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SERIES: |
20/20: Seeing Truth Clearly |
MESSAGE: |
I’m a Christian—Now What? |
SPEAKER: |
Skip Heitzig |
SCRIPTURE: |
Romans 8:12-17 |
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MESSAGE SUMMARY
Once you decide to repent from your past, say yes to Jesus Christ, and invite Him into your heart, you begin a lifelong relationship with Him. Nothing stays the same. Paul wrote, “Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT). Conversion is the gateway to transformation. Let’s consider four clear experiences that happen in the life of everyone who believes.
STUDY GUIDE
Connect Group Recap Notes: November 22, 2020
Speaker: Skip Heitzig
Teaching: "I'm a Christian—Now What?"
Text: Romans 8:12-17
Path
Once you decide to repent from your past, say yes to Jesus Christ, and invite Him into your heart, you begin a lifelong relationship with Him. Nothing stays the same. Paul wrote, "Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT). Conversion is the gateway to transformation. Pastor Skip considers four clear experiences that happen in the life of everyone who believes.
- Position: Adopted into a Family (vv. 14-16)
- Progress: Victory Over the Flesh (vv. 12-13)
- Proof: Increase of Fruit (v. 16)
- Promise: Glory in the Future (v. 17)
PointsPosition:
Adopted into a Family (vv. 14-16)
- Romans 8 is the crown jewel of the New Testament. If Scripture was a ring and Romans the diamond, then Romans 8 is the sparkle on the diamond.
- In the last teaching, we saw a panoramic view of our salvation: we were once dead but are now alive in Christ (see Ephesians 2:1-7).
- In Romans 8, Paul listed the stages of our salvation.The first is our position: we are adopted into a family.
- Adoption is an act of God whereby He makes us members of His family.
- Before we were saved, our relationship with God was detached and distant. But in Christ, we are delivered from our fallen humanity and made new; we have a new position of relationship.
- All people are God's children by creation (natural birth), but only Christians are His via adoption (second birth, born from above).
- As with natural-born children, adopted children are coheirs of an estate, appointed to receive God's promises according to His will from the foundations of the world (see Ephesians 1:4-5).
- Once adopted, we have the right to call God Abba—Daddy.
Progress:
Victory Over the Flesh (vv. 12-13)
- Once saved, we begin conquering the old patterns of our life.
- This second stage is sanctification, a progressive work of God and humans that makes us freer of sin and more like Jesus.
- It doesn't mean we're sinless, but that we sin less—sin's grip on us lessens.
- Here are the general stages of the Christian life:
- Regeneration: God awakens you to your need.
- Justification: God declares you're right before Him.
- Adoption: God places you in His family.
- Sanctification: God cleans you up; you become more Christlike and mature.
- We're not passive in sanctification. We actively cooperate with the Holy Spirit for victory over sin and evil (see Romans 6:11-14).
Proof:
Increase of Fruit (v. 16)
- The fruit of our faith demonstrates that God is at work in us and we're living a Spirit-directed life.
- As Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit will lead us in truth and comfort (see John 16:7-15).
- The Holy Spirit validates our sonship; He witnessed our regeneration and is leading us in our renewal.
- How do we know He is working in us? The fruit of the Spirit, the benchmarks that we're His (see Galatians 5:16-25).
- Jesus said that "every tree is known by its own fruit" (Luke 6:44).
- John Stott said, "The Christian should resemble a fruit tree, not a Christmas tree! For the gaudy decorations of a Christmas tree are only tied on, whereas fruit grows on a fruit tree."
- The Holy Spirit is like a conductor, leading His orchestra in beautiful music. Do we let Him lead us?
Promise:
Glory in the Future (v. 17)
- We have an amazing promise: eternity with God, where we are "joint heirs with Christ."
- Everything that Jesus receives by divine right, we receive by divine grace.
- John Stott said, "The sufferings and the glory belong together…. They are welded; they cannot be broken apart."
- Stott said this partnership characterizes the two ages: this age and the age to come (see 2 Corinthians 4:17).
- We have no right to expect better treatment from the world than Jesus did. In fact, suffering is a mark of our Christian walk (see 1 Peter 4:12-14).
- We may suffer here, but glory awaits—eternity with Christ.
- Here's a summary of the Christian life: God saved you, adopted you, and is working in you via the Holy Spirit, directing and producing fruit in you until the day He takes you to glory.
PracticeConnect Up: Discuss the outline of salvation as presented by Pastor Skip.- Regeneration: When were you awakened to your need for God?
- Justification: When did you come to Christ?
- Adoption: How has God's family—His church—played a role in your life?
- Sanctification: How has God cleaned you up over the years? What sinful habits have been left behind?
Connect In: Christians are called to be producers of spiritual fruit. Beginning with love (see 1 Corinthians 13), discuss the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). How is this fruit cultivated in your life? What keeps the Spirit from producing this fruit in your life?
Connect Out: As Christians, we want all people to experience the promise of glory. Talk about how this message can act as a template for outreach and evangelism:- Position: explain how people are separated from God and in need of a Savior.
- Progress: share the gospel and live a Christlike life.
- Proof: talk about the proofs of the Christian faith, focusing on the existence of God and the historicity and resurrection of Jesus.
- Promise: Jesus promises that the person who receives Him will be with Him forever.
DETAILED NOTES
November 22, 2020
Skip Heitzig
"I'm a Christian—Now What?"
Romans 8:12-17
- Introduction
- Behaviors we expect from babies and children are tragic in adults
- Being demanding, irritable, driven by impulses, demanding to be the center of attention, unwilling and unable to clean up their own messes
- A birth should lead to a walk—to mature mannerisms
- It's true in the spiritual world too
- Romans 8 is the crown jewel of the New Testament
- If Scripture was a ring and Romans the diamond, then Romans 8 is the sparkle on the diamond
- It describes four experiences we should expect to see in Christians
- Position: Adopted into a Family (vv. 14-16)
- In the last teaching, we saw a panoramic view of our salvation: we were once dead but are now alive in Christ (see Ephesians 2:1-7)
- In Romans 8, Paul listed the stages of our salvation
- The first is our position: we are adopted into a family
- Notice Paul used relational terms: "sons of God" (v. 14), "adoption" (v. 15), "children of God" (v. 16)
- Adoption is an act of God whereby He makes us members of His family
- Before we were saved, our relationship with God was distant and separated because of sin (see Isaiah 59:2)
- But by saying yes to Christ, we are saved
- The relationship has changed (see John 1:12)
- Not God and human, but Father in heaven and child of God
- All people are God's children by creation (natural birth)
- But only Christians are His via adoption (second birth, born from above)
- Paul had in mind Roman adoption
- In Rome, an adopted son lost all rights from his previous family
- But he gained all rights of inheritance in his new family
- He was considered equal with natural-born children, coheirs of the estate
- Similar to biblical idea of adoption
- Christians are appointed to receive God's promises according to His will from the foundation of the world (see Ephesians 1:4-5)
- Once adopted, we have the right to call God Abba—Daddy
- Progress: Victory Over the Flesh (vv. 12-13)
- Once saved, we get victory steadily over time over the flesh
- Paul said we don't owe the old nature anything
- This stage is called sanctification
- A progressive work of both God and humans that makes us freer of sin and more like Jesus
- We began to conquer old patterns as we grow spiritually
- It doesn't mean we're sinless, but that we sin less—sin's grip on us lessens
- Here are the general stages of the Christian life:
- Regeneration
- God awakens life in us
- We see our need for Jesus
- Justification
- Entirely God's work
- We can't earn it or add to it
- God declares you're right before Him
- It's instantaneous
- Adoption: God places you in His family
- Sanctification
- God cleans you up; you become more Christlike and mature
- Not instantaneous, but a process
- We're not passive in our sanctification
- We actively cooperate with the Holy Spirit for victory over sin and evil
- We reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to Christ (see Romans 6:11-14)
- Proof: Increase of Fruit (v. 16)
- As we progress, we display what others can see
- The fruit of our faith demonstrates that God is at work in us
- We're living a Spirit-directed life (see v. 14)
- The Holy Spirit is a gentleman; He doesn't force you but directs and guides you
- The Holy Spirit validates our sonship
- He witnessed our regeneration and is leading us in our renewal
- In Roman adoption, there were witnesses to verify and testify it happened
- The Spirit testifies in our lives that we are adopted children of God and coheirs (see v. 17)
- How does the Spirit bear witness?
- The fruit of the Spirit, the benchmarks that we're His (see Galatians 5:16-25)
- Jesus said that "every tree is known by its own fruit" (Luke 6:44)
- "The Christian should resemble a fruit tree, not a Christmas tree! For the gaudy decorations of a Christmas tree are only tied on, whereas fruit grows on a fruit tree" —John Stott
- If we stay close to Jesus, being led by the Spirit, He will bear fruit in our lives
- We have to act of our own will and submit to His leadership
- The Holy Spirit is like a conductor, leading His orchestra
- When we keep our eyes on Him, we will play our part in a harmonious whole
- When you let Him lead you, the proof will be there in the fruit produced
- Promise: Glory in the Future (v. 17)
- We have an amazing promise: eternity with God, where we are "joint heirs with Christ" (v. 17)
- Everything that Jesus receives by divine right, we receive by divine grace
- "The sufferings and the glory belong together…. They are welded; they cannot be broken apart" —John Stott
- Suffering characterizes this age
- Glory characterizes the age to come
- As adopted children of God, we can endure suffering here because we look forward to glory (see 2 Corinthians 4:17)
- We should expect suffering
- Not just because we live in this world
- But principally because we follow Jesus Christ in this world
- We have no right to expect better treatment from the world than Jesus did
- It is an honor to suffer for the right reason
- It's even an indicator that we belong to Jesus (see 1 Peter 4:12-14)
- We may suffer here, but glory awaits—eternity with Christ
- To summarize the Christian life:
- God saved you, adopted you, and is working in you via the Holy Spirit
- The Spirit is directing and producing fruit in you until the day He takes you to glory
Figures referenced: John Stott
Cross references: Isaiah 59:2; Luke 6:44; John 1:12; 16:7-15; Romans 6:11-14; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 1:4-5; 2:1-7; 1 Peter 4:12-14
Topic: Christian living
Keywords: adoption, child of God, Christian walk, the flesh, fruit, glory, Holy Spirit, justification, regeneration, salvation, sanctification, sin, suffering
Topic: Christian living
Keywords: adoption, child of God, Christian walk, the flesh, fruit, glory, Holy Spirit, justification, regeneration, salvation, sanctification, sin, suffering