If Week 2 continued
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INTRO
I. Where We’ve Been
A. Who remembers what we talked about last week?
B. Last week
a. we spent a lot o time focusing on Forgiveness
We contrasted condemnation & conviction
i. Which 1 do we not have if we’re in Christ? — condemnation
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
ii. Which means that there is conviction 4 those who are in Christ Jesus
-So we gotta turn down/mute the condemnation volume frm the enemy
-& turn up the conviction volume by the H.S.
*Remember, God’s voice is a package deal:
~If we want his leading & comforting voice, we also need his convicting voice
2. What do we do w/conviction (The H.S. revealing 2 us our sin)
i. Recognize Jesus’ work on the cross 2 pay for our sin
ii. Apply that work through repentance
BODY
II. Limitless, loyal loving mercy
A. Let me ask u a ?: what’s the limit o God’s forgiveness?
a. @what point does God say: u’ve crossed the line u’ve sinned 1x too many?
—Consider Jeremiah’s words in...
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
1. God’s loyal love never ends!
i. Did God’s loyal love diminish w/a New Covenant?
B. God loves u!! — 4 us there’s limitless, loyal loving mercy
a. He wants us 2 make things right w/him & continually live in right relationship w/him!
b. & his mercies r always new.
1. P. Mk. calls attention to the word “new” saying
These aren’t the same mercies, but unique mercies special & specific for the day & the need. They’re just like the flue vaccine that is different ea. flue season It’s a new strain o mercy every day!!
2. Illust. mercies for u— try this:
i. figure out how old u r in yrs starting from the day u got saved
ii. what’s that #? — mine: 22yrs (subtract this yr frm the yr u got saved)
iii. Now how many days is that? (multiply how old u r in the Lord by 365[# o days in a yr])
iv. mine is: 8,030
v. That’s the sum total o unique mercies u’ve recieved 2-date!
3. But is conviction, recognition, & application of the gospel the sum total o our time following Jesus?
i. What I mean is, is salvation solely a perpetual cycle o repentance & forgiveness?
20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
b4 I continue…what’s the diff. btwn Grace & mercy?
mercy is not getting what u deserve
grace is giving what u don’t derserve
so God supplies ample mercy for the forgiveness o sins…for ea. day!!
& where sin abounds grace abounds more
that means that God gives ample grace (to overflowing) to overcome & defeat sin!
why?— so that righteousness reigns...
so, should we sin all the more so that grace may abound that much more?--- uh, NO! — Why??
we r raised w/new life!
-So, NO…If we think that life is a perpetual cycle o repentance & forgiveness...
* we live in what P. Mk calls the “Glass-half-empty Gospel
-Remember...
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
ii. If salvation is just a life-long cycle o repentance & forgiveness
-We get stuck in the 1st 1/2 o 2 Cor 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin,”
- & we miss the whole 2nd 1/2!
C. God intends us to become the righteousness of Christ— Mk says:
“we tend to focus on the penalty 4 sin being paid, which is wonderful beyond words. But the righteousness of Christ has been credited to your account.
a. (Let me stop there) this is the 2nd 1/2 o the vs: “so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
b. us becoming the righteousness of Christ is, as P. Mk calls it, Jesus’ righteousness being credited to our account!
1. When God sees u he’s not looking at ur “if only’s” / “shouldn’t haves”…
i. he sees christ’s righteousness
ii. So, what’s the righteousness accredited to our account? — P. Mk continues:
…The glass isn’t half empty; it’s full o the righteousness of christ. This half-empty mindset causes us 2 focus on forgiveness, but Jesus didn’t die on the cross just to forgive u. His aim is much higher than that. He died to Change you. I gotta stop again:
2. the righteousness in u & me is changing us from the inside out!
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
&
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
c. U. R. NEW!! — U r a different critter after Jesus than u were b4
That means that ur former sins aren’t urs (that former u is dead)
i. When the devil bring’s em up u tell him that was BC (B4 Christ) and now u live in “the year of our lord” (what AD means)
ii. & if u sin…we shouldn’t sin, but if u do… the H.S. convicts, we recognize & apply by repenting
2. & listen…this is a good word: He nailed ur passed, present, & future sins to the cross!!
i. & his grace hammer doesn have a claw he’s not pulling those sins & re-nailing ‘em 2 u!
3. Why did God make u knew?
i. One, how can their be condemnation for the new creation…ur not who u used to be!!!
ii, but wait, there’s more!!— P. Mk goes on:
... & He didn’t die on the cross to keep you safe. He died to make you dangerous— a threat to the enemy. He died so that you could make a difference 4 all eternity”
- Consider Jesus words in...
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
D. Christ died to make u dangerous…to make u a threat 2 the enemy!!
a. How might a person b dangerous 2 the enemy?
Teen Challenge started w/just a little if:
i. what if addiction could be destroyed in Jesus name
ii. what if relationships, broken by addiction, could be restored
iii. what if addicts on a highway to hell could be given a new destination?
2. Consider Missionaries “what if’s”
3. Consider Church planters’ “what if’s”
4. Consider this…what if God was calling u to make an eternal difference
i. What if your not too young…not too old…not too broken…not to poor… For God to call u, equip u, empower u, & lead u to make an eternal difference
b. How might a person play it safe?
1. So, r u a threat to the enemy? / have u been playing it safe?
c. Remember what we said last week:
1. “righteousness is more than not doing the wrong thing…righteousness is doing the right thing”
i. Literally righteousness is doing the right thing as God sees it.
2. In the context of our study “if”, it’s doing those God given “what if’s”… the good works prepared for us in advance that we should walk in them.
III. Next Week
A. As if: Read, Pray & Meditate on Ro. 8:5-18