South City Reformed Baptist Church

South City Reformed Baptist Church

0.0 (0)
Christianity

To Know Christ and Him Crucified

6d ago

Life in the spirit

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.. We see here that life in the Spirit for the average Christian is not about charismatic experiences or extraordinary events, but is deeper and more lasting. It is an ongoing phenomenon that shapes our lives gradually and progressively, bringing with it a gradual increase of blessings and joy that will increase indefinitely forever and ever. The markings of this life in the Spirit are at least three fold according to Paul in these verses. 1) It involves the life of the mind. “The mind that is set on the things of the Spirit is life and peace” (vs 6). Do you need inner peace, peace in the life of the mind? Paul says this is how it comes, by setting your mind on the things of the Spirit. To set your mind on the lofting things that are “of the Spirit”. What are those things? They are manifold! All true doctrine, all biblical law, all practical theology, in fact all of creation if viewed from a spiritual and theological perspective can be included under “the things of the Spirit”. But perhaps more importantly to set your mind on the things of the Spirit is to set your mind on the Lord Jesus Christ, on all His works, past, present and future, and on all His perfections. 2) It involves a life that is pleasing to God. Paul says the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God and cannot please God. But the mind of the believer is not so inhibited for it has been made new, a new heart and will has been given, so that now we can, though imperfectly, please our God and Father. How delighted are earthly fathers when they see their children seeking to live rightly. Though they do so imperfectly, they still truly and deeply move the heart of their fathers to joy. This is also true of our Heavenly Father. 3) It involves unbroken fellowship with the risen Christ. If the Spirit is in us then Christ is in us, and if Christ is in us then even though we die we will live and so never be separated from fellowship with Christ. We might speak of it this way: when Christ ascended into heaven, He set about creating two homes, one for us in heaven, and one for Himself in our hearts on earth. The reason for these two homes is the same, so that where He is we might also be, for this is Christ’s desire. It is the Spirit that causes this second home, that Christ and the Father may dwell in you.
6d ago

Lesson 5 Birth control and reproductive technology

South City Reformed Baptist Church
Oct 18

Looking to God for deliverance

In Psalm 129, the writer helps us to lament our present sufferings and look to our righteous God for deliverance.
Oct 18

There is no condemnation

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. What is so incredible about these words is how closely they come to the words of Romans 7, which ends with “So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” This is followed immediately by the words “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” How can Paul write about his battle with sin and immediately follow it with assurance of “no condemnation”? The reason is given in what follows. In Vs 3, Paul gives the ground for this assurance. God has already condemned sin in the flesh of Jesus Christ and therefore there cannot be any condemnation for the Christian, even while he or she continues to battle with the flesh that still seeks to serve the law of sin. In Vs 2, Paul also mentions a key evidence that he is no longer under condemnation. He has been set free from the “law of sin and death” by “the Spirit of life”. What does this mean? I believe Paul is here articulating in his own words what Ezekiel told us about in Ezekiel 36:27 “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Have you had God’s Spirit set you free from the law of sin and death? Are you seeking to serve God, and God’s law? Or are you creating your own law in rebellion against God? The promise of “no condemnation” is for those who truly are in Christ and who evidence this by pursuing the law of God.
Oct 18

Lesson 4 Birth control and reproductive technology

South City Reformed Baptist Church
Oct 11

Who is this wretched man?

Who is this wretched man that Paul is talking about? Is it Paul before his conversion or perhaps at his conversion? Or is it Paul as a Christian struggling with his sin? I believe it is the latter. Paul is talking about himself as a believer. He speaks of himself in the present when he describes his struggle, his weakness, his desire to obey, but his inability to carry out his desire. What’s more is Paul describes himself as delighting in the law of God, but this is only possible if Paul is a believer! However, a number of commentators believe Paul is talking about his pre-conversion state, and they believe this is indicated by statements like “I am of the flesh…” and “there is nothing good in me…” But here Paul is simply reminding us of the sinful nature that remains in believers. It is true that we are no longer IN the flesh, but we might still say that we are OF the flesh, that is, we still have a sinful nature. Also when Paul says “there is nothing good in me” he quickly qualifies that statement with “...that is, in my flesh.” So it seems best to view Paul as describing his present struggle with sin. Before the law of God Paul saw himself still as a “wretched man” who needs deliverance still. The implications of this for the Christian life are significant. We are reminded that the law cannot change us, we need Christ to change us. As Sinclair Furguson says “just as it is impossible for the law to justify the sinner, so it is impossible for the law to sanctify the saint.” We need Jesus Christ and the power of the gospel if we are to grow. Also, this understanding helps us maintain assurance of faith even while we struggle. If Paul, who is perhaps the greatest Christian to ever live, can continue to struggle with his sin, then certainly we will as well. The difference between a Christian and a non Christian is not that the Christian wins the fight with sin in this life, the difference is that the Christian maintains the fight with sin in this life. One day we will be free from all sinning, but in this life “we groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Rom 8:23).
Oct 11

Lesson 4. Singleness

South City Reformed Baptist Church
Oct 4

Free from the law to belong to Christ

John Newton once wrote that at the bottom of most religious errors lies a misunderstanding about one's relationship to the law. As Christians we need to understand our relationship to the law. We are no longer under the law but under grace. The law is no longer a husband to us but we have been set free from it and now belong to another. We now have a new husband who speaks to us differently, not condemning us for our failures, but saving us by his grace. But the law does continue to play a role. Paul tells us of one thing the law does really well, and one thing the law does really badly. The thing the law does really well is show us our sin, the thing the law does really badly is fix our sin and make us more righteous. The law works like a mirror, it judges us and shows us what we look like. The law is no good at making us look better. In fact Paul says that without the grace of God the law actually makes us worse. Vs 8 “But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness.” The solution to our sin is not the law, the solution is Jesus Christ. Rom 8:3-4 “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” If you are struggling with sin, don’t go to the law to fix it. Don’t put up around your house all the verses in the bible that tell you who evil your sin is and how you shouldn’t to it. Rather go to Christ and ask for grace to be forgiven and helped. With Him you will walk in the new way of the Spirit and put to death the deeds of the body (Rom 8:13)

To Know Christ and Him Crucified

Creator

South City Reformed Baptist Church
Years Active

2022 - 2026
Episodes

498
Rating

Clean
Copyright

Copyright © South City Reformed Baptist Church
Show Website

South City Reformed Baptist Church