Sermon Cloud

I love observing how new phrases and colloquialisms enter the culture and then become part of day to day life.  Someone somewhere uses a phrase or reworks a commonly known word, and somehow it catches on.  Celebrities do this, musicians do it, athletes do it, and then you do it.

• Let me give you a few examples.  Let’s try an easy one from say 15 years ago.  If I said that you were “tripping” or “illing” what would you say I was talking about?  You would probably say I need to put down my Run DMC records, but what I would really be saying is that the way you are acting doesn’t make any sense.
• More recently, the word “bling” means everything from flashy jewelry to 27 inch spinners on your escalade.  The phrase is actually Jamaican and refers to the imaginary sound that light makes when it bounces off a diamond.  The very fact that I have used it means that it is probably no longer relevant or in use by anyone that’s cool.
• Now slang isn’t limited to words we say.  If you have ever been on instant messenger or sent a text, things you will see things like LOL, TTYL, OMG, and on and on.
• Very few of us are immune to slang.  We pick it up without even noticing it.  In fact, sometimes, we hear something and purposefully add it to our day to day speech.  I did that the other day.  I heard a phrase and thought, “That is awesome.”  The term is “passion bucket” and let me tell you where it comes from. 
  • The phrase was first used on the "Dan Patrick Show" when UCLA coach, Rick Neuheisel said, "When you’re at UCLA, you have to have your passion bucket full when you play the Trojans." 
  • Since that day, the phrase has been used by Kobe Bryant, Bob Costas, and now the pastor of Sovereign King Church – look out.  A person’s "Passion Bucket" describes the amount of energy or love one has for a certain object, event or theme. 
  • For example, you could say “I don’t have a large passion bucket for paying taxes, but when it comes to a tax refund, my passion bucket is full.”  See how that works?
  • Taking it way further than Rick Neuheisel or Dan Patrick ever intended, I began thinking about our passion buckets.  Whatever is in your passion bucket is what drives you. 
    • We are pretty much people who do what we want to do. 
    • If we are passionate about something, we do it or put time into it. 
    • If our passion bucket is low for something, we don’t put much time or energy into it at all or at best we just give it lip service. 
    • So, you know where this line of thinking is going. 
      • How full is the passion bucket for the Gospel of Jesus in your life, your church, and subsequently the lives of people in which you come in contact? 
      • How passionate are you for the work of Christ on your behalf? 
      • How much does it drive you, motivate you, and encourage you? 
      • If the answer is, “My passion bucket for the Gospel of Jesus is low,” then there are only a couple of options as to why that is. 
        • The first option is that you don’t believe what the Scriptures say about who Jesus is and what He has done.  You can’t be passionate about something you don’t believe. 
        • Or, you do believe what the Scriptures say about who Jesus is and what He has done, but the worries of life have just poked a hole in your passion bucket. 
        • I guess the final option is that you believe what the scriptures say about who Jesus is and what He has done, but you just don’t understand those things to their depths. 
        • Today, we are going to explore those things and pray that your passion bucket gets filled.  We are going to try to plumb the depths of application of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. 
        • With that in mind, let’s try to answer this big picture question this week:

Big Picture Question:  What are the implications of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and how should understanding those things make you more passionate for the Gospel?

Romans 8:1-11

8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 

• Without hyperbole, this might be the biggest therefore in all of scripture.  If you are no longer going to be condemned, you need to know why, so let’s take a moment and peak backwards to see why Paul makes this declaration.
• This really is a turning point in the book of Romans.  Paul has built an argument that looks like this.
  • Chapters 1-3 show every human being’s desperate need before God since everyone sins.
  • Chapters 3-5 show that peace with God come by faith in Jesus
  • Chapters 6-7 show that we are completely unable to obey the law of God without His help.  In fact, the law enslaves us to death but Christ frees us from death and leads to life and obedience.
  • There are a variety of opinions on where the summary statement is in these chapters.  You know the one that most clearly articulates Paul’s point.  You could definitely make a case for statements like
    • Romans 1.16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” 

• Romans 3:21-24 - 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 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,
• Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• Romans 7:6 - But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code
• But I would say the best summary of Paul’s argument so far is Romans 5:1 –
  • Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • This is Paul’s therefore.  Because a way to God has been provided by Jesus in faith, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
    • And as Romans 5:1 states, we are in Christ Jesus by faith.  You don’t have to bring anything to the table for God to forgive you. 
    • If you have faith in Jesus for the righteousness you need and the punishment you deserve, there is now no condemnation coming to you.
    • The statement that in Jesus you are no longer condemned deserves exploration.  So, let’s take a few minutes to do that.  First of all, there are several components to your now non condemned state. 
      • The first of which is that there is now no condemnation on your part for your past.  Nothing, no sin of your past, will ever earn condemnation for you again if you have faith in Christ Jesus. Think about that: 
        • Maybe you still feel guilty for not remaining chaste before marriage.
        • Maybe you still feel guilty for some lie you told a teacher, boss, or parent.
        • Maybe you still feel guilty for cheating on your spouse.
        • Maybe you still feel guilty for letting your parents down.
        • Take a moment and ask yourself, “What do I still feel guilty about?” 
          • Then remind yourself that from this verse, that if you have faith in Jesus, there is no condemnation for that sin.  It is gone.  Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are so complete, you are free from guilt.
          • Guilt means that there is something left for you to pay, but when Jesus’ said, “It is finished,” on the cross, that is what He meant.  There is nothing left for you to pay.
• The second component to your non-condemned state is the freedom to walk in repentance and newness of life right now.
  • Some of you, right now, are struggling with some serious sin.  In fact, to say you are struggling would be giving you too much credit.  You aren’t struggling; you are flat out indulging sin.
  • Because you have faith in Christ, you know that what you are thinking or doing or watching or what you are not thinking and doing is absolutely wrong.  It is sin.  It is vile.  It is disgusting. 
  • Now because you have those two things in you, knowing Christ but indulging sin, you are miserable.  You are living in such a guilty state that you hate your life and are deeply depressed.
  • What keeps you from changing is that you fear the consequences of being honest about your sin.
    • You’re afraid that your spouse will leave you.
    • You’re afraid that you will lose your job.
    • You’re afraid that you will be rejected by folks you know.
    • You think God hates you. 
    • But you know what God loves?  God loves His children asking for forgiveness and walking in newness of life.  To prove this to you, Jesus tells the Parable of the Lost Sheep where a shepherd has 100 sheep.  One strays away and He goes and finds the lost sheep and brings them home. 
      • This lost sheep is you right now.  You are part of the flock of God by His grace, but your continuing to sin is your wondering away.  God brings you back, say through a message on Romans 8.  
      • And Romans 8 says there is now no more condemnation for your sin so you can repent boldly, be forgiven and be loved without fear of condemnation.  And you know what God’s reaction is when you do that?  Jesus tells us at the end of the Parable of the Lost Sheep
      • Luke 15:7:  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
      • God takes joy in your repenting.  He doesn’t swat you on the nose with a newspaper like you do with a dog that is being trained.  He takes joy in your asking forgiveness and trusting Him for obedience.
• The third component of your now not being condemned is the future element. 
  • God’s work through Jesus is so secure that He has promised to keep you, enable you to persevere, and ultimately usher you into His presence in Heaven one day.
  • This is a promise to you from Jesus, the author and perfector of your faith. 
    • Jesus says in John 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

• You can walk in confidence that Jesus who lived perfectly for you, and died righteously for you, and rose again victoriously for you will also secure your faith so that it endures and you are ultimately made righteous and perfect in Heaven.
• So once again, all of you who feel it necessary to try to impress God to get Him to love you can just now stop.  Jesus impressed God on your behalf – trust what He has done, not what you have done.
• Folks, if you can embrace that there is now no more condemnation for you:  none for your past, present, or future, your passion for Jesus and the work of His kingdom will grow. 
  • Your passion bucket will not only be full but will overflow like you have never imagined. 
  • You will be passionate for Jesus because you no longer have to feel guilty about your past sins.
  • You will be passionate for Jesus because He takes great joy in your asking Him for forgiveness.
  • You will be passionate for His Kingdom because you know that you will forever be a part of it.
  • You will be passionate for sharing this Jesus with other because you know of no other love that is greater than His poured out on your behalf.  You just can’t wait to tell others about your passionate love affair with Jesus, the author and perfector of your faith.
  • Whew, that was just the first verse of this chapter.  I don’t think we are going to be able to cover all of these verses today.  Let’s see if we can cover a couple more. 

2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

• This is the second component that we just spoke of.  You are now free from the law of sin and death because the Spirit enables you to obey until life.
  • Think of it in this way.  The words of God, His law, work in every human being. . 
  • For those who have not received forgiveness, this law works death in their life.  The words of God are impossible to obey, so instead they bring condemnation and death.
  • But for those who are in Christ, the worlds of God become as verse 2 calls them, “The law of the Spirit of life,” and instead of condemning you, it sets you free. 
  • Paul explains how this works in verses 3-4.

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

• Look at all the things that God has done for you in these two verses.
  • First of all God recognized our need.
    • You see God saw that the law, though it was good, could not be obeyed in the flesh which means no one can obey it apart from God’s help.
    • What the law could not do was make anybody just or right before God.
    • There was nothing wrong with the law.  The problem resided with us.
    • Two things would be needed:  obedience to the law and someone who was able to provide that obedience.
    • That leads us to the second thing that God did for us.  We see it in the latter half of verse 3.
• The second thing God was for us was sin His son Jesus to us in human form.
  • Jesus was in the likeness of human flesh which means He was human just like you and me, but His flesh was not sinful.  He had the potential to sin, but He didn’t.
  • In His obedience to the law as a man and His obedience to accept the punishment of sin, Jesus condemned sin’s hold on you.
  • This is God’s gift for His people.  He condemns sin and its power over you if you are have faith and are in Christ Jesus.
  • The great theologian John Owen called this “The death of death in the death of Jesus Christ” which is also an incredible book that I will recommend to all of you.  http://www.amazon.com/Death-Christ/dp/1846857406/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249655194&sr=1-16
• The third thing God does for you is found in verse 4.
  • The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in you.
  • What that means is that yes, God requires nothing less than perfect obedience – not because God is stickler for detail. 
  • It is that sin is not just missing a requirement.  Sin is rebellion against God.  It is worship of self and hatred of God.
  • So, the only person that could possibly meet the righteous requirement of the law is Jesus.  That is what Jesus did in the same body that you and I have.  Where we don’t obey, He did.
• Now here is the big fourth thing that God has done for you in verse 4.
  • Because the righteous requirement of the law of God has been met by Jesus the Son of God no less, then you are now free and ABLE to obey. 
  • Instead of the Spirit of God condemning you because of sin, the Spirit of God works new life in you.

• Folks, those are the essentials of the Gospel to which you must spend the remainder of your life understanding and living out.  Any part of those 4 things that are left out of the presentation of the Gospel, cripples that Gospel. 
  • God sees your need knowing you are sinful.
  • God sends His son, Jesus to meet your need.
  • Jesus meets the righteous requirement of the law obeying and accepting punishment for disobedience.
  • You are now forgiven and able to obey.
  • The depth to which you understand these things will determine the depths of your passion for Jesus and the Gospel.  The greatest passion will come in celebrating all 4 gifts of God.  Miss one and miss passion and maybe even eternity.
  • Let me make one clarification before I go any further. 
    • This is a passion is like no other.  It is a passion to rest in God’s work and live in light of God’s work.
    • Evangelical Christianity has gotten this wrong for about the past 15 years. 
    • Passion is resting in Christ’s work and no longer attempting to earn God’s pleasure. 
    • Passion is loving your Heavenly Father with all of you heart, all of your soul, and all of your mind.
    • Look again at those 4 things that God has done and let me show you how each one engenders passion.
      • You read Romans 8 see God recognizes that you are helpless and in need.  That should stir up an affection for God because He is compassionate to you.
        • How many people in this world right now can you say, “That person looks out for my needs and then wants to meet them?  A few perhaps and if you have even one, you are blessed.
        • How about if the God of the Universe did that?  His compassion should make you passionate about Him.
• Then you read that God seeing your need sent His Son to suffer and live on your behalf.  That should stir up an affection for Jesus and a thankfulness to God the Father.
  • That kind of affection and thankfulness should change your life and give you something to hope for even in the darkest hour.
• Then you read that Jesus obeyed and provided all the righteous requirements of the law that God demanded.  Jesus obeyed where you couldn’t.
  • That act of love on your behalf should transform you.
  • You give up the struggle.  What I mean is that you don’t live in guilty any more because you don’t measure up. 
  • You live knowing that God’s affection for you doesn’t rise and fall with how good you are.  God is ultimately pleased in you because He is ultimately pleased with His son, Jesus. 
  • That should change how you live.
• Finally, you read Romans 8 and see that you can live with Spirit enabled obedience. 
  • Your obedience becomes not a drudgery and not a burden but an act of worship.
  • You attempt new obedience because you know the Spirit leads you to obey and leads you to life in Him and not death by your own efforts.
  • Perhaps you hear these things and think, “Gee, Gordon, that sounds great, but I still don’t know how to live that way.”
    • Then I encourage you to pray that God would give you this kind of joy and affection and passion.
      • Ask that God would give you affection for God because He has been compassionate to you in your need.
      • Ask that God would give you affection for God and a thankfulness because the Heavenly Father sent His Son to live and die for you.
      • Ask that God would give you a rest in Jesus’ work because He was the one who met all of God’s requirements.
      • And finally, ask that God would give you a joyful, worshipful heart of obedience because the Spirit enables you to obey.