Becoming Better Theologians (part 34)

Bethlehem Bible Church

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December 11, 2011

Becoming A Better Theologian (part 35)

00:01: 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.
00:11: We're reminded that you give Good things both to wicked and to those that you've justified
00:19: 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
00:31: Belonging to you being redeemed Father having the promise of eternal life
00:36: 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
00:42: Lord, would you edify would you encourage and would you even excite us this morning? In Christ's name we play pray.
00:49: 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
01:05: Right after the men get done eating eggs bacon cinnamon rolls All kinds of things that my wife's been making
01:13: 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
01:20: Imputation of the active obedience of Christ's righteousness to us I'm not going to talk about that this morning
01:27: 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
01:35: I want to ask you a question How many of you in here would this morning describe yourselves as blasphemers?
01:45: I'm gonna raise my hand What is what does blasphemy mean? I'm sorry.
01:58: Go ahead To speak ill of someone well specifically though when we talk biblically, it's to say what?
02:09: Okay Feudal or useless or empty use of God's name. Yes To take the
02:16: Lord's name in vain But generally speaking it has this specific
02:22: Generally speaking it has this specific Specifically speaking it has this meaning to say something that is not true of God I want you to open your
02:38: Bibles this morning to Romans chapter 7 and I talked about this yesterday morning at the men's study for about a
02:48: Minute and a half. We're gonna talk about it a little bit longer here today Because I promised my wife we would
02:55: I wouldn't even tell her in the car last night and I'm gonna start reading in verse 15
03:12: Romans 7 verse 15 Tell me if in some way
03:21: You don't identify with these words For I do not understand my own actions if I don't say that once a day
03:31: I don't You know for I do not do what
03:37: I want, but the very thing I hate Now if I do what I do not want
03:42: 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
03:51: 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
04:02: 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
04:07: Apostle Paul Now if I do what I do not want it is no longer
04:14: I who do it but sin that dwells in me So I find it to be a law that What I want to do right evil lies close at hand
04:23: 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
04:32: Captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members Wretched man that I am and again.
04:41: I think most of us if we're Christians can identify with that we just look at ourselves, and we say you know what
04:48: 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
04:55: Then we might say to ourselves wretched man or 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
05:09: 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
05:23: Like I should God will love me more as soon as I start Witnessing like I should
05:30: God will love me more as soon as I stop Yelling at my children.
05:35: God will love me more as soon as I stop fill in the blank.
05:42: God will love me more Is that what Paul says? Even though he's wrestling with sin
05:48: Struggling with it. What does he say? He says wretched man that I am he acknowledges his sinfulness
05:55: And then he says who will deliver me from this body of death and then listen
06:03: Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord our Lord So then
06:08: I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh. I serve the law of sin then
06:14: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus And I want to just focus for a moment on that.
06:24: There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus It is so important that very concept because that's the key
06:35: God doesn't love us because of our lovability or our lack of sin right
06:44: 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
06:59: He says for the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death
07:07: 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.
07:16: He condemned sin in the flesh In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us
07:24: 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
07:32: 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
07:39: 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 it does not submit to God's law.
07:48: Indeed. It cannot those who are in the flesh cannot please God You however are not in the flesh
07:57: But in the Spirit if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you Anyone who does not have the
08:03: Spirit of Christ does not belong to him But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin the
08:10: Spirit is life because of righteousness and the truth is
08:17: That because we are in Christ because Christ is in us.
08:22: 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
08:43: Christmas message this morning if you can believe that After one starting very familiar passage verse
08:52: Starting in verse 3, but I want you to listen As I try to emphasize this a little bit and then
08:57: I'm gonna keep emphasizing it as we look at a few different passages here Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3
09:06: 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?
09:15: 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
09:25: 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 and whom in Christ?
09:41: We have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace
09:46: 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
10:13: 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
10:28: Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory
10:37: Now moving on to Ephesians chapter 2 Starting in verse 11 Therefore remember that at one time you
10:46: Gentiles in the flesh called the Uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision in other words you were called
10:51: Gentiles by those who were Jews Which is made in the flesh by hands remember that you were at that time
10:57: 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
11:34: So making peace and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross
11:40: Thereby killing the hostility again this importance of being in Christ. Let's look at Galatians 3
11:46: I'm just gonna read two verses here
12:02: Verses 13 and 14 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written
12:09: Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the
12:17: Gentiles so that we might receive the promised spirit through faith and Again Colossians chapter 2 starting in verse 9 for in him
12:45: Excuse me for in him in Christ the whole Fullness of deity dwells bodily and you
12:51: 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?
13:21: God made alive together with him having forgiven us all our trespasses
13:26: By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands
13:31: This he set aside nailing it to the cross again all the concept being that we are in Christ So I I just said
13:41: I just said a minute ago that this was gonna 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
13:51: 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
14:07: Because you know today's message is loving yourself or whatever it was what anybody remember what the name of the message was
14:13: It's something like, you know how to love yourself or whatever, you know, and so there's Mike going having a little fun
14:22: 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
14:33: 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.
14:40: You're the star We're not the star We're never gonna be the star
14:47: Let's turn to John 17 the reason for the season indeed, and I'm going to start
15:19: In verse 14 I've given them he's speaking of his disciples
15:28: Your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world just as I'm not of the world
15:33: I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one
15:39: 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
15:46: 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
15:54: I Do not ask for these only but also for those who will believe in me through their word us
16:03: That they may all be one just as you Father are in me and I and you that they may also be in us
16:12: 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
16:20: 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
16:32: 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
16:44: You know, maybe the caffeine hasn't caught up to you yet. So the world may know that you sent me and loved them
16:53: Even as you loved me the father loves who as much as he loves Jesus believers
17:05: So getting back to this whole idea of blasphemy God will love me more.
17:11: The father will love me more when I stop When I stop when I start when
17:16: 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
17:26: Jesus just said guess what? You can't do that You can't cause
17:33: God to love you more than he already does because he loves you as He loves his son
17:40: 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
17:52: 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
18:01: Christ If you are in Christ to think that the father can love you less
18:12: Or more than he loves his son is just wrong. It's blasphemy.
18:20: So What does that mean then? You know, some people are gonna sit here Does that mean then I'm in Christ then
18:26: 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.
18:33: I mean, obviously that's not Paul's point in Romans 7 He says who is going to deliver me from this body of flesh from this body of death
18:42: 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?
18:53: 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
19:02: I don't want to do I Do and the things I do
19:07: I don't really want to do them, you know this kind of I sin
19:13: I don't want to sin. I don't do the righteous things. I ought to do Pam You don't have to constantly measure yourself and try to figure out you know, am
19:35: I? Am I better? Am I a better person? You know it a
19:40: Christian is supposed to do this. Am I doing this? You know and if I'm not then I better get with it.
19:45: Of course, we want to put on Righteousness and put off sin, but that's not the measure with which we ought to think
19:54: 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
20:07: 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
20:15: 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
20:23: 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?
20:34: 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
20:41: 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
20:51: Right The question is then What what would he say is my response to that my response to that?
20:59: 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
21:09: Then I'll be a real Christian. I'll be satisfied. I'll do this. I'll do that Charlie I mean
21:40: I have to tell you that I think in the early days of my my walk with Christ I think
21:45: I was some sort of you know closet Catholic because I I I would just like you know
21:50: I would look for the stigmata in my hands. I just thought you know certainly that there You know every sin
21:55: I committed. I was just like You know I I wanted to go under the mighty winepress and just get squashed
22:03: 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
22:15: We're not going to pay the penalty for our sin nevertheless. We sinned what ought we to do and I put repent boldly
22:24: We had to just say to agree with God that our sin is sin and to say
22:30: I Don't want to do that. Just like Paul did you know I struggle with it.
22:35: 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
22:44: I do and how I think Doesn't measure up to a standard But then
22:49: 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
23:00: Heavenly reward the promises the riches that lie in store for me according to first Peter chapter 1 are not
23:06: We don't see Peter saying thanks be to God that because we are faithful. We have many riches awaiting for us in heaven
23:15: 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
23:35: 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,
23:50: 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
24:01: Be mindful even as you walk among a world of people who will not repent who don't want to repent and just think
24:06: I Can't believe even that God would give me the awareness of my sin and the desire to repent
24:15: Any other thoughts about things that it ought to cause us to do Peggy? Let me know
24:54: 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
25:13: I'll just call it, you know kind of Christian depression. We become so Depressed by the fact that we are still sinners.
25:22: 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.
25:29: Wait a minute No matter what I did no matter how bad it was no matter what I thought I should have done
25:34: You know what a coulda shoulda Christ paid for that 2 ,000 years ago now, you know again people are gonna say well
25:42: Then that just means like you know, I sin. What's that?
25:48: 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.
26:01: 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
26:08: I ought to be doing which is reflecting the joy and The the truth of my position in Christ that I might win others
26:19: Pam yeah a great point.
26:31: 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
26:46: 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
26:53: 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 well again.
27:18: It's almost like it is kind of a Roman Catholic idea Yes, I'm forgiven, but I'm going to you know
27:24: 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?
27:34: 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?
27:43: Well, frankly, what do we do? We we pray boldly We pray boldly what is
27:51: The writer say here of I think it's Hebrews where he says that we approach the throne of grace tepidly
27:59: With great reserve because we don't really deserve to approach the throne of grace So we kind of scoot around we approach boldly
28:07: So we pray boldly We know that we have an advocate we know that we have a father who loves us
28:14: 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
28:27: 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
28:34: 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
28:42: I love you. No, I'll just use made -up names Adam You know, you're really good.
28:50: I really love you but Bob you're the best. He's the most obedient You know
28:56: Cindy. Oh, sorry, Cindy You know, I I mean, what do we do that?
29:02: 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
29:09: 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
29:19: More loved by him and it's just it's craziness, but we can pray boldly Knowing that we are in Christ.
29:26: 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
29:34: But we go boldly because we go in Christ We pray in Christ and this kind of jumps off something both
29:44: 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
29:55: I do and In spite of what I failed to do. God will not and Cannot love me less than he does
30:04: 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
30:21: 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
30:30: I've seen Now it's interesting just as a sidelight, you know, we used to sing that in grade school
30:38: Nobody knows the trouble. I've seen I don't think you could sing that anymore because it you know was sung by black
30:46: 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
30:58: 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
31:05: Jesus Christ Could change our outlook another one
31:12: I came up with pretty basic Witness boldly
31:19: If you are Forgiven and you live in light of that forgiveness and you think in light of that forgiveness
31:28: How easy is it then to say to someone for example Like MacArthur does you know what my job is?
31:35: 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
31:43: Well, how do you know that because he forgave me and I can't believe it. I wouldn't forgive me.
31:52: 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.
32:06: We don't think that way if we did we would be different people
32:11: I Think I had a seminary professor Wrote a book on prayer.
32:16: It's a four -volume prayer series Jim Roskopf and I used to go into dr.
32:22: Roskopf's office because he was my academic advisor and He would pray even in class or whenever I was with him.
32:29: He would pray and I just thought this man walks and Talks with Christ all the time
32:39: How did I know that he didn't have a glow? He was humble.
32:47: I mean, you know just give you an idea Dr. Roskopf would write book reviews
32:53: 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
33:01: He could be reviewing Good Morning Holy Spirit by Benny Hinn And he would say something like this.
33:08: He would go, you know It is refreshing to see books published about the Holy Spirit.
33:15: I am so thankful that people would take the time to even write a book about the subject and Have to say the typesetting of this book was absolutely beautiful.
33:27: 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
33:37: The Holy Spirit can be wielded like the force in Star Wars Hmm, 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
33:48: And you just go how can he do that? He's got a complete piece of trash book and he's just you know
33:54: 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
34:00: 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,
34:11: 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
34:18: 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
34:27: 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
34:48: Caregiver and you just go how can somebody do that? How could somebody live like that?
34:53: 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.
35:08: 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?
35:25: We want out of life It 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,
36:29: I'm gonna add that. In fact, I just did Saturday right here to my notes serve boldly
36:35: 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.
36:42: 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.
36:57: I need to find ways to Just let people know not that how cool
37:02: I am But what a great God I serve
37:09: What a great God who would save me. I Think all the time, you know when
37:14: I read Paul and when he says that he is the Foremost the chief or as I called him when
37:21: I preached through at the poster child of sinners, you know I mean he just like that's me.
37:26: I can't even believe that God would save me Romans 7 again, I think it's the same thing Paul says
37:32: I can't believe God would save me and I think that's if we have that mindset
37:38: 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.
37:47: How do I then? Live, how do I serve? How do I kind of integrate myself into the body of Christ?
37:59: And something else in mind but other thoughts Yeah, Joni brings up a great point.
38:46: 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
38:55: 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
39:01: 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
39:11: 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
39:19: 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
39:34: 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
39:44: You know if you 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
39:51: Environment all of a sudden people are going well wait a minute How come you're not the same cool funny?
39:56: You know or angry person that you used to be? How come you don't join in all our reindeer games?
40:02: What's wrong with you? You knew
40:07: I was gonna get Rudolph in there didn't you? Yeah, I think that's right. Yep Me yeah, and that's a good point
40:43: Amelia brings up. Let's uh, let's just go to Romans 6 and we can kind of close there
40:49: Paul writes the beginning in verse 1.
40:59: What shall we say then are we to continue in grace or Continue in sin. Sorry that grace may abound by no means
41:06: 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
41:17: You're not responsible. Well, you are responsible. So you can't just sin that grace may abound
41:22: By no means how can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us?
41:29: Who have been baptized into Christ Jesus again the idea of being in Christ Jesus were baptized into his death
41:35: 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
41:42: Father We too might walk in the newness of life. In fact, you know if we were to look at first Corinthians 15
41:47: 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
41:58: 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
42:05: We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing
42:10: So that we would no longer be enslaved to sin And that's the key we have the power now
42:17: In Christ to not sin, does that mean that we won't sin? No, it means that when we do sin
42:25: We will recognize it and the key again. What I want to bring up this morning is that we just don't
42:31: I Think it's easy to get to allow ourselves to be defeated by Sin and 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
42:51: But to just kind of wallow in the fact that we sin did not be able to get over it And again, I don't think that means that we should take sin lightly
42:57: I think all the more that we should be trying to put off sin but we have to remember who we are in Christ to focus on that and The results of being in Christ and just thinking that way can be really dramatic in our lives.
43:11: Let's close in prayer Father in heaven, it is an amazing thought
43:18: To think that you would send your son Jesus Christ to die in our place That he would not only die in our place and die for our sins
43:26: But that he would live a perfect life of obedience a life that we cannot live The law was given that has shown that we that we cannot live it
43:36: We cannot even keep Christ to commandments father,
43:41: I pray that for each of us during this Season and throughout the year that we would be mindful of the fact that we are in Christ Jesus and because of that Because of that you cannot love us more or less
43:56: Than you love your son Lord, I pray that you would cause us to live in praise to you in Thankfulness to you and in obedience to you in Christ's name.