Romans 6:8-19 (#21.2025.05.11)

Scott Keffer:

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance, and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi, and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show notes and download the blank insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there'll be a link to the episode website at beholding bibletruth dot com, and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.

Scott Keffer:

So when I was in college, I think I've shared this before, we had a what was called four one four program. And for four months, you did, you know, classes. And then in January, you did one class for one month. And one of the options was to go to England for a month and to watch plays and then to write up, you know, essays about the, play, which I did. Went to London and just hung out for a month. And we would watch the plays, and then we just kinda go and walk and see sights and went over there with a friend of mine. And I was struck as we visited the, you know, the the castles and the great, states of, you know, the folks in England. And I thought about how different England is from us because it's about kings and queens and you know? And I thought that's just so different for us.

Scott Keffer:

And I was always struck by that as I work with clients. I asked them, you know, where who came over here and, you know, where where where did your ancestry take you from? Because, fundamentally, if you wanted to get on a boat and come to America, you had to be a different kind of person. You had to be someone who was okay with the big risks and, you know, you had to be very independent, really, to risk your life kinda kinda to get over here. And went into business, wanting to be, an entrepreneur who had freedom and no boss. So I'm, although I've I've worked for others and did for years, I'm fundamentally unemployable. Right? I'm a great employee, but I I wanna be my own boss. And so I I learned, you know, self help. Right? Studied that whole, you know, discovering the power within you and all of that.

Scott Keffer:

And then I came to Christ when I discovered another power, another power in Christ. And then I learned the history of America and Christianity in America. People who came to America came for religious freedom. Fundamentally, they were protesters. Every know that with that's where the word came from? Protestants are protestants. We protested against authority. So, fundamentally, we have a freedom crest. We have a freedom version of Christianity in America because we're freedom.

Scott Keffer:

We're designed to be freedom. So this idea of having a king, having, right, submission to a king is kind of challenging. So a number of times along the way and I came to Christ outside of the local church, if you will, through a parachurch ministry, the navigators, and that's really where I grew. So a number of times, I had to go and ask for forgiveness with the pastors because I'm a rebel without a pastor by the mill. Right? So to come into that submission. So the idea of of, authority and particularly kingship is one that is foreign to our nature if you're an American. Right? It's not read into our DNA. Right? And so as we as we go through Romans, right, where we are struck with this idea that there are different kings, and there are different kingdoms, and there are different powers.

Scott Keffer:

And today, we're gonna look at as we hit this in Romans six that there's the power of Christ, but there's also the power of sin in our life, and the two are at conflict. So as we go through here, that's what we're gonna look at. Okay? So stand with me as we read. And you notice I left part of the script, Cheryl, that's on purpose. So show up in the middle of so dead. It's never to die again. So we're it's talking about Christ here. So it says death no longer is master over him.

Scott Keffer:

For the death that he died, he died in sin once and for all. But the life that he lives, he lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead in sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lust and do not go on presenting the members of your body with sin as instruments of unrighteousness. But present yourself to God as though it's alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be natural. For you're not under law, but under grace. What damage shall we sin? Because we are not under law, but under grace? May it ever be.

Scott Keffer:

Do you not know that when you present yourself to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, either a sin resulting in death or obedience resulting in righteousness. But thanks be to god that though you were slave of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, now having been freed from sin, you you became slaves of righteousness. I'm speaking in human terms because the weakness of your flesh, productive you presented your member as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness resulting in further lawlessness. So now present your members as slaves to righteousness resulting in sanctification. The word of the lord. Thanks be to god. So you don't hear the apostle Paul. The spirit of God to the apostle Paul is big and big.

Scott Keffer:

And it keeps going deeper and deeper. Right? So as you read through here, you, you know, you say, first, like, hold on. What what's going on here? What's going on? So let's see if we can pull this apart. It begins by talking about what has Christ done for us? What has Christ done for us? So he reminds us that Christ died to sin. Christ died to sin once for all. Christ died to sin once for all. And he said he and and as a result, he's been raised from the dead. He's definitely no longer his master over him.

Scott Keffer:

So if you think Christ died to sin, what does that mean? Did he have sin to die for? His own sin? No. No. Right? So our reminder, Christ was and is and will always be sinless. He is without sin. And you know that he appeared what did he appear in the world to do? Take away. Take away sins. Take away sins. Yet in him, there is, underline, no sins.

Scott Keffer:

So if you say, okay. So appeared to take away sins, but in him is no sin. Therefore, who sinned did he appear to take away? Yes. Yes. Christ died to sin for us. Christ died to sin for us. But if you stop on that because you yeah. If you're if you're a Christian, been a Christian for a while, you would answer that 100% of the time, and you get the answer right.

Scott Keffer:

But stop for a minute, take a breath, and think past the answer. And think about the fact that Christ died to sin for us. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. The uncontainable, eternally uncontainable, stepped into flesh in in order to die for me, for my sin, for your sin, for sin, for sin for us. He made him who knew no sin to be sin. What? How did he do that? What? Because I'm thinking like, what? He's sinless. He's without sin. He's holy, righteous, just, and true.

Scott Keffer:

In some way, he became sin, and the scripture says, on our behalf. On our behalf. What was the purpose? What was the so that? What is the what is this pointing to? What was the reason for that? That we might become Right. The righteousness of god underlined in him. This is in him. Required in him. In order that we might become the righteousness of God. We've been talking about that in Romans.

Scott Keffer:

The the the right standing with God in eternal fellowship with God, in eternal favor with God. Right? Having obtained an inheritance, sharing it with the lord Jesus. Right? Think what? On on our behalf. It's always stunning to me from eternity, the father, son, and the holy spirit in complete unity really devised this plan and purpose that Christ would would shed his blood to rescue, right, to rescue those who rebelled. Good day. I'm not god. I say, hey. You're on your own.

Scott Keffer:

I gave you everything. You rebelled. Hey. You're on your own. But he is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in, abounding in loving kindness, keeping loving kindness for thousands. He himself bore our sins where? In his body on the cross. He bore our sins in his body on the cross. Why? So that we might die to sin and live to righteousness by his stripes, by his wounds, we are healed.

Scott Keffer:

That the eternal sinless, god of gods and lord of lords, would take my sin upon him, would bear my wounds, bear my punishment in order that I might live. That's pretty good news. Because we wake up and our tendency is, what is God doing? Why is he not doing this? Why did he do that? Why did that person die? Why doesn't that person heal? Why was one person healed, the other person knew? Right? We don't wake up and say, what? Oh, lord. Righteous and just, why would you do this? Why would you rescue me? Why would you continue to pour out your grace and favor? Nobody wakes up and says, that's not fair. Right? It's our nature, isn't it? That's not fair. So it's good to remind ourselves, I know the answer to that verbally, but let it rest in our soul. Let it rest in our soul. That something happened to sin.

Scott Keffer:

Three components of sin. First of all, sin's judgment. There's a judgment for our sin. It is god's wrath. It's his wrath. It's his righteous judgment, which is eternal separation. Eternal. Eternal separation from the almighty god.

Scott Keffer:

So sin has a judgment to it. It is god's wrath. Sin has a judgment. Sin also has condemnation. There's condemnation that comes with it. Right? Separation and condemnation. Right? There's a judgment that's righteous, condemnation, and then there's a curse that goes along with sin. Yeah.

Scott Keffer:

Since judgment, god's wrath is condemnation and sin's curse. Because we tend to think, well, you know, Christ died for them because they're really bad. I know some people that he died for. They're Christ died for them. Me? I'm not so bad. I'm kinda not that bad. Right? Those people who are really sinners. Right? I'm not so bad.

Scott Keffer:

But he says he's justified as by his blood. We shall be saved. What are we saved from? The wrath of God, the righteous judgment of God. Certainly, one of my favorite we're talking about this. Sections in all the scripture is Romans eight, which begins, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Isn't that good news? No. Well, that's great news. That is great.

Scott Keffer:

And he redeemed us. What did he redeem us from? The curse of the law, the curse of the law. How did he do that? He became a curse. He became a curse. You think of that thing. Who would do that? Who would do that? Him, who although he existed in equality with god, he did not grasp it, became obedient to the point of death. Right? He humbled himself by becoming, right, like a man made in the appearance as a man, a servant, a bondservant. What? Became obedient to the point of death.

Scott Keffer:

Who is this woman? The lord Jesus Christ. Who is he? Stunning. And the and scripture tells us, no one has seen the father at any time. But the only begotten god, he has brought him out into the open. So he is a reflection of the father. Say, I don't like the father. Oh, that's my god. God, the old testament.

Scott Keffer:

No. No. No. Jesus is just reflecting the father. He said, you've seen me. You've seen the father. This is the heart and the nature of the father is communicated in and through the son. It was the father's good pleasure.

Scott Keffer:

It was the father's good pleasure instead of the son. This is debated debated through the centuries, debated even today, but Jesus Christ died once for all. Once for all. There isn't a better phrase than that. He died once for all. For Christ also died for sins once for all. Well, what was it? It was the Just. Just for the unjust.

Scott Keffer:

Who's the just? Christ? Who's the unjust? That'd be me. Raise your hand. That would be us. Right? Just for the unjust. Well, why did he do that? What was the purpose? He said, in order in order to what? To bring us to god. Bring us to god. Right? To reverse the curse, to take it upon himself, to take the condemnation upon himself to bring us to God. This is about fellowship back to God.

Scott Keffer:

Right? Having been put to death in the flesh, he's made alive in the spirit. And we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Once for all. Very good. Very good. Very good. So this section says in Christ in Christ, when we become in Christ, we are united. We're now united.

Scott Keffer:

We become part of everything he did, everything he was, and everything he will be. We become united. When we are in Christ, we are united with his death. We're united with his resurrection life. We're united with his inheritance. We're united with his position with the father. We are united. We are one of his brethren.

Scott Keffer:

We're united with him. And he says, I pray that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened, that you'd know the hope of this calling and the riches of the glory of his inheritance, whose inheritance, Christ's inheritance in us. Do you think about that? The glory of you get me? Like, you open up the wheel and you get kefir? Like, is that the booby fries? I mean, like, what? What do you think like that? Holy smokes. But he says, we need the eyes of our heart aligned that you understand there's a glory that god has produced. You know, we will be to the praise of his glory. We will be to the praise of his glory. We're united in his death and resurrection. So when you think about sin, we have been justified, which means we're free from sin's penalty.

Scott Keffer:

We've been justified. Free from sin's penalty, underline penalty. We are being sanctified, which means we're battling sin's power. We're gonna talk about it in a second. And we've been glorified, which is free from sin's underlying presence. These whom he called, he also justified. These whom he justified, he also glorified. K? If you speak English, you understand those words are in the past tense.

Scott Keffer:

Glorified is past. Justified is past. What's mean? It's already happened. Wait a minute. I'm going to be glorified. No. It says I've been glorified. K, Lord.

Scott Keffer:

Did you get the tenses wrong? No. Because we're time. We're time. We're focused on time, chronological time. In God's economy, in God's world, right, you are already glorified, which means it's the promise of the sin's presence to be gone. That one day, sin's presence will be gone. CJ no longer battles with sin. It's gone completely.

Scott Keffer:

When you see him, you'll be made just like him. Will that be good? That'll be great. Not only no tears and all that, but no more sin. No more battle with sin. And this says you are already are glorified. It's as good as done. By his doing are you in Christ Jesus. He's become to us what? Our wisdom from God and our Right.

Scott Keffer:

Righteousness. He's our righteousness and our sanctification. Holy smokes. It's like Christ is everything. Woo hoo. That's weird. Everything that I need and everything that in if I'm when he's revealing my desires, I should want, he is. He is for me.

Scott Keffer:

He is for me. Right? He is my sanctification my sanctification and my redemption. So he says, I've been crucified with Christ. No longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the son of god who loved me and delivered himself up for me. There's a life in you. So Jesus said, abide in me, your branch, on the vine. Branch doesn't have life on its own.

Scott Keffer:

The branch draws life. He says, I'm here to pour my life in you and through you. So, literally, the sustenance of your life comes from me. Well, that seems pretty intimate. Branch grafted into a vine. I've been crucified with Christ. Already done. Christ lives in me.

Scott Keffer:

Put that one in your pipe, the slogan. Christ lives in you. You're in me. Spirit's in me. What? Think about that sometimes. What? Don't feel like that a lot, does it? Don't feel like that. But here's Paul is saying, it's important that you begin by solidifying, deepening truth. What is true? Right? What is true? Because feelings are false prophets.

Scott Keffer:

We battle that, don't we? Then feel true feel true. Sorry. Reminds it is true. So he says, do count yourself. The scripture says you're dead to sin and alive to god. So he said, do count yourself. It and New American Standard is not even strong enough, but it says consider yourself. It's literally accounting an accounting firm a term.

Scott Keffer:

It means book it to your account. Like, count it as already sold. So he says count yourself dead to sin. A lot of times his life is I love in in the Psalms, spirit of God through David will say, soul, why are you in despair? Sometimes you just gotta call yourself up like so. That's why he said, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So he says, count yourself. Consider it to be so. Think on it.

Scott Keffer:

Meditate on it. What's interesting is this is what we feel and sense. Right? What I can see, what I can hear, what I can taste, what I can smell. We're used to living that way. Reality is right? Before Christ, this is reality. Right? If you can't measure it, it's not true. Right? This is so. When in fact, there is a greater reality that's invisible, and in it are the truths.

Scott Keffer:

It's the kingdom. Right? It's the kingdom where these are truths. So he says, gotta think on these things and you have to transform how you think. And, generally, if you spend a lot of time on this or any other right? This course, you know, is a is an HD sewage pipe to your brain designed with, right, crack like dopamine addiction to get you addicted to it, filled with messages that aren't based on truth. The very good thing. Right? On purpose. They are addicting you to your fan. What should I do? I do this.

Scott Keffer:

There it sits. Could you try again? Yes. See that thing? If you can do this? You can breathe. Well, I don't know. I think that's right. So it's a good idea to put it away. Travel with a knot at times. At least go for a time because there there ain't a lot of truth in that.

Scott Keffer:

Well, I know when I do my Bible study, Michael. Get it. Get it. Very good. Right? So he's saying count yourself. Reckon it to be so. Consider it. Count it.

Scott Keffer:

And then he says, do this. Don't do what? Do not let sin Reign. Reign. What? I know that word. Because I always talk about gods, savor, Rain tea. I talk about that word, rain tea. We're saying that sin has a rain. Thought I was the captain of my own desk, and I'm like the marble.

Scott Keffer:

Nobody told me what to do. I ride where I wanna ride. I go where I wanna go. Right? Maybe he's saying, you know, it's not so true. So he said, do not let sin reign. Literally means to reign over. And then he says, the other part of that is do not present the members of your body, the members. Hands, feet, mind, sight, thought, right, all of that.

Scott Keffer:

Do not go on presenting them as he calls it to sin. So you can present your members because rain has to do with king. Reign has to do with also slave. So that sin is a king's ship, if you will. So he says, do not want presenting your members, the members of your body, to sin as an instrument. He says as an instrument of unrighteousness. As an instrument of unrighteousness. Well, for Christ, I wouldn't have said, I present my members.

Scott Keffer:

I would say, I command my members. Right? I'm in charge of my members. I do what I wanna do. I go where I wanna go. I am who I wanna be in. But he says, wait a minute. Right? There was a presenting of your members become instruments of unrighteousness. Well, now in Christ, things become clear or clearer than they were, that sin has a reign in your life.

Scott Keffer:

And even though you've been freed from sin's dominion, it's still hanging around. I'm gonna say, I don't I don't need a bible study to tell me that one. I don't need you to tell me that one. I know that one. Right? The battle remains. Battle remains. Well, sin is a funny one because it's in me. So we can identify Satan.

Scott Keffer:

I know Satan, the world. Right? They're they're my enemies. Right? I know god and his power. Right? I know Satan and his power. But like Satan, we will often underestimate Satan's power. Scripture says you severely underestimate sin's power, which is twofold. Number one, before Christ, you had no idea how powerful sin was in your life, how much you serve sin. Right? And sin was reigning over you.

Scott Keffer:

So there's still a power within us. Oh, okay. Well, let's see if we can identify what is sin's power like. What's the nature of sin's power? What does sin want? What does sin and us want? Well, sin is a power in you, and it seeks to rule you. It seeks to rule you. All you have to do is look around at the world, and it's easy to see that most people are ruled. Most people are ruled by their desires and, right, pleasures and whatnot. Just look at like it or not, just look at COVID when the entire world went around putting masks on, which are proven to do nothing and stay at your house and die quietly.

Scott Keffer:

And the entire world did it. It was like it was like God was showing to the world, this is who you are. Jesus said, like sheep without a shepherd. There are shepherds out there who are evil ones, right, who seek to do evil. But it's just a reminder. Sin in us seeks to rule us. Sin we're we'll look at this in seven, Romans seven. Sin which dwells under, like, in me.

Scott Keffer:

Paul's saying it's in me. Before I go that nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh. So there's a there's a flesh part that still exists. The old man, the old flesh. Right? Still there. How many scripts with that old man, old woman every day? See it in the mirror, groans and bones and right? All of that stuff. Right? And so what does it do? Right? I'm willing is present, but the doing of good is not. That's a great picture.

Scott Keffer:

Right? The second thing we're reminded is that sin is pleasurable. It is for time. Sin is pleasurable for time. Why do you think they give out free crack? That's how you do it. Hey. Try some of this. Before you know it? Yes. Yeah.

Scott Keffer:

Because SIN what SIN is see, first, we get the buzz, then the buzz gets us. That's the way SIN works. At first, we get the buzz. At first, we get it. Right? We get the payoff, but then the payoff gets us. That's the deal. It's got a hook on it. So it's flexible, ain't it, for a time for a time? But I think Moses, it says, you know, when he had grown up, he'd choose rather to endure ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures, underlying passing pleasures.

Scott Keffer:

Let's admit it. Soon is fun. It can feel good for a time. First, I get the buzz, then the buzz gets. Next, sin sin himself is deceptive, not just the enemy. Right? So we have the enemy, right, who is a deceiver, but sin is deceptive. It says, but encourage one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Right? So that what? So that none of you will be Or pardoned by the deceitfulness of sin.

Scott Keffer:

Sin deceives. It's not for you. And it's saying what happens is, right, that that there's a you know, if if if I do this enough on if you if you rub your hands enough, what you gonna what are you gonna get? A blister, and then that turns into Callus. Callus. So that's the picture here that if you stay in sin, it becomes callus, which means we're callus to the spirit. We're callus to other believers. We're callus. That's what it says.

Scott Keffer:

Encourage one another as long as it's still called today. Right? There's a deceitfulness of sin. How many been down this sin's path? Like, I've been down there. There's a great in in Proverbs five and I think seven, it talks about the adulteress, but you could just put sin. You could just put sin there. And sin says, come on over. Like and the, you know, the young man, he scrolls down the same street. Like, there's sins bad.

Scott Keffer:

I'm just going I just go over there for a little while. You know? It's kinda cruising down the street. But so it's a great reminder. Sin is deceptive. And sin is a power at work in your body, and it's in there to entice lust. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lust for all that is in the world. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the boast of pride of life. Well, that sums up my challenges.

Scott Keffer:

Good. Well, in those three, I don't have a challenge. Plus to the flesh, plus to the eyes of both of the pride of life. And that's so then so my sin. What are my sin? Specific, but they'll fall under one of those three. Usually, pride pride leads to, right, the other one. So there are lusts. Right? And sin is at war with the spirit of God who now lives in need.

Scott Keffer:

So the flesh does what? Sets its desire. It's a that's not a strong enough word. I mean, it's in opposition. It's in battle array against the spirit, the spirit against the flesh. For these are in they're they're battling. How many felt that battle inside? Spirit of God, the flesh. Right? Thanks inside. Right? That's the battle that goes on.

Scott Keffer:

Right? We're battling inside. Opposition one another. So may not do the things that you please. That's true. It says in Romans that impurity leads to lawlessness, lawlessness to more lawlessness. So sin is progressive. It's progressive, isn't it? It just starts out here, and then it goes here, and then it goes here, and then it goes here, and then and, actually, it's it's progressive like that. It's a downward spiral.

Scott Keffer:

Right? So he says, how blessed is the man who does not walk does not walk in the council of the wicked nor stand in the path of sinners nor First, I'm walking, and I stop. And then I sit. Now I'm sitting with the scoffers in my mind, in my heart, my life. So he says there's a progression. At first, you're walking, then you're stopping, then you're sitting. So just understand. Right? Understand that there's a progressiveness to sit. And that's all you know? And I just tell myself, oh, I'll just try a little and just, you know, just wanted to get out of this.

Scott Keffer:

And he talks about your members as instruments. That's really interesting. Instruments. So right what do you think of when you think of an instrument? Musical. Musical instrument. Could be surgical instrument. Right? Something like that. Well, actually, that word, the Greek word for that is the word for a weapon.

Scott Keffer:

That that it's the tools that are used in warfare. So SIN seeks to weaponize weaponize the members of your body. That means my my senses, my, right, my flesh, the stuff here. And then what is sin is weaponizing the members of your body against who? Your sin. You. You. That's what Paul said. Buffet my body.

Scott Keffer:

Make it my slave. Buffet my body. Right? So it's easy. We don't have the all. It's easy to surrender to the to the to the will of your body into that. Your body wants things it wants. Body likes comfort. Some of that's not so bad.

Scott Keffer:

Some of that is. Sometimes sin's not just bad stuff. It's just too much good stuff. Sometimes. Right? Sometimes. Sometimes. So it weaponizes the members of your body against you. Holy smokes.

Scott Keffer:

Well, that's depressing. Soon as the power within me, it seeks to get me to reign to it. Well, scripture says you have been freed, literally set free. But he says there's a but. So he says, do not do not surrender. Do not surrender to sin, but present yourself to god. So it says, don't surrender your members to sin, but present yourself, not just your members, but your whole self to god. You you you present your whole self.

Scott Keffer:

So you surrender your whole self. Well, the ears, they rub. Because Jesus says, come to me all who are weary and be late. I will give you rest. Well, that's I don't read past that. There isn't anymore. Is it he just says, come to me. I'll give you rest.

Scott Keffer:

Was there more? What's he say? Take my Yeah. Oh, I don't like that part. Okay. Let's do the first part. Okay. Come through all of your weary and everything. I'll give you rest. I don't want a yoke.

Scott Keffer:

So is there some rest in between yoke to sin or yoke to Christ? And then I'll just go on my own. Like, no yoke. No yoke. I thought you were But he says, take my yoke. What's the yoke? The harness where you are connected. Where the one goes, the other goes. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am humble and gentle of heart, and you shall find rest for your souls.

Scott Keffer:

So find rest for your soul. Well, I wanna do that, but can I not have the yoke thing? That's what we want, isn't it? Give me the rest, take the benefit. But he says, you will find rest. Why? Well, I'm humble. Gentle at heart. Why wouldn't you? Because I know better. Right? Think about all that. I know better.

Scott Keffer:

I wanna do what I wanna do. Go where I wanna go. Right? When you turn, I don't wanna have to turn. I wanna decide. Jesus goes over there. Give me a minute. I'll decide. Right? That's kinda what I want.

Scott Keffer:

He says, I urge you therefore, brother, and by the mercies of God. So he says, check out how merciful he's been. Why would you be afraid to surrender to him? Because I wanna be in control. Well, how was your life when you were in control? It's true. Well, not so good. How's your life when you try and exercise control? Well, yeah, doesn't always work out. Well, why wouldn't you consider my mercies? I gave my son. My son came.

Scott Keffer:

Is there anything I'd withhold from you? No. So why would you be hesitant? The sin's not work. And sin wants to be god. So he says, I urge you therefore, brother, by the mercy of god, to present your bodies living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to god. This is how you worship. Not just going up and singing together. That's the outer part of the inner worship. This is only relevant as it's indicative of this.

Scott Keffer:

Right? Ever get that? The the you you come together to do together what you've done alone, which is present your bodies, your whole self, a living and holy sacrifice, taking his yoke. So you surrender your whole self and take Christ's yoke. I can't even do that without his help. Isn't that good news? I can't even do that. I can't do that. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Here's the good news. He's willing to help.

Scott Keffer:

He's willing to help. And he says, remember, sin shall not be master over you. In other words, sin before that, right, people say, well, of course, I have free will. I do what I want. Okay. You're not controlled by sin. We would just say, sure. You're making decisions day by day.

Scott Keffer:

Drop the pencil. Go here. Go there. But, ultimately, your life sin is master over you, ruling over you. So that's been broken. Right? He's broken the reign of sin. The blood of Christ, right, on the cross, shed for you, broke the reign of sin, but sin's still the power, we're still bad. We're still bad.

Scott Keffer:

But he says, ultimately, in first John, whoever has been born of God does not and this is important. Right? If you read your translation, it'll say does not sin, but literally, the Greek means habitually habitually sin. Living individual sin. Why? Because his seed remains in him, and he cannot eventually sin. Why? He's been born of god. We're his We're his. So he's broken the power. Well, how do I do that? Hard, isn't it? Where he says, I'm giving you the provision.

Scott Keffer:

What's the provision? My spirit. If you buy the spirit, if you buy the spirit, if you buy the spirit put to death, what are you putting to death? The deeds of the body. And I can't see the holy spirit. Holy spirit's even more confusing. And then, like, where is the holy spirit? What's he doing? Where is he? How do he's not helping anymore? Don't you feel like that? Like, what? Right? But he says, the holy spirit's there. You can put you can put sin to death by the spirit by the spirit. And you can put an underline or a line from spirit. Right? So it's where in that where it says by the spirit and go up to Psalm one because it says, how blessed is the man who does not.

Scott Keffer:

But what does he do? His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law, he meditates day and night. So we need the spirit of God and the word of God. They work in concert with one another. The word of God, right, implanted in your soul. So they work. And he's he meditates day and night. Well, it's important to remember that temptation is not sin. I get that? Yeah.

Scott Keffer:

Temptation births sin if we stay with it. But to be tempted to lust, to be tempted to greed, to be tempted, right, to to to to covet, temptation is not sin. When when it in James, it says when sin had when tempt when lust has its way, temptation lust lust to sin, then it's birth sin. But to be tempted is not a sin. To go with it is sinful. Everybody get that? So it's not to be tempted, that's it. But we always, right, are falling. Righteous man falls seven times seven times.

Scott Keffer:

So what do I do? I confess throughout the day and at least daily. What do I confess for? Two things. Forgiveness. We confess our sins. He is faithful and righteous to forgive, but even more important, I need help cleansing, washing it away, washing its power away. It's twofold. So when we confess or forgive me for coveting, forgive me for relusting, forgive me for anger, forgive me when I murder that person, forgive me who wanted to tear them down publicly and, right, to forgive me for, right, stirring up. Forgive me for right? There's two parts of that.

Scott Keffer:

One, Lord, forgiveness because, right, it it hurts the quality of my relationship. The quality, but not my relationship. You don't break your relationship. It's just the quality. You come to him. We're cleansed, and he helps well, he forgives, and then he helps cleanse it. Need you to wash it. Bringing me a clean heart and an upright spirit, renewing me the joy of my salvation.

Scott Keffer:

It's a great part, isn't it? Not just not just forgive, but renewing me the joy of my salvation because you feel terrible. Right? If he convicts, we come to you. And keep in mind, the enemy, the difference when when the enemy comes against you, right, he wants you to be away from God. So you sin and fall. What's the enemy gonna say? Again? What kind of Christian are you? How are you gonna I'm gonna tell that Sunday school class what you did, Keffer. Why don't you go ahead and tell those people what you think, what you wanna do, what you did? What does that do? Keep me from god. You can't go to him like this. You gotta clean yourself up.

Scott Keffer:

What does god do? Conviction brings me to god. Conviction brings me to god. Accusation pushes me away from god. Conviction brings me to god, right, where god says, come to me, and I'll cleanse you. In fact, you should boldly come before the throne of grace that you might receive mercy, could you sin, and grace to help in time of need. That make sense? Or just one, when I'm conviction, and I and and I'm I'm broken, the enemy wants to keep you. You better clean yourself up. You better stay over there.

Scott Keffer:

He'll have to keep you in the dark and keep you under accusation. Or God's convinced, but you should come close to him. And if anyone sins, what do we have? We have an advocate. Who is it? Jesus Christ, the righteous. He's advocating for you. Go to him. Go to him. He's a faithful high priest.

Scott Keffer:

He's been tempted in always as you have, yet without sin. There isn't anything that you are tempted with that the lord Jesus didn't face. He overcame. But he understands. He has compassion because he's felt it. He's felt it. So confess daily, and throughout the day, he confess daily and throughout the day. The last is he reminds us, for sin shall not be master over you for you are not what's he say? Under No.

Scott Keffer:

Under under grace. You overcome by grace, not by, I'm just gonna try harder now. I'm just gonna, oh, will myself to not sin. That works for a lot of four seconds. What? Right? I'm not gonna come with any. Ah, shit. Try that one. So he said you started by grace.

Scott Keffer:

Right? You started are you foolish having begun by the spirit? Are you not being perfected by the flesh? We can't will our way to sanctification. Can't will your way. And so he says, you're you're o you overcome by grace. You're overcome by his power. You overcome by his provision to overcome sin. So we present ourself to God, which is the real deal, which is what this section is about is who is your king? That's really the question. Right? Who reigns? For whom have you that's what he says. Every knee shall bow and every tongue.

Scott Keffer:

Yes. Yes. But remember I said, go back to Isaiah. Every tongue swear allegiance. That literally is a quote of that verse, which is more this year. Right? To whom have you sworn allegiance? So he reminds us. He's broken since reign in our life, but sin has power within us. More powerful sometimes than we know.

Scott Keffer:

We're battling. Not just not just Satan and the world system, but inside. We've got this internal battle. Sometimes I'm battling out in the world, but every day I'm battling this internal battle. But he's made provision. The spirit by his spirit, with his word, with his people. Right? All of that. Alright.

Scott Keffer:

Present yourself to God. Write down an insight. If you would. United with Christ and in Christ. Okay. Who had an insight? Yeah. I mean, now in in Australia, number one cause of death among teenagers, suicide. Number two in America.

Scott Keffer:

Number two in America. Not a disease, but suicide. Why? Because we've, like, sin run rampant. Choose your own path. Like, you know, here's here's the here's the tree of good and evil. Eat of it early. Like, early on, eat of it. And then, you know, eat of it every day here.

Scott Keffer:

Right? And then what happens? You wanna kill yourself. Why? The ends thereof are the ways of death. There's a way that seems right to a man. The ends thereof are the ways of death. Sin has a purpose, at the end of which is death. So if you read Proverbs five, the end of that is death. Right? You'll be with stone with death. Right? So no surprise there.

Scott Keffer:

No surprise. We've been rescued from deception. We've been rescued from accusation. We've been rescued from that. Even temptation. Right? So make sure that you cry out for help. For sin. Sin is powerful, but not more powerful than the one who redeemed you from sin, who freed you from sin.

Scott Keffer:

It's so he's saying, I'm here to help. I've been tempted in always as you have, yet without sin. Therefore, come boldly before the throne of grace. Right? There these are some practical things. Remember in the end, he is our help. That grace is what's available to overcome. Mercy and grace to help. Mercy for your fallenness.

Scott Keffer:

Right? When you've you've and grace to help and time to meet. Right? So call out to him for sure. May the god and father of our lord Jesus Christ, may he bless you. May he keep you. May he cause his face to shine upon you. May he lift up his countenance and grant you shalom, peace, the peace of God, the eternal peace of God. Deepen your soul as you battle sin and know that he has made you, and within, you can overcome. May he bless you and keep you.

Scott Keffer:

Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance, and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the Bible and his son, Jesus Christ. Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time, may God bless you and keep you.