From Valley to Victory (Part 8)

King George V who is the grandfather of the current Queen Elizabeth, something he used to say to his sons my boys remember who you are. My bore is remember who you are, but I can tell you in the far far far far more important truth that we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ must remind ourselves not only daily but moment by moment of who we are. Ribbon learning throughout the series of messages from Romans that our salvation is a gift from God that our justification is a gift of God, our redemption is God's indescribable gift to every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ our adoption into the royal family of God is undeserved and unlimited, but once we are adopted. Once we have taken on this new family name. Once we have been robe with the robe of righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Once we identified as members of the royal family of King Jesus once we are called princes and princesses.

Once we've done that we need to constantly remind ourselves on a moment by moment basis of who we are that we need to constantly remind ourselves how to live as royals we need to know how to behave as royals we need to understand how our lives must reflect that new family name. We need to learn how to bring honor and not this honor to the king, who graciously adopted us as sons and daughters.

Please listen to me this living of the new identity in Christ is a process will repeat this this living with new identity as members of the royal family of King Jesus is a process, it is not an experience, and is not once and for all. It is a process and it is a process that will never end until the day we see Jesus face-to-face.

It has to constantly move upward. It must constantly move forward every single day and beloved. This process requires our deepest commitment and our full attention. While we have nothing to do to deserve our salvation.

Deserve the grace of God, other than stretching out our hands and receiving graciously and thankfully the process of our daily growing into Christ requires the commitment of the will and the mind and effort, dedication, and all intentionality's when the king graciously and gratuitously adopted you and you could not do anything to get it. The only thing is required is for us to bow the knee and say thank you to bow the knee and do.

Thank you. Most of his arrival had to say thank you. How do I do thank you. I'm glad you asked because I wanted to.

It is Romans chapter 6 please turn to it with me where the apostle Paul tells us how to do. Thank you, but I want to tell you at the outset what I am not saying and what the word of God is not saying that after you receive the gift of salvation. God says okay buddy.

Now you're on your own as all of the Scripture say, or now that you're saved, you can either sink or swim.

It's up to you.

Or, now that I have given you salvation. It is totally up to you to live in obedience. No beloved, listen to me if anyone thinks that he or she can live a godly life on their own strength.

You will in a lot of trouble if you think that you can live obedient life to Christ by your own width and by own grit you're in deep, deep trouble. Even though we do have an important part to play in our sanctification, even though we are responsible for our walk with Christ.

Even though we are commanded to buy the Lord and yet we cannot grow more into Christ likeness without a total dependence on the power of Christ look with me please at verse one. Romans chapter 6 what shall we say then shall we live or should we go on sinning so that grace may increase absolutely not. That's really the literal translation, absolutely not.

June the half brother of Jesus says in verse four.

In his letter for certain men whose condemnation was written about long-ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of God into a license for immorality and deny Christ Jesus our only sovereign Lord beloved. There is a world of difference between occasionally failing and occasionally falling in sin and deliberately and willfully and intentionally living in sin as an established pattern and then rationalize it or explain it that deliberate willful and intentional living in sin and then being rationalized is impossible. Listen to me, it is impossible for the believer. Why two reasons and they come straight from this chapter. Romans chapter 6 verses 1 to 14 is that the first reason is that those who have been liberated from the grasp of sin do not want to go back to that slavery and secondly verses 15 to 23. He says those are liberated believers.

They joyfully and thankfully and delightfully surrender to the newfound master, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of righteousness is look at these very quickly.

First reason we need to understand what Paul does not say Paul is not saying that we are incapable of sin that is not what you say don't fall in the trap for John tells us in chapter 1 verse eight for if we claim that we are without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

But if we walk all yes we are more than capable of sitting, but the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is no longer under the compulsion and the tenor of sin. Not anymore. The believer no longer beautifully obey sin like they used to, before Christ, the believer is no longer helpless to say no to sin no in a million.

Those because we are saved the Holy Spirit.

That moment came into our lives and sealed the believer and he gave us a new power to be able to say no to sin relative to imagine in your mind's eyes to feels next to each other and were thus separated by a fence is think about two fields. One field is owned by Satan, and right next to that field is owned by the Lord Jesus Christ. The tool feels as I said, separated by a fence before you are saved before I was saved. We worked and lived in Satan's field. The field that he owns. We were totally under his control. He would say do this and was a yes or do that and was a yes or we were subject to his jurisdiction. Or we were bound by his laws. We were ruled by his power, we were slaves to his dictates. All he always promises you plan. But he pays you with pay and suffering and guilt and shame listen to me. There are many, and there may be some here today who still working in Satan's field and their curious about Christ get out of that field and come to Christ field right now in Jesus name, but when you're saved you move fields you went from Satan's feeling when next door Christ field your new master is so loving and so kind is so precious your new master has your best interest at heart, and you are totally love by this wonderful new master, but is what happens. The former slave master Satan is forever looking over the fence and beckoning you come over, come back to us forever. Could you and you return this forever tricking you into coming back this forever saying this time I'm gonna tell you good but the genuine believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who have moved from Satan's field into Jesus's field. They know that from time to time, they may forget all of the pain and the shame and the guilt and the agony of the former slave master that they might forget the misery and the tears that he brought about in our lives. They forget the agony that was caused by that former master, and so they occasionally my jumped the fence. Occasionally they might fall for his deception, but I want you to remember. Remember this, Satan has no power to keep you there. Only a power to entice you.

The alert believer. Of course going to say to him. Satan buzz off as a big theological word you need to learn it. It will help you. I have nothing to say to you, get out of here. The Bible said in James chapter 4 verse seven. Resist the devil and he will flee from you to decide together. Resist call upon the name of new master and say to him help you overcome.

Immediately, I know this might sound like an oversimplification to some of you, but you get the point. The gospel is simple we complicated the gospel is very simple. In fact, Paul is telling us that the true believer never goes back and stays back to get that the true believer never goes back and stays back. Why, because he knows better equipment does verses in verse three. Don't you know all in verse six.

For we know in verse nine we know what we know. We know that now we are in Jesus's field, not in Satan's field. He has no jurisdiction over us.

Don't ever forget that, don't ever forget that he might bark, but he come bite you. You been immunized by the blood of Jesus. Galatians 327 says, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Now that you have identified yourself with Christ because that's really what baptism means the moment you identify with Christ. You cannot possibly identify with sin and with Christ.

At the same time because it sets sin that took Christ about the cross and he'll be in there and don't flirt with the enemy. Remember who you are safe with me. Remember you must not become a traitor to the cause of Christ.

Verse five. If you have been united with him like this in his death, you will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection race got praise God. What is that mean that means that when you accept the gift of faith and salvation in some spiritual way and some indescribable way and some unimaginable way. You have been transplanted 2000 years in history and there on the cross you died with Christ, but then he also rose with him from the grave on that first Easter Sunday morning is not amazing is not amazing. Beloved, listen to me. It is self-contradiction for a believer who has died to sin continuously live in sin, one would have to use some very perverted logic to argue that deliberately living in sin can somehow bring you more of God's grace is a perverted subject and yet there are so many young creatures abridging the stuff I am painfully aware of the fact that when a believer stops his time with Christ on a daily basis. Intimacy with him and with his word and fellow shipping with him. I'm aware of that when that stops you're opening yourself up to all sorts of trouble. I am painfully aware that when some people get someone out of Satan's temptations, beckoning to come to this field. I am painfully aware that some just give up on the go to the other side but what we all must learn is that when that happens, you need to immediately run back and come back to Christ for you. Don't hang out in Satan's field. Don't wait until you feel again. The pain of the scourging on your back. But here's the worst thing that any believer can do.

Listen to me and some do the worst thing you could do as he put 1 foot in Satan's field and the other foot in Christ field. You will be run over and it doesn't look pretty and sweet. I know it is not only vitally important that you stay in Jesus's field but don't leave a forwarding address. Did you get this. Don't leave a forwarding address. In fact many years regarded this story with a straw or not.

I don't know about this man who went to his counselor and he was totally stressed out is that I'm so stressed out among the stress and he said will what cause you stress, he said, well, I've been getting some hate mail is and you know is coming from.

He said no. Did you go to the police's order can help me reason will have you tried moving houses all yes I moved houses several times nothing happened hate mail just keeps on coming.

Or maybe you should try moving house further away and see what happens. Six months later he comes back to the counselor Saddam under stress. The hate mail never stopped arms totally stressed out. Did you move like we talked about yes I did.

I moved to another city that had mail keeps coming in on darkly stressed the perplexed counselor said well why don't you try moving one more time one more time. Six months later he came back. Same old story now is getting worse and even I moved to a different state. I still get all that hate mail will time went on, and the counselor had not seen the man for a while and in his mind is a well things got better and you must be doing okay until he ran into him in the local store and the counselor also surprised to find this man.

:-) Happy no outward stress at all. So the counselor asked him what happened.

The man said I never felt better in my life. The hate mail stopped. Is it when did you move to this election moved two doors down from my original house they signal how come I will solve the problem. The man simply said I stop giving my forwarding address. Don't give Satan you forwarding address. Beloved, listen to me. There are Christians who are moving from church to church. The Christians were moving from one Bible study to another. The Christians were moving from counselor to counselor looking for a panacea somewhere when all they need to do is stop leaving a forwarding address to Satan, and Paul is saying that when you move out of Satan's field into Jesus's field induced territory better not leave a forwarding address. Why, because when Christ died on the cross. He paid the penalty of sin who took that penalty on his holy body and he gave you the power to overcome every time you seek his help and strength for on the cross, Jesus did not only meet the legal demands for those who trust in him, but his death defrauded sin of its power on the believer's death forever and loosen the clutches of sin for those who are his. Look at verses 10 and 11 Romans chapter 6 the death he died, he died to sin once and for all but the life he lives, he lived to God in the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Verse 12 therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies so that you obey its evil desires. Verse 13 verse 13 is an amazing the picture in verse 13 is that of a deposed dictator think with a deposed dictator, which is sin. Sin is a merciless dictator. His deposed. Don't be intimidated by sin anymore because as a deposed dictator know many of you know that the first 19 years of my life I lived under dictatorship. There were so many informant for the government.

There were everywhere. We did not know we quit doing the schools there were in the sports arena.

They were in public life everywhere like a Gestapo type of airplane closed informant. Whenever we talk to him, even in our homes whenever we talked about the government. We kind of brought our voices sound almost until Lisa we used to say walls have ears walls have ears. We were terrified of the dictator fast-forward in the late 60s when I went to Australia. My very first friend is a wonderful young man and we were in the restaurant. We were having cup of coffee and we were talking and I start talking about the government and I looked around and I lowered my voice to a whisper and he looked at me with utter surprise, and he said Michael you no longer in Egypt. You no longer needed. Even though I been out for several months. I thought I was still under that rule of the dictatorship. Beloved, you are not under the dictatorship of sin and Satan anymore.

From that moment will talk to some incredible spiritualists that in the Lord Jesus Christ sin has lost its grasp on this are lower to sin is a deposed dictation that no longer has power over the believer and you can defeat sin, and thus my second point.

From this chapter. The Scripture you can defeat sin by joyfully surrendering to your new master Jesus this loving benevolent generous gracious Lord's look at verse 15 all the way to 23 in order to understand this particular passage.

You have to understand the context where the Romans have lived. Of course we are blessed by the word of God, but don't ever forget that when the writers were writing these officials particular their writing to certain groups of people under certain cultural context of certain legal and and surrounding things that we need to understand in order to get the full benefit in the full knowledge of what it means because way before the apostle Paul was born white before he was born, the Roman Senate legislated a law and the law. It goes something like this. If a freeborn man born free people could not be enslaved. Like all laws, people found loopholes that law basically was begun to be systematically abused by people and explain to you what I mean is a freeborn person run out of money need some money so they found a rich guy so what they do. They come in said you can buy me as a slave and I can serve you for the rest of my life really yeah but you freeborn yeah but the arms personally allowing you to buy me as a slicer gives her money when he takes the money and uses the money.

Then he brings a group of friends would come to the owner and say you're breaking the law.

This man is born free, and the Lord said you can never enslave somebody is born free, so what the guy does loses the money loses a slave, especially in the culture and an empire that the economy was built.

The whole economy was built on slavery so you can imagine the havoc this was causing to this Empire so shortly before the birth of the apostle Paul, the Roman Senate saw the problem in the draw to solve it at the time announced in said who ever sells himself even though he may be a free person, but if you show yourself voluntarily into slavery.

You stay in slavery.

This was destroying the country. Bottom line once you sell yourself into slavery. You stay a slave forever. So when Paul said to the Romans here in chapter 6, verse 16, particularly, you are slaves to the one who will be all bad.

He was saying that you cannot live as both in the freedom of Christ and in the bondage to sin all at the same time you can. Something's gotta give beloved every human being on the face of the earth either have Satan for their master or Jesus for their master.

Did you get the that's basically the trip to choices than most third either enslavement to sin and Satan or to the righteousness of Jesus. No wonder Jesus said in 624 of Matthew, no one, no one can serve two masters. No one here would disagree with me that those days of slavery were horrible days and thank God they gone, but I wanted tell you that their spiritual slavery is alive and well.

The issues this which master would you choose to serve which master will you choose to serve. I know that in this 21st-century this language is freaking some of you out. Listen to me you know that I have never been nor will I ever be politically correct right, but I can tell you that to the best of my ability. I have sought to always be biblically correct. So please listen to me every one of us surrender to a matched everyone of us in order the sound of my voice whom you choose to serve versus 21 and 22 Paul contrast two types of flavors in the US, which one do you honestly as you evaluate the benefits of each one of those two slavery the sightedness of slavery to Christ which one you choose. Verse 21 slavery to sin produces unbearable guilt here now an eternal separation from God forever, but verse 22.

Slavery to the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ gives you freedom from guilt, freedom from sin here and now and guarantees you eternal life with Christ forever.

Verse 23 Paul draws the ultimate contrast between the two. Slavery's that is the ultimate. He contrasts the wages of sin is death, her but the gift you got that the wages the gift said equipment see the contrast the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life sin, my beloved friends pays wages did you get that from sin, you get paid what you deserve to get paid. Judgment. But God gives you a free gift. He gives you what you don't deserve what you could never again wages is contrasted with the gift wages gift wages refers to the rations that were given to soldiers wages refers to the very meager pocket money that a slave would receive from his master, but the gift the cat as Martha indicates an abundance of blessings blessings beyond your ability to even comprehend or fully understand the Romans who were reading this letter initially understood the difference between the wages in the gift and I have no doubt the all become Pentecostals and began to shout. When they read this.

I am absolutely convinced wages versus a gift all my goodness is no comparison. Then you all about the wages because millions and millions and millions of slaves in Rome were receiving these meager wages. As I told her the economy of the entire empire was built on slavery and Paul uses this to remind every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. While Bob birth. We've inherited Adam slavery's to sin but by grace we been set free bondage to sin yields shame and guilt in ultimate judgment, but the bondage of Christ on the other hand yields precious fruits of growing in grace. One of the greatest gift that you can give yourself listen to me. One of the greatest you give yourself no activity you can get yourself every single day. In fact any moment. Any time you can give yourself this gift see when you're making an important decision when you're wrestling with temptation when you're angry with yourself, or angry with others. Remind yourself of God's gift to not wages God's gift, not wages. Remember what I said earlier the very beginning of the message about King George V is to tell his boys remember who you are safe with me.

One did become a king, father of Queen Elizabeth and the other did not. And for the rest of his life endured rejection, misery and alienation for the rest of his life. Oh, how much more important it is in the spiritual realm remember who you are. Remember who you are.

Remember you are a member of the royal family of King Jesus.

Remember you belong to the family of God. Remember, your family's reputation. Remember, your family's good name. Remember that you have the very blood of Christ going through your veins because now you belong to the royal family the royal family of God. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael.

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