The Eighth Step of Sin Slavery to Sin
Sexual sin (part six)
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16
Part of a Personal Letter
(Used by permission)
“The Bible is very clear that it is a sin to drink alcohol. Knowing this fact leaves no place for alcohol in my life. The risk of letting it control me is not worth the small momentary pleasure it brings. Due to the combination of being dressed immodestly, being drunk, and having previously discussed and role played with you about the situation I found myself in; I failed! I failed you; I failed our children; I failed my witness, and I failed my Lord. All of that being said, I believe one-hundred percent that I have settled this issue with the Lord, and I am completely forgiven by Him. I have asked you to forgive me, and believe you have done so. I have forgiven myself. Where does that leave me? I am making a new covenant with the Lord this day, and it is this:
1-I will not own or view pornography, including, but not limited to smut books, videos, and any sexual perversion.
2-I will dress and behave modestly at all times and in all places out of respect for my husband, myself, and God. I will acknowledge that God is always present in my life.
3-I will not participate either verbally, mentally, or physically in any roll playing of sexual acts that are outside the parameters of what God’s plan is for me sexually. I believe that He created me and set me apart for you and for you alone, and that the same is true of you for me. I commit to striving to be the best that I can be for you.
4-I commit to not drink alcohol again. I just don’t want to risk the poor decisions that come with drinking again.
Having said all this, I want you to know that I love you desperately. I want so much to please you, for you to smile when you think of me, and for you to think of me as your ‘good day.’”
In this chapter we are going talk about the eighth step of sin.
Reviewing the First Seven Steps of Sin
The first step of sin is listening to evil.
The second step of sin is seeing or watching the wrong things. If you pay attention you will quickly realize that these steps of sin are a digression deeper and deeper into sin.
After you listen to or watch evil, you begin to think evil thoughts. (What else would you do with evil thoughts but think about them) God says, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.”
Next, the fourth step of sin is talking about evil things. You begin to talk about sin with other people such as friends or those with which you work, because sin has begun to have a place in your thoughts, and you talk about what is on your mind.
The fifth step of sin is when you begin to desire the sin. Intense desire is called lust.
The sixth step of sin comes when desire meets opportunity. That is called temptation.
When you yield to temptation you, then you, actually, commit the sin yourself. That is the seventh step of sin.
The Eighth Step of Sin
Very quickly following the seventh step of sin is the eighth step of sin. It could take months to go through this process or possibly even years, but, usually, they follow one another very quickly. In fact sometimes they follow immediately to the eighth step of sin.
The eighth step of sin is slavery to sin.
After you commit a particular sin for the first time, your flesh immediately begins to desire to repeat that sin, and when the sin is repeated, it becomes a habit or an addiction. The Bible calls that slavery to sin.
The first six steps of sin involve very little sinful activity, however, they are nevertheless sins themselves; but they do not carry the physical sowing and reaping as severely as when you, actually, participate in the actions of sin. All sin is not the same by any means as far as the consequences of sin, and, while the wages of all sin is the same for all sins, the physical consequences of all sin is not at all the same. They vary greatly and some very clearly even lead to death.
Your Flesh Is Never Satisfied
Once you have whet the appetite of your flesh to a particular sin, your flesh will always desire that sin. You can weaken that desire by weakening your flesh, but it still will always desire it. Soon your flesh falls into slavery to that sin, because your flesh is never satisfied.
Simple Answer to a Hard Question
So, how can we conquer this slavery to sin? The answer is really very simple, howbeit, it is not always easy. The answer is to stop. Just do not do it. End of story. The problem, while simple, is not easy, however. Sometimes stopping can even kill you. If you are addicted to drugs or alcohol, stopping cold turkey can kill you. Of course, for the believer, that is a solution in itself, because you will go to heaven where you will have no more problem, however, you will lose out on the rewards, position, and a greater glorified body than you could have had if you would have stopped whatever it is that keeps you from being an effective witness for Christ.
All Sins Are Addictive
There are other sins that are addictions that we do not think about as quickly as we do when we think about alcohol and drugs, and they can be just as difficult to defeat as alcohol and drugs. In fact any sin to which we chose to yield will, eventually, lead to slavery to that sin.
Where There’s a Will there’s a Way
There are many good programs to help you “kick the habit,” whatever it is. There are ten step programs and twelve step programs, and they can be somewhat effective, but some do not have the power of God. They have all the resources that science, research, and experience can offer, but God knows us better than any man can know us, and the answers He gives are certain to work.
God’s Way Works
Before we look into the things that pertain to our living a victorious life over sin as a Christian, let us consider how to have eternal life so that God will work in our life to give us an abundant life.
The First Step
In John 6 in verses 35-47 God says: “Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Verse 36: But I said unto you, that ye also have seen me, and believe not.
Verse 37: All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Verse 38: For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Verse 39: And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
Verse 40: And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Verse 41: The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
Verse 42: And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith, ‘I came down from heaven’?
Verse 43: Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, ‘Murmur not among yourselves.
Verse 44: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Verse 45: It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Verse 46: Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
Verse 47: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.’”
Scriptural Background
The Bread Chapter
This chapter starts off talking about the feast of unleavened bread and the preceding Passover. So this was on the minds of those who were listening to Him. This was the time when they would kill and eat the Passover lamb and eat the unleavened bread.
In the verses that follow the opening statement about the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread we read about Jesus feeding 5,000 families with five biscuits and two small fishes.
Feeding the Five Thousand
After He fed the five thousand, Jesus and His disciples crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee: the disciples in a ship, and Jesus on foot…on the water.
Then the big crowd followed Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee on foot around the sea, and they came to Him on the other side. They said to Him, “Evermore give us this bread.” They were saying in effect, “Moses gave us bread in the wilderness, and if you’ll give us bread like he did, we will follow you wherever you go.”
Then Jesus said to them in verse 35: “I am the bread of life: and He that cometh to Me…” This verse tells us how we come to Christ. They had already come to Him around the sea, but listen to what Jesus says. Listen to what Jesus teaches about how we come to Him. He is talking about how we come to Christ for salvation. They had come to Christ all the way around the sea. They had followed Him. They had seen Him face to face. They had seen His works and miracles. Listen to what Jesus says: “He that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and He that believeth on Me shall never thirst.” Now He tells them what they had to do to come to Him.
Satisfying Your Hunger
Notice that the hunger and thirst is satisfied by believing on Him. The way we come to Christ for salvation is simply by believing. When we believe on Him, we have come to Christ for salvation. Also, notice that when they followed Christ around the sea, they had not come to Christ for salvation. Some people claim that to obtain salvation you have to follow Christ. Some insist that you must come forward and make a public confession to come to Christ for salvation. These people had seen Jesus face to face, but they had not come to Christ for salvation. They followed Him, and then they promised to follow Him wherever He went. They had had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. They had seen miracles, but they had not come to Him for salvation. These people had done all those things, but they were not saved. There is a lot of stuff that people add to salvation through nebulous terms and tradition, but coming to Him without clear instructions about the need to believe and what to believe could be construed to mean any number of things. Does “Come to Christ” mean to follow? Does that mean to lay down your life? Does that mean to take up His, or your cross, or anybody’s cross? Those things are not part of coming to Christ for salvation. To be sure they are necessary to follow Christ, and they are necessary to obtain the benefits of an abundant life here on earth and rewards in heaven, but they are not required to obtain everlasting life. So the way we come to Christ is simply to believe on Him. When Jesus talks about coming to Him concerning salvation, He is talking about believing in Him.
Jesus said, “I am the Bread of life”
They said to Him, “Evermore give us this bread.”
Jesus said, “I am the Bread of life. He that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.”
Listen to what Jesus says about these people that had seen Him, had professed their desire to follow Him wherever He went, had followed Him around the sea, and had come to Him on the other side of the sea.
“Ye have seen Me, but believe not.”
How to Come to Christ
So had they come to Him for salvation? No, they had not, because they had not believed. Jesus had just told them that the way to come to Him was by believing. They had followed Him. They had had a personal encounter with Him, they had witnessed the miracles, but they had not come to Him in faith to receive the bread and water of life.
Results of Coming to Christ
If you believe, what is the result? First of all, you have come to Him. John 6:37 tells us: “All that the Father giveth to Me shall come to Me; and Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”
Now I Belong to Jesus
The first thing we learn from this verse is that when we come to Jesus by faith, God the Father gives us to Jesus. That means that from that time forward we are in the possession and ownership of Jesus Christ. When we come to Christ by believing, then we belong to Jesus. Like the song says, “Now, I belong to Jesus. Jesus belongs to Me. Not simply just for time alone, but for eternity.”
How Are We Kept Saved?
Why does the Father give us to Jesus? God gives us to Jesus for safe keeping. What ever is necessary to keep us safe in our salvation, Jesus is responsible to do it.
What did Jesus do to keep us? He died and paid for all of our sins. It is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that saves us and keeps us. It is not conditional upon whether or not we follow. We are not saved and kept by whether we move our body from one place to another, or walk an aisle, or promise to follow, or make a public confession, or have some kind of personal encounter with Him. We come to Him in faith. When that happens, then God the Father gives us to Jesus Christ. So we are kept by Jesus Christ, because His death, burial, and resurrection paid for all of our sin.
He said, “All that the Father giveth to Me shall come to Me and Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” That is the benefit of coming to Christ by faith.
“Now wise” means “for no reason.” There is no reason He will ever cast you out of salvation once you come to Him by believing.
I knew one lady that said, “He won’t cast you out, but you can jump out on your own.” Dr. Hank Linstrom used to laugh about the concept that “You can spit on the floor and slide under the door.”
I heard one minister say that he believed in eternal security, and then he added the words “as long as…”
Jesus said that there was NO REASON that he would ever cast you out. There is no “as long as…” to it.
I heard a counselor at camp say that God will never cast you out, but you can of your own free will choose not to remain saved. I have heard of family members who no longer want to go to heaven, because their loved one died without trusting Christ as their Savior. That is too bad, but they will still go to heaven.
God’s Will and Salvation
In the next verse Jesus said, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.”
We can see from this that if it is God’s will that we be kept, then Jesus will keep us, because that is why He came. If it is not God’s will that Jesus keep us, then we will not be kept, because Jesus came to do God’s will.
In I Peter 1:4-5 we find that Jesus did do what it takes to keep us unto salvation where God said that we are kept: “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last day”
What is the power of God through faith unto salvation?
Romans 1:16 tells us: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.”
What is the gospel? I Corinthians 15:1, 3 tells us: “I preach unto you the gospel…how that Christ died for our sins.”
It is the gospel that saves us, and it is the gospel that keeps us saved.
Jesus said, “I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.
Verse 39 “And this is the will…” Now we are going to see what God’s will is. Remember, whatever it is, Jesus is going to do it. So, here is God’s will for Jesus: “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me…” (Remember we are given by God the Father to Jesus for safe keeping the moment we come to Him in faith) “…that of all which He has given Me I should lose nothing.”
So, not only will Jesus not cast us out, but we cannot jump out on our own, because He will never lose us.
Later on in the book of John Jesus says that He always does God’s will, and here we see that God’s will for Jesus is that He lose nothing. And Jesus always accomplishes God’s will.
If we come to Jesus believing that He will never cast us out, and He will never lose us, what is God’s will for us so that we can receive that promise?
Does everybody go to heaven? No. Then what is God’s will for us so that we can have everlasting life? What is our part in all of this?
God did not leave anything to our imagination, so let us read the next verse.
Verse 40 “And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up at the last day.”
God’s Will for Us
This is God’s will for everyone. God tells us that everyone that believes has everlasting life, and Jesus will raise Him up again at the last day.
Seeing Is Believing
There are two things that need to happen to be found in God’s will. First we must see that Son.
The crowd that came to Jesus had seen Jesus feed the 5,000, heard Him preach and heal, yet they did not “see” the Son in the right sense. Here, the word “see” refers to “understanding.” Many times when we understand something we will say, “Oh, I see.” Do you see what I mean? So, what must we understand? We must understand that Jesus will never cast anyone out that comes to Him by believing. Second, we must understand that He will never lose anyone who comes to Him by faith. When we understand that, then we simply need to believe it. When you understand these things and you believe what you understand, you have come to Him by faith.
Results of Believing
There are two results to this. First of all, we have everlasting life, and second, Jesus will raise us up at the last day.
Then in verse 47 we see the gospel as clearly and simply it can be made. Jesus said, “Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.”
If we believe on Jesus we have everlasting life.
What do we need to believe? We need to believe who Jesus is and what He did, and we need to believe that His work is enough to save us and keep us. When you believe that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is enough to save you and keep you, then you have eternal life. That is what He said. Either what He said is the truth, or He lied. Since God cannot lie, then it is true that if you believe in Jesus you have eternal life.
The only thing God requires of us is that we believe. Why is there nothing for us to do other than believe? Because everything else has already been done by Him. He finished accomplishing God’s will while He was on the cross, when He said, “It is finished.” Three days later He came back from the dead proving that God’s will had been completed.
The way we come to Christ is by faith alone in Christ alone.
How Can We Defeat Addiction to Sin
How can we defeat slavery to sin? How can we defeat bad habits, addiction or break the control and domination of our life by the desires of the flesh?
In Romans 6:6, 9 God says, “Knowing this…”
We Are Zombies
The first step in defeating slavery to sin is to “know” something. Know the truth. Know that our old man is crucified with Christ. We have the spirit birth and we have the flesh birth. Know the truth that our flesh birth has been crucified with Christ. The only problem is it is still wiggling. It is dead, but it is still functioning. Your flesh is now a zombie. Our flesh is a walking dead person, and it is in the process of rotting. It is corruptible and is in the end stages of corruption. While its days are definitely numbered, while it is in its death throes, it can still do a lot of damage. You have the incorruptible spirit that will outlive this body and go to an incorruptible place after the flesh quits functioning completely, and you have the rotting flesh that is struggling to gain every ounce of pleasure it can in the short time it has left. So, in which one are you going to invest your soul? You need to understand, and then believe this truth.
You have a flesh birth with selfish desires, and you have a spirit birth with godly desires. The question is in which one are you going to invest your time, efforts, and money.
In Galatians 2:20 God says, “I (My flesh) am crucified with Christ…” (It is a zombie. It is dead. What is it trying to do? It is still moving around. It is still trying to do you harm.) “…nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth 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 gave Himself for me.”
When you have faith in Jesus Christ and you have come to Him for salvation, then you have a new life.
Addiction of Obedience
However, it is up to you which life you live. Will you choose the life of addiction to sin or the life of obedience to Christ?
“Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more. Death hath no more dominion over Him.”
Our Zombie Is Rotting
So, what else do we need to know? We need to understand that this process is finished. The death of your zombie, the death of your old man is certain. We can know that. We need to come to the realization that that is a fact.
Even lost people know that they are living in a body of death. They know their body is going to die. They know that they are not going to live forever in this body on this earth, and this is common knowledge. But we need to live in view of this fact.
After we come to grips with the fact that we are living in a dead body, we need to do what God says in verse eleven. “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
You know the Scripture. Now, reckon it so. It is amazing how simple this sounds, but how resistant people are to it.
When we talk about alcohol, there are, actually, those who insist that the Bible does not condemn the drinking of alcoholic beverages. They ignore and twist Scripture, but the Bible never approves of alcoholic beverages no matter how you twist it, and it condemns the use of alcoholic beverages except for purification and medicinal uses. I am not going to write about that in this booklet, however. My point is that when we see the facts, we need to reckon them so.
When I was very young there was the idea that only people with addictive personalities would ever become slaves to alcohol. When I was in school the attitude changed and people began to view alcoholism as a disease. However, scientists were saying that alcohol is a universally addictive poison.
Some doctors, actually, used to prescribe wine as an aid to sleep. However, a few years ago it was proven that, while wine might help you get to sleep at the outset, because of the sugar content it will wake you up a little later and prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep.
There used to be reports that alcoholic wine had health benefits. Now scientists have reported that there are many more health benefits in grape juice than wine, and it was revealed that the study that proclaimed the “healthful” benefits of wine was funded by the alcohol industry.
Just recently there was a program on both the Public Broadcasting System, and on network news radio that cited extensive studies that showed that occasional social drinking at special events raised a person’s chance of having a stroke by 15%, and that drinking one or two beers or glasses of wine a day would raise your chances of having a stroke to about 33%. Let’s see, that could mean that one out of three people that drink one or two beers or glasses of wine a day will probably end up having a stroke.
I could go on, but the dangers of alcohol is not what I am teaching. What I am talking about is an attitude. If the above studies are accurate, then for a person to disregard them would be fool hardy. You will notice that I used no Scripture in the above paragraph. I do not know how accurate or biased the studies and reports were.
I took a course at University of South Florida titled “How to Lie with Statistics.” The above news reports could be “fake news.”
What About Smoking?
We should not disregard things just because they do not agree with our life style. I do not know if any of the studies are accurate, but I sure would hate to spend the rest of my life paralyzed or with COPD because I was too addicted to change my habits.
I heard of one fellow that read that smoking caused lung cancer. Then he read that smoking caused high blood pressure. He read that smoking caused throat cancer and the he read that smoking caused hardening of the arteries. It scared him so bad he gave up reading.
I do know that what the Scriptures say is true, however. Jesus said in the parable of the sower and the seed that one reason people are not fruitful is because their Christian life is like seed sown among thorns. It becomes choked by the pleasures and cares of riches in this life. He did not name alcohol or drugs, or smoking, or fornication. He said pleasures and the cares of the riches of this life.
My point is not to point out the evils to which we have become addicted, but our decision to choose pleasure and riches no matter what the consequences. When we learn of a pleasure that might taste good, or feel good, or look good, we need to consider the physical and spiritual cost rather than how much we want it. Remember, there are lusts of the flesh, and these are at war with our spirit for the domination of our mind.
In the first two days of the battle of Gettysburg Jeb Stuart was out making raids on Union wagon trains and was unavailable to Robert E. Lee. Jeb Stuart was, usually, Lee’s eyes on the enemy. There were times when Jeb Stuart and his men rode all the way around the union army to gain reconnaissance for Lee. That was called reconnoitering. That was how he would learn the position and strength of the enemy armies. Lee could have had victory at Gettysburg on the first or second day of the battle if he would have known the strength and position of the union army. On the third day of the battle Jeb Stuart finally showed up with wagons full of supplies. Lee said, “They are a cumbrance to me now.”
God is telling us to reconnoiter. We need to consider the facts. We need to know the strength and the position of our enemy.
Something to Bank on
In the Bible the term “reckon” is a banking term. It is talking about balancing books. It means to place something in someone’s account. Which account are you going to invest your time, money, energy, and talents? Are you going to invest in the things of the flesh which will soon pass away, or are you going to invest in your eternal future?
I guess you could say that you can take this principle to the bank.
Your flesh is dead. It is a zombie. It is rotting, and it can do nothing but harm you, but your new man is ready for everlasting life. It will last forever, and it is immortal. So we need to reckon that so as well. The problem is we spend an inordinate amount of time trying to satisfy the flesh, prepare for the flesh, indulge in the flesh, and yield to the desires of the flesh. However, the flesh is never satisfied.
What is the next thing we need to do? We need to know the truth. Then we need to take that to the bank. We need to consider it so. Then we see the third thing we need to do in verse thirteen. “Neither yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness.” Do not yield to the flesh. The flesh has desires. Usually, we call them lusts.
The Flesh and the Spirit
In Romans 7:20 God says, “Now if I do that that I would not…” He is talking about yielding to lusts of the flesh or obeying the desires of the spirit in this warfare between the flesh and the spirit. “It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Verse 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”
Your flesh has evil desires, and your spirit wants to do what is right. So you have to make a choice.
Verse 23 “But I see another law in my members, (in my flesh) warring against the law of my mind, (the spirit) and bringing me into captivity (into slavery) to the law of sin which is in my members (flesh).”
He is talking about the flesh of a believer being brought into captivity to sin! “…which is in my members (which is in my flesh). So, the answer in Romans 6:13 is “Do not yield to it.”
Just Say No
Just say “No!” When the flesh expresses its desires, just say, “No.”
You see, the fleshly desires are always wrong, but they are also always there.
“But yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” So, you say, “Yes” to God, and you say “No” to your desires which are in the flesh.
Verse 19 says, “I speak after the manner of men, because of the infirmity (weaknesses) of your flesh, for as you have yielded your self as servants unto uncleanness and iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield ye your members as servants to righteousness.”
Say “yes” to the spirit. Say “no” to the flesh. Say “yes” to God’s will. Say “no” to what you want. Then what will happen?
Verse 16 says, ”Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether it be of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness.”
You become the slave to whatever you yield. You are either going to yield to the flesh or you are going to yield to the spirit. It is your choice. At least at the outset it is. If you yield to the flesh, you will become a slave to the flesh. I have known fathers who would not go to their children’s ballgames, because they had to stop by after work for a beer first. I knew of one man who left his family alone on vacation so he could find some wine in a different county. They had become slaves to sin.
Paul said that he was a slave to Jesus Christ.
In view of all of that, Let us look at Galatians chapter 5:16-17: “Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”
Is this saying that the way to walk in the spirit is to stop fulfilling the lusts of the flesh? No, that is not how you walk in the spirit. If you walk in the spirit, you will not walk in the flesh. If you say “Yes” to the spirit, you will not walk in the flesh.
A hammer lying on the work bench does not drink, cuss, or chew, nor does it run around with them that do, yet it is not the least bit spiritual. Its spirit does not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, but it is not the least bit spiritual. It does not lie. It does not cheat. It does not steal. It does not commit adultery. It does not murder. It does not do anything wrong, but it is not the least bit spiritual.
How to yield to the Spirit
It is the same thing with you. You can stop yielding to all of the lusts of the flesh, but you still will not have victory in the Christian life until you yield to the Spirit. How do you do that? You become active in doing what God says to do in His Word, and then the lusts of the flesh will quit controlling your life, because the Spirit is controlling what you do by your obedience to His Word. You quit having time for the lusts of the flesh. Oh, you still will have the desires for those things, and you always will as long as you live in this body. They become weaker, because they have been replaced by the desires of the Spirit. However, as you desire to do things that please God, you will spend more time pleasing God than trying to please yourself. God gives us many instructions about what the Spirit wants us to do as is revealed in the Word of God. That is why Bible study is so important. That is why Bible study is one of the four spokes of the wheel of the Christian life of which Christ is the hub. If you do not study the Bible, you miss the Holy Spirit’s instructions as to what to do, and, therefore, you will miss out on the fruit of the Spirit.
Winning the Battle
So, the idea is to walk in the Spirit, and then you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, because the lusts of the flesh will become weaker.
Verse 17 says, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary one to the other so you cannot do the things that ye would.”
Four Basics
In the battle of the two natures you cannot do the things that you want concerning four things. They are (1) people, (2) places, (3) things, and (4) ideas.
You cannot hang around with just anybody you want. II Corinthians 6:14 God says: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.”
In verse 17 God says: “’Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate,’ saith the Lord, ‘and I will receive you.’”
That does not mean that you are not friendly toward the lost. That is not what God is saying at all, but the people to which you are close, or as God puts it here: To which you are yoked, with whom you commune, or with whom you have fellowship; in other words, those with whom you hang around, they all need to be dedicated Christians who will encourage you to go in the right direction. We have been told many times when growing up: “You cannot overcome the pressure of your friends.” That is really true. Though it is not Scripture, it is a Scriptural saying. That is why fellowship at church is so important. It is another of the four talks, or is another spoke to the wheel of a Christ centered life.
You cannot hang around the wrong people, and you cannot go to the wrong places. If you are enslaved by some sin, you cannot go to the same places where you were influenced to participate in sinful activities.
In Proverbs 4:13 God says, “Take fast hold on instruction.” Listen to those who are wiser than you. “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me.” Jesus said.
“Let her (speaking of instruction) not go. Keep her for she is thy life.” That is how you live.
Proverbs 4:14 says, “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.” The “way” is speaking of the places that they frequent.
Verse 15 “Avoid it. Pass not by it. Turn from it, and pass away.” God is emphatic when it comes to with whom you associate. The point is obvious. God is telling us, “Do not go to the places where you used you sin.”
Stay away from things that are associated with sin. In II Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” We do this by focusing on obedience to Christ. We must cast down imaginations and every thing that goes against the thought of Christ.”
Think Differently
We must avoid the wrong people, places, things, things, and ideas.
In Romans 12:2 God says, “And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed (changed) by the renewing of you mind.” How do you renew your mind? You renew your mind by thinking new thoughts.
In Philippians 4:8 God tells us: “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are just…if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Third Step in Sin
Thinking about evil is the third step of sin. So you have to make sure your ideas are wholesome. Make sure your philosophy is Godly.
To be liberated from the slavery to sin you must stay away from those people, places, things, and ideas that caused you to sin in the past.
This Is No Yoke
Let us look back at II Corinthians chapter six again. He says, “Be ye not unequally yoked…” This is very serious. We aren’t yoking around here. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.”
What is a yoke? He tells us in the context. “What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness.” We must fellowship with dedicated believers. We are friendly to the lost, and we try to witness to the lost, but we fellowship wit dedicated Christians.
A yoke is a device where two are tied together to work together.
In Deuteronomy 28:47 God says, “Because thou servest…” God is talking about serving here. This is not talking about salvation. This is talking about a yoke. This is talking about working. This is talking about service.
“Because thou servest not the Lord thy God…” What is the result of being obedient to the Lord? What is the result of saying “yes” to God? It is: “Joyfulness, gladness of heart, and the abundance of all things.” If you do not serve the Lord, you will not have joyfulness, gladness of heart, and the abundance of all things. You may get a lot of possessions, but what our heart really desires is love, joy, and peace. You see we have been deceived about what we really want. We have been deceived into thinking that what our heart desires is sexual gratification, fun, and escape from the cares of this life. And do you know what has deceived you into believing such a thing? It is your own heart.
Foolish Heart
Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” What is the most deceitful thing in the world? It is your own heart. It is even more deceitful than Satan. And there is only one person your heart will deceive, and that is yourself. That is why Satan is trying to fill your heart with wicked desires by feeding your flesh by what you see and you hear.
So, if you follow the deceitful desires of your heart, you will not receive the real desires of your heart which are love, joy, and peace. However, you will receive a different yoke, if you do not take His yoke upon you.
The Choice Is Yours
God says in the next verse, “Because thou servest not the Lord with joyfulness, and gladness of heart for the abundance of all things, Therefore, thou shalt serve thine enemies.”
You only have two alternatives. Serve the Lord, or serve your enemies. There is no feeding the flesh and feeding the spirit, or being a lukewarm Christian and receiving the blessings of God which is the love, joy, and abundance of all things.
`“Because thou servest not the Lord with joyfulness and gladness and the abundance of all things, therefore, thou shalt serve thine enemies.” What is our enemy? It is our own flesh. In what condition will you serve your flesh? “In hunger.”
Hunger
As we consider slavery to our flesh, we may not see hunger just for physical food, but we may see the hunger of addiction. Sometimes the flesh will hunger for alcohol, some form of drug, or a desire for pornography, or some other degrading habit, sometimes even to the point of going hungry for food to fulfill the demands of your master, the flesh. It sounds much like the prodigal or wasteful son who wasted all of his living inheritance on riotous living and ended up so hungry that he desired to feed himself with the pig’s slop. Have you ever heard of a person that was so enslaved to their addiction that they lost their wife, their kids, their job, their dignity and sank to the depths of begging for food or looking for scraps in dumpsters behind restaurants? Oh, it may have not come yet, but without some intervention, that is where it will end up if they do not die first.
Instead of serving the Lord in joyfulness, gladness of heart and the abundance of all things, they will serve their enemy in hunger and thirst.”
I know of believers that cannot go a day without having their alcohol. They, actually, crave the alcohol. They do not just want something to drink, they must have their beer or liquor every day. I have seen those who are addicted leave a gathering where their particular habit is not available and drive for miles to satisfy their addiction.
“Therefore, thou shalt serve thine enemies in hunger and thirst and nakedness, and in want of all things, and He shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck until He have destroyed thee.”
Our flesh is going to be destroyed when we die, anyway, but slavery to the flesh only abbreviates the time we have left on the earth.
The Walking Dead
So, do not provide for your zombie. Do not give in to the will of the walking dead.
Coming to Christ by Faith
There is another yoke, however. In Matthew 11:28 God says, “Come unto Me.”
How do we come to Him? In John 6:35 God tells us that we come to Him by believing. So, He is saying, “Believe in Me. Come to Me.” Then what happens? “Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Who does Jesus invite to come? He invites those that are working for their salvation. If we come to Christ, that relieves us of our burden. He said that we should “Cast all of our cares on Him, for He careth for you.” He took the burden of your sin, removed it, and destroyed it. He took care of the sin burden.
Jesus said, “Come unto Me all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
The word “rest” is interesting. “Rest” is the idea of the definition of the word “faith.” Faith is resting on the promise of God. How do I know that? Because Dr. Mark Cambron taught us that in college, but there is a better proof than that. In Acts 2:25 God quotes the Psalms 16:11 where God says, “I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is on My right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore, did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh shall rest in hope:” That is talking about resting or trusting in the hope that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is enough to save you and keep you. We believe what Jesus guarantees to those who rest on or believe in His promise. That is your hope.
So back in Matthew 11:28 when Jesus said that He would give us rest, He is talking about we who believe will receive the hope on which we are resting. Now, if you are resting on your own faithfulness, good works, or endurance; then you are not resting on the promise Jesus makes.
Take His Yoke
In verse 29, however, God talks about what should be the believer’s next step. After Jesus talks about the rest of trusting Christ for salvation, He begins talking about a yoke. Remember, a yoke indicates work or service. Salvation involves only the work of Christ. It is in no way dependent on our work, goodness, or faithfulness. But in verse 29 God starts talking about a yoke He is asking us to share with Him. He does not ask us to share the work for our salvation, but Jesus does ask us to share the yoke of service so that other people can find salvation, and we can gain rewards. He says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me.”
Now, a learner is another word for a disciple or a follower. The idea is we are to follow Jesus as our teacher. So, Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
When you serve the Lord, you are going to serve Him with joyfulness, gladness, and the abundance of all things, but if your yoke is heavy and your burden is not easy, then you are carrying the wrong yoke. You are still carrying the yoke of sin, even though you have come to Him to rest upon His promise for salvation.
A yoke has two holes for the heads of two individuals to work together. One of the oxen in the yoke is the dominant one and does the most pulling. Jesus is the strong one in our yoke, and He does all the heavy lifting.
God says, if we serve Him, we will serve Him in joyfulness, gladness, and the abundance of all things.
If I were writing the verse, I would probably have said something like: “If we serve God we will have joyfulness, gladness, and peacefulness. Why did God couple joyfulness and gladness, which are emotions, with the abundance of all things which are, well, things? He did it, because those are the things that make our yoke with Jesus easy. God gives us abundantly everything we need to serve Him with joyfulness and gladness.
Conclusion
Most believers have chosen to feed the zombie of the walking dead old nature rather than to feed the spirit to receive the fruit of the spirit which includes joyfulness and gladness and the abundance of all things..
So, If your yoke is not easy and light, then you are carrying the wrong yoke. Dr. Jerry Lloyd
Memory Verse
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16
How do we become servants or slaves in this life?
“To whom ye ___________ yourselves servants to obey,
his ______________ ye are to whom ye _____________ .”
What are the two choices as to whom we become slaves?
“Whether of ___________ unto death,
or of _______________ unto righteousness?”
What is the result of being a slave to sin?
“Whether of sin unto _____________ .”
What is the result of being obedient to God?
“Of obedience unto _________________ ?”
We have taught eleven steps of sin. Make no mistake. These are very short steps. The steps of (1) Hearing (2) Seeing (3) Thinking (4) Talking (5) Desiring (6) Temptation, and the (7) Action of sin are not a long processes.
Neither is the step from the action of sin to the 8th step of addiction which is slavery to sin.
The solution to addiction or being a servant of sin is simple. Stop! The problem is, while it is simple, it may very likely be incredibly difficult. It could, actually, kill you. It probably will cause heart break, changes in friendships, habits, your job, and even where you live. You will have to deny or say no to your own wants and tendencies. However, the sacrifices, and they are many, are well worth it in the rewards you will receive.
God is there every step of the way, but you must obey His instructions as revealed in His Word every step of the way.
Once your flesh experiences sin, it will always desire that sin. That desire may weaken, but it will never go away. Whenever you expose yourself to people, places, things, or ideas in which you used to sin, you will be pulled back into that sin, unless you run from it.
Memory Verse
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Romans 6:6
What can we know about our battle between the flesh and the spirit?
“Knowing this, that our old man is ______________ with Him.”
The first step in understanding how to defeat the old nature is to know what has already taken place. The flesh has already been crucified with Christ. The problem is, it is still twitching. We just need to realize that our flesh is, actually, dead. There is no life in it. To provide for its pleasure, future and well being is like providing creature comforts to a zombie. If someone does not destroy a zombie, it will rot away on its own in a little while, however, it can do much damage in the interim.
Many Christians are still trying to please their sinful flesh by watching, listening, and continuing to feeding the flesh.
“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” V11
Memory Verse
“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Romans 6:13
What is the second step in defeating slavery to sin?
“ __________ ___________ ye your members (flesh)
as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin.”
“I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.” V19
The third step would be a positive one. What is it?
“Now ___________ your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.”
Memory Verse
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:16
What is the process of defeating slavery to sin called?
“ ___________in the _____________ .”
Notice that God did not say that if you quit fulfilling the lusts of the flesh then you are walking in the Spirit. Stopping sin alone does not make you spiritual. A hammer does little harm lying on the work bench, but it is not the least bit spiritual.
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
Galatians 5:17
In this warfare, what must we avoid?
“Ye cannot do the things that ye _______________ .”
You must avoid the people, places, things, and ideas that your flesh desires by focusing on what God desires for you to do.
Memory Verse
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”
II Corinthians 6:14
With whom has God commanded us not to be yoked?
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with _______________ .”
What does the verse indicate that a yoke is?
“What ___________ hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
What must we do, if we want the Lord to receive us?
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” II Corinthians 6:17
“Come ____ from among them, and be ye _______________ .”
Memory Verse
“Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;” Deuteronomy 28:47
What three things did God say would be lost if we do not serve God?
“Thou servedst not the LORD thy God with ______________ , “
and with __________________________ of heart,
for the ____________________ of ___________ things.”
“Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.” V28
What would the disobedient receive instead?
“____________ … in ___________, and in __________, and in
___________, and in _________of _____ things: and he shall
put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have _______ thee.”
Memory Verse
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
What does God promise to those who come to Him?
“I will give you _________________ .”
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” V29
What must we do for His yoke to provide rest for our soul?
“Take my yoke upon you, and ______________ of Me.”
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” V30
How does God describe His yoke which He has for us?
“My yoke is ___________, and My burden is _____________ .”
If your burdens are heavy or hard, you have the wrong yoke.