Audio Length: 46:01 Ministered @ Grace Community Church Arroyo Hondo New Mexico 12/17

Opening Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial?

Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 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.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Often times Christians are waiting on God to deliver from sins when all the while, God is waiting for each and every one of us to lay down and turn away from all sins and unrighteousness.

To Mortify the deeds of the sinful flesh and the lusts thereof. Yield not to temptations and to not allow sin to have dominion over us, all the days of our born again life in Jesus Christ our Lord

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Romans 6:11-14 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Neither yield ye your members (part’s of the physical body) 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.

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

There’s a difference between claiming a life without sin and living a life without sinning. What does this mean? A life without sin is claiming to being morally perfect from the beginning, a life without sin, guilt or the penalty thereof; which no one has ever done.

For God charges all humanity with the guilt of sins (Romans 3:9-18). But Christians are to live a life without sinning. Jesus Christ ministered to a woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you, Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). If that were not possible, He would never had ministered this fact.

1 John 1:5-8 This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness,

Walking in darkness is walking in sin. Because sin is darkness, which originated from the prince of darkness; satan

we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Now those who claim to be “sinners saved by grace” will use (1 John 1:8) as their defense to justify themselves why they can never live the life in total and complete power and victory over all sins, and temptations that Jesus Christ died and raise from the dead for.

Here’s a reality check: they have rejected the cross in their heart (and the cross stands for victory over sin and death and for holiness). So they are rejecting holiness while they claim to love Jesus Christ and call Him Lord

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

What are Jesus Christs’ commandments? To live holy and love one another which is summed up in,

1 John 3:1-16 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.

And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil

Jesus Christ ministers, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:31-34). And He has come to destroy the power of sin which is the works of satan from a child of God’s life; completely.

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

When we gave our heart completely to the Lord Jesus Christ, He delivered us from bondage, the power and the penalty of all sins through His blood first and for-most!

Analogy: Before Jesus found us, we were bound in prison and shackled in sins, worldliness and all manners of lusts of the flesh. But when we came to repentance, Jesus Christ unlocked that prison cell and had unlocked those shackles.

All we have to do is take off those chains and walk out that prison cell, because sins no longer has power to keep us bound.

But so many Christians sit there believe and say, “the shackle are still on me” and never see themselves totally free because Jesus Christ did not take off the shackles for them nor carried them out of the prison cell.

It’s not all on the Lord to cleans His bride. The Holy Bible Teaches us, that it is the responsibility as the bride of Christ (Christians and Jews) to keep from sinning. To ready herself for marriage to Christ eternally while we are still on this earth!

We Have A Responsibility To Ready Ourselves Before The Lord Comes

Matthew 25:1-13 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins (the body of Christ), which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom (Jesus Christ Himself). And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the Bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the Bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.

The wise, before they fell asleep readied themselves. NOTICE: No where in this passage of Holy Scripture does it ever mention the Bridegroom readied His bride. But the bride readied herself before the Bridegroom cometh. So must all Christians do likewise. No difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant in this matter,

Genesis 35:1-3 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him,

Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Beth-el  and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

Even Jacob realized that in order to enter into the presence and fellowship with God, he and his household must come to repentance, meaning to stop sinning.

What does that say to this Generation who thinks they can still have fellowship with God while living in sin? God forbid! God does not take council nor have fellowship with sinners and heathens. Light has no fellowship with darkness at all!

The Holy Bible spells out what Christians must do to ready ourselves before the appearance of the Lord,

Colossians 3:1-10 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.

Mortify therefore your members (sinful deeds of the carnal flesh) which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 

for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: in the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another,

seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;  and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him (Jesus Christ) that created him:

Even Jesus Christ preached the Gospel of repentance. First mentioned after He came out of the wilderness, “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17). He also specifically preached, “Repent or perish” (Luke 13:1).

You Must Be Born-Again

Now no one can live according to the standards of God in the flesh. You cannot do it alone apart from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads us and empowers us to walk Holy and circumspectly with Jesus Christ?

He also lets us know when we are in danger of sinning against the Lord and falling out of His fellowship before-hand,

Galatians 5:16-25 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Those who follow the leading of the Holy Spirit without deviation, is walking in the Spirit of God. Not choosing to live according to your own desire or will, but God’s.

Those who are in subjection of the Holy Spirit will not want to gratify the sinful flesh. You cannot have complete victory over sins without repentance, without the cleaning blood of Christ and without the Holy Spirit

 “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law”

And in this we know for sure, the Holy Spirit DOES NOT LEAD ANYONE TO SIN OR VIOLATE GOD’S HOLY BIBLE!

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings,

and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Jesus Christ died on the Cross, raised from the dead and ascended back into heaven in bodily flesh to give us life to our mortal bodies. Meaning to live in the Spirit of God in order to put to death all sinning. To give us life Spiritually.

And when we continue to live as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God as our reasonable service (Romans 12:1-2), He will give eternal life because we remained holy, faithful and obedient to God, even to the point of death

Romans 8:1-14 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Jesus Christ has delivered us from the power and penalty of all sins. Therefore we are no longer sinners or slaves to sin, but are the righteousness of God through the blood of Jesus Christ

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Since Jesus Christ condemned sin in His own body, we likewise must do also daily. This is part of following Jesus Christ as Lord

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His (the Lord Jesus Christ’s). And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

But if the Spirit of Him (Father God) that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 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. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

The Summation

Colossians 1:9-14 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

What is God’s will? Your salvation and sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3),

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son (Jesus Christ): In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: