Shall We Continue To Sin? - Part 1

Yoz bros' and sis' in Christ.
This sermon is meant to bless every true believer's heart. I'll be posting it up in parts.
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By David Wilkerson
20/3/2000

How can anyone who calls himself a lover of Jesus knowingly continue in sin? As followers of Christ, we claim to be delivered from sin's power. We testify that the cross has fully redeemed us from the bondage of iniquity. Yet multitudes of believers today continue to cling to lusts, habits, grudges, bitterness.
Where are these Christians, you ask? They're all around you. You find them worshipping in churches every Sunday. They raise their hands in praise to God for delivering them. They witness to others of Christ's power to break all bondages. But they won't let go of their bosom sin.
Sadly, many such Christians believe nothing can break sin's grip on them. They try every known method to get free of their bondage, but no amount of prayer, counseling or convicting sermons seems to help. Their sin just keeps entwining itself around their heart like a serpent, until it has full control of their life. And they end up carrying an agonizing burden of guilt and condemnation.

Paul asks, "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?" (Romans 6:1-2). Paul wonders, "We have received such incredible blessings in Christ. We have been baptized in him, buried and resurrected with him, conformed to the likeness of his death. So, how can we continue to sin?"
The fact is, the longer we indulge our besetting sin, the stronger its hold on us becomes. Its decaying power wreaks destruction in every area of our lives - from our walk with Christ, to our relationships, to everything we touch. It's cancerous.
Furthermore, sin never dies of itself. If it isn't uprooted and destroyed, it takes over the very throne of your life. First it affects your conscience, causing you to lose all discernment. Then, sin's voice gains your ear. Slowly, it begins to justify your lust to you - even giving you scriptural arguments to support it. Finally, you become "sermon proof" - meaning, you no longer respond to Holy Ghost conviction.

You may know Christians in this horrible condition. They get defensive whenever they're confronted about their bosom lust. They claim, "What I'm doing isn't wrong! I've prayed about it, and the Holy Spirit has told me I'm not sinning." Yet you know very well that person's behavior contradicts God's word.
According to God's covenant provision, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live victoriously over the devil. He gives us all the resources we need to overthrow his dominion in our lives. He even causes us to "will to obey" the Lord's commands.
Yet God's New Covenant promise to break every bondage and set every captive free is meant only for those who are sick of their sin. If you think the Holy Spirit is going to free you from sin's grip without your full cooperation, you're mistaken. God forbid that any Christian should sit back and indulge his lust while waiting for the Holy Ghost to pluck it out of him. Such teaching misrepresents God's New Covenant.
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Peace out & GB.