First Baptist Church of Crawfordville Florida - Sermons Teaching Preaching Inspiration Help and Hope episodes:

• November 06, 2022The Book of Romans - Part 29 - Count on It!

  Let's open our Bibles to Romans 6:11.

  The work of God in Christ is foundational to everything else about Christianity

  A Bookkeeping Term - Logizomai - count, reckon, or credit

  Bookkeeping term from which we get log, logistics, and logarithm

  Philosophy - objective, non-emotional reasoning from which we get logic and logical

  Logizomai has to do with reality, with things as they really are

  Our sin is reckoned to Jesus and His righteousness is reckoned to us

  The First Reality: Dead to Sin

  "Dead to sin" means that we are dead to our old way of life in Adam, and we cannot go back to it

  The believer is not just a remodeled sinner, but a remade saint

  Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Six things "dead to sin" does not mean

  It does not mean that it is my duty as a Christian to die to sin

  It is not a command for me to die to sin

  It does not mean that I am to reckon that sin as a force in me is dead

  It does not mean that sin in me has been eradicated

  It does not mean that I am dead to sin, as long as I am in the process of gaining mastery over it

  It does not mean that reckoning myself dead to sin makes me dead to sin

  The Second Reality: Alive to God

  We have been reconciled to God

  We have become new creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17)

  We are free from sin's bondage

  We're pressing forward to a sure destiny and new goals

  We can no longer be satisfied with this world and its offerings

  "A Man Like Me"

  Nehemiah: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" (Neh. 6:3)

  "Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!" (Neh. 6:11)

  ...more

  

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• October 30, 2022The Book of Romans - Part 28 - Dead or Alive

  Let's open our Bibles to Romans 6:5-10.

  Living in light of our union with Christ is the key to overcoming sin

  To overcome sin, know that you are totally identified with Christ in the likeness of His death (6:5a, 6-7)

  Paul is talking about the knowledge of what God has revealed, not the knowledge that we gain by personal experience

  We are completely united with Christ in the likeness of his death

  The word "united" means, literally, to be grown together with, or grafted into Christ

  "Likeness" - Our union with Christ is very close, as "united" implies, but it is not exact

  This union with Christ means that our unregenerate life is over so that now, we do not need to obey our old nature

  In the context here "the old self" represents what we were in Adam

  Thomas Schreiner: The old person has been crucified with Christ and the new person is a reality, and yet the old person still must be resisted, and its desire thwarted

  Paul uses the expression, "body of sin," because the body is the means by which sin is concretely accomplished

  In Christ, sin's power over us has been broken

  To overcome sin, know that you are totally identified with Christ in the likeness of His resurrection (6:5b, 8-10)

  To overcome sin, know and believe that in the future you will share fully in Christ's resurrection victory over sin

  Our union with Christ by his Spirit guarantees our future resurrection

  Paul may be protecting himself from a heresy that was afoot in his day

  2 Tim 2:17-18 Hymenaeus and Philetus said that the resurrection had already taken place

  Believing that our future is gloriously secure and happy in Christ is one way that we experience the power of Christ now to free us from sin

  To overcome sin, know that Christ's resurrection represents his complete and final victory over sin and death

  We believe that we will live with Christ because we know that He is now beyond the reach of death

  The promise that we will one day share completely in this victory gives us the desire and power to overcome sin right now

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• October 23, 2022The Book of Romans - Part 27 - Dead to Sin

  Let's open our Bibles to Romans 6:1-4.

  Our union with Christ in His death and resurrection is the foundation for separation from sin and walking in newness of life

  There is a logical implication to reject: Since God’s response to increased sin is abundant grace, then we should sin more to get more grace (6:1-2a)

  Verse 1 is a test of whether you have correctly understood Paul’s message up to this point

  Since God justifies not those who are good people, but rather the ungodly, why work at being good?

  If we teach grace properly, people will at least think what Paul here anticipates.

  There is a spiritual fact to know and believe: In Christ we died to sin, so we cannot still live in it (6:2b)

  This is a rhetorical question leading to the conclusion that dead men can’t live in sin

  Paul does not mean that believers cannot sin or that they are immune to temptation

  If you are in Christ, when He died on the cross, you died with Him

  When we died with Christ, we were separated from the reign of death and put under Christ’s reign of righteousness

  Paul implies that we cannot continue in sin or live in it

  There is a spiritual analogy to help you understand: Your baptism pictures your union with Christ in His death

  To be baptized into Christ’s death means to be totally identified with Christ in His death

  Burial is mentioned because it confirms that death has occurred

  There is a spiritual fact to believe and act upon: Since we are united with Christ in His glorious resurrection, we should walk in newness of life

  The action on our part as a result of our spiritual resurrection with Christ is that we should walk in newness of life

  The description of this newness of life as “a walk” implies a long, steady, gradual process

  3 Takeaways:

  Do not presume on God’s grace as permission to sin

  Make a distinct break with your past life and declare it publicly in baptism

  Meditate often on your union with Christ and what it means

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• October 16, 2022The Book of Romans - Part 26 - Reigning Grace

  Let's open our Bibles to Romans 5:21-22

  Through the Law, sin reigned in death, but through Christ super-abundant grace reigns in righteousness to eternal life

  Outside of Christ, the Law causes sin to increase and to reign in death

  The law does not restrain sin at the heart level

  The law cannot bring my sinful heart into willing submission

  The law actually increases sin

  The law increases sin by turning our imputed sin in Adam into actual sins of deliberate disobedience

  The law increases sin by imputing our guilt to our account

  The law increases sin by exposing the utter sinfulness of sin and removing all excuses for disobedience

  The law increases sin by stimulating our sinful flesh to disobey it

  The law is necessary to expose our self-righteousness and to convict us of our sin

  The increased sin reigns in death

  Sin reigns as an evil tyrant in those who are not under Christ's lordship

  Sin does not lead to a better, happier life, but to temporal, and ultimately, eternal death

  Through Jesus Christ our Lord, super-abundant grace reigns through righteousness to eternal life

  God's response to increased sin is super-abundant grace

  Donald Gray Barnhouse: Where sin reached a highwater mark, grace completely flooded the world

  God's grace reigns through righteousness to eternal life

  God's grace takes us beyond where Adam was before the fall

  He did not possess eternal life before the fall, but we do

  He did not have permanent, perfect righteousness credited to his account, but we do

  God's grace is mediated through our Lord Jesus Christ

  All blessings come to us as believers through Jesus Christ our Lord

  ...more

  

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• October 09, 2022The Book of Romans - Part 25 - Adam or Christ

  Let's open our Bibles to Romans 5:12-19

  If you're in Adam, you are under the reign of death, but if you're in Christ, you will reign in life, because Christ's gift is greater than Adam's sin

  If you are in Adam, you are under the reign of death (5:12-14)

  Sin and death entered the world through Adam and "in Adam," we all sinned

  God appointed Adam as the representative head of the human race

  The proof that Adam's sin affected the entire human race is that death is universal

  All of Adam's descendants are implicated in his sin and die

  All of Christ's descendants are counted as righteous, not because of their individual deeds of righteousness, but because of Christ's righteousness

  If you are in Christ, you will reign in life because Christ's gift is greater than Adam's sin (5:15-17)

  The work of Christ is greater than Adam's sin because it displays and dispenses the abundance of God's grace

  "Many" is not viewing the affected groups numerically, but qualitatively

  "Much more" refers to the superlative nature of salvation over judgment

  The work of Christ is greater than Adam's sin because it overcame many sins to freely bestow justification

  Christ's work is greater than Adam's sin because it overcame the great devastation that resulted from Adam's sin

  The work of Christ is greater than Adam's sin because rather than bringing the reign of death, it causes those who receive it to reign in life

  God doesn't just forgive your sins, He also bestows the positive righteousness of Christ to you

  To sum up: Through Adam's sin all were condemned as sinners, but through Christ's righteousness all in Him are justified (5:18-19)

  Since the universal problem of the human race is sin, the universal solution is the gospel

  If the universal problem is guilt by identification with Adam's sin, then salvation cannot be through adding our good works

  If we are in Christ, our salvation is secure not because of anything in us, but because we are in Him

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• October 02, 2022The Book of Romans - Part 24 - Assurance of Salvation

  Let's open our Bibles to Romans 5:9-11.

  If as God’s enemies we were saved through the death of His Son then, praise God, as His friends, the risen Savior will save us from future judgment

  If while we were sinners we were justified by Christ’s blood, then much more we shall be saved from God’s wrath through Him (5:9)

  While we were sinners, we were justified by Christ’s blood

  Faith is the means of receiving the gift of justification

  We have been justified “by His blood”

  Justification is a past completed action, a done deal

  Much more we will be saved from God’s wrath through Christ

  A present manifestation of God’s wrath is when He gives me over to the consequences of their sin

  God’s eternal wrath will be manifested in the lake of fire

  If while we were God’s enemies we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, then much more we shall be saved by His life (5:10)

  While we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son

  Justification looks at salvation from the legal standpoint, whereas reconciliation looks at it from the relational point of view

  The word “enemies” implies active hostility, both from our side toward God and from God’s side toward us

  Leon Morris: “The death of Christ puts away our sin, which had aroused not our opposition, but God’s”

  Through the death of His Son, God ceased to be hostile towards us whom he purported to save

  Much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life

  Charles Hodge: “If Christ has died for his enemies, he will surely save his friends.”

  “Shall be saved” – We are now completely identified with Christ in His death and resurrection life

  The result of knowing that you are saved for sure because of God’s love and grace is to rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ (5:11)

  There’s nothing to compare to His love, His grace, and His tender mercies! Do you rejoice in them?

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• September 25, 2022The Book of Romans - Part 23 - Amazing Love

  Our hope of heaven is secure because it is based on God’s love that sent Christ to die for us while we were yet sinners

  Our hope of heaven is secure because it is not based on anything good in us.

  To appreciate God’s great love, we must feel our own great need for the Savior.

  We greatly need the Savior because we were helpless, ungodly, sinners and enemies of God

  We were weak

  We were spiritually dead, living in disobedience – Eph 2:1-2

  We were not able to save ourselves – we must be born again – John 3

  We were not able to see the light of the gospel to be saved – 2 Cor 4:4

  We were not able to understand spiritual truth – 1 Cor 2:14

  We were not able to hear God’s truth – John 8:43

  We were not seeking God – Rom 3:11

  We were not able to submit to God’s law or to please Him Rom 8:7-8

  We were ungodly

  Our ways are not God’s ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts

  We were sinners

  The essence of sin is to fall short of God’s glory – Rom 3:23

  We were God’s enemies (5:10)

  We were hostile toward Him

  Our hope of heaven is secure because it is based on God’s gracious love for us while we were yet sinners

  God’s gracious love took the initiative to save us from our weak, ungodly condition

  God’s gracious love for us is far higher than any example of human love

  God’s gracious love for us sent none other than Christ

  God’s gracious love sent Christ at the right time

  God’s gracious love sent Christ to die for us

  If we were weak, ungodly sinners in need of Christ’s death to save us, then salvation cannot in any sense be due to human merit, works, or righteousness

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• September 11, 2022The Book of Romans - Part 22 - Rejoicing in Suffering

  We can rejoice in trials if we develop God's perspective and keep in mind that trials do not nullify His great love for us

  Paul, Jesus, Peter, Acts, and the author of Hebrews all teach about rejoicing in our suffering

  To rejoice in trials, develop and maintain God's perspective: He is using trials to shape our character and prepare us for heaven

  Rejoicing in trials is not an automatic response: it requires deliberate focus

  Grumbling about trials is far more common than rejoicing in them

  The children of Israel were great grumblers

  Rejoicing in trials doesn't happen automatically - it requires deliberate focus

  Rejoicing in trials doesn't mean denying the pain

  We are to weep with those who weep

  Paul describes himself as sorrowful yet always rejoicing

  Feelings of sorrow, pain, or grief are normal in the midst of trials

  We know that God is sovereign over all things and that He cares for us

  Rejoicing in trials is possible when we keep in mind that God is using the trials to shape our character

  "Knowing" is part of the deliberate focus just mentioned

  God is using the trials to shape our character, if we submit joyfully to Him

  Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope

  Rejoicing in trials requires developing and remembering the hope of heaven

  To rejoice in our present trials, we have to keep our focus on the hope of the glory of God

  We don't look at the things which are seen (temporal), but at things that are not seen (eternal)

  Because of the resurrection of Jesus we will not be put to shame

  To rejoice in trials, we must keep in mind that trials do not nullify God's great love for us

  Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ

  The Holy Spirit is given to all believers at salvation

  To rejoice in trials, drink deeply of God's great love

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• September 04, 2022The Book of Romans - Part 21 - Blessings of Justification

  Justification by faith gives us peace with God, access to His grace, and the joyous confidence that we will share His glory

  There is a distinction between "peace with God" and "peace of God"

  The peace of God is discussed in Philippians 4:6-7

  It is associated with our immediate circumstances that aren't peaceful

  Peace with God refers to the objective fact of peace

  Paul uses three words that describe the unbeliever's relationship to God: enemies, enmity, and hostility

  Peace with God means that we are truly reconciled with Him

  To have peace with God, you must be justified by faith

  We can know for certain that we have been justified by faith

  As a consequence, we don't need to fear God's judgment

  To have peace with God, you must have the Lord Jesus Christ as your redeemer and mediator

  Douglas Moo: all that God has for us is to be found "in" and "through" Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 5:1, 11, 21, 6:23, 7:25, and 8:39)

  Our Lord Jesus Christ looks at all He is for us

  Lord: His deity and sovereign authority

  Jesus: His humanity as the One who bore our sins on the cross

  Christ: Christ (Greek) and Messiah (Hebrew) mean "Anointed One"

  Justification by faith gives us access to our standing in the riches of God's grace

  Our access to God comes through the Lord Jesus Christ

  Through Jesus we can come again and again into God's presence to receive grace for every need

  Access to God puts us in permanent standing in the riches of His grace

  Eph 2:7 in eternity God will show us "the surpassing riches of His grace"

  Eph 3:8 it is described as "the unfathomable riches of Christ"

  Justification by faith gives us the joyous confidence that we will share His glory

  Sharing in God's glory is our certain future

  We will see God and Jesus face to face

  The confidence of sharing in God's glory causes us joyous rejoicing now

  ...more

  

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• August 28, 2022The Book of Romans - Part 20 - What It Means to Be a Christian

  A Christian personally believes in God who delivered over Jesus to pay for our sins and raised Him from the dead to confirm our justification

  A Christian personally applies the lesson of Abraham's faith so that the righteousness of Christ is credited to him

  Our faith must be personal

  Verse 24 reads literally, "to whom it is about to be credited"

  Paul wants us to personally apply the truth of Abraham's being justified by faith

  The story of Abraham is for your sake also

  Our faith must be like the faith of Abraham

  Abraham looked forward to Christ for the fulfillment of the promises

  We look back to God's promise to justify sinners who believe in Christ

  God gave life to Sarah and Abraham's dead bodies

  The new birth is a miraculous, life-giving event

  Our faith must have specific content, namely, what Scripture reveals about God, sin, Christ, and salvation

  Our faith is propositional; we believe in specific content

  Many doctrines are vitally important to our salvation, and justification by faith alone is one of those doctrines

  Our faith must appropriate the righteousness of Christ as our own

  Righteousness before God is a forensic matter; we are declared righteous

  We are not made righteous (this is sanctification)

  We are declared righteous based on Jesus' completed work in the cross

  A Christian believes that God delivered over Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins

  "Delivered over" is passive, meaning God delivered Jesus over to death

  Isa 53:12 his soul was delivered to death: and he was numbered among the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many and was delivered over because of their iniquities

  Acts 2:23 This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God…

  A Christian believes that God raised Jesus bodily from the dead to confirm our justification

  The resurrection puts God's stamp of approval on the death of Jesus as payment in full for the sins of all who believe

  ...more

  

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