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I know that's kind of confusing. But we died to the law. We died to the law and it no longer has dominion over us. But we're not lawless. Because guess what? We're united to Christ. We're sharing his life. And thus we're walking in newness of life. Romans 8.4 says that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. Who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. In the old life, we brought forth fruit under death, but in the new life, we bring forth fruit under God.

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And that's what he's saying here is that so many times people want to try to just set these rules and standards and we come up with a list of do's and don'ts, of do's and don'ts, do's and don'ts. And we hold ourselves and everybody else to this standard. But instead of trying to live by those rules, Let's just love the one who died for us and then we'll serve him and live for him because we want to. And then we'll do what's right. That's what he's saying there. And he's not trying to say that we don't live for God. But like I said, when there's a legalistic, you gotta do this, you gotta do that, you're gonna fight it. But when there's a love behind what you're doing, you're gonna do it because you want to. Because we have served a new, have a new husband. We are the bride. We live and we serve him in a way that 

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Eph 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

V12 Equipping is to bring from sin to obedience…to mend or restore something.

As believers we are to restore those who have fallen or lost their way back to what they were intended to be, a useful member of the body of Christ.  A body only works right if all parts are healthy

Every person, therefore, is essential and valuable as part of the whole. By ourselves, we may sometimes feel insignif­icant, unneeded, and of little value, like so much spare change. But as individual parts that make up the whole, each of us is needed.

All people are unique individuals, but as Christians we are also indispensable parts of the body of Christ, and of greater value than we can ever know. –David MCcasland

THERE ARE NO UNIMPORTANT MEMBERS IN THE BODY OF CHRIST.

It says in verse 13 when we do this it results in Christlikeness.  We ought not to be like the Hebrews who had not matured and not followed these principles.

Heb 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

Marty McKenzie - His Love Ministries - The Least of These Podcast- www.hisloveministries.net

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And I said, look where you're at right now. Somebody tells you when to eat, when to sleep, when to get up, when to go to bed. They tell you when to do this, when to do that. And you're locked up in a facility. You're enslaved. That's what your sin has cost you, your freedom, right? 

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from somebody and it says, sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. 

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Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

v11 Apostles

·         Lay the foundation of the church

·         Receive, declare, and write scripture

·         Give confirmation of the Word by signs, wonders, and miracles

Prophets

·         Served in a Local Congregation

·         Gave direct revelation

·         Explained scripture

·         Were judged by other Prophets

1Co 14:29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.

These two gifts were replaced by the Evangelists and Pastor Teacher

Evangelists…Share the good News

Pastor/Teacher…Feed, Lead, and Protect the Flock

Marty McKenzie - His Love Ministries - The Least of These Podcast- www.hisloveministries.net

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He says, do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one slaves whom you obey whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness. So what does he say here? There is no middle ground between being a slave to sin and a slave to obedience. 

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What I tell people is like Ephesians 3.20 says, for he is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think according to his power that works in us mightily, right? Paul talks about I strive mightily through god's power right and so here's the deal we have the power to overcome sin and suffering and temptation anything in this world what what do we read in second peter i think we talked about it let me just read this verse again in second peter chapter one verse three and four And he says, as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue by which we have been given exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that's in the world through lust.

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Eph 4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." 9 (Now this, "He ascended" --what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

 In this section we face a most important question. How is the church expected to demonstrate the power of God and thus influence society? Is it by some miraculous, wonder-working, dramatic display of divine power? Is it something that captures the attention of the multitudes by miracles? Or is it by the power of numbers -- getting people together to vote the same way and thus exert pressure upon the legislatures to obtain the right kind of legislation? Is that the power of the church? Is it by agitating for change by joining picket lines? Is it by attending conventions devoted to discussions of various things and the passing of resolutions? Well, you notice the apostle does not waste one moment on these kinds of activity. He suggests very clearly that the power of the church lies in each Christian discovering and intelligently exercising the spiritual gift that was given to him when he became a member of the body of Christ. That is largely a forsaken principle today, and that is why the church is so weak. If we ever recover the strength God intended the church to exert in human society, it will be by a return to that simple thing, the exercise of each person's spiritual gift.

Ephesians 4:11 The Gifts for Unity Part 2

Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

v11 Apostles

·         Lay the foundation of the church

·         Receive, declare, and write scripture

·         Give confirmation of the Word by signs, wonders, and miracles

Prophets

·         Served in a Local Congregation

·         Gave direct revelation

·         Explained scripture

·         Were judged by other Prophets

1Co 14:29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.

These two gifts were replaced by the Evangelists and Pastor Teacher

Evangelists…Share the good News

Pastor/Teacher…Feed, Lead, and Protect the Flock

Marty McKenzie - His Love Ministries - The Least of These Podcast- www.hisloveministries.net

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Listen, sin is a dethroned monarch. Even though he's still trying to give us orders, you know what, we don't have to obey them. And sin wants us back under its control. So he says, do not let sin reign in your mortal body. Notice what he says here, that sin is personified as a king who rules over the lives of his people. And we were his slaves. In verse 17 it says, you were the slaves of sin. But you know what, sin no longer has dominion over us. And we don't have to obey it. So he says, do not let, do not let sin reign.