It's like taking a bath. It's like taking a shower just coming out of that. Praise the Lord for good people. Amen. What a great group of God's people. Out working at that fair all week long. Pretty receptive. I mean, folks, you didn't get too many thumbs downs. Just take and listen and that's good. That's good. Thank you for the Menkewitches and all you that partook of that. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for your Word this morning. We never get tired of it. Lord, we're in for another fresh squeeze today. Lord, You need to do something with it. Just work in hearts and minds and help me this morning. Lord, what can man do? What can an orator do? Lord, we need the Spirit. We need unction. We need power, Lord. We don't need gifts. We need spirituality this morning. So just help me, Lord, as I try to convey some simple, simple truths this morning. Thank You in Jesus' name. Amen. We concluded from Romans chapter 5. that one man, Adam, made it bad. And one man, the Bible calls the last Adam, same test, only he passed. Jesus Christ made it all better for you that are saved. One man puts sin and death on us. That's Adam. One man, Jesus Christ, if you're saved, took sin and death, as they say in the country, off in you. One man triggered God's condemnation. One man triggered God's grace. One man really sentenced us to hell and the other man reserved a place for us in heaven. Everything Adam did to condemn, Jesus Christ trumped with His grace. Where sin abounded through Adam, Grace much more abounded through Jesus Christ. Now Romans chapter 6. Because of all that, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know you not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death? Now, that's not water baptism. You've got to understand that. There's going to be a bunch of folks down the street at the church in your neighborhood that are going to tell you, oh yeah, when you were put in that water, I've heard them quoted at funerals. When you were put in that water, you were baptized into Jesus Christ's death. No. There's a baptism of Israel to Moses in 1 Corinthians 10. There's a baptism of John to manifest Christ to Israel. There's a baptism of Jesus' suffering. There's the Holy Spirit baptism when you were saved, put into Christ. There's believer's baptism in water. There's a sinner's baptism in hell. That simply means immersion. And then there's the earth's baptism when it's going to be on fire one day. I got this little dolly here. I asked my daughter what her name is. She didn't have a name. She got breeches on. I'm tempted to say something, but I don't know if I should say it. You know what, I'll say it. Girls, the more body you get, the more clothes you should wear. Not the more body you get, the less clothes you should wear. Not many, but in some cases, the more body you get, the skirts are creeping up a little bit. You might have to get you some breeches. If the skirts keep creeping up. They used to be down there at the mid-calf. You didn't have to struggle when you sat down and all that. Let me give you a tip, girls. Let me give you a tip from the devil. Nobody likes suffering persecution. Nobody likes being a weirdo, especially young people. When you're our age, you're weird to yourself. You look in the mirror and say, you know you're crazy. But in fact, after a while, you start priding yourself in it. You want to be weird, amen? That's all you've got going for you. If you don't want to be peculiar, if you don't want to be different, if you don't want to be approached and have to say something about your peculiarity and your testimony and still sort of keep the standard, just creep that skirt up a little bit. A little bit below the knee. Just a little bit. So when you sit, you've got to... But when you're standing, it's almost okay. Get you sort of a tight shirt with some logo on the front and a pair of flip-flops. Paint your toenails and you can walk down the street and they won't think about you twice. That's your daily tip from the devil. Amen? Alright, we've got to get back to this little girl. We'll call her Nellie. Alright? Here's Nellie. I need somebody with a... Come here, Junior. Let's say Junior here is Jesus. Now remember, that baptism that you get baptized in the water, that pictures Jesus Christ, you being put into Jesus Christ when you got saved. You're in Him. He died. You died. He was buried. If you're in Him, you were buried. He rose again. If you're in Him, He rose again. So this is a cheap illustration, but just to help you, let's suppose He's Jesus. Let's suppose Nellie gets saved. See, Nellie's in Jesus now. My pleasure to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. See, Nellie got it too. Because she's in Jesus. And you can sit down. That's what Romans 6 is all about. You're in Him. Let's read it. No, you're not. So many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death. Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death. Remember, that's spiritual. That's being put into His spiritual body. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, We shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection." Because you went down with Him, you also come up with Him. Knowing this, I know this, that our old man is, present tense, crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth, going forward, we should not serve sin. For he that is dead, which you are if you are in Christ, is free from sin. For if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once." Not every Sunday morning with some thing that they're doing. But, "...in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin." but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that ye should obey it in the lust thereof, neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under law, but under grace." What then? Shall we sin? Because we're not under the law but under grace, God forbid. Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. But God be thanked, ye were. Could that be said of you this morning? Ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart. That's where it starts. That form of doctrine. I don't care about doctrine. I do. Which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now, as radical as you used to be for the devil, be radical for God." That's what he's saying. So now yield your members servants to righteousness and unto, there's an old word, holiness. What happened to that word? I think the Bible said, Be ye holy, for I am holy. Are you holy? Am I holy? For when ye were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things? The things we glory in all the good old days. I was talking to a fellow the other day. I said, yeah, we talk about the good old days. Why did we get saved if they were so good? What fruit did we have in those things? We had hangovers. We had heartaches. We had headaches. We had relationship aches. We had problems. But oh, we remember the leeks and the onions in Egypt this morning. Just a little bit of glory. No, you forget the emptiness of those days. You forget the glory when you found Jesus Christ. What fruit? What fruit hid you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, You become servants to God and have your fruit unto holiness. In the end, everlasting life for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. In Adam, your body was alive to sin. Your spirit was dead to God. That's the way you were born. Your body, the body of sin to the flesh, the body is alive to sin. And when you get to that age of accountability, your spirit is dead to God. But you that are in Christ hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Now your body of sin dies and your spirit comes to life. That's what he's talking about here in Romans chapter 6. Your very makeup is different than the lost people around you. It's like a monkey and a man. I mean, you've got a dead body of sin to God and a live spirit, and they're sitting there with a body with a spirit that's dead to God and a body that's alive to sin. You're different than those lost people this morning. And the whole Romans chapter 6 and 7 and 8 and the appalling epistles are basically saying, act like what you are in Jesus Christ. Behave as if your body is dead to sin and alive to God. That's what it's all about. The question that every sinner is going to ask when he hears this news that, well, if sin abounds and grace doth much more abound, in plainer words, let's keep sinning then so grace abounds. And a good Bible teacher or a good soul winner or a good personal worker will answer the question before it's asked. Paul wrote a letter and says, what shall we say? I know they're going to ask this question. I know that when I say, hey, you know what Adam, when you were an Adam, now you're in Christ. See, I know sin was bad. I know it made everything bad. But Jesus Christ made everything better. That these carnal people, that the first thing this flash or this lost man is going to say, Hey, if He forgives us anyways, let's sin a lot so grace will even be more, will trigger more and more of God's grace. That's what he's addressing in Romans chapter 6. And God says a funny thing. God says, God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Now, notice he didn't say, How shall we that are dead to sin, sin any longer? He said, How shall we live? So the title of today's message is Living in Sin. Now, if I said living in sin, you'd all think of one thing. But that's not what he's saying. He's saying a whole bunch of things. I'm going to answer that question today. How shall we? Now, I know what he's trying to do. He's trying to convince you. How can you? How can you, when you're dead to sin and alive to God, how can you keep living in that sin? I'm going to answer the question today, and I could have 20, 30 points today, but I'm just going to have three. How many of you know somebody, maybe that you led to Christ, and you may have questioned it, but you really in your heart of hearts you think, I really think this person got saved, that are living in sin today, all over the building. How can that be? I'm going to answer it from the Bible. Point number one, they love the world more than they love God. 2 Timothy chapter 4. And don't think for a minute that you can't. Brother, you are clothed with bones and sinews that make you the most evilest person in this world. Well, I don't believe a saved person could. You better believe again. And you've probably not been around very long. Nothing surprises me, unfortunately. 2 Timothy chapter 4. This is being written by outside, in my own opinion of Jesus Christ, the best Christian that ever walked the face of the planet, at least had the most impact. 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 10. The Apostle Paul says, for Demas hath forsaken me. Not Big Mouth Peter. not Cardinal Ananias and Sapphira, Demas forsook the Apostle Paul, having loved this present world and is departed. The world The world drew a man, a full-grown converted Christian man from the most spiritual man that wrote three-quarters of the New Testament that ever lived. You think that world doesn't have a draw? You better think again. You think your little piddly parenting techniques and what you learned at the seminar is going to get you through? I'm telling you, the world has a draw to be loved. And it's pulled in better men, women, boys, and girls than me and you all day long, that world has. My mentor used to tell me this, and I argued with him about it. And if he was here today, I'd say, preacher, you were right on. He said, and it sort of goes along with what Joel Logan was preaching on, God is not going to take your choice away. And I know we can do a lot of things to affect that choice and impact that choice. Every young person must go through the Garden of Eden. You think about that. Well, you're saying throw them out to the world. No, I'm not saying throw them out to the world. I'm saying here, now, there, later, sometime in their life, they're going to have to make a choice for themselves. Am I going to give in to the draw of this world? Oh, the Father is not of the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. Or am I going to stick with God? All that is in the world. All. All, all, all that is in the world. The lust of the flesh. And they're walking through that garden. And the lust of the eyes. And the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. Here's what happens. Sometime it might be when they're 14, 16, 18, 27. Jesus is saying, if any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me. And the world is saying, no! No, I love you! I love you! Love Me! Love Me and the things! Love not the world, neither the things! The things that are in the world! Cling to the cross! Glory in the cross! No! No! Come to Me! And some fare well, and many fare not so well. It's nothing to be played with. It's nothing to minimize. You wonder, what's going on with them? What happened to them? How could that possibly be? It's a love for the world. Jesus said, you cannot serve God in that. The first question is, when you grow up in church, and of course I believe this, of course I know this is right, and you get to that point, and you're looking at that cross, And you're looking at the glitter. And you're looking at the gold. And you're looking at the devil and hell dressed as an angel of light. And you say, maybe I can do both. Maybe I can serve God and man. Maybe I can... Carry a cross and love the world. Jesus said, it's not my cross. He said, a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Galatians 6. You try to serve both, friend, you'll be pitiful in both. Verse 14, Paul says, God forbid that I should glory. Galatians 6.14, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross. The cross? Of our Lord Jesus Christ. by whom the world is crucified." That's dead. Unto me. The world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life was crucified, was dead to Paul. It had no bearing. It had no impact on Paul. Watch this. And I unto the world. You guys, you old timers used to Run around. You ever hear this phrase? Man, he's dead to the world. You know what that means, young people? That means passed out. That means you're out cold. That's what he's talking about. Paul said, I'm dead to the world. What a weirdo. You used to be so fun. Ain't no life in him no more. We don't get nothing out of Him anymore. It's like He died! Woo-hoo! That's what God's looking for. He's looking for people that love Him more than they love the world and the things, the things, the things in the world. What do you love this morning? Open your checkbook, I'll tell you. Open your computer, I'll tell you. Open your game rack and your DVD rack and your plan rack. Open it and God will tell you. Your heart will tell you. Your conscience will tell you. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Just love the world more than you love Jesus Christ. You can feel it, young people. I mean, every young kid, if I don't want to embarrass anyone, if I said, everybody 11 and under, stand up. Every young man, don't do it. Every young man, 11 and under, stand up. What do you want to do? What do you want to do? What do you want to do? What do you want to do? What would most of them say they want to do with their life, 11 and under, in this church? What do you think they'd want to do? Of course! I want to be a missionary! He's just a kid. If I said everybody's 18 and up stand up, where have all the missionaries gone? Shame on you if you don't pray for our missionaries. Young men, considering the mission field, wrote a letter to one of our missionaries that's preaching today. Some initial thoughts about being a missionary. I'll tell you who it is, Brother Zander. I am a firm believer in the call and sending by God rather than a burden. If I had my way and desire in the flesh, I'd rather not be a missionary. Notice I said flesh. I'd much rather be in America making $150,000 a year and serving God in a local church than being here as a missionary, which he could do tomorrow. There is no romance in being a missionary. It is a very lonely life. In fact, it is the hardest work that I've ever done. When I work in America 72 hours a week, it's like a vacation to me. A burden will not sustain you on the mission field. You will quit within two years. But a call of God and ascending by God in the local church will work just fine. It will sustain you and keep you on the field. Since being a missionary, listen, if you don't pray, please listen to me if you don't get anything else out of here this morning, but to be burdened to pray for your missionaries. Since being a missionary here in Romania, I've been lied to, deceived, cheated, cursed by the people, have stolen from me. Most of the people here only come to church to get from the rich American. Most would like to see you go back home. These are the very people that God has sent me to minister to. I could go on, but the point is, do not come here as a missionary unless God Himself is sending you. Do something else. I cannot. This is the work that God has sent me to do. He has given me a very special love for the people here in Romania. And desire to see them saved and their lives changed. You know what those little boys 11 and under don't understand? They don't have any children yet. They don't have any close peers and friends and grandchildren and relationships and roots and prosperity and homes and gardens and cars and fellowship and church and ministry. They don't have that. And they come along that road one day and a light goes on. And the sad part is that Jesus said, He that findeth his life shall lose it. But he that loseth his life for My sake in the Gospel shall find it. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Just love the world more than you love Jesus Christ. Don't love the world. Love God. Love God. For God so loved the world that He gave for you. Number two, how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Love men more than you love God. Mark chapter 4. Mark chapter 4 and Tim will read verse 17 when he gets it. Mark 4.17. You know where persecution comes from people. This guy got in and he took a little route and he joined up the Bible study and he signed up for discipleship. And then he told his brother. You're going where? The place with the rusty 15-seat vans? Aren't those the people that stand on the corner like a bar? Aren't they associated with that Phelps God hates? What? No wonder your kids are always sick. Your girl's got dresses on in the winter. I've heard it all, brother. I can remember the first time I was so excited, Eric. I was going to be preaching, and I wouldn't say but three years, preaching with some big shots in my eyes anyways. It was a camp meeting. And I told a family member I was going to camp, you better be careful about those people. Don't turn the lights out with them around. John 12. John 12, 42. Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on Him. Watch it. If you're saved, you are in God's body. You are in the body of Jesus Christ, sealed under the day of redemption, and nothing can take you out of God's hand. So what's the next strategy of the evil one? Stop you from going forward. And he's going to do that with men. He's going to do that with peer pressure. Nevertheless, they believed on him, but because of the Pharisees, that was their peer pressure, if you will. It wasn't dancing down at the nightclub for these people. Their sin was religion, okay? Because of the Pharisees, they did not confess Him lest they should be put out of the synagogue. Galatians 1. Now, we have professors but not possessors. Those people were possessors but not professors. Galatians 1, verse 10. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer?" Just want to please men more than you want to please God. The One that loved you and gave His life for you. Jay told me early on, man, the most popular guy in the shop came in there and I said, boy, that Paul, he gave me a hard time today. He said, what did he ever do for you? He said, where is He going to be at the judgment seat of Christ when you've got to face Him? Verse 10, Galatians 1, For do I now persuade men, O God, or do I seek to please men? Listen, young people. Listen, old people. For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Put that in your purpose-driven church and blow it to kingdom come! They're trying to do something that God said cannot be accomplished! Stop trying to adapt to them so you can win them! We are adapting to them is what's happening, and they're winning us! You You cannot please people. Oh, if we just give them gumballs. If we just do that. If we just do that. Then they'll be pleased and they'll come to Christ. But you won't please Christ that they come to. This is nothing to be Minimize. The draw to please men is powerful. That's why there are so few that really are sold out for Jesus Christ. We are social creatures. And the thought of being the oddball, the odd man out, the weirdo, especially for young people. Don't get so mad as you get some pity in your heart for them. And pray for them. You know what we're calling these young people to do? Go to any other church in this county to next Sunday morning, next Sunday night, and see what we're calling them to do. Well, I don't know what's happening around here. We may not be what we should be. You need to pray for our young people. You know what the biggest temptation, maybe even for our best, get James chapter 4. You want to please men. I'm not saying it's easy not to. Only the love of Christ will constrain you. There will be some of our young people. They'll go out to work. They won't sit at the break table, Eric, and listen to them dirty jokes. They won't tell a dirty joke. They'll put their heads down when they walk by that picture. Jerry, read verse 17. I'll do it, boss. I'll stay over. I'll volunteer. To Him that knoweth to do good. You know what that is, brethren? That's peer pressure. That's a desire to please men. And you and I know if God is in you that that cross is an offense. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Because we love men and that's indirectly a love for self. Because no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes. The fact that I want to make him happy in my preaching, and I don't want to step on his toes, and I want him to keep coming and keep giving, and everything will be alright, that's just a love for self indirectly is all that is. What happened? How could my brother? How could my sister? How could my cousin? How could my son? How could my daughter? How could my father? How could my mother possibly continue in this when they're dead to sin? Because they love man and indirectly that's a love for self. It's a powerful, powerful garden experience that everyone has to go through. Young people, especially you guys that are getting ready to go out to work, school, whatever, this world, to make a living. He said, I pray you keep them from evil. Not that you take them out of the world, because then we'd have to go up right now. But that you keep them from the evil. You better take a stand early on. I've got to tell you a funny story. And it just thrilled my soul. Pat was at work the other day. And I guess they do this thing. You sit down to eat. You put your thumbs up. The last one to put their thumbs up prays for the meal. Well, he's with two lost guys. So he sits down. One guy sits down and he says, put your thumbs up. As the other guys come to the table. What? Just put your thumbs up. So Pat put his thumbs up. The kid put his thumbs up. And then the guy sits down. Oh! You're last. You've got to pray. What? Yeah, don't you know the last one to put their thumbs up has to pray for the meal? Well, you're like the church guy, shouldn't you sort of pray? No, man, it's the rules. Okay, well, I'm Catholic in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And Lord, thank you for this opportunity to work and this food. Amen. What are you saying? You better make your decision early to stand for Jesus Christ because if you don't, it's only going to get harder. They think you're a kook, weirdo, church, Bible-thumping nut. Anyway, give them what they're bargaining for! Love for the world more than love for Jesus Christ. Love for peer and others and acceptance which is indirectly a love for self. And then lastly, Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. Verse 7. Verse 6. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If we endure chastening, God dealeth with us as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chastened not? But if ye be without chastisement, swear of all our partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons." Of uncertain affinity. Illegitimate. one born, not in lawful wedlock, but of a concubine." Now, there was one born of the concubine whose name was Ishmael. He was a child of the flesh. Go to 1 Corinthians 15. And here's the point. Because you're not dead to sin. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Because you're not dead to sin, you're still lost. 15-1, you've heard a lot here. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I have preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand, by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." I believe he died. I believe he was buried. I believe he rose again. I said a prayer. But he didn't say, he said this, he said, believe in thine heart. that God hath raised Him from the dead. How can I just keep living like sin? It doesn't bother me. I enjoy it. I have no remorse. I have no conviction. I have no repentance. Because you're not dead to sin. Your spirit's dead and your body is alive unto sin. That would be tragic to go to hell out of a church like this. Why don't you stop playing games if that's you and just get saved? If you knew somebody that was living in sin. And we've had people before. I remember we first started the church. It was our first big test. Oh, for those days were those big tests. Amen? And we had this couple. We wanted them to Christ. And they were living in sin. They were living together. That means you're living together before you're married. It's called living in sin. I was in turmoil. These people are coming to church. I had this vision to start the perfect church and the first people we get saved, they're living together. And I called a brother for counsel and he said, just give him Scripture. So I printed out 20 verses on sin and handed it to him and never saw him again. You know why? Because there's only one solution to make living in sin right. You've got to move out. You've got to break up. You've got to cut it off. And if you're loving the world today, if you're living any longer therein, there's only one solution. You can't serve God and mammon. Why don't you stop fighting and love God more than you love the world? Love God more than you love your... I dare you to love God more than you love your peers. More than you love acceptance and the praise of men and somebody saying, you're cool, you're cute, you're one of us. I want God to say that. Let's stand.