Faith Is The Victory! - In Overcoming Sin

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                        "FAITH IS THE VICTORY!"

                           In Overcoming Sin

INTRODUCTION

1. The theme for this series is "Faith Is The Victory!", with the 
   following text as the basis for our study...

   For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the
   victory that has overcome the world; our faith. Who is he who
   overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son
   of God?  (1Jn 5:4-5)

2. In our previous study, we saw that the faith which overcomes the 
   world is...
   a. A strong conviction and trust in Jesus:
      1) As the Christ, the Son of God - cf. Ac 8:37
      2) As the way, the truth, and the life - cf. Jn 14:6-7
      3) Who alone provides the way to God and eternal life - cf. Jn 6:
         68-69
   b. A strong conviction and trust in Jesus that comes by:
      1) The Word of God - Ro 10:17
      2) The evidence provided by the Word of God - Jn 20:30-31

3. The "world" we can overcome by faith in Jesus includes anything that
   can hinder our relationship with God, even such things as...
   a. Anxiety           e. Discontentment 
   b. Boredom           f. Fear
   c. Depression        g. Grief
   d. Despair           h. Loneliness

4. Our purpose in this series is to illustrate how faith in Jesus helps
   us to overcome such things, but it is important that we first talk
   about overcoming SIN...
   a. While sin is not taken too seriously these days, it should be
   b. The problem of sin must be overcome if we are to overcome 
      anything else
      1) In some cases, sin may be the underlying cause of problems we
         face
      2) In any case, unless we overcome sin, we will not have God's 
         help to overcome the problems before us! - cf. Isa 59:1-2; 
         1Pe 3:12

5. In this lesson, I wish to do two things...
   a. Carefully define the problem of sin
   b. Explain how faith in Jesus can overcome the problem of sin

[Let's begin then by considering...]

I. THE PROBLEM OF SIN

   A. THERE IS THE "GUILT" OF SIN...
      1. First, everyone is guilty of sin - Ro 3:23
         a. Even if one has committed just one sin, it as though they
            have committed them all! - cf. Jm 2:10
         b. That is because sin is so terrible, and God is so holy!
      2. There is both "legal" guilt and "emotional" guilt
         a. Legal guilt means you have violated God's law
            1) God has a Law, and if we break it, He holds us 
               accountable - 1Jn 3:4
            2) The price of such guilt is "death", i.e., eternal 
               separation from God - Ro 6:23; Re 21:8
         b. Emotional guilt pertains to one's conscience of sin
            1) When we know we have done wrong, we feel "guilty"
            2) Our conscience becomes burdened by such "guilt" for our
               sins
      3. Even if we have so hardened our conscience that we feel no 
         "emotional" guilt, the "legal" guilt remains
         a. God still holds us accountable, and will judge us on the 
            last day - Jn 12:48; Ac 17:30-31
         b. Until then, unforgiven sin also prevents God from coming to
            our aid - Isa 59:1-2; 1Pe 3:12
            1) Which means we must bear our burdens alone
            2) Whatever comfort, peace, and strength God might provide,
               is not for one who remains in their sin! - Isa 57:19-21

   B. THERE IS THE "POWER" OF SIN...
      1. The problem of sin is not limited to guilt
         a. As if the guilt of sin weren't bad enough!
         b. Sin also has the power to enslave a person so that they 
            can't do what they really want to do!
      2. Jesus described the power of sin - Jn 8:31-34
         a. In passage often misapplied to talk about truth leading to
            freedom (e.g., political)
         b. The freedom under consideration is freedom from the slavery
            of sin!
         c. When one commits sin, they become a slave of sin!
      3. Paul vividly depicted what his life was like under the bondage
         of sin, from which the Law of Moses could not deliver - Ro 7:
         14-24
         a. He was "sold under sin" - Ro 7:14
         b. He could not do what he wanted, and what he did not wish to
            do, he did - Ro 7:15
         c. He found that "sin dwells in me" - Ro 7:17,20
         d. Though he desired to do good, "how to perform what is good
            I do not find" - Ro 7:18
         e. He found himself brought "into captivity to the law of sin
            which is in my members" - Ro 7:23
         f. It made him "wretched", crying out for deliverance from
            "this body of death" - Ro 7:24

[Sin is a like a powerful drug, to which we become enslaved (addicted).
Until we somehow are set free from the power of sin, the guilt of sin
separates us from God;  any problem we have, therefore, we face alone,
with no assistance from God!

But through faith in Jesus, there can be victory in overcoming sin!  
Let's see how...]

II. HOW FAITH IN JESUS OVERCOMES SIN

   A. BY PROVIDING THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN...
      1. Remission of sins is promised to those who believe in Jesus 
         - Ac 10:43
         a. Made possible by the shedding of His blood - Ep 1:7
         b. Jesus became our "propitiation" (a sacrifice designed to 
            appease) - 1Jn 2:2; 4:9-10
         c. Through His blood we are "justified" (i.e., declared "not 
            guilty"), and therefore spared from the wrath of God to 
            come - Ro 5:9
      2. Such forgiveness is promised to those whose faith in Jesus 
         moves them to repent and be baptized - Ac 2:38; 3:19
         a. Repentance - that "change of mind" in which we turn from 
            sin to serve God
         b. Baptism - that "burial" in which we are united with Christ
            into His death, that we might be crucified with Him and 
            then rise to walk in newness of life - Ro 6:3-7
      3. Forgiveness continues as we repent and confess our sins in 
         prayer - Ac 8:22; 1Jn 1:9
      -- In this way Jesus deals with the "guilt" of sin (legal and 
         emotional - cf. He 9:14)

   B. BY PROVIDING THE POWER OVER SIN...
      1. In Ro 6:6-7, Paul speaks of freedom from sin...
         a. "we should no longer be slaves of sin"
         b. "...has been freed from sin"
      2. Later, in Ro 8:1-2,12-13 he describes where this "power" 
         comes from...
         a. It is "the law (principle) of the Spirit of life in Christ"
            which frees one from "the law of sin and death"
         b. In particular, how the Spirit enables us to "put to death
            the deeds of the body"
         c. With the aid of the Spirit, we now have the help of God to
            overcome sin! - cf. Ep 3:16,20-21; Php 4:13
      3. The promise of the Spirit was given by both Jesus and His 
         apostles
         a. To those who believe in Him - Jn 7:37-39
         b. To those who repent and are baptized - Ac 2:38-39
         c. I.e., to those who obey Him and become "children of God" 
            - cf. Ac 5:32; Ga 3:26-27; 4:6; 5:16
      -- In this way Jesus deals with the "power" of sin

CONCLUSION

1. To the one who is willing to believe in Jesus, with a trust and 
   conviction to do what He says, then "Faith Is The Victory!"

2. There is certainly victory over SIN...
   a. Over the legal and emotion guilt of sin
   b. Over the power of sin which easily enslaves us
   -- This He does through the gift of His blood, and the gift of the 
      Holy Spirit!

With such wonderful gifts, we can now have the kind of relationship 
with God by which we can also overcome whatever else the world might 
throw at us...
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