WHERE ARE YOU IN GOD'S PLAN OF REDEMPTION?
Romans 2:17-29
All of us, that is the Church, have been call by God to be
an active part of the
body of Christ. All of us were accepted by God just as we
were, in our state
of sin. All of us are in God's plan of Redemption on a
journey of restoration.
Redemption is a continuous process.
CONSCIOUSNESS OF SIN
V:17-18. " Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you
rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; 18 if you know his
will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the
law."
A. God used various means that are particular to each of us
to draw us to Himself.
1. God established
a relationship with us through a knowledge of His Son.
2. He gave us His
Word so that we would know the truth about sin and the truth
about His
righteousness.
B. It is by the study of God's Word that we know His will
for us. 2 Tim 2:15
1. God has gifted
each believer with spiritual gifts necessary to the promotion of
the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
2. He gifted some of
us as teachers of His Word. 1 Cor 12:28
3. The study of
God's Word should bring us into a closer relationship with Him.
C. With the knowledge
of God's Word comes a consciousness of sin.
1. The consciousness
of sin is through the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells us.
2. The knowledge
we have of God's Word is superior to the wisdom of the world.
THE CONVICTION OF SIN
D. With knowledge of God's Word comes the conviction of
sin.
1. By His Word we
know that all unrighteousness is sin. 1
John 5:17
2. We must become
convicted in our hearts that sin is rebellion against
God.
3. We must become
convicted in our hearts that sin grieves the Holy Spirit.
a. The Word
says, grieve not the Holy Spirit which has sealed us until the
day of
redemption. Eph 4:30
b. It is the
new creation in Christ Jesus that grieves over sin.
THE CONFESSION OF SIN
E. Once we are convicted of our sins, we must own up to our
sins.
1. Knowledge of
God's Word demands that we confess our sins before
our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
2. Confession is
good for the soul.
3. The Word says,
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness. 1
John 1:9
4. We must never
get to the point where we think we are above sin.
a. We are never
outside the temptation of sin. Rom
7:17-23
b. Once we sin,
fellowship with Jesus must be
reestablished with confession.
KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S WORD BRINGS RESPOSIBILITY
V:19-20. " If you are convinced that you are a guide
for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the
foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of
knowledge and truth".
A. We are the Church that the world sees.
1. The power of
our influence is based on how we see the importance of service.
2. We are a guides
to the blind.
a. It is our
duty to guide others to the Lord. Matt
28:19
b. We must
act, talk and walk like Christians.
3. We must be the
picture of Jesus Christ that world sees.
B. We are light of those in the dark. Matt 5:16
1. Colossians 4:6
states, " Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with
salt, so that
you may know how to answer everyone. "
2. In our
conversations, we must encourage others in the Lord.
3. We must always
speak the truth.
a. When people
are going astray, the truth is not always welcomed.
b. The truth
is always needed.
4. Grace says you
don't purposely try to offend anyone, but you purposely
tell them the
truth.
5. Salt is the
flavor of God's Word that season our lives.
C. We should be instructors for the foolish.
1. The wisdom of
the world is foolishness to God.
2. There will
never be any shortage of people who need to hear the wisdom of
the Lord.
3. I think God
will put foolish people in our mist who need to hear words
of wisdom from
us.
4. Decisions that
are made based on what the world is doing are often foolish.
5. If a person
don't know the Word of God, they may not know they are foolish.
D. We should be the
first instructors for our Children.
1. The Word says
train up a Child in the way they should go and when they
get old they
will not depart from it. Psalms 22:6
2. If we don't
teach our children the truth, they will learn the foolishness of the
world.
KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH FORCES A DECISION TO CHOOSE
RIGHT OR WRONG.
V:21-23. " You, then, who teach others, do you not
teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say
that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor
idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God
by breaking the law?"
A. We all have to ask ourselves, do we practice being a
Christian?
1. Each morning
when we wake, we have a decision to make; do we follow
Christ or do we follow the world?
2. All through out
each day we are faced with the challenge of following Christ.
B. We would be hypocrites if we taught one thing and did the
opposite.
1. We are
hypocrites if we preached the Word of God but do not
follow the Word.
2. We are
hypocrites if we say one thing and do the opposite.
3. God expects us
to be true to our words. Matt 5:37
4. God expects us
to say the truth and live by the truth.
C. There is power in the Word of God. Acts 1:8
1. We have the power to live a blessed life.
2. We have promises from God that our lives will be
blessed.
3. Psalms 119:1-2
states, " Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk
according to
the law of the Lord. 2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek
him with all
their heart. "
4. We have the
power to change the quality of our lives.
5. All we have to
do is seek the Lord.
ROLE MODELS, GOOD OR BAD.
V:24. " As it is written: "God's name is
blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."
A. We are role models to others.
1. By our
actions, we make a choice of what kind of role model we are going to be.
2. We are either
role models for Satan or role models for Christ.
3. The Church
should be the role model of righteousness for the world to see.
B. Others may accept or reject God by what they see in us.
1. If we dishonor
God, others may dishonor God.
2. If the Church
don't praise God, how would people in the dark know
to praise God?
3. We do ourselves
a disservice when we don't give God credit in public.
4. The Word says
if we deny Christ before man, he will deny us before
the Father.
Matt. 10:33
OUTWARD SIGN OF AN INWARD CHANGE
V:25-26 " Circumcision has value if you observe the
law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been
circumcised. 26 If those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements,
will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised?"
A. Circumcision of all males was a sign of the covenant God
made with Abraham
and his
seed. It was a symbol of purity. Genesis 17:12
1. Circumcision separated
God people from the Gentile nations.
2. Circumcision of
male babies on the eighth day of birth was required by the
Mosaic Law.
3. For the Church,
it is the circumcision of the heart performed by the sanctification
of the Holy
Spirit.
B. Since the circumcision was part of the Law, the failure
to keep the Law voided
the value of the
circumcision of the Jews.
1. Once we accept
Christ as our personal savior, there should be an outward sign
of an inward
change.
2. That change, the
purification of our hearts occurs by the power of the Holy Spirit
3. Out of the heart
flows the issues of life. Matt 15:19
GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
V:27-29. " The
one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you
who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.
28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely
outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and
circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written
code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God."
A. The Redemptive process begins in our lives once we accept
Christ.
1. The Redemptive
process continues through out our time on earth.
2. We are God's
work in progress. Phil 1:6
3. The blood of
Jesus covers our sins while the Holy Spirit works to change
us into the
image of Christ. 1 Cor 11:7, Col
3:10
B. We do not change over night.
1. The bad habits
we brought into the relationship with Christ are
gradually
changed as we grow spiritually in Christ.
2. We are all one
with Christ at different levels of Spiritual growth.
3. It is the power
of the Word that cleanse us before God the Father. John 15:3
We must yield our minds and hearts to the redemptive
power of the Holy Spirit
to walk this race before God.
THANK GOD FOR REDEEMING US FROM A LIFE OF SIN
Rev M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia
Baptist Church
For a complete list of my lessons, visit my blog
"goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com"
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