1 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:10,360 This is ERC Sundays, the messages at Emmaus Rd. 2 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:14,240 Church in DeWitt, Iowa. ERC is a Church of people 3 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,320 striving to grow in Jesus and make him known to others through 4 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:21,520 our faith, words and actions. Find out more about our church 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,360 at emmausrdonline.org. Here's this week's message. 6 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:32,240 We are in Romans 8. This is week two of our series 7 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:36,800 in what scholars and theologians mostly call the greatest chapter 8 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:42,840 in the Bible. Full of the foundations of 9 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:47,280 Christian theology and doctrine, this chapter on its own is a 10 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:56,280 picture of faith, of what was poured out by God for us, what 11 00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:00,200 that means for us to then engage in relationship with Him, and 12 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:02,960 what we have to look forward to at the coming of Christ. 13 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:11,600 It's all in this chapter. Last week Pastor Chris started 14 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:16,040 us off by actually going back to Chapter 7 in Romans because 15 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:19,880 there's an important part in there he reminded us. 16 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:25,240 Paul writes about this sort of war going on between our bodies 17 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:27,840 and our minds. Paul finds himself in this place 18 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:32,360 where his mind, his heart knows the good things he ought to do, 19 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,360 but his flesh, his body is trapped doing the things he 20 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:43,160 knows he ought not to do. That probably feels familiar to 21 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:46,480 to any of you who are in this Christian Walker are really just 22 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:51,080 on the face of this earth. There's there's good things and 23 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,400 there's bad things. There's things we should do and 24 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:56,240 less good things that we sometimes do do. 25 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,720 He impressed upon us last week that our will and the strength 26 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:07,560 of that our heart, whatever it may be, is not enough on its own 27 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:13,120 to do the good that we ought and that our will is bound to where 28 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:18,080 our heart is. So in this tension between 29 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:23,200 heavenly and earthly things or or good things and things of the 30 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:28,120 flesh, this is where we find ourselves in a Christian life. 31 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:32,120 I'm going to ask you a question this morning. 32 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:33,920 And a lot of time when I ask a question, I'm looking for a 33 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:37,320 response this morning. I would encourage you to keep it 34 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:45,200 to yourself. But I do want you to answer it, 35 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:47,720 even if you're not shouting it out, I want you to settle on an 36 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:49,880 answer in your mind. We're going to hold on to that 37 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,200 for later. The question I have for you, 38 00:02:54,200 --> 00:03:00,280 what is the best, most noble, most righteous thing that you 39 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:08,790 have ever done? What is the best, most noble, 40 00:03:08,830 --> 00:03:12,390 most righteous thing that you have ever done in your life? 41 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:21,440 This might be hard for some of some of you. 42 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,960 Want to shout this one out, Brag a little bit. 43 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,120 OK, hold on to that answer. I have another question. 44 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:42,400 What is the worst, most terrible, sinful thing that you 45 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:51,360 have ever done? Less eager to shout that one 46 00:03:51,360 --> 00:04:03,250 out. I think in this war that Chris 47 00:04:03,250 --> 00:04:09,250 set up for us last week, torn between the flesh and the 48 00:04:09,250 --> 00:04:11,570 spirit. I think probably a lot of your 49 00:04:11,570 --> 00:04:15,370 answers to the first question, the good question, are probably 50 00:04:15,370 --> 00:04:17,690 rooted in the things on this side, in the fruits of the 51 00:04:17,690 --> 00:04:19,450 spirit, Lovejoy, peace, patience. 52 00:04:20,769 --> 00:04:24,450 And they're on the answers to the second question probably 53 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:28,840 fall more in line with this acts of the flesh list on the left. 54 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,560 And Paul in another one of his writings in Galatians 5, lays 55 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,200 both of these things out. He, he kind of expounds on, 56 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:40,800 expands on this war between the flesh and the spirit. 57 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:49,960 So how is it then? Where do we find ourselves, as 58 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:56,040 Paul did, knowing the things that are good, the things we 59 00:04:56,040 --> 00:05:01,560 ought to do, the do's we should do, and yet so often finding 60 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:11,620 ourselves wrapped in the don'ts? What do we do with that? 61 00:05:12,540 --> 00:05:21,060 How do we fight that? Do we need to win that fight if 62 00:05:21,060 --> 00:05:25,460 we are to be worthy of the outpouring of Jesus Christ? 63 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,520 I think these are all questions, questions that we either have or 64 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,840 should wrestle with in this Christian life. 65 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:49,400 Is my best good enough and is my worst not bad enough to keep me 66 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:54,880 out? We turn to our text this morning 67 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:57,440 in Romans 8, starting at verse 5. 68 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,840 Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the 69 00:06:01,840 --> 00:06:03,960 things of the flesh. But those who live according to 70 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,680 the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 71 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:10,920 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on 72 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:15,200 the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the 73 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:19,920 flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law. 74 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:23,240 Indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh 75 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:26,080 cannot please God. You, however, are not in the 76 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,880 flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in 77 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,520 you, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not 78 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:36,320 belong to him. But if Christ is in you, 79 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:38,800 although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is 80 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,080 life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised 81 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:45,920 Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus 82 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:49,840 from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies 83 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,320 through His Spirit who dwells in you. 84 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:01,640 I'm going to guess at some point or another, anyone with even a 85 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:07,080 basic understanding of the biblical narrative, you 86 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:10,040 understand good and evil. At least you understand the 87 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:15,760 tension that there is in that. Those of us more familiar with 88 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:18,760 the Bible and the Christian faith, I think we have this 89 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:21,520 picture and this assumption. I'm going to put this word out 90 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:23,280 here. It's it's sanctification. 91 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:28,440 We have this idea that once we are in Christ, once we put our 92 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:31,400 faith in Jesus. OK, what does that life look 93 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,520 like? Well, Peter has some ideas. 94 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:38,720 He he writes in in his letters Jesus command on his disciples 95 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:42,240 first Peter 116 be holy for I am holy. 96 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:47,360 You're in you believe in Jesus shooting for the stars supposed 97 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:54,800 to be holy now he writes in second Peter 318 grow in grace 98 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,280 in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 99 00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:04,240 This Christian life is, is supposed to be on our way up and 100 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:08,800 to the left, right towards, towards these good things, 101 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,320 towards these things that we arrive on. 102 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:17,440 They're not just little glimpses, moments of joy, peace, 103 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,560 patience, all, all all these fruits, but like we actually 104 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:23,840 become love. We, we, we think we can get to 105 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:28,280 this point where it's, it's just a default setting. 106 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:31,040 Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, 107 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:33,200 self-control. We've arrived, we've done it. 108 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:40,000 We, we, we have all the fruits of the Spirit growing each and 109 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,720 every day a little more like Jesus. 110 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:46,280 That's what the Christian walk is supposed to look like, right? 111 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:55,320 Wrong. Because the moment that you find 112 00:08:55,320 --> 00:09:03,440 yourself in something in the axe of the flesh side of this, you 113 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:08,880 are nothing like Jesus. He didn't do it even once. 114 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:15,720 So the moment we stray from the things of the Spirit to the 115 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,720 things of the flesh, we are nothing like Jesus. 116 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:25,320 We're fighting a fight that Christ has already won and one 117 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:28,120 that in our own strength, we are bound to lose. 118 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:34,840 This is the tension of the Christian life. 119 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:40,360 We feel like each and every day we're just a little more holy, 120 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:45,920 little more and but on some days doesn't it feel that we're not 121 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:52,040 holy at all that we're back to that starting point of 0 of 122 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:56,640 nothing. That's not even that crazy to 123 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,400 feel that way. We we have David and Abraham and 124 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,240 Samson, countless examples in the Old Testament, these guys 125 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:06,560 who were counted righteous by God, commissioned by godfather 126 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:11,480 Abraham, many sons supposed to be father of Israel, more 127 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:13,880 descendants, more numerous than the stars in the sands of the 128 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:19,040 sea. But he got sick of waiting and 129 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:20,840 decide, OK, God, your plan. You know what? 130 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:23,800 I'm maybe it wasn't through my wife. 131 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,400 Maybe it's through my wife's servant that I was supposed to 132 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:28,440 have all these descendants. So I'm going to I'm going to do 133 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:32,160 that. And then later on sojourn 134 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:36,920 sojourn in in Egypt. He was, he lied about who his 135 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:42,320 wife was for fear of the Egyptians killing him because 136 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:44,080 his wife was so beautiful. He was, he was a shame. 137 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,400 He was fearful of who his wife was. 138 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:52,240 Do you think Abraham's not in heaven? 139 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,600 He ended in kind of a weird place compared to where he 140 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:00,960 began. King David. 141 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,200 We started reading his Psalm of lament of repentance this 142 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:05,960 morning. King David, chosen by God, 143 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:12,120 defeated Goliath, delivered the people of Israel back into the 144 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:16,000 fold of God, into right standing with God and leading them in 145 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:19,720 God's ways. That Psalm was written in 146 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:22,680 response to committing adultery and murder. 147 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:32,560 He certainly wasn't on the up and to up into the right sort of 148 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:39,960 path. Samson, in all his strength and 149 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:46,600 might, fell pray to desires of the flesh. 150 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:58,360 He failed as well. Do you think that any of those 151 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:03,320 individuals aren't in the glorious splendour of eternity? 152 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:10,600 I have a hard time believing that they're not, but we don't 153 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:16,560 exactly get that state of perfection where they arrived 154 00:12:16,560 --> 00:12:28,600 and lived out this life. Just so we live in this tension 155 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:39,840 because though if we confess our sins, if we put our belief, our 156 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:43,960 trust, that's really what it is in, in Jesus and in his his 157 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,480 saving grace, his blood poured out on the cross for us, his 158 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:50,840 resurrection from the dead. From that moment we have the 159 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,960 Holy Spirit in US brought about by faith. 160 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,480 So we are the living with mindset on the Spirit in a way, 161 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,520 but we have this pesky flesh hanging around too. 162 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:12,040 We haven't fully realized the greatness of Jesus's perfection. 163 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:17,120 We mostly just spend time living in the utter depravity of our 164 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:23,080 sin. And there comes a point, I 165 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:30,160 think, where if we are two sets in this Christian life, on 166 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:39,320 fleeing the don'ts and pursuing the do's, that we actually have 167 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:44,200 our minds set on the flesh. We think if we avoid enough of 168 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:47,880 these and do enough of these, we will arrive at perfection. 169 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:51,320 We'll have figured it out and ace this test. 170 00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:57,720 We won't see that. So what are you pursuing? 171 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:01,920 Yes, we should live a life in response, in worship yet yet we 172 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:03,680 should hate sin. We should flee sin. 173 00:14:03,680 --> 00:14:07,200 Yes. We should set our minds on the 174 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:10,000 things above, on these good things, Absolutely, yes. 175 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:14,360 But that's not ultimately the point. 176 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:18,560 The point is Jesus. The point is what Jesus did, 177 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:27,970 what he did for you. There's a couple of big ifs that 178 00:14:27,970 --> 00:14:33,610 Paul points out, and they're good ifs because he says very 179 00:14:33,610 --> 00:14:38,970 conclusively here, if our mind is set on the flesh what we 180 00:14:38,970 --> 00:14:45,880 could do for good or avoid doing for bad, that mind is set on 181 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:51,440 death, we're set to fail. But a mindset on the Spirit is 182 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:55,240 life in peace. So then how are we in the Spirit 183 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:59,120 of God? The mind on the flesh is hostile 184 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:02,680 to God, but a mind in the Spirit is life in peace. 185 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:06,840 Verse 9. You, however, are not in the 186 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:11,160 flesh in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. 187 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:15,080 Anyone who is not of the Spirit of Christ does not belong to 188 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:16,960 him, he says in verse 8. Those who are in the flesh 189 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:21,360 cannot please God. Even if we avoided all the 190 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:25,360 don'ts, all the bad things perfectly, and even if we did 191 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:30,000 all the good things perfectly, that's still a mindset on the 192 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,080 flesh. Our works can't please God. 193 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,440 It's the Spirit of Christ. If Christ is in you, though the 194 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:42,440 body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of 195 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:46,520 righteousness. Another if if the Spirit of him 196 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:49,480 who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised 197 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:53,200 Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal 198 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:57,720 bodies. It's through his Spirit. 199 00:15:57,720 --> 00:15:59,800 So we want that. We want to be in the Spirit. 200 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:04,960 We want his Spirit in US. How do we do that? 201 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:09,440 Well, first we have to we have to come to a couple we believe 202 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,160 statements. If the Spirit of him who raised 203 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:15,320 Jesus from the dead dwells in you, OK, you need to believe 204 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:19,640 that Jesus was raised from the dead and that same spirit that 205 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:23,280 in power raised him from the dead now lives in you if you 206 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:26,760 believe in Christ Jesus. We have to start with those 207 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:34,200 assumptions. How do we get that spirit in US 208 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:39,440 though, after those ifs, if those ifs are fulfilled? 209 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:47,280 Acts 238 Luke writes, repent and be baptized, everyone of you in 210 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,920 the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and 211 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,840 you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 212 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:59,400 So at that point, that moment that you put your trust in 213 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:02,520 Jesus, that you say, God, I, I got a sin problem and I can't do 214 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:03,960 it on my own. I need you. 215 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:08,240 I need your blood poured out, Jesus, I need your hope of 216 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:11,400 eternal life. Jesus, you have the gift of the 217 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,640 Holy Spirit. Baptism then is an outward 218 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,880 expression. And yes, it is an outpouring of 219 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:23,680 the Holy Spirit, but the act of baptism is an outward expression 220 00:17:24,599 --> 00:17:28,680 of what Christ has already done on the inside, of how he's made 221 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:32,760 you new on the inside. It's like a wedding ring. 222 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:41,360 Does this ring mean something? Mean something? 223 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:49,200 Does it mean everything? If I take it off, am I the less 224 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:57,920 married? No, but it still signifies that 225 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:01,440 I am married. I'm not suggesting we can take 226 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:08,120 off our baptism, but it's an outward sign of where our heart 227 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:13,280 is. This ring is an outward sign of 228 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:16,960 where my heart is. And there is an outpouring of 229 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:20,440 the Holy Spirit in baptism. Jesus himself was baptized. 230 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:23,160 If Jesus did it, you should probably do it. 231 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:32,440 Maybe not the cross thing, but baptism if he needed it. 232 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:38,040 The outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we certainly need it as 233 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:44,920 well. Because if the Spirit of him who 234 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,960 raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he will also give 235 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:53,280 life to your mortal bodies through his spirits who dwells 236 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:56,920 in you. If we can't of our own action 237 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:04,280 avoid doing enough of the don'ts and do enough of the do's, it's 238 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:09,680 the Spirit who then gives us life in this war, in this fight. 239 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:14,760 Paul says in Galatians 3, two, you did not receive the Spirit 240 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:17,880 by works of the law, but by hearing it with faith. 241 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:22,640 The Holy Spirit is given to anyone and everyone who trusts 242 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:28,280 Christ. The essence of both of those 243 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:31,640 actions, repentance and baptism, is faith. 244 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:41,400 What Jesus has done for you. So Church, that's what I want us 245 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,600 to focus on today and each day forward. 246 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:51,840 I think too often we beat ourselves up in the worst thing 247 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:58,680 that we've ever done. And we also too often look at 248 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:01,280 ourselves in the light of the best thing we've ever done. 249 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:10,280 The only thing that matters is what Jesus has done. 250 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:16,000 The Christian life is not about pursuing perfection arriving. 251 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:21,480 It's not about striving for acceptance or gaining something 252 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:26,200 from God or even paying him back for something for everything 253 00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:30,960 that he has done. I said the word sanctification 254 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,840 earlier. That's really the experience of 255 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:39,440 the Christian life becoming more like Christ, but living in that 256 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:43,720 tension of not arriving in the fullness of the perfection of 257 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:47,440 Christ. We're going to fly through this. 258 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:49,480 Going to be a few churchy words here. 259 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:54,000 I have notes for those of you that like notes or want to take 260 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:56,640 all this down. There's a sheet with my notes 261 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:00,440 out at the on a table before you go out the doors there. 262 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:04,080 We're going to roll through a couple of these things quickly 263 00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:07,360 because I think this is where our hope should be. 264 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:12,480 There's a couple different phases in sanctification, and 265 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:14,640 I'm going to use a couple other theological words with them 266 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:16,680 because really what I'm saying, the first phase of 267 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:21,160 sanctification, wow, sanctification, it's really 268 00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:24,160 justification. As we understand that 269 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:29,080 justification is the moment of conversion that you've given 270 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:33,000 your life over to Christ. You are sanctified, you are made 271 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:37,080 holy, set apart in the work of Jesus Christ. 272 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:42,400 So even in that conversion moment, God's gift is full and 273 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:44,440 whole and ready for you right there. 274 00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:49,720 Now. God sees us as holy because 275 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:53,640 we're united in faith to the perfectly holy Christ, not 276 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:55,200 earned by efforts received by faith. 277 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:59,480 OK, sanctification starts with justification, right? 278 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:03,080 That moment of belief in what Jesus has done on our behalf. 279 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:08,240 What we more experience as sanctification is this ongoing 280 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,280 war struggle between flesh and spirit. 281 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:15,520 It's a process being made holy over time, growing in practical 282 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:18,120 holiness, obedience and Christlikeness. 283 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,080 It involves putting off the old self, putting on the new. 284 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:24,320 Yes, of course you should be changed in Christ. 285 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:26,880 Of course your life should look different than it did before, 286 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:31,240 but it's on his strength. God continues the good work he 287 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:33,640 began. Philippians 16 said He began a 288 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:36,560 good work in You will bring it to completion at the day of 289 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:50,400 Jesus Christ. So we still live in this tension 290 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,360 of the bad things we ought not to do and the good things we 291 00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:57,440 ought to do. How do we live in the Spirit and 292 00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:02,040 pursue the things we ought to the means of a of a healthy 293 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:04,760 process of sanctification? Well, I hope they sound 294 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:10,120 familiar. It's the word of God, John 17. 295 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:14,920 Sanctify them in your truth. That's what God's Word does, 296 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:20,160 brings us to be more like him. It's in the Holy Spirit's power 297 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:25,520 what we just read. Obedience, prayer, fellowship, 298 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:27,880 trials and discipline. The writer of Hebrews out lies 299 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,280 these things that are a normal part of the Christian walk 300 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:37,440 because we haven't fully yet realized the full goodness of 301 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:42,600 our God, the fullness of God. What we're living in this 302 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:46,360 Christian life frees us from sins power, but not its 303 00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:48,920 presence. And that's where our struggle 304 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:57,480 lies. That's where our struggle lies 305 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:07,400 between feeling like our best is good enough and our worst is too 306 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:22,170 terrible to forgive. So what do we have to hold to 307 00:24:24,050 --> 00:24:24,970 Matt? Why even? 308 00:24:25,170 --> 00:24:28,370 Why even try? If my best isn't good enough and 309 00:24:28,370 --> 00:24:32,370 my worst isn't bad enough, what's his life about? 310 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:39,360 We have two sure and certain anchors. 311 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:48,280 The death of Christ, the pouring out of Jesus, and that moment 312 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:55,200 that we believe in him. And we also have the certainty 313 00:24:55,640 --> 00:25:01,000 that he's coming back again. We have these two anchors in 314 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:06,720 time justification, belief in Jesus on the cross, 315 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:14,760 glorification, the completion of our sanctification when we're 316 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:18,920 fully freed from sins, presence and made perfectly holy, 317 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,680 transformed to be like Christ. May the God of peace himself 318 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:28,080 sanctify you completely at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ 319 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,840 Church. I'll invite the team up. 320 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:51,920 It's going to sound cliche, but I think a lot of the Christian 321 00:25:51,920 --> 00:26:00,240 life is a lot less about what's in between these two anchor 322 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:07,160 points, and a lot more figuring out how to cherish and 323 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:11,680 understand the magnitude of these two anchor points. 324 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:19,800 That your depravity and your sin is not so much that Jesus's 325 00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:30,360 blood could not overcome it, and that all the good you could earn 326 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:33,800 still doesn't punch your ticket to heaven. 327 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:39,680 It's always been about the blood. 328 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:51,880 Both of those points are what Jesus does, what Jesus did, that 329 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,040 he died, that he rose, and he's coming back again. 330 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:02,440 Yes, we should live a life of response, a life of worship, a 331 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:04,280 life in pursuit of the good things. 332 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:19,400 But on those days where the bad things seem to win, where the 333 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:29,560 tug of the flesh outweighs the still small voice of the Spirit, 334 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:39,360 what do you hold to? Don't hold on to the shifting 335 00:27:39,360 --> 00:27:40,840 sands of the things in the middle. 336 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:49,880 It's always been about the blood. 337 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:53,440 It's always been about his return. 338 00:27:56,680 --> 00:28:00,040 Those are the sure and certain hopes that we have. 339 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:17,440 So our great God, in your mercy and in your might, Jesus, I pray 340 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:23,120 that we would turn from our guilt, that we would turn to 341 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:36,920 trust in your forgiveness, that we would flee and hate sin, but 342 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:41,600 that our reliance would be on the completed work of what 343 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:47,000 you've done. That we could not earn or 344 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:55,640 deserve or perfect. It's a war you've already won. 345 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:04,440 Strengthen and preserve us in your truth. 346 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:11,760 Amen. Thanks for listening to the ERC 347 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:14,920 Sundays to support work God is doing and Amazed Rd. 348 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:18,840 Church. Visit amazedrdonline.org/giving.