Christians Aren’t Just Forgiven

Today on Summit life with Jeannie Greer. There are some people who seem to be looking for so little when it comes to salvation is one of find some meaning in their life they want to get help regarding Jesus will give you all of those things, but he is so much more union of Christ means that everything that is through Jesus is now legally true. You also might as always, I'm your host Molly Rabinovich and we are so glad you're back with us today in the movies when someone is facing a life-threatening situation often stopped to say a quick prayer right and it's usually along the lines of God. I know we haven't talked in a while but I've always believed in you and I could really use your help. And sometimes we might think that a prayer like that is what we have to pray to punch her magic ticket into heaven.

So is that really all salvation is pastor JD answers that question today with the teaching, he titled Christians aren't just forgiven. We know you don't want to miss a single message here on the program so if you're a little behind. You can always catch up@jeanniegreer.com but for now grab your Bible take some notes and let's join pastor JD as he teaches from Romans chapter 6 short series called phantom faith in which we are discussing ample thing that people just don't get regarding Christianity with her new Christianity of immigrants, or for a long time user things that that just don't come back that cause them to live to go to the motions of Christianity, but often without the soul zombie is right is in a zombie, so we wait last week to talk about his moving body without the soul. Many people are like that with their faith or going to the motions of Christianity, but it never really develop a heart of Christianity in I want to explain why that is the very first week we went to Romans chapter 4 and I showed you how so many people just don't seem to get what the Bible means what it says that were saved by faith drawn here for that. I would encourage you to go back and listen to it. Not because I thought it was a great sermon, but because it's a great passage of Scripture and it shares with you.

The one thing that separates Christianity from every other religious message of the world shows you one thing that you have to understand if you were going to know for sure you go to heaven.

Not one thing that we looked at in depth a couple weeks ago, is what it means for salvation to be received.achieved. That's the distinction of what Jesus taught more of any other religious leader is that God credits to us.

Jesus righteousness even though we don't deserve it, even though we don't have in ourselves the credits to us. Jesus is righteousness when we trust personally got accomplished what he said he accomplished in Jesus death on the cross and that is a full complete payment for our sin on this week I want to talk about another misconception people have about Christian salvation and that is that Christian salvation is just forgiveness that the gospel is just God's agreement. Why can't you send that you can hear that how we phrase the question about salvation you we say I want to risk the boys get if you died tonight and I would say why should I let you into heaven, what would you tell it as if that is all that the gospel is really concerned about is how you answer that question. How are you going to take care of your sin debt. What I want to show you this weekend is that in the gospel are not only the resources to be delivered from the penalty of sin, to get the resources that you need to be delivered from the power of sin to it's not just forgiveness. It's also the power of new life.

So the question is not just if you died tonight and God said why should I let you into heaven, what would you tell them. The question is also, if you get up tomorrow morning if you get up tomorrow morning. How is your life going to look different, that Christ is in it.

I'm really excited about this. I will be totally honest with you about being able to teach this to you because what I must share with you today has the potential to radically transform some of your lives because you are going to discover today that there is a power available to you that you may not have even ever known about you not automatically get this power when you become a believer you got to learn to access it was just face it, some of you will really honest you would admit that you feel plateaued in your spiritual life.

You're not really going anywhere.

Relationships not develop disabled temptations.

You've always matter is in control of your life as they've ever been.

You're not developing deeper love for God. Get the same too bad temper the same foul moods. I want to try to show you why that is and how it is that you can change that Romans chapter 6, Paul begins with the question here is the question what shall we say then are we to continue in sin that grace may abound, after what Paul has just taught about how salvation is a free gift that it is received, not achieved. It's not something we do to earn it after Paul is taught all that the natural question is, well, we now have it like a divine Visa card with an unlimited balance if we could just run up as much same charges one.

Jesus sorta got it covered nearly got you got unlimited credit and when I just spend as much money as you want. Why don't we just go ahead and send the Jesus blood is covered in all to bring an action for natural question what you understand the gospel.

How can we died to sin still live in what is Paul mean when he says we have died to sin will only take what he doesn't mean what does it mean is that we are gradually moving away from sin gradually getting more more righteous, ambitious, died to sin is just a metaphor know he's a dead you. You be dead to sin is you're not mostly dead you read the debtor you're not. So Paul is not talking about a gradual process were you become more send more symbols as you grow more righteous nor does Paul mean that we have simply renounced sin say you know like what you like an Italian Mafia boss may say to Bissonnette be disappointed if you are dead to me. He's not talking about that either something much greater. Something much bigger is going on. He explains verse three. Do you not know that all of us who been baptized into Christ Jesus.

We were baptized into his death. Putting sin to death was something that Christ did for us on the cross and when we are baptized into him.

We are joined to his killing of our sin before we were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father. We also we too might walk in the newness of life. The baptism that Paul speaks of specifically here is Spirit baptism where the Holy Spirit takes us. It's an invisible process, but the moment that you put faith in Christ. The moment you trust in Christ, the spirit of God takes you and he baptizes you in the spirit into the death of Christ, so that Christ's death on the cross becomes your killing of sin and Christ's burial in the ground became the burial of your sin forever that Spirit baptism is supposed to be mirrored by water baptism.

We often say here that that water baptism is just an external depiction of what is already happened. As an inward reality that just like you and I when we were baptized in the spirit we trusted Christ just like we were put into the death of Christ right so we are going to put somebody in the water, showing that they have been buried with Christ and just like Christ was raised from the dead and we were raised in hemisphere joined us to that. So were going to be raised up out of the water right so that's what were doing when we do.

Water baptism is work giving an external picture of something that is already happening on the inside so occasionally somebody will say to me you know it will pass want to sprinkle people. It feels like you have them to so much cleaner and easier to ball the tanks and the contingent closes in. Once you sprinkle listen when I answered as a mantra to be catty to be cute. I'm don't sprinkle because it depicts burial very somebody you don't sprinkle dirt on their head. You put them under the ground. People say why don't you baptize a baby will because a baby has not been put into Christ.

Yet water baptism is supposed to be the external depiction the external symbol of something that is already happening on the inside and it happens when you believe on Jesus. And when you're baptized in the spirit you're supposed to demonstrate that by water baptism. Now I'm telling you I've told you for a few weeks were to be doing that today we get it wherever you brought me here from time to time will give people a chance you have never been baptized to be baptized, and I know some of you to become prepared you like, I wouldn't think about it today already forgot what he said a couple weeks ago which is well first of all, God graciously has repaired you by making you get wet. For the last nine days in a row, so you should be that nervous about that but we also have everything that you need a change of clothes to be in the service today. All of her campuses were to give you a chance is you need to take this step because it's an important one and is what Jesus said is supposed to be your first time at the faith. After you become a Christian summary been Christmas for years. You've never done it today really give it a chance pipe hung that unification. Paul says to Christ gives us access. Now Jesus is newness of why verse five we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his United. That word is a horticultural term in Greek means where you would grab one branch out of one plant into another one.

What he saying is that our plant was dead. And so Jesus took the branch of our lives, and he grafted into Jesus's roots, and because Jesus was alive. Jesus is life begin to flow up into us now me to stop her second, do you understand I thought this occurs whenever I had do you understand what Paul just said about the implications of that for the power and the potential that you have in your spiritual life you really can't get your mind around Christianity is not you turn over a new leaf.

If not you resolving to do better.

Christianity is the power of new life.

There are some people who seem to be looking for so little when it comes to salvation manager for inner peace. They just want to find some meaning in their life they want to get out a helpful regard and Jesus will give you all of those things, but he is so much more union of Christ means that everything that is true of Jesus is now legally true of you also give not only got his perfect record attached to your doubt, you got the power of his resurrection and eternal life is not just something I was going to give you by eternal duration of days in the afterlife. Eternal life is something he wants to give you right now it is a quality of living.just the quantity of days. Does that not change how you see the potential of your life. There is no brokenness or no corruption in you that Jesus did not put in the gray and there is nothing that his resurrection cannot remove heal or redeem from you what you think about this for a minute the greatest people that God used to change the world.

If you go back and read their stories in the Bible are always deeply flawed people. People that you would like more in the past you know why you're here, Peter was a coward dealio throughout his life a coward. Paul was was harsh and abrasive, you would not want to be friendly, possible is always outright authority. What he did better than you. The apostle John was arrogant and vengeful on several of the most prominent women in the early church had very shady past get the new birth made these men and women, people of incredible power they change history and they were not made out of more promising material than the person that is sitting next to you. They are a believer in Christ.

It is no longer about what you and I are able to accomplish for Christ is what the power of his resurrection can do in and through us right now, but you get this right now look at a person right now every campus to your right about your right now to the person to your left, if they are a believer. They have literally literally they have the power that brought Jesus out of the grave inside there just does that not change how you feel about that person is can reach over and touch and part of the management acclimate regularly to that is a potential that Paul says is you write 13 will return to her teaching in just a moment. Most people in church know how to act the part but there's no real life in their walk. So our newest resource is focused on helping you and your closest community dialogue about your faith, we have a set of conversation cards which are simply cards with one question or prompts on then to pull out my you're eating dinner or on a long car ride it will help break the ice on difficult topics or simply get a launching pad for deeper communication are resource this month also includes a book of 15 devotionals on the topics of relationships and faith will send it our thanks for your gift to the ministry right now so give us a call at 86 633-5224. Check out Jeannie clear.com now it's get back to her teaching.

This is what Paul is talking about sex to try to get really practical with you right so go to verse 11.

Also, you know it gets really down in Jan and in the weeds with us. Likewise, you also you need to to reckon yourselves to be a dead Anita said reckon, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The rest of this passage is can be built on around two imperatives, two verbs the first one is this right here reckon now reckon is that Greek word lobe did so my that we spent so much time on a couple weeks ago I told you it is an accounting term, where you count one thing, as if it were another even though it is not in the first time Paul uses it in Romans. He's talking about how when we put faith in Christ God lobe did so my records are faith to be righteousness the accounts that is right is even though technically then converted to wildcard number that like saving your hand of poker.

If you got a joker you got the joke of whatever you wanted to be. Need queen arts and you can count that as a queen arts even though it's not Paul says we put faith in Christ for this work. God did to my house.

That is righteousness. Now Paul says it's your turn to do the reckon it is your turn to reckon your self to be dead to sin and alive to God. And when you reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God is then that God infuses the power of new life into you say, but I don't feel dead to sin. Sin and wrong desires feel very much alive in me. You're totally missing Paul's point.

When you believe that God has declared it to be. It is, and then after you believe it that he begins to review the power into you again.

Abraham is our example Abraham was infertile at 90 years old when God declared he would have a son. When God said that to Abraham. Abraham did not say you know I think you're right. I been feeling unusually frisky for the last few weeks.

I believe you know Roman says he didn't feel anything at all when God said, but he believed what God said because God said it, even though we didn't feel it, even though he knew his equipment was way out of working order and when he believed what God said, even though it went against how he felt it was that he received strength. So Paul says in the same way, you will receive strength to be dead to sin.

When you believe that God has made you dead to sin.

This is not some kind of mental trick where you tell yourself our brains operate on brave are brave enough times and you actually become bright. God gives you actual power.

Would you believe that what he says he has done is true and so when you say I am dead to sin and I am alive to God in the resurrection is then that the power of righteousness and the power of new life comes into you see, we always want to feel first and then will believe in God says no that is not it at all. You gotta believe what I said because I said it and then you will feel this is what we call name it. Claimant sanctification is, you name it. Claimant crowd gets at least one major thing right make his major things wrong to name the claimant is the idea that you think the promise of Jesus in the matter. If you don't have it don't feel you claim is not in Jesus and then you name it. Majority stabbing you rabbit arm you want to do you think of that what they get right this is you learn what they get right is that when Jesus was made a promise and you can claim it as your own.

Even if you do not feel it in one shape form or fashion at all what they get wrong is the object of what you're claiming from Jesus because what Jesus died for was not to give you new BMW he died to make you holy, and holiness is a much greater possession in a Hummer.

So when you name it and claim it's what you're claiming is you're claiming the promises that Jesus gave not about making you materially prosperous your mate climbing the promises about him making you more like Christ. And that is a promise that you can name it is a promise you can claim and when you claim that promise that God will infuse the power of new life into you pulses you got a reckon that even though you don't feel you reckon and when you write in it. That's when God begins to infuse it in the support continues in verse 12 is your second what.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness said you should present yourself to God as those who have been brought from death to life in your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

Your second command. Paul tells us that you reckon yourselves dead to sin, number two, you must restore God as the center of your life. Now he didn't use the word restore in this tax per se, but that is what he is talking about what he tells us to present the members of her body daily to God. You see, Paul says listen with what this there is something at the center of your heart, and sits on the front there something every day you will present your members of your body in service to that think there is something in you that you feel like is so central in your life that you got a habit. This is the God that you worship. And every day you will get up and you will resent the members of your body in service of that thing is that what I gotta do to obtain you now at this point.

I know some of you may object to say what Paul, not a servant of anybody or anything.

I do whatever I want.

Paul anticipates your objection by the unit but for the first at least 100 years, maybe even longer at Harvard Law school. They read the book of Romans, line by line, not for theology. They read it so that they can learn how to develop a law case where you anticipate objections and to shoot them down as you're making your argument is what Paul does any time he senses an objection is going to take care of it and said he figured a group of Americans 2000 years ago is rightness that would object the way that you just objected to Paul, since your objection what's always back to them for 60 do you not know you think you'll serve somebody that what you think you not know that if you present yourselves anybody's immediate slaves.

Slaves of the one you obey. Whether that's the sandwich lease to death or obedience to God Lisa righteousness every day since you present your body, your members, your body and pursue something something is at the center of your heart something to measure obedience. It's whatever it is that's most important to you, whatever you feel like that you have to have come to be fulfilled and be happy. It's whatever you feel like you can't live without that thing controls you functionally that thing is become your master Christian counselor on David Palace and other other like you have identified a set of what they call core idols core masters in the human heart, which are sort of you based on your personality are based on the time of life.

One of these four will become more prominent than the others, but they're going to root idols or core idols that are sort of behind everything else. It's would be helpful for me to think through these me put up your for you on the first.

We talked about his power. There are certain people that are driven by a desire for influencer recognition meant just for them for life to be good. They gotta have power and influence in the gotta be at the top there others that their God is control their gonna be happy as long as everything is going according to their plan. These are the people to plan all the time. These are the people that save lots of money. These are people who just feel like as long as everything is going to go on the way that supposed to, and there's nothing I want to be okay there others that what the core of their heart is his approval. They had this craving to be accepted or desired. They can be happy unless certain other people are happy with them that might be there family. It might be the friends at school. It might be the people in their career field. It might be their spouse, but they live by approval on then there are lastly here. Comfort. There are some who what it means for them to be happy is they just want to be comfortable. It might take the form of longing for pleasures like sexual pleasure, even alcohol, food, pleasure, or it might just be that one creature comforts. They thought as long as I'm use. Got my my my House of Lords. I got my land and as long as everything is comfortable that I want to be okay. Let me ask you this, when you look at those four which one to sortable more naturally think that that would be my one right there can identify if you have your spouse lean over and tell them which one you think there one is as well and see if you guys got the same one.

There's nothing wrong, of course, with any one of these things in and of itself if want to become central in your life when it becomes the thing that you can't live without. When it becomes something that commands your obedience more than God does when you get up daily, and you think about how to pursue these things because without that thing you cannot be happy. That's what God is been displaced as your master, and that things become controlling the question from Pastor Judy Greer on Summit life. You can access urban transcripts, audio, and other resources free of charge JD career.com not JD, our newest resource sets out to meet families to date right where they are definite. Tell us about that. Yeah exactly Molly. We are also distracted by the news.

By the latest app on iPhone by whatever reminders come in through bar families going to hundred different directions in various activities. What we want to do is we want to help you connect easily and quickly without adding something else to your plate, chances are it's not something new you need to learn just conversation space needs to be created and so we created a set of conversation carts. The just cards with one question one prompt on them double just take the dialogue in some directions that may not otherwise go to help you with those you closest with talk about about faith and rest in what it means to trust God and what it means to love and serve each other.

It comes along with the book of 15 devotions that I wrote around the same topics they've got a few parenting devotions their earnings and only thought rest body piercing is that even a real thing.

I love to give you a copy of those things if you will will go to JD Greer.com and reach out to us there, then weekend we can start that conversation that relationship with you and give you this resource and access to a lot of other things as well. We left to get you both the 15 day devotional and set up conversation carts today and it comes with our way of saying thanks for your essential partnership with this ministry. When you give a suggested donation of $35 more to life. You are helping people around the world citing to the cost.

Rainfall, be sure to ask devotions for the distracted Emily 15 days on relationships as well as the conversation carts when you get today.

Call 865 26 552 20 easier.

You can donate online. JD Greer.com I Molly benefits.

Be sure to join us tomorrow when Pastor Katie message called Christian just beginning day on Summit my