Alive In Christ

Romans 8:1-14.......

I saw this week in a video a famous psychologist calling on the church to teach men to be men, as men were created to be............He called on the church to build the man up in the masculinity that God has designed us to be.....Leaders with strength and courage.

I do not much agree with psychologist and I will eventually disagree with this one, but on this point he is correct.....in this new era that we are living in masculinity is a thing of the past......it is seeming to die with a very few........

I can preach a sermon on this, but I will say this one thing as I begin to disagree with this fellow. God’s view of masculinity and man’s view of masculinity is completely different.......when God established His church, He got some fisherman.......

Now, I love to fish, hunt, play sports, etc......all the things that we view as masculinity......that is not God’s view............The church of Jesus Christ was established by men who abandoned everything for the truth and reality of life.

Those with faith ,discernment, courage/boldness, to declare the truth of God through Jesus Christ!

That is who a man is, a leader in Christ Jesus!

Ephesians 5:23 “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.”

Husbands, Men are designed to be the head of....because he was made by God to be that way!

Not be a tyrant.....Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”

So, this psychologist is calling on the church to teach men to be men.......There is one problem in that.....no where was Christ mention in his calling on the church to teach men to be men.

Truth is, it is impossible for a man to be a man as God designed without Jesus!

In the 2 verses I read Paul tells a husband how to be and in both he uses Christ as an example.

Man by himself will make a mess of life, this is proven throughout history! The problem is that man left to himself is a fallen creation!

There is no regeneration in Christ, there is no transformation that delivers man from his fallen condition!

There are multitudes of teachings on how to be a man, there is a movement coming out of central and north Alabama that is going to many churches teaching about manhood, called “Man Church”

I am not going to knock it, because I haven’t listened to one minute of it’s teaching, but I will say this.......Man can teach man what they should be doing, however, unless the call for repentance and abandonment of self to Jesus Christ and His way is preached, there is no way to becoming a true man with masculinity as this head doctor calls for.

I saw another man talking, a so-called preacher, ripping the church apart because they have stayed silent on racism!

There is no way that you can teach someone how to love another race........the guy spoke of preferring one over the other as to make up for what has been done.......sighting Zacheaus in Scripture.....after that he had believed in Jesus sold all that he had and gave to the poor and restored those that he offended.

No way he could of done that if it wasn’t for Jesus Christ and and following along behind that, these people are calling on folks who had never had slave to pay for what they claim the ancestors done.

He said if you didn’t you were not Christ-like and if the preachers didn’t preach it they were not Christ-like.

Now, the only way to get to the true heart of a person, is for them to be exposed to the truth of God and His Son Jesus Christ!

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The truth about God and His Son is the Word of God, John the apostle, through the Holy Spirit, claimed Jesus as the Word.

The truth is that in God’s truth, revealed to us in Christ, God is not a respecter of persons, the only life He will recognize is one lived in faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

Jesus Christ is the answer to all of these issues, we just choose not to recognize that.

We think humans can solve human problems. NO! Humans are the problem!

Let’s now look at our text.........

No condemnation in Christ Jesus, One Who is only qualified to condemn!

Next, that condemnation is not for those who walk after the flesh?

No, but after the Spirit! I will just briefly remind you that according to Jesus in John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.....He shall glorify ME (Jesus).”

The Spirit speaks only of Jesus and reveals only the things Jesus has said!

No condemnation who follows after Jesus!

The right way to express that is those that are in Jesus.......Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

It is no longer I that drives my thoughts and actions, it is Christ! I do not lust after the fleshly way, I desire the way of Christ!

Christ Jesus has made me free, not myself!

Living the law in the flesh profits nothing.......it is a sincere heart change!

The Law became more about the rules to follow, rather than a relationship!

I love God, therefore I will go His way because I desire it!

Truth is humans can’t handle that, there must be surrender to that truth and believe that Jesus is the one Who makes the difference!

How many feel good when you do something good?

Do feel good about yourself or that if it wasn’t for Christ in you, there would be no capacity for anything good?

Let’s keep reading.........those desiring the flesh mind the things of the flesh......

1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

They that are after Jesus Christ will mind the things of the Spirit........Faith, Hope, and Love!

To live after the flesh is simply put death.........

The simple rule followers desiring to achieve it on their own leads to destruction!

Those that have surrendered to the fact that they cannot and Jesus can and live with passionate desire of Jesus Christ and His way, those are the ones that are going to live forever with the One they desire after and that is God!

If you are living with a passionate desire to please the flesh or fleshy things you will not please God!

No wonder our best intentions fail when we try to reform the old nature or reconcile it with the indwelling Spirit. The enmity between the sinful mind and the Spirit is irreconcilable. The simple truth is that individuals who are controlled by their lower nature cannot please God

Man’s problems cannot be solved by man, because man through their own way has created all the problems of the world!

I choose to preach Christ and Him crucified........a 12 step program is just rules that you follow......Jesus, however, is the Son of the Living God to follow and He alone can save and He saves to the uttermost!

If Jesus is in us, yes, the outward man perishes, but the inward man is renewed day by day, by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!

I come to this simple point......we are not debtors to the flesh or anyone on this planet...........but if we deny ourselves (flesh), take up our cross and follow Jesus then we will live!

For if you are led by the Spirit, Who guides us in Christ Jesus, then we are the sons and daughters of God!

True, we as humans have a lot of problems, and there have being numerous of wrongs done to one another.......but man cannot solve man’s problems in human ways.......if we fixed racism (which is not exclusive to one race) we still have the problem with God.....Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

If we try and teach men how to be manly, we still have that same problem!!!!

The teaching is only in how we live unto God! And how do we do that?

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Then that will take care of how we treat others and how we live in this world....Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Go with me now to Matthew 10, briefly we will look at what Jesus said about this: Matthew 10:32-39......

Jesus said that he didn;t come to bring peace but division....

The sword of truth that separates the fleshly from the spiritual.........this will cause division in the world that families will be at odds because of the truth of God through Jesus Christ!

The natural man is completely and totally different from the way of Jesus Christ!

So much so, that in some families will be divided! That is how powerful the Gospel of Jesus Christ is.........the world hates IT!

Because Jesus said He testifies against the world, that it is fallen and wrong!

Lastly.......If you find your life in the fleshly, that only means death, but if you abandon the flesh and follow after Jesus then you will find true life, a life that is eternal and pure and precious!