verse 1.

Colossians 3:1: "Therefore, if you have been raised together with Christ… [through the operation of baptism (Rom. 6] …seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your affection on the things that are above, and not on the things that are on the earth" (vs 1-2).

God will take care of all those things for us, won't He? What did Jesus say? Don't be anxious about what you're going to eat, what you're going to wear, where you're going to live!

If you are setting your affections on the things that are above God will bless you, God will open the door; God will provide—provided you get out there and do the work that God expects you to do in your life—and He will!

It's like the old saying, a person is looking for a job and he sits home waiting for it to come to him. It won't come to him. He has to go get it. So likewise, if we are going to grow in grace and knowledge, and overcome in character, we have to go out and there do something. We have to not only repent of the sin within, but we have to put in the character of God to replace it so that we have the mind of Christ, that we can love God and do the things that He wants.

Verse 3: "For you have died, and your life has been hid together with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, is manifested, then you also shall be manifested with Him in glory" (vs 3-4). Here's what we are to do:

Verse 5: "Therefore, put to death… [by seeing and recognizing the sin within] …your members, which are on earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil desires, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience… [we are to be the children of obedience] …among whom you also once walked, when you were living in these things" (vs 5-7).

We are to put those things completely away. Today we have to fight radio, television, advertisements, movies; even walking through the checkout stand is almost like going through a semi-pornography experience when you see all of the stuff that is there. We have to put all of that out and not be tempted by any of those things. So we put them out!

Verse 8: "But now, you should also put off all these things…"

Changing bad character to good character. Getting rid of the sin within and putting righteousness within. So put off, put out, purge out:

"…wrath, indignation, malice, blasphemy, and foul language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man together with his deeds… [because the old man was buried in baptism] …and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him Who created him" (vs 8-10). It is renewal; let your mind be renewed!

Let's see what Paul wrote to them about renewing (Rom. 12), because getting rid of the sin within with the conversion and character of God is having our minds renewed and transformed by the Spirit of God and the character things that he's talking about here in Col. 3.

Romans 12:1: "I exhort you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, Holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. Do not conform yourselves to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind in order that you may prove what is well-pleasing and good, and the perfect will of God" (vs 1-2).

That's how we do it. So he defines it back here in Col. 3 a little more, how we need to put these things out. So whatever your problems are; if you want to make a list that's okay. But if you make a list of the problems and you forget them and don't work on them, your list doesn't do you any good. It's just like an 8-hour seminar that we had one time; a man came in and said:

Here's how you organize it: Priority A, Priority B, Priority C. When you get done with Priority A, you move up a Priority, B to A, and C to B, and so forth.

Then he got all done after the 8 hours and he says:

Now I want to tell you a secret. If you are motivated and you are focused on what you are doing, you won't need anything that I have told you in this 8 hours because you will automatically do it.

We could apply this to what we have here in putting off the old man and being renewed!

Colossians 3:10: "And have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge…"

It's a constant process, from the day of conversion to the day of our death in faith.

"…according to the image of Him Who created him" (v 10).

We are being created in the image of Christ from within, the very mind of Christ; Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Verse 12: "Put on then, as the elect of God, Holy and beloved, deep inner affections, kindness, humility, meekness and long-suffering."

These are all the characteristics of God and His love. Now it's hard in the world that we are living in, but it can be done.

Verse 13: "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another…"

And that's a very key thing. Jesus said that if you don't forgive your brother, God is not going to forgive you your sins! That's why we need to be forgiving one another.

"…if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so also you should forgive. And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection" (vs 13-14). That is the goal!

We are to have the love of God deeply in us to guide us, to lead us, to help us! And we can overcome the sin within. We can have it put away from us through repentance and prayer, and the cleansing and washing of the Holy Spirit of God, and the washing of the Word of God, so that Christ is created in us and we become a new man, a new woman, created in Christ Jesus.

There's something else we need to do. When we are overcoming the sin within we need to put it away from us. We need to ask God to give us the righteousness of Christ and to put it away from us.

Philippians 3:8: "But then truly… [Paul is recounting here] …I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as dung; that I may gain Christ"

Whatever it was in the world—what can that be compared to, to being a spirit-born son or daughter of God living in the Kingdom of God and having eternal life—it's nothing but dung!

"…that I may gain Christ and may be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is derived from law, but that righteousness, which is by the faith of Christ… [changing the sin within] …the righteousness of God that is based on faith" (vs 8-9).

Notice how Paul is applying to himself the same thing that we just read, focusing his mind on Christ:

Verse 10: "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection of the dead…"

It's a process! That is the goal! He didn't say he already has it made and the rest of you down there, you better get with it. He didn't say that at all. He says:

Verse 12: "Not as though I have already received, or have already been perfected; but I am striving, so that I may also lay hold on that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not count myself as having attained; but this one thing I do… [this is the most important thing of overcoming the sin within]: …forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching forth to the things that are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (vs 12-14). That is what we are to do!

Verse 15: "So then, let as many as be perfect be of this mind. And if in anything you are otherwise minded, God will reveal even this to you."

That's why you recognize and see the sin within! God is revealing it to you:

• so you can purge it out
• so you can put in the character of God
• so you can become like Christ

That's what Jesus meant when He said that we are to become as perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect! Paul has shown the way. That's how we overcome the sin within!

Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version

Scriptural References:

• Exodus 12:15-18
• Leviticus 23:4-8
• Deuteronomy 16:16-17

• I Corinthians 5:6-8
• Acts 3:19
• Romans 3:9-11
• Isaiah 55:6
• Romans 3:12-19, 23-26, 31
• Romans 5:6-11
• Mark 7:21-25
• Romans 5:12-17
• Romans 7:7-21, 23-25
• Romans 6:1-16
• Romans 5:1-5
• Romans 8:1-4
• Colossians 1:9-14, 20-23, 26-27
• Philippians 2:5
• Hebrews 12:1-4
• Colossians 3:1-10
• Romans 12:1-2
• Colossians 3:10, 12-14
• Philippians 3:8-15

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Numbers 28
• Genesis 15
• Luke 21
• Genesis 6
• 1 John 1

Also referenced:

• Message Series: Holidays vs Holy Days: By Whose Authority?
• Message: Which Came First, the Ritual or the Day?
• In-Depth Study: Wealth & Income: The Biblical Truth About Tithes & Offerings

FRC:
Original transcription date unknown
Reformatted: bo—12/2021