Today’s message summary from Pastor Gus Brown:
A believer in Jesus Christ should always reflect the desire and the resulting effort to avoid sin (Psalm 119:11). Anything less should be unacceptable. Unfortunately, there are some who profess to be Christian and yet live constantly in sin, and don’t seem to have the desire to escape it. A person who professes faith in Jesus Christ will not remain in sin without repentance and a desire to live in a godly manner; unfortunately, many who call themselves Christian don’t show the evidence of living for Christ because they fail to remove sin. A believer will not grow in Christ if his or her lifestyle does not distinguish itself from that of the world.
Jeremiah 48:11
Moab has been left quiet since his youth,
settled like wine on its dregs.
He hasn’t been poured from one container to another
or gone into exile.
So his taste has remained the same,
and his aroma hasn’t changed.
In order to grow in Christ, you must remove sin from your life and do everything you can to keep clear of those things that cause you to sin. God desires for every believer to live in such a way where he or she is a light in a dark world, and being that salt and light is a lifestyle that is a pleasing fragrance to God.
2 Corinthians 2:15
For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
Philippians 4:8
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.
In order to overcome sin, the believer in Jesus Christ has to make a commitment to do it and to continually strive for godliness.
Three ways you can keep sin out of your life:
I. Don’t take advice from the ungodly as to how to live in a godly manner.
(This does not mean that one should not take any advice from a person who is not a believer. You can get good advice, but it may often not be advice that distinguishes how you are to live as a believer in Christ.) This advice covers many different areas—marriage, family, money, work habits and friendships.
Psalm 1:1-3
1 How happy is the man
who does not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path of sinners
or join a group of mockers!
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams of water
that bears its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
It’s important to recognize today’s basic worldly principles:
1. Get all you can without working (work ethic as we have known it is just about gone today).
2. If you do work, do as little as possible. Don’t let the man take advantage of you.
3. Have as much sex as you can with as many people as you can.
4. Look for others to clean up your mess. If necessary, use the blame game.
5. Be loyal only to yourself, and care only about yourself.
6. This is the only life you have; therefore, make it a party!
If you allow ungodly people in your life, they will have a negative effect on you and your testimony.
Psalm 125:3-4
3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous will not apply their hands to injustice.
4 Do what is good, Lord, to the good,
to those whose hearts are upright.
II. Learn to wait on The Lord
Psalm 130:5-6
5 I wait for Yahweh; I wait
and put my hope in His word.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning—
more than watchmen for the morning.
Philippians 4:6, 11-12
6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and courageous.
Wait for the Lord.
Psalm 37: 34
Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
and He will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.
1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time.
God will indeed lift you up.
Isaiah 40:31
…but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary;
they will walk and not faint.
Waiting is our hope in The Lord.
John 3:27
John responded, “No one can receive a single thing unless it’s given to him from heaven.
III. Change your friends from those who corrupt to those who encourage your fellowship with Christ
Don’t allow yourself to be misled.
1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
Proverbs 30:11-12
11 There is a generation that curses its father
and does not bless its mother.
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
yet is not washed from its filth.
Watch the relationships that your friends have with their parents. Is it a rebellious relationship or a respectful one?
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.
Is the relationship making you a better person? A good friend brings encouragement and is uplifting to you. It is a pleasant, refreshing aroma!
Proverbs 27:9
Oil and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.
You have to work at keeping yourself out of sin. Pray for guidance from Jesus as to each of these areas.
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