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Romans 6:15-23

 ¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. ¹⁸You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

 ¹⁹I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. ²⁰When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ²²But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are all slaves to something, that’s what it shows in this passage. We sometimes think we rule our own lives, as the famous song goes “I did it My Way.” But the truth is, if we’re not doing it God’s way, then we are slaves to sin & the devil instead. We may not notice this because we are being fooled by a world which tells us that getting what we want leads to happiness, and it’s all about how we feel and everything should revolve around “me, myself and I.” But as soon as we are slaves to anything else but Jesus, we are on a path to destruction. When we are slaves to righteousness, and obeying God, that’s when we are on the path to freedom and eternal life.

When we think of God’s amazing gift of Grace, we realise we are so blessed to no longer live under the old law, but we must be so careful not to take God’s gift of Grace as a free ticket to do whatever we want, knowing that we can come to God in repentance and be forgiven whenever we choose. It’s true that if we are honestly repentant then we will of course receive forgiveness for our sins, but whilst we are “abusing” God’s grace in this way, we are walking away from God and down a destructive path. We will hurt ourselves, our relationship with God and quite likely other people too. Plus the further we walk down this path of “licence”, the harder it will be to turn back to God in repentance, the sin will create a block between us and God, and although God will be calling us back to him the whole time, our spiritual discernment will weaken and we will find it a lot harder to repent and get back on track.

We also need to remember the cost of God’s Grace – Christ dying for us – and the significance of this: Our Holy, unblemished God choosing to take on all our sin even though he was totally perfect and blameless. Would we choose to heap even more sin on Christ’s shoulders just because we can get away with it?

Christ died so that we would be totally set free from sin, not so that we could dabble with it without taking any blame! We should want to flee from all sin and walk in obedience to Christ because of his wonderful sacrifice for us. We can then be so thankful and humble when we do mess up, because God is quick to forgive, abounding in grace and love.  

God’s way is perfect – when we live in obedience to him, trusting him and walking in his laws, then we see that he designed these laws not to spoil our fun, but for our enjoyment, freedom, protection and fulfilment. Read some of the Psalms and you will see how much God’s laws were loved and respected. In these guidelines we see that lives work out for the best, and peace and joy come as a result of following them.

Psalm 19:7-8

 ⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect,
       reviving the soul.
       The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
       making wise the simple.

 ⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
       giving joy to the heart.
       The commands of the LORD are radiant,
       giving light to the eyes.

If you don’t feel this way about God’s laws ask yourself a couple of questions. Is this because you are trying to fight them? Are you picking & choosing the ones that suit you, and not fully submitting to God’s will?

I challenge you for the next 40 days of lent – Try it! Walk in total obedience to Christ. It won’t be easy, you will slip up now and then, but you’ll realise what a blessing it is to be in step with God and to have that closer relationship with him because of it!

But always remember :

You’re not earning God’s love by your obedience  - God already loves you completely!

You’re not working out your own salvation – Jesus has already done it on the cross!  

That’s God’s amazing Grace!

What you are doing is understanding that God’s way is the best way to live your life, acknowledging that He knows better than you do (!), and trusting that if you follow his ways you will find fulfilment, joy and peace for your soul.

Luke 15: 1-7

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

So he told them this parable:  “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Jesus Rocks! We sometimes have such a wrong view of what Jesus was (and is) like. If Jesus was here today he’d be out in the shopping centres inviting people to know him. He’d be in the pubs, betting shops and supermarkets talking to people and inviting himself over to their house for dinner! I doubt very much that he’d spend all of his time with “church people”. Why? Because they already know him! They’ll be spending eternity with him (which I gather is quite a long time). That’s why while he was on earth Jesus took a few of his close friends and went out as a small group sharing his love, forgiveness and healing power with anyone who would take the time to listen.

And you know what? That bugged the “righteous” people. They thought he was polluting himself by spending time with those “sorts” of people (sinners). Yet we know that Jesus is a friend of sinners (Praise God!) and his concern is for those who don’t yet know him. That’s why he sent his disciples “out” (out of the church, out of their comfort zones, out of their families, out of their homes, villages & nations)… so that they (we) could reach those who were on the road to hell. Not to condemn them, but to save them!(1) As the bible says that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (2) That’s Christ’s promise to every person who repents. No matter what they have done in the past!

Plus every time a person who has been living their life away from God, repents and decides to follow Jesus, the whole of heaven rejoices! (like it says in the verse above) There’s a party going on with the angels for every single sinner who seeks Jesus for forgiveness! It’s amazing. That’s God’s heart for the lost, and for every person who is saved! Every individual is so important to God.

Is your heart in-line with God’s?

Are you seeking to share Christ with those who are currently living lives apart from him?

Has their been a party in heaven for you yet, or are you still living your life without knowing Jesus as your Saviour?

Time is short. Now is the time to make those choices!

1) John 3:17 : For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

2) Romans 10:13: for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Luke 23:39-43

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

As we approach Easter I wanted to spend a few moments looking at the extravagance of Jesus’ amazing grace and to remind ourselves of the cost of the cross.

These few verses above really sum up Jesus’ love, grace and forgiveness. Everything that Jesus lived out on earth was summed up here whilst he was in total agony hung on that horrific cross, doing a terrible, beautiful thing for mankind.

Jesus was hung between two criminals. One of whom believed that Jesus really was who He said He was, this criminal proclaimed Jesus’ innocence in front of the people who mocked him, he also openly acknowledged his own sin admitting that he himself deserved to die for his deeds, unlike Jesus. Then he turned to Jesus and humbly asked Jesus to remember him. The other criminal had the same opportunity but instead chose to mock Jesus.

The amazing fact is that the criminal who asked Jesus to remember him put his faith in Jesus right there and then on the cross, and was forgiven straight away! Jesus told him that he was to be with Him in paradise that very day!! There was nothing else that he had to do to be saved! The criminal didn’t have the chance to go back and live out a holy life, or to prove himself worthy of being allowed into heaven – that’s the beauty of it! It was (and is and always will be) all about Jesus and the truth that our salvation comes only through Him – because He paid the ultimate price, He made the once and for all sacrifice for all of our sins. We don’t deserve it, just like the criminal – we’ve all sinned and we all deserve punishment, but Jesus in his love took our punishment on himself. Salvation is a “free” gift to us, but we must always remember it was at such a cost to Jesus.

Yes it is true that once we are forgiven, a sign/result of our salvation is us wanting to turn our lives around, to stop sinning and to do good. Otherwise we are not taking the sacrifice that Jesus made seriously enough. We should want to thankfully and humbly serve our Lord because of what He did for us. It’s not the “doing good” that gets us saved though, it’s just our response to Jesus’ amazing grace!

It’s all about Jesus. There’s nothing more we can do – Jesus did it all.

Read the whole Easter story:

Luke 22 : The last supper, the betrayal & arrest of Jesus, Peter disowns Jesus, The guards mock Jesus, Jesus accused by the chief priests and teachers of the law

Luke 23 : Jesus before Pilate & Herod, the trial, the crucifixion, the death of Jesus, Jesus’ burial.

Luke 24 : The resurrection, Jesus appears to disciples, the Ascension.

I thought I would write a short post on how to know God for yourself – this is for anyone who doesn’t yet have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

1st – Do you know that you have made mistakes in your life and have lived your life without God? –> God calls this “sin” and this is what seperates us from Him. The bible says it like this: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” –Romans 3:23 (NIV). God is perfect and has never sinned, and we learn in the bible that ultimately the punishment for sin is death – which is being cut off from God for eternity. “For the wages of sin is death.” –Romans 6:23 (NIV)

2nd - There is good news! John 3:16 says “for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” Jesus (God’s son) chose to die on a cross to take the punishment for all our sins. Then he rose again to conquer death once and for all, and to show that he really was the son of God.

3rd - YOU need to make a choice. To decide if you believe Jesus really is the son of God and really did die for your sins. If you’re not sure – perhaps go on an Alpha course or read the gospel of Mark or John in the bible (try a NIV or NLT version) to find out what God’s word says about Jesus. Then, if you want this gift of eternal life, you need to chose to ask for forgiveness from God for the sins you have committed, and chose to turn from them and try to walk God’s way (with God’s help of course). Welcome Jesus as Lord in your life and he’ll help you to do all this.

Here’s a prayer you can pray:

Father God, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong and for chosing to live my life apart from you. Thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins and thank you that he rose again. I now choose to turn away from my sins and to live my life for you. I pray that you would fill me with your Holy Spirit to help me and guide me as I learn to live my life your way. Amen.

4th - Tell someone! It’s really important that you find another Christian to tell that you’ve made a choice to welcome Jesus into your heart. They can support you and help you find a friendly, welcoming church who pray, worship & teach the Word of God.  We can’t be Christians on our own – it’s not God’s plan

What next?

If you live near Swindon, come along to Gateway church & make sure you visit the welcome area at the end of the service! If not, do try to find a Jesus loving, bible teaching, spirit filled church who will help you in the next steps of your journey.

Pray. You’ve started with a prayer to ask God into your life, it’s not a one off prayer! God wants to have an ongoing relationship with you, so try to speak to him each day about anything and everything. Ask Him for help, thank him for all the good things in your life and generally start to build a realationship with your Father in heaven. If it’s hard – ask God to help you to pray!

Get hold of a modern translation of the bible too and start reading! Start with the New Testament – An NIV version is good, or try NLT which is a nice easy version to read. The Message is also very easy to read (although it’s not a proper word-for-word translation.) Check out my bible studies, to learn more about God, Jesus and all sorts of living God’s way type of topics!

Check out our friend Adam’s blog on Baptism too!

Over the past 3 weeks we’ve looked at being Christ’s friends, God’s Children and members of the Body of Christ (the church). This week we’re looking at being "New Creations" and how we live this out.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

In Christ we are new creations! The old has gone, the new has come! How great is that? We are transformed when we accept Christ into our lives, we are no longer slaves to sin or to the ways of the world – we are free to be who God created us to be and to live lives free from sin and the things that pull us down. Christ has done it for us – his death on the cross conquered our sin and set us free.

I know in practice we often don’t feel like we are new creations, we live in a fallen world and have baggage from our past which can influence the way we think and react to things. Yet God’s word is true and if we hold on to it and speak it out over our lives, he will help us to walk in the freedom he has given us.

There’s also a “practice” involved. We need to choose not to go back to our old ways – not to lie to each other, but to know we have “taken off” our old self and “put on” our new self (Col 3:9-10 ). We have to renew our minds (Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Rom 12:2 ) and feed our minds with good stuff (Phil 4:8) and the knowledge of Christ and who we are in him (from reading the word), in order to know that our old self has been dealt with (For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Rom 6:6-7 ) and to stand firm and live as new free creations! (It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1 )

It’s an act of will to choose not to keep confirming to our old habits and thought patterns and not to fall back into sin. We know we are no longer slaves to sin (Rom 6:6 ) so it doesn’t have the hold over our lives that it used to have – even if we like to think that’s the reason we choose to keep sinning. We could just say “that’s the way I am” but God has made us new creations! We need to actively “put on” these new selves, like a new coat in place of an old one. First we must discard the dirty old spoilt coat, and then we can “put on” the new beautiful one that God has created for us. (You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Eph 4:22-24 )

Sometimes our temptation is to put back on the old self because it might be more familiar and comfortable, we might think that we suit it better, but God has created us beautiful and clean and righteous!! Ephesians 4 above says “to be made new in the attitude of your minds ” and this is the key, because the truth is that we are new creations, but our head or thoughts might tell us differently – and we need to choose to think as new creations and not as the sinners that we used to be!

Read it again : Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Praise God for this promise! Let us continue to live our lives as new creations !

If you don’t yet know Jesus, or that you are a "new creation" speak to someone you know who is a Christian so that they can talk it through with you.

Mark 2:17 : It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but the sinners.

I just wanted to simply remind people of this verse. I’m not sure why. Perhaps there’s some of us who are feeling that we aren’t good enough for God, or that we keep messing up? If so, you need to be reminded that, although God’s desire is for us to be perfect, Jesus came and died for us sinners. Perhaps there’s some of us who are feeling righteous and “better” than others? If so, you need to remember that, even if you may be comparing yourself to others and coming out “on top,” actually if you compare yourself to the perfectness of Jesus, you’ve also fallen a long way short!

So lets not judge for ourselves who God wants in His kingdom, or who “fits” or doesn’t fit into His church. That’s up to God and I know that Jesus loves to forgive anyone who turns to him, no matter what they’ve done and what they are struggling with… You know the phrase – “Jesus, friend of sinners”

And lets not judge ourselves too harshly either, or write ourselves out of the script. If you know you are a sinner, but have chosen to turn and follow God, and if you believe that Jesus died for you and rose again, then you are forgiven – you qualify!

It goes without saying that as Christians we should strive (with God’s help) to mature in our faith and live to please God – to follow the ways that Jesus set out for us. If we are choosing all the time to turn away from God then we will be disciplined. However, we live by Grace and if we sin, but turn back to God in repentance, then the slate is wiped clean with the blood of Jesus.

Praise God that Jesus came for us sinners!!

Praise God that I know I’m a sinner – knowing who we are and what God has done is the best ever starting place. Then we can follow Jesus with thankful, humble hearts knowing that it’s all about HIM and what He’s done! (and not about us and what we’ve done…)

Big it up for the big J.C.!

Psalm 24
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.

Isn’t it amazing that we even have the opportunity to get close to God? To stand before him? Remember, this is GOD we’re talking about; The creator of the universe and everything in it. He has all power and all authority and yet we can go up to Him and stand before him, even though really we should be on our faces in the dirt because of his holiness and our unworthiness.

So who can have this opportunity to meet God in this way? “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false”

• What do you think it means to have clean hands? What sort of things may make us have unclean hands? (Try reading Matthew 27:23-25 for one example)

Isn’t it so easy to be polluted by the world? To let the world’s filth rub off on us and give us unclean hands and corrupted hearts. Half of the time we don’t even see it happening, the world has spent our entire lives telling us that this or that is okay because everyone does it, and it’s not causing any harm. Or telling us to look to other things (idols) to fill our needs and our desires. Telling us that “white” lies are okay, it’s the big ones that are bad.. All these compromises/thoughts/actions influence us and pollute us, stopping us from having clean hands and a pure heart. They stop us from having that amazing, intimate relationship with God, our Father, that we were created to have.

Yet there is Good News! If we have believed in Jesus, in his death & resurrection, and have turned away from these sins and put our trust in Him, then we are saved and forgiven – we are clean. We are still living in the world, however, so we will need to keep turning from things that cause us to sin and ask for forgiveness when we don’t manage it, then Jesus’ blood will wash us again and create in us pure hearts and clean hands. But we also need to be aware that if we keep sinning, if we keep dirtying ourselves then we haven’t grasped who God is. He is the Lord. He is Holy. He wants us to be holy and blameless, through Jesus, but also through us working hard at not messing up and striving to make better choices and spend less and less time with our hands and hearts dirtied by the world.

• Ask God to show you what is dirtying your hands and polluting your heart, stopping you from having that close relationship with him.
• Ask him for his forgiveness through the cleansing blood of Jesus, and knowing you’re forgiven, ask him to help you to remain clean and not fall back into the things he’s already forgiven you for and given you the strength, through his holy spirit, to overcome.

1 Corinthians 10 :13: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Romans 6: 20-23 When sin had power over your life, you were not right with God. What good did you get from the things you are ashamed of now? Those things bring death. But now you are free from the power of sin. You have become a servant for God. Your life is set apart for God-like living. The end is life that lasts forever. You get what is coming to you when you sin. It is death! But God’s free gift is life that lasts forever. It is given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 51: 7-12
7 Take away my sin, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and happiness. Let the bones that You have broken be full of joy.
9 Hide Your face from my sins. And take away all my wrong-doing.
10 Make a clean heart in me, O God. Give me a new spirit that will not be moved.
11 Do not throw me away from where You are. And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Let the joy of Your saving power return to me. And give me a willing spirit to obey you.
Do you know, deep in your heart, that you are forgiven for all your wrong-doings? That God will take away your sin and wash you whiter than snow if you just turn to him and ask him?

I like this prayer in Psalm 51. The humbleness of it and the honesty, but also the knowledge and trust that God is faithful and willing to forgive and wipe the slate clean in our lives. I haven’t put the whole psalm down, but do read it in your own time if you want to.

let the joy of your saving power return to me - I’ve been a Christian for about 9 years. I remember the joy and excitement of first becoming a Christian, but after a while it becomes more “normal” and we can so easily forget where we once were and what God has done in our lives.

· Do you still have that joy of knowing you have been saved?

Sometimes we need God to refresh us with the knowledge that Jesus died for us and conquered death, and that we should be filled with such joy because of his salvation! Ask him to give you that joy once again.

And give me a willing spirit to obey you - I like this short request! God help me to be willing! That’s where it all starts isn’t it? God can use us and grow us and change us, if only we say – God I’m willing. Yet this prayer is one step before that, even if you know you are not 100% willing, you can ask God to help you to be – and he will! )

Take away my sin, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

· How long has it been since you’ve really asked God for forgiveness in your life?

Why not spend a few minutes in prayer. Ask God to show you anything you need forgiveness for (if you don’t already know) and then to thank him for forgiving you because Jesus has already taken your punishment on the cross, because of His unconditional love, His compassion, His grace and His faithfulness.

Make a clean heart in me, O God. Give me a new spirit that will not be moved.

· What do you think it means to have a “clean heart?”

Ask the Holy Spirit to continue what he has already started in your heart when you became a Christian, and ask Him to give you a strong spirit so you will not be shaken by troubles and things of the world. Philipians 1:6: he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Please do let me know if you have any questions about anything I’ve written, or if there’s anything you don’t understand. If you don’t yet know the joy of being saved through Jesus’ death & resurrection, but would like to, please do speak to me or another Christian friend so that we can talk and pray with you.

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EXTRA BITS
A couple of other verses that I was reminded of when writing this study:
Exodus 34:6-7: The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

Colossians 2:13-14 When you were dead in your sins, you were not set free from the sinful things of the world. But God forgave your sins and gave you new life through Christ. We had broken the Law many ways. Those sins were held against us by the Law. That Law had writings which said we were sinners. But now He has destroyed that writing by nailing it to the cross.

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Romans 7:21-23 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 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.

I love this passage because it’s honest and real to how we are. We really want to do what is right, but often let other things get in the way, including our own sinful nature & desires, as well as listening to the lies that pop into our mind. Awareness is a good place to start. Paul here is very aware of his weaknesses and this means that he is alert to the things that may cause him to fall into sin.

- Have a think about what your weak areas could be. Things like temptations, weaknesses and selfish desires. Do you see them coming or do you usually only see them once it’s too late?

- Do you know when the devil tries to put lies into your mind? Are you aware of the areas he uses in you? E.g your insecurities, pride, intellect, laziness, even family members or friends that don’t know Jesus…. Ask the Holy Spirit to guard your mind and to show you the Truth, so that you can reject any lies that come into your head.

Romans 8:1-2 : …Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Isn’t it utterly un-thinkable that even though we do what is wrong and give into our sinful natures, because Jesus died for us and we put our faith in Him, we will have no condemnation? How Great is our God!

- Do you trust in what Jesus did for you on the cross? Or do you condemn yourself when you sin & dwell on your mistakes? Don’t be weighed down with guilt (it’s not what God wants!) go straight to God and ask his forgiveness and ask him to help you to start again – that’s all it takes! If you have anything that you feel you haven’t forgiven yourself for (or asked God’s forgiveness for) take a few minutes to ask God for his forgiveness & ask him to help you forgive yourself! (Mmmmm that reminds me of a Locate Zer0 song!!!)

Romans 8:5-6 : 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. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace

What Jesus has done for us on the cross should make us all the more keen to do what is right and good and not be led by our sinful natures. God gave us the Holy Spirit so that we could be led by Him rather than our own desires. Praise God for giving us a helper and guide throughout our time on earth! Ask the Holy Spirit to: lead you, guide you, help you to walk away from temptation and protect you from the evil one. You can use the Lords Prayer to do this!

Romans 8 v 14 ..because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

WOW! I wanna be walking in step with the Holy Spirit as a son/daughter of God – do you?