Who Am I? Part 1

Good morning my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

I am so grateful that each of you are here with us this morning both in person and on our live stream and later on our website or app

God is so good to us!!!!

I mentioned last week that our brothers and sisters in Kenya were in need of a 10,000 liter tank for the fresh water well that was dug by the government. We have had a loving couple here at CCC commit to purchasing that for our brothers and sisters in Kenya. Praise the Lord!!!!!!!

Pastor Ian was so thankful and grateful when I was able to talk to him yesterday. All Glory to God!!!!!

This morning we will continue on with our IT sermon series and will begin a couple week, not sure how long, mini series within the series called Who Am I?

God has been working with me here and I felt called to bring that to you

Who am I

That is a question we must ask and must seek God in scriptures and Holy Spirit to answer.

That is a question that rocked me to my core

brought me to my knees because of the revelation the Holy Spirit

a question that is completely changing my perspective and approach to life!

If I said this process was over I would be lying....it really is a new beginning

a realization

i am far from where God has called me to be but I am sold out…all in....in allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me there!

As I have been praying and seeking God in my secret place about IT

About what He wants me to bring to you

I began to get a clearer picture of IT

You know already God brought two truths to light that make up IT

Salvation and Discipleship

As I have been digging into those God brought another word and truth

Foundation

IT must be our foundation as Christians

IT is much more than salvation and discipleship

they are the focus

they are the most important

however they are not accomplished without a firm foundation

we talked about salvation in wk 1

last week was discipleship

Today and probably the next couple of weeks

Who am I

Then a couple weeks on what we believe

our foundational beliefs at CCC that we believe should be a Christians foundational beliefs

Then we will look at spiritual gifts and finish looking at ministry..serving God

The final week when we discuss ministry and serving God we will have another pot luck and a ministry fair

an opportunity to lock shields with other like gifted Christians to serve God and each other together

Lets pray

START RECORDING

Who am I

I mentioned in the past couple of weeks God asked me that question

I thought I knew

I gave the quick

canned

standard answers

Josh Smith

husband

father

soon to be father in law

pastor

coach

teacher

God said that is not what I am asking

Who are you

I thought more and thought

Child of God

Co-heir with Jesus

Disciple of Christ

He said those are religious answers

What do they mean?

Who are you?

All of those are true but did I really know them

were they truly who i am

I realized I didn’t know who I was and that rocked me to my core

How could i not know

I wrestled with this for a few weeks then God opened my eyes

I was defining me

i was building the foundation

I knew Jesus

I was saved

but I was still clinging to physical life and a false sense of control

I was calling the shots

I was thinking I was in charge

I was failing miserably

Who am I

God brought me to several scriptures

many I will bring to you today and the next couple of weeks

There are many more but these are the ones God brought to me to show me who I am

Romans 8 is where we will spend most of our time the next couple of weeks

Romans 8 is what God used to answer my question Who am I

We are going to dive into Romans 8 bit by bit

Romans 8:1–4

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“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

This shows the first thing we are in Christ…Who am I

I. Free

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If you are saved you are free

you have access to a freedom that can never be taken from you

you can be jailed

you can be beaten

you can even be killed

none of that can touch this freedom

Freedom in Christ Jesus

This is not a worldly freedom

it is a spiritual freedom

Romans shows us 3 things we are free from spiritually

1. Free from Condemnation vs 1

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Romans 8:1

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“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

None

The enemy will try to bring condemnation upon you

the world will condemn you

people will condemn you

however as a Christian…one in Christ Jesus…you face zero condemnation

Condemnation comes from a Greek noun meaning an adverse sentence…the verdict…condemnation

You see as a Christian Jesus paid your price..

He served your sentence

He satisfied your verdict

Your sin

my sin

required death

Jesus became your sin....my sin…the sin of the whole world and died for those sins thereby paying the price

His death fulfilled.....served our punishment......served our sentence.....satisfied our verdict

Therefore you are free from condemnation because Jesus paid your price

Who am I

FREE

Free from condemnation

Only God can condemn and when it is time to face judgement you will not be condemned for your sins because of Jesus but you will face judgement as a Christian

Matthew 12:36

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“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

You and I will answer for every idle word we have spoken

every good work we did not do

every sin we commited

we will see it all

we will face it all

when it is time however for the guilty verdict to come Jesus will say I paid that one…they are mine....and you will not be condemned for your sins

YOU ARE FREE

2. Free from the law vs 2-3

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Romans 8:2–3

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“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”

We talked last week about the law and its limitations

the law could only do two things

Prove how helpless and unable we are to keep it

Proved the fact that we needed Jesus our Messiah to save us

The law is bondage

You are free from the law

So does that mean we ignore the old testament

God forbid!

The old testament does way more than these but it does three main things for us today

points clearly to Jesus all throughout it

gives us God’s ways to live in relation to Him and others

Clearly displays and teaches us God’s character with in Christ is our character

What you are free from is trying to keep the law in order to be saved

Ephesians 2:8–10

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“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The law and its requirements and animal sacrifices only appeased

delayed God’s wrath

The law required a legal payment

had a legal requirement

death must be carried out to legally satisfy the law

Jesus took God’s wrath for each of us

Jesus fully satisfied the law

Jesus fulfilled the law

Jesus paid the legal price required by the law therefore in Jesus we are set free from the law

The law required works

God requires death

Jesus paid God’s requirement and only Jesus can save you and set you free from the law and works!!!!

God created us to do specific works…not to become saved but because we are saved

So many, this pastor included, struggle with legalism

we MUST take the Bible at its Word.....the Holy Spirit will discern what is to be take literal and what is prophesy

He will also discern what is physical and what is Spiritual

So many of us try to carry out the law

try to make ourselves better

try to earn our salvation

that is what legalism is......

we try to package it in different packages like

I am only doing what the law says

The Bible says to work out your salvation so that means I must do works to be saved

You are to work out your salvation not to be saved but because you are saved.....you work to mature in Christ through the Holy Spirit

Legalism is just as wrong today as it was for the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus time

Jesus sets us free from Legalism and the law

3. Free from sin vs 4

Romans 8:4

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“That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

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Because of Jesus you and I are free from sin

Not free from sinning because humans will always sin

you are free from the power of sin

you no longer have to sin

sin no longer has any power over you

you choose to sin when you follow your flesh but you don't have to

you are free from sin

free to walk in Spirit not flesh

We looked at this not long ago but I want to look at it again

James 1:13–16

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“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.”

God has nothing to do with sin

evil doesn’t even tempt Him

you have God living inside of you in the Holy Spirit as a Christian

therefore sin has no power to tempt you

but each of us is tempted by our own lust

our own evil desires

you and i give sin power because in Christ we are free from sin!

Are you free?

Are you living in freedom?

Proverbs 26:11

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“As a dog returneth to his vomit, So a fool returneth to his folly.”

Do you keep going back to eat your vomit

as disgusting as that sounds it is exactly how disgusting it truly is to return to your sin

You are a blood bought child of God who has freedom from sin but you choose to willing return to sin

You are not free when you choose to live in sin any sin

addiction

sex outside of marriage

gender confusion

homosexuality

pride

lust

porn

greed

love of money

lying

sin is sin and sin equals bondage and death

period

Who are You

who am I

In Jesus the answer is free in Christ Jesus

Are you living free?

If you have any bondage I invite you to come

Give it to Jesus

leave here

free

If you have never accepted Jesus come

Leave the bondage of sin and death behind this morning.

STOP RECORDING

Invitation

STOP STREAMING