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SCRIPTURE:
Romans 8:9-11; 9 However, you are not in the flesh but
in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone
does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 And if
Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit
is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the
dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who
indwells you.
A. Our Spirit is Alive
This truly is
1. A matter of “life and
death.
“ . . . But if anyone does not have the Spirit
of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” vs. 9b. and “ . .
. For the mind set on the flesh is death, . . .” Vs. 6. In
contrast to death we have life; spiritual life. “And if
Christ is in you, . . . the spirit is alive . . .” vs.
10
2. A matter of Fellowship with God
Hear Jesus in prayer to His Father in Heaven.
John 17: 22, 23a;
22 “And the glory which Thou hast given Me I
have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; 23a I
in them, and Thou in Me, . ..”
3. A matter of Testimony to the World
John 17: 223b “. . . that they may be perfected
in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love
them, even as Thou didst love Me.” It is the indwelling, empowering
Christ and His sacrificial love within us that glows with divine
brilliance in this dark and desperately needy world
B. Our Body is Dead
Romans 8:10 And
if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the
spirit is alive because of righteousness.
Paul continues to remind us that the “body of death”
inherited from our father, Adam, is still very much with us. The Apostle
John alludes to the same thing and warns the believers against denial of
the “sin nature” as some teach. See 1st
John 1:8-10
1. Denying the Sin Nature
vs. 8 If we say that we have
no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
To deny having a sin nature is disastrous. It generates
SINFUL pride which precipitates a fall. “God
is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James
4:6b
2. Disarming the Sin Nature
vs. 9 If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.
How gracious is our God blotting out our sin and
removing the barrier that mars our fellowship with Him by restoring us to
righteousness and by forgiving us of our sin!
3. Disregarding the Sin Nature
vs. 10 If we say that we have
not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
If we think we can live in some state of “sinless
perfection” in this life we have misunderstood or have denied His
message to us. John says such arrogance makes God out to be a liar. John
writes to encourage us not to sin but assures us there is a
remedy when we do and when we come to Him as our Advocate. 1st
John 2:1,2;
“ My little children, I
am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone
sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and
He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but
also for those of the whole world.”
Hence we have the
incentive NOT TO SIN and the assurance that there is a sufficiency in
Christ’s sacrificial death for immediate and entire cleansing and
forgiveness. What an awesome God — He restores us to purity and provides
a full recovery of our fellowship with Him! He takes us
From
Rags to Riches
"For ye know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."
2nd Corinthians 8:9
The Holy Bible : King James
Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the
1611 Authorized Version.) . Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak
Harbor, WA
NOW — IT GETS EVEN BETTER!
C. Our Body will Live
As believers, the “death principle” works in our
bodies simultaneously as the “life principle” works in our soul and
spirit. Some day the “life principle” will supplant the “death
principle” in the body as well and we will be like Him!
See 1st John 3:2
“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet
what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him,
because we shall see Him just as He is."
IT WILL HAPPEN IN A MOMENT! 1st
Corinthians 15: 51,52; 51 “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will
sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”
ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?
YOU CAN BE! TRUST
HIM NOW!
If you do not understand the significance of this
glorious event and it is not your own personal "blessed hope,"
you have a need to come to Him and cast yourself upon His mercy and grace.
Why not bring your struggles to Him now? He
cares for you and invites you to come to Him. Matthew
11:29,30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and
heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take
My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart;
and you shall find rest for your souls. 30 “For
My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”
Christ Jesus died on the cross as a mediator for sinners such as we. All who
come to Him in repentance He gives life and faith to believe.
John 1:11-13; 11 He came to
His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,
even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born not
of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God.
If you have never entrusted your life to Him, why not come to Him today
for Salvation. That's the first order of business.
"And
there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven
that has been given among men, by which we must be
saved." Acts
4:12
Please contact
us if you sense your need to come to Him. We can help. (Just
click on "contact us.")
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