Wayne's World...(24Feb08)

Living in the triumphant victory of the cross.

 

I have to say that this topic deserves much more attention that I'm going to give it today. But the power and the truth of this will unlock over the coming weeks and months. It's by no means a complete expression of this topic, but will go a long way to equip victorious living.

 

If the gospel is presented correctly, if the wonderful work of the cross is preached without compromise, it always leads to one inevitable question. When we examine the great prize for which our Jesus died, when we examine the glorious inheritance of the saints, this question always arises.

 

What is this question?

 

When the good news is described in all its beauty and magnificence, when the great freedom of the saints is defined, we inevitably ask this question…

 

Martin Lloyd Jones has stated that if this question is not asked, then the godpel has not correctly been presented…

 

Have you worked it out yet?

 

Three times in the bible Paul had to address this question…

 

Romans 6:1 and 15

 

1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means (NIV)

 

1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2Certainly not! (NKJV)

 

15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means (NIV)

 

15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! (NKJV)

 

Before we continue, I want to say that I don't like preaching about sin. I believe that it's not good to be obsessed with our sin. We're not to have a sin consciousness. I prefer to "fix our eyes on Jesus" . I prefer to think heavenly thoughts. I prefer to look up rather than down. Having said that we need address this question that will come up. We need to answer it and answer it well.

 

When we learn that all our sins are graciously forgiven, that God no longer counts our sins against us, and that our punishment for our sins falls on Jesus. When we learn that we are made perfect forever, that Jesus is our mediator, that we are legally in right standing with God, and treated "not as our sins deserve" for we are justified. Then the temptation  is to say, "if we preach this, people will sin more."

 

Friends if we think this, we have not yet even began to understand the powerful work of Grace.

 

There are essentially two aspects of grace. The acceptance component, and the empowering component.

 

Lets look at some of the empowering attributes of grace.

 

Titus 2v12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

 

Lets see what Grace does in us, and for us if it is working properly through us.

 

1)    It teaches us to say "no"

 

2)    No to ungodliness.

 

3)    To worldly passions.

 

4)    It teaches us self-control

 

5)    It teaches us to live upright and Godly lives

 

6)    It teaches us all this until Jesus comes again.

 

7)    He is purifying us.

 

8)    He has made us eager to do what is good.

 

Please go memorize this, past it on your doorframes, and on your hearts. The awesome power of God is working in you to produce all these things.

 

Now this is primarily the work of Him in us. He does it in us.

 

On our part we have to co-operate with Gods work of grace in our lives. How do we do this?

 

What role do we play?

 

Our role is to believe in who we are.

 

This may seem like a very strange thing to say, but it is so powerfully true. If we had the full revelation of who we are, of the power in us, of all we are through what Jesus has done…the simple fact is that we would be changed forever.

 

Lets go back to:

Romans 6v1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him

 

This is profound. This is a foundational Christian doctrine. We have to understand this or we are nowhere with our understanding of who we are, or what Jesus bought for us. Please understand this. If you still don't get this through the preach, devote yourself to gaining the understanding and revelation of this truth. This truth will change your outlook on Christianity forever. It will effect every area of your life. Your obedience, your prayer, your understanding of the word, and most relevantly the understanding of who you are in Christ.

 

Are you ready for it…here it is, a powerful truth..

 

YOU DIED

 

Your old self, the sinful you, is dead. Gone. Crucified with Christ. Buried.

 

The sinful nature is gone. You have a new spirit within you. The bible calls it a "new nature". The essence of who you are has been altered forever, from an essentially evil spirit, polluted and corrupted by the world and sin; to a holy and righteous spirit, eager to do good.

 

We were slaves to sin, now we are slaves to righteousness. We want to do good, we want to do the right thing, this is the proof that He's in you, and that your saved, and in the new covenant.

 

If we understand this, it will lead to victory over sin and strongholds in our lives. Strongholds are illegitimate authorities in our lives. They have no authority to be there. When we realize who we are, we realize that they have been broken already.

 

Now we live with God, and we live for God.

 

Our thoughts and our beliefs ultimately fashion our behavior. If we think we are essentially evil, we will act that way. But If we know that who we really are is a perfect spirit, if we truly believe it. We will live differently.

 

So if this is all true, why do we still sin?

 

Well our sinful nature is gone, but we still have struggles. That's what Romans 7 is about.

 

You see when we were born again, our minds were not renewed. Our minds were not born again. Our spirits were made new but not our minds. The bible says we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is our flesh. The bible says in:

Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 

 

Romans 8 teaches that.

 

So go look at it. Romans 6 tells us we are free. Romans 7 tells us about the struggle with the flesh. Romans 8 tells how to overcome and live victoriously. Live in the Spirit.

 

Now the flesh is a nasty customer. It may require self discipline to get victory. It may require effort. But please realize that all the while the grace of God is helping you to do that. Grace makes you want to do it, and then empowers you to do it as you co-operate with the Holy Spirit.

 

Which brings me to the next question.

 

Why are we obsessed with the Holy Spirit at this church? Why do we let him turn our meeting upside down? We do we let him have his way? Why do we have worship songs dedicated to him, why do we have whole meetings dedicated to Him?

 

Can I please read to you from Charles Spurgeon, from his book entitled "God's Grace to you", a book I highly recommend.

 

"The holy Spirit is promised to those interested in the covenant of Grace. He will come upon their minds and shed light instead of darkness, illuminating them as to what the will of God is"

 

"If you want to have men well instructed as to right and wrong, it must be by this devine instruction that only the Spirit of God can impart"

 

Here we see that the Holy Spirit tells us what Gods will is. We cannot follow His will if we do not know it. Well we all know it coz the Holy Spirit tells us. He teaches us right from wrong. It's written on our hears and minds.

 

Furthermore says Spurgeon

 

"Where the Holy Spirit comes, he floods the soul with a divine luster in which the soul delights and desires to participate to the fullest degree"

 

In other words the Holy Spirit makes us want to do the right things. So He tells us what to do, and then makes us want to do it.

 

And

 

"Beloved, the Holy Spirit makes men love the will of God, delight in all in which God delights, and abhor what God abhors"

 

 We will therefore love what God loves, and hate what God hates.

 

Friends, it's the person of the Holy Spirit who strengthens us to overcome an obstacle and helps to do anything. He empowers us, He strengthens us.

 

A last Quote from Spurgeon.pg13

 

"This is a gracious work of God, and this is the blessed covenant, in which it is promised that we will be taught what is right, to know and love what is right, and to do what is right with willing minds and hearts"

 

If you want to live a sinless life, learn to walk in step, and with the Holy Spirit. He will lead you, guide you, help you. The less of the Holy Spirit you have operating in your life, the easier you will find it to sin. The more of the Holy Spirit you have in your life, the less you'll sin.

 

Peruse Him purposefully, and you'll live holy accidentally.

 

So we spend much time, giving as much occasion as possible for Him to move and to fill people. I would rather you get a touch from Him, than hear me preach, coz ultimately He is more powerful, and able, and willing to change your live.

 

So we are always looking to have more of Him. To be closer to Him. The power of it all is in the realization that everything has been done by Jesus for us to walk in victory. To walk in the spirit, and therefore to not for full the lusts of the flesh. It's all been done, now believe it. Believe who you are. And be who you are. Clothe yourself with the new you, the true you. As a friend said to me recently "its not what I have to do, its all been done, all I have to do...is be"

 

We need to know who we are, so we can be who we are. This is the key to sustained, permanent ongoing victory, as we are being changed from Glory to Glory.

 

So when we do make a mistake, what do we do? We repent. But this too has been terribly misunderstood. To re pent, means what. Re, means again. Pent means high, like the top floor apartment. When we repent, we rethink the highest thoughts. We rethink by thinking Gods high thoughts about us, we think about who we actually are. Metanoia is the Greek word literally means "reversal of another's decision". It means "to think differently", and "reversal of ones decision "So when we repent we change our minds… "I was incorrectly thinking this way, I now change my mind". Our thought patterns need to be changed. Every sin starts in the mind, the flesh. We can say "no", and grace teaches us to do that. It's His good-ness and kindness that lead us to repentance. So we arrest ourselves mid passage in sin and say… "no, this is not who I am, this is not who God has made me". Repentance is therefore a joyous occasion, where we re-establish the highest place.

 

Repenting is rising up within ourselves to live out who we are, to believe in who we are in Christ, and then to be it.

 

Living as "who we really are" will not only effect our sin patterns, it will ultimately lead to the highest form of victory. The victory where we see miracles, signs and wonders performed through us. So family and friends, let us pursue His Presence, let us love Him, the Holy Spirit. Lets submit to Him, be in Him and walk with Him always.