Wyane's World...(23Mar08)

Who are we, and where are we?

 

I'm reading a book by Michael Eaton..."living Under Grace"..It's preaches through Romans 6-7:25..awesome.

 

Here is a quote i really enjoyed..page 58

 

"Romans 6:11 is the first command in the letter. In Romans 6, Paul begins with the facts. He does not rush to tell us what to do. We are not ready to be told what to do, until we know who and where we are. We are the children of Christ, we are risen with Christ. It is only when we have grasped hold of these things, that Paul will then tell us to deal with sin...

 

Often people rush to urge men and woman to live good lives. But Paul does not do that. He is not simply telling people to live godly lives. He first shows them the basis of their doing so. He wants us to see our position in Jesus first. We shall never live a godly life unless we are rejoicing. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Any kind of discouragement will be our weakness.
The secret of holiness is to come at it indirectly. If you walk up to the high demands of God and simply try to reach up to them you will fail miserably. No! Go back to the position you are in first. See that you have died to sin. See that sin is not "in you", it's simply "the body of sin". You have "died to sin", and see that you are "alive to God"." Michael Eaton

 

We are not ready to be told what to do, until we know who and where we are. We are the children of Christ, we are risen with Christ.

 

Today I want to look at what Jesus experience with the cross bought us, or more specifically what it bought Him.

 

Before I do that I would like to read you a poem that I wrote.

 

Were pointed to the preferable future,

It stirs our longing and desire.

Were pointed to who we should be,

Motivated and stirred.

Hearing often, continuously, without ceasing,

Making every effort, trying to be pleasing.

If I only I can reach the mountain top,

I'll be able to walk it out then.

I see the goal.

I sense the prize.

How can I obtain it?

To God I cry!

Principles preached, but no power my son.

Drink of my Spirit deep, and with my love run.

You cannot do it you can not taste.

Unless you have my spirit, it's all a waste.

By Wayne Duncan

 

So much of what we hear today is principles preached but without a demonstration of the Spirits power. Today we are going to allow God to demonstrate His power. We are going to allow His glorious and powerful Spirit to confirm and seal this word on our hearts. These are not just some cute religious principles around Jesus and the cross. The cross is the most powerful message on the planet today. It contains all the fullness of the wisdom, love grace and power of the living God. Even as I preach this word, simply and clearly, let Gods spirit touch and teach you.

 

Colossians 2V13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. 16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

 

We're looking at where we were, what he did and where we are now.

 

1.     So where were we? 

We were lost. We were impure. We were controlled by our sinful nature.

 

In one place the bible says "we were dead in our sins".

What a wretched and distressed place to be, the place without God. Not knowing his love, his forgiveness, his tenderness, and not having or knowing all that is available to those who believe.

 

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, we were wretches. Lost, blind deaf, doff and dead.

But praise God, we see that

 

Romans 5v8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

This amazing truth, while we were still sinners, separated from God. He loved us.

 

Friends there may even be someone here that in not reconciled with God. My friend, you don't have to leave here today without being made right with God. God loves you, right here right now. You come to Him as you are and He makes you well. He came for the sick, not for the healthy. Come as you are and He will never turn you away, not now not ever.

 

So where were we? We were dead, blind, lost cut off from God.

 

2. What did he do?

God spoke to the Israelites and said if you fully obey all the law, you will be holy and perfect. In this holy perfect state you can approach God. Then you can be one with God.

 

The problem with this law is that is was the perfect standard of God. It required a life that God would live, if He were here. And for forgiveness of sins there was a complicated set of rules concerning  sacrifices and the shedding of blood. It was a cruel hopeless state designed to make people cry out for a savior. It was a shadow, the reality however is found in Christ.

 

Jesus came, He lived a perfect life without sin. He fulfilled every letter of the law. Then He made Himself a sacrifice for our sin, by the shedding of his blood.

 

He perfectly fulfilled the law, so we don't have to.

 

He died, so we can live forever.

 

As one scripture says "God made him who know no sin, to become some, so that we might become the righteousness of God."

 

This is deeply profound. Through Jesus we are as righteous as Jesus. In other words when God looks at you, He sees what Jesus did, and sees and treats you like He does Jesus. He sees us without sin, perfect, just as if we had always obeyed everything, like Jesus did.

 

With this sacrifice came an open door into the throne room of God. This means that all obstacles are removed and we can come boldly to his throne of grace, at any time. At any time we can burst into the Fathers inner chambers and run and jump on His lap, at any time. And He does not mind, in-fact He loves it, that why Jesus died, so we can be one with God.

 

The best way to describe this is that He made us His children…sons and daughters. One blood, one family. Royalty, and heirs and co-heirs to everything in the kingdom.

 

Which brings us to number 3

 

3. Where are we now?

 

Ephesians 2V6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

 

We have become one with Jesus, we were in Him when He died, and our old self died. We were buried with Him, our old nature gone forever, and we rose with Him, new and clean..perfected. Then we were seated with Him in heavenly places. That's where we are in Him. Besides the throne. When the reality and revelation of this hits home, nothing will ever be the same.

 

Do you realize that we will not inherit eternity? We are already living eternity, we will never die, we will live forever, from now on. Co-seated means we have authority, the same authority as Jesus. We have all the resources of heaven available to us. We have favor, we have blessing…it's all our all available to every believer, all the time.

 

So where were we?

 

We were dead, lost, doff and separated from God under the influence and control of the devil.

 

What did He do?

 

He did everything perfectly in our place. He forgave all our sins, saved us, opened the way to the father. Made us sons and daughters.

 

Where are we now?

 

Seated with Him, one with Jesus. Made perfect forever.

 

Close with The quote from Michel Eaton

 

"We are not ready to be told what to do, until we know who and where we are. We are the children of Christ, we are risen with Christ."

 

Now the bible says that God puts his Holy Spirit in us to confirm the truth of this, and to help us understand this. Lets let Him do that.

 

by Wayne Duncan