Now loved ones,

Romans 6:6

Sermon Transcript by Rev. Ernest O’Neill

Small pox has been

It’s not actually because of the discovery of the small pox vaccine. About 30

Brothers and sisters, is it not like something that you can’t control. In that way it is like

Communion: Carnality
virtually wiped off the face of the earth. It hardly exists in any country now and yet about fifty
years ago it was one of the most dreaded and disfiguring diseases that humanity faced. And the
reason it has almost disappeared completely from the world is because of the almost universal use of
small pox vaccine. I’d like you to notice those words – “because of the almost universal use of the
small pox vaccine.”
years ago in India a group of westerners knew that the small pox vaccine had been discovered and
they believed that it would work. I won’t go into the details with you but it was tragic. There were
15 or 20 of them that would not take the vaccine when small pox broke out. And all of them died. So
it’s not the discovery of small pox vaccine that has wiped out the disease from the earth. It’s the
USE of the small pox vaccine that has almost wiped out the disease from the earth.
that’s important for us today because there is a disease here in our world that is worse than small
pox. It is more disfiguring and it is more destructive and deadly than small pox. I’ll show you it
in Romans if you’d like to take your Bible and look at Romans 7:15. It actually has brought more
sadness and unhappiness to homes, schools, and places of business than any other disease.
“I do
not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans
7:15)That’s universal and destroyed more of your friendships than anything else in your character.
It has destroyed more churches, families, and marriages than any other disease. And I don’t know if
there is one of us here this morning who hasn’t at least experienced it. I’d probably think that
there are many of you here that are at this moment experiencing it and say, “I do not do the good I
want.” I don’t want to hurt this person. I don’t want to break out in criticism against them. I
don’t want to be irritable against them. I don’t want to be sarcastic with them — and yet you do
it.
a disease. I think a lot of us are skeptical about the things we call diseases today. We call
alcoholism a disease and everything is a disease. But I think all of us will attest to the fact that
this thing seems to get the upper hand of us. It’s something that we cannot control ourselves
although you want to do it.
mate today. I will be kind and patient with the children today. I will be thoughtful of that
roommate that I have.” Or you go into work and say,”I am not going to lose my temper when that
person says that to me. If they say this before the boss, I will not try and defend myself but will
be what Jesus wants me to be.”(cid:129)
but the very thing you hate that’s what you end up doing. And of course as a result, you end up
virtually hating yourself. Now that’s the disease loved ones and this dear book if very clear about
it. The Bible calls it carnality. Sometimes it says it’s the flesh. Sometimes it says it’s sin. But
it’s that desire inside of us to get our own way whatever happens.
book called “The Mark of Cain”. The English writer says that it is incredible but there is something
in man that makes him build something as beautiful as the crystal palace (shown in England about 100
years ago) and then suddenly he has the thought occurring in his mind, “What would happen if I
kicked the whole miserable thing apart?”
that makes us want to destroy, tear apart, break things up, and hurt other people. Loved ones that’s
what it is — carnality. But, you might say to me, “Brother, I’m glad I’m a Christian and delivered
from that.”
we still find this attitude within us. This is the thing that tears people apart, tears religions
apart, and tears churches apart because they still want their own way and insist on doing what they
want to do. That’s carnality.
Savior died for. He died to destroy that and to destroy that in you. You can’t do anything about it.
Only God can deal with that thing inside you that you cannot control. And that’s why the Savior
died. That’s why this book is full of statements like, “Our old self, inside us, that wants our own
way, was crucified with Christ.” That’s why Paul says, “I live, yet not I but Christ lives within

We who are God’s children know our sins are forgiven, believe we will go to heaven but

There is an example given in a

There is something self-destructive in every one of us

One day you go home and determine, ”I will be kind and gentle to my

You get into the situation and you do not do the good that you want

Loved ones, this dear Savior died to destroy that. That’s what the

You are doing the very thing that the world does. You are no

I’d encourage you this morning to begin to deal with those things.

So many of us are in the place where we believe. We believe that God has

me. I was crucified with Christ.” Jesus died to destroy that disease inside of you.
And you see
the tragedy is that there are many of us here that act like that group in India that I talked with
you about earlier. There are many of us who say, “I believe God has really been merciful to me. I
believe that he has done something in his son that enables him to forgive me of my sins. I believe
that there is an antidote available for this power of self. I believe there is and I believe it’s
there. I believe I need to do my best to enter into it. I believe it’s there and that’s why God has
forgiven my sins.
forgiven us because of something great he has done in his son on Calvary. We don’t know what it is.
We’ve never taken the antidote ourselves. We’ve never experienced deliverance from the power of self
and sin. We’ve never entered into Jesus on the cross. We’ve never identified ourselves with him on
Calvary. We’ve never said, “Lord God whatever you did to me in Jesus I’m willing to accept. We’ve
never done that. We’ve just believed that because of something God did in Jesus he’s willing to
Loved ones Christendom is filled with forgiven sinners. But we are breaking the Lord’s
forgive us.
heart and breaking the world’s heart because we are still acting like miserable sinners. We’re not
delivered from the power of self. We’re still involved in all the old things that the rest of the
world is involved in. And that’s what Paul said to a group of Christians. “Don’t you see that you
are behaving like ordinary men?”
different from them and the world sees that. It sees that there is nothing great that has been done
in your life and so many of us are believing that the vaccine is available. We believe that the
vaccine has been discovered and the antidote has been provided but we ourselves are not accepting it
in our own hearts and lives.
I’d encourage you to stop putting up with that self inside of you. Could I say with all the honesty
I could muster and all the directness, “If you don’t enter into all of this, you lose it all.” You
will. I know there are some brave guys and girls here who are serious. But loved ones if you don’t
go the whole way you’ll lose everything. You go back to your vomit. You suffocate under the evil
hypocrisy that fills the churches. If you don’t go the whole way with Jesus you lose everything.
I
encourage your dear hearts. If you’ve stepped on the way, see that Jesus died not so that we’d know
there was an antidote, not so that we would just believe that God has forgiven us, or that God has
provided something that will change us. But Jesus died so that we would enter into that antidote, so
that we would enter into his death with him and be delivered from the power of self in our own
lives.
So I would ask as we go into communion this morning to ask the Holy Spirit’ “Holy Spirit,
is there any way that I am putting up and tolerating this disease of self and sin inside of me? Is
there any way in which I am just going on and hoping it will get better but instead it’s getting
worse day by day. Is there any way by which I’m not entering into what you have done for me in the
Savior.”
Then, I’d encourage you in prayer time to approach Jesus yourselves and say, “Lord Jesus
Is there any way in which I am short changing you? Is there any way that I am not willing to accept
what you have done for me on Calvary? Is there any way in which I am not willing to be delivered
from self? Is there any way that I am not willing to die to what I want and insisting on my rights?”
Loved ones if you will be honest with Him, the Holy Spirit will make this the first real communion
that you have ever had in your life. And you’ll enter into the reality of Jesus’ death with him and
the reality of his resurrection.
die with you on Calvary? Is there any way that I am not willing to be despised as you are? Is there
any way in which I’m not willing to be looked down upon as you are? Is there any way that I’m not
willing to have my rights walked over as you are? Is there any way that I’m not willing to be what
you have been for me?”
then loved ones the moment you see it you need to say, “Yes Lord, I’m willing for that whatever the
cost.” His Holy Spirit will come in and not just regenerate you or make you a Christian but will
come in, fill you and cleanse your heart so that you’re able to love those who don’t love you as
well as those who do love you. And be kindly affectionate one to another.

If you will ask him that, He will reveal it through the Holy Spirit. And

I said to Him, “Lord is there any way that I am not willing to

I’d ask you to deal

seriously with Jesus this morning and see that the purpose of his death is to free us from self and
sin. It’s not just to have our sins forgiven but to be freed from this so we can live like him. It’s
so that the world can begin to see Jesus in you, where you work. It’s so they can see Jesus in me
where I live at home.
Think seriously about what you are undertaking and about to promise. So will you stand and receive
the invitation.

Will you think seriously loved ones as I am about to give the invitation.