Participants: Nathan Renner
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000783
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01:00 Welcome to On the Road, I am Pastor Nathan Renner,
01:03 the Senior Pastor of the Troy Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:05 and I'm so pleased that we have this opportunity to 01:08 study God's word together. We are gonna be talking about 01:12 living the life of the last Adam. 01:14 Living the life of the last Adam, 01:17 recently we have had a talk about the idea of Jesus Christ 01:22 being the last Adam and the new Israel, and today we're 01:25 gonna to talk about the second part of that living 01:29 the life of the new Adam, lets began with prayer. 01:35 Our Father, we want to thank you for the privilege 01:37 and the opportunity to investigate your word. 01:42 We ask Lord that you would speak to our 01:43 hearts and would speak to our minds. 01:46 And Lord, you would give us that 01:48 new life in Christ that you promised. 01:53 As we read now, speak, 01:54 we pray in Jesus name, Amen. 02:00 We've recently discussed the reality 02:03 that God created our world in, 02:05 the Bible begins with a perfect God 02:07 and a perfect world, 02:08 the perfect man in a perfect environment 02:11 and we know the tragic story 02:14 that plunged our world into crisis. 02:16 Adam went into the proverbial voting booth, 02:19 the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 02:20 And he chose sin, 02:23 he chose to align himself with Satan 02:25 and he plunged the entire world into a crisis. 02:29 And the nature of that crisis was two fold, 02:31 it had two problems that's the problem of death 02:35 and the problem of disobedience, 02:36 the problem of death and the problem of disobedience. 02:40 And so we saw that all throughout history 02:42 God was raising up new Adams as it were 02:46 the first one we looked at was Noah, 02:48 Noah was the new Adam. 02:51 He was the man of the soil, 02:54 a man of the Adam, he was the new Adam, 02:57 just like Adam was the man of the earth, 02:59 created out of the dust, 03:01 Noah was the man of the earth 03:02 and just like Adam fell immediately, 03:06 so Noah falls by drinking the fruit of the vine 03:10 and exposing himself to his son there 03:12 and we know the story, 03:15 then we saw, you have the next man on the scene 03:18 that was the sort of the new Adam was the Israel. 03:20 The Nation of Israel, God's first born son, 03:23 we read that in Exodus there, 03:25 and then we read about how God 03:27 tested them in Exodus chapter 16. 03:31 The new Israel, pardon me, God tested Israel, 03:35 the new Adam there in Genesis 16, 03:38 that is the test of the manner. 03:39 God wants to see whether they would be obey 03:41 his commandments or not. 03:43 So just like you have the first Adam 03:45 and the dietary test, 03:46 you have the second Adam that is Noah 03:49 with the dietary test and then the third Adam, 03:51 Israel with the dietary test. 03:53 And then we saw the all throughout history 03:57 people were stumbling and falling, 03:59 they were failing to measure up 04:01 to God's eternal moral standard. 04:04 Then we saw there was man, 04:08 the God man, Jesus Christ, 04:10 the last Adam and the new Israel, 04:12 he comes on the scene 04:14 and rather than failing and falling, 04:17 like Adam and Noah and Israel, 04:19 Jesus Christ comes and passes over the ground, 04:22 they passed over, 04:23 and he was fully completely victorious. 04:28 He did not disobey and then he, 04:31 so he perfectly obeyed 04:33 and then he died for our disobedience. 04:37 He redeemed our failure 04:38 and he gives to us his righteousness. 04:42 His perfect life is credited to our accounts, 04:45 when God looks at us, 04:47 if we put our faith in Christ 04:49 he sees the record of Jesus' obedience. 04:52 When God looks at us, 04:54 he sees Christ's death, 04:57 already having taken place for us, 04:58 in place of the death that we deserve. 05:01 So, Jesus as the second Adam 05:05 restores us to where God would have originally 05:09 wanted us to be. 05:11 But that's not that all that Jesus 05:13 as the second Adam does for us. 05:18 Jesus is the second Adam, 05:20 wants to live his life in our own lives. 05:25 He wants to live his life of victory 05:28 and power in our own lives. 05:31 That is what Jesus is wanting to do with us. 05:35 So, let us begin today with prayer again. 05:42 Father, again as we plunge into the word here, 05:44 please speak to our hearts and bless us, 05:46 in Jesus name. Amen 05:49 Come with me if you have your Bible 05:51 to a Ephesians chapter 2, beginning in verse 8. 05:55 Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8, very simple verse, 05:59 very famous verse, notice what it says, 06:03 it says for by grace you have been saved 06:06 through faith and that not of yourselves, 06:10 it is the gift of God, not of works, 06:13 lest anyone should boast. 06:16 Very simple statement, 06:17 the Bible says very clearly, very unequivocallY 06:21 it is God's grace that saves 06:23 and then he contrasts God's grace with works. 06:27 He says you're saved by grace 06:31 through faith and that not of yourselves 06:34 it's a gift of God, not of works, 06:35 lest anyone should boast. 06:37 So, here the Bible lays it out very simply, 06:39 very clearly, we are saved by God's grace, 06:43 then it makes it very clear that we access God's grace 06:47 through faith, 06:50 by grace are you saved through faith 06:53 and then he makes it clear 06:56 that it's not of ourselves, 06:58 this is a really important one, 07:00 it says it's not of yourselves. 07:02 What does that mean? 07:03 What point is being made there? 07:05 It's very simple. 07:07 God doesn't save you 07:08 because your great, great grandfather 07:12 planted the local church that you go to. 07:15 It's not of yourselves, 07:16 it's not on the basis of who you are. 07:19 And then he says it's not on the basis of your works? 07:23 Of course, if it were on the basis of your works, 07:25 you would have something to boast, right. 07:26 You can say certainly God saves me 07:28 because God is good, 07:29 but God saves me because 07:31 well, I have done good myself. 07:34 So Paul says you are saved by grace through faith. 07:38 It's not dependent on who you are? 07:40 That is your pedigree 07:42 and it's not dependent upon what you have done. 07:45 It's dependent on God's grace received by faith. 07:50 Now that's Ephesians 2:8 and 9, 07:53 we are gonna look at verse 10 07:55 because that's more germane 07:56 to what we are studying today. 07:59 For we are his workmanship, 08:02 created in Christ Jesus for good works, 08:07 which God prepare beforehand that we should walk in them. 08:12 Now notice what the text says, 08:14 it says that we are God's workmanship, 08:17 that is and the word in the Greek 08:20 is more than just something made 08:22 which is what workmanship communicates. 08:24 Really it's, it's not just something that been made, 08:27 but it's something that has been crafted, 08:31 in more in line with a masterpiece 08:35 that's really the connotation of the word here. 08:38 So, we are his workmanship, in other words 08:41 we are God's masterpiece. 08:44 I like that by the way, don't you like that, 08:47 isn't that nice to know that if you have been saved 08:50 by God's grace, 08:51 not on the basis of what you have done, 08:53 and not on the basis of who you are, 08:55 but on the basis of God's amazing unmerited favor. 08:59 Isn't it nice to know that if saved you by his grace 09:01 then he says and I want you to know something, 09:04 you now are my masterpiece, 09:09 you're my masterpiece, 09:12 and it says you're created in Christ Jesus, 09:16 you're created in Christ Jesus for good works. 09:24 Now, notice the incredible important point here, 09:28 he says in verse 9 09:31 that we are not saved by our works, 09:34 but he says in verse 10 09:36 that as God's masterpiece we are saved for good works. 09:42 Now this is an important, 09:43 very balanced theological position that Paul makes. 09:47 Paul makes this radical statement 09:50 your works do not save you, 09:54 you're not saved on the basis of who you are 09:57 or what you have done. 09:58 You're saved on the basis of God's grace received by faith. 10:03 However, he makes it also abundantly clear 10:09 that those that are saved are God's masterpiece 10:13 and that masterpiece is recreated in Christ Jesus 10:17 to do good works. 10:21 By the way, as you may or may not know, 10:24 I live in a suburb of Detroit, great city, 10:28 great place to be from, love living in Michigan, 10:32 what a blessing to live in Michigan, 10:34 what a greatest and most glorious states in the world. 10:39 But we have engineers here 10:43 and their whole job is to make cars, 10:46 that's I mean, that's really what Michigan is known for, 10:47 is the Auto industry. 10:49 Sometimes good, sometimes bad, 10:50 but I'm pleased to be able to be live here 10:53 in this great and glorious state 10:54 where they make such, so many fine vehicles, 10:57 but the reality is this that when an engineer sits down 11:07 to design something he designs it to accomplish a purpose. 11:08 You follow that, yes or no. 11:09 In other words when, when, when God designed 11:12 man he designed man for a purpose 11:15 and that purpose is very simple, 11:17 that purpose is to do good works. 11:20 So, though God saves us by his grace, 11:24 not on the basis of who I am 11:26 or on the basis of what I have done, 11:28 but then God says once I've saved you 11:31 I have recreated you as my masterpiece 11:34 and as a good engineer always does 11:37 I have engineered you for a purpose 11:40 and that purpose is to do good works. 11:44 Now, it's fascinating, 11:45 he goes on to describe in verse 10, 11:49 we are his workmanship 11:53 created in Christ Jesus for good works, 11:54 which God prepared beforehand 11:56 that we should walk in them. 12:01 Remarkable statement, 12:02 what he says is that 12:03 when we have been saved by God's grace, 12:05 not on the basis of what we have done, 12:07 not on the basis of who we are, 12:09 we are recreated in Christ Jesus. 12:12 We are now God's masterpiece, 12:14 we are now designed to do good works 12:18 and the good works we're designed to do 12:20 are the good works God originally 12:23 created us to do in the beginning. 12:26 And this is going back to the title 12:29 of the sermon living the life of the new Adam, 12:34 living the life of the new Adam. 12:36 Remember, we learned that Jesus is the new Adam 12:39 and what this text is telling us 12:42 s that God originally designed us in the garden. 12:46 God originally prepared good works for us to do. 12:51 But we learned that Adam fell 12:54 and then new Adam, Noah fell 12:57 and the new Adam, Israel fell 12:59 and all along the way humanity has been falling, 13:03 falling, falling, until Jesus comes and Jesus passes over 13:08 the ground that they passed 13:09 and instead of falling he succeeds. 13:12 And now because of his success 13:14 God will save us by his grace, 13:17 not on the basis of what we have done, no way. 13:22 How could he ever save us on the 13:24 basis of what we have done? 13:25 We have re-enacted the fall of Adam 13:27 everyday of our lives, 13:29 he saves us on the basis of his grace, 13:32 accessed by faith, not because of who we are 13:35 or what we have done? 13:36 when he saves he recreates us 13:39 to live the life 13:41 that he originally intended humanity to live. 13:45 the life which he created the Adam to live, 13:47 the life that he created Noah to live, 13:50 the life that he created every human being to live, 13:54 and so my friends this is the great and glorious 13:56 truth of the Gospel. 13:58 That what Jesus did as Adam for us, 14:02 that is living a life of obedience in our place, 14:05 dying the death that sin requires in our place, 14:09 the great and glorious truth of the Gospel 14:10 is that once we have received 14:13 what Christ has done for us 14:15 he then wants to live out his life in us, 14:19 so that we can experience the experience 14:23 that God intended for humanity. 14:25 He wants us, my friend the way 14:27 I like to say it is simply this, 14:29 have you ever thought to yourself 14:32 what would have it been like 14:34 to be able to experience life in Eden before sin. 14:41 You ever wonder that? 14:44 I wondered that and what, 14:46 what these verses are simply telling us is this. 14:48 That because God has saved you by his grace, 14:51 not on the basis of what you have done 14:52 or who you are, that God then recreates you, 14:55 he makes you new in Christ Jesus, 14:58 you are his masterpiece and that he recreates you to 15:01 do the good works that he originally created 15:05 humanity to do. 15:08 In other words what God is saying is 15:10 because Christ the new Adam has come 15:12 and saved you, Christ wants to give you the life 15:15 that he originally intended humanity to experience. 15:20 My friend, great and glorious good news of the Gospel 15:23 is what Christ has done for you 15:25 in living his life in your place 15:27 and dying the death in your place. 15:29 Christ wants to do in you, 15:31 he wants to live out his life in you. 15:35 In fact, if you go to Ephesians chapter 4, 15:38 it says it essentially no uncertain terms, 15:41 beginning in verse 17, 15:43 this I say to you therefore and testify 15:46 in the Lord that you should know longer walk 15:49 like the rest of the gentiles walk 15:52 in the futility of their mind. 15:53 Well, notice what Paul is saying, 15:54 he's saying, listen believers 15:56 you have been saved by grace through faith 15:58 not on the basis of what you have done 16:00 and not on the basis of who you are 16:02 and because you have been saved by grace, 16:04 your God's masterpiece, 16:06 you're to do the works originally created to do. 16:08 Now in chapter 4, verse 17, 16:10 he says don't walk like the rest of the gentiles walk. 16:15 They have their understanding darkened, 16:17 they're alienated from the life of God 16:20 because of the ignorance that is in them 16:22 because of the blindness of their heart, 16:24 and he is saying, they don't understand 16:25 what you understand about God's salvation. 16:28 They're still alienated from God 16:30 while you're reconciled with God. 16:33 And he says because of the blindness of their hearts. 16:36 Verse 19, they are being past feeling, 16:39 they have given themselves over to loathness, 16:42 to work all uncleanness with greediness, 16:44 but you have not so learned Christ indeed, 16:48 you have heard him 16:50 and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. 16:53 Verse 22, now critical point here in verse 22, 16:57 that you put off concerning your former conduct, 17:03 the old man which grows corrupt 17:07 according to the deceitful lust. 17:10 Now here Paul calls us to put off the old man, 17:16 to put off the old man 17:19 and then he says in verse 23, 17:22 to be renewed in the spirit of your mind 17:28 and that you put on the new man, 17:29 which was created according to God 17:31 in true righteousness and holiness. 17:34 Now, notice the language here, 17:36 Paul says basically in Romans 2, 17:38 you've been saved by grace through faith, 17:40 you've been recreated, 17:42 now you're to do the good works that God originally 17:44 intended you to do. 17:45 Here he says in the Ephesians 4, 17:47 don't walk like he used to walk, 17:49 don't walk like other people walk, 17:51 don't live like them because they have 17:53 yet to understand the glorious good news 17:56 of the Gospel. 17:57 And what you are to do 17:59 is to put off the old man 18:01 and put on the new man. 18:03 Now here is the remarkable truth of the old man 18:07 and the new man. 18:08 Certainly, the old man includes 18:09 the old person that you were 18:11 and the new man is the new person that you are, 18:14 but it's deeper than that. 18:16 There is something deeper there 18:18 and that deeper thing is this, 18:20 the old man is who you are connected to Adam. 18:25 And the new man is who you are connected to Jesus Christ. 18:30 You see my friends, we are born 18:33 as we read in Romans the 5th chapter, 18:36 the Bible says through one man's disobedience, 18:38 this is Romans 5, verse 19, 18:40 through one man's disobedience the many were made sinners. 18:44 As a result of Adams disobedience 18:46 we were made sinners. 18:49 And so, we have lived our lives 18:51 in Adam as it were, we have lived our lives 18:55 connected to that corrupt influence 18:58 that comes to us by our heredity 19:01 and what Paul is saying is 19:03 it's time for us as believers to put off the old man, 19:08 to get rid of the old man that is 19:10 who you are connected to Adam and put on the new man 19:15 that is who you are connected to Jesus Christ. 19:19 And so, here my friends we see Paul 19:22 calling us to not only accept the gift of God's grace 19:27 and what Christ has done for us as the new Adam. 19:30 But to accept the gift of God's grace by, 19:34 that is what Christ has done 19:35 in us and through us, as the new Adam lives out 19:40 his life in us. 19:41 Paul says put off the, 19:43 put off concerning your former conduct of the old man 19:47 that grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust, 19:51 but renewed in the spirit of your mind 19:53 and put on the new man, 19:55 which was created according to God 19:59 in true righteous and holiness. 20:02 Put off the old man and put on the new. 20:05 Put off the old man connected to Adam 20:07 and put on the new man connected to Jesus Christ. 20:11 Paul says the same thing in Colossians chapter 3, 20:13 remarkable statement there in Colossians chapter 3. 20:17 He says in verse 8, 20:20 he says, but now you yourselves are to put off 20:24 all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, 20:27 filthy language, out of your mouths, 20:29 do not lie to one another 20:30 since you have put off the old man with his deeds 20:33 and have put on the new man 20:35 which is renewed in knowledge according to the image 20:39 of him who created him. 20:41 Did you hear that? 20:42 Colossians 3, verses 8-10, 20:47 its remarkable statement. 20:48 It says that we are to put on the new man 20:51 who is renewed in knowledge 20:53 after the image of the creator, 20:55 do you remember in Genesis. 20:57 In Genesis, when God created Adam, 21:00 the Bible says in the image of God, 21:03 he, that is God, created them 21:06 that is Adam and Eve. 21:07 Adam and Eve the first human beings 21:09 were created in the image of God 21:11 and the Bible says that when we put on the new man, 21:14 Jesus Christ, that we are then being renewed 21:18 and we are being transformed 21:20 into the image of our creator. 21:22 When Adam and Eve sinned, 21:24 the image of God in them was corrupted, 21:30 they fell and that glorious image of God was marred. 21:35 And what Paul is saying is that we put off that old man 21:38 who we are in Adam with the image of God marred 21:41 and we put on the new man who we are in Jesus Christ 21:45 and that image is being refashioned 21:48 into the image of the creator. 21:52 My friends, we should experience as believers 21:56 the life of the Jesus Christ in our own life. 21:59 Jesus wants to live out his life 22:03 as the second Adam, the victorious second Adam 22:06 in our lives. 22:09 How does Jesus Christ do that though? 22:11 How does Jesus Christ live out his life in us? 22:17 I have one simple answer 22:20 and that is by the power of the Holy Spirit. 22:24 Jesus Christ lives inside of us 22:27 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 22:30 Come with me and I'll show you several verses 22:32 that speak of the Holy Spirit being this powerful influence 22:36 in our lives. 22:37 Come with me to Galatians chapter 3. 22:41 Galatians chapter 3, we look in verses 13 and 14. 22:47 Galatians 3, 13 and 14, listen very carefully, 22:52 the Bible says Christ redeemed us 22:54 from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, 22:59 for it is written, cursed is everyone 23:01 who is hanged on a tree. 23:03 That's a very simple verse, 23:05 the law has curses and condemnation for disobedience. 23:10 All of us have disobeyed. 23:11 So, we have all earned curses and condemnation, 23:14 but, praise the Lord. 23:16 Jesus became the curse for us. 23:19 That's great, that's wonderful, praise the Lord, 23:21 he did that for us 23:22 and that by doing that he redeemed us from the curse. 23:26 And according to verse 14, 23:28 Jesus did that, Jesus redeemed me from the curse of the law. 23:32 Verse 14, so that in Christ Jesus 23:40 the blessing of Abraham might come to the gentiles, 23:45 so that we might receive the promised spirit 23:50 through faith. 23:51 Notice what the text says, 23:53 it says basically the law is over me, 23:55 condemning me, and cursing me and Jesus comes and he dies 24:00 in my place, he takes the condemnation, 24:02 he takes the curse, he does that for me. 24:06 So, that if I believe 24:10 I can receive the Holy Spirit. 24:13 Now, notice the glorious good news here my friends 24:16 and that is this, when we believe 24:18 what Jesus has done for us 24:21 then God sends his spirit into us. 24:25 You follow that? Does that make sense, 24:27 when we believe that Jesus has redeemed us 24:30 from the curse of the law, 24:32 then God makes us his child and he sends us 24:35 the Holy Spirit. 24:36 Notice again Galatians chapter 3, verse 26, 24:41 Galatians 3, verse 26, 24:45 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. 24:50 Very simple, we become sons of God through faith, 24:54 simple text. 24:56 Now notice Galatians 4, verse 6, 24:59 notice what he says 25:00 and because we are sons, 25:03 God has sent the spirit of his son 25:07 into our hearts crying, "Abaa, Father!" 25:10 Now, follow remarkable verse. 25:14 God says if you have faith 25:16 you become a son 25:18 and then in chapter 4, verse 6, 25:20 he says because you are a son 25:21 you get the spirit. 25:24 Now follow, you are, the first thing you have is faith. 25:29 The result of faith is that you are a son, 25:33 the result of being a son is that you get the Holy Spirit. 25:37 You follow that yes or no, very, very critical. 25:40 We are talking about how does God live out the life 25:44 of Jesus Christ in us 25:46 and the answer is the Holy Spirit. 25:47 The answer is the Holy Spirit. 25:49 What we are seeing here in Galatians is 25:52 once you believe the glorious good news 25:55 that Jesus Christ has died for you on the cross, 25:57 God sends the spirit into your life, 26:00 once you believe in Christ 26:02 he makes you a son, 26:03 when you become a son 26:05 he gives you the Holy Spirit. 26:07 This is how Jesus lives out the life 26:11 that he originally intended for you to experience 26:14 in your life. 26:17 Let me illustrate, 26:20 everybody comes to the life a little different, 26:23 we all have ups and downs, you know, 26:26 your life may have been nice and easy 26:29 and wonderful, 26:31 but not everybody is that way 26:32 and may be your life has been very difficult and painful. 26:37 The reality is, is that 26:38 what the Bible is teaching us here 26:39 is that when you believe in Jesus, 26:41 God sends the spirit into your life 26:43 and by the spirit God begins to give you 26:46 the kind of life that he always intended you to have. 26:49 That's what we read in the Ephesians 2, 26:50 that you are saved by grace through faith not of works, 26:53 not of yourselves and then you are 26:55 now God's recreation and that recreated you 26:59 lives your life in harmony with the works, 27:01 God originally created you to do. 27:04 We read that, that, that you take off the old man 27:08 that's who are connected to Adam 27:10 and you put on the new man, 27:11 that's who you are connected to Christ 27:13 and then Christ begins to live out his life in you 27:16 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 27:18 When you believe, God fills you with his spirit, 27:22 we read that. 27:23 He redeems you from the curse of the law, 27:26 so that when you believe you can be filled with the spirit. 27:28 That's Galatians 3, Galatians 3, 27:32 you are a son because you have faith 27:35 and because you are a son you get the spirit. 27:37 My friends Jesus Christ 27:39 lives out his life within you 27:42 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 27:46 By the power of the Holy Spirit. 27:48 When the Bible says to put off the old man, 27:50 that's who you are connected to Adam, 27:52 put on the new man 27:53 who you are connected to Jesus Christ, 27:55 what is the Bible saying? 27:57 The Bible is saying that you can live and experience 28:01 the life of Jesus Christ 28:03 in your own life. 28:05 What does that look like? 28:07 What does that look like? 28:09 Well, come with me to Ephesians chapter 1. 28:13 Ephesians chapter 1, 28:15 when you become a believer 28:17 and God fills you with the Holy Spirit. 28:20 Notice what the Bible says, Ephesians 1, verse 13, 28:25 when you become a believer 28:27 and God fills you with the Holy Spirit, 28:29 you begin to experience the life that Jesus created 28:32 you to experience, notice what it says, 28:35 in him you also when you heard the word of truth, 28:42 the Gospel of your salvation 28:44 and believed in him 28:46 were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. 28:49 Okay, simple text, 28:51 and you hear the word of truth, 28:52 the Gospel of your salvation, 28:53 you believe the Bible says 28:55 you are sealed with the Holy Spirit. 28:58 Then it says about the spirit. 29:00 Who is the guarantee of our inheritance 29:04 until we acquire possession of it 29:08 to the praise of his glory. 29:11 Now, notice what the text says, 29:13 the Bible says that the, the spirit 29:16 when we become believers 29:17 and we begin to experience the life 29:19 that God originally created us to experience, 29:21 that Bible says the spirit is the guarantee 29:25 of our inheritance, 29:26 the spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance. 29:30 The King James says the earnest of our inheritance, 29:34 the earnest of our inheritance. 29:37 What does that mean? 29:39 The earnest of our inheritance. 29:41 Well, if you've ever bought a house 29:44 or may be something else expensive. 29:48 Generally speaking you don't have all the money right up 29:51 front to pay for it 29:52 and so let's say you are buying a house 29:54 and you tell the people, yes I want to buy your house, 29:58 I'll give you some earnest money, 30:00 I'll give you a guarantee that I am gonna buy the house. 30:04 So you give them 30:05 whatever you are going to give them depending on 30:07 how much the house cost, 30:08 but a significant some of money. 30:10 And that way they know 30:11 that you are really going to buy the house. 30:14 Now, if you choose not to buy the house 30:16 and they get to keep the money 30:17 and then you are just stuck. 30:18 So, that earnest money, 30:20 that down payment is the guarantee 30:23 to the other individual that you are actually 30:26 serious about getting it. 30:28 So, what the Bible is saying here 30:29 is that when you become a believer, 30:31 God sends the spirit into your life 30:33 to help you live out the life of the Jesus, 30:36 to experience the life that God originally intended 30:38 you to have 30:39 and that God sends that spirit in there 30:42 and when the spirit comes in, 30:43 it's the guarantee of your inheritance, 30:48 until you actually acquire the inheritance. 30:51 So, you acquire the inheritance down here when Jesus comes, 30:56 but until Jesus comes all the while 30:59 you have the guarantee, okay, 31:01 so you become a believer today, 31:03 God fills you with his Holy Spirit, 31:05 from right now, 31:06 you have the guarantee all the way 31:10 until Jesus comes and you actually go to heaven 31:12 that you're gonna go, 31:14 because he is giving you the spirit. 31:16 That's good, that's great news, 31:18 isn't it? Christians don't live their 31:21 lives saying will I actually make it, will they, 31:23 keep him in the heart, no, 31:24 they have confidence not in themselves, but in God. 31:28 Confidence that God who gave them 31:31 the gift of faith will keep them 31:34 and fill them with the spirit 31:36 and the spirit is there as your guarantee, 31:41 that you're going to make it. 31:42 What else does that spirit do 31:43 when it comes into the life? 31:45 Well, it's really important that we understand this, 31:48 we go to Romans, Romans, 31:51 actually lets go to Hebrews, we'll go to Hebrews first. 31:54 Hebrews chapter 10, verse 15, 31:59 Hebrews chapter 10, verse 15. 32:01 The Holy Spirit also bears witness to us 32:06 for after saying 32:08 this is the covenant that I will make with them 32:11 after those days declares the Lord. 32:13 I, will put my laws in their hearts 32:17 and write them on their minds, 32:19 then he adds, I will remember their sins 32:21 and lawless deeds no more. 32:24 Notice what the Bible says here in Hebrews 10 32:27 beginning in verse 15, 32:28 the Bible is speaking and actually in the context 32:31 to you it's the Holy Spirit that's speaking, 32:33 notice verse 15, 32:35 the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us. 32:39 So, it's the Holy Spirit that's doing the talking 32:42 and the Holy Spirit says I'm going to make this covenant 32:45 with them in those days declares the Lord 32:48 and then it says, 32:50 I will put my laws on their heart 32:53 and write them on their minds. 32:55 Notice what God and the Holy Spirit say here. 32:58 They say that they are going to write 33:01 the law of God on the heart and on the mind. 33:05 Fascinating! Amazing! 33:08 This is to me one of the most important 33:11 concepts in all of the Bible. 33:14 You see, what have we learned? 33:17 We have learned again, remember, 33:19 Adam, lets go back and lets not forget the big picture. 33:22 Adam began and Adam fell. 33:25 He aligned himself with Satan 33:28 and so God raised up a new Adam, 33:31 Noah, so to speak and Noah fell 33:33 and God raised up a new Adam, 33:36 Israel and Israel fell 33:38 and all throughout history all humanity fell. 33:43 So, what does God do? 33:45 He brings in the new Adam, 33:47 Jesus Christ, and instead of falling, falling, falling 33:51 he stands firm all the way, 33:53 perfectly obedient, 33:55 and then he dies the death that we have earned 33:57 by our disobedience, 33:58 he goes over the ground that Adam failed 34:00 and he is successful. 34:02 But, not only does Jesus want to do that for us, 34:08 Jesus wants to give his, 34:10 he wants his life credited in place of your life, 34:13 he want his death credited in place of your death, 34:16 but Jesus wants to put off the old man. 34:19 He wants you to put off the old man 34:21 he wants me to put off the old man 34:22 that is who I am connected to Adam 34:24 and to put on the new man 34:26 who I'm connected to Christ. 34:28 And he does that, I do that, 34:29 we all do that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, 34:31 the spirit of God comes into my life. 34:34 And when the spirit of God comes into my life, 34:37 it guarantees that I'm going to heaven 34:39 and then the spirit of God begins to write the law of God 34:42 on the heart of man. 34:44 The spirit of God begins to write the law of God 34:47 on the heart of man. 34:49 You see my friends, Jesus as the last Adam 34:53 lived out the perfect life for us 34:57 and Jesus as the last Adam 34:59 wants to live out his life in us. 35:01 Put off the old man who you are connected 35:03 to Adam, put on the new man 35:05 who you are connected to Christ, 35:06 when you believe you do that, 35:08 cause the spirit of God comes in 35:10 and begins to live out his life in you, 35:13 begins to live out his life in you. 35:15 As the spirit of God lives out his life 35:17 in you moment by moment, 35:18 day by day, 35:20 by the power of the spirit, 35:22 the spirit of God running 35:23 as long as your heart and your mind, 35:25 you have a new life, 35:26 a new life the life for why? 35:28 that God always intended for you to live. 35:33 The spirit also bears witness to us, 35:37 for after saying this is the covenant 35:39 that I will make with those after those days, 35:43 declares the Lord, I will put 35:45 my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds. 35:49 The spirit of God wants to write his law 35:51 on the heart of man 35:52 and the mind of man. 35:54 In fact, if you go to Romans chapter 8. 35:56 It's fascinating 35:57 what the Bible says there in Romans 8. 35:59 We go to Romans chapter 8. 36:04 We begin in Romans 8, verse 5, 36:11 for those who live according to the flesh 36:16 set their minds on the things of flesh, 36:20 but those who live according to the spirit, 36:22 set their minds on the things of the spirit. 36:25 Now, it's a fascinating picture there, 36:26 it says those who set their minds 36:29 on the things of the flesh, 36:30 really what is that saying, 36:32 it's saying those who are living life 36:34 after the way of life of the first Adam. 36:39 Okay, really that's what he is saying 36:41 for those who live according to the flesh 36:43 set their minds on the things of the flesh, 36:45 those who live according to the spirits 36:47 set their minds on the things of the spirit. 36:49 It's really a simple picture, 36:51 he is saying basically these people 36:53 are living their lives after the flesh. 36:56 They are living their lives like the first Adam. 37:04 But then he says in verse 6 37:05 to set the mind on the flesh is death, 37:07 to live after the first Adam 37:09 the Adam that fell, 37:10 the Adam that sinned, that is death. 37:15 But, those who live according to the spirits 37:18 set their minds on the things of the spirit. 37:20 It says to set the mind on the flesh is death, 37:23 but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace. 37:29 You see, when you set your mind 37:30 on the flesh that is the first Adam's way 37:33 of doing business, you have death, 37:35 but when you set your mind on the things of the spirit 37:38 that is what the new Adam is looking 37:41 to do inside of your life. 37:43 The last Adam, Jesus Christ 37:44 is looking to do inside of your life, 37:46 the Bible says you get life and peace. 37:51 Verse 7, for the mind that is set 37:55 on the flesh is hostile to God. 37:58 The mind that stuck on the first Adam, 38:01 the mind that hasn't believed in Jesus, 38:04 that set on the flesh is hostile to God, 38:09 for it does not submit to God's law indeed it cannot, 38:13 those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 38:15 My friends notice what the text is saying, 38:17 those who do not have the Holy Spirit 38:19 their mind is in rebellion, 38:22 their mind is in rebellion to the law of God. 38:27 That's what it says. 38:28 For the mind that set on the flesh is hostile to God 38:33 for it does not submit to God's law indeed it cannot, 38:37 notice what it says, it says if your mind does not submit 38:41 to the law of God then your mind is at hostility with God. 38:47 Is Paul being absolutely, 38:49 abundantly clear to you, yes or no? 38:51 My friends, when your mind is at rebellion with God's law, 38:53 your mind is at hostility with God, 38:58 and this is the great and glorious picture 38:59 the Bible is presenting. 39:01 It's saying essentially this, 39:02 what Adam did for you 39:06 in perfectly obeying when you disobey, 39:08 what Adam did for you by dying the death on the cross 39:11 that you deserve to die, 39:13 what Christ, the second Adam did for you, 39:16 he also wants to do in you, 39:19 he wants to come into your life 39:20 by the power of the Holy Spirit 39:22 and put off the old man and put on the new man. 39:28 He wants to get rid of the things of the flesh, 39:30 that is things that are associated with the first Adam 39:33 and put on the things of the spirit, 39:35 that is things associated with the second Adam. 39:39 He wants to get rid of the sin 39:41 and the rebellion against God and God's law 39:44 and he wants to, in the words of Hebrews 10, 39:46 write the law of God on the heart and the mind. 39:49 He wants to take away our hostility for God 39:52 by getting rid of the rebellion against God's law. 39:57 Of course, that's why the Bible says 40:00 in the book of John, John chapter 14, verse 15, 40:04 great powerful verse by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. 40:07 Jesus says, if you love me you will keep my commandments 40:11 and then Jesus says and I will ask the father 40:15 and he will send you another helper 40:18 to be with you forever. 40:20 Notice what Jesus says, 40:21 if you love me you will keep my commandments, 40:26 but you won't do on it your own he says in the next verse, 40:28 John 14:16, I will pray to the Father 40:32 and the Father is going to send you a helper. 40:36 Your Bible might say comforter. 40:37 But the Greek there is Parakletos, 40:39 'Para', that's parallel, 40:41 'Kletos', helper, a parallel helper, 40:44 that somebody who comes along beside to help you. 40:49 My friends, Jesus is saying if you love me 40:51 you will keep my commandments, 40:52 I'm gonna send somebody to be by your side, 40:54 a Parakletos, somebody to come alongside of you 40:58 to help you as you do this. 41:00 In fact, if you come with me 41:02 to the Book of Galatians 41:03 notice what Paul says, 41:04 again about what the power of the spirit of God, 41:07 what it does in the life, Galatians chapter 5. 41:10 Galatians chapter 5, 41:14 notice what Jesus Christ or the what the Bible says 41:17 in Galatians 5. 41:19 We are going to begin in verse 19. 41:24 The works of the flesh 41:26 that is everything that's in you, 41:27 that's associated with the first Adam. 41:29 The works of the flesh are evident 41:32 and then he gets a long sorted list. 41:38 Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, 41:47 enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, 41:55 dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, 42:00 orgies and things like these I warn you, 42:03 as I warned you before that those who do such things 42:06 will not inherit the kingdom of God. 42:09 Verse 22, but the fruit of the spirit is love, 42:14 joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 42:22 faithfulness, gentleness, self control, against 42:28 such there is no law. 42:33 You hear what Paul is saying, 42:36 there are two kind of lives to live. 42:38 There is the life of the flesh, 42:40 there is the life of the spirit. 42:42 There is the life connected to the first Adam. 42:45 There is the life connected to the second Adam, 42:47 Jesus Christ or the last Adam, Jesus Christ. 42:49 There are two lives to live, 42:53 there are two lives to live, 42:56 which life are you living? 42:58 The life connected to the first Adam, 43:00 a life of sin, or the life connected to the second Adam, 43:04 a life of the spirit and a life of all these glorious traits. 43:08 Now lets look at them, 43:10 what are the works of the flesh, 43:12 what characterizes the life of someone 43:15 that is living for the first Adam, 43:19 notice what they are. 43:20 There are the standard things 43:23 you would think of, 43:24 sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, 43:30 sorcery, enmity, strife, now, 43:34 now, now most of these things, 43:36 things like sexual immorality, 43:37 impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, 43:40 those are big sins, but he also includes things 43:44 like strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, 43:52 I like that, rivalries. 43:55 Well, that one is a convicting one, 43:57 isn't it? 44:00 Dissensions, divisions, 44:03 envy, drunkenness, orgies, things like 44:08 these, Paul is not giving 44:11 a comprehensive list, he is just saying 44:13 this is the kind of life 44:14 that characterizes people that are still 44:16 in the first Adam, 44:17 this is the kind of life 44:19 that characterizes those without the spirit, 44:21 those that are not living 44:22 the life of the second Adam, 44:24 what are they? 44:26 Just basically sin, but when he describes 44:30 the life of the second Adam, 44:33 the life filled with the fruit of the spirit. 44:36 The Bible says the fruit of the spirit is love, 44:39 joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 44:45 faithfulness, gentleness, self control, 44:50 against such things there is no law. 44:55 I want you to think about it. 44:57 What kind of life do you want? 44:59 What kind of life do you want? 45:02 Do you want a life of love, joy, 45:06 peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 45:11 faithfulness, gentleness, self control, 45:18 or do you want a life of immorality, impurity, 45:21 sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, 45:25 strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, 45:30 dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, 45:33 orgies and those kind of things, 45:34 what kind of life do you want? 45:36 Which would you prefer? 45:42 And what is Paul saying here today? 45:45 Paul is making a very simple point, 45:47 the point is remarkably simple, 45:50 he is saying essentially this, 45:52 my friends and we want to sum this up again, 45:54 you have two options, my friends, 45:57 Jesus lived the life you should have lived, 46:00 for you, he died the death you should have died, 46:05 he did it for you. 46:07 If you believe in him, if you believe in him, 46:12 he fills you with the spirit and then you begin to 46:16 live the life that he wants to live, 46:19 not just for you but he begins to live it 46:22 in you by the power of the Holy Spirit. 46:25 You begin to live the life of the new Adam Jesus Christ, 46:27 as his spirit begins to live out 46:30 the life of Jesus Christ in you 46:31 and what does that life look like? 46:33 It looks like, depending on what 46:34 text you are looking at. 46:36 It looks like God's law is written on your heart. 46:39 It looks like God's law is written on your minds. 46:42 It looks like the enmity between man and God 46:44 is taken away because rebellion against 46:47 his law is taken away, that's one way 46:49 that Paul describes it. 46:50 The other way, he describes it is 46:52 that it looks like this, your life is filled full of 46:55 love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, 47:02 goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control 47:08 verses, sensuality, immorality, impurity, 47:13 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, 47:18 fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, 47:20 in other words, Paul describes 47:22 these two lives, one lived in Adam 47:24 and one lived in Christ, 47:26 so you could say one lived in the flesh, 47:27 one lived in the spirit. 47:29 These are two options, you have these two options 47:32 when you believe in Jesus. 47:34 The life of Christ is for you, 47:38 that is his perfect life is in place of your 47:41 imperfect life, 47:42 his perfect death is in place of your death, 47:44 and then Christ begins to live out his life in you 47:49 and through you by the power of the spirit, 47:51 filling it with love, joy, peace, etc, etc, etc. 47:58 That's why Paul says in Romans 13, 48:01 these remarkable words in Romans chapter 13, 48:06 he says again speaking of believers, 48:09 he describes life that believers live 48:12 in very remarkable language. 48:16 He says, owe no one anything 48:18 except to love one another, 48:20 the life of the believer is filled with 48:22 the spirit living the life of the new Adam 48:24 is a life filled with love for each other. 48:28 For the one who loves 48:29 one another has filled the law. 48:31 The commandments you shall not commit adultery, 48:34 you shall not murder, you shall not steal, 48:36 you shall not covet, and any other commandments 48:39 are summed up in these words, 48:40 you shall love your neighbor as yourself, 48:43 love does no wrong to a neighbor, 48:46 therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 48:51 What is Paul saying? 48:52 Paul is saying something very simple. 48:54 He is saying, and the basic message here is 48:57 very simple and very powerful, 49:00 you have Adam, he falls and fails, 49:05 you have new Adams along the way 49:07 whether they are Noah or Israel 49:10 and they fall and fail, 49:12 and there is no hope every 49:14 human being has fallen 49:16 and failed and so what is God to do. 49:19 Man is enslaved to Satan. 49:21 God wants to set him free, 49:23 but God has to do it in the right way 49:25 and so what does God do? 49:26 God sends a new Adam, 49:28 Jesus Christ and he passes over the ground 49:32 that other Adams have passed over 49:34 and he does not fall, he succeeds, 49:37 his life of perfect obedience is given for you 49:41 and to you as a gift. 49:44 His death in your place is given to you as a gift. 49:47 You believe it, you believe it, 49:50 God recreates you in Christ Jesus for good works. 49:53 You put off the old man, that's you connected to Adam, 49:56 You put on the new man 49:57 that's you connected to Jesus Christ. 49:59 How does that happen? 50:00 Because God fills you with the spirit 50:02 when you believe and the spirit changes 50:05 who you are? It writes the law on your heart, 50:08 writes the law on your mind, 50:10 it fills you with all the fruit of the spirit 50:13 that we've read about there in Galatians, 50:14 love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, 50:18 faithfulness, self control and the list goes on, 50:20 he begins to eliminate those other things in your life, 50:24 all that stuff in your life it's connected to Adam. 50:29 All the sensuality and the violence 50:32 and the anger he begins to eliminate it, 50:38 and you begin to experience the awesome life 50:43 that God created you to experience. 50:46 It was never God's will that any of us 50:48 would live in this horrible world. 50:49 It was never God's will 50:51 that any of these horrible things would happened 50:52 in our lives and it was never 50:53 God's will that we would make the bad decisions 50:56 that have created so many horrible things, 50:58 it was always God's will that we would live 51:00 in a paradise. 51:03 And some day, Jesus will come again 51:05 and we will be there. 51:08 But it's up to us to choose Christ 51:12 and begin to live the life 51:16 that he wants to live in us. 51:21 I'll tell you a fascinating story, 51:23 there was a woman named Amelia Earhart. 51:25 She was the first woman to fly 51:27 solo across the Atlantic Ocean. 51:31 It was a remarkable feat in her time, 51:33 remarkable feat really for any woman, 51:36 but to be the first woman to do it, 51:38 was an extraordinary feat 51:40 and so she dared to take on a new challenge 51:44 and that would be to fly solo across the Pacific. 51:49 And so she set out, 51:50 the weather was good and clear 51:51 and there was expectations of good and clear weather 51:54 and she was flying 51:55 and all of a sudden she entered into poor weather. 52:01 The wind was blowing, the rain was coming down 52:06 and she began to become disoriented. 52:11 Her instruments began to malfunction, 52:14 she began to wonder where she was at. 52:18 And so she began to radio for help, 52:21 mayday, mayday, mayday, mayday, and 52:25 she began to speak across that crackly, 52:28 crackly airwaves and then she was speaking 52:31 across those crackly airwaves, 52:33 she would say things like this, 52:36 in fact these are last known words, 52:39 she said position doubtful, 52:43 fuel almost gone. 52:45 In other words, she was saying 52:47 I have no idea where I'm at, 52:50 I'm out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean 52:52 somewhere, I have no idea what my position is 52:57 and I have no fuel, it's almost gone. 53:02 Those words crackled in over the radio 53:05 and everybody's heart feared for her life 53:08 and moments later they lost radio contact 53:12 with Amelia Earhart and she crashed into the waters 53:16 of the Pacific Ocean, never to be heard from again. 53:24 She didn't know 53:25 where she was at and she had no fuel 53:27 to get any place else. 53:31 I suppose that's the way a lot of people are, isn't it? 53:35 They have no idea where they're out 53:37 with Jesus Christ. 53:39 They don't know where they stand with him. 53:42 Their position with Jesus is doubtful and friends 53:45 today you can settle up your position right now. 53:48 Jesus went over the ground that you failed to. 53:52 He was victorious where you failed, 53:54 victorious where Adam failed, 53:55 victorious where Noah failed, 53:56 victorious where Israel failed. 53:58 Jesus was victorious and then he died 54:01 for all of our failures. 54:06 And if you put your trust in him 54:07 you'll know exactly where you stand. 54:13 with him. 54:17 You will be saved by grace through faith, 54:21 not because of who you are not because of your works, 54:25 but because of his grace that you access by faith 54:28 then he'll recreate you in Christ Jesus. 54:31 He will fully remodel you, 54:33 he will recreate you to do the good works 54:36 he originally created you to do. 54:37 In other words, you will live the life, 54:39 the works that God originally created 54:42 Adam to live. 54:43 Jesus Christ will come into you 54:45 by the power of the Holy Spirit 54:46 and begin to live out his life in you, 54:48 maybe you're struggling with smoking, 54:50 maybe you are struggling with anger, 54:52 maybe your struggling with violence 54:54 or a lack of forgiveness, whatever it is trust in Jesus, 54:58 put off the old man who you are connected to Adam, 55:01 put on the new man 55:02 who you are connected to Jesus Christ 55:04 and let Jesus live his life in you. 55:11 You see then you can know 55:12 where you stand with Jesus. 55:14 You have trusted him for your salvation 55:16 and your life can be filled with spiritual power 55:21 that is energy to live a new life for his honor 55:24 and glory, a life with the law of God 55:27 on your heart, love, peace, joy, gentleness, 55:30 goodness, self control, faithfulness, 55:34 all of those glorious qualities, 55:36 a life of love, a life of love, 55:40 in this broken world. 55:43 You put off the old, 55:45 who you are connected to Adam, 55:47 you put on the new, 55:48 and then you can know where you stand with God, 55:50 because you've trusted Christ and you can know 55:53 you are filled with spiritual power 55:55 because the spirit of God has come into your 55:57 life helping you to live out 55:59 the life of the second Adam, Jesus Christ. 56:02 So, what will it be with you today? 56:04 Will you choose Christ? 56:06 Will you trust in him? 56:09 Will you say to Jesus? 56:10 Jesus, I trust you. 56:14 You died for me, you lived for me. 56:17 I trust you and now Jesus, 56:24 the second Adam, I thank for what 56:27 you did for me, now come into my life 56:29 and live out your life in me and through me. 56:34 Let us pray together. Holy father, 56:37 we thank you for all that Christ has done for us 56:40 and all that Christ is doing in us. 56:43 Lord, we trust you for our salvation, 56:46 we trust you by your spirit for our transformation, 56:50 help us to live for Adam, 56:52 the second Adam and help us to 56:54 stop living for the first Adam. 56:56 Lord, fill our lives with power and fill 56:59 our lives with great confidence in Christ. 57:02 Bless us. 57:03 This day we pray in Jesus name, 57:05 Amen. My friend, serve the Lord with gladness. 57:11 You've trusted Christ, now you are going to be 57:13 filled with his spirit 57:14 and he will lead you to a new life. |
Revised 2014-12-17