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As I was preparing for yesterday’s message on Romans 7, I was reminded of a quote Pastor Joey Bonifacio made in one of our conversations.

“Being married to a perfect spouse is not wrong. It’s just tiring.”

That is what life is when we’re married to the LAW. We need to keep measuring up and trying to keep up.

There are 613 laws in the Old Testament and trying to keep all of them is a worthy effort but it will only show us that we can’t. We can try but it will be tiring.

James tells us that breaking just one part of the law will make us guilty of breaking the whole law.

Romans 3:20 says, ” Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”

The law makes us conscious of sin. In fact, it is like a school teacher (tutor) that points us to Jesus.

Therefore the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24)

The law reveals sin but it is powerless to remove sin. It points to righteousness but it can never produce it.

What then is the way to righteousness?

Martin Luther said, ”

“Sin is not canceled by lawful living, for no person is able to live up to the Law. Nothing can take away sin except the grace of God.” 

It is only by the grace of God and through the imputed righteousness of Christ that we can be declared righteous. His death on the cross paid the penalty, justifies us from sin and declares us righteous before God’s eyes.

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Galatians 2:21)

 

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There was a story of a couple who after spending time in a mall, went to their car to go home and only to find out that something was wrong with their car. They popped the hood and realized that the reason the car wouldn’t start was because someone took their car battery.

Irritated, they called the towing company to have their car brought to their house.

The next day, to their surprise, a neatly wrapped box with a nice ribbon was left at their doorstep. In it was a brand new car battery. With the gift was a card that said, “Dear sir, I was the person who took your battery. I was on my way to an important meeting only to find out my battery died. So I thought I’d ‘borrow’ yours. For the hassle I’ve caused you, here’s a brand new battery to replace the one I took.”

But that wasn’t all.

“With this battery, I’m also giving you tickets for 2 to Boracay and 2 nights at Friday’s Boracay. This is to renumerate the inconvenience I’ve caused.”

The couple couldn’t believe it so they called the airlines and true enough, the tickets were valid. They called the resort in Boracay, same thing. They were booked. So they took the trip for 3 days, had a time of their life.

When they came back from the trip, lo and behold, when they opened the front door of their house, their house was empty. Every item in their house was plundered.

Sin is unfortunately like that. It reels you in then ‘BAM’! When it hits you with its consequences, you won’t know what happened to you.

Sin takes you further than you want to go.
Keeps you longer than you want to stay.
Costs you more than you want to pay.

But thanks be to God that He has promised in Isaiah 1:18, “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”

Through Christ, the sin bearer, our sins can be forgiven and through Him we can live a new life of freedom from the enslavement of sin.

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood (Rev. 1:5).

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Rom 6:6,7)

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D.A. Carson:

If I have learned anything in 35 or 40 years of teaching, it is that students don’t learn everything I teach them. What they learn is what I am excited about, the kinds of things I emphasize again and again and again and again. That had better be the gospel.

If the gospel—even when you are orthodox—becomes something which you primarily assume, but what you are excited about is what you are doing in some sort of social reconstruction, you will be teaching the people that you influence that the gospel really isn’t all that important. You won’t be saying that—you won’t even mean that—but that’s what you will be teaching. And then you are only half a generation away from losing the gospel.

Make sure that in your own practice and excitement, what you talk about, what you think about, what you pray over, what you exude confidence over, joy over, what you are enthusiastic about is Jesus, the gospel, the cross. And out of that framework, by all means, let the transformed life flow.

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You’ve heard it before – from Oscars to Grammy’s; FAMAS to Star Awards.

Many refer to God as the ‘man upstairs’. I often wondered about that.

But watching Tim Tebow’s post game interviews, he flat out states who this ‘man upstairs’ is.  You’d hear him say, “I want to thank my LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.”

I guess that’s why he is one of the most polarizing athlete these days.  Many love him and lots more hate him. Even Saturday Night Live makes fun of him.

But the Bible clearly says that “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12).

It’s to be expected.  Why?  If the One you claim to follow was crucified, I guess His followers can expect some type of crucifixion.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.(Romans 1:16)

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Can a person who has been saved and fall away come back to the Lord?

Certainly.  His grace is so much bigger than our sin.

Watch this testimony as Luis shares what Jesus has done in his life.