"CHRISTIANS NEEDS THE GOSPEL TOO."

(THANK YOU FOR PRAYERS OVER MEXICO TRIP.)

>>>Got dates mixed up-found out I was speaking today

*Worked on outline on plane.

>>>Title of message: “Christians Need the Gospel, Too.”

*It is so easy for believers to be saved but then not understand/forget what that means.

>>>This is seen in the churches of Revelation.

*All but one stepped out of what it needed to be and was told by Jesus to repent.

*Church #1-left first love/Church #2-accepted false teachings/Church #3-fell into sexual immorality/Church of Laodicea-be hot or cold.

Romans 6:1–7 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for the one who has died is freed from sin.”

Romans 6:8–11 “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all time; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. So you too, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

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>>>The first part of Romans talks about the theology of salvation and what it means to be justified-really expounded upon in chapter 5.

Romans 6:1–4 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.”

>>>4x rhetorical questions are asked about life under grace.

>>>Paul says that a believer CANNOT live in sin under the excuse he is under grace and will be forgiven.

*“Far be it (May it not be)!”

>>>(v.2) A contrast is made of how someone can live in what is dead. IF someone has died to sin, they must live to something else.

>>>(vss.3-4) Upon salvation, a believer is baptized into death just as Jesus died.

*We are identified with the crucifixion of Jesus.

>>>But just as Jesus was raised, believers too are raised to a “newness of life”. They no longer have the life of a sinner under judgment but a life that has been saved-a new person.

WE HAVE NEW LIFE.

>>>Over and Over again, the Bible emphasizes the new life we have in Christ as believers.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Galatians 6:15 “For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”

Ephesians 4:23–24 “and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

Colossians 3:10 “and have put on the new self, which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it—”

>>>Some people are great with identifying with Jesus’ death, yet they still think that their “identity” as a Christian excuses them to still be in sin. But they have forgotten what salvation is-a new person!

*Not just a new person, but a CONTINUOUSLY new person. We are to become more and more holy and less and less in sin.

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Romans 6:5–7 “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for the one who has died is freed from sin.”

>>>Believers are baptized (identified with the death of Christ) but this verse says that they are identified with His resurrection.

*We focus a lot on the death of Christ when talking about the gospel, only celebrating the resurrection on Easter. But without the resurrection, there is no gospel!

Revelation 1:18 “and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”

*The resurrection is important because Jesus cannot save anyone if He’s dead. But there is also this aspect of victory. Jesus has victory over sin/death and son does everyone who trusts Him for salvation.

>>>(v.6-7) The old self has been killed so that sin is done away with.

*“Done away with” is “abolished/inactivated/brought to nothing/destroyed/rendered powerless”-SIN HAS NO MORE POWER!

*v.7 explains being dead to sin as being freed from it. There is no more power/control sin has over the believer.

WE ARE FREE FROM SIN.

>>>(Illust.) Our second flight both ways seemed like it took forever.

*strapped in an uncomfortable seat/waiting to get off/waiting to land/had to use bathroom.

*There was a freedom when we got off the plane-no longer conformed to it.

>>>We are no longer conformed to sin through the victory we have in the resurrection of Jesus. Run in your

>>>Do you know the freedom you have from sin?

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Romans 6:8–11 “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all time; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. So you too, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

>>>Believers will live with Jesus Who will never die again. He died once and has been raised to God.

>>>Paul then tells the believers “same with you”. You died to your sin (crucified flesh), but now you are alive in Jesus.”

>>>Paul tells the believers to consider themselves dead to sin/alive to Christ.

*“Consider” is to “reckon”/“believer”/“reason about”-believe what the Bible says about being dead to sin and alive to Christ,

WE ARE ALIVE IN CHRIST.

>>>This is different than earlier about new life. New life is the new person we are upon salvation. This is more of the joy we have in being in Christ.

>>>Jesus has given us new life and wants us to experience to the fullest. We need to remember that sin no longer controls us.

*What if we stopped expecting to sin and remembered that we don’t have to?

1 John 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;”

*John said that the church did not need to sin. IF they did, Jesus was their advocate.

*Believers are not to sin. We don’t have to mess up. Yet Jesus still fights for us IF we do.

>>>What if we stopped being so paranoid about us sinning and just simply walked in the joy life in Christ gives us (experience life in Jesus)?

*There are many Christians who talk about freedom in Christ yet are stiff in their walks with Him.

*The Christian life is supposed to be joyful.

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REMEMBER THE GOSPEL.

>>>So many people forget what the gospel is and what it means, missing out on the life they have in Jesus.

>>>Maybe you have forgotten the gospel...

*…living in sin-need to repent.

*…under control of a sin-need vicotry.

*…becoming stiff or apathetic-need renewal of joy and life.

>>>Let this be a time of revival for you. Go back to what it was like when you first accepted Christ.

>>>Maybe you are hearing this message and seeing what it really means to be a Christian and feel like you need to become one yourself. Today can be the day you accept Christ as your savior.

***Father in Heaven, let today be a day of revival and salvation. Forgive us for forgetting the gospel. I pray today for those who may have fallen back into sin and living how they want thinking it’s ok because they are saved. Lord, convict them and lead them into remembering they are a new life and no longer are to live in that way. I pray for those who are struggling with sin that seems to control them. Show them the victory they have in you through Jesus’ resurrection. I pray for revival for those who are walking a Christian walk with no life. Let the be revived and set on fire again for your kingdom. Finally, save those who need You. Let them hear Your Word today and find salvation in Jesus. In His name I pray…Amen.