Sermon Central
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Going Through The Motions
Contributed by Joe Rowland on Mar 26, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: Are we just going through the motions of being a Christian? Maybe you are sleep walking and you need awakened out of your sleep. Wake up mighty men and women and prepare for the battles that will come your way.
Going Through The Motions
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
I have entitled this today: “Going Through The Motions”
Verse 31 starts out by saying: What shall we then say to these things?
This refers to the suffering presently endured, look at Romans 8:17-18.
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
We might have present time sufferings, but there will be glory revealed in us.
If God be for us, who can be against us?
If God is for me, then it does not matter who is against me, God will help me in all my battles.
When we talk about suffering, think about the pain that God must have been feeling when He spared not His own son, but delivered Him up for all of us.
The price for all things was paid at the Cross through Jesus Christ.
We can have all things that pertain to life and Godliness, which Jesus paid at the Cross, providing that our faith is ever in Christ and the Cross.
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth
What this means is who shall pronounce those guilty who God pronounces righteous, it is God who justifies.
It is God who sets the rules for justification not man.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
No man has the right to condemn God’s plan. If one condemns a believer who is trusting Christ solely for justification and sanctification, he then is condemning Christ and His death at the Cross.
The Resurrection ratified the fact that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, and that God accepted Him as such.
When I am going through a hard time or maybe even the trial of my life, Jesus makes intercession for me.
Look at Romans 8:35
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
There is no one who can separate me from the love that Christ has for me, He will never walk away from me, even though I could choose to walk away from Him.
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
The problem, with a lot of people, is when situations arise against their lives, all they do is go through the motions of Christianity.
I have entitled this today: “Going Through The Motions”
Dream 1-28-08
I dreamed that we were sitting at the church and a person walked up to me and asked me if I remembered when they were sleep walking and I woke them up.
Interpretation
Sleep walking, in this case, means going through the motions.
Today, are you going through the motions of Christianity?
We go to church and we walk out our lives but it is out of habit.
