Transformative Power of Salvation in Our Lives
Summary
### Summary
Today, we explored the profound power of salvation and its transformative impact on our lives. We began by acknowledging that God's plan is always the best, and we should be attentive to the waves He creates, learning to surf them rather than generating our own. This aligns with the idea that our lives are shaped by divine orchestration, not human effort. We then delved into the concept of being a new creation in Christ, emphasizing that salvation is not just a theological concept but a transformative reality that changes our identity, our heavenly position, and our community impact.
We discussed the importance of recognizing our adoption as children of God, which frees us from the orphan spirit of rejection and fear. This new identity as sons and daughters of God means we are no longer slaves to fear but are heirs with Christ, sharing in His glory. We also touched on the debilitating power of shame and how it can trap us in a loop of condemnation. However, the truth of salvation declares that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, freeing us from the shame and hiddenness of our past sins.
Furthermore, we examined how salvation changes our heavenly position. We are no longer dead in our transgressions but have been made alive with Christ. This new position is not based on our behavior but on the grace of God, which makes us a new creation. This transformation should impact our daily lives, helping us to avoid the "death loops" of sin and shame.
Finally, we looked at how our salvation should influence those around us. Living in our heavenly reality should make us examples worth following, bringing flourishing to our communities. We are called to let the truth of our salvation flow through us, impacting others positively. This involves giving ourselves fully to God, allowing Him to possess, rule, satisfy, and use us for His purposes.
### Key Takeaways
1. Adoption as Children of God: Embracing our identity as sons and daughters of God frees us from the orphan spirit of rejection and fear. This new identity means we are no longer slaves to fear but heirs with Christ, sharing in His glory. This truth should resonate deeply within us, reminding us of our divine inheritance and the love of our Heavenly Father. [01:17:37]
2. Freedom from Shame: The power of salvation liberates us from the debilitating effects of shame and condemnation. While the enemy may try to trap us in a loop of guilt and hiddenness, the truth of God's grace declares that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. This freedom allows us to live openly and honestly, embracing our new identity in Christ. [01:24:54]
3. Heavenly Position: Salvation changes our heavenly position, making us alive in Christ and freeing us from the death of our transgressions. This new position is not based on our behavior but on the grace of God, which makes us a new creation. Understanding this helps us to live out our heavenly reality in our daily lives, avoiding the traps of sin and shame. [01:35:00]
4. Impact on Community: Our salvation should influence those around us, making us examples worth following. By living in our heavenly reality and allowing God's truth to flow through us, we can bring flourishing to our communities. This involves being intentional about our actions and letting the love and grace of God impact others positively. [01:42:49]
5. Giving Ourselves to God: True discipleship involves longing for God to completely possess, rule, satisfy, and use us for His purposes. This means turning away from our "death loops" and embracing the new identity and life that God has given us. It requires a daily commitment to follow Jesus and allow His transformative power to work in and through us. [01:44:33]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:10:49] - Divine Orchestration
[01:11:50] - Surfing God's Waves
[01:12:22] - The Nature of Salvation
[01:13:25] - The Power of Salvation
[01:15:36] - Life Verses
[01:17:10] - Adoption as Children of God
[01:19:24] - Freedom from Shame
[01:24:54] - Paul's Struggle and Victory
[01:28:09] - No Condemnation
[01:32:13] - New Heavenly Position
[01:35:00] - Made Alive in Christ
[01:37:53] - Journey of Sanctification
[01:41:14] - Impact on Community
[01:42:49] - Red Bucket Theology
[01:44:33] - Giving Ourselves to God
[01:46:14] - Prayers for Renewal
[01:49:40] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
1. Romans 8:14-17 (NIV)
> "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
2. Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)
> "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."
3. Ephesians 2:1-5 (NIV)
> "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved."
### Observation Questions
1. According to Romans 8:14-17, what does the Spirit of God testify about us? How does this change our identity? [01:17:37]
2. What does Romans 8:1-2 say about condemnation for those in Christ Jesus? How does this relate to the concept of freedom from shame discussed in the sermon? [01:24:54]
3. In Ephesians 2:1-5, what transformation occurs because of God's great love and mercy? How does this passage describe our new position in Christ? [01:35:00]
4. How does the sermon describe the impact of our salvation on our community? What metaphor is used to illustrate this? [01:42:49]
### Interpretation Questions
1. What does it mean to be adopted as children of God according to Romans 8:14-17? How does this adoption free us from the "orphan spirit" of rejection and fear? [01:17:37]
2. How does the truth of "no condemnation" in Romans 8:1-2 help us break free from the "death loops" of sin and shame? [01:24:54]
3. Ephesians 2:1-5 speaks about being made alive with Christ. How does this new heavenly position influence our daily lives and decisions? [01:35:00]
4. The sermon mentions "red bucket theology" as a way to impact our community. How does living in our heavenly reality and letting God's truth flow through us bring flourishing to those around us? [01:42:49]
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own life. How have you experienced the freedom from the "orphan spirit" of rejection and fear since embracing your identity as a child of God? [01:17:37]
2. Can you identify any "death loops" of sin and shame in your life? How can the truth of "no condemnation" in Christ help you break free from these loops? [01:24:54]
3. How does understanding your new heavenly position in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5) change the way you approach daily challenges and decisions? [01:35:00]
4. Think of a specific way you can let God's truth flow through you to positively impact your community this week. What practical steps can you take to be an example worth following? [01:42:49]
5. The sermon talks about giving ourselves fully to God. What does it mean for you personally to long for God to completely possess, rule, satisfy, and use you for His purposes? [01:44:33]
6. How can you cultivate a daily commitment to follow Jesus and allow His transformative power to work in and through you? What specific actions can you take to avoid falling back into old patterns? [01:44:33]
7. Reflect on the prayer from Psalm 51 mentioned in the sermon. How can you ask God to restore the joy of your salvation and grant you a willing spirit to sustain you? What changes do you need to make to experience this renewal? [01:46:14]
Devotional
Day 1: Embracing Our Divine Adoption
As believers, we are adopted as children of God, which means we are no longer bound by the orphan spirit of rejection and fear. This new identity as sons and daughters of God liberates us from the chains of fear and makes us heirs with Christ, sharing in His glory. This truth should deeply resonate within us, reminding us of our divine inheritance and the unconditional love of our Heavenly Father. Embracing this identity allows us to live confidently and securely, knowing that we are loved and accepted by God. [01:17:37]
Ephesians 1:5-6 (ESV): "He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."
Reflection: How does knowing you are an adopted child of God change the way you view yourself and your relationship with others? Can you identify areas in your life where you still feel like an orphan, and how can you invite God's love into those areas today?
Day 2: Freedom from Shame
The power of salvation liberates us from the debilitating effects of shame and condemnation. While the enemy may try to trap us in a loop of guilt and hiddenness, the truth of God's grace declares that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. This freedom allows us to live openly and honestly, embracing our new identity in Christ. By understanding and accepting this truth, we can break free from the cycle of shame and live in the light of God's grace and forgiveness. [01:24:54]
Isaiah 54:4 (ESV): "Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more."
Reflection: What past sins or mistakes are you still feeling ashamed of? How can you remind yourself of God's grace and forgiveness today to break free from that shame?
Day 3: Living in Our Heavenly Position
Salvation changes our heavenly position, making us alive in Christ and freeing us from the death of our transgressions. This new position is not based on our behavior but on the grace of God, which makes us a new creation. Understanding this helps us to live out our heavenly reality in our daily lives, avoiding the traps of sin and shame. By embracing our new identity in Christ, we can walk in the freedom and life that God has given us, reflecting His love and grace to those around us. [01:35:00]
Colossians 3:1-3 (ESV): "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
Reflection: In what ways can you set your mind on things above and live out your heavenly position in your daily life? What practical steps can you take to avoid the traps of sin and shame?
Day 4: Influencing Our Community
Our salvation should influence those around us, making us examples worth following. By living in our heavenly reality and allowing God's truth to flow through us, we can bring flourishing to our communities. This involves being intentional about our actions and letting the love and grace of God impact others positively. As we live out our faith authentically, we become a light to those around us, drawing them closer to God and His transformative power. [01:42:49]
Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV): "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Reflection: How can you be a positive influence in your community today? What specific actions can you take to let God's love and grace flow through you to impact others?
Day 5: Surrendering to God's Will
True discipleship involves longing for God to completely possess, rule, satisfy, and use us for His purposes. This means turning away from our "death loops" and embracing the new identity and life that God has given us. It requires a daily commitment to follow Jesus and allow His transformative power to work in and through us. By surrendering to God's will, we open ourselves up to His guidance and allow Him to use us for His glory and purposes. [01:44:33]
Romans 12:1-2 (ESV): "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "The truth and the power of salvation is this: That those of you who were left as orphans are called sons, daughters of God. I'm going to just say sons, but I mean both. You've been called sons of God. What does that mean? It means first of all that you've not been given again a spirit of slavery to fear. The power of this is this: that as God's children, your spirit that you own is not one of fear but one instead of sonship." [01:17:37] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "There is no shame. I had someone say to me once that the power of the enemy to destroy people is only 10% in the things they've done wrong. It's 90% in the condemnation and the darkness, the hiddenness of sin, of those things that invest in the wrong thing. Do you get that? Only 10% in the actual thing, 90% now it's not an actual thing, it's an actual statistic, but you get the idea. 90% in the hiddenness, the shame of it, the thing that you carry away and you try and process on your own and you go round in a death loop because you just can't seem to escape from the slavery of it." [01:20:02] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus because through Jesus Christ, the law of the Spirit gives life, has set you free from the law of sin and death. I'm speaking to you today if you are consciously at the forefront of your death loops and your struggle and you know in your heart you want to be that person that God's called you to be, but you feel like you're going around the same cycle. I'm speaking over you: there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. You are free." [01:28:09] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "If you grasp the reality of who God has said you are, your mindset changes when you approach things that are death loops for you because you see yourself differently. You don't see yourself mucked up and kind of just who cares. You see yourself as God says you are." [01:31:40] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Salvation changes your identity. Secondly, salvation changes your heavenly position. Okay, salvation changes your heavenly position, not your behavior. Salvation changes your heavenly position. Firstly, you've been made alive. John read this scripture last week, Ephesians 2:1-5 says this: As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. Who acknowledges that? Like in your heart you recognize actually that was like death. Who you were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who's now at work in those who are disobedient." [01:34:01] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "I want to encourage those people who don't feel like they live in the power of salvation. I want to encourage those people who know salvation but don't feel like they live in the power of salvation. And I want to start in what is a life verse for me. And I encourage you in this: if you haven't got a few scriptures that just have become life to you, maybe ask the Holy Spirit to show you. Because when I think of life scriptures, there are probably 12 to 15 verses that are just in here that speak to me all the time, that God speaks to me and reminds me when my reality doesn't seem like it's lined up with who God said that I am. These scriptures remind me of where God's placed me, who he's made me to be." [01:15:36] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Imagine what we would lose as the church if Paul was crippled by his shame loop. Do you hear what I'm saying? I tell you what we would lose. On his three missionary journeys, he spread the gospel message to non-Jewish communities: Asia Minor, Greek provinces, Achaia, Macedonia, and Cyprus, as well as Judea and Syria, as narrated in the Acts of the Apostles. 14 of the 27 books in the New Testament are traditionally attributed to Paul. That's just a small bit. Now I'm making a point here. It's possible for us to get lost in a shame loop of our past. Paul could well have been lost in a shame loop." [01:24:24] (53 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "The past shouldn't define you. Yes, it might form you. I actually believe this: God can take some of the deepest and darkest moments of failure and regret in our lives and turn them into the greatest kingdom possibilities. Like your things, your crucibles, God will use to produce gold in the kingdom because that's the power that he has. He has the power to redeem the years that were lost, to restore the days the locust, the crops the locust have eaten, you know, to speak reality and truth to you." [01:36:09] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Giving yourself to God means longing for him to completely possess, rule, satisfy, and use you for his purposes. That's quite a challenge, isn't it? Giving your life to Jesus is longing for him to completely possess, rule, satisfy, and use you for his purposes. You know, when we give our lives to Jesus, it says, well, it's that we're giving our lives to Jesus to say, I recognize I want to wake up from my death and I want to wake up to your salvation." [01:44:33] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Repentance is when we turn away from the things that are death loops in our lives and we fix our eyes on Jesus and we follow him. That's what repentance is. It's when we turn away from the things that are, is when people talked about the good news of the gospel through the scripture, they call people to repentance. They're saying that when you want to follow Jesus, you receive him, you receive his free gift, and repentance is a gift to you. Now it's turning from those death loops, those things that have held you for so long, those mindsets, it's rejecting them, renouncing them, and it's moving into the godly identity that God has already given you by grace." [01:46:14] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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