Creflo Dollar - The Spirit of Grace
Sin hurts people, alright, now, verse 14, see it? Let's read it out loud, ready, read. "For sin shall not have dominion over you," why, but what? Oh, watch this, now. "For sin shall not have dominion over you". I'm not gonna ask you to raise your hands if you're being dominated by sin, but the Scripture says it won't dominate you if you're not under the law. See, Satan is not trying to tempt you to sin, he just wants you to keep the law. Because if you get back under the law, you will sin. Because the Bible says, I believe, in Romans chapter 5 verse 19 and 20 that the law was given to increase sin. Oh, look at that, you should have seen the people's face. This, man, the law says mine, put it up, Romans 5:19. Put it up, King James, Amplified. The law of Moses was given to increase sin.
In other words, you're trying so hard to keep something that nobody couldn't keep but Jesus. Look at this, "As for one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous". Twenty, "Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound". The word "abound" means increase. "But where sin increased, grace did much more," what? Increase, so the law came in, look at that verse in the Amplified Bible, let's amplify it a little bit for the benefit of others. There you go, "But then the law came in, only to expand and increase the trespass," did you see that? Those Ten Commandments you keep, they were given to increase sin, why? Trying to get you to do something you can't do by yourself, you need Jesus.
Alright, now, go back to Romans 6:14, "For you are not under the law," but you're under what? You're not under the law, but you're under what? Sin has no more dominion over your life because you're not under the law, you're under what? You're under what? You're under what? You're under what? Not the law but what? We all agree on that? Alright, Romans 10 verse 4, Romans 10 verse 4, alright, now watch this. Read it out loud with me, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes". Christ, in your life, is the end of the law if you believe it. How many of you believe it? How many of you believe it? So, you're under grace, not the law, right? So, if you're no longer being tutored and cared for by the law or schooled by the law, what's the replacement? Kind of, but let's look at Galatians 5:18. Who's the giver of grace? Galatians 5:18, let's read verse 18 out loud together. Ready, read, "But if you be led of the, you are not under the", see, we used to be led by the, but we're righteous now, and we're in Christ now, and we're saved now, so we're no longer led by the law, we are now led by the? So, if we're led by the Spirit, then we're no longer under the? So, who's leading you?
No, no, no, I'm not asking for you to give me the answer to the question, I'm asking in your life, personally, who's leading you? Because I know a lot of people who are still being led by the letter of the law and they're not being led by the Spirit of God. The Holy Ghost wants to take you deeper, baby. Listen, the law will just show you what's wrong in your relationships, but the Holy Ghost will tell you what to do. See, you've gone to the deeper now. The law will show you what's wrong concerning your addictive behaviors, but the Holy Spirit will get right there with you in your addiction and walk you out of your addiction into your freedom. But we don't take no time to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. There's some, not you, but there's some that would come to this church and say, "What is he doing? Why is he teaching"? Because we need to understand what we say we live by.
So, let's check this Holy Spirit out. John 16:7-14, everybody with me? John 16:7-14, alright, now, we're going somewhere, and it'll bring about freedom. Church people, we just got to figure out how to sit still and receive understanding of God's Word, so we'll know how to live. This is not a game where everybody named Mama can tell you what's going on with the Bible. God said in his Word I gave you apostles and prophets, evangelists, and teachers, and pastors for the perfecting of the church, and you can't hardly tell folks nothing 'cause they think they know more than you, and they don't spend an ounce of time with the Holy Ghost. They don't spend an ounce of time studying, and they wanna come to church 'cause they've been going to church for 50-some-odd years, and for 50 years, you ain't learn nothing past, "Jesus wept". 'Cause I asked you, "Well, why did he weep"? "Oh, I ain't never thought about that, you know, I'm just so", listen to us, man, we're trying to help you.
God is not happy when you're suffering. God's not throwing a party when you're broken. God is not ready to punish you in the midst of your addiction. God has not left you. God is not like a Santa Claus, son, you better watch out, you better not cry. Oh, I forgot the other, I'm telling you why. He sees you when you sleeping, he knows when you awake. I told you about that story my mama told me, she said, "You better be sleep when Satan Claus come, 'cause he gonna bring a monkey, and if you ain't sleep, he gonna scratch your eyes out". I was in fear, and I felt like that monkey was at the foot of my bed, and I'm breaking out in a sweat as a little kid, "Oh Jesus, I'm sleep, I'm sleep". He knows when you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake. And you think God's the same way. You look at God as the punisher for your misbehaving and he's not. You think he's mad at you and he's not. He's not even in a bad mood where you're concerned.
And we have so misrepresented God in churches, people don't know what to think. God gonna get you. Honey, if God wanted to get you, you'd of been got. Watch this, now, "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away". Jesus said, "For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you". Verse 8, "And when he is come, he will reprove, rebuke, the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement". Three things he'll do, he's gonna rebuke, and reprove you of sin because you believe not on him. So, he's saying here, Holy Spirit was sent to reprove you of not believing on him, not believing on your relationship with him, not believing that there's something awesome that happens when you have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
And so, most of your sinning comes as a result of unbelief. Your sin action is a reaction of unbelief. A man who steals, steals because he doesn't believe that God will provide all of his needs according to his riches in glory. It's unbelief, fix your unbelief problem, you'll fix your sin problem, your sinning problem. Verse 10, he says, "Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you see me no more". What he says is, you are the righteousness of God. I've made you righteous because I've gone to my Father, and in me you are righteous, and if you believe it, you will rule and reign in this life. Verse 11, "Of judgement, because the prince of this world is judged," which means he no longer has the authority, the authority now has been given to you. Verse 12, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now".
I wonder what it was he had to say to them, but he couldn't say it to 'em because they wouldn't have been able to bear it because the Holy Ghost wasn't there. I don't know about you, but if he's got some stuff to say to me, I wanna know what he got to say. But he tells you you're not gonna be able to get it because you're gonna need the Holy Ghost to be able to receive what he wants to say. Turn to your neighbor and say, "God wants to say something to you". Turn to the other side and say, "God has a secret he wants you to know". Man, y'all getting ready to go up, y'all leaving that cheaper into the deeper now, amen? See, praying in English is the cheaper, it's alright, but praying in tongues is the deeper. See, praising the Lord is the cheaper, but worship is the deeper. It's time for church folks to move from the cheaper to the deeper. Turn to your neighbor and say, "I'm going deep".
Now, watch this, verse 13, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will," do what? "Guide you into all," grace, oh, truth, oh, grace, "For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come". So, he says he'll not only show you knowledge, but he's gonna show you foreknowledge. He says I got some secrets to tell you, and then I wanna show you something about what hadn't happened yet. So, what did the Holy Spirit come to reveal to us? What did he come to reveal to us? Here's my question, go to Hebrews chapter 9:28, I'm gonna move pretty quick now. Hebrews 9:28, is sin the central issue of life? Is sinning, is sin the central issue of life? 'Cause church and Christian people alike have made sin a central issue. Being saved and once you become a Christian, it seems like it's all the focus, all the focus is on sinning.
And you wonder why people can't get free from it. All the focus is on sinning. Everything's on sinning. What you wear is on sinning. Where you go is on sinning. What you listen to is on sinning. You were supposed to move into liberty and freedom, not to sin, but to be free to live holy as God has called you to live holy, but holy seems like it's the bad word, the struggle. But the Holy Spirit came to reveal some things to you, and I'm gonna show you right now. You're dealing with sin, and you make sin the central issue, and it is not so with God. Sin is a non-issue with God, why? 'Cause Jesus has already dealt with it. And you are demonstrating that you don't believe that Jesus has already dealt with your sin because you keep making sin the central focus and issue of your life and it is not.
I want you to see this Scripture in the New Living Translation, Hebrews chapter 9 and 28. It may be shocking to you, but again, I'm not making stuff up when I say it, that's why I have to show you these Scriptures. I have to spend most of my time, when I'm preaching the gospel, showing people Scriptures, because they've been so inundated with wrong information through movies, and church, and preachers who don't know what they talk about, because we don't read the Bible that we say we believe. So, watch this, "So also, Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people". How many of you believe that Jesus was offered as the sacrifice to take away your sins? Do you believe he was successful? So, he was successful in doing what? Has he taken it? Well, why do you keep taking it? Has he taken away your sins, your past sins, your present sins, your future sins? "He will come again," how many of you believe Jesus is coming again?
And you know you've heard the stories, "When Jesus come, he gonna get you for what you did". "When Jesus come, oh, the judgement day is coming. Judgement day is coming. Judgement day's coming, boy, I tell you one thing, yeah, 'cause he gonna get you. Better watch out, better not cry, 'cause Jesus comin' back". But, watch this, "He will come again, not to deal with our sins," what that mean? He's coming back again but not to deal with your sin. When did Jesus deal with our sin? When he died. When did Jesus deal with our righteousness? When he was resurrected. Dealt with sins when he died. He says so he is not coming back again to deal with our sins, "But to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him".
There's a still part of the promise you don't have yet. You don't have your glorified body yet. There's still some stuff to come, and when he comes back, he's gonna come back to complete the salvation package. If you are born again, and if you made Jesus Lord of your life, now, please don't misunderstand me, I'm not condoning sin. I am saying if you believe that Jesus has already dealt with your sins, belief in that is going to cause the grace of God to come in your life and the more grace you have operating in your life, the less you gonna sin. You don't sin more because of grace, you sin less because of grace. Alright, now watch carefully, now. I'm gonna read this statement and just finish it, but it's a bold statement. "As far as true righteousness is concerned, whether an action or thought is sin is completely besides the point. God does not determine whether he is okay with me based on whether or not I am healthy, gluttonous, he does not determine whether he's okay with me whether I smoke, drink, chew, hang out with those who do, gay or straight".
All my life, I heard that God evaluates you based on what you do, and if you don't do good, then God evaluates you as not good because you don't do good. That's a lie, the church missed it. I'm gonna show you why, just hold on a minute. Now, it sounds like I'm giving you license to sin. No, I'm not, first, you were sinning before you got license, you were sinning before you came up in here this morning, you don't need no license to sin. And the shocking part was I said drunk or not drunk, gay or straight, because we love to put people in positions where we just absolutely condemn them to hell. So, what makes me okay with God? Is it what I do? No, what makes me okay with God is my belief in him.
Listen to what I'm saying, I'm getting ready to prove something. What makes me okay with God? How does God evaluate me? God evaluates me based on my belief in him. God evaluates me based on me believing it. He took all my sins away and I believe it. So, I'm okay, he's okay with me because of Jesus. He took all my sins away, and what makes me okay with him? And I believe it. Now what happens when you start believing what he did? He starts now escorting you out of what you do. When you stuck in sin, it's a reaction of your unbelief in what he did. I believe that I'm delivered from sin. You know what, one day, when that dawns on you, you'll say, "Wait a minute, I am delivered". It'll dawn on you, "I don't have to do this anymore".
What's the problem? We keep focusing on sin as the major issue and not on the solution, Jesus Christ. Go to Romans chapter 4:25. This is radical, Romans 4:25, the Living Bible. "He was handed over to die," why? So, you know I'm not condoning sin, because that's what Jesus died for. Why would you condone something that he died for? "He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God". How many of you believe Jesus was raised, why? To make us right with God. We could not be right with God in all the works that we do. You can go to church a thousand times a day and it won't make you right with God without Jesus. You could be flawless, spotless, and not do nothing, don't drink no coffee, don't smoke no weed, don't even look at your naked body when you get out the shower, you can do all of that, and it still won't make you right with God.
Jesus was the only one that can make you right with God. But he needs you to believe that he made you right with God, and if you believe that Jesus made you right with God, check it out, I'm right with God. Now, I had a bad night, but I'm right with God. Now, I made a stupid decision, but I'm right with God. And the day you believe you right with God, you gonna start doing right, 'cause you believe I'm right with God. But, as long as you come to church, and preacher keep telling you you ain't no good because you did that, you ain't no good because you didn't do that, you ain't no good 'cause you gonna keep doing it, and after a while, you gonna quit coming to church, 'cause you're like, "I don't wanna hear him tell me what I already know. I already know I'm going to hell, so since I ain't right with God, I'm gonna smoke this weed".
That's the problem, you keep beating your brains out, working hard to try to figure out how to get right with God, and so you come up with a list of things, "I'm gonna pray". Well, how much praying do you have to pray in order to be right with God? Then you say, "I'm gonna fast". Well, how many days you gotta fast in order for it to be enough to be alright with God? And you say, "Well, I'm gonna make confessions". How many confessions you gotta make a day in order for you to be alright with God? See, if you keep doing that, you're gonna enter into compulsive Christianity disorder, and you're gonna be a weirdo, and Christina people are already weird enough, and you're gonna become even weirder because you don't understand that you're alright with God not because of what you do, but because of what he has done, and you believe it, you believe it. So, stop condemning people to hell and get them to focus on Jesus and not on sin. Listen to this, "Whatever the sin is, the answer is to turn our focus off of the sin and turn it on to Jesus".