Pastor's Blog
Truth #4 from Romans Chapter 8
Wednesday, Sep 01, 2010 10:21 AM
Here is an excerpt from the 8.29.10 message based on Romans 8:14-17 titled "Who’s Your Daddy?" You may listen to the message in its entirety by going to the home page and click on the Message Center.
Sometimes we run around pointing to what we believe is the cause of our lack, and the cause of our affliction, and the cause of our suffering. And, oh that’s the demon of fear, oh that’s the demon of infirmity, oh that’s the demon of this, oh that’s the demon of that. A thought from worship today – I’m not impressed with demons. I’m not going to amplify the work of the father of lies. I’m not gonna do it and I don’t want us as a church to slip into that. God is bigger than that.
Did you ever notice that there’s a world out there. Now, if we’re looking at the reason for our loss and affliction and of our suffering and of our trials – there’s the world, the flesh, the devil. There’s a world out there. That maybe we’re assigning credit (if we can say that) to the devil, when it’s the world. Or maybe it’s in us, maybe it was a choice that we made – that would be the flesh that brings on loss and affliction and suffering in our life because we made some lousy choices, do you know what I mean?
And I tell you pilgrims, have you ever considered that the Holy Spirit is doing a work in you? Did you ever consider for a moment that it might be God? Rather than just jumping on “that’s a demon” bandwagon. I think there’s a lot more to checking the box and I’m not gonna give glory to the father of lies – I said the father of lies. And he stands in the background receiving the glory for way too much more than he deserves and he soaks it up and it inflates his ego and he is charged by that. Can I tell you what? I do not want us to begin to fuel any more ego in Lucifer. We’re children of God. We’re children of God. Full rights, co-heirs!
Don’t faint.
This momentary affliction is light.
Say to yourself, “I can do it!”
God’s glory is going to change you and grow you and pull you out of your suffering!
Truth #3 from Romans 8
Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010 2:19 PM
Romans Chapter 8 verses 10-13
NLT
10And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,[c] you will live.
Possessors of Resurrection Life
What happens when we ask Jesus to be our Lord? When we invite Jesus to live inside our heart? When we surrender our life to His Lordship? When we stop living our old life of sin and begin to live a life of obedience to Him?
The first thing that happens is that Jesus takes up residency. Yup, Jesus fills out a change of address form…Christ now lives in us. Think of it: It’s like Jesus literally moved in. When you called, He hauled…. He hauls all the junk out. I see big dumpster bins outside our homes!
Then we begin to eat together, we rest together, we work together, we watch TV together. We study the Bible together. We are inseparable! Best friends!
Next, he begins to do our laundry. Every filthy garment. He washes them all. “Give me them all”, He says. “I will wash them”. We are washed… from all the past… and present… and future sins. When He is done, our wardrobe is spotless, and Jesus says, stay out of those places where they were soiled, that’s all I ask.
Then, Jesus brings us to the Father. That never could have happened by our own doing…. You need special permission see the Father. A VIP pass. Nobody… no how has those passes but Jesus, and He’s selective on who gets them. Just His friends… the ones who ask Him, “will you live in me?”
Asking Jesus to be in charge of our life is saying I will no longer live as if I am the one in charge here… I have tried and it leads to failure. By giving up that control, in essence then, I am dying to myself.
Romans 8:10 says same Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us… and begins that very same resurrection work in us! Where we died to our self, He brings new life to us.
Resurrection Life! Resurrection Life brings the promise of a new life! Of eternal life! It brings phase one of the purpose and plan that God has for our life! Let the work begin! It brings a confidence of our new faith! It brings revelation and understanding of Him who died so that we may live! It brings power! It brings a desire to live as Christ did…. A life of humility, a life of love.
Resurrection Life means we can be separate from that ugly old man we once were…. It means a new start… a new beginning! It brings with it joy inexpressible and full of glory that such a one as I can be useful to my God, my Lord, my King!
The scripture says if you live your life according to your fancy, you will die. But if in the power of the Spirit who lives in you through Jesus Christ, then you shall live!
Do you have Resurrection Life?
Truth #2 from Romans 8
Tuesday, Jul 06, 2010 10:41 AM
Set Our Minds on the Spirit
Key Words: Set our minds; Carnally minded; spiritually minded.
Romans Ch 8:5-9
"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."
The Spirit of God is the third person of the Trinity. Jesus had to leave after His resurrection in order that the Spirit might come. Upon conversion, the believer receives the Promise who guides us (those who will set their minds upon Him) to Jesus.
What happens in our mind (our thought patterns) is likened to a battlefield. Two sides line up to face each other, vying for control, and your life choices are the indicator to whom the tide of the battle turns.
These life choices are determined first in our mind, and then acted upon out in our flesh. What we do in the natural was already decided beforehand in our thoughts. Battles are won and lost in our minds, and therefore we are urged to fight this fight in our minds by setting our minds first on the things of the Spirit.
All our decisions should be exposed first to the light of God’s Word. By holding up each thought we consider to the light of His Word, then we are in effect setting our minds on the things of the Spirit. God the Father is Spirit. Jesus is the Word. If you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father. It’s like a Heavenly conference call!
Our iniquities make separation between God and us, but the Spirit brings change! We who are in the Lord have a new heart and a new mind and we no longer are centered on the things of the flesh and ruled by sin!
Our greatest weapon in the war we fight is to remember to conference with the Lord in all things. That will guarantee the victory, bring glory to God, and blessing will flow.
10 Truths Romans 8 (Truth #1)
Tuesday, Jun 29, 2010 12:31 PM
This latest entry begins a weekly series of truths from Romans Chapter 8. It is my hope that discussion is made through the comment section of this blog. By it's very nature, a blog is intended to give opportunity for thought and comment and I invite you all to think and comment on the related passage.
God bless you all! Read on!
Romans 8:1-4
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Truth #1: THE POWER OF CONDEMNATION HAS BEEN BROKEN.
Key Words: Condemnation; Walking in the Spirit; The law of sin and death; Made free
Banishment is an interesting word. It means to drive away. Mom would drive me out of the kitchen when me and my friends showed up too soon before dinner was ready. There was a time when I was surrounded by bees and I began to swat at them, hoping to drive them away. Recently, a robber in the Midwest was sent to jail for his crime, and upon his release, was also banished from the town where he committed the crime.
Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden (and God's presence) because of sin, and that separation continues today for you and I. The garden is no longer tended... sadly, the whole earth has seemed to have been given over to weeds of every kind.
The Bible teaches us that if we are outside of Christ... we too are banished, now and in the life to come, from God's presence.
Christ came back to earth to restore that relationship between you and Him. He did so by His redemptive work on the cross. He took the fall. He paid for both our sins, so those who believe and repent (the fruit of belief is a changed life) are no longer under God's judgment of banishment from His presence.
He did it because He loves us. He made us. He knows us. He loves us.
Our sin condemns us. Christ's atonement for our sin reopens the door to Him, and your faith in Jesus is all the Father asks for you to pass into the Kingdom of Heaven. It restores our relationship. It makes us holy. It is amazing and it is true. We'll never be perfect while on this earth, but the blood of Jesus will more than cover all our imperfections.
Condemnation once hung over us like a sword suspended over our necks and hanging by a hair. But thanks be to God! Having confessed our faith in Jesus, we are free from the judgment of banishment.
Jesus fills every need we have so we can stand once again with all who believe in the awesome presence of God.
The Spirit of life has set us free.
Do you believe?
