The Lord willing, tonight I'm
going to speak from Micah chapter six, verse eight, where Micah
asked this question, what does the Lord require of thee? But to do justly, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God. What does the Lord require? of
thee. Now, would you turn back to Romans
chapter six? Let's read this 14th verse again. For sin shall not have dominion,
have lordship, lord it over you. And here's why. For you are not
under the law, but under grace. I've entitled this message, Sin, Law, Grace, and Lordship. The word dominion is have lordship
over you. Sin shall not be your lord, Paul
says to every believer. Sin shall not lord it over you. And here's why, because you're
not under law, but under grace. That's where I wanna be under,
don't you? Now, What I feel like we need to do to consider this
glorious promise, and this is a promise from the Lord to every
believer, sin shall not have dominion over you, for you're
not under the law, but you're under grace. What I'd like to
do first is do some definition of the terms sin, law, grace,
and dominion. Sin shall not have dominion over
you. What is sin? It's a good question. What is sin? I think it's interesting
that I saw on TV a couple, two or three years ago, where someone
was interviewing all kinds of different people from all demographics
saying, what do you think sin is? And everybody gave an answer. I mean, they all had a strong
opinion. It's something that somebody did that they didn't
like, and they made a real, that's sin, that's sin. But, you know,
we're not going to try to take a Gallup poll to figure out what
sin is. We're going to look at what the
word of God actually says sin is. I can't understand this promise,
sin shall not have dominion over you, if I don't have some understanding
as to what this thing of sin actually is. Now, sin is something
that proceeds from the human heart. You don't become a sinner when
you sin. You sin because you're already
a sinner. Sin is that which proceeds from
the human heart, that's where it comes from. Turn with me for
a moment to Matthew chapter 15. Verse 10, Matthew 15, and he
called the multitude and said unto them, hear and understand,
not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man, But that
which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then came
his disciples and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees
were offended after they heard this saying? Pharisees usually
are offended by the truth. But he answered and said, Every
plant which my heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted
up. Let them alone. They be blind leaders of the
blind. And if the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into the ditch. Then answered Peter and said
unto him, declare unto us this parable. He didn't understand
it. And Jesus said, are you also yet without understanding? Do
you not understand that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth, goeth
into the belly and is cast out into the draught, but those things
would proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart. And
they defile the man for out of the heart proceedeth evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies. These are the things which defile
a man, the things that come out of the heart. But to eat with
unwashing hands defileth not a man. Let me give you these
scriptural definitions of sin. Like I said, we're not asking
people what their opinion is. What does the Bible say sin really
is? First John 3, 4 says sin is the
transgression of the law. Any lack of perfect conformity
to God's holy law in thought, in word, or in deed is sin against
God. Sin is the transgression of the
law. In 1 John 5, verse 17, we read,
all unrighteousness is sin. Anything that is not righteous
is sin. And then in James chapter four,
verse 17, we read to him that knoweth to do good and doeth
it not to him, it's sin. Do you know that all you have
to do is nothing to sin? That's it. And then we read in James chapter
two, verse nine, if you have respect of persons, If you show
favoritism to somebody because of who they are in society or
what they can do for you, or give them a different standard
that you give to somebody else. If you show respect of persons,
if you have respect of persons, you commit sin. Romans chapter
3 verse 23 says, all have sinned and come short of the glory of
God. The glory of God. The essence
of his person to come short of it is to sin. And then in Proverbs chapter
24, verse nine, we read the thought of foolishness is sin. And we read in Proverbs chapter
21, verse four, and high look, a proud heart and the plowing
of the wicked. is sin. I don't know why but
for some reason that's about my favorite definition of sin.
The plowing of the wicked. That seems to me to be almost
the most wholesome activity you can take part in. Go out and
plow up the ground in order to provide food for the poor or
provide for your family. But yet if a wicked man does
it, it is sin because of who did it. And then Romans chapter
14 verse 23 says whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Whatever is not the product of
God-given faith, the gift of God's grace, it is sin. Now that's how the Bible defines
sin. And John says in 1 John chapter
1 verse 9, if we say we have no sin, verse 8 rather, if we
say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. and the truth is not
in us. I don't have a bit of credibility
if I say I've got no sin. I've got a nature of sin. That
word sin there is a noun speaking my sinful nature is always there
as long as I'm in this flesh. And so at no time can I say I
have no sin. And then he says in verse 10,
if we say we've not sinned, We make him a liar and his word
is not in us. And there, the word sinned is
a verb regarding anything I do, even while I'm preaching to you
right now. If I would say there's no sin in what I'm doing, I'd
be calling God a liar and his word is not even in me. Sin is not what people think
it is, is it? Remember, you don't become a
sinner when you sin. You sin because it's your nature
to be a sinner. It's the way you and I were born
into this world. Now. Sin. That horrible thing. Sin. That
thing that God hates. Sin. It took the death of Christ
to put it away. That's how horrible it is. Sin. That which is against God and
that's why it's so bad. David said, against thee and
thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. Sin. shall not have dominion over
you. Sin shall not be your Lord. Sin shall not control you. That is the promise to every
believer. Sin shall not have dominion over
you. Well, who's the you he's speaking of when he says sin
shall not have dominion over you? He's obviously not speaking
of everybody, but he is talking about everybody who is not under
the law, but under grace. Sin shall not have dominion over
you. And here's why you're not under
the law, but under grace. Now here's the second term we
need to consider as to what it means. What does the Bible mean
by this word grace? You know, everybody uses the
word sin and law and grace, but they don't attach the same meaning
to it that the Bible does. What does the Bible mean by this
word grace? law what does the bible mean
by grace well generally when we think of the word law the
first thing that comes to my mind is the ten commandments the ten commandments the thou
shalt and the thou shalt not that's what i think of when i
think of law and that is good that's true but that's not really
all the bible means by the word law would you turn with me to
galatians chapter four i think um I think this passage of Scripture
may be the most significant passage of Scripture in all of the Word
of God to teach us what the Bible means by law. When he says, sin
shall not have dominion over you, for you're not under law,
but under grace. Now, in verse 19 of Galatians
chapter 4, Paul says to the Galatians, my little children of whom I
prevail in birth again, until Christ be formed in you. I desire
to be present with you now and to change my voice for I stand
in doubt of you. Tell me you that desire to be
under the law. Do you not hear the law? You say you desire to be under
the law and you think the law is a good thing and that it will
keep you from sin and that you can try to obey it and so on.
And it's your rule of life and you desire it to be under the
law in some way. Tell me, you that desire to be
under the law, don't you hear what it says? Now let's go on
reading. Verse 22. For it is written that
Abraham had two sons. One by a bondmaid, the other
by a free woman. One of bondage, the other of
freedom. A free woman. Now, you remember the story.
God made a promise to Abraham. You're going to have a child
through Sarah. Abraham believed God. Years pass
and still no son. As a matter of fact, Sarah's
gone through menopause. It would be impossible for her to have
a son. Now, Sarah says to Abraham, you can read the account in Genesis
chapter 16, Sarah says to Abraham, God's promise. Now, I know God
promised us a son, but it won't take place. We won't have a son
unless we do our part. We're just kind of not doing
our part, Abraham, because obviously we haven't had a son yet. So
here's what you need to do for God's promise to come to pass.
We need to do our part. You go into Hagar. You have a
son through her and that'll be my son because she's my handmaid
and thus we'll have a son because we're doing our part. God's promise
will not take place unless we do our part. That is law. If salvation is in any way to
any degree dependent upon you doing something before God's
promise can take place, that is law. If you want to know what
law is, there it is. Verse 23. But he who was of the bond woman
was born after the flesh, but the free woman was by promise. Now, Hagar was a young woman
and there was nothing supernatural about the birth of Ishmael. Abraham
went into her, they had Ishmael. Sarah had already gone through
menopause and she had a son anyway. And that was because of the promise
of God. It was wholly supernatural. It
was not of the flesh. It was a work of God's grace. Now look in verse 24, which things
are an allegory. Now, would you have ever read
Genesis chapter 16 and known that it was speaking of law and
grace? No, you just thought that's another one of those Old Testament
stories, one of those weird Old Testament stories. But every
story in the Old Testament is given as an allegory to teach
us something of this subject, law and grace. And this story is an allegory
to teach us of law and grace, for these are the two covenants. The one from Mount Sinai, which
gendereth under bondage. That's where God gave the law. What does God call it? This is
Hagar. Salvation. God's promise being
somehow dependent upon me doing something in order for it to
be fulfilled. This is Sinai. This is Hagar. This is law. For Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia
and answers to Jerusalem, which now is and is in bondage with
her children. But Jerusalem, which is above
is free, which is the mother of us all. Now there are two
covenants. Two covenants. And this is so important. Two
covenants. There's the covenant of works.
There's the covenant of grace. These are the two covenants.
Law is the covenant of works. Now, I don't care where you put
works. If you put works in the beginning, God's promise took
place because you accepted it. God's promise would not take
place unless you could come up with faith and repentance. God's
promise would not take place unless you of your own free will
decided to receive it. And that's how God's promise
takes place. That's works. That's all you
can call it works. If you put works in the middle.
You will become more holy and more pleasing to God by your
discipline and by your Bible reading and your diligence and
your study and your putting down the flesh and you seeking to
live a holier life. You'll be more pleasing to God
and you'll progressively grow more and more holy by the things
you do. That's works. That's all it is. If you put works at the end,
You will gain a higher reward in heaven. You'll be above your
brethren because you've been more obedient and more diligent
and more dedicated than they have. So you'll get a higher
place in heaven. That is works. That's all it is. Works. These are the two covenants.
The one covenant is of works. The other is grace. Now the law, we're going to talk
about grace in a little bit more in a moment, but you know, the
scripture says the law was not made for a righteous man, but
for the lawless and the disobedient, for the ungodly, for murderers,
for whoremongers, for manslayers, for unjust persons. You can read
all about that in first Timothy chapter one. If I want to be
under the law, all I proved by that is I'm a criminal. That's
it. You know, locks are made to keep
thieves out. If there were no thieves, we'd
need no locks, would we? The law is not made for a righteous
man, but for the disobedient. What does the law do? Well, the
scripture says, by the law is the knowledge of sin. All the
law does is expose sin. But it does more than expose
sin. It stirs up sin. First Corinthians 15, 56 says
the strength of sin is the law. All I have to do, or all you
have to do with me is tell me I can't do something and that's
what I want to do. That's what's in my heart. That's all it takes.
Law actually stirs up sin. Look what Paul said in Romans
chapter seven, beginning in verse seven. What should we say then? Is the
law sin? Is the law a bad thing? God forbid,
nay, I'd not known sin, but by the law, for I'd not known lust,
except the law had said, thou shalt not covet, but sin. Taking
occasion by the commandment, using sin, using as a base of
operation, is what that word occasion means, the commandment.
Wrought in me all manner of concupiscence, evil desire. For without the
law, sin was dead. For I was alive without the law
once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.
And the commandment which was ordained to life, I found to
be unto death. For sin, taking occasion, using
a base of operations, the commandment by the commandment, and deceived
me, and by it, it slew. me wherefore the law is holy
and the commandment holy and just and good was that then which
is good made death unto me god forbid but sin that it might
appear sin working death in me by that which is good that sin
by the commandment might become exceeding sinful you see all
the law had to do is say thou shalt not covet you when i did
i started coveting that's all it took sin is stirred up by
god's holy law Now you put a man under law and he's under the
complete dominion of sin. Sin is his Lord and master. If you believe any part of your
salvation is conditioned upon you, it will not produce a drop of
gratefulness, only resentment. It won't produce any love, only
hatred. You serve as a mercenary or as
a slave with hope either of payment for the reward of your good deeds
or avoidance of punishment. That's all the law does. The law fails to do some things.
It fails to save a man. What the law could not do In
that it was weak through the flesh. The problem's not with
the law, the problem's with me. But the law could not save a
man. Fails to make a man perfect.
The law made nothing perfect. It fails to make a man love God.
It fails to produce a good motive. It fails to restrain sin. All it does is expose, stir up,
and curse. That's all God's law does. As many as are of the works of
the law are under the curse. Cursed is everyone who continueth
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. Now, Law is salvation in some
way dependent upon me. God's part not being finished
unless I finish it. That is law. And here's the third
term we're considering. Grace. You're not under the law,
but you're under grace. What is meant by grace? You're
not under the law, but under grace. Well, it means that all
of your salvation is conditioned 100% wholly upon the grace of
God. Every bit of it. Means none of
it is dependent upon anything you do. It's all dependent upon
the grace of God. Turn with me to Romans 11. Verse 5, even so then, at this
present time also, there is a remnant, a small number, according to
the election of what? Grace. And if by grace, if election
is by grace, if salvation is by grace, then it's no more of
works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace. You put any work in it, any condition
you have to meet. It's not grace any longer. It's
become works. But if it be of works, then it's
no more of grace at all. Otherwise, work is no more work. Now, here's what I love thinking
about being under grace. You're in Christ. If you're under
grace, that means you're in Christ, isn't it? He hath made us accepted
in the Beloved." You know that word, made us accepted, is literally,
He hath graced us. In the Beloved. You are chosen
of God. Elect. And that has absolutely
nothing to do with your works. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand. Not of works. but of him that calleth. It was
said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. You're justified. That means you stand before God
without guilt. And that justification is an
act of God's grace, isn't it? He graciously justified you.
You didn't do anything to earn it. You're redeemed. Your sins
are paid for. And God didn't look at you and
say, well, I'm going to redeem them because they blank. No.
He did it because He's gracious, because He delights in grace. You're regenerated. You've been
given life from the dead, and that's by the grace of God. You've
been preserved. The fact that you and I have
not fallen away and left is because he's kept us by his grace. You see, salvation is by grace.
Now here's how much salvation is by grace. Everything you have
by way of grace was given you before you were ever born. So
obviously it didn't have anything to do with your works because
you didn't have any works to have to give them for. You didn't
have any. You weren't born. You weren't in existence. Second
Timothy 1.9 says he saved us. And he called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began. Now that is salvation by grace. Look back to Romans chapter four. Verse one, what shall we say
then that Abraham, our father, is pertaining to the flesh, hath
found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to
glory, but not before God. For what saith the scripture?
Abraham believed God, and it was canon to him for righteousness.
Now, to him that worketh is the reward, not reckoned of grace.
It's not a gracious gift of God. It's a debt God owes you. But
to him that worketh not, would that be you? Would that be you? Would you
be someone who knows you can't work to be saved? To him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness. Even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness
without work, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins are covered, blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. That's grace. That's grace right
there. Now, what does grace do? Well, grace saves a man. Makes
a man believe. Makes a man love. It makes a
man repent, stay in a continual act of repentance, a continual
changing of the mind continually. And grace prevents sin from having
dominion over a man. Sin shall not have dominion. It shall not have control. It
shall not have lordship over you. It won't be your Lord. And
here's why. You're not under the law, but
you're under grace. Now there's somebody in here
that's thinking. It sure seems to be Lord over
me. It sure seems to have power over
me. Why do I give in to temptation
so easily? Why do I struggle the way I do? Why do I fall into the same sins
repeatedly and continually? Then you tell me sin shall not
have dominion over me? Yes. Yes. You see, this is a promise
for the weakest believer. This is a promise for that bruised
reed and smoking flax, which the Lord says he will not quench. This is a promise from God to
every believer. Sin shall not have dominion over
you because you're not under the law. You are under grace. Did you know that all of the
righteous have this thought in common about themselves? Every
one of them, without exception, believe themselves to be wicked. And all of the wicked, without
any exception, believe themselves to be righteous, or at least
to have the potential to be righteous if the conditions are right. If you believe that you are righteous,
or if you believe that you have the potential to be righteousness,
if you fill in the blank, You are under the complete dominion
and domination of sin. You're blind. You can't see. And if God doesn't have mercy
on you and extend his grace toward you, you'll go to hell. to the
praise of the glory of his justice. And it's where you ought to be.
You're a willing, loving slave to sin. You love it that way. And that's the truth. That's
the truth. If you believe that you can be
righteous, you are under the complete dominion of sin. Now, there was a time when you
believed that you were a good person, or at least had the potential
to be a good person. If the environment was right,
if the circumstances were right, if you weren't placed in all
these trying situations, hey, it wasn't really your fault.
You could be a good person. But you don't believe that anymore. How come? You've been delivered
from the dominion and control of sin. That's why. There was a time when you didn't
even know what it meant to believe. And you'd hear these calls to
repentance. And you said, I would if I knew what it meant. And now you find yourself believing. And you find yourself repenting.
Why? Sin no longer has dominion over
you. There was a time when you could
no more believe the gospel than you could create a universe.
But now you believe. Why? Sin doesn't have dominion
over you. Its control has been broken. by the sovereign grace of God,
that one who's stronger has come and overcome what held you down. There was a time when you had
no love for God, none at all. As a matter of fact, if the truth
were known, you wish that he didn't even exist, or at least
he would be different than he is described in the Bible. You
wish he would be different. No more. You love him as he's
described in his word. You love His holiness. You love
His sovereignty. You love His justice. You love
His grace. You love His power. Everything
about Him you love and you wouldn't change Him if it were in your
power. Why? Sin no longer has dominion over
you. There was a time when holiness
and obedience was nothing but a heavy and a grievous burden
to you. Now, there's a very desire of
your heart. You would never sin again. You would be perfectly conformed
to the likeness of Christ. Why? Sin no longer has dominion
over you. Sin's not your Lord. You see,
you're not under the law. If you're under the law, sin
is your absolute Lord and master. You do its bidding. The strength
of sin is the law, but you're not under law. You're under grace. Every aspect of your salvation
is completely 100% dependent upon the grace, the unmerited
favor of God. And you love it that way. You
don't want to be under law, do you? You want to be under grace. And here's the promise to every
believer. Sin shall not have dominion over
you. Well, what about all the sins
I commit? Oh, I wish you'd never seen again. I wish I'd never
seen again. I'm not excusing that in any way. You know that scripture in Proverbs
where it says the righteous falleth seven times a day, but he rises. You remember that proverb? What's
seven mean? Means completion. It means all
the righteous does is fall. In your flesh, that's all you
do. No excuse for it, but it's real. He will fall seven times a day,
but he rises. You know, when the apostle Paul
said, Oh, wretched man that I am, who should deliver me from this
body of death? You know, I said that because
sin no longer had dominion over him. You see, he was not under
law, but under grace. In Matthew 1, verse 21, we have
this blessed promise. Thou shalt call his name Jesus,
Savior. For he shall save his people
from their sins. And bless God, he did it. When
he said it is finished, every believer was plumb saved from
their sins. Plumb saved. And sin shall not
have dominion over you. That's God's promise. For you're
not under the law, but you're under grace. Let's pray.