First Baptist Church in Amboy,IL Podcast
Crucified With Christ
had something that we're missing and thank the Lord we have some things that they didn't have we have electricity we have running water that you don't have to run down to the creek and get and but they had a walk with God that to be quite honest we know a little of today I don't have a handout tonight in fact I I'm not sure I want to do this I I love this verse I just had Jeff put that up on the screen Galatians 220 and all how that ought to be a theme verse for every one of us let's read it together or quote it together if you can I'm crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ live within me and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Galatians 220 oh what a great truth that is that verse kind of summarizes all of Romans six seven and eight and my focus in my own personal study has been Romans six seven and eight and really all the book of Romans kind of stirred me in a verse that I shared yesterday in the activity in Romans chapter number one as I read through the book of Romans again this week but I mentioned a few weeks ago we have trouble because we don't fully accept Roman six our identification in Christ in his death his burial and his resurrection or if we could understand that we could begin to wrestle through Romans chapter number seven and when we wrestle through Roman chapters number seven we can step into Romans chapter number eight but to just go directly to Roman chapter number eight we get all kinds of strange ideas I came across well the one statement that I gave you a couple of weeks ago and actually the last statement I came across ready to put this together I once was lost in sin under the condemnation of death thank God I'm not lost in sin anymore I'm no longer lost in sin but I now am found in Christ I'm forgiven I now have eternal life and my life is hid with God in Christ but the next step and that's what Romans chapter number eight is focusing on I long to be lost in Christ I long to be lost in Christ not lost in sin but lost in him I see that statement occasionally and the old writers owe to be lost in Christ or it's no more I but him now the reason I'm I really I don't want to go into the detail I would love to in Roman chapter number eight is I feel like I must apologize you to for expecting you to be would only God can cause us to be and when I started this series I thought of growing in grace together because what I've experienced in my life I long so deeply for others to experience the verse God gave me the other night in Ephesians chapter four and verse seven I started to write a a thing for a scripture snack I don't know if I will yet or not but Ephesians four seven says but unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ the verse is saying the grace that God gives me is not the same as the grace that God gives you now salvation grace is the same but I'm talking about sanctifying grace the grace that God gives Todd is not the same that he gives me after all he's got no I should say that the grace that God gives to Amy after all she's got to live with Todd she needs a special grace the grace that God gives to Joel I know she needs an extra portion of grace is not the same grace that God gives to me the grace that God gives to me as a pastor is not the same grace that God's going to give to you and God according to the the measure of the grace of Christ and that has to do with the spiritual gifts as well and however you define them I still would like to do a study on spiritual gifts because most people either go the psychology route or they go the I'm not sure the mystical route or whatever instead of the very simple understanding of the word of God and I got thinking about a number of things the other night the God started to point out to me in prayer because I've been focusing on in my own life my own prayer time for you that and God just reminded me David needed his mighty men so we've been reading the story of David but there was a time when all of even his mighty men spoke of stoning him and what he found is that he could encourage himself in the Lord all alone Moses needed Aaron and her to hold up his hands but he was nearest to God when he was on the back side of a desert or on the mountaintop all alone with God fasting and praying for 40 days he needed a special grace to be able to do that miraculous grace to be able to do no man could humanly do that without the special miraculous grace and he was nearest to God when he was in the cleft of the rock alone with God when God passed by him Elijah was given an Elisha but he needed because he needed him and was also reminded there were seven thousand that had not bowed the knee to veil but God's most memorable message given to him was not through the strong wind not through the earthquake not through the fire but through the still small voice when he was alone with God John was a disciple whom Jesus loved we see him leaning on Jesus breast and standing beside Mary at the foot of the cross and John's greatest ministry was when he was exiled alone on the item of Patmos when Jesus revealed himself to him what an amazing thing that is God gave him a special grace that was only given to him Paul and Barnabas their Paul had Barnabas and Silas and Timothy and Titus and Aquila and Priscilla and others but his first he spent his first three years in the Arabian desert alone with a risen Christ his final days were spent alone in a Roman prison cell not withstanding the Lord was with him isn't that good and thank God for his grace our Lord took Peter James and John into the garden to pray in the darkest hours only to find them fast asleep while he poured out his broken heart to his father in heaven I know you love your pastor and I truly am grateful for that but God has done something in my heart that I really cannot define I'm also discovering that it's not transferable by my power I'm finding God's grace in losing my life there's a number of things I want to turn to but I want to get to Romans chef number eight tonight and please don't think I'm putting myself on the level of these men I trust you understand that don't for a minute think that because I'm nobody in fact the more I get in the Bible the more I realize that I am nobody I'm the least in my father's kingdom I'm the least of my father's children but I want you to look at Roman chef number eight I'm just going to read the verses and look at a few things and we won't be going into great detail tonight I'll go down I don't know how far I get down at least get down to verse number 21 maybe we'll stop there that might be a good place to stop because the next section there might go a little bit longer Roman chef number eight beginning in verse number 12 let's pray first father thank you for your goodness to us thank you for your grace that's measured out by the Holy Spirit to us and only Jesus was given grace without measure and God I pray that you would teach us to die to ourselves that we might live in Christ to reckon ourselves crucified with Christ and Lord it's I feel ashamed embarrassed that it took me so long to really dig into this subject and how important it is and I realize that many of us spend our entire Christian life without really digging into what it is to live the crucified life Moses spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness walking with God before God touched him and Lord I pray that you would teach us Lord we need your grace today we are living even the world knows this world cannot go on much longer and we as God's people sometimes are sound asleep and not even realizing how short our time is and how close we are to the second coming of Christ and how desperate our times are not to elect somebody that's going to save our land not to change or save our country or our freedoms but the Lord Jesus Christ the creator of heaven and earth is coming soon oh God I pray that you would fix our eyes upon him Lord fill us with your grace help us to evermore determined to live in your book like never before the days at hand the night is soon coming and our opportunity to do work for God is over God I pray that you would stir our hearts tonight to draw an eye to you bless now in Jesus name I pray as we look at these verses and for his sake amen look at Romans chapter 8 verse 12 through 14 I'm just going to read each section here and comment on it and we'll be done okay Roman chapter number eight and I'd like to go into great detail but I fear that I may just I don't know verse verse number 12 says therefore brethren we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh what's it mean to live after the flesh what's that mean how would you define that worldly that's the way we usually think of worldly to live after the flesh and really in the context here if you go back to the last chapter and we'll talk about the battle between the flesh and the spirit do we want to live our life the way our flat do we want to serve God in the flesh we can do a lot of good our flesh can do a lot of good things can it we can help a lot of people in our flesh but that's not the debt that we owe we're debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh you know I fear some of the things that we are focused on and our Christian life is no difference than the the lost world is focused on out there and I know I've said this before but God has really stirred in my heart as I meet with people quite often and just ask can I can I pray with you and it's interesting to me that people that don't even know anything don't even claim to know anything about salvation have the same prayer requests as God's people why is that because we're more focused on living in the flesh than in the spirit now I'm just saying that because God's opened my eyes to that reality we pray for things that lost people are praying for but what should we be praying well we're going to get into that later in Romans 8 but first number 13 for if we live after the flesh we shall die but if we through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body ye shall live for as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God now what's really as simple as this now I don't want to I'm not sure how to say this without a feel I'm picking on somebody but how'd you use myself for example I used to be one of those people that you know hit the snooze button three or four times in the morning and then you roll out of bed and I didn't even drink coffee but I had to have coffee before I woke up in the morning so I didn't wake up till noon and and I just kind of you know is that living in the spirit or is that living in the flesh well I just don't want to do that when kids get it right I don't want to do that is that the spirit is that the flesh you're dealing with kids right well and kids they you see it but they don't have much they're they're doing what we want to do well I feel like doing well I don't like that I don't want to do that's the flesh and so many things in our life we do them because we enjoy them or we do them because we like them or is it because God has led us to do that all right and when God leads us he takes us out of our comfort zone quite often and uh but uh we're not in debt to live after the flesh we're as many as are led by the spirit now this is an interesting phrase I just want to point out this one phrase in verse number 14 as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God let me ask you what does that phrase mean to be a son of God it actually means two things if you study it in the scripture the most obvious one is what you're saved your child of God amen born into God's family I am his child I'm his son I am a son of God but in the context is that what we're talking about we're talking to Christians as we address this this chapter or this paragraph in verse number 12 therefore brethren we are deserts uh to live either in the flesh or in the spirit let me give you a maybe a more obvious example of eternity your bible back to um second Corinthians chapter number six I know it's chapter six I just got to look to see if it's first or second Corinthians second Corinthians chapter number six I want you to see a phrase here that same phrase that's used again and again we're very obviously talking to believers but being a believer uh makes you a child by birth but does it make you a child whom your father is pleased in there's the difference there uh notice what God says in second Corinthians chapter number six beginning in verse number 14 be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion has light with darkness and what concord has Christ with Billisle and what part had he that believe us with an infidel so when we said an infidel is somebody who's in for hell uh it's a good definition there uh and uh what agreement at the temple of God with idols now Paul's dealing with some very carnally minded Christians and Corinth and for ye are the temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people now notice verse number 17 this is where it gets interesting wherefore now are these people saved have we gotten to verse number 16 are they saved we're talking to believers here right they're all saved but notice what he says in verse number 17 wherefore come out from among them be separate say the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and will what be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters say of the Lord almighty in other words we can look at it like this we can be a child of God by birth that means you're saved or a child that God is pleased in that's walking in the spirit and not in the flesh and then it's kind of like I don't like to use the word proud I don't use the word proud to my children I'm proud of you I tell them I'm grateful for them but my dad used to say often I'm proud of you and uh maybe we could say that's when God is grateful for us uh and uh and uh because pride is always an a negative thing in scripture but and I know some people use that term uh without thinking about that but I just have a hard time with that particular word but anyways as when God says I'm not only glad that I'm your father but you make me proud as a father you make me grateful as a father of the way you're living your life and you have a right relationship with God and the right walk with God and he has that proper uh friendship and fellowship with us now we can be a child of God and be running for God can't we we can be a child of God and live with the hog pens and feed on the slop that the hogs eat and uh and uh that's that parable it's a child of God that's running from God not a lost person coming to God uh but uh but one who's uh who's turned their back from their father and uh God always welcomes us back when we come back to a right relationship and that right relationship is learning to walk in the spirit now living in verse number uh and uh and we're more than sons what I'm saying this paragraph we're more than sons by birth God wants us to be more than sons by birth or daughters by birth more than his children by birth he wants us to walk in fellowship with him by his spirit now in verse number 15 through 17 for he have not received the spirit of bondage to fear but we have received the spirit of adoption do we serve God because we have to I wonder how many people in our churches and I wonder how many times in my life I could tell you it was quite often I did something because I was supposed to I remember being boy if if you don't tithe God's gonna God's gonna get your I heard your preacher say God's gonna get your tithe one way or another huh oh God's gonna oh yeah he's gonna get at you we don't serve we've got a bondage but we don't serve in the spirit of fear but instead I don't tithe because I have to I tithe because I get to in fact I want to give more than the tithe I don't live for him I don't dress a certain way or stay away from certain thing because I have to I do those things because I get to it's not the spirit of fear oh I better not go there I heard somebody the other day not too long ago but it's been a couple of weeks now that means you're old you think the other day when it's weeks ago probably a month ago now that I think about it uh and uh said boy I don't know if I could come into church the walls would probably collapse uh and he goes he claims to be saved but he just doesn't go to church anywhere and uh anything you know you've heard people say that you're living this out wicked life and you're afraid that God's gonna uh and I know I should do that but boy I'm afraid you know we don't serve God in a spirit of fear but in love and it's out of mind uh and that's what it is to walk in that right fellowship not in the spirit of bondage you get in a fear but we have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba daddy I love you daddy you ever just spend time you see kids do this oh daddy I love you yeah what do you want kid no uh and sometimes it's that way isn't it huh yeah Connor and Jack are both looking at each other and looking at me uh yeah we know how to play that game uh and uh boy and sometimes we do that with God don't we uh but just to get along with God and talk to him and adore him for who he is and the spirit itself bear with witness with our spirit that we are the children of God there's that unity of God being one uh with it uh you know growing up I can remember and I talked about you know playing sports when we were kids going out in the backyard and doing things earlier in our our fun time and and uh we grew up very athletically minded family it's kind of sad really in a sense but the times that I felt closest to my dad is when I made him proud in the basketball court or the football fields of the wrestling mat because that's when you're all I'm proud of you oh I said uh and uh you know and all those things uh and uh but it's and I always felt that I had to perform to gain my father's acceptance it's sad when children think that way isn't it now I didn't realize in my mind at the time that's all I knew and I didn't think there's anything unusual about that but but that's just the way my mind and that's the way we sometimes think about God well God I want to make you proud by doing this I'm going to accomplish this boy if I do this you're going to be really happy oh no no no look at that backwards it's the spirit God wants us just to sit down have a conversation with him now my dad was a World War II generation the people in that generation didn't just sit down and talk about their feelings that's just the way it was and uh psychiatrists today have a problem with that and uh they're they're abusive because they didn't say dad just never did that that's just his generation and I didn't realize that until I was much older than all but I used to think when I was younger boy I wish I could just talk to dad and now my heavenly father I realized that kind of skews our relationship with him if we grew up that way God wants us just to sit down and have a heart to heart talk with him that's his spirit self there I'm taking a longer than I want to in these verses verse number 17 is children than heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together God wants us to have that spirit of adoption just to have that close relationship I only desire the spirit that Jesus displayed I want to be like him let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus where's that found the Bible Philippians 2 I think it is Philippians 2 let this mind be in you which is also in Christ Jesus being out the equal with God thought it out robbery to be equal with God but took about himself the form of a servant was made of the likeness of man something like that uh that's the pastor for its fast version uh and uh but the spirit of adoption the greatest desire is to suffer and to be glorified with him you know I want to be with Jesus Christ he came to this earth to do what to die we get it all backwards well we want to live life don't we that's the way the world lives and that's the way we live but we want to enjoy life oh well really when we walk with Jesus I just want to live to die I want to serve others I want to live for others I want to give my life for others I skipped over this earlier I think I want to go back and read this I wrote the verses down I thought I should read them you know I'm finding and I mentioned I I mentioned this point I'm finding God's grace in life by losing my own life I kind of do a kind of nothing I do struggle with the whole idea the whole concept of leadership as practice in the world and in Christianity because it goes so contrary to biblical leadership what do you mean by that remember it's it's told in Matthew and also in Mark chapter number 10 I had Mark chapter number 10 written down verse 35 to 45 this is James and John the sons of Zebedee came to him and Matthew says that their mother came to him mama spoke for him right but Mark says that they were in on it too and they said master we would that thou would us do for us whatsoever we shall desire hey we're the spokesman here we're the ones in charge here we're going to take charge we're going to you know we're going to storm the gates of hell on our own and he said into them what would you that I do for you well this is our prayer request they said unto him grant unto us that we may sit one and I right hand and one on my left hand in my glory but Jesus said into them you know not what he asked can you drink of the cup that I drink up and be baptized in the baptism that I am baptized with when I were talking about water baptism here we're talking about going to the cross and giving their life in crucifixion by the way they did eventually do that and they said unto him we can Jesus said unto them you shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of and the baptism that I am baptized shall you be baptized but to sit in the right hand in my left hand is not mine to give but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared and when the 10 heard it they began to be much displeased with James and John oh who do they think we are I think we ought to be and David that's what you know how people are well who's he think he is I should be up there too but Jesus called them to him and said unto them you know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exorcip exercise lordship over them and they're great ones exercise authority over them but so shall it not be among you for whosoever shall be great among you shall be your what minister your servant and whosoever of you shall be the chiefest shall be servant of all for even the son of man has came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many the greatest are those that say I just want to serve I just want to give my life to Jesus and to give my life to others the spirit of adoption you know in this verse says in verse number 17 if children and heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ if so be we suffer with him we shall be also glorified together I was thinking about something in that verse and that that verse has become a very special verse to me personally was thinking about the fact that we are brothers with Jesus that we are heirs together that we are one with him and you know as a brother of Christ I got thinking I've got a lot of brothers and if you see family pictures if you see me with one of my brothers it's not so much now that we're getting old as it was when we were younger but we used to hear all the time growing up I can't tell you and your brother apart are you guys identical twins you look so much alike and the truth is to us we didn't look anything alike we knew each other just like we could tell the distinct differences and now that everybody's getting older you can see a little bit of that well some of them are getting a little bit more like looks like more like mom and dad actually and grandma and grandpa but it's amazing how siblings by people on the outside look the same but on the inside we look different and I thought isn't that true with Jesus to the outside we ought to look like our brother Jesus but to us we realized man we're a lot different starting to Kaitlyn yesterday bless your heart look that testimony you gave oh I'm gonna embarrass her this is a good sermon illustration all right and uh just how growing and I can remember a lot of things that family may oh you think you're an angel don't you you think you're so great no I think I'm nobody I think I'm the worst sinner there is and that's how I see myself with God but from the outside that's called conviction when you start living for Jesus and folks start seeing your brother Jesus in you boy you guys look a lot like don't you uh and uh now from from our perspective we look quite different but but we are brought uh heirs together and joint heirs with Jesus Christ and the best way to even look for him is to suffer with him a book that brother Pike the message I heard to Thursday up at Kait River the preacher there mentioned brother Pike and passing away what a great man of God he would have never met him personally but I read a number of his books and uh I think the best book he ever wrote is the Christian's highest calling is suffering and death what a downer well that doesn't sound very encouraging that wouldn't fly very good in our world today and it doesn't fly very good in our world today but that is biblical the best thing we can do is to learn to die with Jesus and uh what a testimony that man has but I won't go any farther than that with that and verse number 18 I'm gonna close here we'll just go down to verse number 18 through 21 of this little paragraph I'm used to dividing it the the bible into what I call paragraphs instead of just going by verse divisions but verse numbers 18 says for I reckon I love that our accounting or our reckoning here's what it is to be lost in Christ for I reckon I account it's deposited in my account that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us for the earnest expectation of the creature waited for the manifestation of the sons of God oh I love these verses in verse number 20 for the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who had subjected the same and hope because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption to the glorious liberty of the children of God now we're gonna come back to these verses I think next week to lead into the next verses that follow it but are accounting or reckoning this life the good and the bad the sufferings the blessings the best of this life can't even begin to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us I think of the scene with Jesus in his disciples when he took Peter James and John up onto the mountain and was transfigured before their eyes a little bit of the veil was pulled back so they saw just a glimpse of his glory I believe if he would have pulled the veil all the way back they saw his glory they would have been dead on the spot and they understood that that's why they hid themselves this is the glory of God we can't look upon that and live and this glory that shall be revealed to us in eternity there's no connection to the things on this earth now if we keep that in mind the things that we focus on the things that we spend our attention and our time and our energy about today you know what they're going to mean in heaven nothing less than nothing they're not even worthy to be compared with a glory that shall be revealed in us oh what a place heaven is going to be oftentimes in fact I don't know if I ever do a funeral where someone doesn't at least make the comment or they'll sometimes ask a question do you suppose they're looking down on us and they always use the verse and Hebrews have a great cloud of witnesses or Hebrews 11 that's looking down on us and they're surrounding us to be quite honest when they get to heaven they ain't the least bit concerned about what's going on down here there is no comparison at all I guarantee you they don't become angels and flutter around and and someone will just tell me the other day that so you know they when you find a dime that means it's somebody that let that they drop the dime in front of you is a oh man I'm gonna start looking for a dime and see the little angels fluttering around my ears or whatever but and some of the strange ideas that people have today because they don't know and the sad thing is sometimes we as Christians get that same idea and I remember the lost person they go oh when I get to heaven you know I'm gonna be sitting by the the river of life and catching trout in the stream and in the little mountains flowing by and I'm gonna go skiing up in those mountains and sit on the beach the rest of the day you know that there ain't nothing up there that's gonna compare to anything I love outdoors and I love things on this earth but there is nothing in this earth that could even begin to compare with what we have awaiting for us in heaven and oh if we could get our attention on that and focus on that and Paul said that there's and of course Paul went through more suffering than you and I will most likely go through he never know about the direction things are going in our world today but I don't expect that we're going to go through the same persecution that Paul went through I don't expect to have my head chopped off for the cause of Christ and though I have known people that that have had that happen and it'd be a martyr for God but that glory that suffering anything that we could go through in this life is not even worthy to be compared we get so upset and so worked up about things that we ought not to even be concerned about God's got that under control our Father which are in heaven heavens not even comparable to this earth God knows everything he sees everything heaven is surrounding us and oh what a wonderful place heaven is and that glory and the greatest thing of heaven is the glory of God there be no light of the sun or a candle in heaven because the glory of God gives light there the glory that shall be revealed in us isn't that an interesting phrase that there's nothing that compares to the glory that shall be revealed in us and God wants to reveal some of that glory in us today our accounting our reckoning I said this section for I reckon I account we need to realize what we have in Christ the fun and really I mentioned if you are understanding the book of Romans that term accounting or reckoning it's the same word it is translated different in our English bible is putting something putting a deposit in our account we had unlimited supplies of God's grace of God's mercy you know it's sometimes we think well God I sure I you know it's like somebody who has a million a billion a gazillion I don't know what's that is there high number I didn't you know what high numbers are let me talk about hundred dollars you already lost me but I and my faith so he has unlimited you ever think to yourself well if money was not an issue I'd just buy this if money was not an issue I'd put cheese on my hamburger uh huh uh if not quite that bad uh but you know and the truth is when it comes to God money's not an issue and what we have in Christ is eternal and I'm not talking about prosperity gospel here and I'm not talking about physical financial money but the things that we often God if you're able to do this what the one that lifts the sun up every morning turns the world around that I know and our eyes he lifts the sun up and that we don't have a flat earth Todd do you understand that the earth is not flat uh sometimes I wonder about him uh and uh I've seen it on Facebook I know it's true he believes we got a flat earth uh and uh the God who controls the universe we think he can't meet our needs what a God we have what a powerful God we have and it's in our account and we're asking God if you know sometimes make funny young people they go up I didn't listen to anybody order yesterday when we've stopped at that fast with the Culver's the the high class McDonald's you know when they had the uh whatever and I it always kind of makes me chuckle when folks go up to the counter and say can I have I always wait for somebody behind the counter and I actually have heard him say that if they know you in a smart ally like me no you can't of course you can you're gonna pay me for it you're ordering it you don't and sometimes we approach God that way God can I have God says you got it account it reckon it it's already yours you are risen in Christ we know God give me victory over this it's already yours claim that that's what Romans half number six is all about claim what's already yours the word reckons use a lot and Romans half number six and that's what I started with when we accept what we have in Romans chapter number six and then we go through that wrestling in chapter seven then we can begin to understand Romans chapter number eight and oh how and I cut this off now so we're done I long to be lost in Christ to be found in his resurrection to die with Christ that I might live in him reckon myself dead I am at our verse from Galatians two and 20 and this is just a one verse summary of Romans six seven eight I am crucified not I will be lord help me to crucify myself no I am crucified I am account myself dead and alive in Christ I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but it's Christ that lives in me in the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me it's not my faith it's his faith it's not my life it's his life father