**[ You may want to print this one out and spend some time with it...trust me. Lots to digest here.]. ** 

 It really is amazing when you suggest to a professing ‘believer’ of Christ that they were set free and can truly ‘sin no more’, how quickly they become agitated, offended or downright angry. 

 Listen to what Paul warned us of in his second letter to the Thessalonians. He wrote: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved.” (2:9-10) 

 If that does not get your attention, then read on...And for this reason (because they did not love the truth) God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (11-12) 

 Talk about hitting a speed bump in that passage...”God will send them strong delusion...that they would believe the lie”? 

 If there is any ‘lie’ that I hear propagated more than any other today in the church world, it is the lie that the majority of ‘believers’ have bought into...that they cannot overcome sin and live a life free of sinning. 

 Why do I call it a lie? Because it is in direct opposition to what the bible CLEARLY teaches and I have been making the case for it in my postings of late. 

 I’ve heard countless preachers tell their congregations over the years...stuff like ‘we are not perfect...you will always sin...I sin every day...but praise God for His love and mercy and His unlimited grace...blah...blah...blah”. And the sheep buy it and repeat over and over and over. 

 You may remember from your history classes this statement: “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”, is a law of propaganda often attributed to the Nazi Joseph Goebbels. 

 So there you have it. One of the greatest deceptions fed to the church. Do you realize what we are telling the world when we propagate that lie? Yeah...Jesus loved me enough to die on the cross but He really did not set me free from sin because I’m always going to be a sinner.” 

 Do what? And if you hear someone tell you I’ve waded into dangerous doctrines of ‘sinless perfectionism’, skip all the articles and essays men offer up excusing their ongoing sins and ask for scriptures that show we will continue to sin after Jesus sets us free and we abide in Him. I don’t want to sound combative...and all I can do is share what God has to say about this and let you decide for yourself. 

 Here’s a thought for you that came to me the other morning and prompted my graphic I posted. Christians who continue to sin struggle with all kinds of conflicted feelings regarding it...but in the end, their hearts continue to harden and they for the most part, end up walking out a ‘form of godliness...but deny the power of God to set them free. (2 Tim 3:5). Guilt and condemnation can really mess with people’s heads. And hearts. 

 But something I really sensed the Lord speak to my heart was this....He is Not up there wagging a scolding finger at all His ‘sinner children’ who continue to sin saying ‘bad sinners...you bad sinners.’ He is in fact is extending his palms upward...as if asking...”What more can I do...I paid the price and set you free...and you continue to sin?” WHY???

 ...sigh... 

 You are familiar with Juneteenth day, yes? Celebrated in Texas mainly, on June 19. It commemorates the delayed ‘liberation’ of 250K black slaves in the state who ’never got the memo’ signed by Pres. Lincoln also known as the Emancipation Proclamation setting ALL slaves free in this country....nearly TWO years earlier. Think about that. All these black slaves continued to live as slaves because...of a ‘lack of knowledge’. 

 It’s one thing to continue to live as a slave due to ignorance or not knowing. It’s another thing to choose to continue to live as a slave after hearing the truth of the matter. 

 My hunch is there are many believers who continue to live as a slave because of erroneous teachings. And yes, I use the word ‘slave’ because that is the word Jesus used in John 8:34-35. And when you admit to continue to sin and will always sin, you are admitting to being a slave and Jesus is not your master. 

 But, I would also suspect there are no small numbers of ‘professing believers’ who actually love the darkness and sins they hold on to. Don’t be shocked by that assessment since that is what Jesus made clear in John 3:19-20. (Go read that) If you have been taught that your ‘saved’ and guaranteed a spot in heaven regardless of how you continue to live, reinforced by the lie that you will continue to sin, then what need is there to give them ‘all up’? That sure was not the gospel message Jesus gave the rich young ruler in Mark 10:21 when He told him he lacked ‘only one more thing’. The young man was unwilling to lay it down and take up his cross and follow Jesus. He didn’t make the cut. Jesus will either be Lord of All...or not Lord AT all. We don’t get it both ways. OH...there are plenty of alternative gospels out there that will teach otherwise so there is that. (2 Cor 11:2-5) 

 Here’s a passage I don’t believe I have ever taught on or addressed publicly because of how troublesome it is...and for good reason. But now it makes more sense to me. It’s in Hebrews 10:26- “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.” And what does ‘truth’ do? It sets us free. 

 Yeah...take a deep breath and step back. I believe the majority of God’s people have been living in ignorance...or duped by a lie has kept God’s people in bondage. To continue sinning is to remain a slave to Satan. (John 8:34). 

 If we believe that lie, then of course we will continue to sin...and quote our nice little saying of “Christians are not perfect, just forgiven”. And every time that gets tossed out, the demons are laughing hysterically at us...and God weeps again...shaking His head and repeating the often used quote in Hosea 4:6...”MY people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge”. 

 Sin brings death. Sin is lawlessness. The religious man in Matt 7:21-23 did not go to heaven because he continued practicing sin (lawlessness, iniquity). 

 Please read this verse slowly and aloud so you can hear it: “WHOEVER ABIDES IN HIM DOES NOT SIN. WHOEVER SINS HAS NEITHER SEEN HIM NOR KNOWN HIM.” ( 1 John 3:6). I’ll let you go read verse 9 on your own. 

 Now if you are still with me here on this one...please pay attention to this next part. This is NOT a matter of ‘positive thinking’ where you make ‘mental assent’ and then some switch comes on and you do a 180 and ‘sin no more’. If anything, it should convict and stir your heart to run to Jesus as fast as you can...and humble yourself in repentance. You tell Him you are sorry for receiving and believing a lie. That is important. And if you are serious about this, you need to adjust to the fact that this ‘abiding in Him’ is kind of important and essential if you are going to walk in freedom. Abiding is NOT an option. 

 Because this I know...you won’t do it on your own. It is Christ IN you who enables you to walk this way. And if your heart is fully in...it won’t be nearly the struggle as it will for others who just flat out don’t want to give up...some of those pet sins like pride, greed, anger, lust, impatience, selfishness, etc. But yes, there is ‘suffering’ in the flesh as the Spirit begins to lead you to put the old man to death. “And after you have suffered a bit...” Peter would write, here comes more grace and power and promotion – 1 Pet. 5:8-10. 

 Let me share one discovery that I have learned upon being taught about ‘abiding’ in Him. You immediately become aware of so many ‘little things’, habits and such that Jesus begins to point out as not ‘fitting’ for His children. It may not even be easily labeled as ‘sin’, but He makes it clear if you want to drink from His well of ‘living water’, you need to give up the polluted stuff. He will make it known to you if you are serious about this...because as He said: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) 

 And not to ‘spook you’, but the enemy won’t take this lying down. No worries. When you abide in Him, you are covered as in protected. Just walk in His peace. We’ll discuss some of the ‘schemes’ the enemy will toss your way tomorrow....those ‘tactics’ scripture teaches us about how he tries to lure you out from behind the hedge of protection. And you might hang this one on your fridge: “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Prov 16:7) 

 I’ve been telling you...this gospel really is ‘Good News’. It’s just been hid from us...and God has chosen such a time as this to ‘wake us up’ and enable the wise virgins to trim their lamps thanks to the ‘oil’ He makes available to us to ‘see the word’...and then Do it. (Matt 25:1-12)