Its all Good - Romans 8:26-37

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Overcoming Depression Part 3

“It’s All Good”

Romans 8:28-37

Have you ever read the account of Joseph in Genesis (starting in chapter 41)?  Young Joseph is the ‘favorite’ of his dad Isaac, but he ends up having one bad thing after another happen to him.  He finally ends up an an Egyptian jail, under false charges.  There is a glimmer of hope as a cupbearer promises to remember him when he gets out, but of course he forgot!

1.         That account is a setup for our message today, because we could all relate to Joseph at some point in our life.

a.    When it seems like everything is working against us.  Nothing is going our way. 

b.    And we wonder, "can anything good come from this?"

2.         There are some times in our life when bad things happen, and we can see the good that came out of it.

a.    There are other times when bad things happen, and maybe we don’t see the good, but we trust that something good surely will come from it...

b.    Then there the those times when when something hits us right between the eyes, - trial- travesty - tragedy - and we think to ourselves “NOTHING good will come of this at all!”

3.         And the question always comes up in our mind “What is God doing?  How could God let this happen? Is He even paying attention?

a.    The answer to that question is yes, but we have to realze that sometimes there's a bigger picture, a greater good in motion.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Overcoming Depression Part 2 - The Material World - Romans 8:3-17

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Overcoming Depression – Part 2 “Material World”

Romans 8:3-17

Back in 1984 the singer Madonna released a song titled “Material Girl”

They can beg and they can plead

But they can't see the light, that's right

'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash

Is always Mister Right, 'cause we are

Living in a material world

And I am a material girl

You know that we are living in a material world

And I am a material girl

1.         Catchy tune, and it was a hit because it resonated with the essence of our world:

a.    “Hey you’ve got to live this life to the fullest, cause this is all there is!”

b.    It describes the deep human need for fulfillment, to find happiness, and peace.

c.    The only problem is that they’re looking in the wrong places.. (lookin for love in all the wrong places!)

2.         See, as Christians, those “in Christ,” we know that this world isn't all there is. 

a.    We know there’s an eternity waiting for us, it is our blessed hope.

b.    But until that eternity comes, we’re stuck here in this place… this material world.

3.         Now, last week we learned that there are three prime culprits that get us feeling down and depressed:

a.    Haunted by something from our past

b.    Weighed down by something in our present

c.    Anxious about something in our future

4.         We learned that when you’re haunted by the past, when those depression bombs start going off in your mind,

a.    You have an arsenal of your own, the powerful truth that “in Christ,” there is NO condemnation! (none, zero, not one bit!)

5.         This week we’re going to learn how to respond when we’re weighed down with something in our present…

a.    Today we’re going to look at one of the ways Christians to lose their peace, and that’s when we “walk according to the flesh”

The Secret to Overcoming Depression

Last Sunday we learned a power truth: There is NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ!  When our adversary starts dropping ‘depression bombs’ on us, we can counter with this powerful truth:  “It is written, There is NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ!”  Why does this weapon have the power to shut down the enemy? Because it states the truth that WE ARE FORGIVEN!  Once you are “in Christ,” what is His is now yours, and since God does not condemn Christ, neither will he condemn you! Christian, once you’ve grasped the fact that you’ve been totally, completely, 100% forgiven, you can walk free from guilt and condemnation of your past.  For the next installment of Romans 8, join us Sunday for “Overcoming Depression Part 2,”  10 AM at Calvary Chapel Wilmington.

The Secret to Overcoming Depression - Romans 8:1-7

The Secret to Overcoming Depression

Romans 8:1-7

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1.         Don’t raise your hands, but has anyone ever struggled with depression, or you’ve known someone who has?

a.    NIH reports 2% of the population suffers from severe depression, and 16.5% some depression related disorder.

b.    It has touched almost every family in our country.

2.         In this chapter not only will we learn the final piece of Gods plan to walking in victory, we’re also going to learn the secret to overcoming depression!

3.         See, depression stems from one of three areas:

a.    1 - We’re haunted by something from our past, something we've done, or something that was done to us.

b.    2 - We’re weighed down by something in our present, some heavy situation, a trial, or some sin we're dealing with

c.    3 - We’re anxious about something in our future

4.         In this chapter we’re going to learn that God is sovereign over ALL of these areas of our life:  past, present, future!

Who will Save Us? Romans 7:8-25

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Who will Save Us?

Romans 7:8-25

1.         Remember - Romans 6-7-8 is the key to overcoming sin

a.    Today is the day that Paul is going to reveal the final piece of that key

b.    But before we get there, he has a few final words about - THE LAW.

2.         What is “The Law?”

a.    Most people when they think of the law, think of the Ten Commandments (which Jesus summarized)

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.  Matthew 22:37-40

3.         True - if you love God, you won’t break the first four commandments,

a.    if you love others, your won’t break the last six!

b.    Love God, love others, who would get upset about those two statements?

4.         But people do get uptight about the Ten Commandments

Mr Perfect Must Die - Romans 7:1-6

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Mr Perfect Must Die

Romans 7:1-6

There was once a woman that was a perfectionist in everything she did, and so prayed “Lord, please send me the perfect man.”  And the Lord answered her prayer.

One evening a young man knocked on the door, politely asked if he could speak to the young women, and she first laid eyes on him, she knew “this is my perfect man!”

Romans 6:12-23 - We Are Free!

We Are Free

Romans 6:12-23

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1.         Last week we learned some powerful truths:

a.    When a person enters into a relationship with Jesus Christ, that person is born into a new reality:  An eternal link to Jesus Christ.

b.    Because of that relationship with Christ, everything that is Christ’s is now available to that new Christian

c.    Christ died, we died, and thus sin no longer has any power over the Christian.

d.    Christ lives, we live;  The  Christian has been given new life, they’re alive to God!

e.    The Christian has been set free from the bondage of sin, and the bondage of the law!

2.         Last week: "Sin is dead!"

3.         This week: We are free!

4.         It’s critical that the Christian not only KNOW these things, but that we accept them as FACTS, and walk in FAITH based on these facts

a.    Remember what happens when Faith takes his eyes off of Fact!

b.    We have a NEW REALITY “in Christ” and we can now walk in that new reality!

c.    That’s why Paul tells us...

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Romans 6:1-14 - Sin is Dead

Sin is Dead

Romans 6:1-14

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1.         Question:  Have you ever had sin that you couldn’t overcome?

2.         These next three chapters are the most powerful sections of scripture when it comes to overcoming sin.  

3.         See in the context of what we learned in chapters 1-5:

a.    Chapter 1-5 helped us understand the positional truth of justification,

i.      in 6-8 we’ll learn the practical truth of sanctification

b.    1-5 taught us we were dead IN sin,

i.      6-8 teaches us we are now dead TO sin.

c.    1-5 taught us we were free from the penalty of sin;

i.      6-8 teaches us we are free from the power of sin.

4.         Chapters 6, 7 & 8 will teach us three important truths:

a.    Through Christ, the power that sin had over us has been broken

b.    Through Christ, we’ve been released from the bondage of the law

c.    Through Christ, we’ve been given the Spirit of the Living God to guide us, to help us, and the reveal to us God’s love for us!

5.         These truths that we’re about to learn are so important for the Christian, especially the new Christian, because all too often, Christians try to fight sin by saying “no, no, no!”

a.    Guess what, that only works for a short time – eventually our willpower weakens, and we give in…

b.    Paul is going to teach us a new way:   “Know, know, know!”

5:20 But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord 6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

VICTORY!

Is there a sin in your life that you haven't been able to obtain victory over?  If so, I have two things to say to you:

#1  YOUR NOT ALONE

#2  THERE IS A SOLUTION!

Trust me when I tell you that I know what it's like to have an area of sin in my life that's still hanging on. It's as if that sin is tied to your leg with a bungie cord;  Every time you think you've left it behind, you turn around, and SMACK - there it is!  I believe if Christians were transparent, we'd find that there many still struggling with one sin or another.  That reality can be very defeating for the Christian, especially the new Christian, leading them to conclude:  "Whats the point?  I keep falling back into my sin, I may as well give up!"

Take heart Christian!  There is a solution!  And that solution is nowhere better illustrated than in the pages of your bible, specifically in Romans 6, 7, & 8.

This Sunday at Calvary Chapel we'll be opening up a new section of Romans:  Romans 6-8. Romans 6-8 have been described as the "Victory" chapters, because in these three chapters the Apostle Paul lays out the strategy for victory over sin:

VICTORY (Romans 6)

LIBERTY  (Romans 7)

SECURITY (Romans 8)

All based on one thing:  Our relationship to Jesus Christ.  Join us Sunday morning at 10 am at Calvary Chapel.

Pastor Clay

State of the Church

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Audio to be posted soon.

The Great Exchange - Romans 5:6-20

The Great Exchange

Romans 5:6-20

(To listen online CLICK HERE)

1.         One of my favorite movies is Act of Valor, which is about a team of Navy Seals that goes after a terrorist group.

a.    And while there are some really cool scenes of firefights (the riverboat scene is, to me, one of the top ten action scenes ever filmed!)

b.    The underlying theme of the movie the valor of the men, and how they’re willing to go to any length to complete their mission.

d.    Without hesitation, Lt Rourke jumps on the grenade, shielding his teammates from the effects of the blast, giving his life to save his team.  

e.    Truly an act of valor!

2.         But what about the bad guys?  Well, they are summarily gunned down, because, hey, they’re bad guys!

a.    If that grenade had accidentally bounced into the group of terrorists, I doubt LT Rourke would’ve jumped on it!  (“well, that was helpful..”)  

3.         That’s what Paul is saying here:  There are a few people, not many, that would give their life to save a family member, a loved one, a friend, a comrade…

a.    But who would sacrifice himself to save a terrorist, or a criminal?

b.    There is one - Jesus!  In an unprecedented demonstration of love, Jesus gave His life to save sinners!

c.    He died to save the terrorist, the mass murderer, the child molester – and yes, you and me!

Peace with God - Romans 5:1-5

“It’s all about Faith”

Peace with God

Romans 5:1-5

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In 1972 two fishermen were checking their shrimp traps along a river on the South Pacific island of Guam, when they ran across a man they thought to be a local villager.  Unprovoked, the man attacked them, yelling at them in a strange language.  They were able to subdue the man, and they brought him into town, where it was discovered that he was no native villager.  The man’s name was Shōichi Yokoi, a Japanese sergeant in the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during the Second World War.  When US forces regained control of the island in 1945, Yokoi and nine other soldiers retreated into the jungle to await reinforcements. As the years went by, the reinforcements never came. Seven of the men eventually left, two died in flooding, leaving Yokoi, who remained at his post, believing he was still at war, ready to defend the island the Emperor! He didn’t realize that the war had ended, his country had entered a peace agreement, Japan and the US were now allies! Yokoi didn’t need to hide any longer.

1.         So it is with many people:  Deep down they know they’re not living according to God’s law, deep down they understand that they’re not righteous…

a.    So they feel they have to run from God, they have to hide from God!

b.    Just like Yokoi, they don’t understand that the war is OVER! Peace has been achieved. 

c.    Not by setting off a nuclear bomb, but through the sacrifice of the Son of God.

d.    Through Jesus, God has made peace available to mankind

2.         That's what Paul tells us in Romans chapter 5

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I LOVE Thanksgiving!  Why?  Well for a couple of reasons:

1. There will be food.  Lots of food.
2. We close the church for two days.  (Even though I still have to prepare for Sunday!)
3. My boys are out of school, so we get to hang out.
4. My son Chandler is back from school for a week.  We get to hang out and play music together on Sunday!
5. Mom is cooking some really scrumptious stuff (as I write this I'm eating her sausage balls, mmmm!)
6. Tomorrow we get to host a huge Community Thanksgiving meal at church.  We'll have 20 turkeys, tons of side dishes, and a lot of people will break bread together!

I wanted to take a moment to tell everyone who is a part of our life, or a part of our church - I am so blessed to have you part of my life!  Thank you for being our friends, thank you for your love, your support, and your friendship.

I also want to thank my God, who has given my family and I an opportunity to be part of so many lives.  I thank Him for my family, the ministry He has given me, but even more so - for giving me peace with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

This Sunday I'll be teaching from Romans 5:

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  Romans 5:1-2

There is no greater blessing than to know that I have peace with my Creator, access to His grace, and the hope of glory through Jesus Christ.

From my family, and from the leaders and staff at Calvary of Wilmington, we pray you have a blessed Thanksgiving day.  (and, if you don't have anywhere to go, you're welcome to join us at Calvary of Wilmington for Thanksgiving meal! CLICK HERE for info)

The Promise - Romans 4:13-25

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“It’s all about Faith”

The Promise

Romans 4:13-25

What is a promise?

1.         A promise is a commitment to do something, or not do something.

a.    “I promise I’ll come pick you up for church.”

b.    “I promise not to leave you..."

c.    It's a commitment.

2.         In legal terms, an exchange of promises is legally enforceable; When you sign a contract, you're obligated to fulfill the terms of that contract.

a.    If you fail to fulfill the terms of that contract, you can be held legally liable. You may have to pay damages.

3.         We’ve all made promises, hopefully we’ve kept our promises, but if we’re honest, we’d all have to admit that we’ve made promises we didn’t keep.

a.    One man said: Promises are like babies:  easy to make, but they’re hard to deliver.

Sola Fide - Romans 3:27-4:12

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“It’s all about Faith”

Sola Fide

Romans 3:27 - 4:12

For the next three weeks our topic will be on faith:

• 4:1-12  Sola Fide: Justification through faith alone
• 4:13-25  The Promise received through faith
• 5:1-11  Peace through Faith

1.         Last week we talked about two words: justification and propitiation.

a.    If you missed that message, you can get it from my website clayritter.com

b.    Justification - status - “just as if I had never sinned - the greatest need of mankind, to be justified, to one another, and with God.

c.    When something happens between two people, they seek to be understood, they seek to justify, they want to be reconciled.

2.         Paul is telling us “You’re right to want to be justified before God, to be right with God… But you’re not going to accomplish it by obeying the rules, doing good things for God, or by going through a ritual. “

a.    The ONLY WAY to achieve the status of being right with God is through the process of propitiation…

b.    Meaning:  Receiving what Jesus did on the cross.  His death, burial, and resurrection.

How the bible is crazy accurate - Ezekiel 29

Earlier this year during our “Basics” series, I taught a message on the bible, and why we can trust it (listen HERE).  In that message, I noted that one of the key reasons we can trust the word of God is its predictive accuracy: Every prophecy given in the bible has come to pass with 100% accuracy!

Today I ran across two small prophecies related to Egypt, buried in the book of Ezekiel, that reminded me of what Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away” (Matt 24:35).

The first prophecy is in Ezek 29:14-15:

I will restore the prosperity of Egypt and bring its people back to the land of Pathros in southern Egypt from which they came. But Egypt will remain an unimportant, minor kingdom. It will be the lowliest of all the nations, never again great enough to rise above its neighbors. Ezek 29-14-15

In this prophecy God is telling Ezekiel that He will use Nebuchadnezzar to crush Egypt, but after forty years He will bring the Egyptians back to their land, however “Egypt will remain an unimportant, minor kingdom.  It will be the lowliest of all the nations, never again great enough to rise above its neighbors.” This was spoken during a time when Egypt was a strong nation with a long history of being a mighty empire.  Today Egypt is still a country (just as God said), but she has never regained her previous glory and power.  With an economy in shambles, Egypt is one of the lowliest of nations in that region.

The other prophecy is contained in verse 21:

“And the day will come when I will cause the ancient glory of Israel to revive, and then, Ezekiel, your words will be respected. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”  Ezek 29:21

Think about it, Israel is once again nation, and it’s the strongest nation in that region (economically and militarily).  No one messes with Israel.  And what about Ezekiel’s words?  True to His promise, Ezekiel’s words are part of our bible today, the most widely printed and sold book in all of history.  His words are studied by scholars and laymen alike, and Ezekiel is held up as one of the major prophets in the bible.

Jesus was right:  “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away” Matt 24:35

Pastor Clay

The Two Most Important Words in the Bible - Romans 3:1-26

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The Two Most Important Words in the Bible

Romans 3:1-26

1.         Earlier this year a study was released by the Australian National University on the effects of smoking.  The study found:

a.    Two thirds of deaths in current smokers can be attributed to tobacco use

b.    Smoking reduces life expectancy by 10 years

c.    Light smokers also face double risk of early death

2.         In response to this study, the tobacco industry released a statement:

“These findings, haven’t been substantiated by our own research.”

3.         In a similar fashion, people will often put up a smokescreen when asked about their eternal destination …

a.    “I believe in God… I’ve been good… I’ve tried to live a good life…”  would be the typical response...

4.         But Paul has blown away that smokescreen, being the equal opportunity offender:

a.    The immoral person:  You’re guilty of sin and deserve judgment!

b.    The moral person:  You’re guilty of sin and deserve judgment!

c.    The legalist:  You’re guilty of sin and deserve judgment!

d.    Even the Jew, who have the law and the prophets: You’re guilty of sin and deserve judgment!

5.         Harsh stuff? We need to realize that Paul isn’t on a mission to destroy people, or drive them into depression…

a.    “I’m such a terrible person, I should just slit my wrists and end it all!”

b.    No Paul is leading up to something, something big, something important that he wants the reader to understand.

6.         Paul is like a prosecutor in a courtroom, taking the jury on a journey of facts leading up to the closing argument.

a.    In his closing argument Paul will reveal what may be the two most important words in the bible. (Want to know what they are? I'll tell you a little later!

b.    But in the lead up to his closing argument, Paul poses some rhetorical questions, questions that he perceives the reader may ask, and then he proceeds to answer those questions:

Dealing with Discouragement

Everyone gets discouraged from time to time.  Whether it's with our life, our job, our family, even our church.  A wise man once said to me "Everything in life has some part that stinks; 80% may be good, 20% stinks.  If we focus on the 20% that stinks, before you know it - EVERYTHING STINKS!"

Its true!  If we would take an honest assessment of where our head is at when we're feeling negative or discouraged, we'd find that we're probably focusing on the 20% of our life / our job / our church that stinks, instead of the 80% that is a blessing.  I can come home after a wonderful Sunday service where God was glorified, people made decisions for Christ, and if I start looking at all of the little things that went wrong, before I know it the entire service was a flop! Well, the service WASN'T a flop, I just had a stinky perspective!  I've learned that after a Sunday service, my wife and I need to come home and celebrate the WINS that week! (There'll be plenty of time to address the things that went wrong later!)

But what do you do when you're in that stinky place?  How do you come out of it?  A great answer is found in scripture, Hebrews chapter 10:

#1 Thank God for our salvation:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Heb 10:19-22

Because of our relationship with Christ, we now have access to the Holy Place, the Great Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ!

#2 Remember the hope that we have in Christ

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Heb 10:23

When everything is wrong, there is one thing that is always right:  Our destination is Heaven!

#3 Encourage someone else:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25

I believe one of the most powerful things we can do is to find someone that is hurting, struggling, or suffering, and encourage them!  Call them and invite them for coffee.  Pray with them!  Find scriptures that will speak life into their situation!

That's my challenge for you this week:  Reach out to someone, and share the love / strength / hope of Christ with them.  Trust me, it'll change your perspective!

Pastor Clay

The Problem with Legalism - Roman's 2:17-29

The Problem with Legalism

Romans 2:17-29

(CLICK HERE to listen online)

1.         So far Paul has offended two groups of people:

a.    The immoral person

b.    The moral person

c.    Paul - the equal opportunity offender!

d.    Paul now turns his attention to the to the legalist.

2.         What is legalism?

le·gal·ism - excessive adherence to law or formula, dependence on moral law rather than on personal religious faith.

a.    Legalism can be very appealing to people that like structure, who like order, people that like to know where lines are so they don't cross them. 

3.         However Paul does have a significant concern with this form of religious practice;

a.    He has a concern for the person that believes they can earn their acceptance with God based on who they are, or what they do.

b.    It is religious performance, scrupulous and meticulous in its outward form, but inwardly, as Jesus described it, ‘filled with dead men’s bones.’

c.    I believe Paul is qualified to speak to this topic, as he was once very much a legalist, a Jewish Pharisee, the equivalent of being a religious lawyer.

We're All Guilty - Romans 2:1-16

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We’re All Guilty!

Romans 2:1-16

1.         Last week in Romans 1 Paul made a stinging indictment against blatant immorality;

a.    We learned that when a person or a culture rejects God, it begins a downward spiral of immorality, living life to fulfill the lust of their heart.

b.    Paul gave us a long and detailed list of the sins that would prevail, even being celebrated in that culture.

c.    And the reality is that we see these sins all around us – pick any news cycle and there are terrible acts of sin and immorality reported.

d.    Most people would agree:  Those who perpetrate these terrible acts are deserving of judgment!

2.         But, there is a catch to Paul’s argument, an exception, because some of us could say, “I know a person that while they aren't a Christian, they don't believe in God, they don’t go to church, they don’t read the bible…

a.    And yet they’re a good person.  They don’t lie, or cheat, or steal.

b.    They’ve never been mean to me, never yelled at me.  I couldn’t make one accusation against them.”

c.    What about that person?  Is God going to send that person to Hell?