Destined to Reign – part 2
3 October 10
· Called by God to a life of victory. A life of liberty
· Evidence of Kingdom – righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Spirit Rom 14:17
· So many Christians do not live like this – live burdened
· Matt 11:30 “My yoke is easy, my burden is light”
Rom 5:17
“Reign in life through the one Jesus Christ’
· Reign = Kingly judicial rule
= to rule as a King does
= to live as a sovereign ruler over a territory
= to walk in a foundation of Kingly authority and power
· You are destined by God for dominion over all challenges and obstacles
· “In life” = not for some future time but it is for you, for now
· Dominion over sin, fear, anxiety, stress, pressure, setbacks
· You are destined for dominion – but how?
· Problems Identified: ‘Sin reigns’
· Entrance of sin
· Consequence of sin = Death – separation from God/self/people
= condemned, judged, debt to pay
= Self Condemned – anger, rejection, not deserving, don’t
deserve to be loved, valued, success
= Sensitivity to judgment of others because judge self,
something wrong with me
· Living in the presence of sin constantly
· God’s answer Identified – “Grace reigns”
· Receive (i) Abundance of Grace
(ii) Free gift of righteousness – right-standing freely given
3. “Receive” not “Achieve”:
Rom 5:17
“… receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness”
· “Achieve” - World’s system is based on work, performance, achievement
- Success depends on self effort and diligence
- Always laws and principles to keep
· People bring that system of thinking into their Christian walk “If I do this, then God…”
· Christian “Do Do” rather than Christian “Done Done” at the Cross
· The key to reigning is receiving
· “Receive” = NT2983 = to take into yourself, take with hand, lay hold of, to take possession of, take what is ones own
· Two Things:
i) Abundance of Grace: free, unmerited, undeserved, enabling power of God
ii) Gift of Righteousness: right-standing before a Holy God
· Rom 5:21
“…grace might reign through righteousness”
· Grace – Gods free unmerited power enables us to reign when we are established in righteousness before God
· God invites us to come to Him fully expecting to receive Heb 4:15
· Gift = you cannot do anything to earn it or work for it
· Every believer must become established in righteousness and learn how to receive grace for the challenges of life
4. Condemnation – Robs us of Intimacy with God:
· Condemnation = awareness, consciousness of failure, ‘not good enough’
· Adam conscious of sin, not good enough = afraid = hid
· Condemnation is a heart issue 1 John 3:20
§ Robs of intimacy
§ Makes us conscious of failure/lack
§ Demands you do something to ‘be enough’
§ Rooted in the heart from which fear and anxiety and striving arise
· The world cannot solve this heart issue
§ Denies sin
§ Changes standards
§ Requires you DO something
§ Rom 10:3
“…ignorant of God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness they have not submitted to the righteousness of God”
· Religion cannot solve this heart issue
§ Demands you do something more
§ Focus on failures, lacks, rules
§ Leaves you with consistent relentless accusation/judgment ‘Not good enough’
§ Brings burden and bondage to perform
· Demonic spirit exploit this heart issue
§ Rev 12:10
“The accuser of the brethren who accused them before our God day and night”
§ Demonic spirits use condemnation/accusations/faultfinding as weapons
§ They fill the minds and emotions of people with condemnation – ‘Not good enough’
§ They stir believers to judge and condemn one another
§ Luk 11:54 Religious spirits – seeking to accuse
5. Establishing the Heart in Righteousness:
· Note in Rev 12:10 how believers overcame the accuser
a) The Work of Christ on the Cross
b) Believing in the heart and testify
· Jesus discerned wicked spirits at the Cross
§ Col 2:14
“…forgiven you all your trespasses, having wiped out the list of requirements”
§ The devil is armed when he has a list of our failures, lacks, shortcomings
§ He uses that list as a weapon to hold us captive
§ Jesus as a man, represented us, cancelled the list at the Cross
§ You weren’t born then, He died for all your future sins
· Jesus did not come to judge/condemn but to save John 3:17
§ John 8:11 Woman in adultery
§ I must abandon works and rest on the Work of Christ Gal 2:21
§ Don’t frustrate: NT114 – set aside, hinder something operating, defeat the purpose
· Change Believing
- I am the right-standing of God in Christ Jesus 2 Cor 5:21
- I come boldly to the throne of Grace Heb 4:15
- I am as bold as a Lion Prov 28:1
- Christ is my righteousness
· What if I fail?
- I have an advocate 1 John 2:1
- I confess and receive forgiveness and cleansing 1 John 1:9
- I meditate in rights