Lesson NOTES
Joey Ratcliff
Thursday PM
Harmony Hill YC
How Christians Stop Sinning
In Romans 6:11, Paul tells the Christians in Rome to stop sinning. How does this happen? Is it automatically easy for every Christian?
1. Theological Basis
· The Christian standard (or norm) is that we don’t sin (1 John 2:1)
- In Christ, we are free from sin (Romans 6:7)
- Living in sin reveals a lack of real faith (1 John 1:6; 3:8)
- “Workers of iniquity” will miss the kingdom (Matt. 7:23)
· God makes provision if we do sin.
- Jesus, our High Priest (Heb. 4:15-16), advocates for us (1 John 2:1)
- His blood covers us as we walk in the light of transparency (1 John 1:7)
2. How to Live It Out
· First, ask God for deliverance.
- No effort is effective apart from God’s grace (Phil. 2:13).
- God may choose to instantly deliver you.
o He often does this for the spiritually weak.
- Regardless, no strategies will work if you are not surrendered to God as your Lord.
· Change our thinking (Romans 12:2).
- To think according to God’s Word (Psalm 119:9)
o
God is our Creator and Judge! “Fear” is more than just respect. We recognize the gravity of a decision to rebel against Him!
Learning wisdom instead of foolishness (Proverbs)
o Learning the fear of the Lord (Pro. 8:13)
o Recognizing sin for what it is and does (Romans 6:23)
o Becoming satisfied with God’s provision for our needs! (Gen. 1:29)
- To recognize reality
o Our desires come from God, so we shouldn’t feel guilty for being tempted. Sin is a distortion of God’s good.
o Satan’s strategy is to make us feel constantly guilty
o “How am I replacing the goodness of God’s provision with something inferior?” (See Gen. 3)
- Intimacy vs. Pleasure / Relationship vs. Lust
· Change our habits.
- Am I making provision for the flesh, allowing myself to get close to sin but “not do it”? (Rom. 13:14)
- Can I identify what trigger is leading me into this temptation?
o Loneliness, anxiety, anger, abandonment, boredom, tiredness…
- Can I identify what “need” I am trying to wrongly satisfy through this temptation?
o Companionship, affirmation, excitement, happy feelings, security…
- Through “self-talk,” can I get my head on straight in the moment of temptation?
- Can I establish a new auto-response to this situation?
o When I get this urge, I will fulfill this need by…
· Utilizing our spiritual resources
- Remember, it is when we walk in the Spirit that we don’t fulfill the desires of the flesh! (Gal. 5:16)
- Putting on the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18)
o Belt of Truth – “What lie is Satan telling me?”
o Breastplate of Righteousness – “I hereby commit to obedience before I enter the battle.”
o Shoes of Peace – “I have peace with God and man, and I purpose to live in that peace.”
o Shield of Faith – “If I have doubt, I will address it when I am not in the middle of heated temptation.”
o Helmet of Salvation – “I am in Christ, and so I am a holy, victorious conqueror.”
o Sword of the Spirit (Bible) – “What verses will I meditate on to facilitate the transformation of my thinking?”
· Living in Christian Community
- The church provides an umbrella of grace to unestablished Christians who live authentically under its spiritual direction (see 1 John 1:7; Matt. 18:18)
- Confessing our sins to one another brings sin into the light and undermines its power over us (James 5:16)
- Finding an authentic spiritual parent enables you to stand on their shoulders and learn from them (see 1 Cor. 11:1)