Radio Broadcast Wednesday 03/27/2024

Classic Christianity – Book of Hebrews P85 (03-27-24)

If You Are in Christ Jesus Count Yourself Dead to Sin

~ If you are not being asked the question, or people are not accusing you of giving people a license to sin, you can bet you are NOT teaching the truth of the word of God. Because when the Truth of the Gospel is taught, this question always comes up. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? And the answer is by no means! A person asking the question in the first place doesn’t understand what salvation is. Salvation is not getting your sins forgiven, it is receiving the Holy Spirit in you when you agree with God. Don’t let people put you on a guilt trip. They are the ones that are walking around in unbelief. They are the ones who are actually doing the license to sin. After all, with them, it’s sin and confess to get forgiveness. Then when they sin again, they confess again for forgiveness. On and on it goes. That is being a slave to sin. That is not free in Christ Jesus. That is not living by faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. So count yourself dead to sin, and Alive to Christ Jesus. Don’t let unbelief be your master. You can never be dead again. You are forever alive in Jesus if the Holy Spirit lives in you.

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 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." ^{Romans 6:1-14}

~ “The questions that Paul answers in six are coming to answer the natural question that man asked when he is confronted with the truth of the gospel, that it is finished, that sin has been dealt with once and for all, that he came to take away your sin, that there is no condemnation awaiting you who belong to Christ Jesus. Now by that one offering He made forever perfect in the sight of God, all of you whom he is made holy. When you are confronted with the finality and the totality of the forgiveness of God, you and I knowing full well, I still have conflicts in my flesh. And the things that I want to do I don’t do the things I don’t want to do I do anyway. And your natural question is, What is God doing when I do what I know I shouldn’t do? If there’s no condemnation? How could he just let that go? You’ll just go rampant well, you’ll just go out and just sit up a storm as if you weren’t under the law. But isn’t that true? That’s the questions that are being asked with, with with a grace to what do you say if there’s no condiment? What’s to keep you from doing that? Isn’t that true or not? In other words, from God’s what’s to keep you from doing that? What’s to keep you from giving sin a license? License isn’t the issue. Punishment is not the issue. Slavery is the issue. Now Paul’s going to deal with that. The question What shall we say then, you can just almost hear it sounds like our radio program? What are you saying him Bob? We should go on setting so Grace could abound? That’s what you always get. Yeah, same stuff. Go on sin, so grace may increase? Why do you ask that question? Because we’re too dumb to understand grace. Because we do not understand, nor have we settled the issue, it’s finished. Now if this question is asked, because we have settled issue and it’s finished and therefore say, now how do we handle this grace in which we live, that’s okay. Now, Paul says by no means in other words, is the issue of salvation so that we can go on sinning? Now his reason Christ came to die for you is so that you can keep on sinning? Now when I ask you something, let’s say that you could keep on sinning. Let’s say the lifestyle that you and I have led and still could lead today and some do. I want to ask you a question. That’s what he said was it is it beneficial? What does it do to you? Saying go and be a homosexual? Sure and get AIDS. Is it beneficial to you? Well, of course not. It’s perverted. You don’t need God to tell you that you know it yourself. You go out and get drunk is it gonna do you any good? No, you get hangovers you get enslaved by booze, you ruin your family. There’s no benefit to any of that any benefit to going out and running around committed adultultry? None at all you’re ruined your family deceived again thinking some body over there can do something that your wife can’t do. The fantasy deal that oh that whoo would that be something. Don’t you wonder how the same thing could be something? I mean there hadn’t been anything new added. What is that? Well it’s deception. Deception. And so that’s what he’s saying to it. Was there any benefit to that at all? No, it’s the very thing it made you some miserable to turn to Christ to begin with.” ~ Bob George

Bible Study Booklets

Join Bob George in this chapter by chapter exposition of the book of Hebrews. Available for download the complete series on the Book of Hebrews. The Book of Hebrews is key to understanding the New Covenant.

Announcer 0:12
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George Bob’s clear, timeless teachings on the complete forgiveness and unconditional love of Jesus Christ will transform your life as you learn about God’s amazing grace. Let’s join Bob as he teaches us from God’s Word.

Bob George 0:28

What the desires of the flesh are is in total conflict with what the desires of the Spirit are, the desires of the flesh, I’m gonna get my way. The desires of the flesh always is I’m gonna look out after number one. I want to take care of number one. After all, if I don’t look after me, who’s gonna look after me? Well, I understand that if you’re lost, because that’s a pretty true thing, because I guarantee it there aren’t too many other people gonna look after you. And so if you do not have a relationship with Christ and be able to depend on him, you better depend on yourself because there’s very few other people you can. And so your issue is I’m gonna look out for number one, I don’t care whether if there’s an advantage to be had, I’m gonna get it. There’s a deal. I’m gonna get it. I don’t care what you get or not. I’m gonna get that deal. For me. That’s flesh, self centered, egotistical flesh, and its desires are rampid, aren’t they? And so we have two sets of desires, the desires of the flesh. And we’ve got the desires of the Spirit of God that lives in us. Well, where does our attitude come in? When we’re meeting with these things? It’s that attitude of Lord, not my will, but yours be done. It isn’t the case of denying that those desires are there, they’re there, aren’t they? And they’re being bombarded constantly by the enemy of our soul. Now, how many times do we give into those things? Don’t tell me. Do y’all admit, Do you not give into the flesh, the desires of the flesh? When you give into the desires of the flesh, and that can be a little bit or a whole bunch or keep going on. When you give in to the desires of the flesh, do you not sit back and ask questions like What in the world is wrong with me? Why do I do this? What the heck’s wrong with me? Do you or not? Why? Well, why else do you think Christians ever go to counselors? What do you go to counselors for? A counselor, I got all together just want to talk to you, here’s 100 bucks. We go to counselors because of the attitude. The only reason the world would ever go for counseling, is because there’s something in the depths of our soul saying the things I want to do I don’t do and the things I don’t want to do I do them anyway. In other words, I don’t understand what I’m doing. Is that right or wrong? There’s something wrong here. I don’t understand it. And I sure need to understand it. And for some reason, we think that guy we’re talking to understands it. What we don’t know is he sitting there saying me too.

So that whole thing comes in to things of what to do I don’t do the things that don’t want to do I do them anyway. Now, folks, when we’re meeting into circumstances of life, we have constant choices that we’re dealing with in life. And the choice is, I can’t deny this desire the flesh, it’s there. I also can’t deny that as a child of God, there’s a desire of the Spirit of God living in me. And that’s also there. And my choice is, which one am I going to give into? Am I going to walk with an attitude, Lord, not my will, but yours be done? Or am I going to walk with an attitude, Lord, not your will, but the flesh is desired to be done? And there’s my choice.

Now, when you’re under legalism, and you’re under a punishment, penalty deal for giving into the flesh. If there’s a punishment over here for giving into the flesh from God, then my thing is, wonder wonder how much it is and wonder how bad it is? Because of it isn’t to bad it might be worth it. Now, right, sure, it’s worth it. And then we go ahead and give into the flesh and we find out. I don’t know where the punishment supposed to come, but I didn’t get it this time. So maybe I will get the next time. That felt pretty good. I think I’ll try it again.

Speaker 1 18:33
Let’s conclude side one. Now please stop your consent, turn it over and continue with side two.

Bob George 18:44
And there’s all kinds of mindsets that take place when all you’re dealing with is punishment. Or you want to Christ did with this whole deal. He said the punishment deals over, there is no condemnation for you who are in Christ Jesus. You can go out and give into the energy of that place if you want to you can go get into that place and you can go get drunk if you want to and everything else and I’m telling you there is no condemnation for me awaiting you. The condemnation for you doing that was put upon me 2000 years ago at the cross and that’s what I hung on a cross and died for. Well what do you say Well then what’s the motivation? Not my will but Yours be done. Why Lord do I want to do your will? Turn back with me to the book of Romans chapter six.

Now folks, he’s the questions that Paul answers in six are coming to answer the natural question that man asked when he is confronted with the truth of the gospel, that it is finished, that sin has been dealt with once and for all, that he came to take away your sin, that there is no condemnation awaiting you who belong to Christ Jesus. Now by that one offering He made forever perfect in the sight of God, all of you whom he is made holy. When you are confronted with the finality and the totality of the forgiveness of God, you and I knowing full well, I still have conflicts in my flesh. And the things that I want to do I don’t do the things I don’t want to do I do anyway. And your natural question is, What is God doing when I do what I know I shouldn’t do? If there’s no condemnation? How could he just let that go? You’ll just go rampid well, you’ll just go out and just sit up a storm as if you weren’t under the law. But isn’t that true? That’s the questions that are being asked with, with with a grace to what do you say if there’s no condiment? What’s to keep you from doing that? Isn’t that true or not? In other words, from God’s what’s to keep you from doing that? What’s to keep you from giving sin a license? License isn’t the issue. Punishment is not the issue. Slavery is the issue. Now Paul’s going to deal with that. The question What shall we say then, you can just almost hear it sounds like our radio program? What are you saying him Bob? We should go on setting so Grace could abound? That’s what you always get. Yeah, same stuff. Go on sin, so grace may increase? Why do you ask that question? Because we’re too dumb to understand grace. Because we do not understand, nor have we settled the issue, it’s finished. Now if this question is asked, because we have settled issue and it’s finished and therefore say, now how do we handle this grace in which we live, that’s okay. Now, Paul says by no means in other words, is the issue of salvation so that we can go on sinning? Now his reason Christ came to die for you is so that you can keep on sinning? Now when I ask you something, let’s say that you could keep on sinning. Let’s say the lifestyle that you and I have led and still could lead today and some do. I want to ask you a question. That’s what he said was it is it beneficial? What does it do to you? Saying go and be a homosexual? Sure and get AIDS. Is it beneficial to you? Well, of course not. It’s perverted. You don’t need God to tell you that you know it yourself. You go out and get drunk is it gonna do you any good? No, you get hangovers you get enslaved by booze, you ruin your family. There’s no benefit to any of that any benefit to going out and running around committed adultultry? None at all you’re ruined your family deceived again thinking some body over there can do something that your wife can’t do. The fantasy deal that oh that whoo would that be something. Don’t you wonder how the same thing could be something? I mean there hadn’t been anything new added. What is that? Well it’s deception. Deception. And so that’s what he’s saying to it. Was there any benefit to that at all? No, it’s the very thing it made you some miserable to turn to Christ to begin with.

I mean, I don’t know about you but I came to Christ I came to Christ because that’s a sick of it couldn’t stand me. And all that stuff I thought was so much fun. One so much fun. Makes a slave out of you. So he is saying, wait a minute you died to sin. That does not mean you die the sinning, does it? So what is sin in the Bible? Unbelief. When you became a believer, will you ever be an unbeliever again? So you died to that being an unbeliever. In other words, the sin of unbelief you’ve idea that if you’re in Christ today, now you’ve got someone living in you with that you can believe in. You got another object to believe in except yourself, and the deception that is out there banging on you all the time. Is that right or wrong? So you’ve died to that you How could you live in a day more? In other words, you lived in this deception and unbelief. Why would you want to go live back in that again, you saw what a gotcha. We go through life that way, folks. The little kid comes into home, I just have that wagon. I’d be the happiest kid alive. You gave the wagon five minutes later is looking for something else. Oh, I get that bicycle. Oh, if I just get that tricycle, I’d be said you get the tricycle next door. Next week, Larry looking for a bicycle. And then you get the bicycle. And after while you’re looking for the car. And all of it. Oh, that little girl just liked me. I’d be so happy. She likes you for about a week and say I’m gonna get rid of her because this other one looks better. And you go on and on and on. Oh, if I could just make a million bucks, I’d be happy. And if you make a million, you’re looking for two. Oh, if I could just be a lawyer. Oh, oh. Oh, if I could just be a doctor. It’d be so wonderful. Then malpractice insurance and people suing you for looking cross-eyed and say brother in what it’s cracked up to be. Where all of our life we’re always saying, Oh, if if if were just always out there someplace. And we know that’s deception. They said if you know it’s deception, why do you still want to listen to it? Why do you still want to listen to it? You’ve got now something inside of you that is truth called Jesus. Why do you want to listen to that when you’ve got him? In other words, not my will. That is coming as a result of these desires of the flesh. That’s saying Bob, you want to do that, don’t you? You’re sitting there. And you say yeah, but my will but Yours be done.

Click to Donate to Bob George Ministries

If you’re enjoying the Book of Hebrews, check out our website, Shop.BobGeorge.net. There, you’ll find a whole collection of messages from the book of Hebrews, as well as other DVDs, CDs and Bible studies available for purchase. That’s Shop.BobGeorge.net. Let’s join Bob. Now as he continues the radio program.

Bob George 12:57
Or don’t you know he said it all of us who were baptized that doesn’t mean dunked in water placed into Christ. When you and I were immersed into Christ became a part of his body, we’re baptized when you did were placed into his death. We are therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, that we too may live a new life a brand new life not an old one but a new one. Now if we have been united with Him and His death, we will certainly be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self, who was the old self? Bob George with that Spirit of God live in him. Bob George the unbeliever. That guy was crucified with Him, Bob, George without the Spirit of God living in him that guy doesn’t exist, never will couldn’t be. Had guy living in unbelief. No way that guy’s gone, he’s dead. I’m no longer an unbeliever, I’m no longer a man without the Spirit of God living in me. And in as much as He’ll never leave me nor forsake me, I never can be. So in order to be a new creation, quite frankly, and to enjoy that you have to also believe in the eternal security that God gave to you otherwise, you’re not even living in the newness of life, because the newness of life would be something you could lose. So the old Bob George is was a man without the Spirit of God living in me. Now if that guy could return that he’s not dead. So if you are in Christ, instead of in Adam, but in Christ as this brand new creation, it says that that old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with that we should no longer be slaves to sin, because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now, folks, later on down here, you’re going to see we’re a part of the body of who? The body of Christ and up here it says the body of what? Sin. You got a body of sin, you got a body of Christ. You and I were placed into the Body of Christ. Whose body were we in before? The body of sin, and sin and what? Death. So you got two bodies, you’re in Adam, the body of sin, and you’re in Christ, the body of Christ, that when you and I were in the body of sin, that body of sin being in Adam has been done away with. I’m no longer in Adam. I’m in the body of Christ. And when you’ve been died, I’ve been I have been freed from what? Sin, see, read these passages of sins me I’m not free from sin. When that right how are you going to read that? If sin is what we think sin is? Well, you and I’ve been freed from sin. What is sin? Unbelief. Now you’re going to see that clarified down in verse 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you’re not under the law. But under what? Under grace. That’s the conclusion there, folks. The whole issue that has confused so many people in regard to this whole issue we’re talking about is concluded as to why you are dead to sin, is because you are no longer sin will no longer be your master. Why? Because you are no longer under the law but under grace. What did Grace free you from? From sin being your master. How is sin your master? When you’re living in it. And sin being unbelief, means I am living in unbelief. And if I am living in unbelief, thinking in unbelief, how am I going to be acting? In unbelief, your body is going to take you whats you’re believing. It is the grace of God that frees you and me to realize there is no condemnation awaiting me who belong to Christ Jesus. I’m a new creation in Christ created an image of God for good works. I’m no longer the old guy. I’m the new guy. I have a brand new capacity living in me to believe and understand truth that will set me free. I am no longer under the law, because the law does what? Kills. If I’m under the law and the law kills, then what could happen to me when I sin under the law? Dead, is that possible? No. So all of those things have been taken away with our identity with Christ. And we are now in a situation where I’m going to look at these temptations and to see what they do to us.

Now look at verse 15. What shall we say then again? Shall we sin because we’re not under the law, but under grace? In other words, if this thing of the law, that sin should not be my master, because I’m no longer under the law, but under grace, well, then shall we sin because we’re not under the law, but other grace? Again, By no means. Don’t you know that when you offer yourself to someone to obey Him as slaves, you’re a slave to the one whom you obey, whether you’re a slave to sin, which leads to death or obedience, which leads to righteousness. Folks, do you know? Have you noticed that in your life where sin does not stop? It’s like a snowball going down a hill. It keeps collecting more snow, and more snow and more snow. Why do I want to be into a situation when a temptation comes to say, Lord, not my will, but yours be done? Because if I give in to the desires of the flesh? After that desire, the flesh is satisfied. Is that kind of it? Say, Oh, I won’t want that anymore. You know, that old thing the cigarettes satisfy? If they did, you don’t need one. Right. Now, do you smoke one and then say, well, I’ll do that. That does that for the year. You want two and four and six and eight. And on and on on. What do you become? A slave to a stupid cigarette. A little white stick that controls your life. How do I know? I used to be controlled by a little white stick. Now we’re not in talking about the evils of smoke and drink. I’m talking about the principles of what sin does to you. You get in and decide have, you know, I think maybe I’d like to. I think maybe I’d like to have a little affair with this over there. So is that the last time ever had that desire? You give into one. How easy is it given to two? Before long you become a slave. I think I’ll just have a little little snort tonight. Haven’t had a snort in longtime thing you just have one of those. And let’s say it’s a problem to you. Do you want to stop with one? No. It goes on and on. How come? Well because you become a slave to it. critical spirit. Well, they’ll just criticize those people over there for a while. Have you ever noticed how criticism doesn’t care what it falls on? And you start criticizing one group, the next thing I know, I’m criticizing two. And I start criticizing people don’t particularly like before. Like I’m criticizing people I do like that’s why the Lord says Love your enemies. Why you can’t afford the luxury of hating him. You start hating your enemies before long, you’ll start hating your loved ones. Because hate doesn’t care when it falls on. It just keeps falling. And you become a slave to hate. So folks, when you’re talking about these choices, you see Satan’s got our minds on punishment, fear, death, law, how come? Well he can keep your mind over there, he can keep you off of what are you becoming a slave to keep you off of the real issue, keep you away from the true solution to the real issue. And like I say, after a while you come down to the point and say, Well, I’ve been doing this sin for a long time God hadn’t sat me yet, so might as well keep it up. Because I’m gonna tell you something, folks, if God is not zapping you which he is not, then that idea that if you keep doing that God’s gonna zap you. That’s what gives a person a license to continue in whatever they’re doing because they found out that’s not true. He didn’t zap me at all. So what now is there to keep me from anything except the guilt trip of a preacher, I get tired, listening to him I quit going. The only thing that’s going to keep you and me to be able to walk in the newness of life that has been given to us in Christ Jesus is to realize the finality of all of this, and to realize the reality that you and I have been made into this brand new creature in Christ. And as this brand new creature in Christ, we live with choices. And we have a choice to give in to the desires of the flesh that are pounding at our wills every day of our life, do it, do it, do it, do it feel good. Or to be able to say I’d rather have Jesus. I’d rather have Jesus. Those are our choices that we live by.

Why would I rather have Jesus because I’m going to be somebody’s slave folks one way or the other. Paul said, I’m a volitional slave of Jesus Christ. Who’s slave are you? Are we a slave of Christ, because all of us are slaves. It just who we gonna be a slave to? Are we going to be a slave to the one who said, I made you, Bob, I know exactly what’s best for you. When I tell you not to do that’s because I don’t love you. It’s because I do. When I tell you and warn you about this lifestyle over there. It’s not because I don’t love you. It’s because I do love you. And my desire is for you to have the best, not the worst. And when I tell you don’t do it, it’s not to cramp your style. It’s to give you some style. Because Bob, if you will continue to listen to me, you will become a volitional bondservant. Just like Paul said to me, where your mind will continually be being renewed, not my will but Yours be done, Lord, not mine butcher, it’s not dying, but yours. And you’ll find out it’s an abundant life. And you keep giving in to this desires of the flesh, you’re going to become a slave to and it will take you right down the primrose path and ultimately kill you, not me, it. No punishment, no condemnation. Just doesn’t make sense as a child of God. And those are the decisions that he gives us. To enable us to grow up and to think to know who we are to realize that no condemnation that is ours through Christ Jesus. And to be able to therefore walk as that relational bondservant with a total attitude in our lives, moment by moment day by The day Lord, not my will, but yours be done. I know these desires over here, but not my will, but yours be done. I know I got this desire to be number one, I know I got this desire that boy, there’s a good deal, I’m gonna get it. I don’t care if anyone else gets it or not, I know that desire is there. But not my will, but to be done. That’s what it means to walk in truth not in fantasy. But in truth. Let’s pray together.

Father and the struggles of life that we all have, our minds are bombarded from one end of this world to the other. There’s not a person sitting in this room, that this very week this very day, maybe have not suffered conflict in our minds against what we know to be true. And what our desires in the flesh are telling us that we ought to be a slave to. We think we’re running our own lives. But the matter of fact is that we’re kind of neutral. We can either yield to you, who runs our lives, or we will yield to Satan who runs them. Now we’ve died to that unbelief. We’re no longer unbelievers, we’re children of a living God. And we’ve been given your Spirit living in us so that we can know and comprehend and understand truth. Father, teach us, give us that courage of conviction, to be able to say no. And yes to you, not legalistically, but because it’s best for us. And we’re going to thank you, Father, what you’re going to continue doing in our lives as we trust you as your children. And it’s in his name we pray. Amen.

Announcer 27:11
Thank you so much for tuning in to Classic Christianity with Bob George. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s program. We truly hope that today’s message has inspired you to walk a life of faith in the Lord find more information online at BobGeorge.net. There you will also find available CDs, DVDs and Bible studies available for purchase. It’s through your help that we are able to spread the good word of Jesus Christ. Until next time, walk in faith be good to one another and praise the Lord. Amen.