God has so much goodness that He wants to give to man, but when Adam, the first man, believed the half-truths of the devil and sinned, death and destruction entered the world. Through that one act of disobedience of mankind’s federal head, all men were made sinners (Rom. 5:19). But despite man’s initial rejection of Him, our heavenly Father’s heart was still for us, and He set out to bring us back to His side. Even before we were born, He had already prepared the solution for our redemption—His Son, Jesus Christ!
Our Lord Jesus came as man for this divine purpose: to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Heb. 9:12). He came to earth as our representative, our second Adam or federal head, took our place at the cross, died for our sins, and rose from the dead with a glorified body three days later.
Under the old covenant, animal sacrifices had to be offered repeatedly because they could never truly take away sin. These sacrifices could only temporarily cover sin, much like how a credit card covers the bill temporarily until the actual payment is made. But when Jesus shed His blood on the cross, His sacrifice was once and for all. His precious blood completely cleansed us, perfectly redeemed us, and eternally secured our forgiveness.
Notice that the redemption He obtained for us is eternal, meaning it lasts forever and can never be undone. If salvation could be lost, it would not be eternal! Yet, many believers still struggle with the fear that their sins can separate them from God.
Beloved, this is why it is so important to recognize that your sins have been completely dealt with at the cross!
Under the old covenant, the priests never sat down because their work of offering sacrifices was never finished. But the Bible tells us that Jesus, having purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of God (Heb. 1:3). This act signifies that His work of redemption is complete—today, our part is simply to believe and receive what He has already accomplished.
Furthermore, because God is outside of time, the work of the cross is also outside of time. Every sin—past, present, and future—has been forgiven through Jesus’ finished work.
Does this mean that it is okay for us to sin? Of course not! Sin is damaging and carries painful consequences, not only for us but also for those around us.
However, the key to overcoming sin is not found in striving, but in looking to Jesus and the perfection of His finished work. The more we behold Him and embrace the truth that we have been completely forgiven, the more our hearts are transformed. Sin loses its grip on us, and we begin to turn away from the very things that once held us captive. It is by His grace that we are empowered to live truly transformed lives—walking in His righteousness and glorifying Him in all that we do.
As we go through life, we will face trials, temptations, and challenges because we live in a fallen world. When our fleshly inclinations and passions rise up, we can feel condemned or guilty as believers because we desire to live glorious lives and not sin.
What has the Lord provided for us, new covenant believers, to live victoriously over these uprisings we still experience in our daily lives?
For some, our natural tendency may be to focus on ourselves and what we can do. But when we do this, we are unknowingly trying to improve the old man—the fallen, sinful nature—that God has already put aside.
The law was never meant to make man righteous—it could only expose sin, never remove it. The more we try to obey the law in our own strength, the more sin is stirred up in our lives, because the strength of sin is the law (1 Cor. 15:56). Then why did God give us the Law? The purpose of the law was designed to reveal our inability to meet God’s perfect standard and point us to the need for a Savior.
“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” —Romans 3:20
Now, what the law could not do, God did! He sent Jesus in the likeness of sinful flesh, not as a sinner, but as an offering for sin. At the cross, Jesus not only bore our sins, but He also took the part of us that had a propensity toward sin and crucified it. This means that in God’s eyes, He has already judged and dealt with our old, sinful nature, once and for all time, through the redemptive work of Christ! What He has condemned has been put away forever.
Moreover, Romans 8:3–4 tells us that the law has been fulfilled “in (‘en’ in Greek) us”, not “by us.” This means that the requirement of the law is not something we have to achieve. Rather, it is fulfilled in us by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
Today, God sees us as holy, righteous, and blameless in Christ. Just as Adam’s disobedience brought sin and condemnation to all of humanity, Jesus’ obedience has completely restored us to right standing with God. The moment we believe in Him and His finished work, our old, fallen nature no longer defines us—we become a new creation in Christ, made fully righteous in Him (2 Cor. 5:17)!
So, stop identifying yourself by your failures, struggles, or weaknesses. Instead, see yourself as God sees you—clothed in His righteousness, fully accepted, and completely blameless. The more you embrace this truth, the more you will walk in holiness, freedom, and victory over every sin and failure!
Well, if my old, fallen nature has been put away at the cross, why do I still experience sinful thoughts, feelings, and tendencies?
The answer is simple: Although our old nature has been put away, we still live in a fallen world where our flesh can react to old habits and temptations.
However, the truth remains that what was crucified with Christ has been completely canceled. From God’s perspective, our sinful nature has been put away once and for all. This means that even though we may have lustful, angry, or even blasphemous thoughts, they do not define who we are. We may experience strong feelings of temptation, anger, envy, or bitterness, but we are not bound by them.
So, what do we do when these thoughts and feelings arise? We walk by faith, not by sight. Faith isn’t denying the existence of our struggles—it is choosing to agree with what God says is true, even when our senses tell us otherwise.
A toddler may step into a pool that seems shallow, only to find out that it is deep. That’s why we don’t completely rely on what we see to determine what is true. In the same way, we are not meant to rely on our feelings or experiences to define our reality—we are meant to align our reality with what God says is true in His Word.
Many years ago, Pastor had a dream in which God showed him the difference between living by faith and living by sight.
In the dream, he saw a terrifying, grotesque creature standing some distance away from him. Everything about this creature felt disturbingly real. Then, he heard a voice say, “Don’t be afraid. It’s just a mirage; it’s not real.” But to his senses, it was real.
“No, it is real!” he insisted, knowing deep inside that it was God speaking to him. Then, God told him to walk toward the creature. At first, he hesitated, but as he stepped forward, something incredible happened—the creature instantly vanished, gone as if it had never existed.
This dream illustrates a powerful truth: Many times, we struggle because we are more conscious of what we see, feel, and experience than of what God says in His Word.
The Bible tells us that the things we can perceive with our natural senses are temporary—this includes our struggles and the temptations we may face. On the other hand, the things that are unseen are truly eternal (2 Cor. 4:18). This means that there is a greater spiritual reality—one that we have been made completely righteous and blameless in Christ—that we can lay claim to through faith.
As a believer, you are always in the Spirit, regardless of how you may feel or act in a given moment. Some may say that if you act rightly in the morning, you are “in the Spirit”, but if you lose your temper in the afternoon, you are suddenly “in the flesh.”
Beloved, that could not be further from the truth!
If you believe in Christ and are born again, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. And if the Holy Spirit dwells in you, then you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit! When you react in anger or frustration, it does not mean you have left the Spirit—it simply means you are not walking in alignment with who you truly are in Christ.
Now, imagine how different your life would be if you lived each day fully conscious of this truth!
The next time a sinful thought or feeling rises up, don’t be discouraged. Instead, remind yourself: “This is not who I am. In God’s eyes, my old self is gone—I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ.” This is what it means to repent, which in Greek is the word “metanoia”, meaning “to have a change of mind”.
The moment you choose to align yourself with the truth of God’s Word, you begin to walk in the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit bears witness to it! You will experience the power to NOT act on those fleshly thoughts or desires, or be subject to them, but instead reign over them and live victoriously for the glory of the Lord.
Beloved, this is what it means to fight the good fight of faith—not by focusing on your experiences or feelings, but by standing firm in what God says is true. If you live according to what you see and feel, the enemy will always have the upper hand. But if you choose to live by faith in Christ’s finished work, you will walk in the victory He has already won for you.
So this week, set your heart on His truth. Instead of being led by how you feel, be anchored in what God says about you. The more you meditate on the reality that you are a new creation in Christ, the more you will walk in the Spirit and experience the fullness of all that He has accomplished for you.
We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.