Joseph Prince - Irreversibly Blessed
Are you ready for the Word? Praise God. Give Jesus the praise, c'mon. He deserves it all. All right, praise the Lord. Romans chapter 6. Today, we're gonna answer the question: "What does it mean to be dead to sin," all right? What does it mean to die to sin? I'm sure that if you've been a believer for some length of time you have been in a place where you have been hearing this statement "dead to sin," or "you're gonna learn to die to sin," when you feel anger rising up, you say, "I'm dead to the anger, I'm dead to that anger," amen. Have you been taught that, amen? You've got to learn to die to sin.
Now, I've tried that so many times. Years ago, I read a teaching that says that when you feel a propensity towards sin, when you feel sinful tendencies like anger rising up, learn to say, "I'm dead to anger, I'm dead to that," all right? So I try to say, "I'm dead to that". The more I say I'm dead, the more alive I am to their anger until I end up shouting or doing something crazy, okay? So it does not work. The bottom line is this trying to die does not work. Why? Because you are trying to do something that has been done. You know, what's the frustration of trying to be in the Rock Auditorium or in the room that you are in, when you're already in the room.
You know, I'm trying to get into this room. Yo, bro, you are in this room. You see the frustration there? We only have our eyes open to realize we are dead to sin, but first we have to establish a few points here about dead to sin. In the Bible, in the book of Romans which we're gonna deal with today, sin, 47 times. The word "sin" is hamartia which is a noun. Forty-seven times. Sin in the book of Romans is a noun. Wow, 47 times. Only once is it a verb. A verb would be reflected as hamartano. Only once, Romans 6:15. That's where it appears. Only one time in the book of Romans is sin a sinful action and deed. Other places, sin, singular, is people, place, or thing. Are you with me?
Okay, with that in mind, let's look at every place you find Jesus's death in Romans or our death with him, it's always in the past tense. The Greek calls it the aorist tense, okay? The aorist tense, by the way, denotes an act at a definite point in the past. In other words, it has happened. Can I have a good "Amen"? All right, it cannot happen again. It's happened. Now, there's another tense called the perfect tense. Both these tenses are used every time it talks about Jesus's death or our death with him, our core death, core crucifixion. It's always either in the aorist tense or the perfect tense. Perfect tense denotes an act already done, completely ended, never to be repeated with a resultant effect, never to be repeated with a resultant effect in the present, okay? It is a never-to-be-repeated act that happened once and for all.
By the way, when Jesus cried at the cross, "It is finished," in the Greek it is perfect tense which means it's never going to be repeated. He has finished the work of removing our sins once and for all. And the result continue until today, there's a resultant effect in the present, okay? Are you with me? All right, just a bit of teaching. You can go back to your friends, say, "You know what's aorist or no," all right? So that's aorist tense, past tense. So go back to Romans 6: "For he who has died has been freed from sin". Now sin here is a noun, not a verb.
Now this is where people mistaken the whole thing. So when they see something like this, "He who has died has been freed from sin," they think what? Verb: sinful actions and behavior. And then they look at themself. "Just this morning on my way to church I lost my temper with somebody on the road. I really claimed my death to sin a few months ago, and yet this morning I still find sinful tendencies alive. What's wrong with me"? Okay, there's nothing wrong with you. Something wrong with the way you believe. You think you are freed from sinful actions and behavior, but the Bible says you are freed from sin, noun. You'll understand clearer as we go along, okay? Sin in all these verses here is a noun. Are you with me? All right, keep that in mind first. People, place, thing. So "He who has died has been freed from sin". Not the verb, but the noun. "Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more". How many can say, "Amen"?
Once he's raised from the dead, he dies no more. "Death no longer has dominion over Jesus". I want you to know something that God never meant for men to die. You know, when God made man, God made man and woman to live forever, and to live forever young. Not even have one pimple. God never meant for them to have one wrinkle, all right? God meant for them all to look like me. No, I'm just teasing, okay? So the Bible says in verse 10 now, look at verse 10: "The death that Jesus died, he died to sin," how often? Shout it. How many times must Jesus die to sin? "Once and for all". He's never gonna come down again.
If today, all right, you sin, he's not gonna come down again and go to the cross for you. Why? Once and for all is more than enough, amen. The perfect tense, all right, with resultant effect in the present. So Jesus died to sin. What sin? Did Jesus die to sinful behavior or did Jesus die to sin as a noun? We'll come to that. "He died to sin once for all; but the life that he lives, he lives to God," okay? Why is this important? Why knowing how Jesus died to sin once and for all is important to us? Because the next verse says: "Likewise". You know, what's likewise or no? "In the same manner". "In the same manner Jesus died to sin in that once and for all way you are to reckon yourself dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord".
In other words, is Jesus dying to sin gradually? Then we should not be thinking of ourselves, what? In the same way. We are to think that we are dying gradually. If Jesus died gradually, we are dying gradually. Because it's likewise. But no, Jesus died once and for all. Therefore, our death to sin must be once and for all, okay? How many here can tell me that you are freed from sinful behavior or sinful tendencies? You are freed from the verb "sin"? Put up your hands. No one. Somebody just scratching? Okay, no, no, that's not, it's okay. Okay, no one. How many can say, "I'm freed from sin then, I believe. Although I don't understand what is it"? Okay, more. I'm glad. You're on the right track. But what does it mean then, if we're not freed from sinful actions?
Now, we are concerned about sinful actions in the life of a believer because we all want to honor Christ. I said we all want to honor Christ, amen? I don't want a life where I'm always defeated, always being bogged down by my flesh and giving a bad testimony to the world. Even the world don't live like the way some believers live. I don't like the kind of life. It's not Christ-exalting, all right? So we want to be also overcoming sinful actions and behaviors. But unless you understand what it means to be dead to sin, the noun, you'll never be able to have power over sin the verb. Are you listening, church? So let's go on and ask ourself the question, "How did Jesus die to sin"? Once and for all, all right?
Did Jesus die to sin:
A) To sinful actions and deeds;
B) To the imputation, penalty, and condemnation of sin?
You may use your life line. Which one? All right, a, say when Jesus died to sin, by the way, there's no other, okay? Only these two. One says when Jesus died to sin, he died to his sinful actions and behaviors. Is that true? Did Jesus ever die to the verb, sinful actions and behaviors? No, why no? Because he had none. The Bible says it like this in different places, New Testament. In him is no sin. He knew no sin. He did no sin, hallelujah. The only way Jesus ever had sin on him at the cross was by way of imputation, all right? It's by way of imputation. In other words, he had no sins of his own.
If somebody ever comes to you and say, "How can you say you're righteous? You say God hears your prayer because you're righteous. How can you say that"? Tell them, "I will answer you provided you answer me first. How did Jesus become sin without sinning, at the cross"? How did Jesus become sin? He received our sin. How did you and I become righteous? We received his righteousness, the divine exchange. Are you with me? God imputed my sin to Jesus, and God imputed Jesus's righteousness to me. You must understand this: four imputations. Adam sinned. When Adam first sinned, God imputed Adam's sin to all mankind, okay? Then all mankind have sinned. Jesus came, the last Adam. All mankind's sins were imputed to Jesus, and then Jesus's righteousness was imputed to all those who believe. Are you with me?
And that's why a sinner sins, not because, all right, his sin makes him a sinner. He sins because he is a sinner. Look at Romans chapter 5: "For by one man's disobedience many were made sinners". Now who is that one man? Who is that one man? He disobeyed and all men became sinners. Who is that one man? And that's why when you go to heaven one day, Adam's house in a special corner with security fence all around, amen? Why? Because everybody's out to get him. If he didn't bring sin into the world, there'd be no pimples. There'd be no disease. There'll be no more death. There'll be no more deformity, no children suffering, no poverty, no crime, no tears. But because of Adam's sin.
So the fact is sinners are sinners not because they sin. Sinners are sinners because of Adam's disobedience. Now, God arranged it like that so that alternatively, hallelujah, "also by one Man's obedience," Jesus's obedience, "many will be made righteous". Now we go back to the question again. How did Jesus die to sin, all right? The second one, to the imputation, because our sins were imputed to him. He died to that. He died to the penalty and condemnation of sin. So when Jesus hung on the cross, my friend, listen, he was like a lightning rod. You know what's a lightning rod for, right, on top of a building?
You know, the lightning rod actually is there on purpose to attract lightning. And it will bring lightning to an end, into the earth, you understand? So when the cross was lifted, literally he became a judgment rod. If you read carefully, Jesus says, "And when I am lifted up," you know, your Bible says: "I will draw all men unto me," in the King James. Next time you read that, read again. The word "men" is not there. Literally, he said, "When I am lifted up, I will draw all unto me". What is the verse before that? "Now is judgment of this world". Next verse: "And if I'm lifted up, I will draw all," what? "Judgment". "I will be like a black hole that sucks all judgment of God so that there's no more left for you". And he cried, "It is finished," never to be repeated. Phew!
Do you know that there's no judgment coming your way? Aren't you glad? So how did Jesus die to sin? Jesus died to the imputation, the penalty, and the condemnation of sin. Jesus will never be imputed to sin again, he will never suffer the penalties of sin again. He will never come under the condemnation of sin again. Now, go back to Romans 6: "Likewise," in the same way, "you," you believer, "you also reckon yourself to be dead indeed to the imputation, to the penalty, to the condemnation of sin, once and for all". Ho, ho! Praise God, hallelujah.
And the Lord said this to me. I've put this on the screen for you to see what the Lord said. The Lord said this to me: "Only when you realize that you will never come under the condemnation of sin, will sin then lose its power". Did you hear what I said? "Only when you realize that you will never come under the condemnation of sin, will sin then lose its power". Do you remember the woman that Jesus forgave, the one who was caught in adultery? Look up here, folks. That woman wasn't a prostitute. That woman was caught in adultery which means she has a husband. And you all know the story how they brought her before Jesus, they were gonna stone her, right? And you all know how Jesus rescued her, with style, amen? Until one by one, all the accusers left. Only Jesus and her were there alone. And Jesus looked at her and says, listen, Jesus asked her, "Woman, where are those that accused you"? She looked around for the first time because she was probably crying. She looked around, says, "No man, Lord".
You see, it was important for Jesus to put the words in her mouth that no one has condemned me. She has to know that. Obviously, Jesus knows something that many church people do not know. Because today we think that when we preach against sin and we want people to live holy, give them condemnation, you know? Then they will live holy. But this passage says unless we are dead to the condemnation of sin, the guilt of sin, we'll never know freedom from sinful actions and behavior. Are you listening? What did Jesus tell the woman caught in adultery? "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more".
You see, first dead to the condemnation of sin, then you can go and sin no more. Only when you realize there's no condemnation. You look at Jesus in his eyes and he looks at you and you know there's no condemnation. Only then will you be empowered to go and sin no more. How many understand what I'm talking about? I'm showing you the reality of right believing, leading to right living. Are you all with me? Now, at the same time, we want victory in this area, yes, but until you know you're dead to the condemnation of sin, the next verse cannot happen.
Go back to Romans 6. Look at this verse 11, right? Verse 11 says: "In the same manner, likewise, the way Jesus died to the penalty and the judgment and the condemnation of sin, once and for all, you are to reckon yourself. You will never again be condemned by sin once and for all". Don't let any preacher bring you back there. It's once and for all death to that kind of sin, all right? The sins penalty curse and judgment. You are dead to it once and for all, in the same way Jesus is.
Look at verse 12. All right, after verse 11, verse 12 says: "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey in the lust". Now, verse 12 is holiness, right, right? We don't sin to win our mortal body. We don't wanna feel like smacking someone, we bang him in the face, you know? We hit him in the face. Now, don't let sin reign. What does that mean? Notice, it begins with "Therefore". Whenever you find a "therefore" in the Bible, find out why it's there for. Therefore is there because of the preceding verse, because you are dead to the condemnation of sin.
Now, you can let sin not reign in your body. It's the same thing. Verse 11 is Jesus telling the woman, "I don't condemn you". Verse 12 is, "Go and sin no more". But what gives power to verse 12? "Therefore," because you are dead to sin. It's the gospel Jesus died to sin. Now, bring up my prison bars, folks, all right? Now, next thing he says, verse 13: "And do not present your members". Now because you are dead to the condemnation of sin, now don't let sin reign in your body but "you can present your members as instruments of righteousness to God". Look at verse 14: "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace".
That's why I'm trying to bring people under grace. That's why I'm not bringing people under law. Am I for sin? No, that's why I wanna bring people under grace, so that sin will have no power. Now, next verse: "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace"? Now, that sin there is the only place in Romans, it's hamartano, which is verb. "Shall we sin," all right? Next verse: "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness"?
Now, stop. Many people reading this verse, they're saying, "Now what Paul is saying by the Spirit is that don't sin because when you sin it will lead to death. Obey, because when you obey it will lead to righteousness". Stop, stop for a while. You are back to works again. You are saying that your obedience produces righteousness. Now, you're saying when you sin, it will lead to death. No, my friends. Look at Romans 5:17: "By one man's offense". Who is that one man? Adam. "Death reigned through that one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ". Notice, it's a gift of righteousness. So whose obedience? Show them verse 19 again. "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners. By one Man's obedience many made righteous".
Now go back to that verse in Romans 6. So "This," Romans 6, "this obedience unto righteousness". Whose obedience is it? It's Jesus. "This sin leading to death". Whose sin is it? Adam. What he's trying to say, it's not you at all. He's trying to tell you, now, which one will you submit? Which one will you believe? You will believe you are in Adam whose sin lead to death? Or are you in Christ whose obedience gave you righteousness? That's what he's saying. It's doctrinal. Are you with me? And if that is not enough to show you that's doctrinal, look at verse 17: "But God be thanked that though you were slaves," whoa, whoa, "slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine," that's the gospel, "to which you were delivered".
You see, once upon a time, we were slaves of sin. We are no longer slaves of sin, are we? Why? Once upon a time all of us were slaves of sin. This sin here is a noun. We were all in a prison called sin. "Mama, can you buy, next time you come and see me? And bring Pastor Prince tapes". We were all in a prison called sin, okay? Like it or not, you were in this prison. But how you got free from the prison, how did you get a prison break? You know how? "You obeyed from the heart". In other words, you believed from the heart, "that form of doctrine to which you were delivered". The gospel of grace.
When you believe the gospel of grace, you had a prison exchange. You were the slave of sin. Now you are in Christ. You are a prisoner of, "having been set free from sin," noun, people, place, thing. "You became slaves of righteousness". God sees you nothing but righteous. Just as in the past when you were a sinner, you do good things, God sees you nothing but a sinner. Now, even when you fail, you doubt, you complain, you lose your temper, God sees you nothing but righteous. And in this security of righteousness, you can overcome those sins. You can let sin not reign. Are you with me?
Church, what Jesus paid for your prison break, you will never know. Do you remember in the Garden of Gethsemane, he knew that he's about to go to the cross, that same night or in the morning. When morning comes, he'll be at the cross. He knew that, right? Then what did he pray? "Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass away. Let it pass away," all right? But then, thank God, he says, "Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done". Now, what's in the cup? Your sins and my sins. He knew he had to drink it and all our sins would come on him. He knew it. But what hurt him was he'd be cut off from his Father, the one he loves, the one who loves him. His Father never left him, but we know at the cross he cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"?
Now, listen, listen, just anticipating the cross, not yet on the cross, just anticipating the cross, becoming sin, how the holy nature of God shudder to think that he would become sin. Just thinking about being cut off from the one he loves, no one would be around him. Lover and acquaintance would be far from him. He will stand suspended, all right? Heaven rejects him, earth rejects him, hell rejects him. He will hang like nobody wants him. There's a price of sin, and he look into all that. Just the very thought. He hasn't hung yet. Just the very thought of sin made him sweat blood. Made him sweat blood. How much more when finally he hung? You think this thing is cheap? You think grace is cheap? It's free for you. Doesn't mean it's cheap. Somebody paid. Give him praise, hallelujah.