Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Romans 8:1-5
8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
When I was in middle school I had a habit of playing outside without shoes on. My mom always warned me about that. She always shared how I was going to get hurt one day by stepping on something sharp. I refused to listen. One day I was running around outside on the grass like normal and afterwards I went inside and noticed that my right big toe was hurting a little bit. I noticed a small little cut on the bottom so I naturally placed a bandaid to cover it up. Well over the next few days my toe became rather swollen and became extremely painful to even walk on. It made no sense to me at the time because I thought covering it with a bandaid would solve all my problems. Come to find out I had a bad infection and had to have a procedure done at the hospital to remove the infection. Moral of the story: Bandaids don’t fix infections. What the bandaid couldn’t do, the doctor, his physicians and medicine could do.
The apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8 speaks of the Great News of the Gospel message: That in Christ we have been set free. The good news is that God in His Love sent His Son Jesus Christ to live the life we couldn’t live, die the death we should have died, and raised from the dead so that we could be reconciled back to God. The only way for a person to be brought back into a personal relationship with God is through repenting of sins and trusting in Jesus. He is the remedy for our sin-sick soul.
For many today they are trying to find reconciliation back to God through being a good person or following a list of laws. The religious folks back in Jesus’ and Paul’s day believed they were in right standing with God because they followed the law the best they could. They figured as long as they followed those 613 or so laws, their spiritual life was good to go. Here is the reality though: If you are looking to try to gain you salvation by merely following the law, you are essentially putting a bandaid on an infection, not treating the infection. The bible tells us that the law is like a tutor to show us that in reality we are messed up and are in need of Jesus (Galatians 3:24).
See, the bible says that before we met Christ, we were dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2), that we were enemies of God (Romans 5), that our goodness apart from Christ He sees as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The answer to our problem, the cure to our infection is not found in striving to be a better person; its needing to be made new (Ezekial 36:26, 2 Corinthians 5:17). The only way we can be made new is to turn from our sin and trust in Christ. Child of God, apart from Christ we were without hope, but when we turned to Him, he saved us and made us new in Him. Hallelujah!
“For what the Law could not do, God did”. Here is the truth for us this morning: Without Christ, it doesn’t matter how “good” you are, how many church related events you are a part of, or how many bible verses you can recite, you are still sin sick and that sin- sickness needs to be dealt with. The good news today is that it can be! You can run to Jesus and be saved!
Friend, if you do not have a relationship with Jesus, you can choose today to turn from your sin and trust in Him. For the believer, listen it’s not because of keeping rules or being a good person that we have a relationship with God. Its because of HIS love in sending His Son. Hallelujah! May you choose to remember that reality today and allow for that truth to lead you to worship!
Song of Worship this Morning- Reckless Love of God- Cory Ashbury
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Father God, thank you for your reckless love for me. I praise You today thanking you for the promise that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! Thank you for demonstrating that love for me by sending your Son to die for me! Thank you for doing what the law and good works couldn’t do. May this love lead me to worship today but also lead me to share with those who do not know. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK
PSALM 139:13-14
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.