...all things new Mitch Majeski

Feb 13, 2011: How Much More from Summitview Community Church on Vimeo. God is familiar with the density of the human head and, at times, He remedies the situation with a rhetorical hammer. One such hammer is the "How Much More?" device used throughout the bible. The argument goes like this..."if we see this good result from these limited conditions, how much more should we expect a great result under better conditions." "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13) "But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!" (Luke 12:28)In Genesis 14, we begin to see Abram's distinctive life emerge from the soil of God's promises. His reckless love for Lot, his willing proclamation of God's ownership and his rejection of greedy and self-sufficient ways stand out like a redwood in Times Square. But, here is the kicker, he had less than we do. He heard mysterious promises and we've see their fulfillment. Abram knew God was up to something big and we know it was the redemption of His people through the slaughter of His Son. Abram witnessed God's faithfulness in his circumstances and we have seen it demonstrated on the Cross. And, so, here comes the hammer... if Abram was motivated to such great love, worship and rejection of sin by these mysterious promises (Genesis 12:1-3), how much more should we be, knowing their fulfillment in Christ? Thankfully this hammer, like all hammers, has a purpose greater than noise (or guilt). It's purpose is to drive a nail and that nail, it seems, is a life driven deep into the world proclaiming that, by God's grace, "things can be different." how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.  (Hebrews 9:14)Additional Resources Message Notes Discussion Questions

Sin is a least five things. First, it is common among every living person (Romans 5:12). Second, we cannot be naive or overly "spiritual", it is attractive. I wouldn't exist if it wasn't. We do what we want to do and when we sin there is a part of us that wants it. Sin's promise of satisfaction is real and it delivers temporarily with horrible repercussions to our consciences, our faith and our loved ones. Third, it is self-fueling. The tiny drop of pleasure provided by sin leaves us craving for more. Without an alternative, our thirsty souls will return for more. We trifle with this self-fueling to our own peril. Tolkien's Gollum aptly pictures the progressive implosion of our souls. Eventually, our attention will be adhered to the object of our sinful (read God-less) desire. Fourth, it is, then, horrible. It strips a person of their dignity and it leads them to despise God and use others - the very opposite of the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:37-40). Sin destroys. Idolatry destroys. Unbelief destroys. There is no avoiding the destruction of God's image when we sin. It is anti-God and His purposes. We tend to see only the vilest and fullest expressions of sin as horrible but that is a deceptive device of the devil. Every rape began with a rogue sinful idea. Every murder's root is an undercover bitterness. Fifth, it is NOT the Christian's master. In Christ, we have been delivered from bondage to sin (Romans 6:6) to walk in "newness of life" (Romans 6:4). But, just as soon as the celebration of our freedom begins, we find that a battle still rages in our soul (Romans 7:14-20). Is this freedom real? How do we experience it? Peter gives us a glimpse in 2 Peter 1:3-4: [3] His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, [4] by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. Here Peter tells us that an intimate knowledge of the one who saved us and what he has promised us in salvation is God's means of deliverance. This session of "How The Gospel Changes People" (Summitview's Leadership Training) entitled "How the Gospel Addresses Sin" unpacks this idea to provide hope for those who are tempted to feel that sin has won and there is no longer any use in trying to resist it (Jer. 2:23-25). Additional Resources Teaching Notes "Kill or Be Killed" - a series of supplementary messages to "The Mortification of Sin" by John Owen Leadership Training Resources from Summitview Notes Messages