Thought Dump

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Stand Alone

Rusty's Notes

I got my message from Mary Towe at 5:30 AM this morning and I said, “This almost feels normal!”
 
I just want to dump several thoughts on you this morning that comes from months of sitting and listening.
Let me start off with “Freedom” since it is the 4th of July.
 
Do we really understand “Freedom”?

• How many times did Jesus die?
• He forgave sins past, present and future.
• We live in a forgiven state of mind.
• This gives us the freedom to do whatever we want.
• This isn’t my Truth, this is from the Bible.
• Paul expressed it so much that he had to answer the question that came up then… and even today.
• Romans 6:1 - 1 What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?
• The idea that we would sin so God could disperse even more grace is still “me-centered”.
• “Well how can I create more opportunity for God to make Himself even greater?”
• I only wish that is what we were thinking when we choose to sin. “I’m going to sin so I can make God look good!”
• The real issue is that we still have a me-centered flesh (not a sinful nature) that says I have an unlimited amount of grace in my account.
• Yes… you sure do! You can do that.
• You can make it all about you…
• You can make the Bible say whatever you want it to say for your own agenda.
• You are free indeed.
• Your idea of freedom is your own.
• No… I get that you are free… free to do whatever you want…
• But your thinking about freedom is incorrect.
• Look what Paul says…
• 2 Absolutely not![1]
• Not freedom to feed my fleshly (selfish) desires, but freedom to let God’s desires to be my desires.
• Man… if you can get there… where all you can think about is what God desires for me and of me…
• It is a whole new place of living.

 

• Not freedom to be passive, but freedom to see His power working through me.
• The responsibility is His, not mine.

 

• If you're defining it as “perfect performance with perfect results,” the answer is no.
• If you're defining it as “perfect method, trusting Christ as my life,” the answer is yes.

 

• Oh, dear friend, God's grace is sufficient for your situation.
• He wants to carry the burden of living for you.
• We work at resting while we rest at working.
• I am resting in Him in His victory. The Bible states these truths in:

 
Romans 6:2-14 - How can we who died to sin still live in it?

• Just as it is important for every Christian to know who he is in Christ; it is also important for him to know who he was prior to salvation if he is to understand ‘walking according to the flesh.’

3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

• Something in you (us) died.
• Your sinful nature.
• You only have one nature.
• You still have a flesh… but you have a new heart and the mind of Christ.
• That means your old selfish behavior patterns will battle against your new mind of Christ which is others focused.
• It moves your thinking from being about yourself to Christ (who came to serve and love others).
• Think about our world right now… what mind set do they have? It is all about ME! My agenda. What can I get?

 
4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self, was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin.

• Things have changed!
• He changed you… your whole nature!

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

• We spend our whole lives in the flesh learning how to overcome the flesh and live out of new heart and new nature.
• That is the beauty of this community. We are learning how to do this together.
• Even though we were made perfect in our identity… doesn’t mean live our life perfectly… we still make bad choices (selfish).
• So Paul reminds us of our true identity…

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.[2]

• Paul is literally saying walk in who you have been made to be… alive in Christ.
• People ask, “What does it mean to be alive in Christ?”
• 1) You have to know Him
• 2) Then you will hear Him… he might even call your name.
• 3) Then you begin to trust Him
• The flesh demands a sign, hard evidence, instead of believing God.
• It wants to use the sign as the object of its faith rather than the Word that God has spoken.
• The difference between walking by sight rather than faith.
• 4) Then you need to hang on!
• You will find “abundant life” through allowing Him to express Himself through your talents, your abilities, your gifts, and your personality to do His will.

 
Freedom… oh you are free indeed.
You just have to choose your freedom in yourself or your freedom in Christ.
 
Let me talk to you a little more about feelings/emotions.

• God is never going to bring your feeler totally into subjection so long as you remain in your earthsuit.
• God's plan is for us to believe Him and choose to submit ourselves to His loving care and authority regardless of how we “feel”.
• He has deliberately designed it to vacillate so as to crowd you toward walking by faith, not by feel, if you would experience the “peace that passes [human] understanding.”

 
Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.[3]
 
John 14:27 - “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.[4]
 
1 Thessalonians 5:23 - Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.[5]
 
Peace is not a feeling, but a knowing—knowing that the Father has everything under control.

• That you are in Christ, seated in heaven, resting; and that He is in you now, living.

 
Hebrews 13:20-21 - Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever., Amen.[6]

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 6:1–2). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 6:2–14). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Php 4:7). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Jn 14:27). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Th 5:23). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Heb 13:20–21). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.