Finding Freedom: Understanding and Overcoming Sin

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. Romans 8:1 - "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
2. John 8:34 - "Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.'"
3. Romans 6:11-12 - "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions."

#### Observation Questions
1. According to Romans 8:1, what is the status of those who are in Christ Jesus? How does this relate to the sermon’s message about condemnation? [40:31]
2. In John 8:34, Jesus describes the relationship between sin and slavery. How does this concept of slavery to sin help us understand the seriousness of sin as discussed in the sermon? [41:14]
3. Romans 6:11-12 speaks about being "dead to sin and alive to God." How does this passage align with the sermon’s call to see ourselves as dead to the power of sin? [01:22:02]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. The sermon mentioned that sin kills our relationship with God and others. How does understanding sin as a form of slavery (John 8:34) deepen our comprehension of its impact on our lives? [41:14]
2. The pastor discussed three categories of sin: transgression, iniquity, and sin. How do these categories help us better identify and address sin in our lives? [52:12]
3. The sermon emphasized the importance of discernment tools like Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and the counsel of fellow believers. How can these tools help us navigate and avoid sin in our daily lives? [54:54]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt enslaved by a particular sin. How did it affect your relationship with God and others? What steps can you take to seek freedom in Christ from this sin? [41:14]
2. The sermon mentioned that even small, seemingly insignificant sins can grow and become destructive. Identify a "small" sin in your life that you might be overlooking. How can you address it before it becomes more significant? [42:28]
3. The pastor talked about recognizing the bait of temptation and running from it. What are some practical ways you can recognize and avoid the bait in your own life? [01:09:37]
4. Discuss a time when you used the discernment tools (Scripture, Holy Spirit, counsel of fellow believers) to determine if something was a sin. How did these tools help you make the right decision? [54:54]
5. The sermon emphasized the choice between dying in sin or dying to sin. What does it mean for you personally to "die to sin"? How can you make this a daily practice in your life? [01:22:02]
6. The pastor mentioned the importance of confessing our struggles to God and others. Is there a specific sin or temptation you need to confess? How can you find accountability and support within your small group? [01:12:18]
7. Reflect on the idea of making no provision for the flesh (Romans 13:14). What are some specific actions you can take this week to avoid giving in to sinful desires? [01:20:45]

This guide aims to foster a deep and engaging discussion about the nature of sin, its impact on our lives, and practical steps to overcome it through the power of Christ.

Day 1: The Enslaving and Deadly Nature of Sin
Sin is not just a minor issue; it enslaves us and leads to death. It kills our relationship with God and others. Recognizing the seriousness of sin is the first step towards seeking freedom in Christ. Sin is like a chain that binds us, making us slaves to its destructive power. It doesn't just affect our spiritual life but also our relationships and overall well-being. The Bible emphasizes that the wages of sin is death, highlighting the ultimate consequence of living in sin.

Understanding the gravity of sin helps us to appreciate the freedom that Christ offers. Romans 8:1 assures us that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, which means that through Him, we can break free from the chains of sin. This freedom is not just about avoiding punishment but about living a life that is full and abundant, free from the destructive power of sin. [41:14]

Romans 6:16-18 (ESV): "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness."

Reflection: Think about an area in your life where you feel enslaved by sin. How can you seek God's help to break free from this bondage today?


Day 2: Understanding the Different Types of Sin
Sin can be categorized into transgression (betrayal of trust), iniquity (distortion of what is good), and sin (missing the mark). Understanding these categories helps us identify and address sin in our lives more effectively. Transgression involves a deliberate act of betrayal, breaking trust with God or others. Iniquity refers to a moral distortion, where something good is twisted into something harmful. Sin, in its broadest sense, means failing to live up to God's standards and purposes for our lives.

By recognizing these different types of sin, we can better understand how they manifest in our lives and take appropriate steps to address them. This understanding also helps us to be more compassionate towards others, recognizing that we all fall short in different ways. It encourages us to seek God's grace and guidance in overcoming these sins and living a life that honors Him. [52:12]

Psalm 32:5 (ESV): "I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent situation where you may have transgressed, committed iniquity, or missed the mark. How can you seek forgiveness and make amends?


Day 3: Using Discernment Tools to Identify Sin
To discern if something is a sin, we should consult Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and the counsel of fellow believers. These tools help us navigate life as believers and avoid falling into sin. Scripture provides us with God's standards and principles, the Holy Spirit guides us with conviction and wisdom, and fellow believers offer support and accountability.

By using these discernment tools, we can make more informed decisions and avoid the pitfalls of sin. It's important to stay connected to God's Word, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, and seek the counsel of trusted believers. This holistic approach helps us to live a life that is pleasing to God and free from the entanglements of sin. [54:54]

Proverbs 11:14 (ESV): "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety."

Reflection: Think of a decision you are currently facing. How can you use Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and the counsel of fellow believers to discern the right path?


Day 4: Resisting Temptation
Temptation is like bait on a hook, enticing us to sin. We must recognize the bait, confess our struggles, run from temptation, and kill the desires that lead us to sin. God provides a way of escape from every temptation. Recognizing the bait means being aware of the things that entice us and lead us away from God. Confessing our struggles to God and trusted friends helps us to bring them into the light and seek support.

Running from temptation involves actively avoiding situations that lead us to sin, while killing the desires means addressing the root causes of our sinful inclinations. God is faithful and provides us with the strength and resources to resist temptation. By relying on Him and taking practical steps, we can overcome the lure of sin and live a life that honors Him. [01:09:37]

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV): "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

Reflection: Identify a recurring temptation in your life. What practical steps can you take to avoid it and seek God's help in overcoming it?


Day 5: Living in Freedom Through Christ
We have a choice to die in sin or to die to sin. By putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and making no provision for the flesh, we can live in freedom and offer ourselves to God. This daily choice leads to a life that honors God. Dying to sin means rejecting its power and influence in our lives, while living for God means embracing His will and purposes.

Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ involves adopting His character and values, making conscious decisions to follow Him in every aspect of our lives. By doing so, we can experience true freedom and live a life that reflects God's love and grace. This freedom is not just about avoiding sin but about actively pursuing a relationship with God and living out His calling for our lives. [01:20:45]

Galatians 5:1 (ESV): "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to make no provision for the flesh? How can you actively put on the Lord Jesus Christ in this area today?

Right, well, good morning, everybody.

And before we jump into the new series today, I do, don't worry about the bat. I do want to invite you, as you heard, we're going on 21 days starting today of prayer together as a church. So I want to personally invite you to come to those noon gatherings, Monday through Friday. Or you can join us on Saturdays at 9 a.m. right here in this room. We're going to be worshiping together, praying together for about an hour.

And then I want to let you know that we've also, our staff has put together a devotional for you for each day of these 21 days. And so you can access that at go.coc.tv slash 21 days. Or it'll also be in the CLC app for you. And if you haven't downloaded the app yet, you can use that link there and get that as well, because having the app is going to be really important today.

Because I'm going to talk really fast, throw a lot of stuff at you. And you're going to want to take notes. Great place to do that is in the app. And then one last thing, you can scan that QR code. Because we're going to be sending out text messages as reminders to pray and a link to the Devo and just encouragement for the day. And all of that will be coming to you as long as you scan that QR code and fill out a little form. Or you can do that in the app as well. Sound good?

All right. That's a lot of information. If you need it, take your pictures.

Going. Going. Three. Come on, Alan. Come on. Come on, Bishop. Come on. Oh, he got it. He got it. All right. Here we go.

So we are launching into a series on sin. And when I said that we're going to do three weeks on sin, I think some of y'all started getting nervous. Or maybe you just started getting nervous when I pulled out the baseball bat. But your expectation was that your pastor was going to just come out swinging.

Anybody? Anybody have that fear? Right? Because maybe you've been in a place before where a Christian just beat you down. And just took swing after swing after swing about the sin in your life until you got to this point where you're just like, you're so broken and defeated and just busted up that you're like, I quit. I'm done. It's over.

Well, can I just tell you that that's not what we're going to do today? Today is not a pastor beats you up with a baseball bat kind of Sunday. Okay? I promise.

Because here's the thing. My job today and really no day is to beat you up over sin. Okay? We're supposed to talk about sin. It's a very important subject. But my job is not to beat you down. Okay? In fact, Romans says this: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So my job is not to bring condemnation. If Jesus isn't bringing condemnation, why should I?

Okay? So this is not baseball bat Sunday to come and beat you up. This is a weird key I got off of Amazon kind of Sunday. Because the job of the pastor, the job of this or the role of this series in our lives is not to beat us up. It's to set us free.

Okay? Because here's what Jesus has to say about sin. He says that, truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is what? A slave to sin. Right? And so when we are in sin, we are in bondage to that thing. We are chained to it. And we don't need somebody beating us up. We need somebody setting us free.

Right? And so here's the issue. Not only are we chained to something, but we are chained to something that scripture says is going to kill us. The wages of sin is what? You know what a wage is, right? It's what you earn for what you do. So you do sin, you earn death. And that's a pretty big issue.

Sin is serious because sin kills. And the temptation for a lot of us in the room is to look at the sin in our lives and think, well, it's not that bad. Or it's not that big of a deal because that guy over there is sinning way worse than I am. I apologize to whoever I just pointed at. That was unintentional pointing.

But we think that somebody else's sin is way bigger and badder than ours. And so we're okay. Here's the problem with that. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Which means it is an everyone problem. You can't just think that sin is somebody else's problem. It's yours.

And I don't know if you noticed this, but those little sins that you're not so worried about can quickly become really big sins. But regardless of the size of the sin, the principle remains the same. Do you notice that this scripture gives no qualifiers? Like it doesn't say if you commit a bunch of sin, it's death. It doesn't say if you commit the big, scary, nasty, ugly sin, it's death.

Now what does it say? Wages of sin. Just straight up. You sin, you die. Like that's not good. And one of the things that we have to understand about this is that when the Bible calls something sin, it's not because God's trying to be the arbiter of your happiness. It's because sin is deadly.

Sin kills. It kills your relationship with God. It kills your relationship with other people. Can we just pause right there for a second? You know that's why Jesus took the 613 Old Testament commandments and turned them into just two in the New? Love God and love people.

Because when we sin, you know what we're doing? We're acting against God. Or we're acting against people. Right? So this is the issue of sin in our lives. You can't love God while making something else Lord of your life. In the same way, you can't love somebody and murder them. That would make you crazy, right?

Like I can't say I love my wife while secretly having an affair. Because the one action cancels out the other. And the sin is actually deadly. The sin will kill your relationship with God. It will kill your relationship with people.

And I know this feels really bad newsy. Because it is. But sin also kills you. And sometimes that's like a literal, like immediate premature physical death. How many of you know the Bible says that drunkenness is a sin?

Well, what happens if you commit that sin then get behind the wheel of your car and drive home tonight? Like that can lead to premature physical death. But the passage that says the wages of sin is death isn't even talking about that possibility. It's talking about an eternal spiritual death.

Because you cannot serve two masters. That's what Jesus said. So if you are a slave to sin, then Jesus is not your master. And if Jesus is not your master, guess what? Heaven is not your future. And so we've got to talk about this thing because it's not good.

And I know this feels a lot like baseball bat. But I promise you there's good news. Because here's the thing. That verse that we just read a second ago has a second half. It starts the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life.

See, sin will kill you. Jesus can set you free. And that's actually, that's really the whole point of Jesus. That was a horrible golf clap. But we'll get there eventually.

So John 3:16. For God so loved the world. Right? All of this is motivated out of God's love for us. That he gave his only son. That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

So who gets eternal life? There's a qualifier. Whoever believes in him. That belief is putting your trust into him. And so the verse continues. I need a third hand to be able to click and things. It says for God did not send his son into the world with a baseball bat but with a key.

Didn't send his son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him. Somebody say thank you Jesus. Yeah. That's an important one right there.

Okay. So I know that sin is probably not your favorite subject. Actually Jaden can you take this baseball bat? I don't want to be tempted to take any swings at anybody. Thank you.

Sin's not the thing that you woke up this morning going like man I can't wait for pastor to talk about sin today. I'm really excited about this one. I'm not excited to talk about sin. It's uncomfortable to talk about.

Then why are we doing it? Well because the Bible talks about sin over 400 times. Bible doesn't talk about much that many times. So if it talks about sin that many times we should pay attention.

In fact a little Bible trivia for you. Did you know that sin and judgment shows up in 63 out of the 66 books of the Bible? That means we got to talk about this thing. Because sin is serious.

And I'm not here with a baseball bat but I am here to set you free. And really it's not even. I'm just here to point you to the one that can set you free. Yeah. Because sin is a problem in our lives.

And so for the next three weeks we're just going to talk about sin. Pastor Chris is going to come next week and talk to us about strongholds. That's when we allow sin to take root into our lives. Go so deep that now all of a sudden it seems like nothing we do can bring freedom. And we're addicted to this thing. It's created a spiritual stronghold.

A fortress in our lives. And so Pastor Chris is going to help us remove brick by brick, take down those strongholds so that we can walk in freedom. And then in the last week of the series, Pastor Jason is going to give us all a lot of hope and excitement as we realize or recognize that we are no longer slaves to sin. And we can actually walk in freedom every single day. It's going to be an awesome Sunday.

But today, today my job is to lay a foundation. Today I want to help all of us understand what sin is and how we overcome it in our lives. Okay? Does that sound good?

Yeah. So we're going to start with trying to answer the most frequent question I'm asked as a pastor. Is fill in the blank a sin? By far that's the question I am asked most often.

And what I want to do today is not actually answer the question for you. I want to give you the tools so that you can answer the question yourself. For yourself but also for the people in your life. So that you'll have an understanding of what this thing is.

And some of you are really disappointed because you just wanted the list. You're like don't make me think. Like just give me the list of do's and don'ts. Right? Because we like lists. Right? We love our checklist. It makes life so much easier.

We got shopping lists and to-do lists and grocery lists and wish lists and honey-do lists. And we just got a list for everything. And so you'd think that, you know, if God wants us to be successful in this Christian life, then he would just give us a list of things to do and not do.

Right? Like kind of. Okay. So here's the complication. Does the Bible have lists of sins? Yes. But it also like throws in like whole concepts. Like entire categories of things. Like open-endedly just throws them in the midst of the sin conversation.

And so the list that you're looking for is going to be like really long. Like it's going to be a really long list. And here's a couple of verses to demonstrate what I mean by that. 1 John 5:17 says all wrongdoing is sin. How do you quantify that?

Like what number on that list do you get to and you're like okay I'm done with all wrongdoing? Yeah. That's going to be a long list. And then we've got this is James 4:17. I told you during the James series we come back to this one. It says so whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it for him it's sin.

So now we're not even talking about the stuff you're doing. Now we're talking about the stuff you're not doing. You really want that list? And then we got, I don't even know how to begin to unpack Romans 14 for you today. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

So if you're keeping score that means doing the wrong thing is sin. Not doing the right thing is sin. And doing anything outside of faith is sin. So your list is going to have like 10 billion 600 million. Like that list is going to be incredibly long.

And the problem with the list is it doesn't even help. If anything the lists make it worse. How many of you know the Jewish people they had a list? 613 things on their list. Could they keep it?

Got a list of just 10 things. Guess what? They couldn't keep it. And before you start looking at the Jewish people going man they're so awful. Guess what Jesus did for you? He gave you a list of two things.

We couldn't do the 613. We couldn't do the 10. So he gave us two. And guess what? You probably failed at both of them at some point this week. Like honest? Like the list isn't going to help you.

But what I do think I can do today is give you some tools so that you can navigate life as a believer and following Jesus in a better way. Okay? And so this is going to begin by unpacking the word for sin.

And really it's three words that we find in scripture to talk about wrongdoings. Remember the scripture said all wrongdoing is sin. Well what falls in that category? There's three different words for it.

And thankfully, all three words actually show up in David's prayer of repentance in Psalm 51. And so this is right after his affair with Bathsheba. And the eventual murder of her husband is brought to light. Like David has just sinned like big sin.

And this is his prayer of repentance. And I recommend reading all of Psalm 51 at some point this week or later today. Because it's absolutely beautiful. And it creates a model for us to follow in how we actually repent.

And so this is what Psalm 51 says. It says have mercy on me oh God according to your steadfast love. According to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. There's our first word. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. That's our second word. And cleanse me from my sin. That's our third word.

Okay. So all three words describing wrongdoing. Okay. Transgression. Iniquity. And sin. Let's break them down. First up we've got transgression. This shows up in the Old Testament in Hebrew. In the New Testament in Greek. And in English it all means the same thing.

And it is a violation of the trust of others. So in other words a transgression is like the betrayal of a relationship. And so when you're breaking the trust between you and God you're transgressing. You're sinning.

When you break the trust between you and your spouse. You and a friend. You and a stranger. When you break that trust you are committing a transgression. You are sinning. Make sense?

Okay. Second word for you is iniquity. There's the Hebrew and the Greek. And it's kind of got a weird kind of meaning or purpose to it. Iniquity is a twisted or crooked road. Or it sometimes can refer to a malformed back that's bent out of shape.

That sounds like the back I woke up with this morning. Kelsey slept in my bed last night. And that was not fun. Okay. But here's what that actually means.

Okay. When you distort something that was supposed to be beautiful or good and you make it crooked or broken. That's an iniquity. Okay. We're familiar with that when it comes to sexual sin. All sexual sin is actually an iniquity.

Because you've taken something beautiful and good that God gave us. But he put parameters to it. He said in marriage between a man and a woman. And when you take sex outside of those boundaries, you have now caused an iniquity. You have taken something beautiful. And you've distorted it.

Does that make sense? Okay. Then we've got just straight up sin. This is the one you're probably most familiar with. You've got the Hebrew. You've got the Greek. Old and New Testament. And sin simply means to miss the goal or miss the mark.

Another way to put it is you're failing at your purpose. Okay. So that brings us to the question of, well, what's my purpose? What's the goal that I'm missing?

Well, the Bible says that we are created in the image of God to be a reflection of him to the world. And we are to honor God with our lives. So that means that anything that you do that dishonors God is sin. Make sense?

So let's go back to our question. So is blank a sin? Well, go through those three words. Is doing this thing going to dishonor God? Is doing this thing going to take something beautiful and good and twist it or corrupt it? Is doing this thing going to cause me to break trust between me and God or me and another person?

And if the answer to any of those questions is yes, guess what? Congratulations. It's sin. You just solved the question for yourself.

But for a lot of things, we need a little bit more. Okay. Because maybe you don't know your Bible well enough, or maybe you haven't been walking with God long enough to know if this is something that's violating trust or if this is dishonoring him in some way.

And so you need a little bit more guidance. And so I want to give you the three S's. So to answer the question, is it sin? Follow the three S's. That is scripture, the Holy Spirit, and the counsel of the saints.

Okay. So what that means is, first of all, you're going to follow scripture. Because there are some things that the Bible is just black and white on. It's sin. Right? Old Testament, it was sin. New Testament, it's sin. Repeatedly, it's like don't do this thing.

Okay. So like sex outside of marriage. Guess what? It's always sin. Like it doesn't matter how you try and quantify it or justify it. It's just black and white. It's sin.

Okay. Drunkenness. It's sin. Always. Definitely sin. Lying, cheating, stealing. Guess what? Sin, sin, sin. Like it's just, there's some things that in your Bible, it just doesn't give room for interpretation. It's just sin.

So we're going to start with reading and studying and understanding the scriptures. Because if God calls it sin in the Bible, I want to be really cautious with it.

Okay. But there are some things that scripture doesn't address. Like how many of you know that there's no passages about how much internet you should be using? Like how much time you should spend on social media? What websites you should go to or not?

Why is that? Well, because there was no internet when the Bible was written. Okay. So like obviously some things are not going to be present. And so what we do then is we use the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

So when the Holy Spirit brings conviction on something, even if the Bible doesn't even call that thing sin, we're going to treat it like it's sin because we're going to listen to the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Because what happens is sometimes we can take something that isn't even sin in and of itself, but the way we engage with it, the way we love it, the way we spend time with it, we can actually take something that's not sin and turn it into sin.

Does that make sense? It's like this. So I was convicted by the Holy Spirit, or maybe it was by my wife, or actually I think it was both of them because sometimes they like to gang up on me.

But this was several years ago. But I was convicted by the Holy Spirit that the time I was spending playing video games was becoming sinful.

Now, for clarity's sake, I don't think playing video games is a sin. You're welcome. You're welcome, all teenage boys that parents have been telling you.

But parents, here's one for you, okay? It became sinful for me because there was a priority I was giving it over other things.

And what happens is we can treat something in a way that causes it to become an idol in our lives, and that's sin, right? And so it's not the thing, but it's how we treat the thing.

Does that make sense? So that could be video games. That could be the music you're listening to. That could be the shows that you're watching or the amount of time you're spending on social media.

It could be the food that you're eating. There's so many things that are not sin, but we can turn it into sin because it's that iniquity word. We're taking something good, and we're twisting it.

We’re breaking it. Make sense? Okay. Finally, we've got the saints. Now, I'm not Catholic, and I'm not talking about those saints, okay? By saints, I mean the body of Christ, your fellow Christians.

Because what happens in some people's lives is we ignore the Holy Spirit's voice for so long that we become callous to it. And it muffles that voice. And now all of a sudden, we're living in a way that we don't even hear him when he's correcting us.

And so we need somebody else with a very tangible, audible voice in our lives to say, Hey, bro, I don't think that's good. Hey, man, the way you were talking to your wife, I don't think that's appropriate.

Hey, the amount of time that you're spending on this thing, I don't think is good. And you need somebody in your life that can bring that kind of correction, that can say, Hey, be careful of this thing, because you may not have read the Scripture yet, but guess what? The Bible calls that sin.

Or you may not have recognized this in your own life, but you're engaging in something in an inappropriate way. And so we need fellow believers. We need to be in discipleship. We need to be in life groups where we have people around us that can say, Hey, this is good or this is bad.

Okay? And then I've got one last gauge that I'll use. So this is answering the question, Is blank a sin? After we look at the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit speaks to us and our fellow believers talk to us, then what I like to do is go to this conversation between Paul and the church in Corinth where he's basically, they're making a claim and he's responding to their claim.

So their claim is in white. His response is in yellow. So he says, You say I'm allowed to do anything, but not everything is good for me. And you say, I'm allowed to do anything. And then his response, but not everything is beneficial.

See, what's happening here is they are making a claim that because of grace, they can do whatever they want. And Paul is saying, No, guys, grace is great. However, yes, there's freedom in Christ. But just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do that thing.

And so this is the gauge that I'll use. Is this thing beneficial to my ultimate goal? My ultimate goal is to get close to God. And is this thing going to help me in that endeavor?

Because if it's not, then I probably don't need it, right? Because here's what Paul goes on to say at the end of this verse. In verse 31, he says, Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

So can you, and sometimes you got to be real honest with yourself and look unbiasedly at these things and say, Okay, can I actually do this and honor God? Because sometimes the answer is no, you can't.

So we should not be doing those things. Because here's the problem that I actually have. A lot of times when people ask me where the line is, it's because they want to get as close to sin as they can while still staying on like the heaven side.

Like you want to stay on God's good side, you don't want to be on God's bad side. So like, where's the line so I can stay heaven bound and not end up in hell? Okay, that's the wrong approach to sin.

And so I had this revelation a while back. And the question really is, do you want to toe the line or do you want to be close to God? Because God doesn't hang out on the line.

So you can choose to be close to sin or you can choose to be close to God, but you have to choose. And so I made a decision years ago that I wasn't even worried about where the line is anymore. I just want to know where God is.

And if I can just get close to God, guess what? I know I'm going to be free from sin because they're not hanging out. Okay?

So I hope that this has given you just a real quick, kind of better understanding of what sin is. And maybe you can answer the question now when your coworker asks you, hey, is blah, blah, blah, sin? Now you can answer for them.

But what I want to do next is help us understand how sin works. Because if we can understand how sin works in our lives, it'll help set us up to be able to overcome sin in our lives.

And so I know we just finished five weeks in the book of James. We got to go back to James chapter one real quick because James is so good. We should just do it all over again.

But James 1, he says, temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. Does that remind you of anything? Every time I read this scripture, I think about fishing.

Anybody else? Any fishermen in the room? Anybody? Any fisherwomen in the room? Anybody like fishing? Because here's the thing. When I read this passage, like I'm not a good fisherman, but my grandpa taught me as a kid.

And so I learned a few things. And I was able to take my boys fishing. It's great. But what I notice here is this sounds a lot like this. Here's what I mean by that. Bait, hook, dragged away.

We're enticed by something. How many of you know that when you're trying to catch a fish, you need bait? You need to have something that the fish wants. If you just put the rod out there with a hook on it, nobody's biting a hook.

But people will bite onto some bait. Okay? And so the fish is attracted to the bait. And when they open up their mouth for that bait, guess what they're getting as well? The hook that's going to drag them away.

So here's how this works. Because a lot of times, let me trade out the fishing pole for just a hook. This is a tuna hook. I think it's a man-sized hook.

But here's what ends up happening. We look at the fish and we think, what an idiot. Like the worm is going to kill them. Like you would seriously throw away your entire fish life over a worm. Like how dumb do you have to be?

Right? But then I walk by, or the devil walks by, and he throws this on the end of a hook. Incompetent customer service. And now all of a sudden, you've got a temptation to let your anger cause you to sin.

And the incompetence of the person on the other phone is making you want to take a big old bite out of what's just bait on the end of a hook. I keep hitting the button.

So what about stuff you can't afford? You see that shiny car and yours is kind of a junker and you're like, man, I know I ain't got the money right now, but if I just, you know, if I just go into a little bit of a debt and if I just take that on and I could, you know, I could stop tithing because then I get that 10%, that would be the thing that I need.

And you start justifying how you can make poor decisions financially and end up a slave in sin. And it's just, it's bait.

How about, how about this one? Some juicy gossip at work. There's some whispering going on and it's like, ooh, that's, I just, it's tempting. I want to, I want to just bite onto that thing, but it's a hook.

How about, how about this? This is going to really mess with some people. How about your social media use? How many of you know that that can be, that can be bait for like a laundry list of sins, like envy and jealousy and lying and manipulation and like idolatry and all kinds of stuff happens on social media.

All right, fellas, can we be honest? Girl walks by in yoga pants, is that bait? Is the sin of lust waiting on the other end of that hook?

Sometimes the thing that's enticing us is just straight up sin anyways. And so we can look at the fish and be like, what an idiot. All the while we've been biting onto a hook every single day, biting the same hook over and over again, because the problem is that we have this fleshly desire that is enticing us to do something that is contrary to God's plan for our lives.

Sin is enticing, but once it gets its hooks into you, guess what? The devil doesn't play catch and release, right? You bite onto that thing and it will lead you to death, that the wages of sin is death.

And so the question is, what's on the end of your hook? Like what's the bait that you keep falling for? Because you've been falling for something that's bait on the end of a hook.

So let me tell you, for me personally, like if you were to take money and put that on the end of the hook, no problem, not tempted at all. Like honestly, I'm just, I'm good.

If you were to take alcohol, put it on the end of the hook, not even like an inch of desire, like there's just nothing in me that's like, man, I really, I need a drink. Like it's just not, it's not tempting.

You could put drugs on the end of that hook and honestly, 100%, I would just laugh at you. Like there's absolutely nothing, never has been, never will be. Like I just easily just walk away from that.

Is that to say that Brent is super holy and so sanctified that he's just not tempted by anything anymore? No, it's just that's bait that I don't fall for. It's the wrong bait.

But let me tell you that there is some bait that you could put on my hook that when I see that thing, there's a struggle that happens. There's something on that hook that I gotta pull out my phone and call my accountability partner and be like, hey bro, I need some prayer right now.

Right, there's some stuff that you can put on the end of the hook that I gotta go straight to God with. Because it is a temptation. And honestly, there's some things on the end of the hook that I know I still fall for.

Because I'm not perfect. I'm trying to become more like Christ, just like you are. But if right now the question going through your mind is I wonder what's on the end of Brent's hook, you're asking the wrong question.

You don't need to be worried about what's on my hook. You need to be worried about what's on your hook. Because there is some bait that you keep following. And we gotta stop it.

Last question of the day. How do we stop that? If we keep falling for the bait, how do we stop it? Because the truth is this, whatever's on this hook, it's only on there because you want it.

There's a desire in you for that thing. And if you're not tempted by it, then it's not the bait that Satan's gonna use against you. Like, he'll find something else. Your flesh will find something else.

But how do we resist that temptation? How do we look at that hook and say, no, thank you? Well, the good news is that according to God's word, you don't have to keep falling for the bait. You actually have the ability to resist temptation.

It says, no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is what? Faithful. And he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability.

And we gotta understand that there are times when that hook is right in front of us, the bait is right there, and we're thinking, I just can't help myself. That's a lie. You actually can resist the temptation.

The truth is you do have the ability to resist the temptation. You just have to act on that ability and not fall for the trap. In fact, it goes on to say, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it.

So there's gonna be temptation in your life. That's just part of life. But God is faithful and he's always gonna give you a way of escape. You don't have to bite on. You can escape the temptation.

So I wanna give you, real quickly, four things to do so that you can stop falling for the bait. And we'll go through quickly because you already got the first one. Because the first one is just to recognize the bait.

As long as we keep looking at sin and thinking it's not sin, you're gonna keep falling for the bait. So we have to get to a place where we can call wrong, wrong and know what's right and what's wrong and know the difference between the two.

We gotta identify, okay, what is sin? What is the temptation that's being put on that hook that's trying to bait me in? And we gotta recognize that it is just a temptation. It's a hook that's gonna kill you.

And so how this works is we say, okay, the Bible calls something sin and now I'm tempted by it. There's something dangling in front of me. I need to look at it and be like, hey, wait a minute, I know what this is.

It's not tantalizing. It's not a good thing. This is actually a bad thing, right? Or in the immortal words of Admiral Akbar in Return of the Jedi, it's a trap.

And if you don't appreciate this reference, I'm praying for you because it should be a sin not to appreciate the original trilogy. It should also be a sin to like the latest trilogy because that's a whole another conversation, not even what we're talking about.

But the point is we gotta recognize the temptation is a trap, right? That thing may look appealing. It may look good. It may look fun, but it is a trap designed to lead you to your death.

It's there to kill your relationship with God. It's there to kill your relationship with other people. It is there to kill you. So recognize the bait is the trap that it is.

And then from there, we need to confess both to God and to man. Okay? And this is where we bring things to light because as long as that temptation you keep falling for, that sin that you keep going back to, as long as you keep that hidden and in the dark, you will continue to fail in resisting every time.

Proverbs 28:13 says, whoever conceals his transgressions, whoever keeps those things in the dark, will not prosper. But he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

And so we have to bring these things to light. That starts with repentance, but then when the temptation comes, you don't need to repent of temptation. You just need to cry out to God for help.

Right? You need to be able to go to him and say, Holy Spirit, that temptation is back. The bait is back on the hook and everything in me wants it. And I'm trying to avoid it, but God, I need your help in this.

We confess to God that we need help. And then we confess to man. Like we learned from James, therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.

And this healing process is part of accountability. See, when you have somebody in your life that you know you can go to, that when that bait is dangling in front of your face and everything in you is like, I want it, I want it, I want it.

You need somebody that you can pull out your phone and call on the spot and say, bro, I need you to pray for me. I need your help. I need your guidance. I need your counsel. Can I just come over? Can we grab some coffee? I'm tempted, but I don't want to sin. I don't want to bite onto it. Help me.

You need somebody in your life that you know the next time you see them, they're going to ask you questions you don't want to answer. Like, how's it going with that struggle? You need somebody in your life that you don't feel comfortable lying to.

We need that accountability. We find healing through our relationship with others. And then from there, after we confess, we are going to run from temptation and kill the desires.

Let's look at the first one. We're going to run from temptation. This is actually the advice that Paul gave to his spiritual son, Tim. In 2 Timothy 2:22, it says, So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness.

There are some things that you just got to run from. Like, stop hanging out with it. Stop playing around. Stop pretending like you can win the fight. Just run.

Like, if there's four big dudes coming at you, just I don't care how brave you think you are. Just run. And actually, it reminds me of the story in the Old Testament of Joseph.

So Joseph is a slave in Potiphar's house, right? And God's blessing him, and it's awesome. And, you know, it's one of those crazy moments. And then all of a sudden, Potiphar's wife shows up, and she's like, Look at that young and handsome and well-built Joseph.

By the way, that's a direct quote from the Bible. And then she has, like, no subtlety to her game whatsoever. She just walks up to Joseph and says, Come to bed with me.

Again, that's a direct quote from your Bible. The Bible's pretty spicy. Come to bed with me. And Joseph does something that I'm afraid to say a lot of guys probably wouldn't have done.

He resists the temptation. He's like, No. She doesn't like no. So she comes back the next day and the next day and the next day. Come to bed with me. Joseph, come to bed with me. Come to bed with me.

And Joseph keeps saying no, no, no, no, no until one day they're alone in the house. Joseph's just trying to go about his job, and she comes up to him, and this time she's not gonna let him say no. She's gonna grab hold of him.

So she grabs him by the jacket and says, Come to bed with me. What does Joseph do? He slips out that coat and he books it. He's trying to win the gold for Israel in the sprint.

He is just Olympic dreams. He's just running for his life, and that's the lesson that we should learn, that there are some temptations you just gotta run from.

Run for your life. When I was a youth pastor, that was the advice that we would give to our guys in the youth ministry.

We'd have like the guy talk, dealing with lust and temptation and stuff, and so we taught them that if a pretty girl comes up to you and you're lusting after her, you need to adopt the scream and run technique because it is guaranteed to work, okay?

So pretty girl comes up, you're lusting after her, you just need to, ah! It's scream and run technique. It's guaranteed to work, both temporarily and in the future because here's how that works.

Like you put physical distance between you and the person, that avoids sin today, but now you look so completely insane to that person, she's never gonna come up to you again, right?

So you don't sin today and you don't sin tomorrow. It's a beautiful win-win. I know I'm stupid for that.

But here's the thing. Here's the truth of that. Don't hang out with your temptations. Like don't cuddle up with the hook.

Like if you know that you're struggling with drunkenness, why are you going to a place that serves alcohol? Like run the other direction.

Like if you know that you've had some inappropriate thoughts about that coworker, why are you guys going to lunch together? Like run from temptation, right?

If you know you got an issue with gluttony, why are you going to an all-you-can-eat buffet? Like I'm just, we have this tendency to be like, you know, I know I'm not gonna bite it, but I just like hanging out with it.

I like being close to the hook because it's nice, it's shiny, it's pretty. Like I just wanna hang out, right? You ever go out fishing and the fish just wants to take a couple nibbles?

Yeah? Nobody fishing in here? Right, but we try and act that way. We're like, I'm not gonna let it catch me. I'm just gonna get close to it.

We gotta run. Run the other direction. Run from temptation. And then finally, we gotta kill the desires.

And this is actually, this is the hardest part, but this is the part that we have to get to. Galatians 5, Paul says, and those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

You know what it means to crucify something? It means to kill it, like put it to death. So Paul says that those who are following Jesus, they've gotten to this place in their lives where anything that does not align itself with God, they're gonna put to death.

Any passions, any desires within them, they're gonna crucify. Paul refers to this as the battle between the flesh and the spirit.

And it's not an easy fight to win, but we are called as Christians to put some desires to death. Just because you want it doesn't mean it's good.

And so we have to put some things to death. We gotta kill these desires. And this isn't really deep or complex. Killing the desires is just saying no quickly and repeatedly.

As the desire creeps up, you don't entertain it. You don't ponder it and fantasize about it and let it just run wild in your mind. No, no, no. The moment the desire comes, you kill it.

You just say no. When the desire pops up, you quickly turn to prayer. You quickly turn some worship music on. You grab your Bible and start a Bible study.

When the girl in the yoga pants walks by, your eyes go a different direction. You just quickly move on. And you do that over and over and over and over again.

And you will begin to kill those desires. What Paul told the Romans is important for us. In chapter 13 he says, But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.

Make no provision. Don't give that thing an inch in your life. The moment it comes up, you're killing it. The moment it creeps in, you're moving on. You're going somewhere else. You're doing something else.

And the idea here that we have to recognize is that this is not actually even possible on your own. That's why Paul starts with put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

See, it's not out of your power that you're able to kill the desires. It's through the power of God. Paul says put on Christ.

That means that if we're going to overcome temptation in our lives, we've got to figuratively clothe ourselves in Jesus. Like we're putting on a new set of clothes with new passions and new desires as we put on Christ.

What that means is that as we walk with Jesus, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ. That we're becoming more like Jesus in how we think and how we act, how we behave, how we talk.

All of it, we're submitting it to Him. Because the choice is actually really simple. At the end of the day, either we die in sin or we die to sin. Something is going to have to die.

When it comes to sin, the Old Testament set this up. Sin requires death. So if you're going to live in freedom, guess what? You've got to put to death the fleshly desires.

Either you're going to die to the sin or you're going to die in your sins. And we need freedom.

One last verse and we'll close in prayer. And this is kind of a verse that I think should just be on our hearts and on our minds for the next 21 days as we're going through this journey together.

In the same way, you should see yourselves as being dead to the power of sin and alive for God through Christ Jesus. But don't let sin control your life here on earth.

Stop falling for the bait. You must not be ruled by the things your sinful self makes you want to do. Just because you want to do it doesn't make it right.

Don't offer the parts of your body to serve sin. Don't use your bodies to do evil. But offer yourselves to God as people who have died and now live.

This is the choice we make every day. I am dead to sin. I'm alive in Christ. And we offer ourselves to God.

Stop falling for the bait. There's a hook that's been dangling in front of you and you keep biting it. Stop it. Recognize it is a trap meant to kill you.

Confess that thing to God and to man. Bring that thing into the light. Run from temptation. Stop hanging out with it.

And reach that spiritual maturity where you begin to kill those desires the moment they creep in. You do that and that is offering yourself to God.

Let's pray.

So Father, we just thank you for the truth of Scripture. We thank you for this day that you are bringing a holy conviction and not a condemnation.

We're not being beat up, but we are being shown a light. That sin is serious. That sin is something that we have to deal with. We've got to address it.

So Father, we just say thank you right now that you don't leave us to fight this battle alone. But you have given us wisdom in your word. You've given us the power of the Holy Spirit.

You've given us the counsel of our fellow Christians, our fellow believers. You've given us so many tools to win this battle. To win this fight.

Father, we just ask you right now to give us the strength, the wisdom, to see temptation as the trap that it is. That you would help us to walk in freedom every single day.

Father, we just ask that you would give us the help we need. For every person in the room that may be struggling with sin, which I think is all of us, God, help us.

Help us to find freedom in you. That we would crucify our fleshly desires as we offer our lives up to you.

Before we close, for the people in the room or online that maybe, maybe this is your first time in a church in a while, or maybe you've never been before.

Maybe you're in a place where you don't have a relationship with God. We started this whole conversation with a scripture that says, whoever believes in him will have eternal life.

And you've never actually made that decision to put your faith, your trust, your belief in God. The Bible says that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

So right here, as we close this service, I just want to give you an opportunity to do that if you need to. If you haven't confessed with your mouth Jesus is Lord, that's a submission pose.

That's saying, Jesus, you're in charge, not me. And the belief that God raised him from the dead is saying, I'm putting my trust that because Jesus is resurrection, I will also be resurrected to new life as well.

We're just putting our trust in him. That's the free gift of salvation. So I'm going to lead you in a prayer. I'm just going to ask that you would repeat it after me if that's you in the room.

Dear Jesus, forgive me. I know that I have sin in my life. Forgive me. Today, Jesus, I make you Lord of my life. I submit my will to your will.

And today I say, thank you, God, that in the same way that you rose Jesus from the dead, one day you're going to raise me to new life as well.

Today I put my faith and trust in you, Jesus. Amen.

I'm going to invite you to stand to your feet. We're going to celebrate that moment. But first, we're going to take a time of worship as we close out the service today.

And just as we sing, I just want you to ask the Holy Spirit, what's the temptation that you need to confess? What's the thing that's been pulling you away?

What's the Holy Spirit saying to you in this moment? Let's worship together.

1. "Because here's the thing. My job today and really no day is to beat you up over sin. Okay? We're supposed to talk about sin. It's a very important subject. But my job is not to beat you down. Okay? In fact, Romans says this. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So my job is not to bring condemnation. If Jesus isn't bringing condemnation, why should I?" [40:31] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "Sin is serious because sin kills. And the temptation for a lot of us in the room is to look at the sin in our lives and think, well, it's not that bad. Or it's not that big of a deal because that guy over there is sinning way worse than I am. I apologize to whoever I just pointed at. That was unintentional pointing. But we think that somebody else's sin is way bigger and badder than ours. And so we're okay." [41:47] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "You can't love God while making something else Lord of your life. In the same way, you can't love somebody and murder them. That would make you crazy, right? Like I can't say I love my wife while secretly having an affair. Because the one action cancels out the other. And the sin is actually deadly. The sin will kill your relationship with God. It will kill your relationship with people." [43:46] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "So who gets eternal life? There's a qualifier. Whoever believes in him. That belief is putting your trust into him. And so the verse continues. I need a third hand to be able to click and things. It says for God did not send his son into the world with a baseball bat. But with a key. Didn't send his son into the world to condemn the world. But in order that the world might be saved through him. Somebody say thank you Jesus." [45:37] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "So is blank a sin? Well, go through those three words. Is doing this thing going to dishonor God? Is doing this thing going to take something beautiful and good and twist it or corrupt it? Is doing this thing going to cause me to break trust between me and God or me and another person? And if the answer to any of those questions is yes. Guess what? Congratulations. It's sin. You just solve the question for yourself." [54:15] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




6. "Because here's what Paul goes on to say at the end of this verse. In verse 31, he says, Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. So can you, and sometimes you got to be real honest with yourself and look unbiasedly at these things and say, Okay, can I actually do this and honor God? Because sometimes the answer is no, you can't. So we should not be doing those things." [01:00:24] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




7. "You can choose to be close to sin or you can choose to be close to God, but you have to choose. And so I made a decision years ago that I wasn't even worried about where the line is anymore. I just want to know where God is. And if I can just get close to God, guess what? I know I'm going to be free from sin because they're not hanging out." [01:01:18] (16 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




8. "The truth is you do have the ability to resist the temptation. You just have to act on that ability and not fall for the trap. In fact, it goes on to say, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape. That you may be able to endure it. So there's gonna be temptation in your life. That's just part of life. But God is faithful and he's always gonna give you a way of escape. You don't have to bite on. You can escape the temptation." [01:10:09] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




9. "And the idea here that we have to recognize is that this is not actually even possible on your own. That's why Paul starts with put on the Lord Jesus Christ. See, it's not out of your power that you're able to kill the desires. It's through the power of God. Paul says put on Christ. That means that if we're going to overcome temptation in our lives, we've got to figuratively clothe ourselves in Jesus. Like we're putting on a new set of clothes with new passions and new desires as we put on Christ." [01:20:45] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




10. "At the end of the day, either we die in sin or we die to sin. Something is going to have to die. When it comes to sin, the Old Testament set this up. Sin requires death. So if you're going to live in freedom, guess what? You've got to put to death the fleshly desires. Either you're going to die to the sin or you're going to die in your sins. And we need freedom." [01:21:24] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)