What Spirit Lives In You? – Part 3 (Romans 8:9-11)

What Spirit Lives In You? – Part 3 (Romans 8:9-11)

The Lord has not left us to cope with this evil world around us alone – The Holy Spirit is Here. He is The Spirit of Power!

God is saying to you today:
“Get ready to soar. If you wait on Me, l’ll renew your strength. You will smile again. You and your family will be just fine. I have a plan. Trust Me.

Church family, picking it up where we left off last time. What spirit lives in you.
This is our third and final study in this section.
And we’re looking at Romans chapter eight verses nine through 11, I’ll read verse nine, if you’ll pick it up in verse 10, but you are not in the flesh but in the spirit.
If indeed the spirit of God dwells in you.
Now, if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not his. Yes.
OK.
But if the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you.
That is incredible doctrine. And again, father, we pray that you’d bless and all God’s people said amen.
You can be seated. I mean, look at that.
If we were just to run over that verse nine, he talks about being in the spirit regarding God’s spirit, the spirit of God dwelling in you.
He talks about that same spirit being the spirit of Christ. We’re talking about the Holy Spirit.
Isn’t it amazing to think that the spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit.
The spirit that dwells in you is the spirit of God.
And he goes on to announce that if the spirit is or since the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
He announces that the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead. The fact is dwelling in you.
The guarantee is that spirit that raised Christ from the dead will raise us up also on the day of resurrection.
It’s just this incredible intermingling of God’s theology.
The theology that God has communicated to us is so deep and so powerful now, church family, uh those of you who are native to this church, you know that we’re all about church doctrine and it almost doesn’t get any sweeter than this.
That, that God who dwells in all of time and space and eternity.
The God who resides on the throne is also the God that resides on the throne of your heart.
How could this possibly be? The children’s ministry would quickly with their resounding announcement, say that Christ lives in me that would point to their little hearts and they would be accurate.
We would be more stoic and we would lift our finger and say God dwells in heaven and that is true, but it’s not for us to divide the time and space of those two directions or destinations.
Church family, listen, we happen to be living in this moment in this physical world and yet the Kingdom of God lives inside the believer by the Holy Spirit.
If I come across today, accomplishing anything, I hope it’s this that you see a complete breakdown in the wall of separation between the eternal realm of God and the world in which you live in.
Because you are called an ambassador in the Bible, an ambassador. We are called ambassadors.
In fact, a very key word in the Greek language is we are not ambassadors to a ally nation.
That’s a different Greek word. We are called ambassadors to a hostile world.
That’s the word that applies to the Christian being an ambassador.
You and I are representing the Kingdom of God in a very, very ungodly world.
That’s who you and I are.
We are his instruments and the awesome thing about it is you and I communicate. We live our lives.
We, we encounter this war in this exchange and we do so with our physical bodies.
At this time. The Holy Spirit is doing that through us.
But the awesome thing is there’s a day coming when you and I will be resurrected.
Now, look, if the rapture takes place, we, we won’t be resurrected, we’ll be raptured. It’s a difference.
Every believer will either be raptured or resurrected when the Lord comes, will be raptured.
That would be great if it happened today.
And what that means is your body is not put in the ground.
It’s changed according to First Corinthians 15 in how long of a time twinkling eye we will be changed and that is reconstituted.
It’s, it’s amazing because the word demands that if we are occupying this space at this moment that when the rapture happens, this space will be left void, I will be gone.
It will be a reconstruction of the molecular being that I am. This is true resurrection.
As Christians, you might want to write this down.
Don’t let anyone ever tell you anything that uh represents Christianity as being a reincarnation or um some sort of resuscitation.
No, no, no, no. From Genesis to revelation.
It speaks about resurrection and the only interrupt to that is the rapture.
But if the rapture doesn’t come, your body will be placed in the ground, it will turn to dust.
But just because you and I do not identify dust doesn’t mean that your physical body ceases to exist.
Does it? It’s reduced to molecular content, which is really what you are right now, but you and I are predominantly water and we are keeping this together and we, we uh we’re structured here the way that we see one another.
But listen, we lay you in a forest lawn or rose hills and we go back in 30 years and it’s like, where is he?
And all that big casket is holding is a bunch of dust, but God will speak and that dust will be resurrected.
He’s going to assemble it in a brand new body and uh what a glorious moment.
That’s gonna be, we’ll talk about that today. But I want you to imagine with me for a moment.
This is pretty awesome. You got Paul the Apostle riding to the church in Rome.
He’s in Corinth, by the way, he’s writing to the Roman believers in Italy.
So he’s in Corinth Greece writing the book of Romans. He sends the book of Romans to them.
But Paul at some other time will be in another location and he will write to the Corinthians, his epistle to those in Greece and that will be delivered to them.
And I don’t know if you know this or not.
But during the first century, the churches would move the scriptures, move the books, the epistles around and they would read them and or they would copy them.
And uh by the way, we don’t need to get into this right now.
But people who study the veracity of the Bible because you know, the Bible is under constant attack.
But for those who study to find out uh a great, a great project, by the way is for you to launch an investigation to disprove the Bible.
You ought to try that. You gotta do it because you will find out that the Bible winds up being so absolutely confirmed by all of its historical and systematic preservation that history records that the only thing we come close to in our world to justify or to say is accurate and we’re not exactly sure is Homer’s Iliad.
And there are listen for, uh I think I forget how many co maybe 600 I’m going from memory.
There’s only 600 manuscripts of, of Homer’s work and we’re not exactly sure. We think Homer did it all.
But when it comes to the Bible, you’re looking at close to 17,000 documents and in the original hand of first century authorship or second century and matching writings against original writings against Old Testament scripture, which is intact.
The Bible stands out and beyond all other communications ever known to man.
It’s amazing to think about that, especially in an age when, when you could mess something up by putting the wrong key stroke in or you could somehow pollute a document by a virus.
Here’s the Bible, standing sure and firm.
And it just goes to show you God’s keeping work, God’s keeping power, but what a joy it must have been for them uh in Rome to receive the letter.
And then also when Paul wrote to the Corinthians, for them to receive that epistle written to them only to find out this.
In fact, I’m going to show you this uh beautiful connection.
Look at first Corinth ps 316 as we get into this study.
First Corinthians 316 is a good start to our introduction.
Do you not know that you are the temple of God? And that the spirit of God dwells in you.
Well, that sounds like Romans chapter eight, but this is written to the Corinthians in Greece.
God’s truth is consistent, never changing.
Second Corinthians chapter six, verse 14 do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness and what communion has light with darkness.
Isn’t that awesome statement? That’s a scientific statement.
By the way, what connection does light have with darkness?
One dispels the other, by the way, the absence of light, darkness will advance.
But when light is present, darkness must flee, you ever wonder about that?
Think about that physically, when you walk into a dark room and you turn the light switch on, where did the darkness go?
And the moment we turn off the light, the darkness is back.
He’s tampering now with physics here, it’s incredible.
And so he says in verse 15 and what a quarter, what union has Christ with Bali at Satan?
Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God?
That’s you with idols for you are the temple of the living God.
As God has said, what he begins to quote here, Jeremiah 24 7, I will dwell in them and walk among them.
I will be their God and they shall be my people, church family before we move on from this.
You know what’s epic? Because this is gonna jar some of you guys listen, this is a non denominational church.
What does that mean? It means there’s people from every walk of life and every bit of faith possible in this church, which means there’s, there could be a lot of crazy people here too.
It’s all about the Bible bringing us onto one page. So somebody might say, watch this.
How could Paul make that mistake? How could Paul do that? He’s a Jew writing to gentiles.
He speaks to them and then he has the chutzpah to throw in.
Jeremiah doesn’t Paul know that Jeremiah 24 7 belongs to the Jew.
There are people who struggle with this. Don’t struggle. Why resist a blessing? It’s a gift.
Stop talking about it, receive it.
If Paul the Apostle is speaking to Greeks, non Jews and he uses the Jewish scripture to communicate truth to them.
Are you following me? Then all the promises of God are. Yes and amen in Christ Jesus.
Does that make sense to you? When you read the Old Testament?
You need to understand that God’s word is true from Genesis to revelation. Are there issues of dispensations?
Yes, but it doesn’t change the truth. In fact, we’re on the brink of a next dispensation.
He said, what do you mean by that?
Pretty soon God will be done speaking to the church, he’ll be done doing things exactly what he’s doing right now.
Why? Because the church will leave the earth?
We don’t know when but we know this with Israel back in the land and Israel being surrounded by enemies.
The Bible is very clear about this, that God in that day will begin to pour out His Holy Spirit upon Israel.
And during that seven year tribulation period, it’s all about God working with his people, Israel.
And at the same time, the Bible that records that event is void of any church presence whatsoever.
That would be a dispensation. There was a dispensation from creation all the way through to the day that Noah got in the boat.
Are you hearing me? There was a dispensation that ended and started on the day of Pentecost.
We celebrated that last week. The church was born on the day of Pentecost, but just be encouraged by the way, when you read an Old Testament passage and you’re blessed by it, write that down and memorize it.
Don’t let somebody tell you, well, you know, that’s only to the Jew. The context will tell you.
For example, the Bible says Jews cannot eat lobster.
Now, all of a sudden, you’re very glad to be a gentile, aren’t you?
But what happens if a Jew gets born again?
He can eat lobster. Did you know that? It’s true? Why?
Because the law is what’s external when you’re born again. Let’s just put it this way.
The law is written on your heart. It’s, it’s no longer on stone, it’s on your heart.
And let’s remember everybody. The first Jew that was invited to be born again was Nicodemus.
Remember that you see how this is dovetailing in together.
The word of God is true for each and every one of us.
So you guys very fast because we were away from this for some time. We saw this.
What’s what spirit lives in you? Number one, we looked at this in verse nine.
Is he the spirit of comfort? That’s in verse nine.
And we asked these three things, is he the spirit of confirmation? Does he confirm his relationship with you?
In other words, every believer knows that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Every believer knows that God is at work within them.
Secondly, we saw that He is the Holy Spirit who possesses boy. We talked about the, the comfort of that.
The Holy Spirit resides within the believer.
You read a little bit about that a moment ago where God says that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
When you mention the word possess, are, are you possessed?
Oh, yes, I am by the Holy Spirit of God. So how do you know because I know this?
If I let my mind wander, oh, but a second into, into the weeds that it ought not to go.
The Holy Spirit says, Jack, get out of there.
If my eyes see something, it ought not to see.
God says, Jack, look over here or keep your eyes on the road. What are you doing?
Are you with me? It’s not the external law that we visit from time to time on a placard.
It’s written in our hearts. And then the third thing we saw last time is that he’s the spirit who reveals God opens up the word of God to us by the Holy Spirit.
All of that to bring about to us comfort. Does the spirit of comfort live inside of you?
More than ever? You need to have comfort, supernatural comfort that when the world shakes and it’s going to shake, I’m wondering, listen, I don’t want to freak you out, but maybe I do with all that’s going on with all of this horrific sin manifestation.
Uh Think about the Dodgers. I wouldn’t be surprised by the way.
Now, the San Francisco Giants, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an earthquake under Dodger Stadium and under the Giants Stadium.
You said why? Because God will eventually God will not put up with being mocked.
And for that matter, you know, God could send a storm.
God could send things that are just absolutely unseen and unheard of because God says he’s going to judge sin, that’s Him.
You, I don’t like that. It doesn’t matter. He didn’t ask you.
Well, that’s not what I believe in. Go ahead, do whatever you want to do.
God’s gonna do what he said he’s gonna do.
And even if this earth was to shake and the mountains were to fall down and the seas roar you as a believer would have to say, with Abraham, shall not the Lord of all of the earth do, right?
Wouldn’t it be correct or right of God to manifest his judgment upon a Christ, rejected America?
The answer is absolutely yes. We don’t rejoice in that, but we know it’s coming if it’s not already here.
Remarkable. Thank God. He confirms our salvation that brings us comfort.
He possesses us internally that brings us comfort.
He reveals the word of God to us when we pick it up and look at it that brings us comfort.
Last time we saw secondly, verse 10, that what spirit lives within us is the spirit of life.
And we saw that in three ways in verse 10 that he’s the spirit who controls us. I love this.
The longer you walk with Jesus, the less control you want to have.
Let’s let’s, let’s just wake up and young people are like, I’m, yeah, I, I mean, I love God.
I’m going to heaven and you are trust in Christ, but you still have your hands all over the wheel when you get older.
It’s like, you know, I tell you, I mean, I, I don’t own one and I don’t plan on owning one, but I see people driving around.
Well, excuse me, I see people sitting inside of a Tesla, they’re reading a book on the 55 freeway, reading the book at 80 miles an hour reading a book and they’re not even looking up.
I don’t have that kind of faith. What’s controlling that thing.
Satellites and computers. There you go for me. That’s a problem. Call me old school.
I’d rather drive, holding onto the wheel than looking straight ahead.
But listen, there’s a time though when spiritual maturity just comes to your life and you let go of the wheel and, and listen, that control system doesn’t need a satellite or a computer, God, the Holy Spirit.
And he does that in life. How does he do that in dwelling? Secondly, we saw that he dwells.
It’s remarkable to think Christianity is the only Lewis. It’s the only faith on the market.
I like that where God its creator says, I’ll move inside of you if you invite me in.
Wow. And then last time we saw in verse 10, he’s the spirit who purifies us.
He purifies us every day. He’s getting us ready every day. He’s getting you and I ready to meet Jesus.
The bride of Christ is being prepared. Everybody. I just saw it.
I posted it recently on my Facebook page where some data came in and all of these numbers were the church, the church is dying in America.
Really? Ok. Well, what do you mean by that?
They went on to tell us few, fewer and fewer people are attending church.
And I think I posted the article and then I made the comment. People don’t be worried by this.
Don’t get upset by this. That’s the way the world sees it.
Oh, the church is getting smaller in America. Oh, no, no, no, you misunderstand.
The church is not getting smaller. The real church is being exposed in righteousness.
What pretends to be church is being sifted out, think of that.
So, don’t, don’t be discouraged by this poll that says, you know, church attendance has dropped by so much percent.
Don’t let that bother you, by the way, isn’t it great that God is not a God of statistics?
Because uh that’s not happening here.
It’s not happening anywhere that I know where the word of God is being taught and people seek to apply his truth.
So here we go, church, these things, I’ll throw them to you up front so you can know what to expect.
And verse 11, in our closing argument, what spirit lives in you is, this is the spirit of resurrection and it’s the spirit of resurrection power.
It’s the spirit of resurrection, eternity and it’s the spirit of resurrection glory.
That’s what we’re gonna be looking at today.
So, number one right here in verse 11, he is the spirit of resurrection and he’s the spirit of power.
Verse 11 says, but if the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, that’s a statement, that’s a qualifying statement.
It’s a statement of fact, Paul speaking to believers, it’s not like if uh maybe, maybe not, it’s since so watch this, the qualifier or the point of interest is this two fold.
Number one, the Holy Spirit writer along verse 11, you ought to write number one, the Holy Spirit.
He’s a person. Number two. Is he in dwelling? Me?
He’s to in dwell and he does that by his power. We’ve already talked about in dwelling.
But how does he do that?
How does the Almighty God live in you at the exact same time that he holds the universe together and he resides in heaven and in all places, if you think about it, the Holy Spirit.
And so keep this in mind that he is a person. We’ve said that over and over again.
The Holy Spirit, the Bible says is a person. Uh You can bless him, you can upset him.
The book of Ezekiel says, you can sin against the Holy Spirit and he’ll become your enemy.
That’s what the Children of Israel did because of unbelief. They made angry.
The Bible says, the Holy Spirit and, and Sara acts chapter five, what did they do?
They lied to the Holy Spirit. You can’t lie to an it.
You know, some cults will tell you that the Holy Spirit is a force.
It’s a power, it’s an entity, it’s not a person. How do you lie to an it?
You can’t go out there on the street and lie to a fire hydrant.
You don’t sit there and lie to your car.
You can’t lie to an, it, you can only lie to a person.
You can’t even lie to your dog. They know.
And then secondly, it’s the whereabouts of the Holy Spirit.
But if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the whereabouts of the Holy Spirit, where is he?
And that’s the amazing, awesome reality. Write this down everybody. It’s Psalms 1 39 verse seven. It’s incredible.
Psalm 1 39 verse seven. This is David. This is 3000 year old theology.
Where shall I go from my spirit or whether shall I flee from my presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there.
If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou aren’t there?
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there, shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me.
Is that not awesome? That’s the spirit of God everywhere. So imagine this for a moment.
Maybe this will help the spirit of God.
Imagine the spirit of God, um, likened to this sad illustration.
You’re living in your home and you can theoretically write, you can open up your eyes, look out the window and see forever.
But on your table is an aquarium or terrarium and inside you’ve got little plants and little bugs or maybe a lizard or whatever.
And you’re looking at And according to that animal or that bug or that insect, that’s its world.
Are you with me? That’s where it lives in our natural sense. This is where we live.
You got that God is outside.
He’s outside and that bug or thing has no knowledge whatsoever of the vast universe that’s on the other side of the glass and in a sense by your ability to look into its world and to look out of its world.
So, is the Holy Spirit. So is God, it’s remarkable to think it’s awesome.
And David makes it very clear. I can’t go anywhere where the spirit of God is not.
Isn’t that amazing? Do you ever think about that? Have you ever been? Have you ever been?
I don’t know, almost abandoned. I’ve been almost abandoned a couple of times.
I have gotten myself self in trouble by swimming too far out at the wrong time of the day.
And I’ve told you guys in times past, I, I actually resigned. This is it, I’m gonna drown.
I mean, you actually just give up, you get so tired and the more you try to swim to shore or parallel to shore, it doesn’t matter because you’re in a kind of a shallow location.
This was in Hawaii each time and when, when, when the tide is going out and you’re in maybe 2030 ft of water that’s considered shallow, that water is moving fast like a venturi effect.
And I resigned. I couldn’t go anymore.
And I laid on my back and I was floating and I just said that’s it.
And all of a sudden out there, the water subsided and I went back first on a reef of coral and it just cut me up.
But no, no, no, don’t say no. It was, it was wonderful. Seriously.
It’s like, oh, wow, what it, and I’m there and it’s going down, it’s going down.
I laid there bleeding and all.
It was pretty spectacular actually, because I was so happy just I was fine with it.
And then I, I waited a long time and that you could tell by the movement of the water that the tide had ceased and it hit equilibrium.
And then, then I swam in and I got to the shore and I’m walking back to where Lisa is laying out and having a great day and people are coming up to me saying, are you ok?
Are you ok? I am fine. Thank you.
I was, but the truth of the matter is so the spirit of God, he wasn’t, it wasn’t my day yet.
I thought it was my day. So I was ready.
But he was with me, that coral reef could have been 10,000 miles in space.
He’s with you and he’ll never leave you.
The Bible says, or forsake you and he brings you great assurance and great comfort.
And what power is that? How do you measure that kind of power when nobody can save you, when you can’t get word out.
And the power of God is there not in electrical form, not in a roar, not in any other manifestation, but his presence, very calm, peaceful presence is worth more than gold.
Absolutely amazing. And you and I as Christians are to know this, the Bible tells us that the work of the spirit is power.
In Micah chapter three, Micah way back in the days of Micah, Micah three verse eight says, but truly, I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord Micah knew that in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come upon God’s people and then leave them and they knew it.
Can you imagine everybody? You do not know what that’s like in this age.
We don’t know what that’s like the spirit of God would come upon David and then leave David.
Do you remember when David said in Psalm?
I think it’s Psalm 51 renew a right spirit within me? Remember what he prayed?
Take not thy holy spirit from me. Did you know that’s Old Testament theology?
Because the day of Pentecost had not come in our day and age.
He will not take his holy Spirit from you.
You are sealed by the I’m assuming I’m talking to believers.
How many of your Christians raise your hands?
If you’re not raising your hand, pay close attention and don’t die between now and the end of the service, the Holy Spirit has sealed us into the day of redemption.
He’s always with the believer, he’ll never leave you no matter where you’re at in the world or in the universe for that matter.
And then there’s also this when we consider the power of the Holy Spirit and it’s a clumsy way of putting it, but I’m talking about the destination of the Holy Spirit.
So what does that mean? Destination? If He’s everywhere, how can he have a destination?
Well, when I say destination, I mean destination, that’s for us. Him dwelling in us.
There’s a plan that God has put together in the word of God that while you and I are here living out this battle here on earth, there’s a, there’s a final place where you and I will come in for a landing.
Hallelujah. And it will be forever.
But listen, when, when the destination as it were of the Holy Spirit is at work within you by power, you’ll have a sense to seek God in your life.
You’re gonna want more of God.
If the work of only spirits in your life, ask yourself this question.
Do I want more of God? Are you starving as it were?
I don’t know how to explain this. How is it that when you receive Christ, you’re satisfied.
But then while you’re still satisfied, you’re starving to get more of Him. It’s remarkable to me.
What about the destination of drawing closer to other believers. OK?
And that’s gonna be sensitive because it’s a big church and some people come to big churches to hide out, which I’m very proud of you guys in Jesus because I’ve been told poster, I came to the church to hide out and people just started greeting me.
Yeah. Right on. That’s your problem. We’re here to love on you.
Well, I just came here to, I just want, I don’t want to know anybody too late. Why?
Because, listen, this is an organic family. This is the family of God and the spirit of God.
Remarkably, it’s called the spirit of God in you.
Seeks out other believers with the spirit of God in them.
And when you meet somebody who you’ve never known before in life, a believer will have a sense of union with them within a matter of moments.
Then there’s those times when the Holy Spirit in you is saying no, that person’s mark them.
Wait, not feeling good about it. What is that discernment? Your alarm is going off?
There’s just something wrong here and, uh, that being a reality that seems to be increasing more and more, uh, in these days, I, I realize how big, uh, I don’t know, I don’t know what to do.
I don’t think I would call myself a liar at this point. But it’s like, am I being truly honest?
But what are you supposed to do? When you meet somebody. Hey, hi, Pastor Jack.
I’ve been a Christian for 300 years and I’ve raised the dead and I’m perfect or whatever it is or whatever and you’re just going, yeah, something’s really wrong here.
Or they could just be saying hi. And it’s like, why am I feeling this way?
I mean, I don’t want to get, like, weird on you and I’m not, uh, you know, some, some of the Pentecostals here are saying, oh, yes, absolutely.
No. Look, I’m with you kind of sort of, um, but you know what I’m talking about, what’s going on.
It’s the Holy Spirit confirming fellowship with another who’s in the body of Christ.
And when that’s not the case, we read it a moment ago in Corinthians.
He says, don’t be unequally yoked people who are single, hate that verse, but he’s nice.
Is he a Christian? No, then give me his phone number, delete it from your phone.
No, you’re flirting with disaster.
And then people always cite their, well, I have a friend who married a Satanist and then three days later they got saved and they’re happily married.
Listen, you have better odds in Vegas.
God can do anything but the Bible says, don’t mess around.
Listen, if you’re single, pray that God would bring you an incredible believer.
And by the way, you should stay single until God brings somebody into your life who’s got faith that you can follow a walk that is worthy of your submission.
And I mean that both ways, I mean that both ways because the book of Ephesians five tells us that male and female, husband and wife should both submit to Christ first.
Then he gives the order of the home.
But you listen, young lady, if you’re here today, wait for a man whose faith inspires you, but he’s so handsome.
Watch out that could be danger, right?
All the ladies said there it is.
And then there’s of course, the destination of the Holy Spirit that just unlocks to us God’s word.
So get ready to write down some verses everybody.
And if you don’t take notes, you have note paper in front of you.
But if you don’t take notes, that’s why the margins of your bibles, you write in them, mark your bibles up right here at verse 11.
Romans 8 11, start writing these references down Jude chapter one verses 20 and 24.
But you beloved building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying.
So building praying in the Holy Spirit. I wish we had the time to talk about that.
We’ll do that some other time, but it’s awesome. Verse 21. Keep yourselves in the love of God.
That is something that we need to practice today.
Like never before, keep yourself this, this requires effort on our part, not keep yourself saved. You don’t do that.
Keep yourself in the love of God years ago.
Pastor Chuck Smith stood in the pulpit of this church and he never didn’t even open up his Bible to first he said, let’s turn to first John and he turned to first John and he started teaching and he was talking about the love of God in your life.
And he just went through the entire book verse by verse without ever opening up his Bible.
And he simply summed it up by saying, keep yourself under the spout where the glory comes out and what a sweet truth that is.
Keep yourself in the love of God.
Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
That’s a reference to his appearing now to him who is able to keep you, thank God.
He’s able to keep me, keep you from stumbling and to present you fold this before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
Wow, that’s awesome. The power of the Holy Spirit will do that. Here’s another great encouragement.
Ephesians two verses four through nine.
But God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead and trespasses made us alive together with Christ.
For by grace, you have been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ, Jesus, you guys all with me still verse seven that in the ages to come referencing eternity, he might show the exceeding riches of His grace and his kindness towards us.
In Christ, Jesus, a lot of our eternity is going to be walking around appreciative of his amazing grace and of his amazing kindness.
We’re just gonna be thanking God verse eight says for by grace, you have been saved through faith that not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God verse nine. Not of works lest anyone should boast.
That’s the work of the Holy Spirit.
First Peter chapter one verse three, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us, made us new.
You could even say born again us to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Acts chapter three verse 26 acts 3 26 says, but you first uh to you first, God having raised up his servant, Jesus sent him to bless you and turning away every one of you from your iniquities, the resurrection, the power of God.
First Thessalonians chapter one verse 10. Wait for his son from heaven.
By the way, that’s an act of waiting. That’s a very, very, very busy about God stuff waiting.
Wait for his son from heaven whom he, that is God, the father raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
That is the wrath on earth. That’s not a reference to hell, but actually the tribulation period.
He’s the spirit of power John chapter two verse 19, Jesus answered and said to them, to the scribes and Pharisees destroy this temple.
And in three days, I, the Son of God will raise it up. Look at verse 20.
Then the Jews said, uh it, it has taken 46 years to build this temple and you will raise it up in three days.
So they’re pointing at the stones and he’s pointing at his chest.
But he was speaking of the temple of his body. The Bible tells us that amazing.
Look, if you’re an atheist agnostic or skeptic in the house right now, this is recorded in secular and religious or biblical history that Jesus said destroy this temple and in three days, I’ll raise it up now, right?
There’s enough for you to say, OK, just, just that alone. I’m gonna hang Jesus on his words.
That’s enough. It implies that you’re gonna, and it requires that you go after the resurrection, doesn’t it?
You got to go after you got to discredit the resurrection.
And if you can discredit the resurrection, then Jesus is a lunatic.
He’s just, he’s not God, but he’s a very good guy. I don’t think he’s a good guy.
What kind of a good guy would say? Kill me in three days, I’ll be resurrected from the dead.
If he didn’t rise from the dead, that wouldn’t be a nice guy.
That wouldn’t even be a good profit. That would be crazy.
But if he said in three days, I’ll be resurrected from the dead.
If my life is taken from me or if I lay my life down and he rises from the dead case closed.
Are you with me? You shouldn’t be a skeptic anymore about Jesus. If you’re a nonbeliever, why?
Honestly, why you can’t, you don’t have an excuse.
He’s laid it all out and he’s done it all the Tribune power of God in unison.
Mind, you raise the body of Jesus Christ from the dead.
I don’t have the time to get into this.
But when you put all the scriptures together, this is what you read. And I’m paraphrasing right now.
The Bible says that God, the Father will raise Jesus from the dead.
The Bible says that Jesus was raised by the dead, by the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus said, I will let my life be taken from me and I will raise my life up again.
Did you know that everyone, each person of the Tribune singular God, God, the Father God, the Son God, the Holy Spirit said, we’re going to resurrect Christ from the dead.
That is awesome. And that same power is gonna raise you from the dead also.
That’s if the rapture.
See, I just, I, I just, it’d be fantastic, especially if you’re going through any treatment right now.
You have to have a filling tomorrow. Wisdom, tooth pulled gall bladder surgery.
Wouldn’t it be great if the rapture came I don’t know, man, I look around and it’s like, I mean, I’m watching what you’re watching.
I’m seeing what you’re seeing and then I’m thinking Jesus, I don’t know.
I know, you know what you’re doing, but here’s the deal.
If you wait any longer, it ain’t gonna be a surprise when you come. Right.
It’s like, it’s so obvious, it’s getting pretty obvious.
Second Corinthians chapter four verse 14 says, knowing that who, who he, who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and will present us with you.
What a promise. I know everybody’s watching. We’re all watching our investments, right?
They’re all just going down the hole, right?
You saved up all your life and it’s all floating away these kind of verses, comfort me.
You need to slap this, you know your portfolio that you might have for your retirement, you need to put this on the cover because when, when everything evaporates this one thing, we know we’re going to heaven, we’re gonna walk in, walk on streets of gold, mind you by the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit because Christ Jesus died for your sins, rose again from the dead and he delivers all those who put their trust in him.
Why not? Why not?
Colossians chapter three verse one says, if, then you were raised with Christ.
Now that’s a, that’s an amazing statement. If then you were raised with Christ.
See Jack, what are you talking about according to God, his theology, looking at us who trust Christ, he sees us already raised.
So man, this Jack that freaks me out.
It should freak you out. You and I are just like the aunt.
I don’t know why I’m into bugs this morning. The aunt, the aunt walking on your kitchen table.
What is he thinking? Where am I? What is this? The world is flat. It’s flat.
See, the world is flat. He has no idea that I outside of his time domain, apply my thumb to his life and he’s gone.
He’s no more. Or that that would be his judgment.
He died without Christ with my thumb or I put my finger down there and he climbs onto my finger and I rapture him off the table and I take him into the backyard and put him into paradise, right?
That, that’s, that’s what I want to have happen and it’s gonna happen someday. However, watch this.
If then you were raised with Christ. So look at yourself the way God sees you.
This is not positive confession. I’m talking about here. This is practical theology.
God sees you washed pure as pure as Jesus. Your life is in Christ. The Holy Spirit resides in you.
You’ve been sealed into the day of redemption.
That means God has put you on layaway for the day of His coming or the day of your death, whichever comes first and that He sees you as righteous as his son.
You say, man, that’s wild. Of course, it’s wild. It’s amazing. It’s called the Gospel.
It’s the greatest news you’ll ever hear. What about my sin washed away, gone at the cross?
When did that happen? He died for your sins then? But you and I weren’t born for 2000 years later.
Only God can do that when he died on the cross.
Only God could have had you literally on his mind and he did.
And when he died, he died for you. When he died, he died for me.
The Bible says he died for the sins of the entire world. But you must accept the gift.
You must say, yes, I’m still trying to get past this first part of the verse.
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above not on things of this earth or on the earth.
That’s the temptation you and I deal with it.
We can, we can we get our eyes off of Jesus.
Our eyes will go somewhere when we get our eyes off of Jesus and we go to that thing or those things of this world.
And it’s not, it’s not bad having any of those things.
It’s that you can’t have those things for your identity.
Oh oh Finally, if I just get one of these, I’ll be happy.
You see, and then you get a dozen of them and you’re still unhappy for you died really?
And your life is hidden with Christ and God.
When Christ, who as our life appears, then we will also appear with Him in glory.
That’s at the rapture. Therefore, put to death. You are members which are on the earth. Fornication.
Stop sleeping around uncleanness, stop being filthy about your life, passion, unsanctioned passion, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry because of these things.
The wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. Next point, we’ll go quickly on.
This is verse 11 is that the spirit is the spirit of eternity.
In Romans 11, it says he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies.
Eternity awaits us friends forever. Listen to what our can’t use. Writes in his book.
He’s quoting uh Faith Bailey. She’s writing on the greatest evangelists of the 19th century Dwight L Moody.
When evangelist Del Moody described his conversion experience, he said I was in a new world.
The next morning, the sun rose brighter and the birds sang sweeter.
The old elm trees waved their branches for joy.
And it seemed as though that all nature was at peace can’t use.
Goes on here. I found the same thing to be true with my conversion.
When I was 12 years old, I came to know Christ.
I remember saying the next day the sky is blue the grass is greener.
Jesus Christ, enriches the now experience of the Christian life. That’s a great statement. Eternity. How does this happen?
He puts eternity in our hearts.
I’m gonna speak for all of you even though we don’t all ex express it the same way.
Those of us who have been born again, green is greener, blue is bluer.
Life is worth living more. We have purpose. Listen, I understand people say, what’s the purpose of life?
What’s the purpose of life? Dude?
I, I used to, I used to wonder that myself, but there’s a big, there’s a bigger question, what is the purpose of life?
And what am I supposed to do about it? When you ask those questions?
That way God shows you. He gives you his life that he’s planned for you.
Imagine, open up an envelope and you pull it out.
It’s a sheet of paper with your name at the top and God’s got all of your directions right there for your life.
I think by the way, I’m just guessing this is not in the Bible, this next part, not in the Bible.
I think people in hell become aware of what God had planned for them.
That was never realized because they rejected him.
And I think that’s part of their help is knowing what he had for them, but slipping up and falling for what Satan lied to them about Second Corinthians four verse 16 says, therefore we do not lose heart.
That’s a command, by the way, don’t lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing.
Don’t you know that we all know that raise your hand if you’ve taken Advil or some sort of thing in the last 24 hours, right.
Why did we do that? Because our life is perishing.
I stumbled across these tiger balm pain, pain stickers, pain, sticky thingies.
They’re absolutely fantastic. And I’m wondering if I put some on my face, if it would do anything about that, the outward man is perishing body is getting old body hurts.
But the Bible tells us yet the inward man is being renewed day by day for our light affliction which is but for a moment coming from a man who gets beat up and stoned and whipped light affliction he says is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
While we do not look at the things which are seen.
But the things which are not seen that’s eternal for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal, almost done.
Be patient with me. John Calvin writes this, this is awesome.
We concluded then that he speaks not of the last resurrection which shall be in a moment, but of the continued working of the Holy Spirit by which he gradually mortifies the relics.
Listen to this, the relics of our flesh and renews in us. The celestial life.
Let us not then read our text and, and cry out what future lies before us.
Let us rather read it and say what a wonderful present is now ours to live the life that I now live in the flesh.
I live by faith in the Son of God. I am living resurrection life.
Now said Calvin, I am living eternal life. Now, that’s how we’re gonna conduct ourselves.
And then we end here. It’s glory.
The spirit of the Holy Spirit that is of resurrection is the spirit of glory.
It ends verse 11 by saying through His spirit who dwells in you, that word through you ought to circle it and write down its Greek meaning it means this on account of because always the word means by way of watch this, the cause, causation think of that continually or for the sake of forever, so forever.
His spirit who dwells in you. This is the cause.
And this is the conclusion, the spirit of the God of God who dwells in you, why?
It’s for glory. God’s got a plan, his glory. And the scripture makes it so beautifully clear.
In Hebrews chapter 10 verse 15, the Bible says, but the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us notice this.
Every, are you guys with me? We’re almost done. The Holy Spirit.
He’s witnessing means he’s speaking to us and it’s in the present tense.
Then listen, that implies that God’s word. Remember God’s word is done the Bible.
You can’t add to the Bible, you add to the Bible, you’re in big trouble.
So you don’t add to the Bible. God’s done writing the Bible.
But how, how is God speaking to me in the present tense?
Now, the Holy Spirit is using the Bible, the word of God.
He uses the word of God to witness to us speak to us for after he said or had said before.
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days again. Listen, this is Paul.
I think it’s Paul doesn’t matter, written to the Hebrews in the New Testament and he’s quoting Old Testament.
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days says, the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts and into their minds.
I will write them. He says, verse 17, then he adds their sins and their lawless deeds.
I will remember no more beautiful Dr Donald Gray Barnhouse says to that the fact of the indwelling Christ is the guarantee that all of the power which was put forth in raising Jesus Christ from the dead is now available to number one, one to keep down the power of death that is in us by nature and two to keep you victorious through the life.
That is the very life of Christ in His resurrection, which is now ours, God.
The Holy Spirit takes away and keeps away the grip of the grave and God, the Holy Spirit prepares you for eternity nonstop.
You have guys have room for one more string of verses, Jude chapter one, Jew, the bond servant of Jesus Christ, the brother of James to those who are called sanctified.
Notice it’s all past tense. You were called, you were sanctified by God the father and preserved past tense.
How in Jesus Christ, first Corinthians one verse one, Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ to the will of God.
And so is our brother to the church of God, which is at Corinth to those who are sanctified in Christ.
Jesus called to be saints with all who are in every place.
Call on the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, both theirs and ours acts chapter 20 verse 32.
So now brethren, I command you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Hebrews 2 11, Hebrews 2 11.
For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one.
For which reason he’s not ashamed to call us brethren or brothers and sisters. Romans chapter eight verse 30.
Moreover whom I love this, whom he predestined.
These he also called, whom he called, he also justified, whom he justified.
He also glorified, imagine that Chris your life is one awesome radical dynamic of God working watch, working from finished in the here and now so much you can stand really so watch this.
God is working from finished. This is eternity.
All things finished in between finished and finished is your life and mind being lived out.
When you go through these doors today, you need to hang on to this what God has done for you.
He’s done. He’s not going to do.
He’s done it just as you walk out of this room and into the world out there, you’re taking the Holy Spirit who is both in you around you and is outside in that world.
In a sense. He’s waiting for you to go from finished out into that world, heading toward finished and all along the way you are to live your life by faith, which is this.
I’ve been finished by Jesus Christ. I have been made perfected. The spirit of God lives in me.
I’ve been sanctified, cold, renewed, justified, glorified. And that’s the spirit that lives within me.
And today, if the Holy Spirit is not resident in your life, you need to ask Him right now, in your own words, oh, mighty God, save me from my sins, rescue me from hell and death.
And I want to live this real life that we’re hearing about right now and God will hear you.
God will answer you, give Him your sins and He’ll give you His righteousness.
Father, we praise you in Jesus name and all God’s people said Amen. God bless you guys in Jesus name.
Amen.