YOU CANT TEMPT A DEAD MAN

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Gratitude, Quiet Moments, and the Flow of Revelation
2. Moses, the Tabernacle, and the Generosity of God’s People
3. No Notes Needed: Speaking from the Heart
4. The Grave Illustration: “How Can I Tempt a Dead Man?”
5. Reading Romans 6:1–7 and the Reality of Dying With Christ
6. United With Christ: Understanding Our Spiritual Identity
7. What the Romans Did Not Know — And Why It Matters
8. The Structure of Romans and Paul’s Unified Message
9. The Past Condition of Jew and Gentile and the Meaning of “All Have Sinned”
10. Why Christians Still Struggle: The Power of Wrong Teaching
11. Freedom From Sin: Knowing You Died With Christ
12. The Old Nature Is Gone — Stop Digging Up the Grave
13. Slaves to Righteousness, Not Sin
14. Final Encouragement from Pastor Lori
15. Closing Invitation to Hear More

Introduction: Gratitude, Quiet Moments, and the Flow of Revelation

Pastor Lenny opens by greeting everyone warmly, joined by Pastor Lori. They share how much they love bringing the truths of God’s Word to viewers. These truths have blessed them deeply, and they hope they will bless everyone who listens. Pastor Lenny explains that many of the revelations he receives come during the quiet hours of the night. When everything is still and silent, the Holy Spirit speaks to him, showing him scriptures, connecting passages, and building understanding of the gospel of grace, the finished work of Jesus, and the Father’s love.

He emphasizes how meaningful these quiet moments are to him. Pastor Lori receives from God often at night, while he receives early in the morning, but both treasure the times when everything is silent and the Holy Spirit teaches them. They thank listeners for their prayers, cards, letters, financial gifts, and support for the ministry. Their desire is for this message of grace to reach as many people as possible. They express deep gratitude for everyone who partners with them and helps spread the good news.

Moses, the Tabernacle, and the Generosity of God’s People

Pastor Lenny shares a thought from his recent reading in the books of Moses. When God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle, the people brought offerings of gold, silver, and materials. They gave so generously that Moses eventually had to tell them to stop because they had given more than enough. Although he and Pastor Lori have not reached the point of needing to ask people to stop giving, he expresses sincere appreciation for every gift that helps the message of grace continue to grow and expand into new avenues.

 Pastor Lori adds a brief but meaningful statement: “Thank you for being God’s hand extended.”

No Notes Needed: Speaking from the Heart

Pastor Lenny explains that today’s teaching will not come from notes. Instead, he will speak directly from what the Holy Spirit has been showing him. Pastor Lori, he notes, is skilled at flowing with him and responding when needed, even when he asks questions unexpectedly. He promises not to put her on the spot with anything too difficult.
He mentions several thoughts that have been on his heart, and one in particular rises to the surface — a memory from his youth that still impacts him today.

The Grave Illustration: “How Can I Tempt a Dead Man?

Pastor Lenny recalls a conference he attended when he was around 20 or 21 years old. He was a youth minister and received a workbook at the event. Inside that workbook was a picture that stayed with him for decades. The picture showed a grave site: a mound of dirt where someone had been buried, flowers planted on top, and a tombstone with squiggly lines representing a name.

 Next to the grave stood a cartoon depiction of the devil — red, with horns, a tail, and a pitchfork — scratching his head. Above him was a thought bubble with the words: “How can I tempt a dead man?”

 This simple illustration struck him deeply and never left his memory. The question revealed a profound truth: if someone is truly dead to sin, temptation loses its power. The enemy cannot tempt someone who understands they died with Christ. This leads directly into the scripture he and Pastor Lori read next.

Reading Romans 6:1–7 and the Reality of Dying With Christ

Pastor Lori begins reading from Romans chapter 6, starting in verse 1. Every verse she reads is grounded in the reality that believers have died to sin and been raised with Christ. Although she read the passage from a modern translation in the video, the scriptural truth corresponds to the KJV text: As she reads each verse, Pastor Lenny pauses her to repeat key lines slowly, emphasizing phrases like “Know ye not” from Romans 6:3 and “Knowing this” from Romans 6:6.

 He highlights how strongly Paul uses the language of knowing — because the believers Paul wrote to did *not* know these truths yet. Paul had to tell them plainly that they were dead to sin, united with Christ, and free from the dominion of sin.

United With Christ: Understanding Our Spiritual Identity

Pastor Lenny emphasizes that Paul is writing spiritual truths — truths about who we really are. We are spiritual beings who have souls and live in physical bodies. Our true identity is spiritual, and spiritually, we were united with Christ in His death and resurrection.
He reinforces the KJV wording again:

Romans 6:3- “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” Because we were united with Christ when He died, we died to sin. Because we were united with Him when He rose, we were raised to newness of life.
He repeats the reality: this is not future — this is right now.

What the Romans Did Not Know — And Why It Matters

Paul’s repeated phrases  “Know ye not”** and “Knowing this” — reveal that the Roman Christians did not yet know these foundational truths. No one had taught them that:

They were one with Christ.
They were united with Him in death.
They were dead to sin.
They were raised with Him.
They were righteous, holy, sanctified, perfect, and complete in Him.
Because they did not know these truths, they could not walk in them.

 Pastor Lenny connects this directly to today’s church — many believers still do not know these truths because they have never been taught them correctly.

The Structure of Romans and Paul’s Unified Message

Pastor Lenny explains Paul’s writing style: a Jewish chiastic structure where Paul builds an argument point by point — A, B, C, culminating in D — then revisits the points in reverse: C, B, A.
He explains that the entire book of Romans is built around the gospel of righteousness.

 Paul begins in Romans 1, declaring that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and that in it the righteousness of God is revealed to all who believe. From there, Paul moves into addressing the division between Jews and Gentiles. Jewish believers had often felt superior because they had the law, while Gentiles were seen as outsiders. Paul shows both groups that neither is superior.
This is where he references the famous verses:

 Romans 3:10 — “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.”

 Romans 3:23 — “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

 Paul’s point is not that Christians are still sinners — but that Jews *and* Gentiles alike were all in the same sinful condition before Christ saved them. None were righteous on their own; all needed Jesus. But after salvation, everything changed.

The Past Condition of Jew and Gentile and the Meaning of “All Have Sinned

Pastor Lenny emphasizes an important detail that is often overlooked in preaching. When Paul writes Romans 3:23- “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” he uses the word ‘have', which indicates a ‘past condition', not a present one. Pastor Lenny illustrates this by asking Pastor Lori:

 “Have you been to Walmart?
“Yes.
“Are you there right now?”
“No.”

 In the same way, all have sinned — past tense — but that does not mean believers are still in that condition today. Paul is explaining the state both Jews and Gentiles were in before Christ redeemed them. Once they were saved, they were rescued from that condition. They were declared righteous together. They were justified together. And, as Paul says clearly in the KJV:

Romans 8:30 — “Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

Pastor Lenny emphasizes: “They were now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. They were now the glorified.”

 This is the culmination of Paul’s argument in Romans 1–8.

Why Christians Still Struggle: The Power of Wrong Teaching

Pastor Lenny turns to an important point: if believers do not know who they are in Christ, they cannot walk in that identity. Many Christians today still live under the belief that they are “just sinners saved by grace.” For over 30 years, Pastor Lenny was taught that he was a sinner, and because of that, when he encountered sin, he expected himself to sin — because that’s “what sinners do.”

This teaching empowers sin rather than breaks it. But Paul teaches something radically different:

 Romans 6:6 – “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” The old man — the old nature — was crucified. It is gone.
And if the old man is gone, then the believer is no longer a sinner by nature.

 Paul continues his argument:
Romans 6:14– “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Grace breaks sin’s dominion — not law, not effort, not fear, not guilt. Grace alone. But this freedom only manifests when a believer knows the truth.

Freedom From Sin: Knowing You Died With Christ

Pastor Lenny returns to the key theme of the entire message — knowledge.

 Paul asks: Romans 6:3- “Know ye not…?”

 Then again: Romans 6:6 — “Knowing this…”
Why these phrases? Because the believers did not yet know the truth of their union with Christ. And if someone does not know they died with Christ, then they do not know they are free from sin.

 Pastor Lenny says plainly: “Sin is a non-factor. A non-issue for those who know that they are united with Jesus Christ and that  they’ve died to sin.”
He reminds listeners that:

Romans 6:7- “For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Not “will be freed.” Not “might be freed.” Not “could be freed someday.
But ‘is' — right now — freed from sin.

The Old Nature Is Gone — Stop Digging Up the Grave

Pastor Lenny reinforces that the old nature — the nature that made us sinners — was crucified with Christ, buried with Him, and gone forever. The problem today is not that the old nature still exists. The problem is that wrong teaching makes believers “dig up the grave” in their minds.

 He says, “Much of what man teaches causes you to dig up the grave and continue living in the mindset of the old nature.”

But the old nature is dead. The body of sin is destroyed. The believer is now righteous, holy, and complete in Christ.
This is why the illustration from his youth is so powerful. The devil stands at the grave of a dead man, wondering: “How can I tempt a dead man?”

 If a believer knows they are dead to sin, temptation loses power. The enemy can only attack through ignorance.|
Pastor Lori adds:
“Aren’t you glad we know the truth? You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Slaves to Righteousness, Not Sin

Pastor Lenny then moves deeper into Paul’s teaching. Previously, believers were slaves to sin because sin was their master and owner. Whatever sin commanded, they followed. But now, Paul says believers are slaves to righteousness. Pastor Lenny explains that a slave is controlled, governed, instructed, and ordered by their owner. But now:
Righteousness owns us.
Righteousness governs us.
Righteousness directs us.
This is why Paul writes (in summary) that believers are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness — because righteousness rules them from within. Pastor Lenny emphasizes again that this only manifests
"If you know who you are. He repeats several transformative truths:

You are righteous.
You are holy.
You are sanctified.
You are perfect.
You are complete.
You are united with Christ.
You are one with Him.
And because of that union, grace now rules the believer’s life — not sin.

Final Encouragement from Pastor Lori

Pastor Lori steps in with a powerful, simple encouragement: “The revelation is awesome. Keep listening. Keep listening. Keep listening.” She explains that as revelation takes root inside a believer, they begin to see themselves the way God sees them. She says:

 “You’ll look in the mirror and say, ‘I am holy. I am God’s beloved.’ He loves you so much. You’re holy. You’re righteous just like Him. Blameless.” She encourages believers to:
“See it, say it, believe it.”

Closing Invitation to Hear More

Pastor Lenny closes by encouraging listeners to make sure they hear the message he preached on Sunday, containing more truths about holiness and righteousness that reinforce everything taught in this session.
He emphasizes that hearing the truth keeps the old mindset — the old nature — dead and buried forever. They both express their love for the listeners and say they will see them again in a few days.

We hope this article has blessed you. Pastor Leonard and Pastor Lori’s message reveals the freedom and identity believers already possess in Christ. If this teaching opened your understanding or encouraged your heart, share it with someone who needs to know the truth of their righteousness and union with Jesus. May the revelation of grace continue to make you free.