God In You [Part 3]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. I know we still sin, we still got problems, and now he's talking about that.

We got to talk about, but who you are is someone totally forgiven, completely clean in God's eyes, and fit to become His holy habitation. Wow. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series More Than Conquerors, a study of Romans 8, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries.

So as you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Just contact us at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org, or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program. But now, let's get started with today's teaching.

Here is Alan Wright. If you were to ask me what is burning in the innermost core of the heart of this brilliant and glorious God, you would have to say love. A unfathomable, unquenchable, burning love.

We can't understand it with our minds. That's why Paul just prays that you would know how wide and long and high and deep is the love of God. I wish I had better words to tell you about the love of God. I have felt His burning love in little glimpses and moments. His love is furious, it is passionate, it is awesome.

How could we even think of it? You might get a tiny glimpse of it in the groom's eyes that I watched last night as his bride walked down the aisle. You might get a little picture of it when you see a mother, my daughter-in-law, responding to Mia's cry. You might get a little picture of love that is God's kind of love if you see a father standing up for his family or a friend sacrificing for another. But I can't describe to you this any more than I could describe to you what 47 million degrees is like in the center of the sun, but at the center of God's being is love. It's unspeakable love. I can't even tell you how much He loves you. So the problem of sin was not so much just our problem, but it was a particular but it was a predicament for God because what He wants is to be with the people that He loves.

He wants it with all of His being. And so God Himself made the way. That's what Romans 1-7 is about. The predicament of sin that left us disconnected from a God who so wanted to be with us, but who is just. Just means that good is rewarded, evil is punished, and if you don't have that, you have no justice. That's what it means. So how could God be just and punish the sin that should be punished?

And yet, His heart burning was so much love that all He wants is to be with you. So He Himself came in the person of Jesus and He lived a perfectly righteous life and fulfilled the law that we couldn't fulfill. The law was good. We just couldn't keep it.

The law didn't help us. In fact, it exacerbated our sin, just highlighted our sin. So God came in the person of Jesus as God in the flesh, Emmanuel, and He lived a perfectly righteous life. And He went to the cross, and there He bore the penalty for human sin.

So that anyone who trusts in Him, just like a baby who just trusts that you did this for me, then you're forgiven. And His life and righteousness is reckoned to you, imputed to you. You are looked on by God as if you'd never sinned and as if you had lived Jesus' righteous life. That's why we have Romans 1-7 before we have Romans 8-1, where we hear the triumph, there is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

It doesn't exist anymore. I'm explaining to you how it is possible that a Christian has become the very dwelling place of God. You have been, the writer of Hebrews says, been made holy. I know we still sin, we still got problems, and now he's talking about that.

We got to talk about it. But who you are is someone totally forgiven, completely clean in God's eyes, and fit to become His holy habitation. Wow. So God is glory, and God is love, and He made a way, and He came to us. And therefore, back to verse 9 in Romans 8, you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. If in fact you're a Christian, this is what it means to be a Christian. You're not in the flesh.

That's not your nature. You may have the tug of the flesh, but your nature is you're in the Spirit. And anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him, but anyone who does has the Spirit. So Paul talks often about being in Christ.

To be in Christ means to be represented by Christ and have your treasure and your and your spiritual benefit come from what he has done for you. Like David, when he went and fought Goliath, that famous story, it was a battle of champions and this Philistine giant who's going to fight against anybody that would dare to fight him. And whoever wins, they win it for their whole army and therefore for the whole nation. So that day that David goes out there and takes a smooth stone and slings the Goliath and slays the enemy, he's doing it for all the people. And in that sense, all the people of Israel were in David and his victory was their victory. You're in Christ. And what Christ has secured is yours.

What he has won is your victory. This is why just Paul over and over, you're in Christ, you're in Christ. 142 times in his epistles, he talks about being in Christ or in the Lord or in him.

Just in Romans alone, look at some of this. Our redemption is in Christ. Romans 3 24. We're made alive to God in Christ. Romans 6 11. We have eternal life in Christ. Romans 6 23.

There's no condemnation. Romans 8 1. We're set free in Christ. Romans 8 2. We cannot be separated from God's love in Christ. Romans 8 39.

We're all one body in Christ. Romans 12 5. He says, I have a reason for boasting to God in Christ. Romans 15 17.

We're approved by God in Christ. So you as a Christian, you're in Christ, but, but it's not just that you're in Christ. This is the second part of the miracle that Paul is talking about.

If you're in Christ, it means Christ is in you. Wow. Wow. We're talking about God who's brighter than a thousand billion sons.

His glory was too great for the people to even touch the mountain where he would appear to Moses. And he is in you. Wow. So it's inspirational to think of Jesus in the rooms of your heart, but we don't have a little Jesus in us. You have the immensity of God himself in you.

That's Alan Wright, and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. It has been called the most influential letter ever written. Every word written by the apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans is dripping with the astounding news of what God has done for you in Jesus. Answering the two biggest questions of life, what went wrong and how has God made it right? Discover the richness of those answers and enhance your Bible journey today. Make a donation to Alan Wright Ministries this month and unlock our Romans reading guide paired with the ESV scripture journal. Immerse yourself in the word and capture personal insights, prayers, and reflections directly alongside the powerful text.

These sleek portable journals amplify your study, enrich group sessions, and deepen personal reflections. Elevate your spiritual odyssey and forge a stronger connection with the scriptures. Help Alan Wright Ministries reach the world with the good news of the gospel with your gift today and receive these essential tools that will elevate your study, enrich your prayer life, and deepen your understanding of the book of Romans. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org.

Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. He is called in verse 9, the Spirit of God. He's also called in that verse, the Spirit of Christ. He is called later in our text, the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead. You see the trinity here, this mystery, a profound mystery. God is one, but He's three persons, not three components, not three manifestations, but persons. But yet He's one. It's difficult to explain, but it's true.

Some things can't be totally explained, but they're absolutely true. So to be inhabited by the Spirit of God is to be inhabited by God Himself. The Holy Spirit is not a thing. He's not an it. He's not a power. He's not a force.

He's not a principle. He's not a substance. He is a person. He is God. And He is the Spirit of Jesus. I like to think of the Holy Spirit in terms of He is the Spirit of Jesus. So it is right to say I have Jesus in my heart, but it's the whole person of God.

It's staggering if you think of it. Verse 10, if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. God is alive. Life. He's the author of life.

All of life that exists. If you want to contemplate the greatness of God, you just look at life. Life that springs up.

That's who He is. When Jesus said, I'm the life and the resurrection, He means it literally. When you have God inside of you, you have life inside of you. This body will die, but the spiritual life of God will live and will one day raise this body up. Verse 11, that's the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. I don't think He's just talking about one day you're going to get a resurrected body, though, that you are Christians.

You're going to get in the same way. When you read the story of Jesus, He was in the tomb and then power of the Holy Spirit came and His body was raised up from the dead and He had a new spiritual body. And He was recognizable, but it was a different body. He could walk through doors and He could ascend to heaven and He could ascend to heaven with that body. And you're going to get in the exact same way you're going to experience, though you be dust, your body is going to experience, it'd be yourself, same body. That's what the Bible teaches.

And that's glorious. But I think Paul is also, and I say this by the witness of what I've seen so in my own life, but also over the years with so many saints, I think when he says life to your mortal bodies, he means here and now too, because God is alive. I mean, He's alive and you get a whole bunch of God in you and you're going to feel way more alive. I'm just saying He's alive.

You know, one of the greatest things when I came to this church 27 years ago, there were many things I was marveling at this church, but one of the greatest models, I was just looking at the older people. The older saints were so alive. I mean, just alive. I mean, and a lot of times they're meant their bodies were, were holding on better than most, you know, but even sometimes their bodies are getting a little decrepit, but they're alive. I mean, just alive on the inside. I mean, it was, it was amazing. Some of you guys remember I'm like, Laurene Porter.

She was water skiing in her eighties. I mean, it's just like Holy spirit filled people. I played golf with my 87 year old buddy yesterday. And we'd just talk about Jesus. I'm talking about the Holy spirit is life. And when you have him, you have life inside of you and you have joy inside of you.

Wow. Verse 11, if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ, Jesus from the dead would give life to your mortal bodies. And first Corinthians third three, six, 16, he says plainly, do you not know you are God's temple and God's spirit dwells in you. What all this means beloved is mind bending.

It is almost unimaginable. It means we have something that Moses longed to have, but never had. It means we have something that angels don't have. It means that we have become what was only symbolized and the old tent of meeting the tabernacle that we have become the Holy of Holies that we have become the priests of God, that we are now his temple. It's not the super spiritual.

It's not the personally righteous. It is anyone who has simple childlike trust in Christ and his saving work. You, Paul says, have become the dwelling place of the most high God. And you know, I think what Paul is trying to say to us here is that that really changes some things. This explains why Jesus was excited to tell the disciples that he was going to leave.

John 14, this beautiful discourse at verse 16, it said, I'll ask the father and he'll give you another helper to be with you forever. He's talking about the Holy Spirit, even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him or he dwells with you. And we'll be saying, you know me. So therefore you're going to know the Holy Spirit is not going to be a stranger. That's going to come and take up residence.

We're one. And so you're going to experience the spirit of Christ himself. And he said in that same discourse in chapter 16, verse seven, nevertheless, I'll tell you the truth is to your advantage that I go away for, if I do not go away, the helper will not come.

But if I go, I'll send him. Imagine getting to spend a day with Jesus. Sometimes I think about, you know, like what it'd been like just to spend a few days with Jesus while he was on earth.

This is the course of a few days. Just spend a day with him, Jesus himself. Well, I think the first thing is you'd find out he was delightful person.

I think you'd find out he was just totally delightful. He first miracle was at a big wedding party. I was at a wedding party last night.

They started, what do you call that thing? The line we were going around, you know, everybody's dancing, a conga line or whatever the thing is, you know, mother of the bride dancing and all a hundred people are going to lie like that. And I thought everybody was like, go get it. I said, I can't, I'm a preacher.

I'm not getting in that line, but I eventually got out in the line for a minute. I think Jesus would have been in the line. He just, he was delightful person. I think you'd have had fun, but you know what? Also you couldn't spend long with the Jesus without him healing.

Somebody was sick, really sick. You'd see him weep for people that were hurting, feeding the poor. You get to hear all his wisdom, hear everything he was teaching.

Can you imagine that? Just hear everything he's teaching. Oh, wow.

Oh, wow. Why is this person that ever lived? And you get to spend, spend the whole day with him. You might see him raise somebody from the dead. You might see him calm a storm and you would never have ever, ever in your life felt so understood.

Someone that could read your thoughts and understand, and who had been tempted like you and been through hard things like you and could understand and such love like you had never seen or ever experienced just present with you all the time. Can you imagine being with someone who has never sinned and never will sin because he was perfect, because he's a sinless son of God and you get to just be with him and yet he just loves you perfectly and you mess up and he doesn't judge you, but he loves you. And when you need help and you got a question, he's there to answer the question. And he's able to empower you to do ministry because you're with him.

And can you imagine all of that? Just what I'm saying is you just think about how wonderful to spend a day with Jesus. And Paul says you get to do that every day.

You get to do that every day because what Jesus promised has come true. The spirit of the most high God, the Spirit of Christ himself comes and takes up resonance in your life. It's mystical. It's marvelous.

It's breathtaking. And it changes everything. It changes everything if I really believe God is inside of me. Honestly, I think I know one millionth of what that means. We'll get all eternity to know more of it, but I'd like to know at least a little bit more of what it means to live as someone who is so extraordinary that wherever I go I'm hosting the presence of God. I think it means everything's possible. I think it means that all wisdom is at hand. I think it means supernatural insight is available.

I think it means that God who loves you so much that He died for you would not want to withhold from you any good gift. The God of the cosmos who created it all dwells in you. And that's the gospel. Alan Wright, our Good News message, God in you, from the series More Than Conquers, an unhurried study through Romans 8.

Stay with us. Pastor Alan is back here in the studio sharing his parting Good News thought for you for today in just a moment. It has been called the most influential letter ever written. Every word written by the Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans is dripping with the astounding news of what God has done for you in Jesus, answering the two biggest questions of life.

What went wrong and how has God made it right? Discover the richness of those answers and enhance your Bible journey today. Make a donation to Alan Wright Ministries this month and unlock our Romans reading guide paired with the ESV scripture journal. Immerse yourself in the word and capture personal insights, prayers, and reflections directly alongside the powerful message of the Bible. Reflections directly alongside the powerful text.

These sleek, portable journals amplify your study enrich group sessions and deepen personal reflections. Elevate your spiritual odyssey and forge a stronger connection with the scriptures. Help Alan Wright Ministries reach the world with the good news of the gospel with your gift today and receive these essential tools that will elevate your study, enrich your prayer life and deepen your understanding of the book of Romans. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Dr. Justin Marchegiani Back here in the studio where Pastor Alan is ready with a parting good news thought for all of us today as we come to the conclusion of this teaching, God in You. Pastor Alan Wright Everything that makes the Christian life possible, the abundant life possible, the victorious Christian life possible, has to do with Romans 8 and specifically this that God dwells in you. Romans 8 and 9, again, 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 does not belong to him, which is to say that everyone who belongs to him has the Spirit of Christ. You're in Christ and Christ is in you, which means that you have everything because you have God in you. And so our growth and our maturing and our ongoing sanctification is not some human effort, it is instead the ever-increasing release of the power and presence of God that dwells every single believer.

Christ is in you, you are in Christ, you are therefore one who has God in you. Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.