Who am I? Part IV

Good morning and welcome to CCC. I am so glad each of you are here this morning.

Couple of quick announcements

Today is the 2nd Sunday of the month so please make plans to stay for our monthly congregational board meeting......the key to this meeting is the congregation.....this is the time we sit down and talk about the business of the church and all are invited to attend

App.....if you have not downloaded the app please do so....we have a fraction of the people on the app that we had on groupme.....if you are having trouble bring your phone and you to me after service and I will help you

Also this is a great witnessing tool.....the app is completely free and when someone downloads it they have complete access to all of the sermons and sermon notes and many other things that the app has to offer

for example in the Bible on the app when they come across a section of scripture that I have preached over a link to that sermon pops up in the Bible on the app

If you have not gotten the app downloaded please do that today and sign in to the app to access all that is there and be connected to each other!!!

Before we get going this morning I wanted to share an update on Pastor Ian and our sister congregation in Kenya.

As you know they just recently had a well dug by the government and they laid pipe from the well to the town but were in need of a tank.

I approached you guys with their request and a loving couple from CCC sent $1000.00 to Pastor Ian and Thursday they had the tank in place and plumbed.

SHOW THE PICTURES

Praise the Lord!!!!

Pastor Ian sends his love and gratefulness and the love and gratefulness of the congregation and town!!!!

Let’s Pray

We are wrapping up the mini series Who am I? in Romans 8

this morning the last thing in Romans 8 that we need to know in order for us to truly know who we are is that you are

IV Inseparable

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I want to look at 4 aspects of being inseparable from God

1.Loved vs 31-32

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Romans 8:31–32

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“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

The first thing we see here is true love

You are loved

the world says you are too far gone

the world says you are the one who cant be saved

satan whispers God wont save you

you've done too many drugs

you have drank too much alcohol

you have slept with too many partners

You have too many felonies

you have lied too much

you have used people too much

you have taken advantage of too many people

You are beyond God’s grace

so many hear these things and so much more

many have in the past or maybe still do believe these lies from satan

none of those things are true

Look at what God says

“If God is for you, who can be against you”

Not your past

not your present

not your future

God loves you

vs 32 says that God didn't spare His Own Son

John 3:16

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“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

For God so loved

not a human love

not an emotional love

Agape love…God’s love

love that says no matter what!!!!

Before God created the earth and us....humans

He knew man would fall

He knew man would sin

He knew Jesus would have to come to earth and die in your place

He made you anyway....why.....love

Not a love based on emotions

not a love based on circumstances

not a love based on give and take

a love that costs everything

agape love is from God and is a choice not a response

it drives you

drives you to put others first regardless of the personal cost or suffering

Gods love doesnt require qualification

God doesnt say

Get clean then I can love you

Join a church then I can love you

Fix what you broke then I can love you

No that is not what God says at all

Romans 5:8

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“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

While you were a sinner

while you were His enemy

That is when God sent Jesus to die for you

God moved not because of you

God moved not because of anything you could do but because HE LOVES YOU!!!!!

The world hates Jesus

If you are saved the world hates you

The results of last weeks elections will bring a new level of hatred and attacks on Christians

I am so disappointed in my fellow Missourians....actually disappointed doesnt cut it

i am broken and devastated that Missouri....our neighbors....maybe even some here today voted for death

Put abortion as protected in our constitution

I got news for you just because it is made legal in mans eyes doesnt keep it from being a sin in Gods eyes

you can wrap it up in any package you want

womens rights

pro-choice

reproductive care

reproductive rights

abortion is murder and murder is a sin

the rights and choice stopped when the choice was made to have sex.......you choice stopped there

I promise you no baby makes the choice to die!!!!!

We are no different than those who followed Molech and sacrificed their children to him

Missouri fully invited and accepted satan into our state giving him full reign because of our blood lust for sin and death

if you think that will not ramp up persecution and hatred towards Christians you dont understand your enemy

that would be like inviting a cobra to live in and freely roam your home then being upset you are dying because it bit you

of course it bit you it is a cobra that is what they do

of course satan is going to try, very openly now, to kill us in Missouri

to steal from us in Missouri

to destroy us in Missouri

we openly invited him into Missouri by supporting death and sin

However

You and I must love

not only love and fight for the unborn babies but those who are so deceived that they believe this is okay

God loved us while we were sinners

we must do the same

You are loved

2. Spiritually protected vs 33-34

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Romans 8:33–34

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“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

Persecution runs rampant throughout the world

as I said earlier I believe it is going to accelerate here in USA and now in Missouri you are going to face, if not already facing, persecution

You will lose jobs

You will lose friends

you will lose family members because you stand for Jesus

you love those people

you pray for those people

in fact God right here shows you that you are free to love people as He loves you!

“who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?. It is God who justifies”

Doesnt matter what the world says or does

doesnt matter how people react

doesnt matter what people accuse you of

i have already seen people start to attack a vote for Trump as hate and racism and attack against unity

If you stand against abortion or homosexuality or gender confusion you are evil and hateful and garbage

This will do nothing but increase

it will get worse

If you live for Jesus you will be attacked but they have no grounds and no power

As God’s elect

saved

God’s child

you are safe

They have no power to charge you....

Not only do they not have power to charge you but they have no power to condemn you

vs 34 “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us”

The only one who can condemn....Jesus....is making intercession for you

God is the only judge

God is the only one with power to accuse

Only God can condemn but because of Jesus paying your price that means there is nothing that can condemn you

The world tries but if you stand on scripture you know they have no power

that means spiritually you are protected

Isaiah 50:8

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“He is near that justifieth me; Who will contend with me? let us stand together: Who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.”

Through Christ and His blood shed for you....you are justified

you have an adversary but he is powerless over you because of Jesus

You are spiritually protected

what happens then when you sin?....you have an Advocate

1 John 2:1

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“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

Get what is being taught to you here

you are to fight sin

you are to do everything in your power to not sin

the Bible is written to explain what is sin

the Bible is written to explain how you are tempted

the Bible is written to explain how you overcome temptation and not sin

these things I write unto you that ye sin not

sin not is the expectation

sin not should also be your expectation

how many truly fight not to sin

most Christians dont fight sin because they know God forgives......you are still on milk if that is you

the Bible just said that ye sin not

stop sinning....fight against sin.....fight against evil.....realize temptation comes from your lusts

your desires

take those captive and make them obey Christ Jesus and sin not

But when you fail....you will fail…that is not a reason to fight against sin but you will fail then

Jesus is your advocate

He makes intercession for you

He stands in the gap for you

He saved you and refuses to condemn you

He justified you

He is your perfect advocate

you are spiritually protected

3. Free from circumstances vs 35-37

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Romans 8:35–37

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“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

Just because bad things are happening

because they will continue to happen

just because bad things are happening doesnt mean God doesnt love you

Look at what God uses here as examples

tribulation comes from a Greek noun meaning afflicted, anguish, burdened, persecution, trouble

some of you are facing tribulation right now

some of you are in anguish

some of you are afflicted

some of you are burdened

some of you are in trouble or facing trouble

some of you are facing persecution

God told you it was coming....Jesus is the answer.....not to remove those things but walk with you through those things

as you live in your new found freedom in Christ

as you realize that you are delivered from your past addictions

delivered from your past sins

maybe you are in that process right now

as you realize that you are delivered from your past thoughts and beliefs

God moved in your life....He delivered you…saved you but your foundation…that at the time you believed to be solid is really sand and not rock

God is showing you that the things you held or hold to be true were in fact not true at all

That doesnt change what God did

He is just moving you from milk to meat

Growing you

maturing you

sanctifying you

Circumstances dont dictate that

you can allow circumstances to stop it because you focus on circumstances and not God

Circumstances cant stop God but you can choose to allow circumstances to be an excuse for why you reject God

Until God promotes you home to heaven or Jesus returns you are not finished

God will continue to work on and in you

maturing

perfecting

sanctifying you

He is conforming you

molding you into His image

He is making you more like Him all day everyday

Romans 12:1–2

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“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

This is the process

Because Jesus willingly became a sacrifice for you

your reasonable service is to be a living sacrifice

another way to put that is the minimum or least you can do in response to what Christ did for you on the cross is to be a living sacrifice

just because you once or even still fully believe something but God shows you differently....the least....the minimum....your reasonable service is to die to that former and conform to the new that God is teaching you!!!!!

When that is where you live your life…circumstances dont matter at all

you and i are driven by circumstances when we live for the flesh and not Jesus

without food

no water

no clothes

beaten

homeless

sounds anything but successful

sounds like someone who is losing at life according to the world

What is your immediate response when you hear someone is without food has no water has no clothes is beaten and homeless

do you think

not good

not successful

some may go as far as to say

it must be their fault

they are there because of their choices etc....

that is a different message for a different time

Looking at that....no food or water or clothes…beaten and homeless and say terrible…unsuccessful

1 Corinthians 4:11

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“Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;”

Paul is describing himself and his traveling companions

Circumstances didnt matter to Paul

mission is the only thing that mattered to Paul

God’s mission

take the gospel to the world…specifically the gentiles

destroy the lies of the devil that religion and tradition and men and physical bloodline saved you

only Jesus saves you

Today so many get caught up in religion and tradition and mans teachings and expectations

even bloodline…they get so caught up they miss Jesus

You are free from all that junk

all that matters is Jesus and Jesus alone

IT salvation and discipleship is Jesus plus absolutely nothing

Jesus and Jesus alone

Through Jesus you are free....free from circumstances…free to live from Him and Him alone

Now with that said you are also free to and must in fact keep His commandments

Freedom doesnt eliminate devotion

freedom doesnt eliminate obedience

in fact freedom demands devotion

freedom demands obedience

what are His commandments…the whole Bible

He is the Word

The old and new testaments both are relevant

both are scripture

both are God breathed

Both are profitable

2 Timothy 3:16

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“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

All scripture

old testament

new testament

torah

Pentateuch

major prophets

minor prophets

new testament

gospels

letters

all the way to Revelation

ALL scripture....if one focuses on just one part they are wrong

It all goes together to paint a beautiful picture of Jesus and God’s grace and mercy

you are free from circumstances in Christ Jesus

4. In His Hand vs 38-39

Romans 8:38–39

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“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Pretty straight forward

nothing

absolutely nothing

except your rejection

can pluck you out of God’s hand

nothing

even your rejection cant separate you from His love....you can reject Him and His love and go to hell but He still loves you

here is where the rubber meets the road

many claiming to be Christians will hear away from ME I never knew you when they meet Jesus face to face

Why

because they chose to allow something to lead them to rejecting Jesus

you can claim all that you want but it comes down to heart and relationship and fruit not words

when you walk with Jesus none of these things mentioned matter to you

therefore they will never spiritually harm you

do you know the love of God....Jesus Christ the Lord????????

The ball is now in your hands

what will you do with the truth you have heard this morning

i love each and every one of you so very much

I pray for and beg each of you to move

to realize who you are

to understand IT is the only two things that matter and therefore live fully on fire from Jesus!!!!

The time is now and the decision is yours

Invitation