It Is Finished- Part 6

“It Is Finished” Freedom from Sin’s Dominion

Exodus 19:4-6 “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

The old covenant was based on obedience to God’s commands. “If you will indeed obey My voice,” was the path to the promise. It was a package deal. You could not choose which ones you would obey and which ones you would not. It was all or nothing. There was no line item veto ability given to man. The promise of obeying was enormous and gave blessing beyond any that had been experienced in the earth. Not only would everything they did be blessed, but they would be humanities hope before God. The goal was that all of humanity could come to this tiny nation to find forgiveness and favor with God. As we know from history, Israel was unable to fulfill the covenant. As a matter of fact it was only thirteen chapters later that they entered into breaking the covenant that they had just made. But we must look past Israel and look to our own lives if we are to be free from sin’s dominion over us. 

I don’t know what you struggle with in life or where your place of frustration is. It could be any number of things from the lust of the flesh (every appetite of the body that rules us), the lust of the eyes (always wanting more and never satisfied which leads to idolatry) or the pride of life (always in need of being the best or highest position, a place of prominence) I John 2:16. All of these areas are what the moral Law of God exposes. Romans 5:20 says that the Law entered so that the transgression would increase. The Law brings us to the realization that we have nothing to give to God. We are bankrupt before God. This is a very important view if we are going to be free from sin’s dominion in our lives. I heard your thought, “impossible!” to be free from sin. Or is it? The promise is there, John 8:36, “He whom the Son shall make free, is free indeed.” Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you.”

So how do we win this battle? We go to God and ask forgiveness. We know the promise of the covenant. We cry and worry and fret. But we still feel in bondage to sin and unable to break it’s change. If this is where you are, you are on the right track. If we are to be free, we must first face the fact that we can not free or rescue ourselves. We need a Savior. This work can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit. God must accomplish two things in us before sin’s bondage can be broken. First, God has to inspire the sin-bound person to want to be delivered from his sin. It is man’s nature to enjoy and hold on to his sin. So God has made a way for man to reach this point. 

He has to become sick and aware of how devastating his sin is. He has to see sin as utterly sinful. Second man has to see his inability to free himself. As long as man believes that he can free himself he will never cry out to God to free him. As long as he thinks that his sin is not that bad, after all, he has seen others with much worse sin and they still seem to be OK. Man must come to his wits end and reach the point of brokenness if he is to be free. He must come to the point where he cries out, “I can’t do it, I’m helpless to free myself from this sin. Lord, only You can do it in me. Will You set me free?”

This was the purpose of the old covenant. It was to bring us to the point of desperation before God. To show us our total need and dependence upon God for salvation. The very design of the old covenant was to show us the greatness of God and our futility to reach His standard of Holiness. The Ten Commandments themselves show us the very nature of God. It is a nature of holiness, purity, righteousness.

How do you know if the old covenant has finished it’s work in us and if we are ready to walk in the new covenant? It depends on how you respond when you fall or sin. Does it drive you to your knees and promise God that you will not do it anymore? Or do you blame God and say, “Where were You when I needed You? Why did You let me fall?” Or maybe you ask God, “Why didn’t you give me power to resist temptation?” If any of these are your response, then you are still living in the old covenant and are not ready to be freed. If you still think that you can recommit, restart, muster up enough spiritual fortitude in the flesh, you have not come to the place of utter desperation. This is our greatest problem. We still look at the Holy Spirit as a booster shot to the will of the flesh instead of a dead flesh and a living spirit.

Please take time to contemplate this. Where are you on the spectrum of dealing with the appetites of the flesh, eyes, and pride? Are you constantly running to God to forgive you one more time for the same sin? You must admit, something is missing.

More tomorrow,

Let’s worship and pray! Father, Your moral Law has come and we have been weighed in the balance and been found wanting. If we are truthful, we have loved the pleasures that our sin has offered us. We have pushed the envelope and looked for every loophole we could find that would allow us to do as we want to do. Please Lord, we desire to be free. We realize that sin has to become utterly sinful before we can be free. We realize that it is a work of the Holy Spirit that must be done for us to come to the end of our religion, will power, saving face and reputation. All of these must bow before You. We must come to the point that we desire You, and our freedom, more than we desire anything this world has to offer. Please do the work within us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Dr. Alan Wiggins

Associate Pastor

www.nbcornerstone.com