August 4, 2019 - In Sin vs. In Christ
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Let me know if you think the following things are ON THE RISE in our society:
humility
love of neighbor
objective moral reasoning
patience
Are these things on the rise....not a chance
So WHAT IS on the rise?
pride
self-indulgence
partiality
relativism
covetousness
malice
envy
slandery
brutality
THESE THINGS are on the rise…we see this - and we KNOW this...
and that’s a scary thing…why?
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
We live in a world where - what’s on the rise - is ALL that God hates!
And it seems day-by-day, MORE AND MORE - God is removing His restraining grace...
allowing this world to spiral more and more into destruction.
*Sunrise / Sunset (the sun is ALWAYS shining 100%)
And as we press on in this world…as time goes by - we see MORE and MORE of what we truly are!
ALL the hatred...
pride
malice
couvetousness
ALL of it - ALWAYS there…100%
but we now starting to see more of it - come to the surface!
And what we’re seeing in this world - is SIN!
*I always see people post on facebook - the various EVILS of this world (kidnappings, abuses of government, whatever it is)...
…but those people who post those things are ALWAYS looking for BANDAIDs...
They’re not really interested in addressing the real issue....WHICH IS...
SIN
ALL of the crap that we see out in the world today - all of it - is a SYMPTOM of a greater issue.
Yes, this country....this world has some crazy issues...
THE GREATEST issue we will EVER face - is SIN
And it’s something that Christ is going to deal with today in our text.
So let’s see what He has to say...
21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”
23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.
26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”
27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father.
28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
A theme that runs throughout this exchange here between Jesus and the Pharisees...
is the concept of - Being IN SIN
Jesus - and the Bible for that matter - have much to say about this idea...
And it will be our focus today...
Let’s circle back to what Jesus said about it...
21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
So from here - let’s look at what it means to be - IN YOUR SINS...
SLIDE: IN SIN: Death Leads to Destruction
In Sin
In Sin
Let’s look at the STORY line of SIN throughout scripture...
And we actually have to start before Genesis chapter 3
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.
So here we have the FALL of Lucifer...
Lucifer - wanting to RULE over God - to be like God
And this DESIRE - the epitomy of IDOLATRY
It’s the same SIN that Lucifer tries to entice Eve in the garden with...
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Of course we know what happens - Eve disobeys God and eats of the fruit...
NOW - let’s look at what happened as a result...
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
OK - SIN came into the world through one man - ADAM...
And attached to that SIN was the punishment that God placed on it...
Remember - God said - If you eat of the fruit of Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil…you shall - SURELY DIE!
DEATH - death came into the world with that SIN...
And DEATH spread to all men because ALL sinned!
This is what’s called - INHERITED SIN...
The inherent inclination to sin ENTERED the human race…and human beings became SINNERS by nature!
MEANING -
We are sinners not because we sin; rather, we sin because we are sinners
**If we were to look at pictures of all of your parents when they were young, most of us would see that and think it was YOU in the picture… (Nick)
We inherit physical attributes from our parents...
In that same light - we all inherit sinful natures from Adam
And the Bible has much to say about what it means to be - IN SIN…or IN ADAM
Remember the list we walked through last week about what it meant to FOLLOW Jesus?
Here it is...
To FOLLOW - is to:
follow as a soldier follows his commander (in allegiance)
follow as slave follows his master (in submission)
follow as an ignorant person follows a wise counselor (in dependence upon)
follow as a student follows the teacher's line of reasoning and argument
follow as a son follows his father (in love)
Interesting enough - these same attributes apply to someone - IN SIN...
As a soldier follows his commander (LOYAL all the way)
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Do you see how LOYAL man’s heart is to SIN?
To be IN SIN - is to follow as a slave follows his master (in submission)
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
To be IN SIN - is to follow as an ignorant person follows a “wise” counselor
15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
To be IN SIN - is to follow as a student follows the teacher's line of reasoning and argument
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
Ignorance breeds ignorance!
And when the ignorant believe themselves to be WISE - they argue from a viewpoint of ignorance!
AND - to be IN SIN - is to follow as a son follows his father (in love)
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
to be IN SIN - is to follow the devil as a son…loving what he desires...
And so we see that ALL of these attributes of a FOLLOWER of Jesus - can be used to describe an UNBELIEVER as well!
BEING in sin - is to be on the path to DESTRUCTION...
And as we’ve seen - we INHERIT this path...
We INHERIT this future for ourselves...
Here are some of the terms the Bible uses to describe someone who is - IN SIN...
wretched
pitiable
poor
blind
naked
cold
lukewarm
lost
dead
And WHAT HAPPENS in the end - to all those who DIE IN THEIR SINS?
13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
And we can FEEL THE WEIGHT THEN - when Christ makes this statement in our text today...
23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
Did the PHARISEES know ALL that came along with that claim by Christ?
Jesus said - YOU WILL DIE IN YOUR SINS!
Eternal punishment awaits…and it AWAITS ALL THOSE OUT HERE...
who WHAT?
Jesus tells is the REMEDY to this problem!
What did He say - (read v24)
“UNLESS you BELIEVE that I AM HE - you will die in your sins”
SLIDE: QUESTION
Is this our message to the world?
We have to really look at ourselves in this...
Why did the world HATE Jesus?
It was because of His message to the world!
And Jesus said this...
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Does the world HATE you?
Do you have STRAINED relationships with people you know because of the MESSAGE of Jesus Christ?
Is HIS message our message?
If not - what does this verse say about you?
Do your friends, family, co-workers...
do they KNOW what Jesus says about them?
Do we WANT them to know what Jesus says about them?
I hope so!
We should WANT them to be - IN CHRIST…not IN SIN!
Why? - what does BEING IN CHRIST entail…?
We saw that IN SIN - Death Leads to Destruction
SLIDE: In Christ: Death Leads to Life
IN CHRIST
IN CHRIST
It’s weird right?
Death leads to life...
And this DEATH - is both Christ’s death, and our death...
How so?
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
The fact that each of you are sitting here right now, points to the reality that each of you, at one point in time...were in your mother's womb.
I can say that with certainty...And so we all know that when we look at a mother who is with child, we know that there is a special union there that is playing out.
If a mother, who is with child, gets sick and dies...what happens to the child - left to itself?
The child dies...Left to itself...the child dies...100% of the time...
SO - The mother's death...becomes the child's death.
why?
Because of the nature of the union they share.
The mother's death becomes the child's death.
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Notice that Paul is speaking, yet claiming that he has died...a death has occurred.
How can we (that includes himself) who DIED (past tense)...
And so we might think...I've died?Let's have Paul explain it...
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
So what's this saying?
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus - He's speaking to a specific group of people - those who have been baptized into Christ...
This is not water baptism.
This is talking about a Spiritual New Birth....being born again.
Being PLACED IN CHRIST
The bible is full of metaphors is it not?
God takes divine truths, and wraps them in human language to help us understand them better...
Jesus spoke in parables to help us understand divine realities.
So this specific group of people - THOSE who have been baptized in Christ (those who have faith in Christ)......those people - Do you not know that those people were baptized into His death...
Do you see - His death, through FAITH, becomes our death?
And still you might say - who cares...
back to verse 2:
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
This death...that becomes ours...through faith...is a death TO SIN.
And so let's think through this now...
If we are united to Christ's death, through faith...And the death that we're united to is a DEATH TO SIN...
...then that means Christ's death must have been a DEATH TO SIN...
jump down to verse 10:
10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
Here's the union.
His death, through faith, becomes our death.
A death to sin...
So let's step back for a second:
God is Holy - he is perfect in every way. His attributes cannot be improved upon.
He is not partial in any way
From the beginning God planned to magnify His Son Christ, through the gospel (Rev. 13:8 - Before the foundation of the world, the gospel was the plan of God)
His plan included a way that His children would be reconciled to Him, thru Christ, as our substitute (Rev. 13:8, Romans 3:25)
His justice required payment for sin…(He is not partial...He sends His Son)
His mercy sought to be extended to those whom He pleased.
Both of them, His justice and His mercy…satisfied on the cross.
His justice…satisfied on the cross (sins paid for)
His mercy…extended to us through Christ on the cross…
On the Cross - WHICH IS THE ONLY WAY HIS MERCY COULD HAVE BEEN EXTENDED TO US, WITHOUT COMPROMISING HIS JUSTICE.
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Through Faith, His death to sin becomes our death to sin.
And so where sin was once our Master and called for us to obey...through faith we're now dead to sin.
**Shark Tank - Kevin O'Leary (one of the billionaire investors on the show)...You've heard him say to some of the entrepreneurs - "You're dead to me".
He's saying - I have no use of you - leave...you're dead to me.
When we put our faith in Christ, His death to sin becomes our death to sin...
Sin looks at us, and says - "you're dead to me...i have no ultimate control over you anymore"
Sin says - "sure, I may win a few battles in your life, but i can see that I've lost the war" - You're dead to me.
Remember this Christian.
When the sins that seem to crush us to the point of halting our worship of Christ COME to us........REMEMBER THIS!
We're now dead to sin...His death has become our death...and we are NOW IN CHRIST!!
SEEN as HOLY in the sight of God!!
Christ’s RIGHTEOUSNESS imputed to us!
And MANY more blessings come - IN CHRIST!!
• When we trust Christ as our Lord and Savior...
• Our highest treasure (Phil. 3:9)...
• A union is established between us and Christ...
• ...In such a way that everything that Christ is...is shared with us
We receive grace in Christ, alone!
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,
• Our redemption is in Christ, alone!
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
We are justified in Christ, alone!
16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
We have forgiveness of sins in Christ, alone!
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
There is no condemnation in Christ, alone!
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
We are a new creation in Christ, alone!
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
We have eternal life in Christ, alone!
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God supplies all our needs in Christ, alone!
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
We have every spiritual blessing of heaven in Christ, alone!
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
We will be presented to God perfect in Christ, alone!
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
We cannot be separated from the love of God in Christ, alone!
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Is this list not awesome!!
• Grace
• redemption
• justification
• forgiveness
• no condemnation
• new life
• eternal life
• all needs met
• every spiritual blessing given
• perfect righteousness imputed
• eternal security
• ALL of it...IN CHRIST
To be IN CHRIST is to INHERIT all these things...
And our HOPE for all those around us who are LOST…still IN SIN...
Our hope for them is found in verse 30 of our text today...
23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.
26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”
27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father.
28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
AS He was saying these things - MANY believed!
Our message to the world - our friends - families - coworkers - is that they must REPENT of -
their SINS...
that they might turn and TRUST in Christ...
Going from IN their SINS - to IN CHRIST!
And they’ll believe - AS WE SPEAK these truths...
May we follow Christ’s example - and do so...
Let’s pray...