Message for May 6, 2018 from Pastor Jerry

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:17

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1

            Jesus made it very clear that His mission to earth was not a trip of judgment but one of salvation.  The condition of the world had not changed since Eve ate the fruit and gave it to Adam. Scripture makes it clear that Adam (not Eve) brought sin and death upon the earth and on humanity.  The Law of Moses brought the knowledge of sin to man’s attention but had no power to break sin’s hold on man.

            The coming of Jesus, the Savior, and His victory over sin by His resurrection provided the power needed to break the dominion of sin over anyone who believes that Jesus nailed our sin to the cross and said, “It is finished.”  As a result, there is NOW no condemnation to those who believe their way into Christ Jesus. If that is true, why still condemn yourself for not being able to live a perfect life? If your relationship with God is based on your ability to perform perfectly, you will never be free from condemnation. More seriously, you will never be right with God.

            Condemnation is not just an emotion that makes you feel unworthy.  It is force of action that places you under judgment. If Christ did not come to condemn the world why are we so quick to condemn ourselves or others just because we cannot perform our lives perfectly?  We are saved by grace and nothing else. It is not a mixture of God’s grace and our works. Good works do not create righteousness in us. The Spirit of God, through Jesus Christ in us, makes us righteous.  The Spirit in us creates good works. We sinned because we were slaves of sin. We work righteousness because we are now slaves of righteousness. See Romans chapter 6. Our weakness is not stinking behavior but stinking thinking.  If we believe right we will live right. It is just our new nature.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20  

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