In Scott Brown's sermon, 'Put to Death the Deeds of the Body,' he delves into Romans 8:12-13 to explore the blessings and responsibilities of being a child of God, emphasizing the necessity of sanctification through the Holy Spirit. Brown underscores the pervasive nature of spiritual warfare, particularly in the context of modern digital influences like social media and the internet, which he describes as 'cyber attacks of the soul.' He stresses the importance of believers setting their minds on the things of the Spirit rather than succumbing to the flesh. The sermon highlights the harmony between justification by faith and the ongoing process of sanctification, urging believers to actively mortify sin through the power of the Holy Spirit. Brown also critiques contemporary methods for dealing with sin, advocating instead for traditional spiritual disciplines such as reading scripture, prayer, and fellowship. He calls for a vigilant and violent approach to sin, warning that every un-mortified sin weakens the believer, while every mortified sin strengthens their spiritual life.

Well, we're gonna read two verses this morning. I plan to cover a larger section this morning, but we'll narrow it down to these great blessings of what it means to be a son, to have a father, and to be brought into a family. And with great blessings come great responsibilities. And so that's what we'll focus on here. Romans 8, 12.

This is the inerrant, all-sufficient, sweeter than honey word of God. Verse 12, therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

Let's pray. Lord, come and take these words and make them so real, so helpful to us in our journey, Lord, that you would come and bless these dear people whom you made in your image, whom you brought here this morning out of your kind providence that you would come and fulfill all of your desires in all of us today, amen. We often minimize in our minds the spiritual warfare that's going on all around us. And I think, you know, what's been Happening in our country in the last several years is a very good example We live in a in a nation that's engaged in a in a very fierce spiritual war In my mind the greatest battle of darkness in my lifetime. I've been a self-conscious Christian for many, many years.

And we're not just dealing with the debauchery of our culture, of the Democratic Party, the LGBTQ movement. This is spiritual warfare. This is the serpent of old, that deceiver. The demons, I think, have been unleashed in an unusual way, as we read about in the book of Revelation. But this is also very personal as well, because the war being waged is toward the souls of the saints as well.

And how does one resist the impulses of the flesh? How does the believer wage war against the world and the flesh and the devil? And how do you think about the remaining and dwelling sin that exists and overcoming it? And how does the believer weaken the flesh and be strengthened by the Spirit? And this passage speaks to that.

In the previous verses, we read the words, set your mind on the things of the spirit, not on the things of the flesh, and that this section has so much to do about the mind, what's happening in the mind. And these attacks against the mind are very, very significant. We've entered into an age, well, I'm just going to call it the cyber attacks upon the soul. Silently, when no one is looking, you know, the devil is working. Cyberspace is the great domain of so much of the attack.

And what's remarkable about the times we live in with the rise of the internet, with the rise of smartphones and computers and tablets and YouTube and Instagram and TikTok and Twitter and Facebook, we're just inundated with ideas and they come directly to our eyes and to our ears. And some of it is actual spiritual warfare as the designers of the algorithms are seeking to continually progressively corrupt the people of the world. And it's actually a dangerous time because there's so many inputs. And we shouldn't be naive to think that what's being presented on your phone and on your computer isn't spiritual warfare. It was 2, 500 years ago, the Chinese Sun Tzu wrote the art of war.

He said all warfare is based on deception. And this is the world that we live in and we've entered into this age of, I'm just gonna call it the cyber attacks of the soul. I thought it was so interesting, so many states and cities have banned smartphones in schools. That was shocking to me, understandable but shocking. And modern warfare, you know modern warfare among the nations is an example of this.

Military operations are more and more using non-lethal, intermediate means of warfare. And no longer are our military leaders exclusively focused on bombs and tanks and machine guns. They are still deploying those. But modern warfare engages cyber warfare in a way that's never really been engaged the way that it is today. And people call it fifth domain warfare.

Information warfare used to influence the enemy to make decisions based on what they're hearing and seeing in cyberspace. Misleading news to corrupt, to deny, to divide people, to exploit, to deceive, ransomware attacking computer systems, microwave emitters that shut down electronics, you know, causing communication outages, fake videos, electronic warfare to disrupt the enemy's information systems. Well, the devil attacks in very similar ways through information. He attacks mainly through the mind, through information that comes, you know, into the mind. And the devil is there to jam the radio frequencies, to confuse you, to deceive you, to make you think things that aren't true, to follow things that will actually destroy you.

And this is the world that we live in it's a world of spiritual warfare and reading this passage I just began to think it addresses this art of war of the enemy of our souls and in looking at it again I realized that you know John Owen wrote an entire book on these two verses called The Mortification of Sin. I pulled it out this week. And in that book, he focuses laser beam on these two verses and really does an exposition of them in a big book about this thick. And He says, do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work?

Be always at it while you live. Be killing sin or it'll be killing you. And of course, he's speaking really of the inputs of the mind. This whole passage speaks about putting to death the deeds of the body, putting to death my apathy toward my sin, putting to death the things that I'm engaging in, putting to death in such a way that I'm avoiding instead of seeking and being influenced by these cyber attacks of the soul. You know, how do you bring your conscience to maturity?

This is usually our problem. Our consciences have been seared and it's the word of God that brings our consciences back into maturity or to maturity. And I think this whole section is really, it's an application of what Jesus told his disciples. He said watch and pray lest you fall into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.

It's in Matthew 26 verse 41. And so here we're encountering one of the central biblical texts on the doctrine of sanctification. We've been talking so much about justification. This passage, these verses are about sanctification. And sanctification is essentially The ongoing process whereby the Christian continues to kill the flesh Continues this process to abandon the deeds of the flesh.

This is the Christian life. This is what it means to be a child of God, to have a father, to cry out Abba Father, which is what this whole passage is about. And it's this section, these two verses are about spiritual warfare. And now I've divided, you can see an outline in front of you, these verses into six sections or six ideas. Each one helps us to learn how to put to death the deeds of the body.

And in these verses is a critical doctrinal truth. And it's found in the harmony of two great doctrines, because they're both in harmony. They are separate, but they're interconnected. And it's the doctrine of justification by faith and sanctification, the harmony of justifying grace and sanctifying grace. That's what you find here.

And we know justification is something that God does. The sinner doesn't do anything except to trust in the blood of Jesus Christ. He's done everything. There's nothing more for you to do, except nothing more for you to do in terms of your salvation, but not in terms of your sanctification. Much of your sanctification depends on what you do according to the work of the Spirit of God in your life.

This is the double cure. Save from wrath and made me whole, the hymn writer says. And the true believer walks circumspectly, walks while others walk in their own ways, the believer is seeking to walk in God's ways and to renew the mind and to put to death the deeds of the body. Well, thankfully, you know, the Apostle Paul told us, my grace is sufficient. At the same time, we take action.

And that's it. Lloyd-jones warned about believing doctrines that don't change your life He said there's nothing more dangerous than to have a merely intellectual or theoretical interest in Christian truth The this word therefore in our text he says comes to us as a warning of a terrible danger. We must be careful. He says these two verses are perhaps the most important statement with regard to the practical aspect of the New Testament doctrine of sanctification in the whole of Scripture. And of course what the Apostle Paul has been saying in many different ways, we talked about the carnal Christian recently, don't look back to the time when you prayed a prayer and say was I sincere when I prayed that prayer.

Look and see if you're living a righteous life, if your heart is toward God. That is the chief assurance of salvation outside of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your sins. So you see these six areas, the audience, the audience. The audience is the Christians in Rome. Therefore, brethren, this is the fellowship of the believers and he's telling us what's consistent with the consecrated believer before God.

They're not raw duties, just through discipline or through techniques, but the Holy Spirit assists in those duties. Brethren, we are, this is so important, We are. In other words, it's already happening. He's not asking them necessarily to do something that's not happening. He's affirming what is happening.

We are. We are and we have been. Now, I think he's saying, and yet, excel still more. And then you have the audience, the believers in Rome, and then you have the principle, and that is that we are not debtors to the flesh. We are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh.

So we are not debtors. You know, what is a debtor? A debtor is a person who owes something, who has an obligation. If you owe, if you have a debt, you have an obligation. And of course, there are many obligations that we have in life according to our Station in life fathers have obligations mothers have obligations children have obligations Workers for companies have obligations.

We all have obligations They these are actually The obligations that God puts upon us are actually good. They're good for us. Remember earlier in Romans, in Romans 1, 14, Paul said, I'm a debtor both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the unwise. In other words, he has a debt to pay. He needs to pay the debt.

And what he's saying is you have no more obligation to the flesh, you don't have to submit to the flesh. He is it's like he's saying in verse 12 stop paying It's time to quit. It's time to bow out. It's time to check out. It's time to hang it up It's kind it's time to reverse.

It's time to retreat It's time to stop paying the piper of the flesh. The flesh calls upon you and he's saying stop paying him. Stop giving him any part of your life. The flesh is always asking you to pay the piper. And the Apostle Paul is saying stop paying.

He says we are debtors not to the flesh. We owe, in other words we owe God something, not to the flesh to live according to the flesh We don't have to live according to the flesh Now we've already Encountered this idea the Apostle Paul. I think he's bringing forth Many of the things in that he's already communicated in chapter 6 in chapter 6 verse 22 He said now having been set free from sin, having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness and the end everlasting life. In other words, you've been set free, so live like it. In Romans 6 16 he says, Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves as slaves to obey, you are that one slave whom you obey?

And He's really talking about this progressive presenting of our bodies to the things of the spirit, not the things of the flesh. I think he's just saying, stop presenting your body to the flesh. Stop pouring devotion to the things of the flesh. Don't give it your time, don't give it your heart, don't give it your money, don't give it your friends, don't give it your family. Stop.

It's as if saying, flesh, I don't owe you anything. You're actually a bad actor in my life. Default. Don't pay is the whole idea. Don't be a friend of sin, don't make peace with sin.

Make the flesh your enemy. You know, If you knew that a particular enemy was going to attack your house, and you knew beforehand, you would probably get familiar with him, of what he does, his ways, his advantages, what opportunities. And you would try to cut off all of those advantages. You would try to eliminate his opportunities. John Owen says, what are its pleas, its pretenses, its reasonings?

What are its stratagems? What are its colors? What are its excuses? He says, trace this serpent in all its turnings and windings. Trace this serpent.

You know, when I read those words, I thought of over the years, I've read several accounts of people being killed by their pet python. And it happens so insidiously, these pythons are their pets, their beloved friends. And then they're not their friends. And they squeeze them down until they're dead. I read a story recently about a man who was killed by his pet python.

The article said he was communing with the snake. Well this is what this is what happens. You know, it was his friend. I think it was just talking about, you know, talking to his snake. And he was overcome.

But I think what the Apostle Paul is saying is stop communing with the flesh. It's time to stop. Stop payment. That's what he's talking about. And Colossians 3, 5 affirms this.

Therefore, put to death the members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry. And he lists all kinds of things, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man. This is the whole thing that he's talking about. And he's really making it clear that sin is your enemy.

We get very upset about what's going on with the government or with the LGBTQ2SIA plus movement. But that's not the problem. It's not the government. It's not the world economic forum. It's not globalization that's your big problem and my big problem.

It isn't the Democratic Party. The devil himself is waging war against our souls. That's the big problem that we have and it's just so easy to criticize everybody else but there's a bigger problem going on in our lives. James says friendship with the world makes you an enemy to God. Stop tolerating the flesh, stop making friends with the world.

And What the apostle Paul is saying here actually is very encouraging. That there's not a day in your life where you can't foil sin. There's not a day in your life where it must prevail in your life by the power of the Holy Spirit. So you have the principle you we are not debtors and then the danger you will die verse 13 as well for if you live according to the flesh you will die if you live you have this ongoing lifestyle But if by the spirit you put the death of deeds of the body you will live and again He's he's talking about the the believers in Rome If you you you Romans you Roman Christians you people who are in the church in Rome, you, that's who I'm talking to. And he says it's your sin, your own sin, it's not your president's sin, it's not your senator's sin, it's your sin you should be focused in on.

It's not your spouse's sin. It's not your parents' sin. He says you will die. I'm just gonna read how John MacArthur explains this part. The Apostle Paul is not warning genuine believers that they'll lose their salvation and be condemned to death if they fall back.

I think that's really important to say. He says he's rather saying that the person whose life is characterized by the things of the flesh is not a true Christian. He is spiritually dead no matter what his religious affiliations and activities might be. Now you know The mortification of sin is not possible for many people. But the apostles already explained that, or he will explain it in Romans 9.31, because they did not seek it by faith, but by the works of the law.

The ability to mortify sin is the result of salvation by grace alone, and the filling of the Holy Spirit. I think what he's saying is if you're fighting sin, you are alive to God. You're not dead. And then he speaks of the duty, the duty to put to death the deeds of the body. Put to death the deeds of the body.

I think it's interesting to note the violence that's implied in here, to put to death. We don't play patty cake with sin. We exercise violence against it. In other words, we do something to stop it. I mean Jesus himself said if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.

If your hand cut it off, it's figurative language, obviously. But he's speaking about the violence that we ought to engage in toward our sin. I mean, think about this. Where we wield the sword of the Spirit. It's a sword and it cuts and it cuts deep.

We put on the whole armor of God. Believers take heaven by force. It's an act of violence. They rise up and we conduct ourselves like soldiers. So there's a certain violence, if you're thinking of Some work of the flesh, some attack of the devil, some cyber security issue in your life, toward your mind, think that you need to do violence to it.

That's what I've been thinking all week. I've had to do some violence to a few things this week, but to be violent is to do something extreme. You think of how extreme the language Jesus uses when he talks about lust. It's better for you to cut your hand off and your eyes out than to go to hell with your whole body. And they are the deeds of the body.

He's talking about the corrupt nature. He's talking about the upwellings of our affections and desires arising out of the old man, out of this body of sin. And I think he's implying our affections, our routines, our various frailties, the things that get in our way in the day John Owen says mortification consists in a habitual weakening of sin. I like that. A habitual weakening of sin.

Continuing to weaken the dragon. Don't feed him. You know, When I encounter men who are capitulating to lust and pornography, I always tell them the same thing. Stop feeding the dragon. He exists with the smallest morsel of food.

You give him just a little bit, and he will expand and he will devour you. Just like these pythons that just slowly wrap themselves around. And then their owners are dead, unsuspectingly. Romans 13, 14 says, make no provision for the flesh. 1 Peter 2, 11 says that the flesh lusts and wages war against the soul.

And it darkens the mind, it damages convictions, it dethrones reason. That's why Paul said in Galatians 5 24, crucify the flesh with its lusts. Now there are many works of the flesh that we don't often think of. How about anxiety? Jesus Christ is forbidding anxiety among his people.

How about fear? The Lord Jesus Christ has forbidden fear in his family. He says it over and over again, do not fear. It's the most often repeated command in the Bible. The Lord Jesus Christ forbids anger and lust and pride.

And these are the things to put to death, self-righteousness, all the things that the flesh rises up in our hearts. And the Lord is saying, my grace is enough for you. And we should just ask what is it that inflames the works of the flesh? You know, the flesh never really did you any good. The flesh is the cause of so many of our troubles, so much of our discouragement comes from cultivating the things of the flesh, fears, you know, desires.

The flesh never really does anybody any good, but the Spirit does. Lloyd-Jones says the flesh brings us into misery. That's so true. And that's why John Owen says, do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work?

Be always at it while you live? Cease not a day from this work, be killing sin or it will be killing you. It's by the Spirit, by the way. How do you do this? You do it by the Spirit.

What in the world does that mean? Well, we use the means of grace that God has given us. Not our own inventions. You will not mortify the deeds of the flesh by doing your own thing. Not by asceticism, not by some method, not by some experience, not by counseling, not by letting go and letting God, not by these kinds of cliches.

There's a danger in not using God's ways to mortify the flesh. And there's so many ways, you know, the, the Roman church, is famous for inventing all kinds of ways. Penance, asceticism, pilgrimages. I don't know if you've known people who've, you know, gone to monasteries here locally so that they could, you know, get to another level by not talking for five days. These are just manufactured ways that people use.

Taking a vacation, having a mental health day, vows, the rough garments that you find Roman Catholics doing. But going to self-help gurus and podcasts and diet and exercise. Inventing all kinds of things that God hasn't told you how to do this because he has told you. You know I saw recently someone giving the sign of the cross and I read, I was reading about the sign of the cross because it really didn't really understand it Here's this website never leave your house without making the sign of the cross it will be to you a staff a weapon an impregnable fortress neither man nor demon will a tear dare to attack you seeing you have cut You are covered with such powerful armor I don't think so Okay, this is just a manufactured way of trying to get make yourself better. But you know we don't need any of those things.

It's the things of the Spirit that make us able. You know it's the ordinary means of grace. It's the reading of the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit, which converts the soul, which makes wise the simple, which rejoices the heart. It's singing. It's praying.

It's the fellowship of the saints. It's the Lord's Supper. You don't need all these other tricky things. You don't need to go listen to a podcast to get well. You need things from the Spirit of God.

And what people do is they're constantly seeking after the things that don't heal. You know, the prophet said, you know, you heal my people lightly. You know, this is why it's so critical to understand that scripture is sufficient for everything. And that's why Jesus said, in vain you worship me teaching for doctrines the traditions of men. We like to do all these traditions of men from, you know, oh, they're everywhere.

Just Google it and, you know, a hundred podcasts will come up to fix you. Praise the Lord for the ordinary means of grace. They are accessible. You don't even have to Google them. They're there, right before you.

And what he's saying is, Take your mind and everything about you and seek the things of the Spirit. And there's so much that the Bible says about this in both the Old and the New Testament. You know, in the New Testament we learn that the Spirit convicts of sin. We need that help. In the New Testament we learn that the Spirit guides.

We learn that the Spirit comforts. In Ezekiel 11, 19 the Spirit takes a heart of flesh turning it into a heart of stone enabling the heart to obey the Lord. In Isaiah 36, 26, the Spirit gives the ability to walk in God's ways. And it's very explicit to deliver you from uncleanness and to multiply your provisions in the world. Actually, physically, like, I mean, in terms of food and clothing and the things you need to live.

In Isaiah 4, 4, the Spirit creates a refuge and a covering from storms. It's not the sign of the cross. It's the Spirit of God and the things of the Spirit. You know, seek the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth. This is Colossians 3, 1.

Set your mind on the things of the Spirit, not on the things that are of the flesh. In Philippians 2, 13, we learn that it's the Spirit of God that works in you to Give you the will to do what's pleasing to God in Isaiah 26 12 the spirit Establishes a heart of peace in Romans 8 26 the Spirit helps us in our weakness. There's so many things that the Spirit does. Jesus said, he told his disciples in John 15, He said, I'm the vine and you are the branches. He said, without me you can do nothing.

In Romans 10, we'll get there, soon faith comes by hearing the Word of God. It's the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit, the things of the Spirit, the ordinary means of grace. These are the things that give us the ability by the power of the Holy Spirit to destroy the works of the flesh. We kill sin by the word of God. That's why Solomon said, how can, How can a young man, it's hard for a young man to keep his way pure.

How? How is a young man going to keep his way pure? By keeping it according to his word. That's how. These are just the ordinary means that God has put right in front of us every single day.

So there is something to do to put to death the deeds of the body and we do it by the spirit. Let me point us to the 1689 Baptist Confession, chapter 13, on sanctification. I'll quote, the word and the spirit are the ways we put to death the deeds of the body. The lusts of the flesh are weakened, even though fighting remaining sin persists our whole life in a continual, irreconcilable war. That's one thing we can't ever forget.

There is a continual, irreconcilable war that's taking place. It's this cyber warfare of the soul, where the inputs are multitude, and we have to be very careful what impulse we engage. But he's saying, do you mortify, John Owen? In other words, something has to die. Something has to die.

I'm here before God to ask every one of us, including myself, what needs to die? Is there something that needs to die? Please don't leave this without understanding whether something needs to die in your life. There's nothing that good that ever came from your flesh anyway, but what needs to die? What inputs need to die?

What affections need to die? The result here, the next, the result, you will live. John Owen, forgive me for quoting John Owen too many times, he said, what does it mean you shall live? He says, you shall lead a good, vigorous, comfortable spiritual life while you are here and obtain eternal life thereafter. This is such a remarkable almost, it seems like a contradiction, but Killing sin doesn't make you right with God.

But in killing sin, it's a sign that you are right with God. I don't know a Christian who feels like they've killed enough sin in their life. I don't know. I've never met... I've read about Christians who think that they're perfect.

But I don't recall actually knowing one. But every Christian I know believes they're not very good at killing sin because they're sensitive to sin. But if you want to kill sin, it proves that you are right with God. I wanna just spend the rest of the time in application here. And I wanna make some statements.

Every un-mortified sin makes you weaker. What are they? What is making you weaker? Every mortified sin enlarges the works of grace in your life. It unleashes good things into your soul.

It brightens your eyes, it enlightens you. It does, look at Psalm 19, there it is, that's what happens. I want to leave you with an illustration that I'm gonna elaborate on the next time I preach. Because all of this has so much to do with the mind. And my prayer is that God would really create a church whose mind is set on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.

We are so assaulted by the things of the world in this cyber world that we live in, and it's such a dangerous world on the one hand, that yet there are good things as well. And it can be difficult in the middle of the good things are bad things right in the middle of them. And so it's such a dangerous time. But at another time, I'm gonna walk through with some level of detail through Philippians 4.8. I'm just going to read it and then we'll elaborate on it at some later time.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, If there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things He's talking about your mind share what you set your mind upon meditate on these things Jevern McGee said when he's commenting on this passage, he said, we need a sanctuary. We need something to think about to clean up our minds. George Swinick says, those who serve the flesh as their God are miserable because their God is vile, weak, deceitful, and transitory. Now, we know in this passage that this is not a hopeless battle at all, because our spirits are crying out, Abba, Father, we are sons of God, We have been brought into a new family. The power of sin has been broken, but I don't expect that you'll ever be satisfied with your war against sin.

And you know, for maybe an unbeliever who thinks they're a believer, be diligent to make your calling and election sure. These are the ways that God has designed for us to think about our salvation. But I want us to be put on notice by this passage. Every un-mortified sin entangles your affections. Every un-mortified sin hinders your duty.

Every un-mortified sin compromises your relationships. Every un-mortified sin impacts your spouse. Every un-mortified sin affects your children. Every un-mortified sin affects the entire church. But every mortified sin makes you stronger, and every mortified sin sweetens your affections.

Every mortified sin mobilizes you for duty. It purifies your relationships. It makes you nicer to your spouse. It influences your children. It improves the church.

So we've entered into this age of the cyber attacks of the soul when no one is looking, there they are. I was really struck just on Friday. There was a major crash of computers and internet systems all over the world. There was a software glitch created by a CrowdStrike software update that was delivered by Microsoft and it caused disruptions all over the world. In fact, even, you should be praying for Mike Kennan, he's on a mission trip in Bolivia, five people from his team aren't there yet because of this strike against the computer systems all over the world but I mean planes were grounded airports were crippled and shut down hospitals went down stock exchanges banks credit card systems went down media from Europe to America to Australia and India, even Homeland Security.

It grounded you know thousands of flights, it took out 9-11 lines in Alaska and Ohio. And I read that in India they were writing out handwritten plane tickets because they couldn't bring their computer systems up. But there is warfare against the soul to deceive you. The algorithms are there to corrupt you, to destroy your soul, your marriage, your family, your business. They're there for that.

They will find you absolutely and they are finding you every day if you're on the internet. And we don't want to be deceived about the wiles of the devil in our day and how critical it is to put to death the deeds of the body in such a time as this. And the question is, is it time to quit? Is it time to say that entertainer is my enemy? Is it time to say that channel is my enemy?

That concert performer is my enemy? That entertainment is my enemy? That song, that type of song is my enemy is that podcast my enemy is The type of scrolling that I do my enemy is it my enemy, is it? The Lord gives us such a wonderful way out. Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever is of good report, If there's any virtue and if anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things.

So do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it while you live. Cease not a day from this work. Be killing sin or it will be killing you.

And this is how the believer puts to death the deeds of the body. Let's pray. Lord I pray that you would give me and all of us together insight into everything that we're doing. There's nothing Lord that you do not want to touch and heal and purify to sanctify. Oh Lord help us to put our hand at the wheel and put to death the deeds of the body.

Whatever it might be, however it might marginalize us from the rest of those around us, however whatever criticism we might get, whatever it is, Lord, I pray that you would give us in this church, according to the blessings of the Holy Spirit, that we would be a people who are mortifying the deeds of the body that we might live. Amen.