Fail Forward: Christ Sets Free From Sin
Fail Forward • Sermon • Submitted
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· 1 viewSin can't reign in me if Christ has set me free.
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ME
ME
The year was 2005.
I had joined the Middle Tennessee State University wrestling club after some friends from High School talked me into it.
They wanted me to wrestle at the 165 lbs spot.
But the problem was that I weighed 175.
So I dropped 10 lbs that week, and on Saturday I was ready to go.
Now I was kind of strong for my size and really stubborn, so I prided myself on never being pinned in a match.
That morning, still weak from not eating much all week, the unthinkable happened: I got pinned.
I was mad bc I let my team down and my unpinned streak was over.
And I was determined to never let that happen again.
I had one more match to go that day, and if I won, our team won the tournament.
I was matched up against this guy from Florida Atlantic University.
Now, their coach gave his team an interesting strategy: Slap your opponent in the face to distract them, then try and take them down.
Now, I'll admit that there's times I need a good slap in the face.
But I didn't feel like this match was one of those times.
But my opponent really didn't care about my opinion and he commenced to slapping me numerous times over the course of our match.
But despite all this slapping business, I ended up pinning this guy after a few minutes in what was probably the ugliest match of the whole tournament.
I won the match, we won the tourney and I never got pinned again bc I quit the wrestling club after that weekend!
*Title Slide*
WE
WE
We’ve all had times when we’ve failed.
We lost the game.
Made a big mistake at work that cost the company time and money.
Screamed at our kids or spouse out of frustration and said things we didn’t mean to them.
Or did something that we’re too ashamed of to tell other people about.
We can look at celebrities, famous athletes and successful people and think that they’ve got it all together and never messed up in life.
For every successful person we admire, there is failure preceding the success.
*Jordan Slide*
In a famous Nike commercial, Michael Jordan stated, “I’ve missed more than 9,000
shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been
trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and
over again in my life. And that is why I succeed”
Jordan found a way to learn from his failures and move on to become the greatest basketball player ever.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Every. Single. One of us.
But here’s the good stuff:
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
*Title Slide*
GOD
GOD
Romans is my favorite book in the Bible.
Martin Luther said this about Romans:
This letter is the principal part of the New Testament and the purest gospel, which surely deserves the honor that a Christian man should not merely know it by heart word for word, but that he should be occupied with it daily as the daily bread of his soul. For it can never be read too often or too well. And the more it is used the more delicious it becomes and the better it tastes. (Quoted in Brunner 1959, 9)
My little girl used to always say of food that she liked: “That’s yummy!”
For some, the Bible is delicious. If you’re walking in obedience to God, You want more of the Word.
For others, the Bible is bitter bc they’re openly defying God.
The truth doesn’t taste good to those whose lives are a lie.
The Book of Romans is important bc it addresses the problem of every human since Adam: sin.
All of us have failed.
Messed up.
Missed the mark.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The question is, how do we respond to this sin problem?
Do we keep turning to that which will destroy us?
Or do we accept this free gift of life offered to us?
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Don’t Let Sin Be Your King
So, do not let sin control your life here on earth so that you do what your sinful self wants to do.
When I first got saved, I had a friend one time tell me that I sinned every day.
Like I had to do that… didn’t have a choice.
So I asked him: “why would I do that?”
My friend didn’t have an answer.
You see, as Holiness people, "We believe that actual or personal sin is a voluntary violation of a known law of God by a morally responsible person.”
It’s not something that controls us.. unless we let it.
However, there’s no way that we could stand up to sin alone:
Our death and new life in Christ depend on a sustained union with him. These new realities cannot be taken for granted; they exist for us only as we participate in them. They are possibilities of grace, not personal entitlements. If we are “dead” to Sin, we cannot allow it to control our lives. In Christ, we may be “dead” to sin; but Sin is not dead. It will assert its oppressive rule wherever a power vacuum exists. Where Christ does not reign, sin will.
-William Greathouse
If Christ is not reigning over my entire heart, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t have full control to empower me, I don’t stand a chance.
But with that power I can stand up under any tempation:
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Offer Everything to God
Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
The Greek word for instruments used here is a military term.
So Paul is saying here that we must make our bodily parts available as “weapons for righteousness” (2 Cor 6:7 NASB) to advance the purposes of God in this world. When we yield to our selfish desires, we allow our ourselves to be used as “weapons for wickedness” (NASB).
It’s all about availability:
When we make ourselves totally available to sin, we become evil.
When we give all our availability to God, He makes us Holy and Righteous in order to do battle against the evil one.
We put ourselves fully at the disposal of God or Sin—there are no other alternatives. We are not given the option of autonomy or neutrality.
We do live in the world, but we do not fight in the same way the world fights. We fight with weapons that are different from those the world uses. Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments and every proud thing that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.
Now, I want to be clear here: We are in a fight. And the world is an evil place full of evil people.
However, our war isn’t against people:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Set Free by Grace
For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!
Many Christians in Western Culture believe that because we have been given grace that we can just sin all the time and it’s no big deal.
“I prayed that prayer and I’m good now. I’ll just sin a little during the week and raise my hands to praise Jesus on Sunday.”
Problem is, the church was never a building and has always been people.
And as former Yankees great Yogi Berra once said: ““No matter where you go, there you are”
If you’re habitually sinning every day, then sin has hold on your heart and you’ve shoved Christ right out.
And there’s no way you’re accomplishing the mission Christ has called you to.
Early Church Father John Chrysostom said:
The Absurdity of Remaining Captive. It is absurd for those who are being led toward the kingdom of God to have sin ruling over them or for those who are called to reign with Christ to choose to be captives to sin, as if one should throw down the crown from off his head and choose to be the slave of a hysterical woman who comes begging and covered in rags.… How is it that sin can reign in you? It is not from any power of its own but only from your laziness.
And here’s the really concerning part about a two-faced lifestyle:
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
Grace isn’t cheap, and our salvation was purchased with the precious blood of Christ.
When Christians go out and live sinful lifestyles, the Hebrew writer says it’s like they’re stomping on Jesus.
But the good news is that the amazing grace of God that saves us from our sins can also keep us from sin.
Freedom
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
When people choose to live in sin, they are slaves heading towards death.
Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave.
But slavery to God expresses itself in obedience and righteousness.
These qualities involve more than an inner disposition.
Sanctification takes physical expression.
When we offer ourselves to God, our bodies are put at his disposal.
We are not made holy simply to be saintly, but to serve.
We are not immediately transported to heaven.
We are enlisted in the cause of right in this world.
Lives of obedience, righteousness, and holiness made possible through sanctification are expressions of worship to God
And when we live righteous lives that worship God all the time, we help bring life and hope to those around us.
SIN CAN’T REIGN IN ME WHEN CHRIST HAS SET ME FREE.
SIN CAN’T REIGN IN ME WHEN CHRIST HAS SET ME FREE.
YOU
YOU
*TITLE SLIDE*
I want to be clear with you:
There are times that holy, sanctified Christians make mistakes and fail.
But there’s one of two ways to respond when that happens:
Sulk around, feel terrible and sin some more
Learn from your mistake, ask God to help you overcome, and keep moving forward into the holy life God has called you to live.
DENZEL WASHINGTON “FALL FORWARD” VIDEO
I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Title Slide
There’s probably been times in your walk with Christ that you’ve messed up
Hurt the heart of God
Hurt other people
Hurt yourself
But you don’t have to live in a cycle of sin just because you slipped up once.
You can Fail Forward!
Ask for forgiveness, learn from your mistake and press on towards the calling that the Lord has given you!
Water Bearer Pic
God Uses Cracked Pots
A water-bearer in India had two large pots, both hung on the ends of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot always arrived half full.
The poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water-bearer one day by the stream:
‘I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologise to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts.’
The bearer said to the pot, ‘Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.’
Thankfully, God uses cracked pots! You do not need to be perfect for God to use you.
Title Slide
WE
WE
What if we lived every day with the realization that Jesus reigns in our hearts?
What if when we tripped up in our walk with Christ, we immediately went to our knees in prayer to our heavenly Father instead of sulking in sin?
The world around us that wallows around in sin and darkness would see a purity and light in our lives.
And they would want to know why we are the way we are.
And we would have golden opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, telling all about this Jesus who saved us from sin and continues to save us from a life of sin today.
*Prayer*