Good morning and welcome in everyone. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from Romans 8, but before we do that, I wanted to ask you a question.
Are there any kinds of foods that you used to eat when you were a kid that you just can’t eat anymore? The reason why is because you are sick of them. I talked to a person a few years back that used to eat pickled eggs each and every day, but now they can’t eat a single one anymore. The mere sight of them makes him absolutely sick to his stomach. He became completely burned out on them, and has no desire to eat one again, as long as he lives.
This reminds me of the Christian life.
We are not supposed to have any desire anymore for the sinful things that we used to do in our past. When we become baptized into the Christian faith, we are supposed to rise up out of the water, to become a new person in Christ, turning away from the sins that we used to live in, to follow the way of Christ.
Romans 8:12-14 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
To enter into eternal life someday, we must mortify the sinful deeds of the body. Mortification means to deaden, kill off, or discipline one’s body, appetites etc, by suppressing sinful desires. If something is dead, it is not alive anymore and ceases to exist. If something is dead, it produces no activity or emotion. When something is dead it has no feeling anymore. The feelings that you once had for that old lifestyle are gone, being replaced by the things of the Holy Spirit and yielding to the will of God.
Romans 6:11-13 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 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.
Sometimes foresters will purposely burn a section of land and reduce it to ashes. Nothing is left, so that the new growth can come up from underneath. This is what we need to do with the sinful nature. We must destroy the old man and his desires.
Ephesians 4:22-24 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
When we are baptized into the name of Christ, we are submerged underneath the water, descending into a water grave. We put to death that old person that we used to be, so that we can rise up in newness to serve the Lord Jesus.
Romans 6:4-6 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 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.
Mortification is the process of deadening off sinful desires in your life. You turn away from participating in those kinds of activities, in order to faithfully serve Jesus. Mortification is a large process of the Christian life. It is something that must happen because if somebody continues to live in the flesh, they are going to die. Baptism is only the first step of a daily walk with Christ and His Word. Sometimes I think about a gardener, who goes through his garden each morning, pulling up all of the weeds. The Christian life is about pulling up the weeds of sin in our lives, and the things that are wrong and displeasing to God. God gives us grace and forgiveness to be able to begin this new walk with Him, but we don’t want to frustrate His grace. We want to cooperate with the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:5-8 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
It’s a matter of placing your mind on spiritual things.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Sinful desires have to be put to death within each of us. Instead of choosing wrong, we choose what is right. We must live according to God’s standards rather than the worlds. Mortification is about subduing sinful desires. Subdue means to bring under your control. It’s about bringing your body into subjection. The Christian life is more than professing to be a Christian, it requires turning away from the deeds of the flesh. Those who choose to impenitently live in sinfulness, will miss out on Paradise. It doesn’t matter what somebody claims to be, what matters is ridding yourself of sin in your life. We have grace and forgiveness available, but it’s so that we can do God’s will from our hearts. To attain eternal life requires effort on our part, one of which is mortifying the deeds of the flesh. It’s about purifying ourselves.
1 John 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Many years ago, I used to sell water purifiers. They were a little cylinder that you attached to your kitchen faucet. When the water went through the purifier, it produced a perfectly purified glass of drinking water because it removed all of the impurities. God wants us to purify ourselves.
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
We must undergo a purification process, and that means we need to kill off the old desires that we had in our past and replace them with new ones, good ones. It’s no longer living like we used to live, but giving up the past and letting it go and reaching out for the new man in Christ. Grace has been given to us so that we can turn around and do the will of God from our hearts. Remember that the impenitent, who choose to continue living in sin are going to die. Without an abrupt about face, they will come short of eternal life. Mortification must happen so that you no longer desire to live in sin anymore. Just the thought of your past life turns your stomach, just like the taste of…….
……..Pickled Eggs
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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