Running To Win 15 Minute Version

Dave McCallister: Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Many people try to satisfy themselves with things that only make finding satisfaction more elusive, but the believer in Christ has a new life with new desires. Today, more reasons why Christians are indeed children of an awesome God. Stay with us.

From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Today, we continue a series from Romans chapter 8 on the blessings we've been given as children of an awesome God. We're learning that we have a divine calling, one that frees us from the tyranny of sin.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: We go to church so that we might learn how to be in Christ and to grow in Christ, but simply going to church doesn't do it. It would be like a tiger who wakes up some morning and says, "From now on, I'm not going to love meat anymore. I am going to decide that I am going to love hay." So he wakes up saying, "Why can't I love hay?" His nature won't let him love it. The only way a tiger can love hay is if you changed his nature, his very nature as a tiger, and turned him into a calf. Now he can love hay.

You cannot set your mind on the things of the spirit if you're still in the flesh. Paul says it cannot be done. It just can't be. Going to church in itself doesn't do it. There was an evangelist back in the 1920s whose name was Billy Sunday. Billy Sunday played for the Chicago White Sox at one time, and he became an evangelist. He loved to hop around. I have in my study a letter sent to me by a woman who was here shortly after the church was dedicated where Billy Sunday preached. Apparently, he hopped from this platform to the other platform by not using the stairs. He was very active in his preaching.

His funeral was here, by the way. Billy Sunday used to say that going to church will no more make you a Christian than pushing a wheelbarrow into a garage will make it into a car. That's right. You don't change the nature of a wheelbarrow because it's in the garage. Something has to happen within you. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, the apostle Paul says. So we have a brand new identity. We are in Christ, and we're going to study what that means in the rest of this wonderful, transforming chapter.

We have a brand new focus. We begin now to focus on the things of the spirit and not just the things of the flesh. But we also have a new companion. The apostle Paul uses the word Holy Spirit or Spirit about 15 or 20 times in this chapter. But let's be introduced to him this morning very briefly. You'll notice he says in verse 9, "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if in fact the spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ doesn't belong to him." Spirit of Christ, of course, is the Holy Spirit.

"But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin..." You'll notice he doesn't say flesh. Remember I told you that when you read this chapter, you're overwhelmed by its accuracy. Paul says the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life. Here's the thing. When you receive Christ as Savior, your spirit is renewed. That's why it can go to heaven even though your body goes to the grave. But the body is not renewed. You die of cancer, you die of old age, you die a hundred different ways. The body is not renewed, but the spirit is renewed.

But the Holy Spirit who renews your spirit is the same Holy Spirit who will someday quicken or raise your body from the dead. The spirit is life because of righteousness. Verse 11, "If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies." You see, he's talking about the fact that Jesus was raised, your body will be raised because even after you accept Christ, your body still is full of disease and old age and all those other things that lead you to the grave. But your spirit within is renewed. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.

As I told you last week, I always find so much more to say than time to say it, but I would like to give you some summary statements that will leave here today invigorated and given hope. Very quickly, first, being in Christ means that we are in a world, in a sphere of safety, of security, and there is no condemnation from God. Remember this, Noah, when he went into the ark, God, the Bible says, closed the door.

Why did God close the door? Why didn't he just say, "Noah, look, when you've got the whole thing built, turn out the lights and close the door behind you"? God did it. God says, "This is a door that's locked from the outside. This is a door that you can't get out of. This is a door that is secure, and with all those who are in the ark, there is no judgment, no final judgment, no condemnation. I will close the door to make sure it is there." Some of you are believers, but you're struggling with the whole issue of assurance. That'll be dealt with also today somewhat and in future messages.

What it's also going to mean, this business of being in Christ, it's just going to boggle our minds. We're going to discover that all the wealth that Jesus has is ours. Not only that, the same love that the Father has for the Son, he loves us with the same love because we are in Christ. Safety, security, certainty, and it'll carry you all the way to heaven. Second, to be in Christ is the answer to guilt. You see, there is therefore now no condemnation. Now we condemn ourselves. As Christians, we sometimes have to deeply repent, but we do so within the ark, so to speak. There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ. God has legally acquitted us of all of the crimes that we've committed against him.

Much of the condemnation is brought on by ourselves. Satan loves to use our memories. He says, "Abraham, remember the lie that you told? David, remember Bathsheba? Peter, remember the rooster? Paul, remember you were consenting to the death of Stephen? Remember that?" He says to a young mother today, "Remember that abortion?" And to a man, "Remember the marriage you wrecked?" My friend, after we've done all that we can to ask forgiveness of those whom we have wronged, after we've done all that we can and admitted our own sin specifically in God's presence within the ark, there comes a time when we simply have to say God's grace is greater than our sins, and there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.

Finally, would you remember that the gospel is really God's ability to take something evil and in return give us something good? What is the gospel? The gospel is simply to say, "Jesus," as Luther did, "Jesus, I am thy sin and thou art my righteousness." That's the gospel. I today am Jesus Christ's sin, but he is my righteousness. You say, "Pastor Lutzer, how do we get into Christ? You described 'in Adam' and 'in Christ.' How do we do it?" In the newspaper a couple of years ago, there was an article by a man by the name of Bill who was 67 years old. Interesting age, 67 years old. He has given more than 100 pints of blood in his lifetime. He saved the lives of many people because of his generosity.

Somebody said, "Why did you do it?" He said these words, and I'll quote them directly: "When that final whistle blows and God asks, 'What did you do?' I'll say, 'I gave 100 pints of blood.'" Then he said with a bit of a laugh, "That ought to get me in." Tragic. He's trusting the wrong blood. This morning, I could hardly hold back the tears as I read in Romans 5 and reminded myself of these words: "Having been justified by his blood, we are saved from wrath through him." The blood of Christ, symbolizing of course his death for us and the sacrifice he made, we are justified by that blood.

Sometimes when soloists and musicians write songs, they are inspired, maybe not like the Bible is. But what inspiration came upon Charles Wesley when he wrote these amazing words: "And can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior's blood? Died he for me who caused his pain, for me who him to death pursued? Amazing love, how can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?" Then the last stanza is: "No condemnation now I dread. Jesus and all in him is mine. Alive in him my living head and clothed in righteousness divine."

Two categories of people are going to be singing this hymn in just a moment. Those of you who have trusted Christ, I pray that you will sing it with a sense of worship, enthusiasm, and joy the likes of which maybe you've not had in a long while. Those of you who have never trusted Christ as Savior, why don't you sing it as your prayer? Say, "I receive the Christ about whom I sing. I trust him. I trust his sacrifice that I might be in Christ, for there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ."

I can't help but speak to the person who's listened to this who has never received Christ, or you are a believer but you've never entered into the cleansing of the conscience and the recognition that in Christ, there is no condemnation. I'm holding in my hands a resource we're making available for you. It's entitled *The Pursuit of Holiness* by Jerry Bridges. I'll tell you that this book will help you bridge the gap between that which we already have in Christ and experiencing this. It will be a blessing to you right now to take advantage of this offer.

Dave McCallister: Erwin Lutzer wrapping up "We Have a Divine Calling," the first in an eight-part series on "Children of an Awesome God." Next time on Running to Win, why a Christian's destiny is the heavenly palace where you will sit next to the King. What did God mean when he said, "Be ye holy, as I am holy"? And what is holiness anyway? These are questions Jerry Bridges answers in his book, *The Pursuit of Holiness*. This book is our gift to you when you give a gift of any amount to support Running to Win. Just call us at 1-800-215-5001. That's 1-800-215-5001. Online, go to offerRTW.com. That's offerRTW.com. Or write to Running to Win, Moody Church, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Ask about *The Pursuit of Holiness*. This is Dave McCallister. Running to Win is a ministry of the Moody Church.