City Light Bible Church Sermons

Romans 8 tells us the believer is saved from a life of living by the flesh in corruption, so that we can live by the Holy Spirit to purity and holiness in peace. A new life, new Father, new witness, and a new inheritance await those who suffer with Christ. Pastor Chris shows us that these sufferings lead us to a confidence in our identity as a child of God and our inheritance as fellow heirs with Christ

Paul in Romans 8 contrasts how living by the flesh is different from by the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit of Him counteracts the power of our sin nature, driving us in a new direction. These two ways to live have differences in lifestyles, mindsets, responses, and results. Pastor Chris shows us how abiding by the Holy Spirit gives us life and peace. 

Romans 8 opens with a bold proclamation that the sentence of sin and death has been reversed for those who are in Christ Jesus. Christ’s death on the cross takes on our condemnation to free the sinner; the Substitute has been sent for our sins. Listen in as Pastor Chris shows us that the requirement of the Law has been fulfilled in us by Christ’s death and resurrection who frees us to live by the Spirit of life.

Romans 7:20-25 is the depiction of a war waging in the body that agrees with the Law, namely Scripture, and yet breaks this law in our sin nature, despite the desire to do good. The enemy we face is sin within ourselves, the battle we begin is overcoming sin with a greater desire of holiness, and the victory is our God himself who paid for our sin and freed us to partake in His Spirit of life and victory over our sin. Pastor Chris shows us how sin that dwells in us is removed by justification of faith and Jesus Christ’s righteousness, one day to be glorified with Christ, sinless in eternity with Him. 

Romans 7:20-25 is the depiction of a war waging in the body that agrees with the Law, namely Scripture, and yet breaks this law in our sin nature, despite the desire to do good. The enemy we face is sin within ourselves, the battle we begin is overcoming sin with a greater desire of holiness, and the victory is our God himself who paid for our sin and freed us to partake in His Spirit of life and victory over our sin. Pastor Chris shows us how sin that dwells in us is removed by justification of faith and Jesus Christ’s righteousness, one day to be glorified with Christ, sinless in eternity with Him.

In Romans 7:14-19, Paul presents himself as having both new life in Christ and still a sin nature. Christ sets the believer free from a life enslaved to sin, yet the flesh and spirit have competing desires and the believer has a limited ability to carry out goodness. Pastor Chris shares how this creates in us a thankfulness for God’s forgiveness, encourages us to be honest in our struggles, and admonishes us towards an active fight against a sin nature - that this too is myself.

In Romans 7:7-13, we see there are 5 benefits of the Law of God. The Law shows us our sin and increases our amount of sin. The Law also reveals the hopelessness of man and reflects the character of God. Pastor Chris shows teaches us that, lastly, the Law propels us towards Jesus who is the cure for the consequences of our sin and leads us to the beauty of grace. 

Romans 7:1-6 shows us the unbeliever is bound to the Law so the consequence of sin is eternal death, yet Christ died to fulfill the consequence of the Law on behalf of all who may believe this. God frees the believer from the Law, joining us to another, the Lord Jesus Christ, and empowers us to serve God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Listen as Chris teaches us these 3 descriptions of a true Christian who has died to the Law and been freed to new spiritual life.