More Sinful, More Loved: Deliverance Through Christ

``That the bad news of we are worse off than we think we are is only the beginning of the story. And Romans eight reminds us so beautifully for an entire chapter that we are also more loved than we can ever imagine. And that love reaches its pinnacle in the most important historical moment of all time in the cross two thousand years ago. But Paul is so overjoyed for this, he he ruins the ending of the story. He's so joyous. He can't save it for the end of Romans eight. Here it is. You can feel it bleeding onto the page. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. [00:29:03] (43 seconds)  #MoreLovedThanWeKnow

We are in the already, but the not yet. The tension isn't solved, but the battle we fight and the ultimate result of the battle is made clear. Because here's what's true for Paul. It wasn't true for doctor Juggle or Walter White. Paul essentially was waging a battle. He knew his self confidence in waging a battle that he was always gonna lose. And then after his encounter with Jesus, which he realizes that he can't earn work or invent his own righteousness through his obedience, he realizes that now he's waging a new battle. One in which sometimes he loses the individual battle, his flesh wins, but the war is already won. [00:33:14] (47 seconds)  #AlreadyButNotYet

We do things we know we shouldn't do. We do things we don't want to, and we we we do them. It's not some evil twin part of us that's doing them or part of us that we can mentally disassociate from or a magic potion we can drink and separate mister Hyde from doctor doctor Jekyll. No. Fundamental to the understanding of the gospel is that we have a new nature in Christ, in our union with Christ, but we still have the flesh, the pesky flesh that's sticking around. And so we even when our mind knows what we want to do and what we should do, our flesh is often weak. [00:05:45] (36 seconds)  #NewNatureOldFlesh

So if you're living a life that is utterly soft underfoot and comfortable in your sin, do you think the enemy wants to interrupt that? No way. If you have committed yourself to walking in in the obedience that Jesus has called you to with your new transformed power, do you think the enemy is just gonna let that path remain soft underfoot? No. Get ready. You're gonna get the smoke. But we have the holy spirit there and we are empowered in that life and the gates of hell will not stop the message we carry and ultimately, they will be rendered completely useless against the power of God working in his people here, now, far, everywhere in years past and years to come. [00:26:15] (50 seconds)  #ExpectSpiritualAttack