Sunday 10:17:10

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you. (Colossians 1:6) Three decades after Christ’s resurrection, the Gospel had spread rapidly to every corner of the Roman Empire. Everywhere the Gospel was introduced, in every culture, every socioeconomic group it was growing and bearing fruit. Among the poor, rich, slave, free, Jew, Gentile, it was overcoming every boundary and changing lives all over the known world. The Gospel has the power to change lives. Not just one time. We put so much emphasis on conversion that too often people miss the power of the Gospel throughout the rest of our lives. We think that conversion is up to God, and then the rest of sanctification is up to us. Not true. The Gospel is so powerful, that the fullness of what Christ has done for us has to be explored for the rest of our lives. Talking to other parents… the hope we have for our children is not our ability as parents, not our wisdom, the only real hope we have for them is the mercy and power of God (the Gospel) to be at work in their lives. We grow in our faith, to have more trust in God for our children. That’s the power of the Gospel. Because of the fullness of all that Christ has brought, the Gospel has the power to continue the work of sanctification and redemption in you and me. If the Gospel has the power to rescue us from the dominion of darkness and bring us into the kingdom of the Son, it has power for transformation, renewal, and change. Our problem is that we can become very comfortable where we are – even comfortable with bad things. Being merciless, unloving, ungenerous, ungrateful, discontent, apathetic, disengaged in what God is doing. When was the last time you had significant change your life because of the Gospel? What fruit are you bearing? How are you growing? If Jesus returned today, would you be embarrassed by some things that are still in your life? Some things you never got around to? God has given us His power to love Him, follow Him, and carry out His calling. I pray that God would reveal to us the power He has for us in the Gospel to redeem, sanctify, grow us, and bear fruit through us. Romans 8:1-2 V 1 – “There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” The law brought condemnation because it points out, condemns and even stimulates sin in us. But Christians are no longer under the law, but in Christ. Chapter 6 declares that Christians have a life of holiness in union with Christ. Chapter 7 declares that Christians have a life of freedom from the law. Chapter 8 declares that Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and He gives us life, sustains us, directs us, and enriches our lives. Defeat permeates nearly all of Chapter 7, but in Chapter 8, Paul shows that the Spirit brings to the Believer’s life power and victory. V 2 – “law of the Spirit of life set me free” The Spirit set me free from sin and death. The Spirit is life-giving. Paul uses the term the “law” here to mean the “controlling power.” I was once under the power of sin and the result would be my death. But the power of the Spirit overcame the power of sin and death over me, through Christ Jesus. Romans 8:3 The law could not change my sinful nature. In fact, the law points out and even stimulates sin. Telling me what I should and could not do, did not help. It could not overcome my sinful nature. Behavior modification does not work. We need transformation. God did what the law could not do; He made me righteous by overcoming my sin through the death of Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus, God in the flesh, so that… I could get his righteousness and He took on my sin to make me right before God. Matt Chandler: There is nothing more exhausting than not having genuine affection for Jesus and trying to obey all the rules. You can spend your life checking the boxes, trying to modify your behavior without any love for Jesus or understanding of the Gospel. Its’ exhausting. Kids get muddy in the back yard. You don’t let them clean themselves up. Honestly trying to clean yourself up only makes a bigger mess. The problem with all of it – is us. No list of rules, behavior modification cannot overcome our sinful nature. There is no silver bullet to being healed or made whole. There is only pursuit of Jesus Christ and the fullness of what He has done for us. He came in the flesh so that you could have his righteousness and He could take your sin You can be right before God, not because you checked all the boxes, but because He’s beautifully gracious. He offers anyone who would believe that Jesus came to pay the penalty for your sins and to give you his righteous life, anyone’s sins can be forgiven and they can receive Christ’s righteousness.