The Word Unleashed - Radio

As Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount He describes several qualities that mark every true Christian. The second quality is that you must mourn over your own spiritual poverty. But what Jesus is saying is actually a paradox—He really means "Blessed are those who are unhappy." You see, every true subject of Jesus’ spiritual kingdom understands the daily battle of sin.

At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes that in order to be in His kingdom you have to come to terms with your spiritual poverty—that only Christ can bring you out of spiritual bankruptcy.

Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by saying that every true subject of His kingdom, that is, every true Christian, is characterized by being poor in spirit. At first glance, it seems that such an interesting expression is an odd way for Jesus to begin a sermon in front of a large crowd. But as we’ll discover together, the starting point for being part of Jesus’ kingdom is to come to Him like a spiritual beggar, depending only on God’s grace for salvation.

Jesus begins His most famous sermon by describing characteristics that are present in the life of every true follower of Jesus Christ. If you are saved and are in Christ’s spiritual kingdom, Jesus says that these characteristics, or beatitudes, are manifested in your life.

In the beatitudes Jesus gives us a series of powerful statements that describe every true subject in His spiritual kingdom—that is, every true Christian. If you have repented of your sins and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, then the beatitudes and the specific qualities that Jesus describes will characterize your life.

As the apostle Paul finishes describing every Christian’s battle against their sinful flesh, he recalls a key component of the gospel—that Jesus Christ is Lord. What Paul means is that only the Lord Jesus Christ can deliver people from sin, and He is the only one who ultimately deals with sin, finally and forever.

In Romans 7 the apostle Paul makes it clear that all true Christians will wage war against their own personal sin. Paul’s words aren’t meant to be an indictment against Christians and their walk with Christ, but to encourage them to be mindful of their own sin and to take extreme measures to deal with it. At the same time, Paul wants believers to know that it is normal to experience struggles with sin, but that is never to be used as a license to sin.

In one of the most controversial passages in the New Testament, Romans 7, the apostle Paul describes the battle that exists between Christians and their own remaining sin. Even though as Christians we are washed and renewed in Christ and desire to obey God’s good and perfect law, we cannot escape the reality of sin.

In Romans 7 Paul describes the struggle that all believers have with sin. Although every true Christian has been born again, we are currently growing in our sanctification and holiness before the Lord. This simply means that as time passes Christians experience a decreasing pattern of sin and an increasing pattern of righteousness in their own lives.

In Romans chapter 7 the apostle Paul describes his ongoing personal battle against sin. Although he had been forgiven of his sins and was a new creation in Jesus Christ, Paul understood the need to wage war against the dark guest, as he calls his flesh.