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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.
Our text tells us that if you are in the Spirit you
belong to God and you are alive! If you do not have the Spirit of Christ
you do not belong to God. I hope the first of these two contrasting
positions is yours. It can be if you will cry out to Him for mercy and
trust Him alone to save you. Now let’s look at what is true of you If
Christ is in 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 Testimony to the
World
Hear Jesus in prayer to His Father in Heaven. John
17: 22,23; 22 “And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have
given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in
them, and Thou in Me, 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. Jesus said,
 “You
are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do
men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand;
and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine
before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
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
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
pride which precipitates a fall. “God is
opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James
4:6b
- 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 to blot out the sin removing the
barrier that mars our fellowship with Him by restoring us to righteousness
and by forgiving our sin!
- 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
come to Him as our Advocate.
1st John 2:1,2; 1 “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; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and
not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
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.
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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