Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

And if the Holy Spirit is going to come and help us survive our doubts and our discouragements in the last hour or any other hour of temptation, it's going to be by the word.

Hearing is the first line of battle. And then plugging in to what we hear with the plug

faith. So how do we defeat sin by the spirit? In this episode of light and truth,

John Piper turns to Romans 8, 10 to 17 to reveal that the power to conquer sin

comes through hearing God's word with faith. This sermon was originally preached at Beville

Him Baptist Church on April 7, 2002. Let's pray.

Father, now we're going to look at your Holy Word,

which is like a sword, sharp, two-edged, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, bone, and marrow.

And I ask that you would make it a surgical, life-giving word and not a killing,

word of souls, but a killing of sin.

Grant that it would be met with faith and not unbelief and rebellion.

Grant to that end that there would be understanding of what your word says.

Help me to get it right and be faithful and balanced and have affections appropriate to its worth and beauty and seriousness.

And would you come Holy Spirit and brood, as it were, over this congregation and banish Satan and all his influences from this room and lift the blinding scales that he has put upon minds and deceptions and

discouragements that he has draped like wet, dark blankets over our hearts.

So grant us liberty and light and love and joy and faith.

Come, be our helper now, I pray, through Christ.

Amen.

Three weeks ago on this text, I promised a third message on how to kill sin.

Romans 8, verse 13, if you are living according to the flesh, you must die.

But if by the spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body you will live so i get the words

...