Going viral is a common phrase nowadays that is used for sharing something through email or social media that quickly spreads to thousands or even millions of people online. While it may be a piece of news, a fad, or something funny, most things that go viral on the internet are harmless and go away as quickly as they came. But, when it comes to our health and our bodies, things that go viral can be deadly.
For example, in the mid-1300s, when a dozen merchant ships arrived at a port in Sicily, they were found to be carrying the dead and dying bodies of sailors who had the plague. It was so contagious that the infections became uncontrollable. As people were infected and traveled elsewhere, they took the plague with them. Within 5 years, 1/3 of Europe would die from the disease.
Much like the plague, sin spreads and ravages people's lives. Even though God provides a divine remedy to sin, most people are unaware of how it works. So today I want to talk about how to live out the truth that, in Christ, we have victory over death and sin. Are you set apart by Jesus? PRAYER.
I explained in a previous message concerning holiness that we are holy in the sense that we are set apart from the rest of the world. Being set apart is also the meaning of the term sanctification. The concept of being set apart in Christ is a major truth and that theme is woven throughout the New Testament. Even though the theme of being set apart in Christ is prevalent throughout the New Testament, sanctification remains one of the least understood aspects of discipleship. So, the Apostle Paul did his best to make this truth understood. He wrote to the Christians living in Rome.
Romans 6:5-7 – “For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,”
Paul taught that believers have been made free from the enslavement of sin. He based that teaching on the themes of death and resurrection. He argued that when Christ bore our sin on the cross physically, we as believers participated in His death spiritually to become free of sin. When He died, God's divine wrath against sin was satisfied, once for all, and Christ secured forgiveness for anyone who would believe in Him. Since then, in a theological sense, the moment any individual repents and places their faith in Christ, the power of Christ's sacrificial offering is bestowed on that individual.
Not only are we united with Christ in His death but we will also participate in the likeness of His resurrection. Even though Christ died, He now lives. He defeated death and sin. Jesus's literal and physical resurrection from death demonstrates the Lord's absolute power over death and authority over the grave. Praise God!
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Everybody wants to be free. No one wants to be enslaved to their passions and the basic instincts of human nature. But at the same time, each of us has experienced times when we have fallen short of God's best, or, in some cases, we have acted in ways that were completely unbecoming and unacceptable for a child of God. Yet as believers who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, we are set free from sin's grip through this process of sanctification.
Regarding believers, Paul explained that our former unredeemed nature has now died in Christ. This means that the old self that existed before our spiritual conversion and rebirth has now been crucified. When you accepted Christ, your sinful nature was put to death. Since that moment, you have entered a new spiritual dimension. That's when we are redeemed, set apart from both the penalty and the power of sin.
When Saul was knocked off his horse on the road to Damascus and he experienced first-hand the resurrected Jesus, Jesus explained to Saul what he is now preaching in the Romans passage. Jesus told him:
Acts 26:17-18 – “I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
Saul, now known as Paul, remembered that and carried that theme with him as he preached elsewhere. He said to the Galatians:
Galatians 5:16 – “I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
Paul continued to preach that idea when he said to Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:21 – “So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
We can easily get confused by the word "sanctification". But to simplify it, sanctification is the process of being made holy, resulting in a changed lifestyle for the believer. God is separate or set apart; in the same way, things and people dedicated to Him and to His use are set apart. It is a deep spiritual truth and a simple reality, but easier said than lived out. Scripture teaches us that unless we are enabled, our now dead sinful nature has no ability on its own to enslave us or take over our lives. Not any more.
When we accept Christ our old self has died; it is crucified with Christ. And if we have truly accepted Christ, our old rebellious nature that once ruled our bodies, theologically speaking, has been rendered powerless. We are now able to control and overrule those sinful desires. Being spiritually dead to sin, we can choose to be unresponsive to the powerful lure of sin that once enslaved us. We are able to turn away more easily from the temptations when they come.
But we can easily be lured into sin, can’t we? Like the 2 brothers that were getting ready to boil some eggs to color for Easter. The older brother told the younger one, "I'll give you a dollar if you let me break 3 of these eggs on your head." "Promise?" "I promise."
Very happily the older brother broke two of the eggs on his little brother's head. The younger brother took it and waited expectantly for the 3rd egg as the first 2 drooled down his face." When is the 3rd egg coming?" he asked. "It's not," replied his brother. "That would cost me a dollar."
The young boy was lured into thinking he was going to get what he wanted. But in the end, he just ended up disappointed with egg on his face. That's what sin will do to us. It lures us into thinking we are going to do well to follow sin's lead. But in the end, we end up disappointed and failing our Lord.
Romans 6:8-11 – “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
When Christ substituted His own self to die for our sins, He did it once for all. Salvation is only possible because individuals recognize their guilt before God and they receive Christ's atonement on their behalf. As a result, we are forgiven.
Because we are forgiven, we are saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved. We're being saved in the sense that God will continue the good work he began in us at our conversion. "He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it." (Phil.1:6) Now don’t think that this growing in Christ towards spiritual maturity and holiness is something that is set aside for special saints trying to seek super Christian status. No! If you are a Christian, you are to follow Christ wholeheartedly. Sanctification applies to anyone that has accepted Jesus Christ as their very own. If Jesus is your Savior, you are sanctified. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?
And I can tell you that there's no greater sense of freedom and security than salvation. The amazing reality about salvation is that believers can have it now. When we accept Christ as our very own, our eternal life begins right then. And as we live with that thought of possessing eternal life for the rest of our earthly life and then forever more, we feel very liberated. We have received the priceless gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
I wonder sometimes if believers actually dwell upon that thought of having eternal life right then. If believers don't meditate on that truth, they will live their life beneath the victorious life that God intends. They become more focused on the temporary and fleeting concerns of their daily life instead. Some even lose confidence in the assurance of their salvation. Have you ever wondered if you were truly saved? If so, then you know what I’m talking about. God wants to free us forever from those thoughts.
And the goodness of it all is that salvation has past, present, and future dimensions. To those who believe, God has promised eternal life. Those who surrender to God's mercy and receive Christ's forgiveness move from death to life. Their eternal security became a reality the moment they placed their faith in Jesus.
As a person sincerely confesses sin and believes in Christ, saving faith is imparted through the new birth.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”
The new believer receives unmerited grace as a gift from God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift, not from works, so that no one can boast.”
I hope that you understand that you cannot work for the saving grace of God You don’t have to. Nothing you do can earn you your salvation. You can’t get to heaven by being good. It is a gift from God.
What does salvation mean? Salvation ensures that we won't be given over to eternal destruction. Because God's Holy Spirit fills us with His divine life, Christians can feel secure and celebrate the power of Christ over death. So, we accept Christ and become sanctified. We are saved from eternal death to eternal life. So now what? What should we do now? Paul says:
Romans 6:12 – 14 – “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.”
Listen closely. I’m almost through. Being a believer is more than just taking up space while you wait for your eternal reward. Paul says that we are to live righteous lives, not settle for decades of boring spiritual mediocrity. What do I mean by that?
Every Christian is engaged in the process of sanctification, whether we fully realize it or not. The process begins with God's wisdom and goodness. He intentionally works to make us more like Him. But at the same time, God allows us enormous personal freedom. As we choose to pursue righteousness due to our new heart, God moves us another step toward His holy purpose in our lives.
Now here's your chance to examine your spiritual life under a magnifying glass. Think deeply about your spiritual life. Spiritual transformation happens from the inside out. Holiness begins in our spirit, then it works its way through our souls, our mind, our affections, and our will. Ultimately holiness becomes visible in our actions and behaviors.
As God works inside us, the spirit of God draws our spirit into an intimate relationship with Him. That will produce a love for God and the things of God. It also causes us to reject the worldly ways that we used to think, feel, and act and results in a personal transformation.
Many times it is a slow process and we don't even realize it. But eventually, over time, we realize that our desires have changed. As we become more aware of God's power in our lives, our lives and actions change. We find it becomes easier and easier to have spiritual victory over sin. Then, as we submit to the control of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we reach the point where we consistently obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit and we live a life in the victory that Christ intended.
Where are you in your spiritual walk? Have you been set apart by Christ? Or maybe your spiritual walk hasn't yet begun. You can begin that walk right now. If you've never accepted Christ as your personal Savior, why not begin your spiritual walk now and be set apart by Jesus.
