We all have sin in our life that we are keeping on life support. A habit, a temptation an addiction, that we need to pull the plug on.
We read in Romans 6:6-7 that Christ, through His sacrifice on the cross, put to death our old body of sin.
When we asked Jesus to save us, we were made totally new. The old us was put to death, we became a new creature in Christ freed from the bondage of sin.
But immediately a battle began to take place. While are a new creature, we still desire what the body put to death has to offer. So we put that body on life support.
As time goes on, we find ourselves going back to something that can only bring disease and decay. We are freed from the dead body of sin if we choose to be, but we keep going back and it causes us so much trouble.
Read Romans 7:15-17
We all struggle as Christians. We know we should be doing this, but we do this instead. What we know we should not be doing, we do anyway.
Verse 17 – tells us that sin dwells in us. Question, what is sin doing dwelling in us? How did sin get there? The answer is, we keep going back to the morgue trying to resuscitate what Christ has put to death!
There are two main issues that call us back to the morgue:
I. Selfishness
Selfishness is defined as: being devoted to or caring only for oneself. It’s difficult to be a Christian and selfish at the same time and it costs us when we try!
Have you ever been angry at God because He is not giving you what you want? We get frustrated, impatient and eventually start to look for a workaround.
When we can’t manipulate God, we return to the morgue looking for help. The world is full of Christians who ruined lives by putting their hope in something dead, rather than the One Who gave them life.
As His children, any time we try to work our way around God, it will never end as hoped.
II. Temptation
Temptation drives us back to the body of sin desiring something God has forbidden. Often the desire is something the body of sin has already enjoyed.
[bctt tweet=”Temptation drives us back to the body of sin desiring something God has forbidden.” username=”michaelkduff”]
When temptation presents itself we have a choice, nail it to the cross and forsake it, or run back to the morgue screaming. “Hey wake up I need your help get what God has forbidden!”
When we take the first step of running back to the morgue, Satan has our next step all planned out!
There are many things we go running back for, but even if we succeed in getting them, there will always be consequences to sin.
That body will always be there, so how do we defeat it?
III. Pull The Plug
John the Baptist gave us these instructions, “REPENT!!!” Repent simply means a change of direction. When our sinful desires draw us back to the body of sin, we need to repent (change direction) and ask God to help us run back to Him.
As Christians, the power to resist dwells within us through the Holy Spirit. The Spirits purpose is to guide and direct us. It’s the still small voice inside that convicts us saying, “You better think about what you are about to do!”
Conviction says, “That’s sin, you can resist. Choose life instead! You can do all things through Christ Who has already defeated this sin for you! Repent, turn go the other way.”
In Christ we can pull the plug and stop trying to resuscitate what Christ has put to death.
What has Christ put to death in your life that you are trying to keep alive? Isn’t it crazy that we lose so many battles to something that is dead!
Today is the day we need to stop being a slave to something we have been freed from! Today is the day to pull the plug!
How have you defeated selfishness and temptation in your life? Leave a note that may be a blessing to others!