If you look at a sport such as American football the players in the league will often be traded to a different team than the one that they originally signed with. Certainly there are some players that play their entire career with one team, but for the most part a player will end up playing for another team at some point. And with that team change it might change the way that they are used for the betterment of their new team. A player might have been used as a defensive back on one team, but when they were traded their new team decided that they would be best used as a corner, or pass rusher, and as such that player’s role will change to support the team. No longer do they serve their previous team’s goal for them, because they have moved on to their new team.
When we become a Christian what we are doing is switching sides, so to speak. We are turning away from our sins and we are turning to the will of Christ.
Galatians 5:24-25 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
It’s kind of like unplugging a cord from the wall, and disconnecting the power from a device. We must unplug ourselves from the control of the sinful flesh and sinful urges and let ourselves be controlled by the Holy Spirit of the Lord, and as Paul put it, we must “crucify” the flesh.
If you crucify something it means that you kill it, or you subdue something. You are denying it. We must deny sin to have the control and reign over our lives and keep ourselves from obeying the sinful flesh.
Colossians 3:5-10 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Just as a football player might end up playing for a different team, serving their new team’s will for them, we must change over from serving sin to serving Christ. Sin is a road that everyone starts out on in their life, but that road will eventually only lead to death and destruction of the soul. We must get off of that road, and turn to the path that Jesus has shown us, the path to life.
Romans 8:13 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.
This seems like it should be an obvious answer to this question, but isn’t it better to live than to die? Isn’t it better to not have to suffer pain and punishment if there is a way to escape it? Jesus has provided that escape that we need by giving us His forgiveness and mercy, and calls us to come and serve Him. The wages of sin is death the Bible teaches, but the reward for those who serve Christ is everlasting life. Don’t let sin control you, serve Jesus, and live.
In Christ
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 