Becoming Better Theologians (part 34)

Father in heaven, we just thank you this morning For the blessings that are ours in Christ. Even as we look at it your beautiful creation this morning. We're Reminded that you give Good things both to wicked and to those that you've justified.

But to those who are in Christ, especially at this time of the year. Lord, we just praise you. Thank you from the bottom of our souls as it were just the delight that we have. Belonging to you being redeemed Father having the promise of eternal life.

Would you bless us this morning as we look to your word as we look to what you've said about yourself and about us. Lord, would you edify would you encourage and would you even excite us this morning?

In Christ's name we play pray. Amen. All right. Well, I have a question for you this morning. I'm taking a little detour. I'll probably get back to the notes maybe before we stop this morning, but. We've been doing a men's study over the last several weeks at our home where the men really we've been studying the word.

Right after the men get done eating eggs bacon cinnamon rolls. All kinds of things that my wife's been making. There has been a study going on though. I assure you but I was thinking about some of the things and we've been talking about the Imputation of the active obedience of Christ's righteousness to us.

I'm not going to talk about that this morning. But I am going to talk about. Some things that maybe hit a little closer to home that we can sort of identify with a little bit. I want to ask you a question.

The Nature of Blasphemy and Romans 7

How many of you in here would this morning describe yourselves as blasphemers? I'm gonna raise my hand. What is what is blasphemy mean? I'm sorry. Go ahead. To speak ill of someone. Well specifically though when we talk biblically it's to say what.

Okay. Feudal or useless or empty use of God's name. Yes. To take the Lord's name in vain. But generally speaking it has this specific. Generally speaking it has this specific. Specifically speaking it has this meaning to say something that is not true of God.

And once you're open your Bibles this morning to Romans Chapter 7 and I talked about this yesterday morning at the men's study for about a Minute and a half. We're gonna talk about it a little bit longer here today.

Because I promised my wife we would I wouldn't even tell her in the car last night and I'm gonna start reading in verse 15 Romans 7 verse 15. Tell me if in some way You don't identify with these words.

For I do not understand my own actions if I don't say that once a day, I don't. You know for I do not do what I want, but the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want I agree with the law that it is good.

So now it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out not the will.

For I do not do the good. I want but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. This is the Apostle Paul. Now if I do what I do not want it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells in me. So I find it to be a law that When I want to do right evil lies close at hand.

For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. But I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me Captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am.

And again. I think most of us if we're Christians can identify with that we just look at ourselves, and we say you know what I don't do the things that I want to Do. I do the things that I don't want to do.

I hate this. Then we might say to ourselves wretched man or a woman that I am. Paul wouldn't have written the latter and then his next thought is very interesting because what does he say of course he says this.

God will love me more as soon as I stop doing the things. I don't want to do. God will love me more as soon as I start doing the things that I want to do. As Soon as I start praying like I should. God will love me more as Soon as I start Witnessing like I should.

God will love me more as soon as I stop Yelling at my children. God will love me more as soon as I stop Fill in the blank. God will love me more. Is that what Paul says? Even though he's wrestling with sin.

Struggling with it. What does he say? He says wretched man that I am he acknowledges his sinfulness. And then he says who will deliver me from this body of death and then listen. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord our Lord.

So then I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin then. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And I want to just focus for a moment on that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

It is so important that very concept because that's the key. God doesn't love us because of our lovability or our lack of sin right and It's not because of our positive righteousness that God decides He's going to love us.

It is because we are in Christ. As we keep reading here He says for the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law weakened by the flesh could not do.

By sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. He condemned sin in the flesh. In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. Who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit?

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death.

But to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace for the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God. For a desert not submit to God's law indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

You however are not in the flesh. But in the Spirit if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin.

The Spirit is life because of righteousness and the truth is That because we are in Christ because Christ is in us. We are alive. We have been brought to spiritual life. I Want to focus a little bit about that concept of being in Christ turn to Ephesians Chapter 1 and I'm actually driving at a Christmas message this morning if you can believe that.

After one starting very familiar passage verse. Starting in verse 3, but I want you to listen. As I try to emphasize this a little bit and then I'm gonna keep emphasizing it as we look at a few different passages here.

Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places? Even as he chose us in him in whom in Christ.

Before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ According to the purpose of his will to the praise of his glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the beloved in Which beloved in Christ again in him in whom in Christ?

We have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses According to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight. Making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him in Christ.

Things in heaven and things on earth in him in Christ. We have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things According to the counsel of his will so that we who were the first to hope in Christ Might be to the praise of his glory in him in Christ.

You also when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and believed in him were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory.

Now moving on to Ephesians chapter 2 Starting in verse 11. Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh called the Uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision. In other words, you were called Gentiles by those who were Jews.

Which is made in the flesh by hands. Remember that you were at that time Separated from Christ apart from him alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise having no hope and without God in the world, but now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. By abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two.

So making peace and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross thereby killing the hostility. Again, this importance of being in Christ. Let's look at Galatians 3. I'm just gonna read two verses here Verses 13 and 14 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith and Again Colossians chapter 2 starting in verse 9 for in him Excuse me for in him in Christ the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily and you Have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority in him in Christ.

You were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. Having been buried with him in baptism in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God.

Who raised him from the dead and you were or and you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh? God made a live together with him having forgiven us all our trespasses. By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.

This he set aside nailing it to the cross again all the concept being that we are in Christ. So I I just said I just said a minute ago that this was going to be a Christmas message basically. Because I was thinking what is the reason for the season, you know people say the reason for the season is Jesus.

Well, I think that's right but I also think how many of you seen the picture of Pastor Mike in front of that church in Nebraska that he sent out, you know where he's hugging himself. Because you know today's message is loving yourself or whatever it was what anybody remember what the name of the message was.

It's something like, you know how to love yourself or whatever, you know, and so there's Mike going having a little fun. And I thought you know eventually an evangelicalism here's here's what you're gonna get.

They're gonna have a special Christmas program that they're gonna hand out when you come in the door and it's gonna say the reason for the season you're gonna open it up and guess what you're gonna see a Mirror because you are the reason God loves you so much.

You are the reason for the season. You're the star. We're not the star. We're never gonna be the star. Let's turn to John 17 the reason for the season indeed. And I'm going to start in verse 14 I've given them he's speaking of his disciples your word and The world has hated them because they are not of the world just as I'm not of the world.

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world just as I am not of the world sanctify them in truth. Your word is truth as you sent me into the world.

So I have sent them into the world and for their sake I consecrate myself that they might or that they may also be sanctified in truth. I Do not ask for these only but also for those who will believe in me through their word us.

That they may all be one just as you Father are in me and I and you that they may also be in us. So the world may believe that you have sent me the glory that you have given me I have given to them that they may be one even as we are one I and them and you and me.

That they made perfectly or that they may Become perfectly one so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. And I'm gonna stop reading right there because here's let me just read that last part again in case you didn't you weren't.

You know, maybe the caffeine hasn't caught up to you yet. So the world may know that you sent me and loved them. Even as you loved me the father loves who as much as he loves Jesus believers. So getting back to this whole idea of blasphemy.

God will love me more. The father will love me more when I stop. When I stop when I start when I start New Year's resolutions, there's your New Year. New Year's resolution. Resolution. I'm gonna get the father to love me more.

Jesus just said guess what? You can't do that. You can't cause God to love you more than he already does because he loves you as He loves his son. Because we are in him. Not because we're good not because we're getting better.

Not because we are doing more not because we're sinning less. But because we're in Christ. When he looks at us, he doesn't see all the things that we're doing or we're not doing he looks at us and he sees Christ.

If you are in Christ to think that the father can love you less or more. Then he loves his son. It's just wrong. It's blasphemy. So What does that mean? Then? You know, some people are gonna sit here.

Does that mean that I'm in Christ? Then I can do whatever I want. Of course, it doesn't mean that. Here's what it does mean. It doesn't mean that you can sin boldly. I mean, obviously that's not Paul's point in Romans 7.

He says who's going to deliver me from this body of flesh from this body of death. What does it enable you to do that you are in Christ Jesus, what can you do? What should you do as a result of that Stephen?

Okay, you can say no to sin and you can keep his commandments. You have that ability, right? But I mean in the midst of this wrestling with you know, the things I don't want to do I Do and the things I do I don't really want to do them, you know this kind of I sin.

I don't want to sin. I don't do the righteous things out of you, Pam. You don't have to constantly measure yourself and try to figure out you know, am I? Am I better? Am I a better person? You know it a Christian is supposed to do this.

Am I doing this, you know, and if I'm not then I better get with it. Of course, we want to put on Righteousness and put off sin, but that's not the measure with which we ought to think. Okay, I'm going to.

We want to please the father yes. But the the obedience my obedience does not change his affection for me. I mean, I think there are times where we get and I think a lot of people struggle with this when we talk about Depression and other things they look at their own lives.

I mean, I think there's an argument to be made not that Paul was depressed. But that he was really bugged that he couldn't stop sinning. He's like I know listen if we were to sit down with Paul. And we were to say why don't you talk to us about the imputed righteousness of Christ's obedience?

Now, of course he could perfectly do that. I don't know that he would have systematically put all those things together and use that language. So that's a little anachronistic, but he can carry on a great conversation with us about all those things.

But he still would look at us and say but I still sin more than I want. Right. The question is then What what would he say is my response to that my response to that is that I. And I have some other ideas anybody else have some ideas.

I mean, we don't want to just measure ourselves and just go you know as soon as I get to this level. Then I'll be a real Christian. I'll be satisfied. I'll do this. I'll do that Charlie. I mean I have to tell you that I think in the early days of my my walk with Christ I think I was some sort of you know closet Catholic because I I I Would just like you know I would look for the stigmata in my hands.

I just thought you know certainly that they're you know every sin. I committed. I was just like You know I I wanted to go under the mighty winepress and just get squashed. You know because I felt like I deserved that and I did.

But that's not the point the point is because we are loved because Christ. We are in Christ because Christ paid the penalty for our sin. We're not going to pay the penalty for our sin nevertheless we sinned what are we to do and I put repent boldly.

We had to just say to agree with God that our sin is sin and to say I Don't want to do that. Just like Paul did you know I struggle with it. I wrestle with it. I don't want to sin, but I still sin and you know by the grace of God I want to put that off, but I'm going to agree with God that what I do and how I think.

Does it measure up to a standard? But then I'm also going to do what like Pam said I'm going to rejoice because it's not the measure of my salvation the mass the measure of my Heavenly reward the promises the riches that lie in store for me according to first Peter chapter 1 are not.

We don't see Peter saying thanks be to God that because we are faithful. We have many riches awaiting for us in heaven. It's God who caused us to be born again. It's God who preserves us, and it's God who promises the riches of heaven to us not on the basis of our performance, but on the basis of Christ performance and We can really get into kind of a works righteousness mentality where we're on the treadmill to heaven not the stairway the treadmill.

The did to do to do to do and that's just not right. We can have all this great theology and all this thinking and then still find ourselves wrestling with the idea that I have to Do blank. Well, I don't have to.

I want to. I get to. I am blessed with the opportunity. So I say repent boldly be thankful for the opportunity to repent. Be mindful even as you walk among a world of people who will not repent who don't want to repent and just think I Can't believe even that God would give me the awareness of my sin and the desire to repent.

Any other thoughts about things that it ought to cause us to do Peggy? Let me know Richard I don't know if you're done. But this is this is exactly the point about repenting boldly because I think our problem is to become so fixated on what we've done to just allow ourselves to just kind of wallow in it and it just sink and and and we become so introspective, and I think that really is kind of the I'll just call it, you know, kind of Christian depression.

We become so Depressed by the fact that we are still sinners. I Can't believe what I did. And so that our life is just like this. It's just a flatline. For however long it takes us to go. Wait a minute.

No matter what I did no matter how bad it was no matter what I thought I should have done. You know what a coulda shoulda Christ paid for that 2 ,000 years ago now, you know again people are gonna say well then that just means I go.

I sin. What's that? Read James it's it's not a matter of huh, I sin it's a matter of. But then it's like but that's forgiven and I'm just gonna press on. I'm just gonna focus on the cross. I'm not gonna focus on my sin because if I focus on my sin that I am absolutely getting nowhere in terms of doing what I ought to be doing which is reflecting the joy and The the truth of my position in Christ that I might win others.

Pam. Yeah, a great point. Here's a good question is Christ more glorified and honored when we repent of our sin and Then focus back on the cross or is he more glorified and honored when we say well, you know for the next two weeks I'm just gonna beat myself mercilessly about the head and shoulders.

I'm gonna lay in bed pull the sheets over my head and just can't believe what a sinner I am. If we believe that Jesus really paid it all then we need to live in light of that Jesus paid it all but I'm gonna help Charlie well again, it's almost like it is kind of a Roman Catholic idea.

Yes. I'm forgiven, but I'm going to. You know, I'm gonna punish myself. I don't have to go to the Catholic priest anymore, but I'm gonna punish myself, you know right. Right, we're covered in Christ's righteousness.

That's absolutely right. And I thought you know, what are some of the other aspects of being in Christ? Well, frankly, what do we do? We we pray boldly. We pray boldly what is The writer say here of I think it's Hebrews where he says that we approach the throne of grace tepidly.

With great reserve because we don't really deserve to approach the throne of grace. So we kind of scoot around we approach boldly. So we pray boldly. We know that we have an advocate we know that we have a father who loves us.

Again, not because of what we're doing I mean if if our well even think of your own kids if the measure of your love for your own kids if you have kids was Their Performance. You know, you have five kids and I could say this because I don't have five kids.

But you have five kids and you go, you know, it's great to have you all here this evening for dinner. I just want you to tell you each one how much I love you. No, I'll just use made up names. Adam. You know, you're really good.

I really love you. But Bob you're the best he is the most obedient, you know. Cindy, oh, sorry Cindy. You know, I I mean what do we do that, you know, this is the one who never gave me any trouble that that uh.

That uh, you know or you are just you know. We wouldn't we would not do that and that's just us humanly speaking and yet, you know. Somehow we think that we can appeal to God. That we can make ourselves More loved by him and it's just it's craziness, but we can pray boldly.

Knowing that we are in Christ. It's not like it's just Steve on his own going before the throne and saying, you know Gotta you're not obligated at all to listen to me. But we go boldly because we go in Christ.

We pray in Christ and this kind of jumps off something both Peggy and Pam said that we can praise boldly. If you think about this in the morning if you think about this in the evening if you just say to yourself this in spite of what I do and In spite of what I failed to do.

God will not and cannot love me less than he does. Because I'm in Christ. Not because I am the reason for the season not because I am great but because Christ is great and because I'm in Christ. That is really that is a complete change of Mentality.

How we ought to be thinking and just thinking. I mean think of the riches that you are yours in Christ. You just go off. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Now it's interesting just as a sidelight, you know, we used to sing that in grade school.

Nobody knows the trouble. I've seen I don't think you could sing that anymore because it you know was sung by black Christians back in the slavery days, but Can't sing that I'm sure. But I mean what would our lives be like if we just walked around thinking I am in Christ.

I belong to Christ. I am forgiven because of Christ. God the Father loves me perfectly just as he loves his son Jesus Christ. Could change your outlook another one. I came up with pretty basic Witness boldly if you are Forgiven and you live in light of that forgiveness and you think in light of that forgiveness.

How easy is it then to say to someone for example? Like MacArthur does you know my job is I? Have the best job in the world. I get to tell people of how they could be forgiven for all their sins for all time.

Well, how do you know that because he forgave me and I can't believe it. I wouldn't forgive me. This is it really is Transforming to think about the truth that is true about you because you are in Christ.

We don't live that way we don't think that way. If we did we would be different people. I Think I had a seminary professor Wrote a book on prayer. It's a four volume prayer series. Jim Roscoe. And I used to go into dr. Roscoe's office because he was my academic advisor and He would pray even in class or whenever I was with him.

He would pray and I just thought this man walks and Talks with Christ all the time. How did I know that he didn't have a glow? He was humble. I mean, you know just give you an idea. Dr. Roscoe Would write book reviews.

He still does write book reviews and they would always be like something like this. He could be reviewing a book by Let's take a just a terrible author. He could be reviewing. Good morning. Holy Spirit by Benny Hinn.

And he would say something like this. He would go, you know. It is refreshing to see books published about the Holy Spirit. I About the subject and I have to say the typesetting of this book was absolutely beautiful and then he would say something like, you know sadly.

You know, he he makes some errors in the book and then he would say for example, he says, you know The Holy Spirit can be wielded like the force in Star Wars. You know the Bible on the other hand would say this, you know kind of thing and it's so kind of serene and ironic.

And you just go how can he do that? He's got a complete piece of trash book and he's just you know He opens up saying some nice things about it and then in a very nice way He dissects it and by the time you're done He didn't say one mean or nasty thing and by the time you're done.

You're just like boy that book was lousy and He just you know Piecemeal took it apart or you know, if he's writing about a good thing He would say here are the good things about it and you know, here are some cautions.

But it was always but when he prayed I would just be like it was just like the Lord himself just came into the room. Because there was such a joy and such a peace about him and you just go how do you do that?

You know his wife who has since passed on was always sick and in poor health and he would ask for prayer for her, but Just never never complaining because he took he was her primary Caregiver and you just go how can somebody do that?

How can somebody live like that? How can somebody think like that? It's because they are so Christ focused That they live and they speak and they think and everything is filtered through that grid of I'm in Christ.

The father loves me. I am content with that love. I want nothing more and I'm going to live everything every moment in light of his perfect love for me and That changes the way we think and the way we talk and the way we act and what we want out of life.

Transforms everything and that's the reason for the season not because You know, we're so lovable. Other thoughts about this or being in Christ. Peggy well, I'm gonna add that. In fact, I just did Sat it right here to my notes serve boldly.

You know, what's a what's a response to that you just think okay I have been given so much I have been forgiven so much I Have so much That I need to find a way to reflect the love of God in Christ to others within the body of Christ.

I Need to find ways even to serve outside the body of Christ. I need to find ways to Just let people know not that how cool I am. But what a great God I serve. What a great God who would save me. I think all the time, you know when I read Paul and when he says that he is the Foremost the chief or as I called him when I preached through at the poster child of sinners, you know I mean he just like that's me.

I can't even believe that God would save me. Romans 7 again, I think it's the same thing Paul says I can't believe God would save me. And I think that's if we have that mindset we become like Paul in this sense.

We just think okay in Light of everything that I've been forgiven in light of what lies before me. How do I then? Live, how do I serve? How do I kind of integrate myself into the body of Christ? And something else in mind but other thoughts.

Yeah, Joni brings up a great point. I mean when we're in the world sometimes I think our idea is kind of like Life is and there's some truth to this, but I think it has to be kind of a balance life is Ephesians 6 I have to put my armor on which is true.

But the other side of the coin is God has already won the battle and I act like it's all on me. You know and you know to I think even in the workplace having obviously I don't have workplace struggles these days I don't have to worry about my what my co-workers are gonna say or do or anything else, but you know what?

There really is no. And I'm sure many of you have experienced. There is no more hostile work environment than to be in a place where Certain things are just commonplace and then to one day just stop. I mean it'd be something like Saul continuing to go and you know meet with the Pharisees or continue to go into Pharisee school or whatever they did.

You know if he were to continue to do that people go. What are you doing here? And it's kind of that same sort of thing when you get saved and you're in that same environment all of a sudden people are Going well wait a minute.

How come you're not the same cool funny. You know or angry person that you used to be. How come you don't join in all our reindeer games? What's wrong with you? You knew I was gonna get Rudolph in there didn't you?

Yeah, I think that's right. Yep May. Yeah, and that's a good point Amelia brings up. Let's uh, let's just go to Romans 6 and we can kind of close there. Paul writes the beginning in verse 1. What shall we say then are we to continue in grace or Continue in sin.

Sorry that grace may abound by no means. You know, that's the argument always with. People say well, you know once saved always saved or aren't you just gonna sin or if God's really sovereign and you know.

You're not responsible. Well, you are responsible. So you can't just sin that grace may abound. By no means how can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us? Who have been baptized into Christ Jesus again the idea of being in Christ Jesus were baptized into his death.

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death in order that Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father We too might walk in the newness of life. In fact, you know if we were to look at 1st Corinthians 15, we would see that we are Resurrected in the same manner that he is but he was the firstborn or the first of many to be resurrected.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his We shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing.

So that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. And that's the key. We have the power now In Christ to not sin. Does that mean that we won't sin? No, it means that when we do sin We will recognize it and the key again.

What I want to bring up this morning is that we just don't. I Think it's easy to get to allow ourselves to be defeated by sin in this sense to not see sin as paid for. To not see sin as as In our rearview mirror as it were and to look forward, you know.

But to just kind of wallow in the fact that we sinned and not be able to get over it. And again, I don't think that means that we should take sin lightly. I think all the more that we should be trying to put off sin.