LIFE In the Spirit

5 …we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4 (NLT) 5 …we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.

“Let there be light in the darkness,” 6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

Fairest Lord Jesus 88

Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature, O Thou of God and man the Son, Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honour, Thou, my soul's glory, Joy, and crown.

Fair are the meadows, Fairer still the woodlands, Robed in the blooming garb of spring: Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine, Fairer still the moonlight, And all the twinkling starry host: Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer Than all the angels heaven can boast.

Beautiful Saviour. Lord of all the nations. Son of God and Son of Man Beautiful Saviour! Lord of all the nations! Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honour, Praise, adoration, Now and forevermore be thine..

Now and forevermore be thine.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, (2 Samuel 22)  2 David sang: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Saviour; 3 my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

and He saved me from my enemies. He is my refuge, my Saviour,     the One who saves me from violence. 4 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies.

3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

I Will Call Upon the Lord 38

(Men sing lead, women echo) I will call upon the Lord (I will call upon the Lord) Who is worthy to be praised (Who is worthy to be praised ) So shall I be saved from my enemies (So shall I be saved from my enemies) TOGETHER: - I will call upon the Lord

(All sing together) The Lord liveth, and blessed be the Rock And let the God of my salvation be exalted The Lord liveth, and blessed be the Rock And let the God of my salvation be exalted

(Men sing lead, women echo) I will call upon the Lord (I will call upon the Lord) Who is worthy to be praised (Who is worthy to be praised ) So shall I be saved from my enemies (So shall I be saved from my enemies) TOGETHER: - I will call upon the Lord

(All sing together) The Lord liveth, and blessed be the Rock And let the God of my salvation be exalted The Lord liveth, and blessed be the Rock And let the God of my salvation be exalted

23…whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, Colossians 3 23…whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,  24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 

The Longer I Serve Him, The Sweeter He Grows 518

Since I started for the kingdom, Since my life He controls; Since I gave my heart to Jesus, The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows; The more that I love Him more love He bestows

Each day is like Heaven, my heart overflows. The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows.

Every need He is supplying, Plenteous grace He bestows. Every day my way gets brighter, The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows.

The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows; The more that I love Him more love He bestows

Each day is like Heaven, my heart overflows. The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows.

The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows.

LIFE In the Holy Spirit

and they do not understand. 2 Corinthians 3 15…even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.

16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Where the Spirit of the Lord Is 253

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is peace there is love

There is comfort in life's darkest hour There is light and life There is help and power in the Spirit In the Spirit of the Lord

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is peace there is love

There is comfort in life's darkest hour There is light and life There is help and power in the Spirit In the Spirit of the Lord

There is therefore now no condemnation Romans 8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Come Holy Spirit, I Need You 250

Come as a wisdom to children, Come as new sight to the blind, Come, Lord, as strength to my weakness, Take me: soul, body and mind.

Come Holy Spirit – I need You, Come, sweet Spirit, I pray; Come in Your strength and Your power, Come in Your own gentle way.

Come as a rest to the weary, Come as a balm for the sore, Come as a dew to my dryness: Fill me with joy overmore

Come Holy Spirit – I need You, Come, sweet Spirit, I pray; Come in Your strength and Your power, Come in Your own gentle way.

Come like a spring in the desert, Come to the withered of soul; O let Your sweet healing power Touch me, and make me whold.

Come Holy Spirit – I need You, Come, sweet Spirit, I pray; Come in Your strength and Your power, Come in Your own gentle way.

LIFE In the Holy Spirit

Nileometer – Cairo Circa 510 A.D.

Nileometer – Cairo Circa 2900 B.C.

“High Water Mark” Various floods Missouri River

Romans 8 is considered to be the “high water mark” of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans

We enter this chapter with no condemnation We close with no separation In between all things work together for good to those that love God Source Unknown

“If holy Scripture were a ring, and the epistle to the Romans its precious stone,

…Romans chapter eight would be the sparkling point of the jewel.” Unknown

The Holy Spirit is mentioned nineteen times in this chapter Paul here introduces us to the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification

Sanctification Genuine Christians belong to God Genuine Christians are called to be holy Genuine Christians are being gradually transformed – “from glory to glory” into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ

This process – continuing from the time we accept Christ as our Saviour and Lord – is achieved by the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the individual This process we identify as sanctification

24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life (NLT) 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death

The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. 25 Thank God! [Who gives deliverance!!] The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

In spite of all Paul’s shortcomings depicted in chapter seven, Paul has supreme confidence in his spiritual freedom inherent in his salvation.

Four Facets of Freedom The certainty of Freedom The cause of Freedom The course of this freedom The consequence of freedom

Four Facets of Freedom The certainty of freedom

The very essence, or heart of the Gospel message

John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore Dr. Howard Atwood Kelly 1858 – 1943 John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore

So now there is no condemnation… Romans 8 So now there is no condemnation… Debt of sin paid – in full Cleansed “from all unrighteousness” Joint heirs with Christ Disciplined as a beloved child of God

Four Facets of Freedom The certainty of freedom The cause of freedom

So now there is no condemnation… for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 

We “belong” to Christ in the same way that a branch belongs to the vine As the branch receives life-giving sustenance from the vine, so Christ’s life-giving Spirit is at work in the follower of Christ

Four Facets of Freedom The certainty of freedom The cause of freedom The course of this freedom

. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.  So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.

And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins

6 For when we were still without strength, Romans 5 6 For when we were still without strength,  in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die;

yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Four Facets of Freedom The certainty of freedom The cause of freedom The course of this freedom The consequence of freedom

. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

What Next? The believer’s freedom from sin results in their present and ultimate sanctification – so live it Being indwelt by the Holy Spirit is not a mark of special maturity or spirituality but the mark of every true Christian, without exception – so be a fruit bearer

(based on) Dr. John MacArthur What Next? A genuine Christian will commune with their heavenly Father in prayer – so pray A Christian is taught by the Holy Spirit, but is obligated to seek the Spirit’s guidance and help – so seek (based on) Dr. John MacArthur

29“The first of all the commandments is: Mark 12 29“The first of all the commandments is:  ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 

This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

I Give All to You

I give all my service to You I give all my service to You No matter the cost or what others do I give all my service to You

I give all my future to You I give all my future to You No matter the cost or what others do I give all my future to You

I give all my worship to You I give all my worship to You No matter the cost or what others do I give all my worship to You

LIFE In the Spirit

According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism (Q According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism (Q. 35), sanctification is “the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.” It is a continuing change worked by God in us, freeing us from sinful habits and forming in us Christlike affections, dispositions, and virtues. It does not mean that sin is instantly eradicated, but it is also more than a counteraction, in which sin is merely restrained or repressed without being progressively destroyed. Sanctification is a real transformation, not just the appearance of one.