30 July 2021
This week’s readings are jammed pack with incredible truth about who we are, what Christ has done for us and what that means for our lives. Let’s jump straight in and unpack some of these.
I AM FORGIVEN (Romans 4) – Your sins will never, never, ever be counted against you when you take hold of what Christ has done for you by faith. When you believe that Jesus paid the price for you when He died on the cross, then your faith is credited to you as righteousness. It is just as if you died; that is why we say when Christ died, I died.
I AM SAVED (Romans 5) - Salvation is so much more than being saved from sin … it is being saved from everything that opposes God and then, us. The NLT says “we can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment …”
Today, if you are facing problems and trials look what v3-5 says, as you persevere in faith, your character is being transformed and your trust in God will not be put to shame. He loves you.
I REIGN (Romans 5) – God wants you to live a victorious saved life, not a defeated saved life. We see in Romans 5:17 that there are two gifts that cause us to reign:
The more we understand what Jesus did for us, the more we understand that we are covered with a robe of righteousness, the more we will reign. Satan doesn’t want you to reign. He doesn’t want you to walk in your God given authority. Because if you don’t understand your position, you are not going to have a powerful, effective prayer life. When we know who we belong to and understand our position it effects everything.
I AM A SLAVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS (Romans 6 & 7) – Let’s be honest, no-one wants to be a slave. It goes totally against our nature to be controlled by someone else. But in this passage, Paul is using an everyday example to draw out the change that has taken place in our lives, now we are born again. Before salvation, we were slaves to sin, sin was our master, we didn’t know any different. Even though we thought we were doing it “my way”, actually it was sin’s way! However, in giving our lives to Jesus, we have done exactly that – given our lives to another master. We are saying I don’t rule over my life anymore, instead, Jesus rules. He is my master. So now, I am a slave to righteousness – I live a life of holiness, set apart for my Saviour.
I AM A CHILD OF GOD AND A CO-HEIR WITH CHRIST (Romans 8) – God then takes us higher. If we are led by the Holy Spirit, we are children of God, and not just children but co-heirs of Christ. Stop! Hold on! We’re not just any child in the family – we are co-heirs of Christ. Christ is not the only one to inherit every promise of God, we inherit too. We can lay hands on the sick and see them healed. We can live a worry-free life because we know that we are provided for. We can be known as a peacemaker. What do you see in Jesus that you know you need right now? It’s yours, take hold of it by faith.
I AM MORE THAN A CONQUEROR (Romans 8) – Why are we more than a conqueror? Jesus conquered sin and death on our behalf, we share in His victory … AND we get to live in and enjoy the victory every day. That means I can live free from sin.
Let me finish with this:
If God is for us then who can be against us? (8:31) Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Whatever you are facing (8:35), face it knowing that God will never put you to shame (Rom 5:5), that you reign (Rom 5:17), that you are submitted to God (Rom 6:22), that He is your deliverer (Rom 7:25), that you are a co-heir with Christ (Rom 8:17) AND that you are more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37).
Director
GoChurch Global
