(Through The Bible) Romans - Part 2 by Zac Poonen

[Music] we were studying Romans in our last session and we want to continue in Romans just a verse to begin with in Romans chapter 4 we were looking about looking at justification it says here in Romans 4 and verse 21 about Abraham that he was fully assured that what God had promised he was able also to perform there's a lot of teaching on faith today which makes believers look inside to see do I have faith or do I have enough faith if I don't get something it's because I don't have enough faith and all the time I'm looking inside the more we look inside the more into bondage were gonna get Abraham did not look inside his body to see whether he had enough faith to have a son and you should never look inside yourselves to see whether you have enough faith to get us something that God has promised what was Abraham's faith founded on he was assured that God was able to fulfill what he had promised faith is always outward looking you know that beautiful chapter in Hebrews 11 by faith by faith by faith by faith and then finally it comes to chapter 12 verse 2 looking unto Jesus that is the definition of faith for us today the author and finisher of our faith so faith is not something within us it's in the object it's in what we look at that determines whether our faith is strong or not for example if you want to cross a river and you have to cross it over a strong concrete bridge you have no problem with having paid but if you have to cross it over a bamboo pole let's tight across the river you lose faith immediately it's got nothing to do with you it's got to do with the quality of that bridge if it's a bamboo pool pole I don't have faith if it's a strong concrete bridge I have faith it's the same person doesn't have faith in one has faith in another so faith is never resident within us you put money in a bank that's gonna crash you don't have faith you want to put money in a bank that's solid supported by the government you have faith where is faith resident in the object of faith so remember this when you read the promise of God don't look inside and say can I do it abraham believed that God would fulfill what he's promised the New Testament emphasizes faith a lot and Romans we saw spoke about going from faith to faith now many of us have had faith that our sins can be forgiven do you have faith in the same God who forgive your sin that he will justify you that means he will impute the righteousness of Christ like it says here account they're reckoned to him as righteousness verse 22 and it's not only for him but it's reckoned to us also that means apart from works verse 6 righteousness is imputed to us put to our account I didn't work for it but somebody puts a million rupees into my bank account it's a gift I didn't work for it the one who tells me is trustworthy I believe it even without going to the bank to check up I can write a check because I know the person who told me that he's put a million rupees into my account he's trustworthy so when the Lord says in his word that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us we believe see God expects us to trust him it is the greatest insult to God to say I don't trust you supposing your father says I've sent you some money into your bank account here locally and you say that I don't trust you that's one of the greatest insults you can give to your father particularly if he's a thoroughly trustworthy person and that's why unbelief is such a serious sin we miss a lot that God has for us because of unbelief it says in Matthew 13 the last words God could not do many mighty works for people in one place because of their unbelief Jesus couldn't help them they needed help Jesus wanted to help them but he couldn't help them please keep this in mind as we go through Romans when we come to chapter 5 we see there about the blessings of justification and many times in this chapter particularly from verse 12 onwards till the end a contrast is drawn between what we got through Adam and what we got through Christ through Christ through Adam verse 12 sin entered into the world through one man and in the same way through one man verse 15 jesus christ graces abounded too many and here is this contrast in adam i died in christ i can be made alive right through this chapter you find this emphasis and the point we need to recognize is this i inherited something from adam i didn't have to produce wickedness from the time i was born i didn't have to learn to tell lies i didn't have to learn to fight with other people i didn't have to learn to be selfish it was there within me nobody teaches a child to tell lies it is within from within you see a child's pride selfishness quarrelsome nature stubbornness coming out all children why it's a nature inherited from Adam and the contrast here between Adam and Christ should teach us one thing that as complete and as total is the inheritance I have received from Adam equally complete and total can be the inheritance I received from Christ how did I behave like Adam is it by trying to imitate Adam no I inherited his nature how am I going to follow Jesus is it by looking at him and trying to imitate him there are many people in the world who try to imitate Christ who are not even Christians no there are Christians who try to imitate Christ did you try to imitate Adam or did you inherit his nature then why are you making the mistake of trying to imitate Christ we first of all partake of his nature that is where we begin and just like Adam gave us his nature completely Christ can give us his nature completely in the measure in which I open up to him the Christian life is one of faith faith means a dependence on God a confidence in God and I received from him this nature this is the message of the New Testament and we come to it more in the subsequent chapters subsequent episodes here is where a lot of people make a mistake they think holiness comes through my striving and attaining there is striving in the Christian life there is putting to death but it's all based on heart thinking of God's nature and if we think that we can produce the divine nature we are crazy you could you did not produce Adam's nature you inherited it and that's the contrast we need to see through Adam death range for verse 15 look what it says here if middle of that verse by the transgression of the one many died much more the grace of God and the gift by grace of one man will abound to many and it also says in verse 10 if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his son much more now that we are reconciled please read this this is talking to believers who have been reconciled after being reconciled after their sins are forgiven after they are justified they shall be saved saved by what by his life we were saved by his death now we are to be saved by his life this is the point of Romans there are two salvations on this earth one is by the death of Christ that we saw earlier in chapter 3 through Christ's death and here it speaks about being saved by his life what does that mean by his death I am saved from the guilt of sin by his life which he imparts to me through the Holy Spirit I can be saved from the power of sin that drags me down chapter 6 chapter 6 says now that God's grace abounds so much what shall we say shall we continue in sin that grace may increase we have heard such a fantastic message of the gospel being given to the worst of sinners that Jesus came to save the worst of sinners and it's a free gift it's not something you can earn any amount of good works will never save you so some people can misunderstand it Oh in that case it doesn't matter how we live and there are millions of Christians who misunderstand it and that's why today's so-called Christian leaders sometimes fall into sins which even the Old Testament leaders did not fall into you read a Christian leaders falling into adultery did Elijah fall into adultery you read about Christian leaders running after money multitudes of them did John the Baptist or Elijah run after money they were under the Old Covenant at a lower level and at a lower level they reached a much higher standard of life than so many Christian leaders today why because many Christian leaders have felt grace is their sin is not serious those people didn't have grace they took sin more seriously we should take sin even more seriously because what is the purpose of grace it says in verse two how can we send more we who died to sin how can we live in it don't you know what baptism means we were baptized into his death verse three baptism is a burial verse 4 it's not a sprinkling when you bury a man you don't sprinkle sand on him you put him right underneath the ground and so baptism is a burial in water and lifting up out of the water showing that a man is raised from the dead the old man the will to sin is crucified and buried and gone and now he's a new person now that has really happened then your will is no longer to sin you may fall but because the lusts of the flesh are still there but you don't desire to sin anymore and he says how can you say let's continue in sin and he goes on to give us this wonderful promise if your guide to sin first of all before the promise he says do you know verse 6 that when Jesus died on the cross your old man was crucified with him you say how do we know that how do we know that Jesus took our sins on the cross God's Word says it and we believe it and we experience it that when Christ died he took the punishment of all my sins I never saw him die but I believe his word and I've found it's true in my life in the same way the same Word of God says that this old will to sin which is in you was crucified with Christ on the cross I accept it you won't get forgiveness of sins till you accept it and you won't get the reality of Romans 6 verse 6 in your life till you accept it it's not a question of what you did it's a question of what God did it's not a question of what you have to do the old man is different from the flesh many people confuse the old man in the flesh and that's why they get confused the flesh is like a gang of robbers who's trying to get inside my heart the flesh is that outside coming in my heart is my home and inside this heart in my home lives an unfaithful servant called the old man who always opens the door for these lusts to come in for these robbers to come and steal my spiritual wealth what did God do he did not kill the gang of robbers he killed the unfaithful servant and that's why even after you're baptized do you find you're tempted just as much as you were tempted before because the gang of robbers are still alive they haven't died the lust in your flesh haven't died what has died your old man I have discovered in my travels through many many places that millions of Christians have studied the Scriptures can never tell you the difference between the old man in the flesh they are so confused even people who study two doctorates in theology don't know what's the difference between an old man in the flesh see there's a difference there's a difference between a servant who opens the door and the gang of robbers who wants to come in God has killed a servant that means the desire to sin is killed I know it's killed in you if you are born again if I were to ask those of you who are born again here do you want to sin anymore what is your answer no I don't want to sin because God has put a new man within who does not want to sin but the gang of robbers are still coming every day in fact after you are born again the gang of robbers have even more furious they are eager to come in still then why is it believers fall into sin because this new man sometimes doesn't eat enough he's weak and he doesn't keep the door shut he tries to keep the door shut but the gang of robbers push their way in if you don't read God's Word and meditate on it if you are not strong if the Word of God doesn't abide in you if you're not filled with the Holy Spirit you are not strong enough to keep those lusts of the flesh outside but if you will fill those requirements you'll find that you can overcome sin so the Bible says here therefore verse 11 now consider yourself to be dead reckon yourself to be dead to sin sin is not going to have any more power over my life I'm dead I consider myself dead because God said so like if my father wrote me a letter saying he's put a million rupees in my bank account even without going there I consider I reckon it is there I don't have to see it I believe my father and the same way in the Bible says if your God says your old man was crucified with Christ you accept it and consider yourself dead say Lord I accept it just like many years ago I accepted that Christ died for my sins I accept today that I have died to sin I didn't realize that you also put my old man on the cross not only my sins and from this day I accept the fact I've died to sin in every day of my life I'm gonna consider myself dead to sin alive to Christ this is where I need the help of the Holy Spirit and that's why it goes on to speak about grace in verse 14 sin will now no longer rule you because you're under grace not under law under law means what is the difference between law and grace basically in two sentences I put it like this law means I do something for God grace means God does something for me what a difference it's like a little baby trying to do something perfectly that's law and grace is where the father holds the hand of that little baby supposing is writing a letter and the baby gets it all crooked here grace is the father holding the hand of that child and writing a perfect letter no spelling mistakes no errors but if the baby is stubborn and say no no I'm not gonna let you hold my hand then of course I'd be a lot of mistakes this is Grace in the Old Testament people who under law they had to try and do everything on their own they've got such a lot of mistakes God says I'll help you but we are so reluctant to let God hold our hand and write that letter perfectly that is Grace sin shall not rule over you no you won't make a spelling mistake if you let your heavenly Father hold your hand and write submit yield this is Grace you gotta experience it sin may be there but it won't rain it's like a king who's been overthrown and made a slave that's what's happened he's not killed is their sin dwells in me but it cannot rule anymore in Chapter 7 we read about you realize that I'm just putting a few pieces of the jigsaw puzzle here and there you've got to complete the picture yourself it really isn't time to go into every verse but if you get an overall picture of Romans you'll be able to fill in the blanks Romans chapter 7 speaks about a person who's got into this desire for victory over sin and to live a holy life but who misunderstands how to live it he gets married the picture used as her years of marriage he's married instead of being married to Christ he gets married to the law in Romans chapter 7 is basically in the first part anyway speaking about being delivered from the law what does this mean in practical terms in Romans 6 we saw about being married to the old man now it speaks about being married to the law and Romans 7 for says you were made to die to the law through the body of Christ that you might be married to another he moves raised from the dead so we can say here in Romans 6 and 7 we see three marriages for marriage to the old man a marriage to the law and a marriage to Christ there's a lot of difference the old man is like a wicked husband who beats me and hammers me and turns me into a prostitute and destroys my life and here is a wife was battered and hammered by this wicked husband longing for deliverance and one day her husband dies the old man is dead praise the Lord it's born again and now this believer is now can is free to marry but instead of marrying Christ he makes a mistake and marries someone who looks like Christ the law the law is perfect and it's very easy to mistake the law for Christ because it demands righteousness the law is not like the old man husband he doesn't hammer you or beat you or do anything to trouble you but the law demands perfect you must get up promptly at 6 o'clock yo you must cook the breakfast and have it ready on the table by 8 o'clock not 8:01 8 o'clock that's a lot every part of the room must be absolutely - of the house must be absolutely tiny the shoes must be in the proper place the clothes must be washed without any stain and ironed and captain the house must be and span he never asked for anything evil now how many a few sisters would be like to married such a man who demands perfection in every area he'll say boy this is like getting out of the frying pan into the fire and he's a good man but he's so demanding he never asked for anything evil but I can never measure up to his standards then you realize you married the wrong man so what to do and this husband this law never died he's so healthy he he doesn't have any blood pressure diabetes nothing he's healthy and strong he lived forever because it's a law of God so you'll give up all hope I'm married to this man and it says if the married man verse 7 verse 2 is bound by law to her husband as long as he's alive and he's gonna live forever that's what I think and that's right the law of God lives forever and the woman gives up all hope then God does something else he makes the woman die that also breaks the marriage you were made to die worse for first time the old man the husband died now you the wife you were made to die and your relationship with the law is broken and now you're raised up from the dead and you're married you can be married now to Christ that is the third marriage where Christ also is very demanding he also says breakfast must be on the table at eight o'clock a third one is not easier one everything must be and span the house must be clean because Jesus standards are not less than the standards of the law it's more actually the law said you shall not commit adultery I say unto you that you shall not even lust in your heart his standard is even higher but there's a difference he says let's you and I do it together we'll make breakfast together supposing you're one of those lazy wives who can have breakfast ready only by 1 o'clock in the afternoon or something like that the Lord doesn't throw you out he says never mind we work together and you and the Lord work together and gradually next day breakfast is at 11 o'clock in the morning it's not bad yesterday it was 1 o'clock today it's 11:00 in the afternoon you're doing better and the Lord says wonderful we have moved from 1 o'clock 11 o'clock we gradually move towards 8 o'clock we're gonna press on to perfection and maybe you're the type of person who washes clothes and still all the stains will be there and the Lord says never mind we'll work on it next time you wash the clothes there are just a few stains left they said never mind we're gonna press on to perfection till you wash the clothes there won't be one stain left in it you see how the Lord works with us he's not just giving us commands like the law he works with us we are co-workers with him that's the type of husband Jesus's and a legalistic Christian is one who's got all types of rules and regulations and he makes rules and regulations for everybody else also he is in bondage and he brings everybody else into bondage whereas the Bible speaks of the glorious Liberty of the children of God I want to show you in chapter 8 it says in verse 21 of chapter 8 the freedom of the glory of the children of God are the glorious freedom of the children of God there is a freedom and a Liberty in Christ and in the latter part of chapter 7 he speaks of this struggle that goes on within us the thing which I want to do verse 16 I agree with the Lord's good but I'm not doing what I want to do the good that I wish verse 19 I don't do when I practice the evil that I do now this is not speaking of deliberate sin it's not saying well I don't want to commit adultery but I keep committing it he's not talking about that not that I don't want to commit murder but I somehow going to kill people he's not talking about that he's talking about things he doesn't understand notice in verse 15 that which I'm doing I don't understand that whole section is about areas in my life where I want to do it perfectly but I slip up for example supposing you're a person with a bad temper you're coming back from your work one day and say well I've always lost my temper when I go home and today I don't want to lose my temper at home with my wife or my children you don't want to and then something happens and the children irritate you or something and again you've lost your temper now you can't say that you planned and schemed to do that sometimes we you may plan and scheme to do evil to somebody else this is this doesn't fall into that category you really didn't want to fall in to anger and you fell that happens there it was not your old man it was your new man was not strong enough to keep the door shut and so you said how can I ever be free from this wretched life a lot of good things I want to do and I'm not able to do it I always have regret at the end of the day that I didn't want to lust with my eyes there but I still slipped off is there a way wretched man that I am verse 24 thanks be to God there is in chapter 8 we read there is no condemnation chapter 8 describes first of all freedom from the penalty of sin verse 1 no condemnation freedom from the power of sin chap verse 2 2:17 and then finally verse 18 to 25 freedom from the very presence of sin and chapter 8 verse 2 he says the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death there is a law called the law of sin and death it's like the law of gravity it always pulls you down but the law of the Spirit is what there is a law of the Spirit the law of the Spirit is not thou shalt thou shalt not so many things like that it's life it's life in Christ Jesus let me give you an example here is the law of sin and death demonstrated by the law of gravity you see this the law of gravity pulls it down all the time you can't stop the law of gravity anything you leave drops now why is this book not fall falling because I'm holding it up is the law of gravity suspended in this area has it stopped operating no but another law the law of life in my body is overcoming this law of gravity so this book is not falling that's the meaning of Romans 8:2 the law of sin and death is still working pulling us down pulling us down pulling us down but if I allow Jesus to hold me he is able to keep me from falling that's what June 24 sense so the law of life in Christ Jesus which is the law of the Spirit is able to keep me from falling into the law of sin and death as long as I allow the Lord to hold me this is how I am an overcomer what glory do I have for it what glory does this book have for not falling all the credit goes to the life that's holding it up but I've got to cooperate see there's a difference between the book and me in the sense this book has got no will of its own I have a will I can choose to jump out of that hand and then I fall but if I submit and yield to the Lord completely he can keep me forever so I'm not saying a believer won't fall I'm saying that a believer need not fall and there's a lot of difference it depends on how much you yield and Trust the Lord Romans a it's a wonderful chapter and I don't have time to go into all the details but let me just read something here verse 28 is a lovely verse God makes all things work together for good to those who love him to those who are called according to his purpose see this is the wonderful position into which the gospel brings us we've seen how we started off as filthy sinners and now we receive the gift of forgiveness we go on to trusting God to declare us righteous and move on to overcoming sin being free from the law and Romans 8 speaks about life in the Holy Spirit in Chapter 7 45 times these words come I mean mine 45 times this is a picture of my struggle in chapter 8 it's not about I me and mine 19 times you read the word spirit spirit spirit Romans 8 is talking about life in the spirit and when we come into this life where the Holy Spirit I submitted to the Holy Spirit God Almighty God my father works in all the circumstances of my life to make everything work for my good even if other people try to harm me it works for my good it's a wonderful gospel if you can believe Romans 8:28 you'll never be afraid of another man for the rest of your life you'll never be afraid of any circumstance you'll never be afraid of road accidents or cancer or anti-christian people who try to harm you if you believe that God is sovereign and he's watching everything and everyone and he makes everything all things Romans 8:28 means all things now if Romans 8:28 had said God makes most things work for our good then we should read in Ephesians 5:20 give thanks for most things and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks for most things but since Romans 8:28 says God works all things for our good therefore 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and Ephesians 5:20 says we give thanks for all things see one is dependent on the other if God is in control of only 90 percent of the circumstances in my life I can give thanks wholly for that 90 percent the remaining 10% the devil controls but it's not true Romans 8:28 is absolute all things and for many many years I have believed it and I've lived in the good of it it's like this Aquaguard filter you know this water filter your poor filthy water in one side they demonstrate it for you these people who bring that equipment and you got clean water here Romans 8:28 is like that it's a filter somebody tries to do evil to me it comes out for my good and if Aquaguard can do it perfectly I tell you God can do it much more perfectly you wouldn't buy Aquaguard unless you had faith in it that that filter could do the job do you believe that God can do it when it's word sense if you believe it for the rest of your life you live in this filter I've lived in it for many many years and I'm very very blessed man whether you pour clean water or dirty water it comes out clean here whether people seek to do good to me or bad to me it always comes out good for me always I'm 61 years old now no one has ever ever ever ever been able to do harm to me till today many have tried many have spread scandals about these false stories and harmed me and try to trap me here trapped me there I've got a lot of people who hate me because I stand up for the truth of the gospel but army none of them because I live in Romans 8:28 you can live there all your life if you yield yourself totally to God let him hold you always say Lord I have no ambition except to do your will on earth I have no desire to make money yet honor I don't want to be famous I don't want to be rich I don't want to be popular I don't want to seek my own comfort I don't want a single thing on earth except to do your will wherever it is let it be in the most difficult place in the world I'll do your will I'm not gonna criticize other believers I'm gonna judge myself and do your will I only want to do your will whatever you say whatever the cost Romans 8:28 is yours because it says it's not for everybody it's for those who love God and are called according to his purpose if you don't want his purpose for your life Romans 8:28 doesn't work for you if you've got your own private agenda and you got something you planned for do for your own life well god bless your brothers sisters but Romans 8:28 is not for you if you're seeking comfort on this earth and ease for yourself and pretending to serve the Lord when you're seeking your own game and profit brother forget it Romans 8:28 is not for you but if you can go to God and say Lord I've got no purpose on earth except your purpose I've got no ambition on earth except what you plan for me then Romans 8:28 is for you so I don't believe that the vast majority of Christians live in Romans 8:28 and thank you very very few believers live in Romans 8:28 because most believers have got their own private agenda they've got their own clan and they also want God to come and bless them well I don't know what promises they're out for you then but this is for those who are called according to his purpose and who love him with all their hearts be one of them your life will be blessed on earth because then you can say only such people can say verse 31 if God is for us who is against us and all the rest of those wonderful verses are for such people nobody can be against me God is on my side Jesus Christ intercedes for me and he will freely give me verse 32 everything no one can bring a charge against me no one can condemn me where's 33 and 34 no one can separate me from the love of Christ what a blessed position even tribulation or the sword somebody can chop off my head but he can't separate me from the love of Christ here is a man who is verse 37 more than a conqueror do you want to be more than a conqueror and overwhelming conquer this is the way this is the gospel leading us to the height of triumph in our personal life in chapter 9 10 and 11 we read here that this is more about Israel it's like something written in brackets it's dealing with chapter 9 deals with God's sovereignty God's sovereign choice which applies to us also chapter 10 deals with God's righteousness the way of righteousness in chapter 11 deals with God's faithfulness we could look at it another way chapter 9 deals with God's election of Israel chapter 10 deals with God's rejection of Israel and chapter 11 deals with God's restoration of Israel see Israel was chosen sovereignly now we must not misunderstand this as though God predestined some people to go to hell it's not true God does not predestined anybody to go to hell he does not predestined anyone to go to heaven what was Israel chosen for he speaks about I chose you I chose Jacob and not Esau we read in verse 11 to 13 what for was Israel chosen because to populate heaven No Israel was chosen for a ministry on earth please remember that here is God's sovereign election for a ministry on earth all people who are descendants of Jacob haven't gone to heaven we saw that even Solomon went to hell so it's not a question of being chosen to go to heaven and for our ministry on earth we must recognize that God chooses a sovereign then you can't have a ministry you want God chose Israel for a particular ministry why didn't he choose Egypt or China we can't question God he decides that why is God given one brother of preaching gift and he hasn't given it to you you can't question God that's his he may have given one brother a healing gift and he hasn't given it to you we don't question God God's got a ministry for you and in his sovereignty he chooses so he doesn't pre dust in you to go to heaven or to hell but the sovereignty of God which we saw in Romans 8:28 that controls all circumstances is also mentioned in chapter 9 as something that chooses us for a particular task he prepares us as a vessel to accomplish a certain purpose on earth even Pharaoh we read in 917 was raised up to fulfill a certain purpose he didn't respond to God he could have repented but he didn't he hardened his heart and so God says okay I'll demonstrate my power through your hardening your heart so that's what we see in chapter 10 it speaks about how righteousness he says that the Jews did not achieve righteousness worth 931 because they pursued it in the wrong way how do we come to this righteousness ten six and seven and eight it's not by something outside us but it says here the word of faith is in your mouth if you verse nine if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart you shall be saved there it speaks of the necessity of confession with our mouth I believe in my heart and I confess now don't confuse this with a lot of people telling you to confess all types of things today confess that I'll have a car or I'll have a house you can only confess what God has written in his word Romans 10:17 faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ you have to start not with what you want a lot of people today are being told ask God for what you want and trust him know start with the Word of God and the word of Christ prefers especially to the New Testament start with some New Testament promise sin shall not have dominion over you but promise to start with now confess it with your mouth if you believe it do you believe that's God's Word maybe you're thoroughly defeated by sin confess like Abraham said I'm the father of a multitude when he didn't even have one son you say sin will not have dominion over me even though you're thoroughly defeated by sin I know the number of times I told that to the devil for years when I was defeated I said yes I'm defeated but Satan one of these days sin will not rule me any more confess that to God and then we shall be saved from the power of sin Romans 11 speaks about God's faithfulness and tells us not to be proud because of God has been good to us there is a very strong word in verse 20 do not be conceited but fear because if God cut off the natural branches verse 21 neither will he spare you you can be Romans chapter 11 teaches you can be in and like God cut off the other branches he can cut you up also if you become high minded and proud now there are some people who feel that once you are grafted into Christ even Almighty God will not cut you off but you reap Romans chapter 11 that's not what it says if you're high-minded verse 20 and 21 if he didn't spare the natural branches neither will he spare you he can cut you off so humble yourself Romans chapter 12 in knew of this fantastic gospel and these tremendous mercies of God what should you do God doesn't want your money he wants your body present your body like the Old Testament burnt offering and say Lord this is a wonderful gospel I want to present my body to you here is my all my body every part of it my eyes ears tongue hands feet and all my internal passions ambitions everything is on the altar it's yours my thoughts I present it to you that's the first thing secondly I must allow God to transform to renew my mind verse 2 first my body verse 1 and second my mind allow God to renew your mind and that comes by saturating your mind with the word of God a lot of us have tremendous problems with dirty thoughts why is that because we are used we have been used in our past life of thinking along certain a certain lanes certain pattern of thought and now God wants to change our way of thinking that we don't think like the worldly person anymore but think like God thinks that is the renewal of our mind from the time we are born again you see as soon as you're born again you don't think like God things and everything no you probably think like God thinks in point zero zero one percent of things but from that point God wants to change your way of thinking so that you look at everything like God looks at it you look at money the way God looks at it not like the world looks at it have you started looking at money the way God looks at it you start looking at women the way God looks at them not the way the world looks at them the world despises them or lusts after them God doesn't do either so you see there are many areas where our way of thinking is to change to God's Way of thinking that's called a renewal of our mind you look at your enemies the way Jesus looks at them not the way the world looks at their enemies the world hates their enemies Jesus loved his enemies our mind has to be renewed in every area and that comes as we read God's Word and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us it says in verse 2 by the renewing of our mind transformation takes place inside be not conformed to this world verse 2 verse 2 teaches us that worldliness is in your mind first now most believers think that worldliness is in a dress if some brother or sister wears a very colorful dress they say oh he's worldly and if he has a very simple dress they say oh he's not worldly I wish it were so easy to get rid of worldliness it isn't worldliness is in the mind it's because of a certain trend of mind that we do certain things the person may dress very simply and be a fantastic lover of money he's more worldly than that other person who has a very gaudy dress and he's a very his brother do you know that God doesn't see as man sees man sees the outward appearance worldliness is in the mind God has to change us in our mind we are more concerned about changing our dress and our appearance because we care for the honor of men a true disciple of Jesus cares for the honor of God now when we present our body and our mind like this we can understand God's perfect will it says in verse two we can prove the perfect will of God you don't present your body don't give your mind to be transformed you will not be able to find God's perfect will in the remaining passages he speaks about the body of Christ you see the goal of the gospel is not just individual salvation like we came in Romans eight it's to become a part of the body of Christ where we in humilities exercise the gifts God has given us verse six the personal prophecies and prophecy the person who serves in service there's a list of gifts that God gives us it's not only in 1 Corinthians 12 here is a list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit verse 6 to 8 and there's one gift here which many people don't seek for we're safe that's the gift of giving money to other people many people don't want that gift the gift of generosity and it goes on to speak in the rest of that chapter how we are to relate to other people in the body of Christ he says mingle with people don't be haughty in your mind verse 16 but associate with lowly people don't just mingle with bigshots associate with poor lowly people in the body of Christ it's teaching us how to live with other members of the body and if somebody harms you verse 19 never never never never never he could say it a million times never take your own revenge because vengeance belongs to God you have no right to take revenge you cannot take God's glory and you cannot take revenge to take revenge on someone is just like getting somebody to worship you worship belongs to God vengeance also belongs to God if you cannot receive worship you cannot take vengeance please remember that that you have to allow God to take revenge on your behalf chapter 13 speaks about submission to the government chapter 12 speaks about submission - first part speaks of submission to God verse 1 and 2 then it goes on to speak about submission within the body of Christ and the gospel leads us to submit to secular authorities to pay our taxes like it says in verse 7 to submit the government authorities because they are also appointed by God and chapter 14 and 15 speak about accepting one another in the body of Christ in the body of Christ we all don't think alike yet one day when Christ comes again and our minds become perfect we will agree 100% in doctrine outlook we will recognize what is true spirituality what is soullessness what is worldliness today we have little different opinions because all of us are growing none of us are perfect and because none of us are perfect none of us have a perfectly clear understanding of everything we see through a glass darkly Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13 and so I must recognize that when I see something different in you your opinion about something is different from mine don't take that stubborn I should not take that stubborn position which says I'm right and you're wrong this is how divisions come now if you're dividing because somebody is saying that Christ was not God and he's only a man definitely we need to divide I would even divide with a person in building a church if he says you go to baptize children who are not born again I'd say no you must not dies people are born again okay there's some things like that where we have to unfortunately separate but even with such people if they are born again here is a brother for example who's baptized as a child and believes in child baptism I believe in adult believers baptism even though we may not be able to work together in the same church because of different convictions I must still accept him as a brother in Christ because God has accepted him I must be warm to him I must fellowship with him there are many people we can fellowship with with whom he may not be able to work together working together involves closer alignment of conviction but fellowship can be with all of God's people unfortunately the tragedy today is many people feel if I can't work with a person I can't fellowship with him this is crazy that's where Romans 14 and 15 come in do you see a brother who's weak in the faith accept him how should I accept him chapter 15 verse 7 just as Christ accepted you did Christ accept any of you when you were perfect no he didn't accept me when I was perfect why do you wait till he becomes perfect before you accept him if Jesus can accept you as an imperfect person with so many weaknesses think how weak and stupid and foolish you were when the day you were born again you knew hardly anything you were still defeated and even after you were born again the Lord knew how many sins you would commit and he still accepted you he knew how many things you were wrong in and he still accepted you can you accept that brother who was wrong in some areas but who loves the Lord whom Christ is accepted if you can't I'm sorry to say this but you're a cultist this is how cults are built cults are built not only by wrong doctrine cults are much more built by wrong attitudes to others of God's children you can't accept that child of God because he doesn't agree with you in some doctrine that's what Romans 14 and 15 is all about don't make your petty little rules and things like that so important that you cut off somebody from fellowship just because he doesn't agree with you in some area so Romans 15 7 says accept one another and Romans 14:10 says why do you judge your brother that is an outward action and why do you regard your brother with contempt that is an inward attitude he says don't have the outward action of judging and don't have the inward attitude of you know looking down on him both must be avoided and when we come like this we come to the end the culmination of the gospel where we together with one mouth and with one voice verse 6 glorify God as one body in Christ this is God's will that together with one voice even though that brother doesn't see eye to eye with me in certain things we can glorify God and then in chapter 16 he gives greetings to all the different people in Rome and I just want you to notice one thing here that in the church in Rome if you read from verses 5 to 15 you read there were five house churches they didn't all meet together there was a large church there in Rome but they met in five different houses since in the house of this person and those who were with this person and those who are meeting with this person five house churches in one city they meant a little groups that's how the church met and Paul even though he had never been to Rome took sufficient interest in the church in Rome to know different people there and to give him his greetings there's a little expression that comes in verse 26 the obedience of faith which also comes the beginning of the first chapter Paul says God has given me this calling to lead people not only to fail but obey what they believe have you believed something this morning may you be led to the obedience of faith let's pray

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Length: 56min 31sec (3391 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 22 2017