More than conquers
Romans 8
Introduction-
We are glad that you have joined us this morning. Every message as we gather, my prayer is that the Lord would touch a heart and meet a need and we would draw close to Him.
We have just come out of Holy Week. Easter Sunday is behind us. The resurrection celebration of Christ being raised from the dead is last week’s news to some people… because they have heard it but they do not live it. Everyday ought to be a celebration of what Christ has done for us and we need to be living the life that Christ promised for those who put their faith in Him. Amen.
Let’s Pray-
Romans 8 is our text and it begins with Apostle Paul making a direct statement of faith- “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Does that get your attention this morning? We have come out of Easter Celebration and now it is the first week after being told and shown that Jesus is all He says He is and you can have all that He said you can have- are you living it out?
Paul tells his audience that condemnation does not come from the Lord-
Condemnation is condemning!
It is bringing up your past with things that you have brought before the Lord in prayer that He has forgiven you for.
Some people really struggle with that- they have brought their sin before the Lord with a sincere heart and have asked him for forgiveness and He has forgiven them because that is the goodness and grace of God.
“That if we confess our sins that He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins”- yet some struggle that Jesus is enough.
They keep allowing the Devil to bring these sins against them even though God has forgiven us for them.
God has forgiven yet they have not forgiven themselves!
God convicts and the Devil condemns, it is one way we can know who is speaking to us and what voice you are listening too.
If you are convicted of something that you are doing and it leads you closer to God to ask for forgiveness and direction, then you can know that the Lord is working in your life.
If it is condemnation and it is bringing up your past with something that you have brought to the Lord in the past then it is the devil deceiving you into believing that it is not under the blood of Christ.
How you pray and what you ask is important to God
You see I don’t want to just cut down smoking, I want to quit smoking.
I don’t want to cut back on my drinking, I want to give up drinking.
I don’t want to just be on my good behavior when people are watching me, I want to live what pleases the Lord.
It is becoming who Christ wants you to be.
It is being convicted by the Lord and making changes as He sees fit and not listening to the devil condemning you and pulling you down for things that the Lord has already forgiven you for.
This morning I want to look at how that is possible.
How can we be sensitive when the Lord is convicting us and moving us closer to Him and illuminating sin and how can we identify when the devil is condemning us and actually pulling us away from the Lord and isolating us from receiving what the Lord has for us.
How can God use us for His glory and by what power are we able to do that.
Romans chapter 8:1-11
“There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because through Jesus Christ He has set us free! (That should get an Amen!)
By saying Amen, you are saying that is the truth, or so be it Lord!
So I say it again- There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus- because through Jesus Christ He has set us free.
Christ has set us free (if we are a believer) or at least is willing to set us free, but it has cost Him dearly to do that for each one of us.
Let’s put that in perspective this morning-
No condemnation for those who are in Christ.
Condemnation comes from Satan. It is the beating down of us in our minds for things we have done in the past. We never seem to get a release from God because we are not able to forgive ourselves.
That does not come from God.
Conviction on the other hand is from God. It is the state of showing an error, God compelling us to right a wrong. A strong persuasion of truth, leading us back into a right relationship with God.
One pushes us away from God.
One draws us toward God.
We have believers today that the devil has consistently beat them up for things in their past. Things that God said were under the blood of Christ. They are forgiven. They need to move forward in the grace of God and the love of God.
We also have believers that have been convicted by the Holy Spirit, compelling them to right a wrong, compelling them to draw back to God. They need to heed the conviction and restore the relationship with the Lord.
You see- there is a hole in most people’s holiness.
We have become too comfortable and at peace with worldliness. Too much at ease with sin in our lives and we form our own holiness.
I am not holy because I don’t smoke or drink, because I don’t use swear words. It is not based on what I do or don’t do. It is based on what Jesus Christ has done for me and through me that makes me holy.
Jesus is a complete savior. Amen!
He does not only take away the guilt of my sins.
He does more! He breaks the power of sin.
We give little thought and effort to do what Christ saved us to do.
Be Holy as He is holy, and live our lives like the Spirit of God is directing us.
We will fully embrace the freedom we want in Christ, but we do not pursue Christ-like virtues.
We downplay the Scriptures that tell us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling- because “it is not by works that we are saved”.
Or the Scripture that says that we are to cleanse ourselves from any defilement of body and spirit.
Paul tells us Ephesians 5:15- “Look carefully then how you walk”
Yes, there is freedom in Christ- thank God for that.
Also says- there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and we need to make sure we are in a right relationship with Christ.
Illustration-
Bill was a drunk, converted at a city mission. (Like Bethesda Mission) Before his conversion he had gained a reputation as a bum and alcoholic for whom there was no hope. But when he was converted everything changed. He became the most caring person at the mission. He spent all his days there doing whatever needed to be done. There was never anything he was asked to do that he considered beneath him. Whether it was cleaning up vomit left by some alcoholic or scrubbing toilets used by men who left them filthy, Bill did it all with a heart of gratitude. He could be counted on to feed any man who wandered in off the streets and care for his needs when he was unable to care for himself. One evening after the mission director delivered his evangelistic message to the usual crowd of solemn men with drooped heads, one of them came down to the altar and kneeled to pray, crying out to God to help him change. The repentant drunk kept shouting, O God, make me like Bill! Make me like Bill! Make me like Bill! The director of the mission leaned over and said, “wouldn’t it be better to pray. Make me like Jesus? After thinking about it for a few seconds, the man looked up and asked, is he like Bill? People are to see Jesus in our lives.
They may not know Jesus, but people will react to how they perceive you.
You can tell them how holy you are, but people react to how you live your life.
(8) Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God, and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. WASH, RINSE, REPEAT!
Story of the man that came who was in direct sin and wanted the peace of God in his life- he will not have the peace of God when he is disobedient and deviant to God
Change your focus (write this down)
If you are here this morning and the devil beats you up with the past. Change your focus.
Stop listening to him and start listening to the Lord that says that is behind you. I have forgiven you for that. Move on!
If you are here this morning and the Lord is convicting you and compelling you to draw close to Him. Change your focus!
Stop thinking about self and listen to what the Lord is telling you.
For Israel they could never see Canaan, the promised land, because they always had one foot on the ground of Egypt. They could not let go of the past. For some of us, we like to tell God we like Egypt, they were some good times.
God is telling us, you will never know the freedom of Canaan as long as you are hanging onto
Egypt.
You will never experience all I have for you hanging unto your good old days- Truth is, they are not as great as you have them in your mind.
Listen,
There has to be an attitude change as well as an allegiance change.
When you control your life, you will always live a defeated life.
When God controls it, we are promised to be set free.
We cannot take credit for our holiness. It is Christ and Christ alone that makes us holy. If the Father cannot see Jesus in you, you are not holy.
They are as filthy rags put into the light of Christ.
This passage tells us that a lot of good people who will not make heaven because you don’t get there on your own holiness or good works. It is only through Christ.
(10) “But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit, who lives in you.”
That tells me I am secure in Christ. As sure as I am that Christ is resurrected, that is how sure I am sure of my resurrection in Christ. Amen!
It tells me that I can live a victorious and powerful life in this mortal body as long as I have Christ dwelling in me.
Life in the Spirit, try it you’ll like it
Illustration-
There once was a boy named Billy. His grandfather had a sling shot. One day he asked his grandfather if he would teach him how to shoot the sling shot. His grandfather took him into the back woods and began to teach the boy. The grandfather told Billy to go and practice for awhile. Billy was in the woods, alone, and kept missing everything that he shot at. Billy on his way back to the house saw his grandfathers duck and decided to try his aim with the sling shot once more. Billy took aim and shot at the dick and hit his mark. The duck fell dead. Billy took the duck, buried it in the ground. As he looked up he saw his sister, sally standing there watching him attempting to hide his deeds. Sally and Billy went back into their grandfathers house. As they did so, Billy told Sally not to say anything. Sally said, sure, no problem. The kids grandfather told Sally to go into the kitchen And help her grandmother wash the dishes. Sally said, Billy is the best dish washer in the family, he would love to wash the dishes. Remember the duck? Billy washed the dishes that night. The next day Billy grandfather said, Billy, let’s go fishing today. Sally, your grandmother needs some help around the house, so stay here and help her out. Billy hates fishing but loves housework. Isn’t that right Billy? Billy stayed at the house that day while Sally went fishing. This went on for several days. Sally blackmailed Billy into every unpleasant chore around the farm and out of every enjoyable opportunity. Finally Billy had enough and decided to confess his crime. Much to his surprise, his grandfather said, I know you killed the dick. I saw you through the window. I also saw your sister standing there watching you. I forgave you when it happened because I love you. I just wanted to know how long you would let yourself be your sister’s slave.
God is not a God sitting in heaven ready to beat us up.
He is a God who is forgiving of our past and desires us to live life at a much higher level than we are living right now.
Move toward God
What I mean this morning is move toward the presence of God.
Take advantage of the power of the Holy Spirit working in your lives.
Understand the availability to all who profess the name of Christ in their lives.
We have the power to cast down demons!
We have the power to lay hands on the sick and watch them recover.
We can tell the enemy to take his hands off our families…because we have the power of god dwelling inside of us.
Get your eyes off Egypt and get your eyes on Jesus Christ!~
Romans 12:1-2
“Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Closing
For some this morning, this is new- you have lived defeated for so long, you don’t know that God desires more for your life. Today, the Lord wants to change your life forever!
Today, you no longer want to live life your way, but desire to be led by the Spirit of God. Today, the Lord wants to change that.
Illustration-
This week I mowed the grass at the house. I remember right after we bought the house the parsonage was not sold yet and I took my lawn tractor from my house to the parsonage, about a mile or so. No matter how hard I pushed the throttle, and put it into 4th gear. I went only so fast. No matter how much I bounced in the seat and desired to go faster. I could only go as fast as the tractor was designed to go. This morning, the Lord is saying, I have an overdrive gear that will get you moving. This will allow you to go faster and harder than you went before on your own. Will allow you to do things that you never thought you would be able to do.
There are many levels of people
There are unbelievers by choice.
There are unbelievers searching for answers.
There are believers living below where God wants them
There are uncommitted believers and they struggle everyday of their lives.
There are energized believers that live by the Spirit of God leading them and directing their lives. They live victorious and are empowered by the holy Spirit!~
Which life do you want to live? Because you get to choose!
We live and act according to who we think we are- I am in Christ and I want it to show in my life everyday.
You choose-
Live by your standards and suffer the consequences or turn your life over to God and receive the promises of God.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Altar Call
