Participants: Bill Liversidge
Series Code: IHS
Program Code: IHS000007A
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00:13 Break the bread, you'll have life.
00:16 Eat my flesh, you'll have life. 00:19 Drink my blood, you'll have life. 00:22 The evidence is our willingness to hear and to obey 00:25 the word of God, 00:27 especially since we've realized, 00:28 this is God speaking, 00:32 this is not an ordinary book 00:35 which we are talking this morning, 00:38 this is the word of life, this is the word of God, 00:42 we are in his presence. 00:47 The Holy Spirit's ability to inspire. 00:59 There's absolutely no reason 01:02 why we should spend our lives doubting. 01:07 Salvation, we're not to be arrogant about it, we, 01:12 I don't believe we're told to run around saying, 01:14 "I'm saved" and things like that, 01:16 that's not an evidence of salvation 01:19 but neither are we told to be in doubt. 01:23 And I'm not really sure, several people came to me 01:26 even yesterday, 01:27 "Oh I just love to feel more secure about salvation." 01:34 Though I have chosen this morning 01:36 to make another attempt 01:39 to bring the issues of salvation through, 01:42 with crystal clarity. 01:49 Now open your Bibles with me 01:51 this morning to Romans Chapter 5, 01:57 I believe Christians should have an assurance of salvation. 02:02 They shouldn't have to spend their lives worrying, 02:05 "Am I gonna make it"? 02:08 Salvation is not about "How well I am doing"? 02:15 It's not based on human performance, 02:20 it's based on the divine human performance. 02:25 I don't know what it's going to take to program our minds 02:29 into hearing the word that God has asked Jesus Christ 02:34 to resolve the sin problem, not us. 02:38 And I'm reminded of those beautiful verses in I John, 02:43 let me just read it this morning, I John 5:11, 12, 02:50 "And the witness is this, 02:53 that God has given us eternal life," 02:56 did you hear that? 02:59 He hasn't said "You got to sweat over this, 03:01 " He's given us eternal life and this life, 03:07 allow yourselves to hear it this morning, please. 03:10 This life is in his Son, 03:15 are you grasping that? 03:18 This life is in his Son, 03:24 Jesus in human flesh, is the only human being 03:29 who's ever lived this life fully. 03:34 That's given him the ability 03:36 to become the source of life, it's in him. 03:42 It's not some goal that I'm setting after, 03:45 to spend my life trying to get eternal life. 03:48 This life is in his Son. 03:52 He lived it, He earned 03:54 the right to impart it to us. 04:00 I'm still dealing with people, who measure their success 04:04 in the Christian life 04:06 by how well they're doing or God forbid, 04:09 how well or how well others are not doing. 04:14 Now, if you're focused on others, I wish you luck. 04:18 There's only one focus that counts when you're talking 04:20 about eternal life, 04:22 it's the focus on Jesus Christ. 04:28 Men, if you've got any doubts about eternal life 04:31 look at verse 12, 04:35 "He who tries hard enough 04:37 and finally get's his act together 04:40 will get eternal life" 04:42 is that how the Washington version reads? 04:47 Well that's how many versions appear to read 04:50 and so I listen to what people are saying to me. 04:54 So verse 12, if eternal life is in his Son, he, 05:00 who has the Son, 05:05 has the life. 05:09 He, who has the Son, has the life 05:12 and he who does not have the Son of God, 05:15 does not have the life 05:16 and what life is being referred to there? 05:20 Eternal life. Are you hearing it? 05:25 Can we chalk this up for Washington camp today? 05:30 He, who has the Son, has the life 05:35 and if you don't have the Son today, 05:37 you should be falling down on your knees 05:39 in repentance and begging God 05:44 to bring the living Christ 05:46 into you through the Holy Spirit, 05:48 this is the Spirit's special ministry. 05:52 We're in Romans chapter 5, okay let's slip over to Romans 05:56 chapter 5, there's only two verses here, 05:58 but how profound they are? 06:02 Only Paul can pack so much into two little verses, 06:06 the whole gospel in two verses, 06:09 Romans 5:9 &10. 06:14 By the way, this is what's known in theological circles 06:19 as a "Parallelism", 06:24 because there are two statements in each verse 06:28 and they are parallel to each other. 06:32 Let's look at the two statements in verse 9, 06:34 the first one is fairly clear, "Much more than having now 06:38 being justified," by what? 06:46 "His blood," it's a clear statement. 06:49 "Having now being justified by his blood, 06:53 " and that little conjunction slips in, 06:55 it's repeated in both verses, I'll put up here in the centre, 06:59 much more, hard for me to accept the fact that there's 07:04 something much more than this, 07:08 because this is so overwhelming to me. 07:12 Having being justified by his blood, 07:15 if I knew a dozen people that really believed that, 07:18 I'd probably be translated to heaven today. 07:23 Justified, simply and basically meaning in the Greek... 07:28 declared righteous. 07:31 Declared righteous, 07:32 then another word for righteousness...holiness. 07:37 Incredibly, God is declaring us to be holy in his sight, 07:45 when we looked in the mirror this morning, 07:47 we weren't convinced that we're totally holy, but God said it, 07:53 I believe it, that should settle it, shouldn't it? 07:58 God in his infinite mercy has accepted the magnificent life 08:05 of Jesus Christ as my life. 08:13 And when he laid it down in death, 08:16 God has accepted that death 08:18 as my death, 08:24 I died in him. 08:29 I'm overwhelmed again this morning as I always am, 08:33 when I think about the fact that this is the single 08:37 greatest bargain in history. 08:41 God has lifted my filthy garments from me 08:46 and he hasn't thrown them into the sea, 08:48 you know what He has done with them? 08:52 He has put them on, thank you for such a beautiful 08:55 faith statement here this morning. 08:57 He took my filthy garments from me 09:00 and He actually put them on himself. 09:04 He became sin, He who knew no sin became sin. 09:11 So that we might become 09:14 the righteousness of God in him, 09:16 what a bargain. 09:19 My filthy garments taken from me, placed on Jesus, 09:24 which crushed him and his magnificent robe of holiness, 09:31 that holy robe, 09:34 placed on me every day of my life, 09:36 that's what the death of Jesus has granted us. 09:40 The privilege of being declared 09:46 righteous every single day. 09:51 Because Jesus has changed places with us, 09:55 he's lived our perfect life 09:58 and he's died our perfect death, 10:01 and we don't believe it, so we keep struggling, 10:05 we keep trying harder, we keep trying to do 10:08 all the right things 10:09 until we finally reach the point where, 10:11 I'm never gonna be good enough, what the heck? 10:16 And God allows something to happen in our lives 10:18 and we put our eyes back on the cross and we say, "Ah, 10:23 I've had the wrong focus, 10:27 I should have been looking at Jesus Christ," 10:29 because God has given us eternal life 10:32 and that life is in his Son. 10:39 Jesus has resolved the sin problem. 10:45 What is the parallel statement in verse 10? 10:49 "For if while we enemies, we were, 10:53 " here it comes "reconciled" 10:55 another one of the great benefits of the death of Jesus, 10:58 "We were reconciled, " through what? 11:02 "The death of his Son," 11:04 there is the parallel statement. 11:07 Wow, so we're justified by his blood, 11:13 we're reconciled by his death. 11:16 Both of these statements 11:18 have a reference to the atoning death 11:20 of Jesus on the cross. 11:23 And there are many more benefits, 11:24 I have a list in my Bible of 30 benefits 11:28 of the atoning death of Jesus, 11:31 I'm justified, I'm reconciled, 11:33 my enemy's powers being taken from him, I'm totally forgiven, 11:38 all of these blessings are mine. 11:40 My guilt, my condemnation, my judgment, 11:46 even my second death has all fallen on Jesus 11:51 and been lifted from me. 11:57 If only we could believe it, we would be so free. 12:02 You're not free to sin, 12:05 we would be free to encounter the living Christ every day, 12:12 that which brings the assurance 12:14 of salvation into our lives. 12:20 God has made every provision for what sin has done 12:26 to the human race, he's covered all the basis, 12:32 so why are we still trying to help him out with the process. 12:37 Instead of taking hold by faith, 12:40 if you were taking hold of the atoning death of Jesus, 12:43 have you been to the cross this morning? 12:46 If you have, you walked into this church knowing 12:49 that your guilt was laid on Jesus, 12:52 that you are no longer under condemnation, 12:57 that your judgment was placed on him. 13:01 And that he even died your future eternal death, 13:07 you have actually passed from death into life. 13:12 If you've been to the cross this morning, 13:14 you have entered into eternal life, 13:20 it's a present reality. 13:21 I want to challenge all those traditional theories 13:25 of eternal life, here this morning. 13:27 Some people think eternal life is finally making it to heaven. 13:32 I'm gonna make it at last, 13:34 even if I just squeeze through the gate, 13:36 you know, that's not eternal life. 13:40 Eternal life is a present reality, 13:43 you can have it every single day of your life, 13:48 you can even have the quiet assurance that you have it 13:51 because God has given us eternal life 13:56 and that life is in his Son. 14:00 And if I have been to the cross this morning, 14:03 where is the Son of God dwelling today? 14:07 He's in me, through the Holy Spirit 14:09 and he's in you, 14:12 that is the great assurance of eternal life 14:16 because that life is in the Son 14:18 and the good news is, He's alive, thank you. 14:23 And if you've embraced 14:25 the death of Jesus this morning, 14:27 the Holy Spirit has brought the living Christ into you. 14:30 And the really good news this morning is, 14:33 having declared you righteous, for how long? 14:38 We read it the other day, you're perfect for ever, 14:43 in God's sight. 14:44 You know what he will now do? 14:47 He will now grow you up into a holiness 14:54 that will truly reveal and glorify Jesus in your life. 14:59 And all along, at the end of the journey you're gonna say, 15:01 "Well that wasn't me at all, that was Jesus in me, 15:07 " manifesting his holiness every day of my life 15:11 and I was simply privileged by faith 15:13 to act upon it and walk in it. 15:17 And the life and the character of Jesus became mine gradually 15:21 through out my whole life and one day somebody 15:24 will walk up to you 15:26 and you will probably faint like I did 15:27 and someone might say 15:29 "You know, I think I might have seen Jesus in you." 15:34 What a revelation, what a privilege, 15:36 because we don't see these things in ourselves, do we? 15:39 God's made sure of that, he's kept this imbalance 15:44 but others might just see it in you 15:47 and you'll look up and you'll say 15:48 "Thank you father." 15:51 Because the living Christ in me, everyday, is gradually, 15:53 beginning to transform my life and by the grace of God, 15:57 I'm starting to look like him, what a privilege? 16:01 This is not something I'm deliberately trying to do, 16:04 it's come about because I'm moving into faith everyday, 16:07 how about you? 16:10 So here's the good news, as I come to the cross, 16:16 this is the path to assurance. 16:19 I come to the cross and I have another day of my life, 16:23 a whole day, with a total peace of mind, 16:26 knowing that in the sight of God, what condition am I in? 16:32 I'm perfect for ever, 16:35 I'm holy because God incredibly, 16:37 in a generous moment, when he looks at me, 16:42 he sees Jesus Christ, 16:46 because when he looked at Jesus, 16:49 he saw me, and he let Jesus die. 16:54 I died at that moment, in him, I'm so grateful for that. 17:00 Salvation has always consisted of an accomplished fact 17:05 and an ongoing process in the life. 17:07 There are two elements in salvation, 17:10 they are both absolutely essential 17:14 because the established fact, 17:16 the accomplished fact frees us 17:18 from all the burden that sin has placed upon us. 17:22 So that we are now free for God to break the power of sin 17:26 within us and how does he break the power of sin within us? 17:30 By making us strong enough to resist, oh no, 17:35 he breaks the power of sin within us by indwelling us 17:39 with his holy presence. 17:42 He actually comes into our minds through the Holy Spirit 17:46 and incredibly, we start thinking his thoughts, 17:49 which is such a shock to our system. 17:53 We start feeling his feelings, we start acting on his motives, 17:59 we even start realizing when it's God who's speaking 18:03 and communicating with us. 18:04 And what a joy it is to start acting on that, 18:08 what a joy it is, 18:10 and it can happen 18:11 in the most ordinary circumstances 18:13 but let's quickly move in to the second part here, 18:16 come back to verse 9 again, 18:19 look at the second part now, what word kicks in now? 18:25 We shall be, oh there it is and I want you to notice something 18:29 very significant, this morning, the term saved, 18:35 does not come together in the same breath 18:37 as blood and death, 18:45 I hope you're picking up on that 18:48 because this is something very good, 18:50 this is something much more 18:53 than what he's given us. 18:55 Can you think of anything that's much more 18:56 than the atoning death of Jesus? 18:59 Well, Paul can, he says it twice, 19:02 much more than having being justified by his blood, 19:07 we shall be saved by, 19:14 that's a pretty feeble response out there, 19:17 we shall be saved by, verse 9, saved from, I mean, 19:24 it's a very interesting statement, 19:26 saved from, not by, saved from wrath, 19:33 and how does it conclude, through him. 19:38 And if you're in any doubt as to what the through him 19:40 is referring to, 19:42 go to the parallel statement in verse 10, 19:46 it will clarify it, the end of verse 10, 19:49 look at it very carefully, "While we are enemies, 19:53 we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, 19:55 much more, having being reconciled, 19:59 we shall be saved by his life." 20:06 We have moved from a focus on the death of Jesus, 20:10 we have now moved to a focus on his amazing and holy life, 20:17 isn't that good news? 20:20 So his death has lifted all the burden 20:22 that sin has placed on us, 20:24 his life now coming into us, is going to do what? 20:29 It's going to save us, I hope you're hearing it this morning. 20:36 Saved is not tied together with he death of Jesus, 20:38 even though it's a very popular thing to say, 20:41 Jesus died to save me. 20:45 It's not Paul, Paul says Jesus died to justify me, 20:50 he died to reconcile me, he died to defeat the enemy 20:56 but his perfect life coming into me, 21:00 is what moves me into salvation, 21:05 to save, means to enter into life. 21:08 Did you know the first use of the word saved 21:10 in the New Testament, 21:13 is Mathew 1:21, the root word for saved. 21:16 Mathew 1:21, first time it pops up in the New Testament, 21:21 "Where you shall call his name Jesus, 21:25 for he shall save his people from their sins, 21:33 "the New Testament understanding of salvation 21:35 is not finally getting to heaven 21:38 and living on for ever and ever and ever. 21:41 The New Testament understanding of salvation is to be 21:45 delivered from sin, 21:50 the New Testament understanding of salvation 21:53 is to be delivered from sin. 21:56 And how does God bring it about, 22:00 he brings the overcoming life of Jesus into us 22:06 through the Holy Spirit. 22:09 God practices incarnational ministry, 22:14 he indwells incredibly sinful human flesh. 22:19 A holy God inhabits sinful human flesh, 22:24 my mind can hardly contain that, it's a radical thought. 22:29 Holiness coming into un-holiness 22:32 always results in holiness, 22:34 you don't have to struggle to become holy. 22:39 Your challenge is to come to the cross every day, 22:42 so that God's response will be to put his spirit within you 22:47 and he will bring the holy life of Jesus into you. 22:54 So that, you, through out your life will have the privilege 22:57 of becoming like him, 23:00 you're going to have 23:01 different thoughts, different feelings. 23:06 You're going to find yourself acting from totally un-selfish 23:09 and different motives, you may even question at times, 23:13 where did that come from? 23:14 And God will go knock, knock, it's me, 23:19 I'm the one who's bringing this about within you. 23:22 So when you enter into salvation, 23:26 it's through the life of Christ, 23:29 he is this beautiful statement here. 23:32 We're saved from wrath through him, 23:33 we're saved by his life. 23:38 I've got news for you this morning, 23:40 you can't have the life of Jesus and bypass his death. 23:47 You must come to the cross and let God lift 23:51 all the burden of guilt and sin from you 23:54 which frees you up now 23:56 to receive the in-dwelling life of Jesus 23:59 through the spirit. 24:01 By the way, saved from what? 24:07 Wrath, and notice we're saved from wrath through him 24:11 or through his life. 24:14 What are we actually being saved from? 24:16 I wonder, have a look at Romans 1:18 "For the wrath of God is 24:22 revealed from heaven against all ungodliness 24:27 and unrighteousness of men," 24:29 now allow yourself to hear this, this morning, 24:32 if God's wrath is revealed against ungodliness 24:38 and unrighteousness, and God saves you from his wrath, 24:46 what is he actually giving you? 24:49 Righteousness and godliness, absolutely, 24:53 the only way you can be saved from wrath, 24:57 is to move into righteousness and godliness, 25:01 because God's wrath is poured out 25:03 against ungodliness and unrighteousness. 25:07 So salvation is moving into the righteousness 25:11 and the godliness of God, 25:15 it's the holy life that he brings in us, 25:17 every single day of our lives, 25:20 and it's a growth process, isn't it? 25:24 I wish I could have it instantly, don't you? 25:28 But character isn't formed instantly, 25:31 it's a process in our lives and God knows that, 25:34 it's a life long process. 25:37 For anyone who understands what Paul is saying here, 25:40 you know what they have? 25:46 They're not struggling and resting, 25:48 am I going to make it? 25:49 Will I be good enough? 25:51 Oh, what if something happens, right at the last minute? 25:55 My faith challenges to take hold 25:57 of the death of Jesus Christ 26:00 and the abiding of Christ in me, 26:02 every single day. 26:03 How is your faith this morning, as we conclude? 26:07 Let's bow our heads together. 26:14 Father in heaven, forgive us for our unbelief. 26:20 We see how much provision 26:22 you have made for the sin problem 26:25 through the atoning death of Jesus. 26:27 Thank you again this morning, father, for allowing our guilt, 26:32 our condemnation, our judgment, even our second death 26:37 to fall on Jesus, 26:40 thereby freeing us so that we can receive 26:42 the indwelling of Christ through the Holy Spirit 26:46 for another day of our lives. 26:48 And as the holy Jesus comes into us, father, 26:51 and imparts his beautiful character to us everyday, 26:56 we trust you with the end-product here. 26:59 We trust you that finally having begun 27:02 our work within us, 27:03 you will bring it to completion, 27:05 so that when he comes, we really will look like him. 27:09 We trust you and we are absolutely confident, 27:12 in your ability to reproduce your Son in our lives. 27:16 Thank you for the absolute assurance we have this morning, 27:20 of eternal life, because it's in your Son, 27:23 and we have your Son in us today. 27:26 We praise you in Jesus's precious name. 27:29 Amen. 27:32 If you would like more information 27:33 about this ministry, 27:35 or how you can obtain a copy of this entire series 27:38 and other resources by Pastor Bill Liversidge, 27:40 please contact us. 27:42 Creative Media Ministries proclaims the full ministry 27:44 of Jesus through the sanctuary. 27:46 With the growing costs of TV production and broadcasting, 27:49 this dynamic ministry needs partners, 27:51 committed to spreading the good news 27:53 through out the entire world. 27:55 You are invited to part-fully consider 27:56 making a tax deductible donation 27:58 to Creative Media Ministries. 28:00 Contact us online at www.creativemediaministries.org 28:06 that's www.creativemediaministries.org 28:11 By mail at Creative Media Ministries, P.O.Box 1981, 28:15 Palm Springs, CA 92263 28:19 or call us at 888-744-0443. 28:24 that's 888-744-0443. |
Revised 2015-08-20