Romans 7:1-6, Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”
This chapter is one of the most controversial in Scripture. Without a thorough background, which Paul has put forth in chapter six, Chapter seven would be confusing and even frustrating for the person who wants to understand the Bible. I do not believe Paul is talking about the Mosaic law. The law of Moses would be included but the passage is speaking about natural law, or moral law. A law written in man's heart that is the basis of all right and wrong. We are all bound by the law — not “laws” individually — but law in general. In Paul's example, the Christian has died to the law and is free to be united with Christ. Having been born again we can now live as free people under grace — not under law.
We are not free from responsibility.
All lawlessness is to be rejected. Antinomianism is one of the charges brought against Paul. And is often brought against anyone who teaches grace. Paul answered this twice in chapter six. “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” And, “Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?” The answer to both questions is pretty much the same, “ABSOLUTELY NOT!” In no way did Paul ever advocate a lawless lifestyle.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
According to Ephesians 2:8-10 we are saved by grace through faith unto good works. Those who advocate salvation by works have missed the point altogether. Good works have never been the basis of salvation. The blood sacrifices of the Old Covenant were pictures pointing to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. They spoke of God's grace not of man's works. When God's grace is released in our lives we joyfully serve him and should obediently do the works he has set out for us to do.
We have been united with Christ in order to bear fruit for God. The fruit we had been bearing under the old relationship was fruit unto death. But now we can bear good fruit. Galatians 5:22-23, "…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. This is certainly not lawlessness. In fact, these fruits call us to real responsibility. To love is not always easy instead it calls for the other gifts to be released. To joyfully love another is to be at peace with them; to be patient with them; to show them kindness; to be good to them; to be faithful with them; to be gentle with them; and, most of all, to practice self control with regard to them. Living under that kind of grace is hard work indeed! We need strength that is beyond our human ability. We we need the Spirit of God that comes at salvation to live out the fruit of the Spirit.
Instead, we are freed from bondage.
We were slaves to sin under the law. Remember Romans 6:16-18? “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” “Set free from sin” is an awesome concept! This does not mean that we cannot sin but it does mean that sin has no power over us. That makes our guilt even greater because we cannot use the excuse, “The devil made me do it.” Or, “I couldn't help myself”.
You see, we were set free by the Son of God. In John 8:31-36 Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The Pharisees said they had never been enslaved to anyone. They said this while they were occupied by the Roman army and in many ways were enslaved to Rome. But that's not the freedom Jesus is talking about.
He went on, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. …” Since all have sinned then everyone is a slave to sin. This is a bondage we cannot break. We are married to the law at birth and that marriage is driven by the flesh. We cannot free ourselves. Like the old song says, “He paid a debt he did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sins away, and now I sing a brand-new song, “Amazing Grace”, all day long. Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.” the wages of sin is death. Not just physical death but spiritual death. In the atonement Jesus took us to the cross with himself.
We have been crucified with Christ. Paul said it best in Galatians 2:19-21, “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
I once heard the story of a man who was faced with being drafted into the Confederate Army during the Civil War. We'll call him George. George had a wife and children and of course did not want to go. His neighbor, we'll call Tom, was the same age, was unmarried and had not yet been called up for the draft. Tom came to George and said, “I will go in your place”. He then went to the county seat with the draft papers in hand and was enlisted in the Army as George. A few months later Tom, now called George, died on the field of battle. His death certificate was sent back to the County seat where he lived. In the course of time the Army was desperate for soldiers. They sent out patrols looking for men who should have been drafted. They found George plowing a field one day and arrested him as a draft dodger. He was taken to the county seat and put in jail. George asked the judge to look at the death certificates. When he did he found that Georgia was legally dead. He sent him home to his family because as far as the law was concerned he had already died.
Christ did that for us. He took our sin and our self to the cross and put it to death so that we could live to him under a new relationship, a new covenant!
Believers now live under a new covenant.
This was prophesied by Jeremiah Hebrews 10:14-18 tells us about it, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. These quotations are from Jeremiah chapter 31. A new way of living! A new covenant! The law is now written on the hearts of those who believe.
This is a covenant that gives life. Not a covenant of law, or the letter, the law of the spirit. We find in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
This covenant is without any condemnation. Listen to Romans 8:1-4, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 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.” There Is No Condemnation! The liar, the devil, tries to make us feel condemned and worthless. We recognize that our past condemns us. But that past is based on a marriage that's been done away with! Once we were married to the law empowered by the flesh. But, since we have come to faith in Christ we are now married to Christ Jesus. The law has been satisfied by the death of Jesus on the cross. Now a new law takes over “the law of the Spirit of life”. Praise God! If God says you not condemned then you are not condemned!
The Apostle uses the example of marriage to teach an essential truth. Being married to the law, and the flesh, from our conception made us bring forth fruit for death. Having died to the law through the body of Christ we can now bring forth fruit for God. In order for us to grow spiritually we must recognize that we are not married to the law and the flesh. With salvation several things have happened. We're united to the Lord Jesus Christ, we have died with him and are made dead to the law as a result of that death. And now we are married to the Lord Jesus Christ! We are risen with Christ and are enabled to seek things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Our union with Christ is essential to our sanctification.
If you have not settled the issue of salvation listen to the voice of God that is calling you. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved.
All quotes are from: The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001, Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Slaves of Righteousness
Slaves of Righteousness 120304
Romans 6:15-23
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Last week we heard a great promise “Sin will have no dominion over us”, since we are under grace not under the law. A person who is born again does not have to be a slave to sin. We can sin, and will sin, but we can help ourselves because of the spirit that works in us. Today we see the Apostle asking the same question, “Are we to sin because we not under law but under grace?” The answer remains the same, “BY NO MEANS!” Ultimately, spiritual slavery is a matter of choice. (This choice is not a choice between being free or being enslaved. The choice is, “Whose slave will I be?”) The problem most people have with that statement is this, their slavery to sin is an entrenched habit that is not yet broken. Therefore, they think they have no choice. Believers have a choice because the grace of God is released in their lives. The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
I. There are two kingdoms. Anyone who doubts that is not very observant. No matter how one looks at it there is obvious evil and obvious good in the human race. Whether it is set in the world of fiction such as The Chronicles of Narnia or in the reality of the daily news nothing could be so obvious as the struggle between good and evil. These two kingdoms dominate our worldview. Often Christians try to “sit on the fence”. Jesus himself said that wasn't possible.
A. We cannot serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24) “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Here, “money” is used to represent the fallen world. The anger and dissension we see all around us as a result of attempting to live in two worlds at one time. Having become a Christian we have a new allegiance. We must serve Christ if we are to have peace.
B. We cannot be intimate with the world and with God. (James 4:1-7) “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” In recent years it has become more and more obvious that the church and the world are much alike. But it's not anything new it is just more obvious in the world of television and the Internet. Wordsworth said it two hundred years ago: “The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:” Of course, we cannot be totally separated from the world! To do so would cut us off from all opportunity to witness to our faith in Christ. The problem is not the world around us but the subtle inroads of the world within us.
C. We have been transferred. We were born sons and daughters of Adam and Eve and as such were subject to the kingdom of this world. Paul explained our new relationship to the Colossian Christians with these words: “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:11-14) Now, we did not apply for a transfer and it was not our idea! It is God the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints. He delivered us! We did not deliver ourselves because we could not. We were dead in sin!
II. Believers were dead and are now alive.
A. Dead In trespasses and sin. Paul said, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—“ (Ephesians 2:1) We must all admit that dead people are incapable of making decisions. We could not decide for ourselves. He had to decide for us because we were not only dead but our very actions proved we were dead in sin. Of course we were physically alive but spiritually dead. We could not make spiritual decisions that would deliver us.
B. We lived like dead people. In the first letter to the Corinthians Paul reminded them what life was like before they met Christ, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) When a person comes to faith in Christ things began to change. What was formerly natural to them is now unnatural! Things that they used to do without any sense of conscience now disturb them. After a person comes to faith in Christ they begin to wonder why people around them seem to not care when they do wrong. They are simply following their nature. We really shouldn't expect better of them. The change in the Christian's nature comes about by the work of God in them. What they once did, without much thought, now weighs on their conscience. You see? We been transferred to the kingdom of his beloved son and we have passed from death to life.
C. We are now alive! Paul reminded the Ephesians that they were once alienated from the life of God having no hope. Then he says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were 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, …“ (Ephesians 2:13-15) This is magnificent news! We were spiritually dead and lived like spiritually dead people. But now, in Christ Jesus, we have been brought near to God and to other believers. God has destroyed the barriers that kept us from him and from others who believe in him. We once were slaves to sin but now, Praise God, we have been given life in his name and have been adopted into his family. We have submitted ourselves to a new master!
III. Now we are slaves of righteousness.
A. We have been set free. A new spiritual law has taken effect in our life. In Romans 8:1-2 Paul points out that we are not under condemnation because we have been set free! Listen to his words, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
Have you ever wondered what makes an airplane fly? Most of us have made paper airplanes. Some of them actually fly! The reason they do is they are shaped right and balanced properly. No matter how large the plane the rules are the same. A Boeing 747 has a takeoff weight of nearly one million pounds. It's long enough that the first flight of the Wright brothers could have been made inside its economy section. It takes off with between 400 and 500 people inside. And it flies! The 747 flies because the engineers designed it according to certain scientific laws that override the law of gravity. Gravity would keep it down on the Earth. But the laws of aerodynamics work together and it not only can lift into the air! It can fly from San Francisco, California, to Melbourne, Australia, nonstop!
In the same way, the law of the spirit of life sets us free from the law of sin and death. We were in bondage to a slave master. We were bound by the chains of sin and inheritance. We could not set ourselves free. New Year's resolutions, determination and struggle produced frustration and failure. And then Christ came into our life and set us free. One problem we have, out of many, is this — we're accustomed to the voice of our old slave master. We haven't fully believed that we are free. Romans 6:11 lists two of our assets: “dead to sin” and “alive to God”! When we enter those assets and weigh them against the deficit of “dead in sin” we see that our eternal assets greatly outweigh our deficits. If Christ has set you free you are free indeed! ( John 8:36)
B. We are free to serve God. Verse 22 of our text says, “…now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” in the Garden of Eden Satan promised freedom and delivered death! The fruit they received led to bondage. We're either subject to Satan or God. When we come to faith in Christ we are set free from sin and have become the slave of God. A blessed slavery that bears fruit leading to holy living and eternal life. Jesus told the Pharisees, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Satan lies when he promises happiness and freedom. Remember, Satan was a liar from the beginning. Only in service to God are we going to find peace. We were created for that purpose. The old confession of faith says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Service to God is a joy beyond compare!
C. God's grace gives us eternal life. Verse 23 of our text says, “…the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The usual use of this passage is to point out the obvious, “the wages of sin is death”. If we stop there we are left in trouble. Grace is a gift given without any expectation of return having its sole purpose in the need of the recipient and the freeheartedness of the giver, God's grace gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We should rejoice in serving him. Because he has rescued us from death — eternal death. We should glorify God by enjoying him forever. We should begin now and the joy of our relationship with God will flow over into the lives of others.
Mankind is born in trouble. All mankind is born in sin and we all choose to sin. The wages of sin is death. If that was the entire message we would have no hope in this world or in the next. The truth is we do have hope. Although the wages of sin is death the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! We once were slaves to sin leading to death, and now, for those who've trusted Christ, we are slaves to God leading to sanctification and eternal life! Praise His Holy Name!
( All Scripture references are from The English Standard Version unless otherwise noted. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.)
Romans 6:15-23
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Last week we heard a great promise “Sin will have no dominion over us”, since we are under grace not under the law. A person who is born again does not have to be a slave to sin. We can sin, and will sin, but we can help ourselves because of the spirit that works in us. Today we see the Apostle asking the same question, “Are we to sin because we not under law but under grace?” The answer remains the same, “BY NO MEANS!” Ultimately, spiritual slavery is a matter of choice. (This choice is not a choice between being free or being enslaved. The choice is, “Whose slave will I be?”) The problem most people have with that statement is this, their slavery to sin is an entrenched habit that is not yet broken. Therefore, they think they have no choice. Believers have a choice because the grace of God is released in their lives. The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
I. There are two kingdoms. Anyone who doubts that is not very observant. No matter how one looks at it there is obvious evil and obvious good in the human race. Whether it is set in the world of fiction such as The Chronicles of Narnia or in the reality of the daily news nothing could be so obvious as the struggle between good and evil. These two kingdoms dominate our worldview. Often Christians try to “sit on the fence”. Jesus himself said that wasn't possible.
A. We cannot serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24) “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Here, “money” is used to represent the fallen world. The anger and dissension we see all around us as a result of attempting to live in two worlds at one time. Having become a Christian we have a new allegiance. We must serve Christ if we are to have peace.
B. We cannot be intimate with the world and with God. (James 4:1-7) “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” In recent years it has become more and more obvious that the church and the world are much alike. But it's not anything new it is just more obvious in the world of television and the Internet. Wordsworth said it two hundred years ago: “The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:” Of course, we cannot be totally separated from the world! To do so would cut us off from all opportunity to witness to our faith in Christ. The problem is not the world around us but the subtle inroads of the world within us.
C. We have been transferred. We were born sons and daughters of Adam and Eve and as such were subject to the kingdom of this world. Paul explained our new relationship to the Colossian Christians with these words: “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:11-14) Now, we did not apply for a transfer and it was not our idea! It is God the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints. He delivered us! We did not deliver ourselves because we could not. We were dead in sin!
II. Believers were dead and are now alive.
A. Dead In trespasses and sin. Paul said, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—“ (Ephesians 2:1) We must all admit that dead people are incapable of making decisions. We could not decide for ourselves. He had to decide for us because we were not only dead but our very actions proved we were dead in sin. Of course we were physically alive but spiritually dead. We could not make spiritual decisions that would deliver us.
B. We lived like dead people. In the first letter to the Corinthians Paul reminded them what life was like before they met Christ, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) When a person comes to faith in Christ things began to change. What was formerly natural to them is now unnatural! Things that they used to do without any sense of conscience now disturb them. After a person comes to faith in Christ they begin to wonder why people around them seem to not care when they do wrong. They are simply following their nature. We really shouldn't expect better of them. The change in the Christian's nature comes about by the work of God in them. What they once did, without much thought, now weighs on their conscience. You see? We been transferred to the kingdom of his beloved son and we have passed from death to life.
C. We are now alive! Paul reminded the Ephesians that they were once alienated from the life of God having no hope. Then he says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were 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, …“ (Ephesians 2:13-15) This is magnificent news! We were spiritually dead and lived like spiritually dead people. But now, in Christ Jesus, we have been brought near to God and to other believers. God has destroyed the barriers that kept us from him and from others who believe in him. We once were slaves to sin but now, Praise God, we have been given life in his name and have been adopted into his family. We have submitted ourselves to a new master!
III. Now we are slaves of righteousness.
A. We have been set free. A new spiritual law has taken effect in our life. In Romans 8:1-2 Paul points out that we are not under condemnation because we have been set free! Listen to his words, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
Have you ever wondered what makes an airplane fly? Most of us have made paper airplanes. Some of them actually fly! The reason they do is they are shaped right and balanced properly. No matter how large the plane the rules are the same. A Boeing 747 has a takeoff weight of nearly one million pounds. It's long enough that the first flight of the Wright brothers could have been made inside its economy section. It takes off with between 400 and 500 people inside. And it flies! The 747 flies because the engineers designed it according to certain scientific laws that override the law of gravity. Gravity would keep it down on the Earth. But the laws of aerodynamics work together and it not only can lift into the air! It can fly from San Francisco, California, to Melbourne, Australia, nonstop!
In the same way, the law of the spirit of life sets us free from the law of sin and death. We were in bondage to a slave master. We were bound by the chains of sin and inheritance. We could not set ourselves free. New Year's resolutions, determination and struggle produced frustration and failure. And then Christ came into our life and set us free. One problem we have, out of many, is this — we're accustomed to the voice of our old slave master. We haven't fully believed that we are free. Romans 6:11 lists two of our assets: “dead to sin” and “alive to God”! When we enter those assets and weigh them against the deficit of “dead in sin” we see that our eternal assets greatly outweigh our deficits. If Christ has set you free you are free indeed! ( John 8:36)
B. We are free to serve God. Verse 22 of our text says, “…now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” in the Garden of Eden Satan promised freedom and delivered death! The fruit they received led to bondage. We're either subject to Satan or God. When we come to faith in Christ we are set free from sin and have become the slave of God. A blessed slavery that bears fruit leading to holy living and eternal life. Jesus told the Pharisees, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Satan lies when he promises happiness and freedom. Remember, Satan was a liar from the beginning. Only in service to God are we going to find peace. We were created for that purpose. The old confession of faith says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Service to God is a joy beyond compare!
C. God's grace gives us eternal life. Verse 23 of our text says, “…the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The usual use of this passage is to point out the obvious, “the wages of sin is death”. If we stop there we are left in trouble. Grace is a gift given without any expectation of return having its sole purpose in the need of the recipient and the freeheartedness of the giver, God's grace gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We should rejoice in serving him. Because he has rescued us from death — eternal death. We should glorify God by enjoying him forever. We should begin now and the joy of our relationship with God will flow over into the lives of others.
Mankind is born in trouble. All mankind is born in sin and we all choose to sin. The wages of sin is death. If that was the entire message we would have no hope in this world or in the next. The truth is we do have hope. Although the wages of sin is death the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! We once were slaves to sin leading to death, and now, for those who've trusted Christ, we are slaves to God leading to sanctification and eternal life! Praise His Holy Name!
( All Scripture references are from The English Standard Version unless otherwise noted. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.)
Monday, February 27, 2012
Not a Slave to Sin
Romans 6:1-14
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in 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 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 newness of life.
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. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. ESV
I usually read all or part of this passage in Romans before I baptize a person. It is important to see the relationship between baptism and salvation. But Paul was not just teaching about baptism alone. He was teaching about the reigning of grace over sin in our life. There were those who believed, and some who now believe, if the increase of sin caused grace to abound — then let's sin a lot in order for grace to increase! Paul is very clear on the subject, “Absolutely NOT!” If Christ is our Lord we have died to sin! He is not saying we cannot sin and is not saying that our sin nature is dead. He is saying that while we have the ability to sin we have the power not to sin. We have responsibility in the process. We are not a slave to sin — but we can still sin.
I. Baptism pictures burial after death
A person enters the water of baptism in order to make a public statement not just to join a church. That statement is, “I have confessed that I'm a sinner. I have confessed my faith in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. In him I have died to my old way of living and now choose to walk a new life.” The person is buried in the water and raised up with Christ to walk a new life.
I have often stated that baptism is like the marriage ceremony. It is a present public statement of a past experience. In the marriage ceremony a couple is saying to the world that they love one another and choose to spend the rest of their life together. “In sickness as in health, in poverty as in wealth, in the bad that may darken their days, in the good that may light their ways, and to be true to to their mate as long as they both shall live.” Baptism also is a present public statement of a past experience. In order for baptism to be valid a person must first have confessed their faith in Christ and turned away from their old way of living to live a new kind of life. This new life is one of faith and fellowship.
A. Spiritual baptism brings us into life. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, the apostle Paul says, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” ESV True baptism in the Spirit is the salvation experience.
B. Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit there is no salvation. Jesus said that the Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Paul wrote to the Romans: “The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16) In fact, when we hear the words of truth and believe them we “are sealed by the promised Holy Spirit”. ( Ephesians 1:13) The Holy Spirit not only bears witness to us that we are the children of God but he also bears witness to people around us. As they see the change in us they are often impressed that something good has happened in our life. They may not understand that it is the work of God but they definitely know that something is different! We are not made perfect in salvation but the Spirit begins his work in our life and there are notable changes. From salvation forward the Spirit continues to work to show us how to live the Christian life. He uses many different tools. Sometimes the words of another person, even said in anger, will convict us of something wrong in our life. Often, while reading the Bible, we will become aware of something we need to change. Certainly not always negative. Often the change will be positive as we see what the word of God is to say and learn to do it.
C. Baptism pictures the beginning of salvation. When Paul says, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27) Paul assumes that baptism is the outward sign of inward regeneration. When a person is born again that person has died to sin in order to live to God. Baptism represents burial and resurrection. It is a perfect picture of salvation. Just as Christ died for our sins we have died to our sins. This does not mean that we cannot sin but it does mean that we do have power over sin by the work of the Spirit of life. Salvation is not just a ticket to heaven it is the entry into a new life. Not just life but abundant life as promised by our Lord and Savior when he said, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
II. The death we died with Christ.
It is hard for us to imagine some of the truths of Scripture. This truth is really hard for us because we're still alive. We live in a material world. In fact, we live in a world that is hostile to God. True truth is spiritual as well as physical. When Christ died on the cross he did more than forgive our sins. He did forgive our sins but he did much more.
A. He bore our sins — as Peter said, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) Hundreds of years before Christ came to earth the prophet Isaiah, directed by God, wrote: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5) not only did he bear our sins but he took us to the cross.
B. Not our sins only but ourselves were taken to the cross Paul wrote to the Colossians in chapter 3 verses 1-4:
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” ESV
Paul begins by talking about our having been raised with Christ. When Jesus went to the cross and died for our sins, we were hidden with Christ in God, we died there too. Since we died with him it makes sense that we were raised with him! In Romans chapter 5 Paul explains very carefully that Adam, as the federal head of the human race, brought sin upon us all! “By one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19) Since Adam's sin brought sin on us all — Jesus' obedience brought us into a new relationship. Before salvation we lived under condemnation as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. Now that we have come to faith in Christ, we are now children of God! In a very real sense when Jesus died we died with him. In Galatians 2:20 Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” ESV In our text for today Paul states without a doubt, “…our old self was crucified with him”. Thank God we do not have to bear our sins he did it for us. Thank God we do not have to live as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve since he took that the cross, buried it in the tomb and set us free!
III. Grace reigns where sin once ruled.
A. Sin no longer rules in our lives. V 10-11 says “For the death he died he died to sin once for all but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Apart from Christ mankind is in bondage to sin. It is the very nature of man inherited from our forefather Adam. In the past we lived subject to Satan in the kingdom of darkness. But having come to faith in Christ we have been transferred from that kingdom to the kingdom of light. We have a new family, a new allegiance, a new Lord and a new home. Yet we must cooperate with God. He has set us free and we need to live like it. Paul uses the words “consider yourselves” when he talks about our being dead to sin and alive to God. “Consider” is a bookkeeping term. In order to know your true value in a material sense you have to record all your assets. If you leave out part of your assets you really do not know your true value. Well, in the spiritual world one of our assets is “dead to sin” and another is “alive to God”! Many Christians live their entire lives without knowing this or without realizing it. We see our deficits but do not realize or assets. Sin no longer rules — we have been set free!
B. We can resist sin. Verse 12 tells us to, and I paraphrase, “Stop letting sin rule in your life! We do not have to obey sin's passions”. I repeat, we have been set free! We have the right to deny sin's dominion over us. I am not saying that we come to a place where we cannot sin, only that we do not have to submit to sin. Of course we can sin! We have all the habits of our old life and all the memories of our past to draw on. But we do not have to and that's the difference.
C. Now we come to the greatest promise in this passage. Verse 14 , “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” This does not say that sin should not have dominion over us, or, sin may not have dominion over us. It says sin WILL HAVE NO DOMINION over us. We can resist sin and we will resist sin as we grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord. This is not something God does for us without our participation. This is something that we do in cooperation with him. We are not to let sin rule in our life! We ARE to let the peace of God rule in our heart and let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:15-16) In fact, there are so many “lets” in Paul's writings that we should make a careful study of them because they tell us what to do and what not to do. But still the promise remains, “sin will have no dominion over you.”
We need to rejoice in the promise of verse 14. Sin will have no dominion over us! This is because we have died with Christ, been buried with him, were raised with him and according to Ephesians 2:6 we are now seated with him heavenly places. No, we are not to continue in sin! We have died to sin and are to consider ourselves so. We are not to let sin rule in our mortal body. We are not to obey its passions. Grace rules over sin let's live like it!
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in 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 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 newness of life.
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. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. ESV
I usually read all or part of this passage in Romans before I baptize a person. It is important to see the relationship between baptism and salvation. But Paul was not just teaching about baptism alone. He was teaching about the reigning of grace over sin in our life. There were those who believed, and some who now believe, if the increase of sin caused grace to abound — then let's sin a lot in order for grace to increase! Paul is very clear on the subject, “Absolutely NOT!” If Christ is our Lord we have died to sin! He is not saying we cannot sin and is not saying that our sin nature is dead. He is saying that while we have the ability to sin we have the power not to sin. We have responsibility in the process. We are not a slave to sin — but we can still sin.
I. Baptism pictures burial after death
A person enters the water of baptism in order to make a public statement not just to join a church. That statement is, “I have confessed that I'm a sinner. I have confessed my faith in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. In him I have died to my old way of living and now choose to walk a new life.” The person is buried in the water and raised up with Christ to walk a new life.
I have often stated that baptism is like the marriage ceremony. It is a present public statement of a past experience. In the marriage ceremony a couple is saying to the world that they love one another and choose to spend the rest of their life together. “In sickness as in health, in poverty as in wealth, in the bad that may darken their days, in the good that may light their ways, and to be true to to their mate as long as they both shall live.” Baptism also is a present public statement of a past experience. In order for baptism to be valid a person must first have confessed their faith in Christ and turned away from their old way of living to live a new kind of life. This new life is one of faith and fellowship.
A. Spiritual baptism brings us into life. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, the apostle Paul says, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” ESV True baptism in the Spirit is the salvation experience.
B. Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit there is no salvation. Jesus said that the Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Paul wrote to the Romans: “The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16) In fact, when we hear the words of truth and believe them we “are sealed by the promised Holy Spirit”. ( Ephesians 1:13) The Holy Spirit not only bears witness to us that we are the children of God but he also bears witness to people around us. As they see the change in us they are often impressed that something good has happened in our life. They may not understand that it is the work of God but they definitely know that something is different! We are not made perfect in salvation but the Spirit begins his work in our life and there are notable changes. From salvation forward the Spirit continues to work to show us how to live the Christian life. He uses many different tools. Sometimes the words of another person, even said in anger, will convict us of something wrong in our life. Often, while reading the Bible, we will become aware of something we need to change. Certainly not always negative. Often the change will be positive as we see what the word of God is to say and learn to do it.
C. Baptism pictures the beginning of salvation. When Paul says, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27) Paul assumes that baptism is the outward sign of inward regeneration. When a person is born again that person has died to sin in order to live to God. Baptism represents burial and resurrection. It is a perfect picture of salvation. Just as Christ died for our sins we have died to our sins. This does not mean that we cannot sin but it does mean that we do have power over sin by the work of the Spirit of life. Salvation is not just a ticket to heaven it is the entry into a new life. Not just life but abundant life as promised by our Lord and Savior when he said, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
II. The death we died with Christ.
It is hard for us to imagine some of the truths of Scripture. This truth is really hard for us because we're still alive. We live in a material world. In fact, we live in a world that is hostile to God. True truth is spiritual as well as physical. When Christ died on the cross he did more than forgive our sins. He did forgive our sins but he did much more.
A. He bore our sins — as Peter said, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) Hundreds of years before Christ came to earth the prophet Isaiah, directed by God, wrote: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5) not only did he bear our sins but he took us to the cross.
B. Not our sins only but ourselves were taken to the cross Paul wrote to the Colossians in chapter 3 verses 1-4:
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” ESV
Paul begins by talking about our having been raised with Christ. When Jesus went to the cross and died for our sins, we were hidden with Christ in God, we died there too. Since we died with him it makes sense that we were raised with him! In Romans chapter 5 Paul explains very carefully that Adam, as the federal head of the human race, brought sin upon us all! “By one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19) Since Adam's sin brought sin on us all — Jesus' obedience brought us into a new relationship. Before salvation we lived under condemnation as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. Now that we have come to faith in Christ, we are now children of God! In a very real sense when Jesus died we died with him. In Galatians 2:20 Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” ESV In our text for today Paul states without a doubt, “…our old self was crucified with him”. Thank God we do not have to bear our sins he did it for us. Thank God we do not have to live as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve since he took that the cross, buried it in the tomb and set us free!
III. Grace reigns where sin once ruled.
A. Sin no longer rules in our lives. V 10-11 says “For the death he died he died to sin once for all but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Apart from Christ mankind is in bondage to sin. It is the very nature of man inherited from our forefather Adam. In the past we lived subject to Satan in the kingdom of darkness. But having come to faith in Christ we have been transferred from that kingdom to the kingdom of light. We have a new family, a new allegiance, a new Lord and a new home. Yet we must cooperate with God. He has set us free and we need to live like it. Paul uses the words “consider yourselves” when he talks about our being dead to sin and alive to God. “Consider” is a bookkeeping term. In order to know your true value in a material sense you have to record all your assets. If you leave out part of your assets you really do not know your true value. Well, in the spiritual world one of our assets is “dead to sin” and another is “alive to God”! Many Christians live their entire lives without knowing this or without realizing it. We see our deficits but do not realize or assets. Sin no longer rules — we have been set free!
B. We can resist sin. Verse 12 tells us to, and I paraphrase, “Stop letting sin rule in your life! We do not have to obey sin's passions”. I repeat, we have been set free! We have the right to deny sin's dominion over us. I am not saying that we come to a place where we cannot sin, only that we do not have to submit to sin. Of course we can sin! We have all the habits of our old life and all the memories of our past to draw on. But we do not have to and that's the difference.
C. Now we come to the greatest promise in this passage. Verse 14 , “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” This does not say that sin should not have dominion over us, or, sin may not have dominion over us. It says sin WILL HAVE NO DOMINION over us. We can resist sin and we will resist sin as we grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord. This is not something God does for us without our participation. This is something that we do in cooperation with him. We are not to let sin rule in our life! We ARE to let the peace of God rule in our heart and let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:15-16) In fact, there are so many “lets” in Paul's writings that we should make a careful study of them because they tell us what to do and what not to do. But still the promise remains, “sin will have no dominion over you.”
We need to rejoice in the promise of verse 14. Sin will have no dominion over us! This is because we have died with Christ, been buried with him, were raised with him and according to Ephesians 2:6 we are now seated with him heavenly places. No, we are not to continue in sin! We have died to sin and are to consider ourselves so. We are not to let sin rule in our mortal body. We are not to obey its passions. Grace rules over sin let's live like it!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Maintaining Faith in Times of Trouble
What is Faith?
Hebrews 11:1-3: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
By defining faith (Gk. pistis) as “assurance” and “conviction,” the author indicates that biblical faith is not a vague hope grounded in imaginary, wishful thinking. Instead, faith is a settled confidence that something in the future—something that is not yet seen but has been promised by God—will actually come to pass because God will bring it about.
“Maintaining faith” assumes one has faith.
What constitutes saving faith?
Jesus told Nicodemus “You must be born again.”
Our natural birth is of the flesh the new birth is of the Spirit.
We are brought to faith by understanding certain facts:
1) All have sinned
2) The penalty for our sin is death
3) Jesus died to pay the penalty of our sin
4) Jesus calls us to come to salvation
5) Repentance should be our response
6) Jesus promises: All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
How can we know we have saving faith?
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Remember the promise in 6) above.
Leon Morris can say, “Faith, for John, is an activity which takes men right out of themselves and makes them one with Christ.” He understands the Greek phrase πιστεύω εἰς to be a significant indication that New Testament faith is not just intellectual assent but includes a “moral element of personal trust.”
Saving faith causes the believer to be more aware than ever before of sin. A person who has such faith cannot sin and get away with it. The indwelling Holy Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness and judgement. Such conviction causes the believer to be uncomfortable with sin in their life as well as in the lives of others.
At the same time we still have all the bad memories and habits of the past that pull us away from faith. We also have an active enemy who works to make us ineffective in our faith.
The new birth gives us new resources that have to be used to be effective.
There is a definite change in the life of the believer beginning on the inside. The Holy Spirit begins his work in the believer.
“In him 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, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
We have the assurance of the Bible. John wrote: “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
We have weapons given by God. Read Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 and Hebrews 4:10. Weapons are only good if they are used.
The Bible is the source of faith. The Spirit works with the word to give us the ability to live a life of faith. “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
God gives us angels who minister to us. (Gen. 19:16; 28:12; 32:1, 2; Judg. 6:11; 13:3; Ps. 34:7; 91:11; 103:20, 21; Dan. 3:28; 6:22; 10:11 and Matt. 18:10) Peter was taken from prison by an angel. Phillip received directions from an angel. Cornelius was given precise instructions by an angel. Paul was given confidence by the words of an angel.
God gives us people to encourage us. In fact we are urged in scripture to encourage our fellow believers: “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”
Why Do Believers Have Trouble?
Jesus said we would: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Paul said: “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”
Everything in life serves a godly purpose. Romans 8:28 should be memorized: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”
When a believer confronts trouble several things should be taken into consideration: 1) Everyone has problems; 2) Jesus has overcome the world; 3) All things work together for good; 4) We really deserve death and hell everything is uphill from there.
The Book of Job tells us about a man who got what he did not deserve. He was blameless and upright yet he lost everything including his wealth, health, children and the support of his wife. His friends failed him in his time of need. He understood that everything came to him from God and did not understand what he had done to bring this disaster on himself.
“Why me?” is a fairly common reaction when trouble comes to people of faith. Job had that reaction and expressed it in chapter 19 verses 1-24. However, he immediately spoke his faith in the face of his troubles in chapter 19 verses 25-27. At the same time he was overwhelmed by the troubles that came his way.
Job seems never to have known anything about spiritual warfare that was going on around him. He only knew that God is sovereign and though he resented God’s treatment of him he knew that God is just and will ultimately vindicate him.
His friends took the common, human, response. If Job would just identify his sin and repent of it then God would stop the suffering.
God does not take Job to task for all that he said, in fact, God calls his words “right” in chapter 42 verse 7.
How we React to Trouble Reflects on Our Maturity
In scripture we are told specifically how to react. Romans 5:1-5; 1 Peter 1:6-9 and James 1:2-4
James and Paul are both direct in urging rejoicing in trouble, or suffering.
Paul first shows that by faith we have peace with God, grace to stand and hope of the glory of God.
James, on the other hand, dives right in with “Count it all joy, my brothers.”
Both speak words of encouragement to those who are suffering. Paul lists the positive outcome of suffering: “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Peter adds to Paul by saying that trials refine our faith like the furnace refines gold. He adds the concept that our faith is more precious than gold because gold will perish but our faith endures forever. Later Peter gives us assurance that God’s power grants us everything that pertains to life and godliness.
Joni Eareckson-Tada, who is a quadriplegic, was part of a Billy Graham Crusade many years ago. She sat in her wheelchair and told her story. If I remember correctly, she ended with these verses. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
On a recent radio program she quoted from Colossians 3. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
We have a responsibility to:
1) Listen to God daily – remember where faith comes from.
2) Talk to God often – He is not offended by our talk (but the devil is).
3) Praise God for his grace and goodness and listen to godly music.
4) Fellowship with other believers – refuse to withdraw.
5) Tell others about our faith – even when we do not feel it.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Personal observations on the Great Commission Task Force Report adopted at SBC 2010
The following is a compilation of quotes from the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force final report (that, I understand, was adopted by an estimated 3-1 margin at SBC 2010) These quotes contain every reference to associations in the report.
In studying the report I see a renewed emphasis on the autonomy of the local church and support for the local church. This is a much needed emphasis.
I see recognition of all gifts, including giving to the local association, as Great Commission Giving. This strengthens, and could be seen as encouraging, flexibility in giving by the local church. I do not believe that, in itself is a bad thing.
I see recognition that: ” we realize that we cannot direct individual Christians, local churches, associations or state conventions to take any particular or specific action.”
I see an encouragement of individuals, families, churches and associations to participate in direct mission efforts such as helping a nearby church or going to a far away place to do missions. Acts 1:8 at work.
I see an encouragement of local churches and their pastors, as well as associations and state conventions to provide training for and promotion of church planting and evangelism.
I am encouraged, in that we are located in an under served and under reached area of our nation, that emphasis is placed on supporting outreach and strengthening in such areas.
I see nothing in the report that recommends restructuring the governing bodies of associations.
I see nothing in the report that calls for dropping funding for associations.
Until specific actions are taken to implement the GCRTF recommendations we do not have any basis to make changes in our structure, policies or practices other than changes based on our understanding of God’s will for Central New York Baptist Association.
Quotes from GCRTF report:
Page 4:
State conventions are developing new ways of reaching North America, and local associations are devising new ways of linking churches together for ministry.
Page 6
All of our Baptist work beyond the local church must exist solely to serve the local church in this mission. This is true for every Baptist association, state convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention
Page 8
We will recognize the total of all monies channeled through the causes of the Southern Baptist Convention, the state conventions, and associations as Great Commission Giving.
Page 9
We call upon all Southern Baptists to celebrate every dollar given by faithful Southern Baptists as part of Great Commission Giving, including designated gifts given to any Baptist association, state convention, and to the causes of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Page 17
We hold to an ecclesiology that honors and affirms both autonomy and cooperation.
The Great Commission Resurgence Task Force is well aware of this, and we realize that we cannot direct individual Christians, local churches, associations or state conventions to take any particular or specific action.
Page 18
Under “Challenges for Individual Christians”
Participate in a North American or international mission trip sponsored by your church or association at least once every four years.
Page 19
Under “Challenges for Individual Families”
Spend a family vacation participating in a local church or association sponsored mission trip.
Under “Challenges for Local Churches and Pastors”
Become knowledgeable of the mission field of your specific region, identifying the various people groups and developing a strategy to penetrate the lostness in your region. Be intentional in working with your local association, state convention and NAMB in pursuing this task.
Page 21
Under “Challenges for Local Churches and Pastors”
Get involved in a regular church planting program at some level of your congregation’s capability. This can include specific partnerships with another church, your association, state convention or NAMB.
Plan at least one evangelism training course annually for your church members; consider inviting members of other churches in your association to participate, especially smaller churches.
Plan at least one North American or international mission trip a year and/or encourage members to participate in mission trips sponsored by a local association.
Pages 22-23
Challenges for Local Associations
Enthusiastically embrace the missional vision and core values of the SBC allowing them to guide your work and set your priorities.
Adopt the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 as your confessional basis of association and adopt some shared core values and priorities that characterize the cooperating churches of your association.
Organize quarterly associational prayer meetings for the conversion of the lost and the planting of sound churches in the underserved and unreached areas of North America and around the globe.
Work with state conventions and the SBC to set aside January of every year as a month of prayer for the conversion of unreached people groups around the globe.
Plan at least one annual foreign mission trip and one annual North
American mission trip and encourage all the churches in the association to participate, especially smaller churches.
Develop associational collections of evangelism and discipleship resources and regularly inform the churches about the availability of such resources.
Work with cooperating churches to plant at least one new church a year in an underserved area within or near to the association.
Work with cooperating churches to plan at least one mercy ministry focused outreach event every year.
Page 24
Under “Challenges for State Conventions”
Work with local associations and local churches to plan regional evangelism and discipleship training events on at least a semiannual basis.
Page 25
Under “Challenges for the Seminaries”
Cooperate with local associations, state conventions, NAMB and the IMB in planning and hosting church planting training that puts international missions and church planting in the life blood of all the students our churches entrust to your care.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Our Trip to Peru - September 2010
Departed, Tuesday, September 21 – Returned September 29-30Our team consisted of: Waylen & Cherlyn Bray, Ed Hart, Vincent McKever and Harold Wimbley. We arrived at Lima and did not find any one with a sign looking for us. After an hour of waiting and trying several phone numbers two nice people (Robert and Sonia) approached us and asked if we were looking for someone working with ReapSouth. We said yes. The entire hour they had been patiently waiting for a group of people who looked like Americans who might be on a mission trip. WE FAILED the “look like” test! Thoughts: *We changed dollars to Sols at the airport about 2.72 S to $1. Can be as high as 3 – 1. Look for a vender who advertises “no commission”.*After working with Robert and Sonia (translators) for a couple days we asked them if they would be interested in being part of our team. They were eager to join up and said they would be available if given enough notice. After talking with Arnold Austin – the missionary who debriefed us – he made a note to be sure Robert is assigned to Pastors Wayne and Rick in November.
Then we found a van to take our expanded crew to the Soyuz bus station. We grabbed a little food at the station and boarded the bus. The cost of the bus to Ica was 28 S (one way) or about $10. The on-board entertainment was two horror films about giant snakes. We arrived at Ica, took two taxis (about 8 S for each) to Pastor Wilfredo´s home. We got there at 1:30 AM. He was faithfully waiting for us. Thought:*The following is solid contact for Pastor Wilfredo after getting to Ica. Wilfredo Pardo HernandezCalle: Madre Selva No. 165 Urbanization, San Isidro, ICARing the doorbell and wait.Telephone 056-214254*If the flight is in the daytime it would likely be best to overnight in Lima, especially if Lima arrival time is after 2 PM.*Bathroom attendants seem to routinely charge 50 centamos and will provide a small amount of paper. Best to carry your own paper.
Wednesday
We had very productive meetings with Pastor. We asked about the possibility of Wilfredo coming to the USA and found that he was denied a visa on his first interview. We agreed to find out from our state department what we should do to make his visa available. He has his passport.I (Waylen) proposed that we have not been including Wilfredo in our planning process and therefore have not had the advantage of his knowledge of the culture and the people in our target area. Ed stated that we had had unanimous agreement on the vision trip that we should focus on Llauta and since then we have been diverted to Laramate with little positive results. After discussion we determined to recommend to our CNYBA team that we focus on Llauta with only side trips to Laramate, Huac-Huas and Ocana.
Wilfredo stated that this year had been very bad for him. Background: He had been sent to Ica with a sponsoring church in Lima. That church originally supported him with 900 S a month. A new senior pastor came to the Lima church and he told Wilfredo that he was not to go back to the mountains but instead should focus all his energy on the Ica church. Then the Lima church reduced his support and when it became obvious he was still going to the mountains cut him off entirely. Since then he has been bi-vocational. He works as a laborer and in other areas of building maintenance. This year Raquel had problems with her pregnancy and he could not leave her. She delivered by c-section in June and soon had an infection. That was coupled to depression that Wilfredo was experiencing due to the lack of moral and financial support.
We asked about why he had not baptized anyone in the mountains. He said he was not positive the people were true believers. Teaching for future trips should focus on baptism and church development. We discussed the need to strengthen “El Huerta” (the Ica church) while, at the same time, establishing the work in the mountains. We discussed ideas of VBS and Outreach teams for Ica as well as work teams to finish the repair work on the church building. They have done a beautiful job of tile on the floor downstairs and with paint and “fix up”.In order to maintain our presence in Llauta Pastor Wilfredo suggested he would seek out a student at the seminary who is self-employed and ask him to go to Llauta for 2 weeks each month under Wilfredo’s supervision. On our part, we will look for rental property in Llauta paying a year in advance so as not to lose it between trips. Wilfredo said it would be better to have him occasionally and another person regularly for extended stays but not a pastor on the scene until the work is established. A pastor on the scene would do everything and the people would not learn to function as a church.We had a nice lunch at McGrills (9 people 119 S) and then went to Tottus for some shopping. I bought a showerhead for the room Cherlyn and I are staying in. We rested some in the afternoon and then returned to McGrills for dessert – except for Robert, Sonia and Vincent who had a meal.
Thursday
Wilfredo was unable to go with us to Llauta since a woman who was to help Raquel failed to appear. I (Waylen) believe he would have gone if we insisted but we did not.
Wilfredo had engaged a van to take us to Llauta at a cost of 250 S. We left at 8:30 AM and arrived in Palpa at 10:30 AM where we bought some water and used bathrooms. About halfway to Llauta the driver stopped for lunch saying he had not eaten breakfast. We arrived in Llauta at 1:30 PM. We arranged for rooms at the Hostel owned by the village at a cost of 10 S per person per night. The driver promised (3 times) to return on Saturday between 12 and 1 PM to take us back to Ica.
We did a walking tour of Llauta and arranged to meet the doctor at the health center on Friday at 8 AM and to visit the Kindergarten at 9 AM. There is now 3-4 places to eat at in Llauta. That is likely a result of construction crews building the new plaza and a new school building.
Julio Ramos came to me to ask for a bible. On our last meeting he ridiculed the tract and witness I made to him. I had left my spare Spanish Bible in Ica. (Upon return to Ica I gave the bible to Pastor Wilfredo who was a little skeptical of Julio since he had been at the first encounter. He agreed to take it to Julio)
Friday
We went to the Salud (Health Center) and met with Dr. Jorge Gallarao Navarrete and Nurse Hermelinda Tivas Flores. The doctor began by saying that we had brought medicines last year expecting nothing in return. Then he produced a notebook with page after page of names, medicines and signatures (or thumbprints) representing the supplies we had given them. I probably did not respond appropriately, as I was overwhelmed with emotion. We discussed the ambulance and saw there was a need for two more new tires with tubes. There is also a need for fuel as the local government is not supplying the amount promised and needed. *We purchased tires and tubes in Ica for Wilfredo to send up by taxi.Then Hermalinda took over the discussion with a plan she has prepared and presented (along with the doctor) to the government. The plan is to involve education for mothers on nutrition for children birth through 3 years old. She presented it to us in print for our consideration. Hermalinda is a believer and is passionate about the problem of malnutrition among the little ones of the Llauta district. According to her report there are 104 between the age of birth and 3 with 49 being in Llauta central and the others are identified in Carhuacucho (24) and Pucara (31).
We then went to the Kindergarten to meet with Elsa, the teacher and sang, “Jesus Love Me”, in Spanish and looked over her situation. She has a lovely new space for the children but needs a stone fence/wall along the street about 50-60 ft to protect the children. She needs the girl’s bathroom to be finished (tile and paint) and a small storage shed.
Ed, Vincent, Harold and Robert went to meet with Theresa (secondary principal) and got a list of items the school needs. They need computers, sneakers, sweat suits and sports equipment. They have one volleyball for the entire school. They have the ability to install computers.At some point Ed committed to come back to Llauta for the close of school party December 15, to play “Papa Noel” and I will do a talk on Nicholas and link him to a generous heart stirred by Jesus to give gifts to those in need.I (Waylen) and Sonia met with Neilo, the Director of the schools and we agreed he would get in communication with me by email. The school needs some help with refurbishing a playground. Manual labor can be done by parents but they will need help with cost of basketball goals and concrete surface. I asked about the shrine to Saint Martin and Neilo said it will “disappear”. They would like assistance with English language classes and materials. (videos of practical matters such as employment and working in the fields, and dictionaries, etc). He would like help with buying refreshments for the Christmas party.We spent the afternoon looking at potential rental properties. We found rooms with a common bath (used by others as well) that could be rented for 30 S a month each and two rooms (more space – but same bath) could be had for 100 S. There is a house being constructed (part of a row of houses sharing the same outside walls) for the purpose of being rented but price is not set as yet. There is a municipality owned building but no one was available to discuss renting it. Saul Bendezu showed us around. His daughter, Nilda Bendezu, owned some of the property. Ed and I agreed to follow up in December and perhaps make a decision if we are empowered to by the CNYBA team to do so.
Saturday
We got up, packed up and vacated our rooms. After settling the bill we took our luggage to the square where we waited in bright sunlight. Hung out and visited with those who were available. At 10:45 we asked to use the loudspeaker to announce a meeting in the square. Robert made the announcement. Many people were away from the village at a Fiesta in Carhuacucho and others were in the fields. There were also those who go away to one of the cities on the weekend, About 10 adults and 12-14 children gathered with us. We sang some songs and the gospel was presented. When 2 PM came and no van we bought a phone card and called Pastor Wilfredo. He asked us to call back so he could call the van agency. Upon connecting with them they said the driver did not tell them about the appointment. They could not contact Laramate because of some problem with the landline. We told him that if we did not call him back we had found a way.
About 3 PM a mixto arrived but only had room for five. Harold looked in and said they did not have room for more than three. The driver said we should not worry as there was a bus coming along in about a half-hour. We moved our luggage to the bus stop and waited. The bus arrived and had plenty of room in the back for us and our luggage. The cost was 20 S each to Ica. Compared to the van we saved 110 S by taking the bus. 3:20-5:30 PM to Palpa and 5:30-7:45 PM to Ica. Robert explained where the seminary building was and the driver took a side trip and dropped us at the door.
Sunday
We went to church – Waylen preached in the AM. Took everyone to lunch a McGrill’s 13 people – 215 S.Back to church in the PM – Ed preachedPlaza del Sol food court for dinner – individual choice and dutch treat.
Monday
Met with Pastor for debriefing. Asked Wilfredo if our late arrival was a problem to him. He assured us it did not matter when we arrived. Also asked him about how he felt about the meeting we had on Wednesday and he said he had no problem with it. He was encouraged.We discussed the matter of recommending a focus on Llauta and everyone thought that what they had seen on the trip pointed in that direction. We discussed the fact that anyone who felt a need to go to Laramate certainly had the freedom to do so. This is not an all or nothing matter. We just believe housing in Llauta would allow us higher exposure there and the freedom to take a taxi to any of the other villages for a day or two would not be out of the plan. We recognize that two year’s focus on Laramate has not produced an ongoing group meeting much less a church.Wilfredo was asked about how positive the seminary students seemed to feel about the ministry in the villages. He said some have shown some interest but there has been no follow through. He will talk further with them and take one, or more, up to see what they think after a visit. If such a person is committed to go up they could accompany the November and December teams. If housing is rented in December Pastor Wilfredo would hold the key and monitor any use of the space between trips from the US.I asked if some of the believers in Ica could accompany teams to Llauta. Wilfredo said that would be a good thing when it can be done. We could meet with locals in Ica and pray together about the work.We will need to get some budget figure for locals going to or staying in Llauta fairly soon. Pastor Wilfredo asked if we could continue to use the hostel in Llauta and we said we could but costs will be much smaller if we just rented on an annual basis.We asked if it was possible to travel to Llauta in the rainy season. Wilfredo said yes of course many people do it all the time there just needs to be some flexibility on either end as a mudslide could close the road but it was never more than a few hours – up to a day – before the road is cleared again. So there needs to be a day on each end of the trip to allow for such incidents between November and March.Wilfredo pointed out that whoever goes as an outreach person must know that they are enlisted to start the work and we will be looking for a local pastor as the work develops. I pointed out that we need to help to strengthen the Ica church. I read “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.” Isaiah 54:2. We need to do bible clubs, music concerts, revivals etc as well as witness in the neighborhood. With a strong stake our tent can be larger.Ed asked if it would be possible to do some teaching at the seminary to help train people for mountain outreach. I pointed out that we are not trying to interfere with the seminary but add to its offerings. Ed asked about the schedule for the seminary. Most classes are two weeks in length a few are one week (evenings I think)I asked if the other pastors involved in the seminary would support such a plan. Wilfredo said he would have to talk with them. I asked if Ed and I could meet with some of them when we came back in December. Wilfredo said “Yes”.Wilfredo said that sometimes we have a vision not knowing the reality. We must be able to see the reality and then make plans.I stated that Dr. Jorge had said that we brought medicines without expecting anything in return. We need to keep it clear that we come to bring the gospel with no strings attached. Our material assistance must follow the pattern laid down by Jesus – doing for the least does for him – and by James in that faith without works is dead. We must work with the Health Dept., the schools and the local government without entering into any conflicts that may exist between them.We assured Wilfredo that he is an important part of our team. We asked him to speak up when he saw that we were on the wrong path.
In the afternoon we went to the Goodyear store and purchased tires and tubes that Wilfredo will pick up later to take to Llauta. Then we went to the Health Ministry to present a list of needed medicines given us by Dr. Jorge. I told Miriam that we had 500 S to spend and she took the list, eliminated the ones she did not have and created a list that cost 514.22 S with my permission. We took them back for Wilfredo to take up to Llauta next week.
Tuesday
We took taxis to Soyuz bus station bought tickets to Lima and took the ride. Movies were worse. Took taxis to Santa Cruz Hotel and checked in. 1 room for 3 men and one room for Cherlyn and I. $20 for each person for the night.I contacted Austin Arnold, the missionary assigned to debrief us by Mike Weaver. We walked to Kennedy Park to have dinner and meet with Arnold. We reported on our trip and the plan to involve the local people and the Ica church. I also pointed out our intention to establish a rental unit as our base in Llauta. Arnold said that we are on the cutting edge. The IMB has passed down directions to utilize such a plan. I told him we are continuing to supply medicines and tires for the ambulance.He seemed pleased with all that we had done and our plan for the future. I told him we had arranged to keep Robert and Sonia as part of our team and he seemed to think that was a good plan.
Wednesday
We checked out of the hotel and Sonia joined us to help us shop for some gifts.Hotel provided a van for trip to airport $30.Checked in at airport flew to Bogota and spent part of the night in a hotel provided by Avianca due to a problem with our connecting flight.ThursdayFlew to JFKPicked up our car and drove to Stamford.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
To the Ends of the Earth 100915
Isaiah 60
Twenty-one years ago I was told that all of Isaiah 60 applied to my ministry and that of this church. The person who told me that was Jack Taylor who was speaking in a conference in New London, CT. Over the years I had come to greatly appreciate Brother Taylor’s ministry so I kept the note he wrote for many years. I am sure it is in one of my old bibles – somewhere. It has always been my desire that this church, and any ministry I am part of, should reflect the message of Acts 1:8. The gospel is not just for a few – it is for all people of all ages. The first disciples were told that they would begin in Jerusalem, go out into Judea, on to Samaria and then to the ends of the earth. Isaiah 60 speaks of people from many nations blessing Israel. Applied to us it speaks of the blessings of many nations coming to us to strengthen the ministry here.
I. It is easy to slip back into a “me only” mentality.
A. When first saved it is pretty much about “ME”.
B. Missions becomes something we give to and others do.
C. Vision is self-centered.
II. Jesus told his disciples they would be empowered - Acts 1:8
A. To witness.
B. Where they were.
C. To whomever they met.
III. The gospel is for all people. Matthew 28:18-20
A. All have sinned.
B. All are condemned.
C. All who receive and believe become children of God.
We must remember that we have been called to reach out with the gospel. Our friends and family need to know Christ. Our neighbors and those we work with need to know Christ. We need to learn what it takes to open the hearts and minds around us to the gospel. We know the gospel is God’s will but we have not got a good grasp of God’s way of sharing the gospel. I will close with a story about a person who came to Christ over a period of time. Let’s learn from it.
By Bob Wood
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I first heard Sharon’s name (not her real name) as a prayer request. We were praying for lost persons in our circle of influence. A lady in our Sunday School class who worked with Sharon requested prayer for her. Sharon had no church background and was antagonistic toward Christianity.
Sharon’s first contact with our church was a Sunday School party. She came with her friend who was praying for her. Isn’t it interesting how people who won’t come to church will come to a party? At a simple party with food and board games Sharon’s perception of Christians began to change. Later she told me, “I was surprised. You guys didn’t have two heads and seemed to have fun.”
Sharon’s next contact with our church was months later; she sent her kids to VBS. Sharon’s third contact with was about a year later when she came with her friend to a Sunday morning worship service. After a few months of worship attendance, Sharon began attending our Sunday School class with her friend.
Finally, about two years after we began praying, Sharon’s friend shared the gospel with her and she accepted Jesus. She soon made a public profession of faith and was baptized. By the way, the next summer she was helping to teach VBS and hosted a backyard Bible club at her home.
What was the door to Christ and His church for Sharon? Was it Sunday School? Yes! Was it worship? Yes! Was it VBS? Yes! Most of all, it was a Christian friend who prayed for her, invited her to church events, and shared the good news of Jesus with her. Sunday School and worship can and should be partners in evangelism.
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