Romans 5:20-6:7 (#20.2025.05.04)

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:02

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance, and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi, and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show notes and download the blank insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there'll be a link to the episode website at beholding bibletruth dot com, and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:48

We have the grandkids this weekend. Josh and Mary Anne drove to Grand Rapids, Michigan for us, a marriage conference. Grandkids. Gotcha. In in the midst of a remodel. Per day. That's right. And then our our whole First Floor is under construction, which means we're in upstairs or in the basement, and, things are being going on.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:13

So it's been very interesting. So this morning, I'm up, and we do have a table down in the First Floor because I can't work in my office, which has been moved from the First Floor to the bedroom. And I can't move it work in the bedroom because, Therese is in there sleeping. So I'm on the I'm on a table and doing the computer this morning, and nothing works like it's supposed to. You know? Yeah. It's moving slow. And, usually, I have I have six things open, and I have two screens and working all that. And I'm working on the mouse, and I'm looking at it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:46

I've got a browser. And then the word reminded me, you know, that Paul wrote these letters from prison. Oh, yeah, Lord. Okay. He didn't have a license. He didn't have a mouse. He didn't have a computer. You know, he's working on the virus and Yeah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:11

Separate. Yeah. I'm golly golly. So it it did remind me, right, to keep perspective as you go through here. That the, the word of God is precious. I'm grateful to have it. I'm grateful to be able to to use it. Those are good reminders.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:27

So stand with me if you will, and let's read to Romans very end of, five and beginning of six. Okay. The law came in so that the transgression would increase. But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more so that as sin reigned in death, even so our grace would reign through righteousness, through eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our lord. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who've been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore, we've been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, that we too might walk in newness of life. For if we become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with so that we would no longer be slaves to sin, for he who has died is freed from sin.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:54

Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. So it said as you walk through doctrine deep it's deep, isn't it? Sometimes you think, okay. Wait a minute. Okay. Wait a minute. Okay. Wait a minute.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:14

Right? Just hang with me. As I said, it's like the scaffolding that allows us to climb up right to the heights or the as the scripture says, to dig deep into the depths or the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. So hang with it. The other part that gets it is either I don't wanna go deep. I get tired of that, or I tend to say, well, I know what that is. I know what grace is. I know what sin is. I know what glory is.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:42

I know those words, don't we? So what we wanna do is not right. The nature of sin is the glory, the glory, the weightiness, the the height, the depth, the glory of God becomes pedestrian. It's the nature of sin. Oh, I got it. Yeah. I got that. I got that. And a reminder that as as good evangelicals, we tend to think that the Christian life is a multiple choice test.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:10

As long as I get around the 90%, I'm good. I know the answer to that. I know the answer to that. So it's a reminder that doctrine is a scaffold to show us the character and the nature of God. Its doctrine shows us the character in nature. So as you continue to revisit those things we do think you understand, you wanna you wanna see deeper into them. Lord, reveal. Don't go to the word of God and say, reveal yourself, Lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:39

It's not so that you would know the doctrine. It's that you would know him. This is eternal life that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent. Right? Eternal life is him because he's life. There is no life apart from man. Right? So it's not it's not designed so that we can graduate with a degree in theology. Theology is designed so we can climb the heights so we can dig the depths and to see the character in nature. Right? So as we look as we go through here, right, Paul is stacking, right, essentially, arguments that come up against the the nature and the grace and the glory of God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:24

Right? All the things that we as as humans build in our head, right, and and argue against. So he's saying, right, he so he asked the question here, what about the law? What about the law? Because he says, write the law. Right? There was this whole section on what about the law. So he reminds us we are not underlying not justified. We're not justified by the law to which people say, so what's the point? What's the point of the law? We're not justified because by the works of the law, what to say? No flesh will be justified. That's pretty clear. So what about the law of Moses? What is up with that? Well, he says, the law had had a number of purposes, but he reminds us here the law came that transgression would increase. What? Along came that transgression would increase.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:30

So, early on, after I got out of college, I worked for a, Burroughs Corporation. It's a big corporation. I was calling on a a business, and I walked in and, they were some sort of manufacturing, you know, so that things were boxed up. And I was going by the conveyor belt, and there was a laser, like, you know, like, red eye kind of thing, and it says do not. Do not. So nobody is around. And then when turned on, I just I really did that. I really did that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:18

Yeah. I was an adult. I was an adult. That was my life. If it said do not I don't know about you, but Yeah. When I see do not, I think, who should? Why not. How come? Right. Why not? Or when I hear do, I think, who are you? Yeah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:45

You know what I mean? Yes. Okay. What is that? That's sin. I'm telling you. That's the nature of sin. You're not gonna tell me what to do. You're not gonna tell me what to do. So scripture says the law came that that would increase.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:05

What? So the word little remain into the side of sin. So sin was existing in you. The law came to the side of sin. Because remember it said, right, here's Adam. Right? Do not eat. They eat. Then there's a period before the law of Moses came. During that people period, people still died.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:29

So it wasn't the law that caused them to die. It was their sin. Then the law came. So what's the point of sin? The grace would increase. It joined forces with sin, thus adding to it its extent and power. When you read do not, when you redo, right, the nature of sin is you're not gonna tell me what I can't tell me what to do. So the apostle Paul, right, spirit of God through the apostle Paul in Romans seven says, I would not have come to know what? Accept. Except through the law.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:06

For I would not have known about coveting if the law had not said, you shall not covet. Don't covet your but sin taking opportunity through the commandment produced in me coveting of every kind. You shall not covet. That dang part of me that wants what you got. That's part of me that wants what I don't have. That part of me wants what God is not giving me. The part of me that says he must be holding back because I want it. I need it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:46

I want it. So when we were getting right right before the the, redo on the First Floor, we had thought about moving. And Beth had said we drove by this house that had, a pickleball in the backyard, Pickleball Court. We said if that house ever came up for sale, we'd move there. So Beth calls me one day, and she says, that house is for sale. So we went over there. We looked at it. Kinda prayed about it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:16

Went through it on Friday and kinda prayed about it. It felt like the Lord was saying yes. Saturday, we looked at it and kinda said, yeah. We'll be back on Sunday. Got up on Sunday. We fasted. We prayed. If we're doing something, this is generally our thought, where it's a great big change in your life.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:34

Moving somewhere, new job. We get very clear. We just get very clear. So we're praying, and we ask, Lord, give us a verse so we're really clear. Does that make sense? Daily decisions, if you're meeting with them daily, I don't need God to affirm every because I wanna be walking with them. But big decisions that changed the course of your life. Right? So we're fasting, praying, and the lord said no. No, Lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:04

I was getting ready to move the money and make an offer here. Lord said no. So there's a little part that said, Lord, I don't wanna go anywhere that you're not there. I definitely don't wanna do that. No house is worth that. So we decided, right, we'll redo the kitchen and do that stuff. Still, I drive by, and I think, Not to say to the Lord, that's what? That's coveting. That's one thing what somebody else has.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:44

So I still right, Lord? I get it. It's coming. I don't want I would never let that stand in between, but I know what that feeling is. Like, I want it. I want it now. Right? I want I want what you have. I want my so scripture says, you shall not shall not. You shall not.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:08

Well, the law, it reminds us, is holy, and it's righteous, and it's good. The law is holy, righteous, and good because the law is a reflection of the character and nature of god. So god is holy and righteous and good. If you study the Old Testament, you study Leviticus and go through the law. At first, I think I said that when I first started teaching in I think it was '91. They gave me the book of Leviticus to teach. I didn't know, but maybe it was a test. I wanted to say, how many times have you preached through the book of Leviticus? Is that something you do regularly? You know? And at first, it was just laborious.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:04

But having gone through it since, it's glorious because it is about worship. Right? And you see that the detail of god's holiness is critical. Everything matters. And so the idea that I could keep the law, just read the law. Go ahead and read it. And you'd say, I can do that. Really? I can do that. Right? Because god is holy and he's righteous.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:33

And lastly, you should underline he is good. He's good. Scripture says his mercies are overall his works, his mercies. He is good. And so the law reflects his character nature, and it's there to show how utterly sinful sin is. So Paul, we'll get to this in in seven, says, the things that I should do, I don't do. The things that that that I shouldn't do, I do. There's a battle.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:07

There's a war going on. And he says when the law came, it it made sin. It's like gasoline. Right? It was like like you throw gasoline on on a on a flame? Yeah. You know what that is. That's what it's like. So it says, so then the law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. So he said, therefore, did that which is good become a cause of death for me.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:33

Right? Because, generally, I'd look at the law and say, you know, if you hadn't told Adam not to eat from the tree, he'd been good. Why'd you put a tree in there? That's what we were saying. Why'd you put a tree in there he can't eat from? That's the problem. Right? The problem is the law. You had to just let me go. Of course, they died when there was no law. Right? So he says, it's holy and righteous and good. Therefore, did that which is good become a cause of death for me.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:03

Does that make sense? Did the is it the law's fault? Is it God's fault? Forgiveness of law. Is it the law's fault? May it never be. That's kinda perish the thought. Rather, it was sin. What what was the purpose? In order that it might be shown to be sin. So it's a it's a it's a, a revelation that this is sin. By affecting my death through that which is good, how could that which is good, it's like taking a good supplement that causes death. And you say, wait a minute.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:44

What's the problem? Was it the was it the law? No. He said, no. No. No. Do that which is good. So that here's the ultimate. Through the commandment, sin would become utterly sinful. If that which is holy and righteous and good cause of death in you, what's the problem? Not the holy and righteous good, but that shows how sinful sin is.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:13

Sin responds to that which is holy and righteous and good by saying I'm doing what I wanna do. I'm doing what I wanna do. And then the ultimate, the law leads to Christ. So the law has become our our tutor. Right? The law kept us, right, as a as a teacher, as a, headmaster, right, kept you in line pointing always pointing to the one who would come. The one who would come, who would fulfill the law. So he says there's the law, and in utter opposition to the law, You have God's grace. And scripture says that God's grace is not just abundant, it's super abundant.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:21

It's super abundant. From his fullness, we've received what? Grace upon grace. Not just grace, but grace upon grace indicating unending grace, unending grace. It is as a fountain that never comes dry. The grace of God just floats grace upon grace. Well, what happened? The law was given through Moses' grace and truth were realized. They came to pass through Jesus, the man Christ, the Messiah. Jesus, the man Christ, the Messiah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:11

The two meet. The humanity and divinity of God met in the Lord Jesus Christ. The word became Flesh. Flesh. The uncontainable stepped into a container. And as a result of that, we see grace upon grace, unending grace, mercy, favor, never to dry up eternal and eternal spring. So he says, okay. Sin.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:40

Right? This makes sin grow and sin had a rain. Sin rain. Sin's rain. And that sin rain for your sinfulness, the result of that was in death. Scripture says, right, in death. What's the result of sin? The wages of sin is Death. Death. First first, spiritual death.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:13

We're born in sin. We're born out of relationship with God. We're born out of fellowship with God. We do not even have the capacity internally. He has to take our heart of stone out and give us a heart of flesh. He has to put a spirit in us, a new spirit, and he has to put his holy spirit in us in order for us to have fellowship. We have to be right? We have to have sin, sin's reign taken care of. So in Paradise Lost, Milton talks about the character sin as the daughter of Satan, And he says it's fierce as 10 furies, terrible as hell and shook a dreadful dart, but seemed his head, the likeness of a kingly crown head on.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:02

Right? Rain. Sin reigns in your body, unable to. Right? If you came to Christ as so we were 28 years old. I had twenty eight years of really, bowing to sin's reign, and I was a willing participant. As I said, I was working on advanced degrees in hedonism and doing very well at multiple degrees after my name. Right? And then all of a sudden, out of nowhere out of nowhere, Jesus Christ crashes into my life, literally crashes into my life. And you say, what is that? So sin, the world system would say, well, the problem is shame. The problem is guilt.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:51

The problem is you call it sin. That's the problem. Have you heard that? That's the problem, you dang Christians. Barnes said Christianity is no more answerable for the introduction and extent of sin than the science of medicine is responsible for disease. Like that science defines the state of widespread evils. They exist. Look around the world. Right? In existence.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:15

And like that, science, it is strictly a remedial system. It's an answer for a sin. So the world system blames the fact, well, we if you put the do nots on there. So just hang around with a one year old. Hang around with a two year old. So we're there all weekend. Right? Little sweet peachy. Right? Little Tourette's.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:39

Right? She's looking. Right? And I said, don't do that. Don't do that. Right? Don't do that. We don't do that. We don't throw the toy. So then I'll say, Therese, look at me in the eye. Therese, look at me in the eye.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:01

Look at me in the eye because we don't wanna look. Right? We know that. So what what what did I just say? Want to repeat it. What did I just say? We don't throw toys. We don't throw toys. So I said say that. We don't throw toys. Look me in the eye Mhmm.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:18

Because there's a brokenness. We know it, don't we? We know we but there's a rebellion inside. It's now blossoming. Right? It blossoms. It blossoms. Right? We know it. Well, it says, since rain is in every human being. Right? But grace's reign grace's reign grace's reign is greater.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:57

Well, then you understand that you were a slave of sin, that grace that sin had a reign in your life. It was king of your life. King of your life. And he's saying, if that's the case, you're gonna see that grace has a greater reign. In the same way that sin reigns, grace is greater. Grace, it says, would reign through righteousness. The what? Eternal life. And the eternal life is just not then.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:35

We tend to think about eternal life as something in the future. No. Eternal life is that which always exist. God is eternal, immortal, invisible. What does that mean? He just always is. That's why when we get to heaven, we're not gonna say, like, how long have we been here? There won't be any of that because time will be gone. You'll just be in a state of joy with nothing missing, so time will be irrelevant. Forget that? So god just existed in time.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:09

He just stood in time and spoke time into being for a time. Right? But in eternity, there is no time. You won't be thinking, have we been here a million years? Is that the is it, like, one point two million? You won't because that's hard to fathom, isn't it? But you'll just be in such a state of joy and favor that there will be no time or need for time. So eternal life is the beginning of that eternal, immovable, unshakable relationship. It's just life. He's saying this is life. Right? You're starting to taste it Starting to taste it. And that would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Christ Jesus, our lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:57

Oh, gee. Dang. Well, when sin reigned, who was lord? It's me. Well, it said me, but I wasn't really lord. Sin was lord. I wasn't really lord. That's what the scripture says. You thought you were lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:21

You thought you were in charge. You thought you were a captain of your own ship. You thought you were willfully doing what you wanted to do, but sin reigned. Right? There is a there is a crown, right, on your head, and it's sin. Well, that's a kingdom in a sense. There's now a new kingdom with a new king, and that king is lord. Lord. I thought he set me free to be free to do what I want.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:02

Of course. The problem he says is you don't really know what you want, do you? And, generally, what you want has not been, like, track record. Let's just do the track record of Kevin's decision. How is it how how are you doing? When you say I want, what if I gave you everything you wanted? That's scary, isn't it? Well, just try one or two things, Lord. Just maybe these two. Isn't that great? We think we're lord. Now there's a new lord. So you know the phrase, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:44

That sounds easy because I can I can bow my knee and I can confess? But it comes from Isaiah. There in Isaiah, this is the phrase. I sworn by myself. The word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return. That to me, every knee shall bow. I can do that once in a while. That's not so bad. Do that every day as I meet with them, but and every tongue shall swear allegiance.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:12

Oh, I pledge allegiance to the lord. Oh, well, that feels different. I think confess. Oh, that's easier. Swear allegiance. Does that mean my whole heart my whole life. Right? It's hard to do, isn't it? Scary. Scary to thought.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:35

Scary to thought. But that's what he's saying. Right? And and and his lordship is the key. Right? There's a new king. There's a new king. And by the way, just like the law, he is holy, and he's righteous, and he's good. He's good. And you can trust him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:09

And this king led to death. This king, life. Life indeed. I came that you would have life and that more abundantly. This is abundant life. Right? That's what this can bring, abundant life. I know, but I still like to be ignored. We're allegiance.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:40

So that's the picture. This lord, we swear allegiance to. Right? We banner. We raise the flag. We identify with him. I'm with him. I am with him. Alright.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:54

Flip over. So makes sense? Any questions on that third part? Even the law shows right, sin was reigning, now grace reigns. Well, of course, this is what we would do. Hey. If grace reigns more than sin, And when sin occurs, race is greater, maybe we should help out the Lord and sin more. That's right. Now we laugh, but throughout history, there are sects of of those who said, yeah. That's makes sense.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:35

So Paul is questioning here, dealing with this. He says, is grace a license to sin? Heck. When sin abounds, grace abounds more. If grace abounds more than sin, then maybe we should sin more. So I thought about this, the grace of the lord Jesus Christ. The grace of God is dangerous. Very dangerous. Because you think, well, how are we gonna control people if you say the grace of God? I'd rather say if you don't show up at church, you die.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:19

Right? And that works. That works. Ananias and Sabara. I mean, that works. That's a that's a good system. Right? Are you giving? Are you lying about your giving? No. No way. No way.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:33

No way. Yep. So grace is scary. It's dangerous, isn't it? It seems like a gamble. Holy smile. How are you gonna control people if you say grace of the lord? Is it used as a license to sin? Yeah. Has it been used in the past? Yes. Will it be used in the future? Yes.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:53

Is it being used right now? Yeah. So he's asking, can we live in sin? In other words, not can we sin, of course, because we continue to sin. He's really saying, can I continue to live a life of habitual sin? A life characterized by ongoing sin. So this is in such, a a grammar or a radical form that is saying continue in habitual sin. And he says, resounding no. Perish the thought. No. But the grace of God has appeared.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:32

Really? Yeah. Bringing salvation to All men. All men, but it's instructing us. What's it instructing us to do? Deny. Deny ungodliness, worldly desires, and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in this present age. The grace of god is here to save us, and it's here to instruct us to live righteously. And he says, just so that you get a clear picture of this, you've been baptized into Christ. You have been baptized into Christ Jesus.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:09

Now notice that scripture will sometimes refer to him as Jesus, sometimes refer to him as Christ, sometimes Jesus Christ, sometimes Christ Jesus. Right? Emphasizing part of his character. Christ Jesus is Messiah first, humanity second. His divinity first. It's he he is the answer. Right? He is the promised one. He is the divine one. He says, so you've died to sin.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:37

You died to sin here. So he said you were dead in sin. Right? Doesn't it say that in Ephesians? You were dead in your sins and trespasses. Right? You were dead in sin. Now you died to sin. You were dead in sin. Now you died to sin. See the difference? Okay.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:05

So let's carry this out. So let's think about baptism. He says you've been baptized into Christ Jesus, baptized into Christ Jesus. What does that mean? Baptized into Christ Jesus. That means you've identified with you have communion with, if you will. Right? You become incorporated into. So baptism has this sense of identification. Identification.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:35

We think about the the right of baptism or how it's carried out, but the idea is identifying with. So baptism literally means to dip, to submerge. People worry about the form, but the what's more important is what is it what's it symbolizing? The entering by baptism is in the close communion with a person coming to belong to him so as to be in the sense identified with him. That's what the idea of baptism. Right? So I identify. That's why Paul says, right, I didn't want to like, it was better that I I had to baptize them because people would say, you'd say, oh, you're baptized into Paul. In other words, it's like, you follow him. You're part of him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:19

You're you're one of his. Baptism is the sense of identifying with. So then, baptism into I've identified. But he he he he says, for all of you who've been baptized into Christ have been, we've been called with with Christ, the sense of identity, a new identity we put on, right, this new identity. That's the essence of baptism. Right? Now he's saying there's something actual that it symbolizes what does it mean. But the whole idea is I've been right. I've been baptized into Christ.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:56

He says you've been baptized into Christ's death, into his death. So we died with Christ. You have died with as if you had died, right, with it, you would right. Right. Literally, as if identifying through baptism, it's as if I joined in on his death on the cross. So Alcott said it specifically, you think about death. Why why is that critical? Well, death is justification. The wages of sin is death.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:35

Right? It required a death. It required a death, which is ratified in baptism. The symbolism baptizing harm, harmonizes with the symbolism of death. Right? It's the final close of one period and the beginning of another. The complete stripping off in the past, putting on the new man. Right? So in death, something ends and something new begins. That make sense? Something ends. Something ends.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:07

So he's saying, therefore, if any man is in Christ, there's a new chapter. Something new has happened. Right? The old things have passed away and new things have come. Well, if you've been think about baptism. If you have been identified, if you've been in his death, you also in his burial. This is you've been buried with Christ. You've been buried with Christ. And if you die with Christ and you're buried with Christ, then you've been raised with Christ.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:41

So if you're in Christ, if you have identified with him, if you've been part of him, you've died with him, you were buried with him, and raised with him. That's what he said. Not partly. All of right? Because Christ Jesus died, buried, and was raised. And and Jesus said, truly, I say to you, unless it's green and wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. The fruit comes through the resurrection. So he says you die with them.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:15

You've been buried with them. You've been raised with them so that there's a point to it. So that put an arrow by so that. When whenever you see that so that, you can put an arrow above it because it's speaking to purpose. So that what? So that what? So that what? So that we might too also t o o. So that we might too. Right? So he said, so we might as well also along with. Right? Right? So we might along with, we might walk in newness of life in the likeness of his resurrection.

Scott Keffer [: 00:39:13

So he says, here's what happened. So baptism, right, is a picture. Literally, what happened in Christ. Remember that happened, right, to you. Right? So we might walk into this life. So he says the old self was crucified with Christ. Along with the old self, the body of sin was done away with. K? Get it? The old self died on the cross with Christ.

Scott Keffer [: 00:39:49

So Christ accomplished something on the cross with something that is accomplished in us. Your old self died with him on the cross, was buried with him, was resurrected with him. So the the body of sin is done away with him. So you're no longer a slave. Over here, you're a slave. You're no longer a slave. Okay. Hello.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:22

Come on. There we go. No longer a slave, and you've been freed from sin. Up. Up. Been set free. You've been set free And no longer a slave over here, guess what you are. You're a son.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:53

You're a son over there. Free from sin. Set free. So if you're thinking, acting, operating Christian for a while, you'd say, yeah. But I wake up in the morning. It doesn't feel like that. Well, I've done seem to mirror that. What's going on? What we're gonna talk about, the battle because there's a battle, old versus new, old self versus new self, old man versus new man.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:26

Right? But he's saying this is what has been accomplished for you on your bed. Whether it feels like that or not, this is the reality of what happened with Christ. Baptism. Right? You've been baptized into its death. You've been buried with him. You've been resurrected with him. That's why God says, well, I pray that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened, that you know the hope of his calling, the riches of the glory of his inheritance in you, the saints, and the surpassing greatness of his power toward you as you believe. Then he says, the power which he demonstrated when he raised the lord Jesus from the dead, he seated him at his right hand far above.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:08

All what? Rule, power, authority, dominion, every demonic, right, opposition, and gave him a name which is, above every other name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every tongue swear allegiance. Oh, there it is. There it is. We need the odds of our heart enlightened. So I thought two two things. One, he says, do you not know? Remember when he says, do you not know? So he said, don't be ignorant to this. Don't be ignorant.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:37

Understand this. Is this a good thing? Is this good news? No. It's great news. It's great news. The it doesn't feel like that. That's okay. Feelings are false prophets. This is truth.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:51

He's saying this is true. It doesn't mean we don't struggle. It doesn't mean we don't battle. It just means this is true. So he says, you have been intimately united with Christ. And I would say permanently, eternally, irreversibly, you've been united with Christ. Why? You are in him. His death, his resurrection, his burial, and his resurrection.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:26

You are intimately, permanently, eternally united with him, grafted into him. So he says, abide in me and I in you. This branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me. There is a life flowing in me, he says, that I want to flow in you. It's me to flow in you. I'm the vine. You are the Branch. Branches.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:59

He abides in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit for apart from me, you can do nothing. Apart from me, you can do nothing. Let my life flow in you. That's what he said. Let my life flow in you. It's resurrection life. And then Paul says that I may know him. Right? That I may know him in the power of his resurrection.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:23

Oh, see Paul's saying, I need to comprehend this. Right? I don't get it. And the fellowship of the sufferings being conformed to his death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. In other words, he's saying, right, I want I I wanna know him. I wanna know him in that power. That's not my power. That's his power. It's resurrection power that I might know him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:47

Well, how's it going, Paul? Well, not that I've already attained it or I've already become perfect. I haven't. Right? Here's the apostle Paul. Well, you look pretty perfect to me. What about me? I'm really scrubbing. So he says, first of all, press on to know Christ. Press on to know Christ. Press on.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:14

But I press on. Why? So that I may lay hold of that which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. What is that? That you would bear fruit, that you would glorify him, that you would honor him, that you would experience his life and his power in your life. He said, but it's important. Here's what you have to do. One thing. What's the one thing? Forgetting what lies behind. That's hard, isn't it? Well, the way you do that is you reach forward.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:51

You reach forward. You press on. You press on till the day he calls you home. Like, CJ, you press on till the day he calls you home. You press off. Forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on to the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, who you are in because you've been baptized into him. You've been baptized into his death.

Scott Keffer [: 00:46:17

You've been baptized into his burial. You've been baptized into his resurrection. You have been eternally, right, eternally baptized. You've been eternally identified. You are in Christ. Therefore, is any man is in Christ. That's what he's saying. Right? That's what he's saying.

Scott Keffer [: 00:46:39

So he reminds us, don't you know? Just know. Don't feel like it does it. Day to day, he said, you need to know that. This is already accomplished. Press on. Alright. Lot of stuff. I've done one thing.

Scott Keffer [: 00:46:59

I've done one thing that stood out. Okay. So one insight that you had. Throw the computer over the field. Okay. Well, I give thanks for the computer. One inside the computer. But may the one who called you into Christ keep you into Christ.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:22

May he bless you. May he keep you. May he cause his face to shine upon you. May he lift up his countenance and grant you shalom deep in your soul. May you walk in Christ, in Christ, in Christ. Let his life flow into you and through you. Right? May you stay forever as you always are in Christ. Amen? Thanks for listening.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:50

I hope you have greater hope, assurance, and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the bible and his son, Jesus Christ. Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time, may God bless you and keep you.