Many years ago in Europe, kings or rulers would war over territories, each trying to conquer more land and people to add to their kingdoms. Once the territories were conquered, they would be under the reign, rule, or control of that new king or monarch. Whatever the King or ruler of that land declared to be law, all of the population would be expected to follow and obey.
You probably know the idea of a carrot on a stick, which when you hold that carrot on a stick in front of an animal such as a horse or mule, the animal will instinctively walk towards the carrot seeking to eat it. Wherever you place the carrot the creature will follow, thereby allowing you to control them to do what you want.
Well, the devil will use sin in a similar manner to try to get people to do what is evil and wrong. He will try to tempt others into disobeying God, leading people off into sin, but as Christians we must resist the devil’s temptations. We must not yield ourselves to sin, but yield ourselves to 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.”
Reign means “to be a dominant quality of a place or situation; to prevail, predominate, rule. To exercise power over, like a monarch.” It is to be in control of something.
Someone without Christ might live in sins, adultery, lying, evil speaking, etc, but as servants of Christ, we cannot let those sins be a part of us. Jesus is perfect, and if we want to be called Christians, we need to live in a manner that He would live. We need to keep ourselves free from sin, and deaden off those sinful deeds.
“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.” Romans 8:13
Instead of allowing sin to control your speech through lies and otherwise evil speech, use your voice to pray to God. Sing songs to the Lord. Preach the Gospel. Use your voice for good things, not evil. Someone could use their hands to hurt another person, but that would mean that they are letting sin control them. Instead, use your hands to help someone open a door, or take care of someone when they are not feeling well. Use your hands to give a Bible to someone.
The wages of sin is death, we learn in Romans 6, meaning that if we choose to live in our sins, we will receive the payment for it, which is eternal damnation. Why would someone let sin control them knowing this information? It just doesn’t make sense.
While there is nothing that we can do to earn our way into Heaven, because we are not saved by our works, but we are saved by God’s grace, a person could actually earn their way to hell by the deeds of the flesh. If we willingly allow ourselves to sin we will die.
That is the choice that everyone needs to make. Which road are you going to choose? One road is wide, filled with many people, but it is the road of sin. The other-a narrow path, traveled by a few, but it leads to eternal life.
Don’t let sin take you down the wide road to destruction. Obey Jesus, not sin. Resist the devil’s temptations, and keep yourself from sin.
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Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 