Are You Dead to Sin?

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." -Col. 3:1-2.

It seems to me that the Lord has a message for us today, that the things of this life are temporal and are going to pass away. But the things that are eternal are going to last. We should set our affections on things above, not on things on the earth.

Loved ones, it says if we are risen with Christ, we are to do that, seek those things that are above. What does it mean to be risen with Christ? We must be born again. We remember when that time came in our lives, dear brothers and sisters, when we stood in those baptismal waters and we made that covenant before that cloud of witnesses, that we would be true and faithful to God until life's end. That wasn't just for today. It wasn't just for tomorrow. We said we would be true and faithful until life's end. Then we were buried in those baptismal waters.

I will never forget it, loved ones. I will never forget it; in my proving, the elder asked me, "Are you dead to sin? Are you tempted?"
"Yes, I was tempted."
"But do you yield?"
"No, I don't yield."
"Then you must be dead to sin."
Loved ones, he went on to comment, we wouldn't think of burying something that was not dead.

I have often thought about that. Even in a natural way, many of you have loved ones in a rest home and they linger and lay, maybe not even aware that you are there. You wonder ... what for? Why do they still live? But, loved ones, think about it in a natural way. We wouldn't think of taking that loved one and burying them, because they are still living.

It is not different than that for a child of God. When we come to God in true repentance, we have to humble ourselves.
--Sermon Excerpt: Bro. R.I.