You In Christ and Christ in You

All right, first things first. Any questions? Have you saved up any questions? Oh, I see Gary's got a notepad. I'm in trouble now. Yes, this is question and answer day. Plus, I've got a whole bunch of stuff, if you don't have too many questions. Yes? Oh, is yours typed up? No, no, no. Oh, whew. Typed up the questions. I'm in real serious trouble. You are in real trouble.

OK, going to Ephesians 5.8.

Ephesians 5.8. This may just be my interpretation, according to a reading of Ephesians 5a. And maybe look at your translation.

It says, For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walked as children in the Lord. children of the light. Yeah, you were formerly darkness, but you are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. What translation would say that trying to learn indicates to me that potentially there is an effort on our part other than to be following the Lord? Why, to walk as children of light? Is that the phrase that you know? Mm-hmm. See, I think that's the same as walking the spirit. And I should probably look up to see for the end of mine.

For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth. Again, I look at Christ as the light, the word, truth. grace, all that, and the fruit of life consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth. I would say that would be walk in the Spirit, when you're walking in the Spirit. Again, since we have two natures, we can either walk in the flesh or walk in the Spirit. So I think this is saying, again, this is one of those logical imperatives, that if you're in Christ, walk as Christ, the light, the life, the word, the truth, grace, all those things.

I think that's what that's saying. That's a logical imperative that if you're in Christ, you should walk as children, child of light, or what they say here. And I can look up the actual word there if you want. But I think that's all that's saying. It's just the same thing as walking the spirit. The other question I had was, like I said, if we understood even one of the I think I was the one who said that, and I beat Mike up on that one.

How do we practically begin to appreciate all the things that we have? Like in Ephesians 1-7, positionally in Christ, how do we practically begin to appreciate or grasp that? I think it comes down to the simple thing, and I said that in the 34 things of Lewis Barry Chafer.

Do you believe it? Do you just mentally know that, or do you believe it? And that's where I think, and that's where, like on mine, and mine is usually Abba Father, I love that one. When you understand that one, Daddy, you go to the God of the universe that created everything and holds everything together, Colossians, from the micro to the macro, holds everything together. God is the one who said it created everything, and you can go before him in boldness and say, Daddy. that blows me away. Do I believe that? I do. But I think I only understand that much of that.

But that changed a lot of how I relate in prayer. And that's why I say a lot of times, I don't go up when my dad was alive, I didn't, Oh Father, and speak in holy words. I didn't do that. And I don't think we should do that to our Heavenly Father when it says, cry, Abba, Father, Daddy. That was a term of endearment. I don't think, well, it changed my prayer life. I don't talk to the Father in flowery language.

I talk to him like I talk to you. I talk, because I have that intimate relationship with him. When I'm driving down the road, I'm walking down, I'm not saying, oh father, oh father. Sometimes when I'm in trouble, I shoot the ear up to her and say, oh father. I think that's when he knows I'm really in trouble. He's actually made me dependent upon him. But it's much more an intimate conversation with them. That's just one thing out of those 34 things. No condemnation.

Do you believe that? That's what I think I asked last time. How many people feel worthy to go before the Lord? Raise your hand. So you guys don't listen to me every time. We are, but it takes so long to get that into the actual consciousness. You can, like you say, know it up here in the brain, but getting it from there into just your everyday walking around thinking. But that's where you should be, that's where you gotta be. Because that's where, you know, and I say that, and everybody goes, oh, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy. Well, then what else do you need to do? So, you should feel worthy.

That's where I go to the intimacy. I don't, because of Christ, not anything that I've done, but because of Christ, He's the one I'm in, and where's Christ? At the right hand of the Father right now. you know, what more do I need to do to come before Him? To have that intimacy, you can't feel like, oh, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy. If I did that to my father every time, I'd never go to my father. I am entirely worthy, not of anything that I've done, but because of what Christ has done. And that gives me boldness to go before Him, anytime, anywhere, anyplace, and ask anything.

You know, and I think we get in a micro and a macro problem. Ooh, this is too small for the Lord. What do you mean? He gives you every breath, every heartbeat. Ooh, this is too big for the Lord. Are you kidding me? You know, what is too small or too large? Do you only go for the middle? You know, those things that you think are just enough that the Lord can handle? Go to him for everything. A running communication with him.

And I don't need to feel unworthy. I have nothing in myself. It's all because I'm in Christ and who I am in Christ that I feel comfortable to go before the Lord before anything. So I say, when you think about it, what else do you need to feel worthy before the Lord? You're in Him and He's right before, besides God the Father.

Not a bad place to be. I think it's a matter of semantics. The word worthy conjures up. certain images in my mind about myself, whereas I guess I would say I'm confident in the Lord, I know I'm accepted, and so therefore I always boldly approach the throne. But when I get there I say, Lord, I'm so glad you let me come and speak to you and borrow my heart. It was the first thing you said. You think about yourself.

Old or new man? Old man. In the new, You have everything. And that's why I say our part is we jump back in the old man and go, oh, I'm not worthy. I don't think I'm jumping back in the old man. I'm recognizing how much I need him. Yeah. Even as a Christian. Yeah, but I think that the point, and that's where I think as we grow in him, we have less worry about the old, and what's wrong with me.

That's why, you know, when sin comes, you do something stupid to sin, and you beat yourself up for it. Is he done with your sin? Absolutely. What is the only thing that sin will do right now? It breaks fellowship. It's the only thing. But we beat ourselves up for sin. Oh, I'm not worthy now. I'm not worthy. No, you just broke fellowship. You turned this way instead of focusing on the Lord. You aren't acting who you are in Christ.

1 John 1.9. Confess it. Agree with Him. Yeah, I'm not doing what I should be in Christ. Okay. Fellowship restored. He doesn't hold a grudge. He doesn't hold anything against you because you did that. I think He's just, you know, wanting you back in fellowship. But we beat ourselves up. You know, I did that horrible thing. God's done with it. You be done with it. So anyway. where we came from that we need to understand and appreciate.

You have to know. Like in Ephesians 2, 11 and 12 it says, Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision which is performed in the flesh by the human hands, remember that you were at that time separate from Christ. A statement from the I hope you got them all memorized.

But there were 61 things that were negative, that were before we were in Christ, that we are to remember and know that that's where we came from. But let me read this real quick. It says, in order to fully appreciate the riches of God's grace, we need to contrast our present position in Christ with our former unregenerate state that when we were outside of Christ, we were dead in sin. So oftentimes that will give us a perspective of who we are in Christ, where we came from. Not that we dwell on the old man, but we need to know our total sinfulness and our condition before we came into fellowship with Christ.

I agree 100%. And when you look at most believers Most believers, and salvation is by grace, and it's very simple. Believe. There are no other requirements that you change, you do, la la la, all these things we try and put on it. Going through the Gospel of John, it was great. You know, you really, when he offers it, it was like completely just believe. Don't change. You don't have to do 59 things before you come to me.

Just believe. Well, I think that's in a lot of believers. I think a good part of the early believer's life is trying to identify and eradicate, not eradicate, but identify the old man. And that's the hardest thing. That's where I think a lot of people fall down. That's why I think I tend to concentrate on a lot of the identification truths is because most believers get trapped into trying to fix up the old man, trying to take the covenants of Israel and bring it, you know, and do all these things where we have so much more that, yes, I believe a hard part is trying to have people identify what is of the old man and what is of the new man in Christ. I think the Lord takes us through a lot where, yeah, I thought I was acting in the new man, where no, I was in the old man. My motives were wrong.

So I think a lot of that is where that comes from, is you've got to spend time finding out who you were in Adam, because that nature is still there. And once you start realizing that, I think you begin to start, in growth, identifying who I am in Christ, and that becomes much more of the factor in my life, rather than, I'm going to fix up the old man. The spiritual growth comes after you recognize that you move towards the position we have in Christ. Instead of relying on the good works, subconsciously, that I have to perform because Christ loved me first, therefore I have to love Him.

Relating to all the commands that we have in the New Testament. Which are logical imperatives. Like I said, again, it's the thing. Because I'm in Christ, logically I should do this. Not a cause and effect. It's just who I am. Right. Any other questions? Do you have more on your list? Easy. Easy. Any from the peanut gallery back there? Are they awake yet? They all have their coffee and trying to open their eyes. Any others? I'll go through it. It's funny, I was listening on the radio this morning. I woke up and they had one of the programs on. It was good in that it was saying it's not religion, it's a relationship. And that is true.

But, as I was listening, you know, more of the requirements and the, you know, things and, you know, I remember, you know, I think it's a lot harder to eradicate the old man, or not eradicate, but identify, especially the good part of the old man. Remember, you know, we've talked about this a lot, you know, went to the tree of what, good and evil? Oh, that evil stuff we can identify, you know, when I kick the dog and, you know, you know, graffiti or whatever, that's wrong. That's easy to identify.

But when I'm walking the little old lady across the crosswalk being good, and I feel so proud of myself for doing that, that one is every bit as bad as the evil. You go from not one branch of the tree of good and evil. You don't go from the evil side and climb over to the good side of the tree of good evil and good and evil, you get completely down and go to the tree of life, and that's in Christ. So it's a lot harder to get rid of those good things, because there are good people who are non-believers who do, quote, good things. But is their motive right, or is there anything other than sin in their lives?

No. Chuck, I'll use the example of, I think it's a very and he went out on one occasion and had a billboard on both sides that put on Proclaiming Christ. And when he came back that night or the next morning or whatever, he had to stop and think his motives for doing that.

Yeah, he felt very proud. Yeah, it was basically a very subtle thing that we do. Yeah, I remember that story about Harry Ironside. He was so proud of himself for going down. you know, being, you know, the sandwich board in a gnarly part of town and being a witness and he came home and he was so proud of himself. It's so easy to get proud of yourself.

Alright, well we can go through a couple things. I want to get through some of the verses. I had a ton of verses that I wanted to go through. You know, just kind of in review, you know, basically Christ in you, you in Christ. We did the principles of position and condition and grace. We tried to wrap them all up in this class. Which, you know, took a long time.

We kind of started, and I like kind of going in, The progression, the identification truths, I think, are still one of the most important things. I think I've convinced Mike that he's agreeing that that is one of the most important things that we do. That is the foundation. That's where I think, Gary, that's where the growth starts, when you can identify the old man.

Because I think there are a lot of believers, but they continue to try and fix up the old man, do things out of the old man. I remember at our old church, I think of Lots of things where we did programs, and then they'd fail, and then do the next program, and then the next program, and the next program. Well, what were we doing? What motive were we doing? Because there are some sermons later that were people throwing quarters at us and other things.

It was bizarre. All my kids know that. I think you've maybe gone by that time when that was... So about how bad and, oh, feel all of Parker is dying because you're not out there. And it was like, whew. So there were some things that were. It was about you. And that's the whole key. It was about you. And once you know that, it's not shut down.

So anyway, I think the identification principles are some of the key things that you need. So just go through a couple of those. First of all, the principle of reproduction as it relates to being an Adam or Christ. What does the principle of reproduction mean?

Does anybody remember that? We went through that? Like begets like. Like begets like. What does that mean? Sin begets sin. It's like, can a dog reproduce into a snake? No. A bird? No. What does a dog reproduce into? A dog. A dog produces a dog. Therefore, when we're an atom, started with atom, reproduce, reproduce, reproduce, reproduce to today. Here we are. We are offspring of atom. A sinful atom. When we were born, we had no choice. We were sinners by the principle of reproduction.

So, what does that get us? In Romans 1-3, Romans 3, verse 20. Basically, those verses, Romans 1-3, verse 20, basically tell us who we are in Adam. It basically goes through all the points of that. So, if you look through that, I've got a couple of them. Romans 2, 12-16.

For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. And all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are just before God, but the doers of the law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the law do instinctively the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the works of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternatively accusing or else defending them. on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus." I bring those verses out because a lot of people go, well, it's only the Jews that were under the law. This one tells you also the Gentiles were. So, all of the Gentiles can't raise their hand and say, oh, we weren't under the law, we get the, you know, get out of jail free card. This basically says the same, that we're under that. When you look at that, are there any exclusions to this?

Where there is somebody born under Adam that had a special dispensation that said, I am not a sinner. Only Christ. Okay, Romans 3, 9 through 18. This is the one that kind of is the, I think, the disclaimer. was excluded. Not at all, for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous, not even one." Okay, right there. Have we got any exclusions? None righteous, not even one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside. Together they have become useless. There is none who does good. There is not even one.

Their throat is an open grave. With their tongues they keep deceiving. The poison of asp is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

So, by virtue of birth and Adam, are there any that are without sin? No, not one. Okay. So, our identification means there is nothing. We, by no choice, but by birth, by identification, Adam is our federal head, the one who started it all, and we are legitimate offspring of him, and we have that same sin nature. So, what must take place? Do we just do a few goats and bulls and a few offerings and call it good?

What did that do for the Jews? It was a temporary thing. They had to keep doing it again and again and again. You made your sacrifice on the Day of Atonement and the next year you have to do the same thing again. It's a covering. It's kind of a payment plan. But there was no end in sight for that. So, how does that end?

How do we get out of that? Christ and His sacrifice. He is the ultimate, the ultimate unblemished lamb. So how do we get out of it? I acknowledge that and I believe that. And what does that do for us? Places us in Him. I'm looking for a word. Huh? It frees us from Adam. How does that free us from Adam? What happens on the cross? We're... Another word than... He's gone. We are dead to him. Dead. Dead. And what does death mean? Separation. So, we are... through our co-crucifixion with Christ, we are dead to Adam, dead to sin, positionally. Positionally, that is what happened 2,000 years ago, 2,000 plus years ago, OK? Or 2,000 years ago. So in Romans 321 through Romans 5, Paul explains justification by faith, OK? And then I'll read a couple of them.

So basically, what does that mean? So Romans 3, 23 through 25, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in his blood through faith. So we're justified as a gift, as a gift.

Then Romans 5, 1 through 3, therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have, we have obtained an introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand and we exult in the hope of the glory of God. And Romans 5, 9 through 11, much more than having been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Romans 5, 17-21.

Fourth, by the transgression of one, death reigned through the one much more, those who received the abundance of grace. and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, that's our endemic life, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

The law came in so that, I always, you know, when you ask people, What is the law there for? To make us better. To make us better. Bring him to this one. The law came in so that the transgression would increase. But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. Super abounded. So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So basically, Romans 1-3 verse 20 talks about who we are in Adam. Now, this one talks about basically we are justified. What does justified mean? Declared righteous. So, is that anything we did? That's the big thing. Most people think justified. It's, oh, I did. No. All it was was God declared you righteous. By what? faith in Christ. When you read through all those verses I just did, what is the only thing that is there for us?

Faith. Faith. Unmeritorious act. Unmeritorious thing that we do. Faith. Faith in who? In Christ. In His death, burial, and resurrection. That is the only thing that is required, is faith. And it's not a work. you believe on something that's already true.

So, we now have justification by faith in Romans 3.21-5 or through the entire chapter of Romans 5. So, what does that get us? If that was it, if we were just declared righteous, That was the only thing that transpired. What would that mean? Stunned silence. Stunned silence. What would that mean? That's it.

Paul is great. The more I read Paul, it's great. He always does this. He always lays out these facts, and then he tells what happens, and then the results. 1-3, dirty rotten sinners. 3-321-5, justification by faith. Nothing you do, I'm going to declare you righteous by your belief in my Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Romans 6, what happens in Romans 6? You guys should all know Romans 6. This is the key to identification. The key to identification. I said from 1-5 we see we are all identified in Adam, we are all sinners, separated from God, but God through grace declared us righteous, justified, not on our own merits or works, but solely by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Was that it? What if that was all? Would we be identified with Adam or Christ at that point? You're still in Adam. At that point you still have The Old Testament believers like Abraham were declared righteous before God, but they didn't have the Holy Spirit. They didn't have that new life that we get to have in the churches. That's exactly right. See, we were declared righteous by faith. That's like saying you're a forgiven sinner. Exactly. You're a forgiven sinner. What are you still? You're still a sinner. Still a sinner. Romans 6. Romans 6 is key to this. When you look at it, it's really the identification truth. So if we look and I'll read Romans 6, 1 through 11.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase? May it never be. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Ah, there's a key. We've died to sin. Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized or placed into Christ Jesus have been baptized, what, into his death? There's the separation. We've been baptized into his death. Therefore, we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in what? Newness of life. There it is. We've transferred. We're beginning this transfer from the old dead. We've been separated. We've been placed into. And then we have a new life. Now he explains, for if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection.

Key verse. Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him, in order that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died is free from sin. That's the key right there. That's how we got out of Adam and into Christ. Our co-crucifixion with him. That is the key verse.

And then it all makes sense when you say newness of life. We'll look at some other of those verses. New creatures in Christ. There are lots that now follow after this. And then all the in hymns. This is key when you said we have been baptized into Christ. We've been placed into Christ. We have newness of life in him and his resurrected life. This is the key to where all those in him's come from. We're now placed into him. The co-crucifixion, the separation of the Adamic life to the new life in Christ.

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again. Death no longer is master over him. For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life that he lives, he lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Okay? That's the conditional part. Consider yourself that. We haven't killed the old nature, but we are no longer in bondage to him. We have an option now. New life in Christ. but consider yourselves dead to sin. And this is where I think the spiritual growth comes, is where you recognize less and less of the old man and more and more of the new man in you.

Another verse, another key one, Galatians 2.20, I have been crucified with Christ. Any question there? Do you believe that? Again, Gary, going back to, do you believe that?

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then what? Christ died needlessly.

Those of you who want to jump and pounce back on the law, read this one. Did anything come of the law? What about the other verse I read? Transgression. All sin did was to increase transgressions. Get away from the law. You are now under grace. And there are so many verses that were dead unto the law and alive unto grace and unto God.

So, what is the result of our identification with Christ? We have a little stripe on here that says, I be crucified with Christ. That's all we get. Army? Air Force? We get a little ribbon that says that? We get a little chevron on our shirt that says... What is the result of that? Dead to the law? What else? Separation from Adam? War and union with him? Any from the back table there? The silent group? 215 things, you know, 34 things that are now true of us, that Lewis Perry Chafer put together. What I say is now, we now are not under law, but we're what? Under what?

Grace. Grace. That is a magnificent thing. That is incredible. I say after that we start looking at Romans 8-12, the epistles, and look at our position and condition. Now start looking at all the verses that have in Christ or in Him. That means that applies to you. You are in Him, you are in Christ. They now speak of us because we have positionally died with Christ on the cross, death of our identification with the Adamic life, and have been raised up as new creatures in Christ. We're now identified with Christ. Our life is His life.

And the other thing, and I love from Ephesians' perspective, if we're in Christ, where are we positionally? In heaven. That's why Ephesians, I love Ephesians, because Ephesians is a perspective from heaven looking down. Everything that you have in heaven. That's what we have positionally. Our roots are in heaven now and it's an upside down tree. Our roots are in heaven and we come down here and we live on the earth here. It's kind of a backwards deal. Our roots are in heaven.

We're in Christ and he's at the right hand of God. Do you believe it? Do you believe that? Do you feel worthy to go before him now? Yes, you're right there anyway positionally. So, some other things that you have, and I started grabbing a bunch of verses. Colossians 2, 9-13. For in him, all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form, and in him you have been made complete. So what more do you want? You're complete, but you want a little bit more? You've been made complete.

Do you believe that? and he is head over all rule and authority and what in him you are also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ having been buried with him in baptism in which you are also raised up with him through faith in the working of God who raised him from the dead faith placed into buried death identification and it's only by faith 2 Corinthians 5.17 I like this one. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is what?

A new creature. The old things passed away. Behold, new things have come. A new creature. When you look at the Greek, it's new in kind. It's not just a polished up atom. It is a new in kind. So we are a new creature in Christ. And if you look also at Romans 6, 4, it speaks about the newness of life. We went through that one. Romans 7, 4. Therefore, my brethren, you are also made to die to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. Again, dead to the law and joined to Christ in him. Romans 8, 1. Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are what? In Christ Jesus. No condemnation. No condemnation. Get that through. No condemnation. Romans 8, 15 through 17.

For you've not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you've received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, heirs also. Heirs of God. Fellow heirs with Christ. And if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. Do you believe you are children of God? Heir? You feeling pretty poor today? You are a child of God. Heir of God.

Galatians 4, but when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that he might redeem those who were under the law, redeemed, taken out of the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth his Spirit the spirit of his son into our hearts crying Abba Father therefore you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son then an heir through God not bad that's our identification and what we get Romans 8, 28. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become what? Conformed to the image of His Son. That's what's happening. You are being conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. And these whom He predestined, He also called. And these whom He called, He also justified. And these whom He justified, He also glorified. Romans 8, 37-39.

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor prince of valleys, nor things present, nor things that come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, what, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So, when you have that trial come, do you feel God is not loving you? Probably. But, does he love you still? In that trial? Absolutely.

You know, I've said this again, and you know, when you hear that, when Satan is attacking you, Satan's attacking you. I hear that, I said it when I was down at camp. Oh, Satan attacking the ministry down here. What is the first response you should say to that person?

Who allowed that? Who allowed Satan to attack you if it's Satan? And really, if it's Satan, you made the hit list for that day because Satan's not omnipresent. So if you had the big man coming after you, I mean, it was your special day because he's not omnipresent. He's got to be one place. So when they say, oh God, Satan's attacking this ministry, All I say is, who allowed that?

God did. Remember, we've said this many times, when you defeat a foe, what do you do? You put him to work. When you, you know, take over a country and you defeat them, you put them to work for you. Well, that's what God, God allows, it sounds strange, but God allows Satan in his, for his purposes, tribulations, trials, or whatever, to draw you to him. He uses him.

Do you not think that people who say that, you know, Satan's attacking me or Satan's eating me, do you not think that is a little bit arrogant? To think that out of all the billions of people in this world and all the things that are going on, that he would choose... It was your day. But is that not the total opposite of the to take notice of me, but I'm important enough that Satan's going to take notice of me. Something's wrong with that picture. It's wrong on many levels, yes.

That's why I say, and I've gotten into that where people say that, and a lot of missionaries say that because their ministries are being attacked, or I'm being attacked. They're going through some trial, and Satan is just, okay, well yeah, there's a lot of that. But even if it was your special day, that God allowed Satan to be the one attacking you, God still is in control and God allowed that. And God allowed it for His purposes. And it's kind of a hard thing when you think about that.

Yikes! There's so much more. I didn't even get the grace. I didn't even get the grace. Give us a definition. Actually, I got two of them. Remember what it was. You guys should all be able to say that. Easily. What is the definition of grace? Unlimited and unmerited blessings of God based on the finished work of Christ on the cross. Right. The unlimited and unmerited blessings of God based on the finished work of Christ on the cross. We had another friend, and actually he's now with the Lord, Sam Dalton. He always made, what do they call those things? Acronyms? Acronyms. and grace. And he had one for grace. And his was, do you remember that?

God's riches at Christ's expense. Exactly, see? I thought that was a good one. That really does say it. You know, Sam, it was God's riches at Christ's expense. I think that was a pretty good one for grace. So, sorry I didn't get to grace. Hopefully any other questions. Oh man, there's so much more.

Grace is the system we operate under now. That's the operating system. And there's verse, grace reigns. And Christ and John, truth and grace were realized through Christ. And when you realize you're under grace, you're not under law, Grace gives us unbelievable freedom. We live under principles now that are established in these logical imperatives that give us guidance. So under grace is a much better place to be than under law. Don't try and jump under law.

Yeah. Just one comment. You know, people say that, well, in regards to the love of God, that God loves everyone and so forth. But if you look at the very last verse of chapter 8 there, it says the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. It doesn't say, they say we're narrow. God himself is narrow. He expresses his love in Christ Jesus where we are. It resides there.

Well, you look at John 3.16 though, for God so loved the world. He loved the world.

Now, this is, sorry, I think this is an important thing though. It is about sin and payment of sin. Are all sins paid for, even unbelievers? Yes, they are. All sin was taken by Christ. Past, present, future sins were all placed on Him. Even for unbelievers, there is only one question for everyone. It's not about your sins anymore. It is not about your sins. It's who Christ is. Do you believe in His death, burial, and resurrection? That's the only question left for this entire planet. It's not about sin. Sin's been taken care of. Remember when Mike was saying last week, it was a covenant between who? The Father and the Son to deal with it. We weren't even in there. The only thing we added was sin. But we weren't part of that deal. Then the covenant was made, paid for by Christ. The covenant was done. Then you are what? Saved by what? Grace. God offered that salvation to us because the sin had been paid for. He graciously offered it to us.

And it's only through faith in Christ. So the only question you have to ask anybody here is not about sin. You can tell them that they're a sinner. That's the important thing, that they know that and that they need a Savior. But the only question that remains for this world now is, do you believe in Christ Jesus and who he was and what he did? The gospel. That's the only question you need to know. Sin's been taken care of. That's a hard thing. Most of us are, ooh, sin, ooh, sin. No. Who is Christ? That's all that's left. All right, we need to close. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time. We thank you for just the time we've had during this class through the last year.

Just to understand the identification, our position and condition, and especially that we now reside in grace. We thank you for all that you have provided to us. We thank you for your grace, again, and what that means individually to each and every one of us. We thank you that you're individually involved in each one of us, and there's never a time where you say, oops, you missed something. You are graciously pouring out your blessings beyond whatever we could dream of. And we thank You for that. Father, we just thank You again for the time that we've had in Your Word. And we just thank You for all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.