reignin1
(ROM 5:17) in the AMP says, “For if, because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned thru that one, much more surely will those who receive [God's] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) & the free gift of righteousness (putting them into right standing with Himself) reign as kings in life thru t One, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one.”
I. God has given us 3 great truths here.
A. 1st of all, it is possible for us to reign in this life.
1. If we're not reigning in some areas, it's our own fault!
a. Whatever comes against us to overcome us is not God's will.
b. The Bible says we are to reign as kings in THIS life
B. 2nd, we are to reign by ONE, Jesus Christ.
1. We cannot reign as kings in our own power. ZEC 4:6
2. We must be one with Christ. 1CO 6:17
a. T word “JOINED” here means, “To glue, to stick, cleave, join self, & keep company.”
i. PRO 18:24 (There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.)
ii. He said that He would never leave you nor forsake you.
b. But it is possible that we could drift away from the Lord. You can't reign in life away from Him.
i. We need to stick so closely to the Lord that we will continue to be one with the Him.
ii. (1COR 6:17) Says, “He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. ”
c. We need to be one with the Lord in spirit, in thought, in motive, in deeds, & in goals.
i. Thought (2COR 10:5) Says, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
a. (PHIL 4:8) Says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
ii. Motives (1PET 1:22) Says, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”
iii. Deeds (JOHN 14:12) “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. ”
iv Goals. (1TIM 2:4) “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (EPH 4:12) Says that we are to do the work of the ministry.”
3. We need to be 1 with the Lord, Make sure that our relationship with Him is right.
a. He makes it possible for us to reign.
C. 3rd, we can reign in life because we have been given an abundance of grace & the gift of righteousness.
1. We brought up this part last time, but I just want to touch on it for a moment.
2. ROM 4:16‑20 What I wanted to point out to you in this V is that all of the promises of God must be received by faith.
a. The gift of righteousness is a promise of God & it must be received by faith.
b. (EPH 2:8) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: {it is} the gift of God:” (KJV)
i. Salvation which gives you righteousness, comes by grace, but it must be received by faith.
ii. Knowing that you are the righteousness of God, must be received by faith.
3. Again (ROM 5:17) which we've been talking about says that “They which receive abundance of grace... shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”
a. Did you notice that in that V it says in order for us to receive the promise of reigning in life we must 1st receive an abundance of Grace.
b. Peter tells us how this abundance of grace comes.
i. 2PE 1:2 From the NIV, “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
ii. Peter is telling us how important it is to get to know our God & our Lord. This is how the Grace of God is going to come.
iii. Paul said in (Philippians 3:10) “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”
iv. This should be all of our desire & in doing so we'll receive the abundance of grace.
II. Many children of God who should be reigning as kings in life are groveling in the dust as slaves, whipped by the Devil. That's not right.
A. Look at ROM 8:16‑17a
1. That doesn't sound like God wants us to be groveling in the dust.
2. Turn to GAL 3 One thing that I want you to remember is that there was no chapter separation when these letters were written. The translators added them to make it easier to find verses & to separate thoughts, but in this case the same thought continues from Ch 3 to Ch 4.
3. GAL 3:23–4:7 Explain Vs. {Child son under schoolmaster no rights or privileges as a son of the master, at appointed time he became son with all the right & privileges as a son. partaker of the father's wealth.}
a. In (V 24) it says that there was a time that we were under a schoolmaster.
i. That was before salvation.
b. In (V 25) it says that we are no longer under the schoolmaster.
i. That was when you received Jesus as your Lord & savior.
ii. Since we are now no longer under the schoolmaster, we now have full rights & privileges as a son, partaker of all that the Father has.
c. But there are some things that will keep you from KNOWING who you are as a son of God.
i. Like Laziness,
ii. Indifference,
iii. Preoccupation with the world
B. If a person continues as a child in their thinking, if they're uninformed, if their lazy & indifferent, if they're preoccupied with the things of the world, then they will live as a servant.
1. PHIL 3:13‑14
2. For us to begin to live & reign as a king, you're going to have to forget the past failures in life.
i. Those past failures could be your indifference, laziness, or something like preoccupation with the world.
C. Look with me over to 1CO 3:1.
1. This passage of scripture tells us that there are 3 kinds of Christians.
a. The spiritual Christian
b. The carnal Christian &
c. The baby Christian.
2. If a person acts like a baby & needs some pampering, that doesn't mean he is not a Christian.
a. A new Christian is often carnal because he has not learned many of the truths in the Word of God.
b. There are spiritual Christians, carnal Christians, & baby Christians.
i. God will put up with babies for awhile, but He expects them to grow.
3. Look at 1COR 3:2‑3
a. Carnal Christians walk as men. The NIV says, “Are you not acting like mere men?”
b. When Paul says that they are walking as men or acting like mere men, he's likening them to sinners.
4. It's time for us to begin to grow.
a. For the baby Christian to grow, for the carnal Christian to put aside his carnality & to strive to be that spiritual Christian & those that are spiritual, to continue to grow.
b. That's the only way that we will ever be reigning in this life.
5. Forget those past failures & press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
January 24, 1990 WOLCC 5/30/93 SUN AM
