Get violent against your own sin!

In my devotion this morning I read Matthew 18:8-9 “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.
“If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.

Now go from these verses and read ROMANS 8:5-13:

There are three practical questions that will be able to be answered from our message today:
1. Are you a genuine Christian or just a professing Christian?
2. How are you supposed to daily live out the Christian life? Are you being what you say that you have become?
3. Why does it work this way Biblically?

General observations:
➢ Two options
o Set your mind on the things of the flesh
o Set your mind on the things of the Spirit
➢ Two results
o Death
o Life
➢ Two disciplines
o Eliminating sin
o Activating the Spirit

Specific observations about Romans 8:13
1. A condition – the word “if”
2. A person – the subject of the verb in this sentence is “you”
3. A cause or means – the Spirit
4. A duty – the verb “putting to death”
5. A result – life or death

QUESTION #1 - Are you a genuine Christian?
If you are living according to the flesh, constantly, habitually and as your normal way of life and not putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit then I would doubt if you are a genuine Christian. This kind of living ought to be the manifestation of one’s justification by faith that Paul covers in Romans Chapter 3-5. Also look at the words of the Lord Jesus again in Matthew 18:8-9. Are you daily making it a practice to kill the sin that is killing you?

QUESTION #2 - How are we supposed to live this kind of life?

Point #1 – “you” which is the subject of the verb are required to do something
You – are to put to death the deeds of the body

Turn to Matthew 18:8-9
Get violent against you sin! This is war and all traitors must be executed!

Point #2 – Do this putting to death “by the Spirit”
So in order to help us with “by the Spirit” go back to Romans 8:5-6
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
Rom. 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
And it points us to “things of the Spirit”

The only other place where this phrase appears is:
1 Corinthians 2:12-14
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

Definition of “things of the Spirit” from reading this context:
Words of God
Spoken by the apostles
Taught by the Spirit

Condensed down into one phrase would be “the things of Spirit” would equate to the word of God

Combine the thinking of the word of God and killing or putting to death the deeds of the flesh. The reason I think this is a good interpretation is because in Ephesians 6:17 when we are told by the apostle Paul to put on the full armor of God there is only one offensive weapon in that armor. That weapon is a sword and that is used to kill and we learn that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God.

In summary so far:
1. You put to death the deeds of the body
2. But do so by the Spirit which involves setting you mind on the word of God

Question that needs to be answered:
How do you kill the deeds of the flesh in such a way that your doing it doesn’t preempt the Holy Spirit?

Turn to - 1 Corinthians 15:10 - But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

Turn to – Colossians 1:28-29 - We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.
For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

Galatians 3:5 - So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
Two options:
Works of the law
Hearing with faith

Therefore if you want to find a way to triumph over sin so that it is the Spirit being victorious over it and not you then HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND BELIEVE IT!

Turn to Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me, the life I live now I live by faith in the one who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Illustration
Plug your faith into the socket of the word of God
You do this by believing the promises of God and that activates the Spirit to kill the deeds of the flesh.
Recommendation: In your devotion time keep a journal of all the promises that you come across in Scripture and start to memorize them.

QUESTION # 3 - Why it works this way:
John 16 – the Holy Spirit is sent to glorify the Lord Jesus

Deeds of the body = anxiety
➢ Matthew 6:25, 27, 28, 31, 34
➢ The problem Matthew 6:30 – “you of little faith”

Practical application from message today
➢ You kill the sin that is presently in your life – You do it!
➢ And according to the word of God you are to kill it – “by the Spirit”
➢ You kill the sin(s) in your life in such a way that the Spirit is doing it and not you
➢ Hear the promises of God, memorize the promises of God and believe them!
➢ Isaiah 41:10 and Psalm 84:11 – put into practice
I am combining my devotion this morning with study notes that I have on dealing with sin. These notes have no footnotes attached but are what I have collected over the years of study.