Destined to Reign – part 2

3 October 10

 

  1. Introduction:

·      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”

 

  1. You are Destined to Reign:

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