All right, brethren, let's go
to Colossians chapter 2. You know, when the Spirit of
God, He used the Apostle Paul to strengthen the brethren at
Colossae. He's rooting them in Christ.
He's building them up in Christ. The Spirit of God is, through
this word, establishing them in Christ, keeping them sanctified
unto Christ, turning them from those that were trying to turn
them back to the law from the rudiments of the world. And when
the Lord, when the Spirit of God does this, he always uses
the gospel of Christ. Wherever you find Paul in any
of the epistles encouraging the brethren to stand fast, to look
to Christ, he always, before that and after that, you're gonna
find the gospel of Christ, always. That's the message by which he
has delivered his people, and is delivering his people, and
shall deliver his people. It's the message of the Lord's
works in our Lord Jesus. And that's the case in our text.
Back up in verse seven, he's telling them, Colossians 2, seven,
he tells them, be rooted, built up in Christ, established in
the faith as you've been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
And the very next word, he tells, beware of the, of the vain preachers,
turning them back to the law. He says in verse nine, for in
Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye
are complete in him, which is the head of all principality
and power. And now we're gonna see the Holy
Spirit use Paul to preach the gospel of Christ and his works. This is the message that's gonna
root us in Christ and establish us in Christ and settle us It's
the gospel of how God our Father and his Son, Christ Jesus, through
the Holy Spirit, has saved his people and continues to keep
us. Verse 11, our text to be verse
11, down through verse 15. He says, in whom also you're
circumcised with a circumcision made without hands. That's our
subject, circumcision made without hands. In whom also you're circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands, and putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. Married
with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through
the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from
the dead. And you, being dead in your sins
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together
with him. having forgiven you all trespasses,
blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against
us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing
it to his cross. And having spoiled principalities
and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them in it." Now here's what we see. I want to give you the
main point of this passage. God, our Father, And his son,
Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, has made his people complete
in Christ by his works, without the works of our hands. That's
the message. Our triune God in Christ has
made his people complete in him by his works, without the work
of our hands. That's what's gonna establish
us and make us walk by faith in Christ, by the grace of our
God. Now, first of all, and I prepared
this like a study, like I would normally preach in the first
hour. We're gonna look up some scripture. We're gonna go slow,
because I want us to see what each of these words mean. Now,
first of all, it's of God the Father's grace, all of grace,
that his people are in Christ. He says, the first word is in
whom, in whom. In whom also you're circumcised
with a circumcision made without hands. In whom? In the Lord Jesus. Everything God has for a sinner
is in the Lord Jesus. Everything. There's nothing outside
of Christ. It's all in the Lord Jesus. But
how do we get in the Lord Jesus? Or how did we get in the Lord
Jesus? Well, it was not by the work
of our hands. It was not by the work of our hands. Notice this
is the circumcision made without hands. That means without our
hands. Without the work of our hands.
How did we get in Christ? No sinner truly saved will say
that we are in Christ by the work of our hands. Because God's
made you know this. A sinner truly sanctified is
not going to attribute any work of salvation to ourselves. Because
God's taught us salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is the
work of our triune God in Christ Jesus. He's the fullness of the
Godhead bodily. And it's all of his work without
any man's hands. That's what grace means. It's
all of grace, not of works. It's by the grace of God our
Father that his people are in Christ. Now let's go to Ephesians
1. This is the in whom chapter. I encourage you to read it at
home, but it's over and over, it tells us in whom, in Christ,
in Him. Look here, here's how we came
to be in Christ. This is how all God's people,
those He saved, this is how we came to be in Christ. Ephesians
1.3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him. before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein
he hath made us accepted in the beloved. If you want to look
at 1 Corinthians 1, just a few pages to your left, He says that,
no, verse 29 says, that no flesh should glory in his presence,
but of him, of God, are you in Christ Jesus. It's all of God. That's how we came to be in Christ
Jesus. Ephesians says, it was according
to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of
his grace. Sinners are saved by God by grace. And it was grace, the grace of
God, that chose us in Christ. That means he didn't look to
you, he didn't look to anything you would do. He chose us freely by grace in Christ. And when he did so, we were blessed
with all spiritual blessings, because all the blessings are
Christ. And in Christ, and given by Christ,
That leaves none out. He blessed us with all spiritual
blessings according as he chose us in Christ. And if you go home
and you read all through Ephesians, you're gonna see it's in whom
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin.
And that too is according to the riches of his grace. You'll
see in Ephesians 1.10, at the end of time, God's gonna gather
all his elect in heaven and in earth in one, even in Christ. in whom, verse 11 says, in whom
we've obtained an eternal inheritance in Christ, being according to
God predestined in us, and God who works all things after the
counsel of his own will. It's all by the will of God,
according to his grace, and it's all in Christ. All blessings
are in Christ. We came to be in Christ by the
Father's choosing us by his grace. Now secondly, back in our text,
Circumcision is by Christ alone. It's by Christ alone, made without
hands, that means apart from the works of his people. Now
let's read verse 11 and 12. In whom also you're circumcised
with a circumcision made without hands and putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried
with him in baptism. There was a circumcision made
with hands. God commanded Abraham to circumcise
the male babies in Israel at eight days old. That's where
it started. That was a circumcision made
by hands. God gave physical circumcision made with hands to typify this
circumcision made by Christ without hands. That's why he gave that
outward ordinance. An eight-day-old child was helpless.
He couldn't do anything. The child had nothing to do with
it. Who did it? Who did the work for the child?
The father took the child to a priest who did the work. So
most think, now this is what the majority of folks think,
they think that the New Testament version of circumcision is baptism. That's what most think. They
take infants to a priest at around eight days old, or to a preacher,
and they sprinkle the baby. Well, sprinkling is not baptism.
We're gonna see that. Baptism is a burial, immersion. But that ceremony is not the
New Testament version of Old Testament circumcision. Baptism's
not the New Testament version of Old Testament circumcision,
and neither believer's baptism in water. That's not what Old
Testament circumcision was meant to picture, not at all. taking
that helpless child to a priest, pictured God our Father choosing
his people in Christ, our great high priest, who does the work
of circumcision, circumcising us without hands. See, we had
no part in it. We're the helpless child. It's
God the Father choosing us in Christ, and it's Christ doing
the work apart from our works. Now, what did Old Testament circumcision
do? It put away the filth of the
flesh. That's what it did. Well, it pictured what our text
says here, how that Christ, verse 11, put off the body of the sins
of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. That's what it's picturing. He's talking about your old man
of sin. The old man of sin and his people
had to be put off. He had to die. under the justice
of God. He had to die. We're gonna get
more to that in a moment. But now he speaks here baptism. Well,
he's not speaking of believers, water, baptism right here. That's
not what he's talking about. God's elect were in Christ. So
we were baptized, we were immersed in the judgment of God, and we
were buried with Christ in his baptism. Look with me to Mark
chapter 10, Mark chapter 10. Do you remember when James and
John asked the Lord Jesus, their mother asked, and then Mark says
they asked, they asked the Lord to grant them to sit one on his
right hand, one on his left hand in glory. And in Mark 10, 38, Mark 10, 38, Jesus said to them,
you know not what you ask. Can ye drink of the cup that
I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism
that I'm baptized with? Now, he had already been baptized
in water. He's not talking about that.
What is he talking about? Christ went to the cross to circumcise
his people by the work of his hands, without our hands. He went there to put off the
old man of sin of each of his people. to put
off the body of the sins of our flesh. That's what he went there
for. Now, in order to do so, the sinless, spotless, perfect,
holy Lord Jesus, he's the last Adam. He's the only other man
besides Adam that came into this world perfectly holy, holy from
the womb. Nobody else could do this work
because we were sinners in the womb. Adam sinned and plunged
us into death, the last Adam. came forth to save his people
from that curse, from our sin. Now to do so, the sinless Lord
Jesus had to be worthy of God's just judgment. God is just. He will not punish an innocent
man and he will not acquit a wicked man. He is just. And that's what
the number one thing Christ is showing us by the cross is how
God is righteous. Everything he does is righteous,
he's just. That's the number one thing. He's showing us how
God is just and how he's the justifier of his people. Now,
in order for Christ to be worthy of God's just judgment, God made
him sin for us who knew no sin. The Lord took all the iniquity
of all his people and laid it on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
what he did. Second Corinthians 5.21 says, The Lord hath made him sin for
us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. Go with me to Isaiah 53 and look
at verse six. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his
own way. And the Lord hath laid on him
the iniquity of us all. Oh, but it says all right there.
Who are the all? It's all those God the Father
chose in Christ in eternity. Look at verse eight. Second part
says he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression
of my people was he stricken. That's those God the Father chose
in Christ. Now, with the sin of his people
upon him, Having been made sin for us, God the Father justly
baptized the Lord Jesus in his just judgment. He immersed him
in the just judgment of God. That's the cup he talked about.
Are you able to drink the cup that I'm about to drink? That
was the cup he spoke about in the Garden of Gethsemane. Father,
the cup you've given me, I'll drink it. He went to that cross. And God baptized him in judgment. He was immersed in the judgment
of God. And then when he said it's finished,
he was buried. Buried in a tomb. Buried. And by that, that's him burying
the curse. That's him You know, he made
him sin for us that he might be just to pour out this judgment
upon him, and then the curse, the condemnation that his people
would have had to bear is we would have been cut off out of
the land of the living. That's a death that never dies.
It's held eternally separated from God. Christ bore that living
death on the cross. He was immersed in that judgment
of God and bore that for his people. And so when he said it's
finished, that's what he meant. Galatians 3.13 says, Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for
us. For it's written, cursed is everyone
that hangeth on a tree. Christ said it is finished. He
finished this work for a particular people, for everybody God the
Father chose in him. All God's elect were in Christ.
In whom? We were buried, we were immersed
in his baptism. We died under the justice of
God in Christ when justice fell on us in Christ. And by that,
Christ put off the body of our sins. What does that mean? It
means before the law of God, before God who is the just judge,
before his holy law, all his people died in Christ when Christ
died. What can the law say to a dead
man? Not a thing. He's dead, he's been executed,
law has nothing else to say to him. That's so of God's people. In whom also you're circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands and putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried
with him in baptism. Now thirdly, in Christ, God the
Father raised us to his right hand when he raised the Lord
Jesus. Everybody he chose in Christ died in Christ, and then
he raised us in Christ when he raised Christ to his right hand. Look at verse two, I mean, verse
11. Let me, I've lost my place here. Verse 12, verse 12. Second part
says, wherein also in Christ, wherein also ye are risen with
him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised
him from the dead. Now, he's not speaking about
regeneration yet. We haven't got to that yet. This
speaks of when God raised Christ from the dead. Wherein also in
Christ you are risen with him through the faith of the operation
of God who hath raised him from the dead. He's talking about
the faith of God. He's talking about the faithful
operation of God. God raised him from the dead.
And in Christ, God raised all his elect from the dead in Christ. God the Father and God the Son
are one, they're one God. God the Father, God the Son,
God the Holy Spirit, one God. God raised him from the grave.
God the Father raised him, God the Son raised him, God the Holy
Spirit raised him, one God raised the man Christ Jesus from the
grave. When we see the faith of God in the scripture, when
you read the faith of God or the faith of Christ, that's talking
about his faithfulness, that's talking about his work, what
he did. Let's see that now. I know you know it, but I want
you to see it. Galatians 2.16. Galatians 2.16. This is what's so detrimental
about new translations. The King James translators weren't
perfect, but they did at least acknowledge by putting in italics
words that they added. If they added words, they put
it in italics. Most new translations don't do
that. But look here now, this is a very, very significant word here. You can't take this
out, it changes the whole meaning. Look here at Galatians 2.16,
knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but
by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ. That we might be justified by
the faith of Christ. not by the works of the law,
for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. That means
we're justified by Christ's work, by his faithfulness, by what
he did. That's why he gives you faith and you believe in him,
is that you might be justified by what he did, by him. We find
the same thing in Romans 3.20, by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is
the knowledge of sin, but now the righteousness of God, that's
his righteousness, Without the law, it's manifested, being witnessed
by the law and the prophet, even the righteousness of God, which
is by the faith of Jesus Christ, by his doing, by his dying. It's unto all and upon all them
that believe in him, for there's no difference. None of us can
be saved any other way than by Christ's work and his righteousness,
for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. What
Paul was saying when he said, I wanna be found in Christ, not
having my own righteousness, which is of the law, that which
is through the faith of Christ, that which is by his faithfulness,
that righteousness which is of God, that God provided in his
son by faith. So when our text here says, the
Holy Spirit of God declares how God's saints are complete in
Christ, he says, before creation, God the Father chose us in Christ,
in whom, and he says, in Christ, he circumcised all his elect,
he put off the body of the sins of our flesh by his death, we
were baptized in him, and he says here, wherein also in Christ
you're risen with him through the faith of the operation of
God who raised him from the dead. Everybody God chose in Christ
died under the justice of God in Christ, and because Christ
satisfied justice for us, he that's dead is freed from sin,
he's justified from sin, that's what it means. So God raised
us in Christ. All of this is in Christ. And
he did it for a reason. He raised us in Christ for a
reason. Ephesians 2.6 says, he raised us up together and made
us sit together in heavenly places in Christ that in the ages to
come he might show us the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. You see, when a man's been justified,
the law has nothing else to say to it So God's not gonna let
one die in their sins for whom Christ died, because Christ justified
us. So he's gonna send the gospel and show you what he's done for
you. Now we come to the next point. Now we come to those who
Christ justified. Now we come to you who believe
him. How were you given faith to believe
him? Verse 13, Colossians 2.13. And you, being dead in your sins,
and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together
with him. Now we're talking about regeneration. Now this is so of all for whom
Christ died. You know, most people get offended
at the doctrine of election, they get offended at the doctrine
of particular redemption, that Christ only died for his elect,
but they don't want to take their place as being, as the qualification
or the qualities of one for whom Christ died. What's that, what
are those qualities of those for whom Christ did this? We
were dead in sins, uncircumcised, unjust, unholy, and unable. Dead in sins, in an uncircumcisionary
flesh. See, there was another problem
to do with sin, not only that we needed to be just before the
law, we had to die, we had to be made righteous before the
law. We're guilty in our nature. We're sinful, dead, can't do
a thing. What can a dead man do? Nothing.
We couldn't do anything. This is a circumcision made without
hands. We didn't do this. We couldn't justify ourselves
before the law. We could put ourselves in Christ.
Couldn't justify ourselves before the law. He did that. He justified his people. and
we couldn't bring ourselves to be alive, and we couldn't bring
ourselves to believe on Christ, we can't do a thing as we come
into this world. We're dead, spiritually dead.
The carnal mind, Romans 8, 7, the carnal mind is enmity against
God. That's all we could do was hate
God. Not subject to the law, to the word of God, any word
of God, including the old covenant law, not subject to any word
of God, therefore they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Nothing we could do. The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God. That's 1 Corinthians 2.14. The
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.
There's foolishness to it. Not only that, neither can he
know them because they're spiritually discerned. Now is that you? Have you made yourself be born
again? Have you made yourself to believe God? That's what most
in religion will tell you. They can give you the ABCs of
how to be born again. It's not so. A dead man can't
do a thing. Next time you go to a funeral,
they're going to think you're crazy, but you ask that man laying
in the casket to do something. He's not going to do a thing.
A dead man can't do anything. We're talking about the circumcision
made without hands. No sinner can make himself spiritually
alive. None. No sinner can give himself
faith. No sinner can repent from all
that vain notion that he can do any of that. None can. God
in Christ also circumcised us within. Look at verse 13. And you being dead in your sins
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together
with him That's also what physical circumcision typified. Go with
me to Romans 2. Greg, if you want to turn that
heat up, I'm sorry I didn't turn it up, y'all. It's on my phone,
and I'd have to stop to do it. Romans 2, 28. Romans 2, 28. He is not a Jew, which is one
outwardly. Neither is that circumcision
which is outward in the flesh. You see, that wasn't the true
circumcision the Lord was picturing. People thought, they thought,
that because they were born in Israel, they were true Jews,
and because they were circumcised at eight days old, they were
true Jews. And now Paul, who did all that, he was born in
Israel, circumcised the eighth day, Hebrew, Hebrews, he's been
saved now, and he's telling them, that's not what it is to be a
true Jew. to Israel of God. Verse 29, but
he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the
heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is
not of men, but of God. Go with me to John 1. John 1. John 1, 12. As many as received him, To them
gave he power, or privilege, to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God. This is all the work of God.
Ephesians 2 tells us this. Ephesians 2. Chapter 1 tells us this, Ephesians
2.1. and you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sin. Verse four tells us, but God,
who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved
us, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together
with Christ, by grace ye are saved. Look at verse eight. For
by grace are you saved through faith and that night of yourselves,
it is the gift of God not of works, lest any man should boast,
for we're his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus under good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Included in that good work is the good work of faith. It's
not a work, but it's to say, but it is something God ordained
that you're gonna walk by faith, all his people are. So in our
sin nature, our body of sin was dead, and that body of sin's
still dead, brethren. It's still dead, but it's the
Spirit of Christ within us. There's now a new man who is
alive spiritually, and that new man's created in His righteousness
and His holiness. That's the reason you have life,
is because the new man's righteous and holy. Listen, Romans 8.10
says, if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin,
but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. We're gonna
stop till everybody gets seven, because I don't have your attention
right now. It's too important. That thing's
hard to, I know, Greg, that thing is hard to figure out. We got
a thermostat that's smarter than any of us. If Christ be in you, the body's
dead because of sin, but the spirit's alive because of righteousness.
See, the body's still dead. It's flesh, it's of Adam, it's
going back to the dust. But the Spirit, the Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of Christ is life in you because of His righteousness. See, if you have no sin, you're
righteous. If you're righteous, you're alive. And that's the
only reason you have spiritual life in you, is there's a new
man in you that's righteous in Christ, by Christ, with Christ
in you, and holy by Christ in you, So this body of death, now,
we're talking about the circumcision made without hands by this new
man being created. You still have this old man of
sin, but now you're separated from that old man of sin and
given faith in the new man so you can actually believe on Christ
and trust he's all. Just like the old man died under
the law and was separated from you, On the cross, now in regeneration,
the old man's separated from you by a new man being created
in Christ so you can believe on him. Now lastly, here's the
good news that the Lord reveals in this new man when he does
this work of regeneration. This is what he reveals to us.
This is what he's accomplished. This is what true faith believes.
This is what it means to be complete in Christ. For Christ's sake,
because of what Christ accomplished, God reveals to us he has forgiven
us all our sins. Verse 13, having forgiven you
all trespasses. Now listen, all trespasses means
past, present, and future. All trespasses, God has forgiven
all our sins, and scripture says, God says, I'll remember them
no more. You know why? They don't exist before God.
I know preachers like to say, well, it's as if you don't have
sin. No, in Christ and by Christ, God's children do not have any
sin. Christ put it all away. His blood blotted out all our
transgressions. Our old man of sin is nothing
but sin and all he does is sin. But we're showing you how before
God, that whole old man's been put away. And in the new man,
in Christ, united, one with Him, by what He's done, God says you
have no sin and I don't remember them anymore. That's what justification
is. That's what being righteous is.
And the Spirit reveals the Lord no longer has anything to say
to us. Look at verse 14. blotting out
the handwriting of ordinances, that includes the whole law of
God, because it was all against us. Everything in the law of
God was against us. It was contrary to us, but he
took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. Does that mean
he just ignored his law? No, he fulfilled it. He upheld
it, he honored it in full. When you look at the Ten Commandments,
First thing you should see when you look at the Ten Commandments
is Christ Jesus who is holy, just, and good. As perfectly
holy, just, and good as that law is. And then see this, in
Christ, he's made you that holy, just, and good. In him, righteous. And all this ceremonial law,
all pictured Christ, the high priest, the lamb, the ark, the
mercy seat, everything pictured Christ. And he fulfilled it all.
He's the fulfillment of it all. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Well that's righteousness
now, that's not holiness. Paul said, having begun in the
spirit are you now made perfect in the flesh? He that worked
this miracle among you, he that came and circumcised you in your
heart without your works, he that did this, did he do it by
the hearing of works or by the hearing of his faithfulness? We're not made perfect. We're
not made holy and we're not perfected in holiness by anything we do.
Christ is our completion. We're perfectly righteous in
Christ, perfectly holy in Christ. And with Christ in you, there's
a new man that is holy. And in that state of holiness,
we're growing up. We're growing up. I hope you
understand this more now than you did when He first called
you. I hope you hate sin more now than you did when He first
called you. Love holiness more now than you did when he first
called you. But listen, you're not made holy by what you do,
and you're not made more holy at all. You are holy if Christ
is in you. You're growing up in that state
of holiness by Christ teaching you more and more what he's done
for you, but you're holy. That thief on the cross, he hadn't
taken time to be holy, as the song says. He had done nothing
to make himself holy. His hands and his feet were nailed
to a cross. And he was holy. Because he had
Christ as holiness. And Christ gave him a new holy
heart to believe Christ. And when he entered into glory,
he entered in that day. And without holiness, you won't
see the kingdom of God. You won't enter in without holiness.
So that tells me he had it. Because he entered in. And that
tells me also, Christ is at holiness. That's why Paul told the Colossians
at the beginning of the chapter, we thank God our Father who has
made us meet, fit to be partakers of the inheritance with the saints
in light right now. Right now, if you died and went
to glory, you'd be holy and accepted of God because the work Christ
did for you and in you, it's all of him. I know men will say,
well that's sin of the law for righteousness, but if you're
trying to be holy by the works of the law, you don't believe
Christ justified you from the law either. That's just fact.
You can't separate holiness and righteousness. Holiness is the
new heart to believe Christ is truly my righteousness and my
holiness. If I'm trying to make myself holy, I'm also trying
to make myself righteous. Most of the men that are doing
that are trying to justify themselves not only before God, but before
men. They're trying to show men, look
how holy I am. Do everything you do knowing
men see you, but don't do anything to be seen of men. Now, I want to show you here
the last thing He reveals. Christ conquered the devil and
He's ruling everything for us. He said in verse 15, Colossians
2.15, having spoiled principalities and powers, he made sure of them
openly triumphing over them in it. See, you're completing Christ
who's the head of all principality and power. He rules the devil,
he rules all wicked angels, he rules everybody, and you're safe
in him. Now, go over to Romans 6, and
I'm gonna end by just reading this text that shows every bit
of that so clearly here. Now when we are baptized in water
baptism, this is what we're confessing in water baptism. We were in
Christ, we died in Christ, we were buried in Christ, and we're
risen in Christ to newness of life. We trust him now for everything. We're completing him. We're not
letting that sin overrule us now that where the devil made
you think of your sin and then you thought, I gotta do some
works to make up for it because I'm gonna perish if I don't.
No. You've been freed. And the Spirit of the Lord keeps
you looking to Him knowing you're complete. Keep walking by faith,
establish rooted strength and built up in Him. But yes, we
picture what Christ did for us by water baptism, but that's
not the New Testament version of circumcision. You see what
circumcision is? It's what Christ did for us.
Now look here, verse six. That whole first part of chapter
six talks about baptism, but I want you to see here now, this
is what Christ did for us. This is what we're picturing
in water baptism. Verse six, knowing this, that
our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might
be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin, for
he that is dead is justified from sin. That's what freed means
there, you justified. Now that's putting off the body
of our sin on the cross. Now, if we be dead with Christ,
we believe that we should also live with him, knowing that Christ,
being raised from the dead, doth no more. Death hath no more dominion
over him. For in that he died, he died
unto sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise,
reckon, impute ye also yourself 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 you 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 you are not under the law, but under
grace. Now what part of that gives man glory? None of it. Salvation is of the Lord. We're going to see next time
the sin that's not going to have dominion over you. When men hear
that, they think of immoral sin and all that. Well, the Lord's
not going to let that have dominion over you. But He's not going
to let you turn to that wretched, awful, God-hating sin of trying
to make yourself righteous or holy by touch not, taste not,
and handle not. He's not going to let it. He's
going to keep you looking to Christ, trusting Christ, knowing.
I'm completing him. You can't get better than complete.
Can't get better than complete. Don't let anybody turn you from
Christ. Look to him, walk by faith, and
he'll keep you doing that. All right. Brother Greg.