A Christian for the real world; Preached at Midway Community Church Oct 22, 1999;
Last week Christianity for the real world;
The Real World- Barren times, Broken Pieces, Blessings into curses;
Can I survive as a believer through these storms and even thrive?
Life in the Spirit is the answer. This is Christianity for the real world. Last week we discovered some things about life in the Spirit.
1. Permanent Freedom and not probation; no condemnation; God did something, Jesus did something, and I became someone;
2. Life in the Spirit there were; Problems to be faced; This new life we have received does not exempt us from the real world problems; We talked about setting our minds or they will be set for us;
3. Life in the Spirit we discovered has a power that never fails; Christianity is a belief system that features life in the Spirit. But what about the Christian themselves. How and why does this new belief system operate in and through me?
What about this Christian for the real world?
1. I have a new IDENITY; Romans 8:1-8; In Christ Jesus vs. In the Flesh; Everything that I was in Adam is now gone. My life as I knew it has now been exchanged for life in Jesus Christ. With the old life goes the old identity, and with the new life comes the new identity. I once was a sinner, and now in Christ I am a saint.
a. The importance of Identity; it is the central issue for all of us; WE CANNOT ESCAPE WHO WE ARE. AND OUR ID IS DETERMINED BY OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE OR WITH SOMETHING. THE DESERTED ISLAND ILLUSTRATION; THE VOICE FROM HEAVEN ASK BEFORE SOMEONE TELLS HIM WHO HE IS AND HE DOES NOT KNOW AFTERWARD HE KNOWS;
b. Do I have to grow into my identity? I got everything I needed for life and godliness when I received Christ.
c. John 1:12, my new ID is that I am now a child of God;
d. What does this mean in a practical way?
a. I am now a minister of reconciliation instead of a minister of revenge.
b. I am now a son and not a slave; a son has a relationship the slave has only responsibility; a son has freedom because of the relationship, the slave is in bondage;
c. With this new identity you have freedom from the past; Illustration of someone who has been given a new identity;
d. With our new Id we have life, we were dead, we are in union with Christ, we were separated; and we were sinners we are now saints; WE NOW FACE THE REAL WORLD WITH THIS NEW ID; WE NO LONGER HAVE TO HIDE FROM OUR PAST; The Christian for the real world has a new ID;
2. The Christian for the real world also has a new INDWELLING; v9-11 The Spirit of God indwells him or her; V10, Christ is IN YOU AND YOU AND I ARE IN CHIRST; we were INDWELTH by the spirit of Adam, the spirit of disobedience, and were by nature children of wrath; but now in Christ we are indwelth by the Holy Spirit; While we were in Adam we lived a fleshly existence. Living by our own standards, out of our own resources. We lived on our own, unaided by God’s Spirit. Facing every trial, temptation, rejection, pain and heartache out of and in the strength of my flesh. (some people have strong flesh) The only hope I had when I was indewlth by the spirit of Adam were false hopes, fragile and false peace, a future that though today might look bright and beautiful, in the end would be destruction. 1 Cor. 2:14 says the “natural man cannot accept the things of God, they are foolishness to him” And there are millions of people who are indweleth by the spirit of Adam. But I have a new indwelling. Not an improved one. The Spirit of God exchanged places with the spirit of Adam. And now v10, my spirit is alive; able to communicate with God; Vll, my mortal body can now be used by God for Him to express His life through. I READ THAT TO BE “INDEWELTH BY THE HOLD SPIRIT MEANS WE HAVE RECEIVED HIM AS A LIFE TRANSFORMING REALITY”. When the Spirit came on the day of Pentecost rivers of LIVING WATER began to flow from deep with in. HE HAS INSTALLED IN ME THE ACUTUAL RISEN LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST TO THE DEGREE THAT HIS LIFE IS MY LIFE; And when we face the real world and its circumstances RIVERS OF LIVING WATERS CAN FLOW FROM ME. When I need wisdom in a confusion circumstance, the river of wisdom flows from me; the river of strength and power; the river of reconciliation; whatever the circumstance, the Holy Spirit that indwells me can flow from me and through me. Because I have a new indwelling. But I also not only have a new ID and a new indwelling, but also;
3. THERE IS A NEW INVOLVEMENT; v12-17 what am I now involved in?
1. We are involved in a real battle; Realize God’s expectation, that we do not have to sin; Because of our new id, and our new indwelling we are no longer obligated to walk after the flesh. The old habits and patterns of living while we were in Adam; the power of sin has been broken and we no longer have to sin when the circumstance of life meets us. We can now be ministers of reconciliation and do not have to be ministers of revenge.
2. We are involved in resurrection life. We cooperate with the Holy Spirit; v13 we now can allow God to express His life through us, because through the Spirit we put to death the deeds of the body. When we are hurt or rejected we can chose to allow Christ to meet that, or we and meet it ourselves, handle it ourselves. When we choose to walk in the Spirit, allowing Him to meet the circumstances, we will be putting to death the deeds of the flesh.
3. We are involved in a ROLE REVERSAL HE LEADS INSTEAD OF ME; RELEASE CONTROL AND GIVE CONTROL OVER TO HIM; V14 WE ALLOW HIM TO lead us as His sons; He will lead us and not drive us into righteousness, new habits and patterns as we face the real world.
4. Then last but certainly not least we are involved in a NEW relationship; v14b sons of God; v16- children of God, v17 heirs and Joint heirs with Christ;
Summary; Because of my new ID, a new Indwelling, and a new involvement the Scripture says I WILL LIVE; I will not only survive but I will thrive. The real world will hurt and reject and cause disappointment but it will not be able to destroy me unless I forget who I am, forget who lives in me, and forget my relationship. An illustration of the two pictures with the solider with the rifle against the tank and then the bazooka against the tank. WE are like these pictures unsaved we are overmatched, saved the real world is brought down to size.
