We cannot possibly serve God in His Kingdom while there is sin and rebellion in us. This is ridiculous!

We have always thought that when we die sin will be removed from us; or when the Lord returns He will remove sin from us. Neither of these ideas has any basis whatever in the Scriptures.

When we die sin will not be removed from us. Sin is a spiritual force and began and exists in the spirit realm. Why should dying remove sin from us?

When the Lord accosted His lazy servant who buried His talent, the Lord did not say, "I forgive you for wasting My money and I know you will not do this any longer after you die." The Lord removed the talent from the lazy servant and had him thrown into the outer darkness.

On what basis, then, do we claim dying will solve the problem of sin in our life?

And as far as the Lord removing sin from us when He returns, we know that the careless virgins who neglected to bring enough oil were shut off from the Lord's Presence.

On what basis, then, do we claim the coming of the Lord will solve the problem of sin?

We are greatly mistaken in this.

The only manner in which sin can be removed from the creation is by the power of Jesus Christ. The Scripture reveals that in the last days the Lord will come and bring salvation to us, "salvation" meaning the removal of sin and, at His appearing, the redemption of our body. I think the removal of sin is beginning now.

Today the Lord Jesus is standing at the door of each Christian heart. He is asking for admittance. When He enters He dines on our praise and worship and we dine on His body and blood.

It is the Lord of Hosts who has entered, the Lord strong and mighty in battle. He enters through the everlasting doors of our personality and drives out the enemy.

Go to the Lord right now and see if this is what He is saying to you. When He shows you some sin in your life, confess it as sin, denounce it, renounce it, turn away from it. The Holy Spirit will help you.

If you will take a firm, hostile attitude toward the sin in your personality you shall be delivered. But if you hesitate and dawdle, musing about how much the Lord loves you, you will get nowhere. Sin is a vicious enemy in your life. The Lord is ready to go to war against it. Are you?

After Pentecost comes the spiritual fulfillment of the Blowing of Trumpets—war against sin. This is in preparation for the Lord's coming to us with the Father to make His eternal home in us.

Sin is to be utterly removed from the creation. There is to be no sin of any kind remaining. Total destruction! Total destruction of sin! This is beginning today.

To be continued.