ASSIGNMENTS

1. Daily read over this material and read or sing the song.

2. Place the scripture where you will see it each day.

3. Think of one area where you have allowed sin to keep a hold on you, and how you can stop it.

4. Pray for God's help to have the power to overthrow the tyrant of sin in the area you are struggling.

5. Write down the temptations that you faced and whether you mastered them or allowed them to master you.

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DAILY BIBLE VERSES AND PRAYER THOUGHTS

MONDAY - VERSES: Romans 12:19-21/ How could verse 21 be applied to the sin in your life? PRAYER THOUGHT: Ask God for help in overcoming the evil in your own life with good.

TUESDAY - VERSES: 1 John 2:13-14	PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me to be strong and allow the Word to dwell in me.

WEDNESDAY - VERSES: 1 John 2:15-17	PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me to remember that whatever worldly desires I have are for things that will not last, and are not worth the price.

THURSDAY - VERSES: 1 John 4:4	PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you for being a power that is greater than the world and its lusts, and for being with me to give me the power to win over sin.

FRIDAY - VERSES: 1 John 5:4-6	PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you for the blood of Christ and the Spirit's testimony that gives us faith to overcome.

SATURDAY - VERSES: Revelation 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you for the promises you made to those who overcome and refuse to allow sin to reign.

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Hilde Houlding, coordinator of the Calgary Family Service Bureau's counseling division, describes an affair in this way:

An affair is often an attempt to find a little bit of paradise on the side, pursuing the belief that if one just finds the right sexual partner there will be instant happiness and everything will fall into place. An affair is often able to fulfill this myth until it itself becomes a relationship that has to be worked at and looked at in a long-term light.

Seen in this way "paradise" soon becomes a prison.

SPIRITUAL HEALTH REGIMEN - WEEK 72

DON'T SIN - 12-15-13 to 12-21-13

SCRIPTURE - Romans 6:12 "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."

COMMENT – Who is in control of your life? If you are living a life of sin the sin is in control. The worst thing about sin reigning over you is that you let it. There are a number of ways that someone can physically rule over you which leave you helpless to escape. But sin must be allowed to rule, notice the first part of the verse 'Let not sin therefore reign', if sin is reigning you are letting it. Don't let it anymore.

SONG - I LOVE THE LORD

1) I love the Lord, for He died my soul to save, On Calvary His dear life He freely gave; From realms above, Jesus freely came to die, That I might live someday with Him on high.

CHORUS: I love the Lord, He has been so good to me, He gave His life, from sin to set me free; No greater love than His could ever be, I love the Lord, because He first loved me.

2) I love the Lord, for He saved the lost from sin, He gave them life to be whole and free again; To live on high, with Him nevermore to die, Oh, praise His name, we'll see Him by and by.

3) I love the Lord, for His love so full and free, He taught us why that our love like His should be; To be like Him, and compassion freely give, Oh, bless His name, we then with Him could live.

THOUGHTS

Either sin will keep you from the Bible or the Bible will keep you from sin.

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Robert Robinson became religious after a tempestuous life of sin in England. Shortly after that, at the age of twenty-three, Robinson wrote the hymn Come, Thou Fount.

Come, Thou Fount of ev'ry blessing, Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.

Sadly, Robinson wandered far from those streams and, like the Prodigal Son, journeyed into the distant country of carnality. Until one day -- he was traveling by stagecoach and sitting beside a young woman engrossed in her book. She ran across a verse she thought was beautiful and asked him what he thought of it.

Prone to wander -- Lord, I feel it -- Prone to leave the God I love.

Bursting into tears, Robinson said, "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then." -- Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101 Hymn Stories, p. 52

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OPEN THE LOVE LETTER

The Bible is actually a beautiful "love letter" from God, and the writer of Psalm 119 admonishes us to delight in its message and to meditate upon its contents. How sad that many Christians neglect it!! Sadder still that countless lost souls have never opened the Book at all.

When Elizabeth Barrett became the wife of Robert Browning, her parents disowned her because they disapproved of the marriage. The daughter, however, wrote almost every week, telling them that she loved them and longed for a reconciliation. After 10 years she received a huge box in the mail that contained all the notes she had sent. Not one had been opened! Although these "love letters" have become an invaluable part of classical English literature, it's really pathetic to think that they were never read by Elizabeth Barrett's parents. Had they looked at just one, the broken relationship with their daughter might have been healed.

All of us are alienated from God because of sin. But He has provided a way of reconciliation. In the Bible He tells about it, and also expresses His earnest longing for fellowship with us.

If you are a born-again child of God, how precious His love message from Heaven ought to be to you! Are you reading it often? If you are not a believer and pay no attention to the Bible, you're no different from Elizabeth Barrett's parents. You're cheating yourself, and someday you'll stand before God condemned and lost forever. Then you'll wish you had opened and read His "love letter" to you. Why not do it right now?

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SURGERY FOR SIN

A young man underwent surgery to remove the pericardium, a paper-thin lining around his heart, because his had enlarged to about three-fourths of an inch thick, restricting the function of his heart muscle. The doctors said that when they slit the pericardium, the heart immediately began to function about twice as fast as it had been working.

As with an enlarged pericardium, sin cuts down on our spiritual functioning, thus making us spiritually ill. We need to let the Lord remove the sin that restricts us from functioning on a 100 percent basis for our Lord.

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SCORPION AND THE FOX

A scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, asked a fox to carry him on its back across the river. "Are you mad?" exclaimed the fox. "You'll sting me while I'm swimming and I'll drown."

"My dear fox," laughed the scorpion, "If I were to sting you, you would drown and I'd go down with you. Now where is the logic in that?"

"You're right," cried the fox. "Hop on." The scorpion climbed aboard and halfway across the river gave the fox a mighty sting. As they began to sink to the bottom, the fox said, "You said there is no logic in your stinging me. Now we are both going to die. Why did you do it?"

"It has nothing to do with logic," the drowning scorpion replied. "It's just my nature."

It is sins nature to sting us as well and the power of its sting is spiritual death.

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BELIEVING THE _________ OF SIN

INTRODUCTION

I. THE ________________ OF FALSE TEACHERS -2 PETER 2:1-3

II. THE __________ OF FALSE TEACHERS - 2 PETER 2:4-9

III. THE _____________ OF FALSE TEACHERS - 2 PETER 2:10-17

IV. THE ____________ OF FALSE TEACHERS - 2 PETER 2:18-22

CONCLUSION

BELIEVING THE LIES OF SIN - FROM MARK COPELAND'S OUTLINE OF 2 PETER 2

I. THE DESTRUCTION OF FALSE TEACHERS - 2 Peter 2:1-3 "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. {2} And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. {3} And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

A. THEIR DESTRUCTIVE HERESIES (V. 1-2)

1. Just as there were false prophets, so there will be false

teachers

2. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord

who bought them

3. Many will follow their destructive ways, and the truth will be

blasphemed

B. THEIR DESTRUCTIVE METHODS (V. 1,3)

1. They bring in their heresies secretly

2. They will exploit through covetousness and deceptive words

C. THEIR DESTRUCTIVE END (V. 1,3)

1. They will bring swift destruction on themselves

2. Their judgment is not idle, their destruction does not slumber

II. THE DOOM OF FALSE TEACHERS - 2 Peter 2:4-9 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; {5} And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; {6} And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; {7} And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: {8} (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) {9} The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

A. THE EXAMPLE OF ANGELS WHO SINNED (V. 4)

1. God did not spare the angels who sinned

2. He cast them down to hell (Tartarus)

3. Delivered them to chains of darkness, reserved for judgment

B. THE EXAMPLE OF THE FLOOD (V. 5)

1. God did not spare the ancient world, bringing the flood on the

ungodly

2. He saved Noah and his family of eight, a preacher of

righteousness

C. THE EXAMPLE OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH (V. 6-8)

1. God turned the cities into ashes, condemning them to

destruction

2. He made them an example to those who would live ungodly

3. He delivered righteous Lot

a. Who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked

b. Who was tormented daily by seeing and hearing their lawless

deeds

D. GOD WILL DELIVER THE GODLY, PUNISH THE UNJUST (V. 9)

1. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations

2. He will reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of

judgment

III. THE DEPRAVITY OF FALSE TEACHERS - 2 Peter 2:10-17 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. {11} Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. {12} But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; {13} And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; {14} Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: {15} Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; {16} But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. {17} These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

A. REVILING AGAINST AUTHORITY (V. 10-13a)

1. They walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness

2. They despise authority, are presumptuous, self-willed

3. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, unlike angels

a. Who are greater in power and might

b. Who do not bring reviling accusations before the Lord

4. They are like natural brute beasts made to be caught and

destroyed

a. Speaking evil of things they do not understand

b. Who will utterly perish in their own corruption

c. Who will receive the wages of unrighteousness

B. REVELING WITH GREAT PLEASURE (V. 13b-14)

1. They count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime

2. Spots and blemishes, they carouse in their own deceptions while

feasting with Christians

3. They have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin,

beguiling unstable souls

4. They have hearts trained in covetous practices, and are

accursed children

C. REVOLTING AGAINST THE RIGHT WAY (V. 15-17)

1. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray

2. Like Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness

a. Who was rebuked for his iniquity

b. His madness restrained by donkey speaking with a man's voice

3. They are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest

4. For who the gloom of darkness is reserved forever

IV. THE DECEPTIONS OF FALSE TEACHERS -2 Peter 2:18-22 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. {19} While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. {20} For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. {21} For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. {22} But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."

A. DECEPTIVE IN THEIR METHODS (V. 18)

1. They speak great swelling words of emptiness

2. They allure those who have escaped through the lusts of the

flesh, through licentiousness

B. DECEPTIVE IN THEIR PROMISES (V. 19)

1. They promise liberty, while they themselves are slaves of

corruption

2. For by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought

into bondage

C. WHOSE LATTER END IS WORSE THAN THE BEGINNING (V. 20-22)

1. Having become entangled and overcome by the pollutions of the

world which they had escaped through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

2. It would have been better not to have known the way of

righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy

commandment delivered to them

3. It has happened to them according to the proverb

a. "A dog returns to his own vomit"

b. "A sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire"

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.