Two options exist. I am either dead to God and alive to sin or I am dead to sin and alive to God. The Bible is filled with the understanding that God’s goodness and mercy allows us to come to Jesus through God’s grace and by faith. Don’t try to kill sin prior to coming to life in Jesus. The powers of self won’t get the job done. However, experiencing the Life of Jesus gives us the power to destroy sin in our lives.
Last week we studied the Bible’s teaching about being alive in spirit, soul and body, but dead to God. In this way people are the living dead.
When you are dead to God but alive to sin, sin has dominion over you. Romans 6:14
Κυριεύω – to exercise rights over one’s own property as an owner with full dominion (lordship) over this jurisdiction.
- Exercise rights over. Sin disempowers. Sin has the authority and rights.
- One’s own property. Sin dehumanizes. No longer a person but sin’s property.
- Owner with full dominion. Sin diminishes. No area of life left uncontrolled by sin.
Today we want to explore a much better way to be the living dead: alive to God in spirit, soul and body and dead to sin. Romans 6:11
Know – Dead to sin 6:6
Reckon (consider) – Dead to sin 6:11
Yield – (present) Don’t present your body to sin. Present yourselves to God. 6:13
- Is the best way forward to call everyone who is dead to God to kill sin? Impossible! When dead one can’t kill
- The only way forward is to call everyone to the Author of Life (Jesus) who comes to give abundant life! When alive in Jesus one can kill sin! Romans 8:11
Don’t ever let bad press influence you! God is good!
- Psalm 107:1 For He is good!
- Psalm 107:8, 9 The hungry soul he fills with good
- Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
- 1 Peter 2:3 Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
This Good and Living God sent His Living Son, Jesus, to bring life!
The Apostle John presents the thesis of his Gospel in John 1:1-4. “In him was life!” Forty-three times John talks, specifically, about life and thirty-seven of these verses are about the Good God’s gift of eternal life in His Good Son.
Get so full of God’s Good Life in Jesus that you KRY!
MCA Church LIFE Group Homework
Listen – My Story
- Was positive reinforcement of good behavior or correction and punishment for bad behavior more effective in shaping whom you are today?
- Have you ever experienced something so funny, exciting, beautiful or joyful that you had tears in your eyes?
Learn – Digging Deeper
- What did Jesus do for the life of the bride and groom and their families in John 2:1-11? Do you think this couple had a better wedding celebration because of the life Jesus gave?
- In what ways do you think the woman (John 4:7-24), who had been married five times and was now living in adultery, received life from Jesus? What do you think she understood “I am the water of life,” to mean?
- How did Jesus impart life to the official in John 4:46-54? Does this story speak powerfully to you of Jesus giving good life to families?
- In what ways did the man in John 5:1-9 receive life from Jesus?
- Did Jesus pressure any of the people in questions 1-4 to become religious? For a donation? To attend his weekly meetings? According to Acts 10:38 what did Jesus go around doing?
Life – Taking it Home
- What is God saying to you through this lesson?
- What could you do this week to ensure that you are experiencing the goodness of God in Jesus?
- What is your next step in response to this teaching?
Lift – Prayer
- Please pray for grace to be like Jesus by “Going around and doing good.”
- Please pray for strength to K.R.Y. (Know, Reckon, Yield)
- Please pray for the MCA Church #JoyOfGivingTuesday (Tuesday, December 1). We are asking God to help us fully fund MCA Church’s Children’s Ministry for 2016.
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