The number one objective of a real Christian is to become more holy. So, how do you accelerate your sanctification? Romans 6:11-14 gives five ways: (1) You reckon yourselves as dead; (2) you dethrone the tyrant; (3) You withhold the members of your body from sin; (4) You consecrate your whole body to the Lord; (5) and you stand in grace. The good news is this—you don’t have to stay trapped in your sin. God has given this vision of victory to overcome it!

Let's talk about sanctification. The number one objective of a real Christian is that he wants to be holy and he wants to progressively be more and more holy. And Romans chapter 6, 11-14 gives us how to prevail in sanctification. Of course not perfectly, but let me read the passage. Romans 6, 11-14.

Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts and do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace." Okay, there are five things in this passage that you must do to accelerate victory in sanctification. First of all, reckon. That's verse 11.

Second, dethrone. Third, withhold. Fourth, consecrate. And fifth, stand in grace. These are the five things you must do.

And so the first thing you must do is to reckon yourselves dead. It's the same thing as saying, sin, I'm done with you. Old man, I'm dead to you. Second, in other words, you have a choice. You can say no to sin.

Second, dethrone. In other words, stop the reign of sin. It says do not let sin reign in your mortal body. This is royal language. This has to do with control.

Someone wants to control your body. Somebody wants to control your life. Somebody said it's like your body is like a castle and somebody wants to come and rule your castle. And sin is like a commander. It tells you what to eat, what to drink, when to sleep, everything like that.

And, but what you're, in order to accelerate your sanctification, you dethrone that commander. Thirdly, you withhold the members of your body. In other words, don't touch the snake. And he's talking about the members of your body, your mind, your tongue, your eyes, your ears, your feet. Every part of your body, you are giving it over to the Lord.

You don't give any member of your body over to unrighteousness. And so God desires that we make a choice not to give the members of our body over to anything that contradicts His holiness. And so we, number four, we consecrate ourselves to God. We present ourselves to God. We dedicate the members of our body to righteousness.

And then finally, we stand in grace. For since you'll not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. In other words, the believer is under the reign of grace. The grace of God comes to forgive and also to give energy and gifts. Each one has been given a measure of grace and so to be under grace really is just to be under Jesus Christ.

You live under Jesus Christ. So how do you accelerate your sanctification? You reckon yourselves as dead, you dethrone the tyrant, you withhold the members of your body from sin, you consecrate your whole body to the Lord and you stand in grace. What a blessing it is. God has given us a vision of victory.

You can say no to sin. You don't have to be trapped. You're not stuck in sin. You can say no. Praise the Lord.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Scripture applied as a production of Church and Family Life. Visit churchandfamilylife.com for more resources.