Cross Creek Community Church, Pastor Dave Martin April 25, 2010

“Beyond Conversion”

Part 3  Rom 7:15-25 and Selected

If you are not a believer, you will not understand this message… “Beyond Conversion”… what’s over those hills you see in the picture?  What does the future hold for you?  Where are you at in your Spiritual life?

Spiritual Stagnation?  OR     Spiritual Growth?...  What is God working on in your life? 

Last week we saw how we must Taxi into Position To Fly Spiritually…

• A “Thinking” Change… Producing a Willing Heart Ps 51:12
• A “Priority” Change…Putting God in First Place

• Beyond conversion much more than just being saved and going to heaven someday…
• God is faithful to do His part… BUT there is a human responsibility side to the equation… a partnership
• Why is it, I hear a message where God really speaks to my heart… I begin to change, then flame out again… Or I try to read my Bible every day, yet seem to always fail to stay faithful… why is it I go to Promise Keepers or Women of Faith rallies, get all pumped up Spiritually, come home and a few weeks later I’m where I was before I went… Like a juggler at the local circus… trying to keep all the balls in air
• We end up feeling defeated, frustrated, tired and exhausted in our Christian walk…
• Grow tired of trying… Ultimately we throw in the towel, hoist the white flag of surrender and quit…
• We drop out of activities at church, quit ministries you really believed God has called you to…
• What’s wrong with me?  Maybe I’m not saved?  Why am I so “abnormal”?  Lacking motivation, desire?
• Scream HELP!!!!!!!!  You’re not alone… Paul describes this very same struggle that we experience also…

We Must Understand…

1. I.                    It’s Impossible for you to Live the Christian Life

Romans 7:18-20 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

• Paul declares there is no good thing in his flesh… he can’t please God, can’t conquer sin, no victory
• What Paul wills to do, he fails to do… because the evil he tries not to do, he does… “flameout”
• Notice he had a desire to do good, but somehow failed to make it happen… can’t live Christian life…
• He says it’s because of “sin living in me that does it”… A huge problem for every believer…

It’s Impossible for you to Live the Christian Life… WHY?

• Ever-Present Enemy… My Old Sinful Nature

1. My old sinful is depraved, it’s corrupt, my fallen nature is still with me… even though I’m saved
2. The old nature doesn’t leave when you get saved… we still have the capacity to sin… (1Jn 1:8)
3. This is the principle of sin expressing itself through my mind and body… old sinful nature…

Fueled by the Physical World system + Unseen Demonic World

1. The lure of sin is real… it’s further enticed and fueled by the world system and the devil…
2. Heb 11:25 speaks of the pleasures of sin for a short time… the world is SCREAMING out to you
3. We’re also engaged in spiritual warfare whether you know it or not… the Devil is real…
4. Powerful enemies fueling my natural, pleasurable, susceptible, weak, sinful human nature

• Ever-Present Power… My New Spiritual Nature

1. We also must understand we have an ever-present power within us to live for God
2. When we get saved, our lives change forever… we crossed over from spiritual death unto S. life
3. God refers to us as brand new created beings… born into His spiritual family for eternity!

Fueled by Almighty God + Resurrected Christ + Indwelling Holy Spirit

1. In God’s family through Jesus Christ… we’re indwelt by God the Holy Spirit… a new nature!
2. Never leave you or forsake you, sealed eternally, more than a conqueror, Christ won the victory!
3. But God never bullies Himself upon us…  but gentle and lovingly draws us… waiting for us… willing

• If the old nature remains alive within us… with my new nature with Christ…
• This creates friction… this is the age old conflict in the life of EVERY believer… you are not unique…

II.  The Battle Rages Within Every Believer

Romans 7:22-24 ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

• Not the Mosaic law but a principle, a truth drawn from experience… ever-present evil is with me…
• Waging war… law of my mind (new life with Christ)… making me a prisoner of law of sin (old nature)

“War” – Greek word “antistrateuomai” means a military campaign, an attack, to make war against…

• The principle of sin is constantly mounting a military campaign against my new spiritual nature…
• The main battleground is the “mind” – thinking, thoughts, control center of your feelings… actions
• Even though I am in Christ… I still battle the old man… this battle is won or lost in the mind…
• I can’t win, I need Christ… Or else I will wither up in battle fatigue, defeated, frustrated, passionless

Galatians 5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

Daily decisions we make, we choose to…

We either feed the flesh or feed the spirit… “No neutral ground”

Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

What is your mind “set on”?  (2Co 10:5; Phil 4:4-9; Mark 7:20-23; Col 3:2; Isa 26:3, Rom 12:1-3; etc…)

• “Minds set on” – Gk “phroneo” to exercise the mind, to ‘entertain’ thoughts, set affection on, regard…
• The mind is the battleground… what sin are you struggling with? Unforgiveness?  Profanity?  Self-righteousness? Workaholic? Sexual lust? Laziness?  Gluttony? Covetousness? Addiction?  Hatred?  Gossip? Jealousy? Self-sufficiency? Fear? Negativism? Rebellion to authority? Insecurity? Temper?
• Don’t allow these and other attitudes and feelings affect your lives and relationship with the Lord
• Feeding the flesh OR feeding the spirit… this inner battle is real for every child of God…
• Losing the battle, failing to grow spiritually… you can’t live the new life and allow the flesh to reign…
• We must make the decision, we must choose to change… man’s responsibility to align with God’s plan
• This is often where many Christians tune out the challenge to change, “I can’t”, I’ve failed too many times, I don’t have what it takes…” becoming comfortable where they’re at spiritually: empty, indifferent, passionless, avoid ministry involvement… lukewarm, carnal… stunted 6” Christians…

III.  Make the Choice to Change (Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility)

• Experience True Repentance (which essentially means, a “Change of Mind”)
  • Repentance is the very first step if you really want to change your life…
  • Rev 3:19… Those I love, I… (I answer their prayer, I pamper, I give good life to…) NO, it says…
  • “As many as I love I rebuke & chasten”… God asks us to repent - to change my mind about sin…
  • To get my thinking aligned with the truth of God’s Word… repentance is agreeing with God…

2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Indicators of True Repentance…

• Absence of rationalization (no excuses, explanations, reasons) Luke 15 Prodigal son said, I have sinned against heaven/God and you…
• Genuine sorrow over sin 2Sam 12  David was broken over his sin with Bathsheba
• Open confession of sin Acts 19 Christians publicly renounced their practices/sin
• Restitution with others Luke 19 Zacchaeus got saved and made restitution by giving half his possessions to the poor and if he cheated anyone he’ll pay them back fourfold…

• Believe I am Dead to Sin but Alive in Christ!  (Believing Faith…)

Romans 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ.

“Count” – an accounting term… add up all the facts, reckon as true, apply & live out this truth…

• It implies something put into our account when we get saved… the “old man” is DEAD!
• This is pictured beautifully in the waters of baptism… Just as Jesus died, buried, rose again… Ro6:4
• I too have died to sin but I’m alive to God in Christ!  I’ve been raised to new life with Him!
• God tells me in His Word that I am dead to sin! Tell me… How dead is dead?
• I don’t feel dead to sin… don’t trust your feelings… Feel married… Feel saved? Believe God!

The power of sin has been broken!

Try to picture a mighty oak tree growing strong and tall, rooted deep in the earth… but at its trunk there’s a strong thick vine growing and entangles the mighty oak tree… wrapping itself around and around and extending throughout all its branches… choking the life out of the mighty oak…

Now imagine that your life is like that mighty oak tree and the vine is like sin in our lives… when you come to Christ, God severs the vine at the base of the tree… all the power of the vine/sin is dead! 

You may say, I don’t feel like sin is dead in my life, I still feel strangulated by it… If you begin to cooperate with God… that old vine that is still entangled in your life will rot away more quickly and you will begin to experience victory that is rightfully yours in Christ!  It’s not how you feel, it’s believing God’s truth!

I am Dead to sin and Alive unto God because of Christ!

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

• I am united with Christ… I share in His death, burial & resurrection… NOW I no longer live
• The self-righteous, self-centered old nature person has been crucified… I can’t live it… BUT Christ…
• I surrender being boss as I yield my life to Christ… allowing Him to live His life through me…

Not an “Exhausted” life but

Live the “Exchanged” Life… (Col 3:3-5)³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God…

Not I, But Christ!    Let’s Pray