In Christ

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This is holy week

This is the week we celebrate the last week of Jesus’s life on earth

I encourage you to read about it ands meditate on it this week

I also encourage you to spend extra time with the Lord this week

This after noon we are going to be in Romans chapter 8

The title of the sermon is, “In Christ” or “What we have in Christ”

I hope this message is encouraging to all of you

I hope it is reassuring to you

And I hope it builds your faith

Romans 8:1-2

There is no condemnation in Christ

Some background

The dividing line between the OT and the NT is Jesus.

He not only divides the book, he divides the time: BC=before Christ AD: Anno Domini or the year of our Lord

These two testaments tell about two different ways in which God deals with His people

God gave the Israelites the Law in the OT as a guide, as a way to lead them through life

They were never saved by the Law, salvation has always been through faith

But the Law was a guide for them, to reveal their sin, to give instruction

Part of the Law was a covenant of blessings and curses in Deut 27-30

This was the agreement between God and the Israelites before they entered the promise land

Here is an example: Deut 28:1

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 28

Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

2 “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God:

God said IF you obey Me I will bless you

Deut 28:15

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 28

15 “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

Right after this God said if you don’t obey me, I will curse you

Obedience brings blessings

Disobedience brings curses

I encourage you to read Deut 28-30 in your spare time to get a better grip of this covenant

This was God’s covenant with the children of Israel

Deut 29:1

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 29

These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab

A covenant that was signed by the people by the saying: Amen

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 27

15 ‘Cursed is the man who makes aan idol or a molten image, an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’

16 ‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

17 ‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

18 ‘Cursed is he who misleads a blind person on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

If they broke their end of the covenant guess what happened: the curses came.

If did not uphold their end of the deal: curses came

This is how God dealt with guiding his people BEFORE CHRIST!

Look what Paul says: THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE IN CHRIST JESUS

That word condemnation means: To judge someone definitely guilty and thus subject to punishment

When God made the covenant at Moab with the blessings and curses do you know what he told them? Deut 30:1

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 30

So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you

He said WHEN these things come upon you

In other words he is saying when you break this covenant

God knew the people were going to fail

He knew they were unable to follow the covenant stipulations

But all this is pointing forward to a greater day that was coming

The entire Bible from Gen 3:15 is pointing forward to a better day

If you look deep enough you can find Jesus in every chapter of the entire Bible

And In these blessing and curses Jesus is there!

Deut 30:6

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 30

6 “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.

God says to them they are going to fail but fear not! Because a great day is coming when your heart will be circumcised

That day came when Jesus rose from the grave

Verse 2: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free”

In Christ we have obtained the Spirit of life!

There is no condemnation in Christ because the judgement we deserve has been paid in full!!

No longer does God deal with us with blessings and curses

We are Spirt led

We are Sprit filled

We are Spirit owned!

We are forgiven!

If you go and sin today, a curse is not going to come and be placed upon you!

In Christ we are set free from the law of sin and death!

In Christ there is no condemnation!

In Christ we are free from the law!

It does not mean we are free to sin

It means when we are born again the law is written on our hearts and we do not want to sin

We do not want to live that life!

God doesn’t have to curse us because the Holy Spirit convicting power of the Holy God dwells within us and He leads us by Spirit not by letter

What do we have in Christ Jesus?

No condemnation!

We have a circumcised heart

We are not under the curse of law

We have the spirit of life

Verses 3-4

In Christ we are freed from sin

Human beings can do some amazing things

We can provide life saving measures in the medical field

We can grow enough food to feed the planet

We can make a rocket and fly to the moon

We can even face-time each other from across the world

But one thing we cannot do, is remove sin from our life

We cannot take the guilt of sin away

SO God in His perfect love sent His perfect Son as an offering for OUR sin (Verse 3)

Why did God do that? because there was no other way

Just like we talked about Sunday, that great agony Christ was in over the cross

That great pain He endured because of our sin

Jesus sweat drops of blood because of our sins that He would be placed upon Him

No greater love than this, than one should lay down His life for His friends!!

No other way to be saved, except through the cross

In this One act of righteousness Jesus condemned sin in the flesh!

He who knew no sin became sin that we might become His righteousness

And this wonderful great news is available to anyone who wants it

“who walk according to the to the Spirit” (Verse 4)

Does this mean anyone who gets baptized?

To anyone who professes Christ?

To anyone who says they are a Christian?

To anyone who walks according to the flesh?

NO, it says to anyone who walks according to the Spirit

To have this gift of life we must walk according to the Spirit

Verses 5-8

In Christ we have the ability to Obey God

It doesn’t matter how much good we do before we come to Jesus, we cannot please God

Does that mean that the man who gives millions of dollars to charity but doesn’t know Jesus doesn’t please God? Nope

Does that mean that when a lost person comes to church and tithes it doesn’t please God? Nope

It means that anything we do outside of Jesus Christ is not pleasing to God.

Why is that?

Hebrews 11:6 NASB95

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

To be in Christ means we live by faith

We cannot be saved apart from faith

We cannot please God apart from faith

No matter how much good we do, if it is not from faith is brings no joy to God

Romans 14:23 NASB95

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

Whatever is not from faith is sin

Our lives in Christ are to be marked by faith

This should be evident on the outside

We don’t live by faith for others to see

We live by faith because we are circumcised in heart

We live by faith because we can truly love God

The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so

Paul mentions in one of his letters that we are not to judge those outside the church

Because those people do not have the ability to live the Christian life

How do we know if we are walking by the Spirit? How do we know if we are in Christ?

The mind set on the flesh is not subject to the law of God

When one ignores the Bible and its instruction they are not subject to the law of God!

They have their mind set on the flesh not the spirit

No one can be a born again believer and ignore God’s word

Only those who are born again can truly obey God’s word

Verse 9-11

There is an absolute certainty that we will have life after death

“The Spirit of God” “The Spirit of Christ”

When Paul refers to the Spirit of God is encompasses the entire trinity

The Father

The Son

The Spirit

They are the same yet they are different

The guarantee of our faith is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit

All those in Christ have the Holy Spirit

No one can be saved without the Holy Spirit!

He is God’s seal upon all those in Christ

And if the Spirit of God is in you, then your body is dead because of sin, but through the Spirit we have life!

Every human being has an eternal spirit within him

This is part of being made in the image of God

It doesn’t matter whether were saved or lost everyones spirit is eternal!

We are all going somewhere when we die

The question is where are we going

And the Bible says all those in Christ Jesus, who walk according to the Spirit, are going to heaven one day

That is a promise

“He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to our mortal bodies”

If we believe that God raised Christ from the dead and He lives today

Then juts as He was raised from the dead so shall we be!

IF we walk according to the Spirit

Christ redeems the human spirit

Christ brings life

Christ sets us free from sin

Christ renews our spirit to spend eternity in heaven with him

Apart from Christ the wrath of God abides on us everyday

When our bodies die we await the final judgement where we will be cast into hell

Only through Jesus do we have the hope of eternal life

John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me”

Do you know Him?

Is He your Savior?

If not pray with me now

Closing remarks

This Friday is Good Friday

Sunday is Easter

Seek God in your life this week and make this Holy Week all about Him