All right, I want to jump straight into this particular series. We're in a series called Led. It's all about being led by the Holy Spirit. I thought I knew where I was going next in this message after speaking about the boldness, the power of the Holy Spirit that gives us boldness, and the Holy Spirit told me that we're going to spend three more weeks on that power, and what that power can practically allow you to do in your life.

Last week was boldness. Did that help anybody hearing about boldness, and has anybody seen their boldness increase? There's something about hearing God's Word and standing on His Word that allows you to be what He's called you to be. Without the under-girding of scripture, you cannot be who God has called you to be. It's important to have a verse to go with the Word that God has given you.

If you have your Bibles, I want you to go to Romans 8. I want to read eight verses there, and then I'll give you the title of the message, and we will go straight in. Romans 8. Be forewarned, I'm kicking some stuff in the chest this morning.

Just be warned. If I come across a little strong, you've been warned. Romans 8, starting at the first verse. Here's what it says, "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus, and because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature, so God did what the law could not do. He sent his own son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. In that body, God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving His son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us who no longer follow our sinful nature, but instead, follow the Spirit. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit, think about things that please the Spirit. Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death, but letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace, for the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God."

If you're taking notes on this message, please write this down, three words, power over sin. I want to talk to you about how you can have power over sin. I want this to be very, very, specific to your own life because everybody in here has a sinful desire and or an orientation that you gravitate to. Everybody's sin is not the same. Some people in this room have a propensity of lying when they feel fear. They're never going to snort a line of Coke, but they are going to lie. There are some people in this room who have a natural, natural propensity towards anger that leads to sin.

Scripture says that you can be angry and sin not, but you can be angry and sin. Now, some of y'all are never going to rob a bank, but you will be petty enough to be angry and hold a grudge for a year. We're not here to talk about which sins are higher or lower, but suffice it to say everybody in here has a struggle with your particular sin. Now, because your sin may not be as pronounced as somebody else's sin, you could have been fooled into thinking you're better than them, because yours has never hit the light of day, and somebody else's is all over the news. The truth of the matter is, everybody in here struggles with sin, because we have a sinful nature. I want to talk to you about how you can have power over your sin. I want to jump right into this because there's a lot I want to cover, and some stuff that I want to get into the nuances of. Let me go just straight to point number one. Y'all ready?

Point number one, please write this down, Jesus broke sin's power over me. This should make 50 people super happy, because this is a fact. This is not a theory, this is not a suggestion, this is a fact, that when you believed in Jesus Christ, he broke sin's power in your life. It was done on the cross, but until you place your faith in him, you were never going to break it. The moment you gave your life to him, it was broken in your life, and you no longer have to live like you're living now that you believe in Jesus.

Let me tell you why this is very, very important, because Romans is a theological masterpiece, that was written by Paul. If you go back, and I think you should, to read chapters five, six, and seven preceding eight, the first eight verses that I read, what you will find is that Paul is trying to make it very, very clear how you should orient your life, understanding what Jesus has done for you. Chapter number five, what we find out is that we are being justified by faith. It's not anything you've done, it's based on who you've believed in.

No one goes to hell for sin, this's going to make some holiness people to-- your butt cheeks are going to go [screams].

Just warning you now. All the really sanctified people are going to get so scared when I say this, but just stay with me. No one goes to hell for sin. We'll let that marinate. You go to hell for unbelief. By not believing that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, raising from the dead, that's how you can bust hell wide open. It has nothing to do with sin.

Now, there's some people in the room that are going, "Well, I believe, now I'm about to go get faded. I believe, I'll go to the club tonight. I believe that I'll be in a relationship that doesn't bring honor to God. I believe I'll go rob a bank, since this ain't got nothing to do with sin. I believe in Jesus, but I also want to steal that car." Grand theft auto part six, coming soon. It has nothing to do with it.

Chapter five is about justification by faith. Chapter number six has to deal with the power of sin in a person's life. Chapter seven has to do with the law that couldn't do nothing to make sin go away. That's why it starts off in chapter number eight by, "So there is, therefore, no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus." Why? Because you're justified by faith, which means there's not enough sin that you could do to keep you away from the love of God, and that law cannot make you do right. Those 10 commandments never stopped anybody from doing what they wanted to do anyway. It stopped action, but it did not stop the intent of the heart.

Then how do you go from justification to living by the Holy Spirit's power not to sin? I'm talking about, not to do the stuff you like doing. I'm not talking about the sin that you already hate. I'm talking about the sin you like, the one that you know is your binky. It's your comfort place, it's your pacifier, it's the feeling that you go to because it keeps you from your traumatized soul. How? How could you stop doing that one? Well, you first have to believe, that by believing in Jesus, it broke sin's power in your life. That by believing in Jesus, the generational curse was broken in your life. It may not be broken in the rest of the family's life, but your belief in Jesus can put a line of demarcation in between what the family has done for generations, and what you are going to do for the rest of your life. Here's what it says in Romans 1, "So now there is, therefore, no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus, and because you belong to him, the power of the life giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin and death." The sin that leads to death.

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature, so God did what the law could not do. He sent His own son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. He came in a body like we have to break the power of sin in a body like we have. In that body, God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving His son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us who no longer follow our sinful nature, but instead, follow the Spirit. Are you led?

You just can't use the power of the Holy Spirit to lead you to a promotion. You want the Holy Spirit to, come on, Lord, give me the bonus. I'm praying, Lord. Come on, Lord, give me that relationship. I'm praying for it, Lord. Let the business deal go through, Lord. Holy Spirit, lead me. Lead me to find some leads for my business. I'm trying to make my sales quota, but it can't lead you out of sinful behavior?

You want the Holy Spirit to lead you into all of these blessings, but it can't lead you to keep your mouth shut? It can't lead you away from her house? It can't lead you away from his house? It can't lead you to apologize? He can't lead you to repent? To break sin's power, you have to submit to the Holy Spirit. Here's what it says in Romans 6:10, "When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. He never had to do it again. This is why Christ was only going to be crucified one time. Because that's all it took. One death, one time from a Holy God in flesh broke the power of sin.

Now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. You also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin, and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do you consider yourself to be dead to the power of sin? Now, the reason why I want to go slow on this is because I want you to use it practically. "Well, Tim, I want to be dead to the power of sin, but I still feel it. I still have thoughts of it. I still have urges for it. I still have desires for it." When those desires come, are you speaking the truth to those desires?

Have you ever heard the phrase, you're dead to me? You know can use that phrase on those days you are tempted, "You're dead to me." Come on, man. Let's do what we used to do. You're dead to me. Don't apologize because they're going to think you're weak if you apologize. Pride, you're dead to me. I used to hang out with you all the time, pride, but you get me in trouble. You've alienated me from my wife and my kids, because I never want to admit when I'm wrong. You're dead to me. Why is it dead to you? Because Jesus, in his body, broke the power of sin in your life.

Point number two, please write this down. I choose who leads me. [laughs] I choose who leads me. This point, I put them in first person for a reason, you've got to write it down for yourself. I didn't put point number two, you choose who leads you. No. I choose who leads me, which hence forth, now and forever, completely disqualifies the devil made me do it. Devil didn't make you do nothing. The devil suggested something to you in the same way the Holy Spirit did, and you chose him. The Holy Spirit was like, "Do you want to go this way? Because it'll be safe if you go this way. It'd be a little boring, but it's safe. Just go this way." The devil's over here like, "No, son, go this way." I choose who leads me. I'm not being controlled. I'm either being led or driven. The Holy Spirit leads, the devil drives. The Holy Spirit's in front of you going, "Come this way." Satan is behind you trying to push you that way, and you get to choose who leads you. Those who are dominated, Romans 8:5, "Those who are dominated," dominated, say that word.

"Those who are dominated by their sinful nature think about sinful things." Lord have mercy. "But those are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. It is easier to--" Go back to that verse because that thing is messing with me. It is easier to sin if all you are thinking about is sinful things. If that's all you are ever thinking about, then it's easy to introduce something that you have the propensity to do because that's all you think about anyway, but if you are controlled by the Holy Spirit and you're thinking about things that please the Spirit, then when a sinful thought comes up, you're going to be like, "Where did that come from?"

If you are always thinking about things that please the Spirit, when a foreign thought comes in, what I like to call an invading thought, when an invading thought comes in, I'm curious like "Where did that come from?" I've been having a great week and then all of a sudden, "Watch porn." What? I've been worshiping all week, and I've been in the word all week, and then "Watch porn," has come up. Well, I've been thinking about things that please the Spirit, so when watch porn comes up, I'm like, "Bro, you're dead to me." If I've been flirting with IG pics all week--

You didn't have to say nothing. [laughs]

If I've been flirting with IG pics all week, and Tik Toks all week, with girls in bikinis, and then, "Watch porn," comes up, I'm going to be like, "Well, yes, let's watch porn." Then after I watch porn, then I'm like, "Lord, please forgive me. I know I shouldn't have done that," but it's this never-ending cycle because you will not go back to 0.1 to help you center 0.2.

Verse six, "Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death," point blank period, "but letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace." When I put my head on the pillow at night, I just want to go to sleep. I don't want to be thinking about all this sinful stuff and then wondering, "I hope I don't get caught, and I told that lie, and I hope it don't come out. I got a chick on the side and I hope she don't come to church. What if she grows a conscience and wants to get saved and comes to the alter call and I'm like. Of all churches in the Metro place, why'd you come here?"

You laughing, but this is serious. Do you know how many pastors have had to resign because of a side chick?

They're preaching from the scripture. They preach the Bible every weekend. It's not, I'm stronger than them. It's literally, I've just allowed the Holy Spirit to check me when the thought comes to my mind. It's not that I haven't thought about it. It's just that because I'm thinking about what pleases the Spirit all the time when that thought comes up, I'm like, "You crazy, son. I'm not about to risk it all for that. It looks fun, but no, I'm going home to Juliet," because everything I can do with her, I can do with my wife. I'm just trying to get basic, I'm trying to be really basic. Sometimes you just have to practically talk your way out of sin. If I go over her house, it probably will be good, but then the complications that come with this. I will not have peace in my life. There's going to be much drama, and then the more I lie, the more the sin's going to grow. Then I'm just going to be split into two personalities, then I'm going to be one person on the platform and a different person off, then how long can I be a hypocrite before the God that loves me exposes me to get me back to the place He wants me to be?

Romans 6:12, "Do not let sin control the way you live. Do not give in to sinful desires." Here is the revelation, there are sinful desires, but you don't have to get into them. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Paul was real savvy here. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. I can fillet this. If I broke this down, y'all would blush. Instead, give yourself completely to God, for you were dead but now you have new life. Use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master. For you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace.

Some people have used God's grace as an excuse to sin. You're not using it right. The real power of God's grace is that it gives you power over sin. Not grace to continue to do the same thing over and over knowing He'll forgive you. Because here's the thing, God will always forgive you, but there will also always be consequences. Will God forgive you for having an extramarital affair? Yes. Could you have a divorce? Yes. Could your kids hate your guts for the rest of your life? Yes. Could you get fired from your job? Yes. Will God forgive you for stealing the money from the bank drawer? You were just like, "You know what? It's tight. It's just tight. No one's going to miss $100. Everything at this job is FDIC insured up to $100,000. No one's going to miss an extra $100 leaving the--" Yes they will.

Will God forgive you for stealing the money? Yes. Will you get fired? Yes. A lot of people think that just because God forgave them, they shouldn't experience any consequences. Only God can judge me. That Tupac anointing hits you quick. Only God can judge me. God is the only one that judges, and you could have doors open or doors closed based on your reputation no matter how many times you've been forgiven by the Lord. That is good.

Point number three, please write this down. The power of these points, y'all, I just hope it gets in your soul. Point number three, please write this down. I need to get used to this. This point changed my life, and I hope it changes yours. I need to get used to this. I need to get used to the fact that I have a sinful nature. I need to get used to the fact that I need the power of the Holy Spirit to remind me that Jesus broke sin's power in my life so that I could live in a way that pleases Him.

I grew up in Sanctified Holiness churches. While some of the stuff that they said or did skewed a lot to legalism, the intent of the heart was to honor God, but people thought Holiness was about what you did or didn't do. I am holy because I don't go to sporting events, or I'm holy because I don't watch this particular movie. God said that, "I want you to be holy as I am holy." That wasn't about growing a beard or not growing a beard or wearing all white or not going to a baseball game or going to a baseball game, not watching the one-eyed demon. Only about five of y'all remember that.

Do y'all remember what the one-eyed demon was? Pop quiz for holding these people? Television. Television, right? The one-eyed demon. Don't you watch that one-eyed demon. That thing will kill you. Like, "Bonanza? Bonanza is going to take me out of the will of God?"

"Be holy as I am holy." Here's all God was saying. This is literally the breakdown of that verse, "I need you to be completely other than as I am completely other than." God told His children, "In the same way I'm completely other than you, I need you to be completely other than them." The culture that surrounds you, you need to be different from them, and that's based on who you're led by.

I want to read you something here and I hope bells go off for you. Romans 8:7, here's what it says, "For the sinful nature is," what?

"always hostile to God." Period. It is always-- Your sinful nature is never going to like God's will for your life.

Don't be shocked by that. I can't believe that I've been saved for 10 years and I'm still struggling with this one thing. Your sinful nature is always hostile to God.

It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. You can be saved 30 years and slip up one time, and you'll be like, "Oh my goodness, how could this happen? I've been saved for 30 years." Because you somehow tricked yourself into thinking that your flesh got saved. Your flesh didn't get saved. Your soul did.

You are a soul living in a body following a Spirit. This is never going to be in line with God. I was going to say, if you don't believe me, go try some, but don't do that.

[laughter]

Let the verse prove its point.

You don't believe me? I gave you the [unintelligible 00:28:09] right now. No, don't do that. That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God, because literally, you haven't gotten used to the fact that this is always going to be nasty. This's why don't go places. Y'all never see me nowhere. Just rewind your last six to eight months. Have you bumped into me anywhere?

The only place you see me is where I'm supposed to be. You know why? Because before I got saved, my mom and dad can attest, I was out in them streets performing in clubs, down at Venice Beach cruising Crenshaw at two o'clock in the morning, highly promiscuous. I was about that life. I want to see who I'm going to smash tonight. That was my whole life. I gave my life to Christ. Do you think this flesh forgot how to hang out? Do you think this flesh forgot how to speak gay? Do you think this flesh forgot how to do any of that sinful stuff? No, it did not. So you know where I'll be? In my house.

Because I don't trust this. I don't go to the mall. You will never run into me in the mall, because you know what's in the mall? Y'all.

You're always in the mall. Some of y'all is cute. I don't need to know all that, so I'll be in my house. This is practical, y'all. Know thyself. You know what you like. If you know crispy cream is your thing, find another way home. Just go around. "Well, it's just three miles out of the way. I don't understand." Because you're too weak. If you go the long way around, you will never be tempted by crispy cream, because you never pass it, but if you know crispy cream is your thing and you stop at that light and look over in that hot, fresh-- I'm about to say so, oh my Jesus. Let me-- Okay.

2 Corinthians 12:8, Paul was getting these incredible revelations caught up into the third heaven. Whether he was in the Spirit or out of the Spirit, he didn't even know. God had been giving him some magnificent downloads. That's why he could write 13 epistles, and they could be so profound, but he talked about a messenger being sent by Satan to buffet his flesh. It was a thorn in his flesh, thorn in his side. Here's what Paul says, "Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away." God, will you just take the-- anybody beside me ever pray to the Lord, "If I just wake up in the morning and this was never a thing, I would serve you better."?

If it wasn't for this, I could serve you better. Here's God's response, if I took that away, what would you sacrifice? What would you bring as a sacrifice if I took that away from you? "Three different times, I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, my grace is all you need. My power works best in weaknesses and weakness." This is Paul's conclusion. "Now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong."

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Tim Ross, the weakling. That's where all my strength comes from.

Is by knowing my weakness.

Could it be that your pride is why you keep falling back in the sin? It's because you keep playing yourself into thinking you're strong enough to handle something you clearly historically, with empirical data, are not strong enough to handle. I just don't understand why I keep doing it? You've been doing it for 11 years, Doug. Perhaps it's time to admit you're weak in this area. Perhaps God's been waiting for you to say, "I have no self-control in this area." He's like, "Yay. The power of the Holy Spirit can work in here." I'm glad you said that, now I can show up in your life and do something magnificent in and through you. You have to get used to the fact that your sinful nature is never going to line up with God's will. You will always be tempted. It ain't going nowhere.

I remember this preacher saying years ago they might have been in their mid-forties and they asked a guy that was in his late 70s, early 80s. He said "Man, you're a season pastor emeritus. You've done things in the kingdom for a long time. I just wanted somebody who could mentor me because I just wanted to know when did you stop being tempted, and fighting those challenges?" The old man said, "You're going to have to ask somebody older than me."

As long as you are in here, there's going to always be something that wants to drive you there, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can have power over sin.

I've never seen anyone have power over sin outside of the power of the Holy Spirit. I just celebrated 26 years of being a believer. January 14th was my 26th Spiritual birthday.

I've gotten stronger in my relationship with God the more I've pointed out the weaknesses in my own life. I've invited Him into places and spaces that were very difficult and traumatic and hard to even utter, but once I did, He came in and started healing those places.

This is not about you getting stronger, this is about you pointing out where the weak areas are, and inviting the Holy Spirit in to help you in those areas.

This is is how you have willpower over sin. Nobody's screaming at you and telling you to stop.

I remember when I was still really struggling with porn addiction, one of my mentors said, "Has anybody just told you to stop?" Yes, actually, somebody did tell me to stop. It didn't work. That advice didn't help me, the power of the Holy Spirit did. I'm just trying to tell you where the secret sauce is. It's not in your willpower, it's not in your 21-day fast. I just rather you stop sinning than do a fast for 21 days.

The best fast you could ever have is to stop doing the thing that you've not had the power to stop doing.

That's better than 21 days of pushing burgers back.

On the 22nd day, go right back to the fool you were.

Right?

That concludes this message.

This is how I'm going to stop it.

All right. Would you bow your heads and close your eyes? What does the Holy Spirit say into you through this message? My hope and my prayer is that there's something about what's been said that is equipping you. I'm not even talking about something that's going to motivate you. I'm just talking about something that's going to equip you. I've given you scriptures, I've given you context. Jesus broke the power of sin in your life. I choose who leads me, and I need to get used to the fact that my sinful nature is never going to line up with God's will. Just never. It's just never going to do it.

Every head is bowed, every eye is closed. If this message was for you, just raise your hand. If the Lord was talking to you through this message, that's fantastic. It is absolutely fantastic. I'm telling you, He wants you to have victory in a way you've not had at any other point in your life, the way you're going to have it in this season of your life. The Holy Spirit is going to lead you, by God's grace, into victory in your life. I'm talking about in those areas that no one else can see. You're going to have victory in such a way that you're going to have peace on the inside.

Holy Spirit, I thank you so much for what you are doing in the lives of my brothers and sisters, your sons and daughters. Thank you for giving us power over sin by being led by the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, Amen. I love you guys.