You In Christ and Christ In You

We are, I think we start at number seven, right? Or kind of quickly at the end, we're getting through that about why doesn't God deal with your sins on the basis of leniency or mercy, or because he's big hearted? Remember that? And why is that? He can just look the other way, right? With sin, he's a big hearted guy. He has an unlimited heart, right? So he can just say to sin, ah, it's okay. Correct? No. And why is that? We touched on it at the very end of the class last time. Why is that? Why can't he do that?

He's God. He can do anything he wants. He's also righteous. Righteous? Righteousness. Holy? Just? All those attributes also go along with God. So you can't just, the mercy, the grace, the love doesn't supersede those by just saying, I can forget about that. He's holy, just, righteous. So he has to deal with it. So how does he deal with it? This is not a trick question. This isn't tough. How? through the cross. We'll get into it again.

Well, one of the things, the Lamb of God has already taken away the sin of the world, that's John 1.29. The fact that Christ as a substitute has already borne the undiminished righteous judgments of a God against sin is the sole ground upon which divine forgiveness is now exercised, which leads us into question eight. When God forgives sins, He is acting as what? As God. As God.

What is he doing at that point? What's he acting as? Judge. Yeah, he's acting as a judge. So, when God forgives sin, absolutely and eternally, through the cross of Christ, he's acting as judge. By this judicial decree, he sets aside forever all condemnation. So in the sin aspect, he's a judge. And when he's judged and with the cross, what is that 25 cent word? After the cross, what is the 25 cent word that we use? God is? Proficiated. Which means what? For the 25 cents that you paid for that word.

Satisfied. Okay, so now he's satisfied. So he can now deal with us as believers. Does he deal with us as judge now? No. With much trepidation and cowering. He wouldn't hear me if it was wrong. That's where his role as an advocate comes in. Right, he's now our advocate. Well, I was just going to say, put that together with a statement Chafer made on that page 2, section 2.

Go ahead and read it. Last paragraph, last line basically, where the grace of God is exercise in perfect independence of human sin or the degree of human sin. Yes. Which means? See, and that's the difference right there. Because when dealing with sin, is he a loving, gracious, merciful God when he deals specifically with the sin issue? I guess the thing I caught when I was re-reading this last night is that our sin. Yeah, there's grace in providing a way for these sins to be dealt with. He graciously provides the Lord Jesus as a substitute, but in the actual act of dealing with sin, is it a loving transaction. But with the sin issue only, dealing with sin only, was he loving? Was he loving to the Lord Jesus Christ? What did he make him do? See what I mean? This is where he really kind of separates it out.

Where with the sin issue, it's not truly a gracious act. It's a judicial act. So he was angry, like with the flood. He had to deal with the sin issue. That's why the question before that, can he be big hearted? God's God, he can just say, eh, that sin thing, eh, we'll push it away. No, he didn't. He had to deal with it because of the other attributes, holy, righteous, just, God. He had to deal with the sin issue. So on those parts of his attributes, he had to deal with it.

Graciously, he offers his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come here, take the form of man, and die for our sins, and pay for it, to be propitiated. But in dealing with the sin issue, it was a judicial act. He demanded the death of his son. He demanded the death of his son. That's what I said, what it cost him. It cost him his son. So it was a harsh payment. His only son, going to the cross, dying. The only time the father had to turn his back on his son.

So what's the word then? Well, for sin, it's judicial. He acts as a judge, is the word actually. He's acting as a judge. Okay, but you ask then, when dealing with sin, God is what? Judge? Judge. He's acting as what? He's acting as what? He's acting as a judge. Okay. Okay? Were you going to say something? The reason he's acting as a judge is because when the issue of sin, which deserves nothing but condemnation, comes before him as a judge, and he has to rule on the issue.

He rules in favor of the sinner because the sinner's penalty has already been paid. Which is, we're getting to the second half of this. Now as a believer, does God act in the same way towards sin? when we sin. Does he act in the same way? He says he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

Does he act as a judge? Bud? He's our advocate. I'm going to pound you Bud. Does he act as a judge? Slam the gavel down and Bud? That's the judgment. We're not as Christians, we're not are not just responsibility free from sin or confession. That's where I'm getting at. We're a different lot now because of what happened on the cross. I guess I kind of have a mental picture of God as in regard to my sin. He would have to act as the judge, but the advocate stands there as the one who's leading my case, so to speak. Okay, it's taken care of. Yeah. See, that's why I always say, you know, a sin for the believer.

God's done with it, why aren't you? You know, a lot of times we just beat ourselves up. Yeah, Courtney, you screwed up again. You messed up. You just, you know, and I just, ah, confess it, get back to fellowship. I wasn't acting as I, as I, as I am in Christ. Done. Why beat yourself up with it? You know, and torment yourself, oh, I've got to do 59 spiritual push-ups to get better in the back, better graces with God. Wrong.

You know, we have an advocate. The sin issue has been dealt with. Okay? And now, so there's a difference between where God acts as a judge, He acts differently with a believer. I think he says, and there's such judicial forgiveness, which guarantees an unchangeable standing and position in sonship, should not be confused with the father's forgiveness towards his sinning child, which is holy within the family relationship, and which restores lost fellowship and the joy to the child of God. You see how it's a different thing? It's not a judge. As Schaefer puts it, it's in the family. Although my kids are here. Even though they think I'm a judge sometimes, you know, it's not. It's dealing it within the family.

No comments from Pinagoe. Yes. It's not where Hebrews is talking about the chasing of the Lord. It's not a pleasant thing. But he just chases these on. And it's momentary. And it's not a process that goes on in the event you get out of line. Absolutely. These are the things I think from Hal's saying. There's no tragedies in a Christian's life. No matter what goes on, God allowed it. The other thing is decisions. Have rest with the decisions. He gives us a mind. We think about things. He gives us wisdom through Scripture, through prayer. All these things and we make a decision. And you make a decision. Don't beat yourself up. for whatever that decision was, because God allowed you to do that.

Now, it could be a bad decision, in which there could be chastening. There could be that road that you take, and that's chastening. The other is, he allows you to go this, and you think, I'm going to open up this door to ministry or whatever, and everything blows apart. I must have made the wrong decision.

I keep thinking about, no, God knew about that and allowed you to do that. Don't get beat up by whatever these decisions are. Once you make the decision, learn from what things the Lord has for you. Like I said, if there's chastening, you'll find out, because there are consequences to your action.

And the purpose is only to draw you back into fellowship to the Lord. That's the only purpose. If you go off of the chastening, it isn't for punishment. It's to draw you back, and it's a completely different thing than a judge who's going to impose a penalty on you for your actions. God does not act that way now. The chastening is in a loving fashion. Where the sole purpose is to bring you back into that fellowship. It's not to punish you. Well, they portray it as the spanking like a father spanks his child, you know. That's what chastening is. Punishment. You call it punishment.

It's not out of anger or malice. It's not to inflict pain on you for the act that you committed. It's not to do that. The sole purpose is to bring you back into fellowship. Bud, you're not acting the way you should be. You're in the Lord. You're off. Come back here. I want fellowship with you. And that's the chastening part. Okay, so he's acting as a judge to bring you back because you just screwed up. Not as a judge in this one. Judge is more without emotion, I think. It's just the law and it's got to be imposed on you.

Whereas now, it's within a family. We're in a family. Because you're a believer. Now, this is talking to believers. If you're not a believer, then he acts the wrath of God on you. Well, yeah, the only question left for everybody left alive now is who is Jesus Christ? Sin issue's been taken care of. The only question right now, there's only one question left.

Mike's famous saying, which someday we've got to meet this guy, is across the street in the White House over there, are his sins paid for? Are they? Absolutely. Absolutely. The only question the gentleman in the White House has is who is Jesus Christ? Who's the White House? Mike always points to the man in the White House over here. Someday we've got to meet this guy. He's probably a great believer. We've been using him for all these things. The sins have been paid for. Sin issues dealt with. It's completely dealt with. The only issue now to everyone on this earth is who is Jesus Christ. That's it. Do you believe who Jesus Christ is? That's the only question.

Sin's dealt with. Tell me if you think this tracks. The question on top of this question is what did God judge? So he didn't so much judge us as he judged sin. Yes. So it always kind of takes me back to reconsidering position. people get judged in the sense that they're positioned in the old habit. But after they've transformed into the new last Adam, your positions change but the judgment is on the sin.

So when you commit that sin or whatever, it's not that you're being judged as much as being reminded as a believer of where you are in your position. Yeah, I think that's a great point. Position is everything. Position in Adam or position in Christ? If you don't keep track of that, if you keep coming back, well, I sinned so I'm going to get judged. Yeah. And that's already been taken care of. Taken care of. Yeah. I hope that guy across the street never repaints his house with it.

All our examples are down the tube at that point. Yeah, color just changes too. I think from an identification standpoint, I think we have to talk about the fact that every human being born in Adam is by nature a sinner. And when that person in Adam stands before God, he stands condemned.

Yes. Already. Already condemned. Trial's over. He's been condemned. When that person believes in the person and work of Christ, The condemnation is carried out on him. His sins, his actions, are paid for by another, but he, the sinner, is crucified. Right. Romans 6. And so, when he is crucified, positionally, and buried and resurrected, then his standing before God now is that of a son, not as a man, an Adam. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the righteous judgment that God has against the sinner, not the sins he committed, but the sinner was carried out. He was caught, found guilty, and he was crucified. Every human being that believes in Christ who is now a believer has been crucified with Christ so that the law was satisfied, and God's judgment against the sinner was satisfied, and God's demand for payment of the sins has been propitiated by the work of Christ.

I think it goes back to the identification of what Steve was saying. Position. If you're positioned in Adam, you're already condemned. But, through Romans 6, we've been co-crucified. The old man... So, there had to be a separation from the old Adam. And that happened at the cross. The co-crucifixion.

And now we are new creatures, new in kind, new in quality, New creatures, what? In Christ. So we are new creatures, and that, to the in Christ, I go back to the family aspect. Now it's a family matter, if you have this in. Well, we have two natures right now. The old man is not dead within us. We are dead unto sin. So we still have two natures in us. That's why, hence, we still do stupid things.

The new creature in Christ, as we spiritually mature, we are more conforming to Christ. We're always going to have the problem of dealing with sin, but I think we are more in the family and kind of acting as who we are in Christ as we mature in Christ. So again, I just want to separate what dealing with the sin and the sinner was a judicial act. But when it's now, for a believer, it's a family.

As Bud said, it's a chastening. It's how you deal with a child who needs a little straighten, bring it back. God does the same thing. But sometimes, when you discipline your child, it may be in anger. God doesn't do it that way. God does it lovingly. Who can separate us from the love of God? So, all that chastening is done in love. So, it's a family matter now, and that's just the difference I want to bring out between the two aspects.

When he acts as a judge, but within us, he acts within fellowship, he does it as a chastening rather than as a judge. There's another thing that Schaffer said, in the forgiveness of God towards sinners, therefore, is not an immediate act of grace, It is rather a judicial pardon of a debtor in view of the fact that his debt has been fully paid by another. We cannot know how much he paid yet, though unable to measure redemption, we may rejoice in the fact that all, even to the measure of the righteous reckoning of God, is absolutely and eternally paid by Christ. It is not a question of the relative benefits which might possibly accrue to the sinner under one form of forgiveness or another, where he is forgiven graciously or in strict justice. It is a question on the basis upon which any divine forgiveness can be extended righteously.

This righteous basis has been provided in the cross. Sin has been dealt with at the cross. Now we are in Him, in Christ. He deals with it as a family matter. And it's always in love now. It's always under grace as we're in Him. So it's just the difference between the aspects of dealing with sin as a non-believer and sin as a believer. He acts in dealing with sin as a judge. Now, as a believer, he deals with it as a family matter, as something chastening, bringing back, and it's solely in love to bring you back to the fellowship.

All right, nine. What is the threefold sentence that every unbeliever is under? It was in the paper there. He's a sinner by? Nature. By nature. He is a sinner by? Practice. Practice. and a sinner by divine decree. Pretty much under everything. By practice, by divine decree, by nature.

It's interesting how a lot of people you'll meet, unbelievers, they'll say, well, they're a sinner because they sin. They never have that connection. It's so hard to get past that point. Well, if I was just a little bit better, Well, I think believers have this problem. That's why I keep harping on identification so much, is that we're dead on descent.

Quit trying to fix up the old man. We just talked about that. What did God do to the old man? Crucified him. Can you fix him up? It's awfully hard to fix up a dead man. Awfully hard to do that. You know, he's not going to act a lot better. He's dead.

So, you know, that's, you know, I think a lot of believers have this problem. If I only, and this goes the whole thing of the grace too, which, you know, the unmerited part, you know, I keep, you know, for years I used to do this and I think I confess, you know, you do things just so God would smile a little better on you. Because you had to just do a little bit to make him just, you know, Courtney, oh, I saw what you did. I'm so happy with what you did. I'm so happy for all your works. Oh, just fantastic.

God never does that. You know, God just pours out his blessings to us. It's not for anything that I do. Once you realize that, you can rest. And as I keep saying, as I study more grace and identification and all that, I have more rest now than I ever have. Because I realize I don't have to do anything.

And all I have to do is to know Him. To just keep finding out who He is. Because what? As I find out who He is, what do I find out about myself? Who I am in Him. And then, the trials, the tribulations, the blessings, all those, it's just a lot easier to understand. He allows it. I have more peace knowing, even if things happen, I have more peace knowing God allowed it. Why am I worried about it?

Did suddenly I get separated from the love of God? When it says all those things, how can you be separated from the love of God? He forgot that one clause that I found. And I was separated from the love of God for whatever. You know? I found the fine print and I was excluded from the love of God. So, oops, you know, Courtney. It's absurd. You know?

What's the purpose of an advocate? Well, to me, it's to come beside and to basically support You know, I think it's legal term is like an advocate in a court. Can he plead your case? Plead your case. He's the one who does it all, basically. He's the one who basically does it all. You don't do anything. You know, the advocate... Christ is pleading our case? He's in between. You know, between God and us. He is our advocate. God sees the advocate. He doesn't see us. He doesn't see us. The advocate is between the parties. I think in that scenario you have to remember that there's an accuser, there's a prosecutor, and so in the court of judgment, Satan is saying, look what God, look what Courtney did, and the advocate says, yeah, he did it, but I took care of it.

And that's what happens. I like to say, I have guys say, somebody comes fromside who comes actually between, between the two parties. According to that, it points back to the family relationship we're talking about. The judge or the advocates are, we have a relationship to that person. If you relate to the judge, he pays your fine by, a typical story about that, he judges you and then he pays the fine for you. You're found guilty, pay the price, okay, I'll pay it for you. Alright, number 10.

What is the basis of forgiveness of the unbeliever? Faith. Okay. Believe. Okay. That's the basis of forgiveness for the unbeliever. Okay. It's to believe. And what is that to believe? The person and work of Christ. OK? That's the basis of forgiveness. This is all going to this whole theme that Chafer goes through as the judge. So you just have to believe in the finished work of Christ on the cross, who Christ is. OK?

The divine dealings of sins of the saved are similar to the divine dealings with the sins of the unsaved in one particular, namely, what God does in either case is done on the ground of the cross. So both are based on what was done at the cross. But for the unbeliever, it is believing, faith. Now, what about the believer?

Forgiveness is based on what? But this is one of your favorite, I think. Say that again. So now, what is forgiveness based on for the believer? We said the unbelievers, it's by faith, by believing in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Now, what about believers? Forgiveness is based on what? The finished work of Christ on the cross. Same, they're both. But, one is to believe, and the other, what do we do now as believers? Bud, this is your favorite person. There you go. Bud, you let me down there. I was ready for you.

Yeah, so it's believe and confess. Believe for the unbeliever and confess for the believer. And I think that's an important, maybe it's an important point with me because I come out of a Catholic background, that the Catholics would have you, a non-believer, confess and not talk about faith. Confession doesn't save anybody. That's really the point we're getting at. It's between believe and confess. And Schaefer put it this way.

This is a part of God's saving grace and is wrought on the sole condition that they believe. So this is for the unbeliever. While the regenerate are forgiven and cleansed on the sole condition that while the regenerate, the believers, are forgiven and cleansed in the sole condition that they confess.

These two requirements indicated by these two words, it will be noted, are wholly different. The human obligation, as represented by each word, is exactly adapted in each case to the precise relationships which on the one hand, exists between God and the unsaved, and on the other hand, exists between God and the saved. The salvation of the sinner is unto union with God. The restoration of the saint is unto communion with God.

And I really like that. So the unbeliever, the believing part, brings them to union with God, or in Him, or in Christ, or union as part of the family. But as a believer, Confession is wrought to bring communion, that fellowship, back. And this is what Mike was saying.

The lost are never saved by confessing. And this one. And the saved are never restored by believing. How's that one? I thought that one invoked, I thought it would be a lot more. OK, the lost are never saved by confessing. And the saved are never restored by believing. What about that one? I had that one highlighted.

Well, I like the term, you know, you're agreeing with God. When you confess, you're agreeing with God. And that's like faith that you're saying, that's what it is, that's sin. Yeah, and that's typically when we say confessing, you know, in the first John 1, 9. It's agreeing with God. Yeah, God, I'm not acting as who you say I am. I agree with you. But the only thing is, when I was a little bit, is that part of believing? I believe what you say. I had a little bit of heartburn with this statement, just a tiny bit, in that Agreeing, I'm believing God is telling me the truth about myself.

So I was a little bit, you know, the Savior never restored by believing. I think what he's just trying to say about confessing. An unbeliever is never, never saved by confessing. Yeah. Courtney, also I wonder if it's not to kind of You know, some people don't believe in the security of their salvation, so they believe they sinned, so they have to go back and have quote, saving faith again. And he's kind of making a sharp distinction. No, you're already saved, and you're just dealing with the question of communion or fellowship.

See, I always think of the ones who have, you know, about losing their salvation. My big thing about that is they do not know the identification truths. Because if you don't know you've died, It doesn't make sense. How do I, you know, how do I climb back up the cross, go back down, come over here, blah blah blah, you can't do it. They don't know that you're dead. You're a new creature in Christ. How do you get out of being in Christ? A new life, a new creature, new in kind, new in quality, in Christ. How do you get out of that?

John 10.28 used to be one of my favorites.

Climbing out of the hand of God. There's nobody who can pluck me out of his hand. I can't climb out of his hand. Well, I think that to me is, I'm in him. How do I get out of there? There's no way. Nobody can pluck me out. I can't climb out. I'm part of his family. I'm a new creature in him. I can't get out of that. Which is a wonderful thing. It sounds bad. Oh, I can't get out of that.

Oh, I don't have the escape clause. Man, I do not want an escape clause on this. One of the other things I think which, end sentence on this section, the revealed attitude of God toward all men is that of grace alone. Therefore, he does not need to be coaxed or persuaded. With his hand outstretched to bestow all that his grace can offer, I love this ending sentence, is highly inconsistent to plead with him to be gracious or coax him to be good.

How many times have I done that though? You know, I clip them out of here. I'll have to look back, I'm sorry. I'll get it to you after. I clip them out and just paste them in here, so I don't put the reference. Yeah. And then, Yeah, I went over some of the things with the confession there.

Let's go on to give Mike a few minutes to introduce his. And 11, what are the four vital elements that enter into divine forgiving and cleansing which constitute the restoration of a sinning saint? He put it in there, four different things. First is confession is the one and only condition on the human side. OK? Second? So you know where that reference is.

Absolute forgiveness and cleansing is promised on the divine side. Right, so confession on the human side, absolute forgiveness, cleansing is promised on the divine side. And then the third thing, the Christian while sinning has been safe as to divine condemnation because of his advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Okay? And then the fourth thing, divine forgiveness and cleansing is exercised toward the believer in unchallenged faithfulness and justice because Christ is what? The propitiation for our sins.

He's who satisfied God's just dealing with sin. Okay? Twelve, what is Chafer's definition of grace at the end of the paper? Anybody have that one? Yes, so many. It has at the end, it says, It may be concluded that the word grace, as used in the Bible in relationship to divine salvation, represents the uncompromised, unrestricted, un-recompensed loving favor of God towards sinners. I think this is where Macaulay got his. He just boiled it down into the definition that we have. Again, uncompromised, unrestricted, unrecompensed, loving favor of God towards sinners. It is unearned blessings. It is a gratuity. God is absolutely untrammeled.

I'm going to ask you for that definition. And unshackled in expressing his infinite love by his infinite grace. So anybody know what trammeled is? Yeah, it's like heated or whatever. He's unimpeded or heated in expressing his infinite love by his infinite grace. So that's actually, as I said, I think that's where McCauley gets what we use, which I think is kind of the boil down, which I like, is the unlimited, unmerited blessings of God based on the finished work of Christ on the cross.

So it's a little bit more succinct than that. And the last one, why would we not suppose that God's divine plan of restoration of the child of God to the father fellowship will result in an attitude of carelessness on the part of the Christian? Long question. Why would we not suppose that God's divine plan of restoration of the child to the father's fellowship will result in an attitude of carelessness on the Christian.

Well, God's going to do it all. Yeah. I can do whatever I want, right? Is that the attitude? Sometimes. I appreciate your honesty. I think it's true, though. I think so. It's not complacent to say, oh well, I'll deal with that tomorrow. Well, and I think that the thing that we find is we teach grace a lot. There's nothing I can do. Okay. I'll just hang out here. And it's not.

It's you then operate from a position of grace or a position of rest is what I like to think. You know what? The motive is gone when you then serve him. if you're in grace because you realize it's not for anything to have God smile on or smile on me a little bit more or to earn brownie points or whatever. Once you understand and you operate from a position of rest in grace, your motives are only out of love for the Lord. You're acting who you are in Christ. You know, again, we go back to when Christ, Christ didn't wake up every day and go, well, I have to do these five things of the Father's will today. This is my checklist.

He didn't. He just did the Father's will. He knew the Father intimately, and he did it. It wasn't a burden to him. Even going to the cross, even though it was, obviously, he died and went through the wrath of God, experienced that. It was to do his Father's will. There was no other thing for him to do.

As we mature and grow in grace and knowledge of Him, I think that's our course too. We just do the Father's will. That's who we are. Part of the family. Okay, am I the only one then that doesn't always follow through? Oh yeah, you are. I'm sorry. We'll have a special class for you later, Monique. You're the only one. You're the only one in that class. Absolutely not.

I think the real answer to that And we'll hand it out in a few weeks as those points that William Newell makes about the man under grace. And one of those principles is that realizing more and more my unworthiness, but at the same time expecting to be blessed by God is the great secret. You know, and it came up, I don't know, you said it a few weeks ago or a week ago, I can't remember. I don't feel worthy. Do you feel worthy? No. Should you feel worthy?

No. I say you should. You're in Him. In Christ. You're in Christ. Are you worthy? In Christ. In Christ. That's what I'm saying. In Christ. Absolutely I'm worthy. I'll give you another email. And I'll be right this time again, I know. I think, you know, that's the problem. I think that we that hinders a lot of us is, oh, I'm not worthy. Are you in Christ? Was Christ worthy? Yes. What Cardi said, but it may have been better, is that we're only worthy because He is worthy. There's no worthy within ourselves. No, nothing. It's all His worthiness, not our worthiness.

That phrase that I always put on it. In Him. We are new creatures in Christ. Us in Him. makes us worthy. You know, we went through the 33 things and then there's 640, you know, whatever. Or 212, whatever those things. You know, that we get immediately when we are in Christ. That's your old nature speaking. You know, all those things we get. Did we do something for those things? Did He give us all those 33 things that we go through?

No. So, were we unworthy? We deserve death. The old man did, but the new man in Christ... No, because we believe. But in Him, in Christ, we are a new creature in Christ. We are legitimate offspring of Christ. Are we worthy? In Him. Yes. I think it's a dual revelation that a believer has a clear understanding about his own personal unworthiness. At the same time, he rests in the fact that he's in Christ and his worthiness is sustained. Yeah, and now we wrestle with both. But I think the thing that draws a lot of Christians down is the Oh, I got to worry about all of it, and I'm not worthy, because look, I sinned today.

Are you still, are you worthy? You just lost fellowship. You're still in the family. You're still being blessed. Unlimited. And I just, I guess it's a mindset. Know who you are in Christ. As you know who you are in Christ, You receive all these blessings. Then you operate from this position of rest to do the will of the Father. Yes, Donna?

Well, as you're talking about confession of sin, a lot of times you tend to think of something that you do. But I think what you're talking about there, about the unworthiness, self-sufficiency, anger, I mean, it doesn't matter. A lot of the aspects that you're really confessing is your attitude that you don't believe your position. Right. It's knowing who you are in Christ.

And that's why I love getting more and more of this 2 Peter 3.18. You should grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is a process. Monique, you're not the only one. This is not the, you know, Everybody goes through it, and this is a growing process.

That's why I like 2 Peter 3.18. It's a growing, it's a process. Nobody's going to arrive at sinless perfection in this lifetime. It's a growing process. And that's why, Monique, we all go through this. We all do it. And it's a growing process. Growing in grace, understanding what grace is, and has that through the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those two go together, inextricably.

Also, same thing comes into this too. Christians have responsibility. Don't we have responsibility? In other words, can't we just justify the fact that we're already in Christ, we can't lose our salvation. We don't have to do any works if we think we're saved and we're in the heavenlies and there's nothing to it. That's why that comes in there, that same old scripture. better sleep and tell him about it, and he'll agree with you. The Responsibility Act, that's one I'm struggling with, with that word. You know, that's about carelessness, this last question.

Can you be careless? What is Romans 6, was it 2 and then 15? Sin? Can I sin now? Uncontrollably? Because I'm under grace? Can I do that? You could. But what does he say? May it never be. Paul addresses this. These are divinely inspired words. For that question. He said about the things he struggled with the whole time too. Oh yeah, but may it never be. May it never be. That question was answered twice in Romans 6. There's another point here.

One is that if my focus is on my sinning or not sinning or my responsibility before God, then I'm self-focused. As a believer in Christ, Christ has met every one of my responsibilities. But I also have a stewardship from Him to be growing and to be manifesting His life. And that puts the focus back on Him where it belongs. And if the focus stays there, I don't have to worry about my sinning.

Right. And that's why I say I think the growing process, as we grow and mature and conform, we're focused on Him. You know, as you grow, some of those temptations that used to get you, you know, as you're focused on Him, they lose their luster. You know, you're focused on Him. You're not distracted as much because you're focused on Him. You know who you are. That's who you are. And as you look at that, that becomes your focus.

And that's where the growth, the rest, As an old lady raising small children, I have a lot of opportunity to be frustrated, angry, and extremely impatient and cranky. And it happens every day, over and over, over and over. And I'm constantly needing to focus on the Lord. And that can happen in the split second of saying, oh, I'm so glad I belong to you. I'm so glad that you paid for my things. You know, little things like that. Just constantly, while I'm washing dishes, thinking about that. You know what? Bring it to mind again.

Recalling and reckoning and saying, thank you, Lord. I'm so glad. And what I'm doing is I'm admitting that that's a sin. I'm reckoning that it's taken care of. I'm focusing on him, redirecting my attention. And what does it say? It says that he that has this strong confidence in him, purifies himself. And it's not that I'm making myself clean, but I'm going back to the one who is clean. And I'm walking, and I'm reckoning, and I have joy. And so for five more minutes, I'm not reckoning. But you know, as I listen to that, and I think about this in my own life, You think, these kids, I'm going to conk them. I want to tape them to a chair and forget about them.

God allowed that to happen, and what did it do for you? Oh, it makes me thrilled. It draws you back to Him, you realize. So when these kids are going crazy, it wasn't by accident. And that's why I say, as you understand these things, the peace, the understanding through all trials, everything that goes on. I understand God allowed this for a reason. Why?

Oh, it's to refocus me on Him. I was looking over here. I was getting frustrated by that. I was getting angry. I look to Him. When I hear that, I just think of, yeah, God's using those kids in a powerful way. You don't understand it when they're breaking things, throwing things, drawing on the wall, doing whatever. You may not think of that, but He allowed that to happen.

And what was the end? It's that you became focused on Him. And that's like for a lot of trials, at the end, you realize you can't do anything by yourself. You can't do anything in yourself. And it draws you to Him. All your sufficiency is in Him. Everything is in Him. All right.

Let's close and then he'll hand that out. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time. Father, we just thank you for any time again, just so we can delve into your Word. We just thank you again as we look into this topic of grace. It is something that is unmeasurable. It is unlimited. Father, we just rest in the fact that you love us so much. And now, as part of your family, you just want to bless us with unlimited blessings. And all we have to do is focus on you and thank you. Thank you because there's nothing that we've done.

We just thank you for your working in our lives, just to draw us to you, to that fellowship, that communion that we have with you, that ability to have fellowship with you, intimate fellowship. It is not distant. It is intimate. You know everything about us. You know everything going on in our lives. You know everything that will transpire with us.

We just rest in that fact and realize that whatever happens, it's not out of malice or anger towards us. It is only out of love to draw us back to you, the source of all of our life and all of our blessings. So Father, we just thank you again for this time, and we just thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.