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Agape Christian Fellowship Church, Santa Barbara, CA (2026)

07/19/2026

Sunday's Sermon
Subject: Live A Blessed Life
Scripture: James 1: 21-27

Life As We Experience Is Constantly Changing, Is Constantly Disappointing And Is Constantly Adjusting Sometimes There Are Consequences That Are Beyond Our Control. Life Is Always A Challenge, Life Is Always Hard, Life Is Always Bothersome, Life Is Always Futile And Life Is Always Moving Fast Because Time Is Rapidly Coming To An End. Life At Times Has Harsh Realities That “The Harder Will Try The Worse That We Make Our Situations”. Because We Are Trying To Make A Difference Without The Power Of The Holy Spirit And We Will Fail Every Time Due To Our Sinful Natures. We Must Allow The Holy Spirit To Lead Us, To Protect Us, To Guide Us And To Provide For Us Through The Challenges Of Being A Modern-Day Christian Believer.
To Live A Blessed Life, Focus On Gratitude And Kindness In Your Daily Actions. Nurture Meaningful Relationships, Pursue Your Passions, And Take Time For Self-Reflection Through The Holy Spirit. Embrace Challenges As Opportunities For Growth, And Always Practice Compassion Toward Others And Yourself. By Cultivating A Positive Mindset And Staying True To Your Spiritual Moral Values, You Can Create A Fulfilling And Blessed Life Through The Love Of Jesus Christ.

Core Principles Of A Blessed Life:
Gratitude And Mindfulness:
Actively Appreciating Daily Joys And Blessings Fosters Peace And Happiness, Shifting Focus From Lack To Abundance.
Purpose And Growth:
Having A Sense Of Purpose And Pursuing Personal Growth Contribute To Fulfilment, Regardless Of External Circumstances.
Strong Relationships:
Deep, Meaningful Connections With Others Are A Significant Component Of A Blessed Life By Showing Agape Love In All Situations.
Spiritual Connection:
Many Find Blessings Through A Deeper Relationship With God, With Jesus Christ And With The Holy Spirit. We Can Experience Faith, Hope, Peace, Joy And Love In A Blessed Life Through Jesus Christ.
Generosity: Blessing Others Through Giving Time, Encouragement Or Resources Creates A Cycle Of Blessing.
Practical Steps To Cultivate A Blessed Life:
Be Thankful: On A Daily Basis Show Some Gratitude For What You Have And Not What We Don’t Have.
Serve Others: Look For Opportunities To Help, To Encourage Or Give To Those In Need. We Must “Live Out Loud” Our Christian Morality.
Focus On Faith And Scripture:
As Christians We Must Study, We Must Read And We Must Live The Word Of God Daily. This Will Help Us Keep Our Blessed Mindset.
Shift Your Mindset: View Challenges As Opportunities For Miracles Or Growth, Recognizing Blessings Even In Difficult Situations.
For The Bible Says In:

2 Corinthians 9: 8
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
God Will Supply All Of Our Needs Depending On His Will For Our Lives And What Is For Us Nothing Or Nobody Can Take That Away From Us Because Of God’s Grace.

First Of All, Verses 19-21, Standing Firm Against Unrighteous Anger And Standing Firm Against The Lusts Of The Flesh. We Have Power Through The Holy Spirit To Live A Blessed Life.

Verses 19-21 New King James Version
So Then, My Beloved Brethren, Let Every Man Be Swift To Hear, Slow To Speak, Slow To Wrath; For The Wrath Of Man Does Not Produce The Righteousness Of God.
Therefore, Lay Aside All Filthiness And Overflow Of Wickedness, And Receive With Meekness The Implanted Word, Which Is Able To Save Your Souls.

In The Text, Let Every Man Be Swift To Hear, Slow To Speak, Slow To Wrath: We Can Learn To Be Slow To Wrath By First Learning To be swift To Hear And Slow To Speak And Live A Blessed Life. Much Of Our Anger And Wrath Comes From Being Self-Centered And Not “Others-Centered”. Swift To Hear Is A Way To Be “Others-Centered”. Slow To Speak Is A Way To Be “Others-Centered”.

For Example, “But Has Not Nature Taught Us The Same That The Apostle Here Does, By Giving Us Two Ears, And Those Open; And But One Tongue, And That Hedged In With Teeth And Lips?”
We Should Be Slow To Wrath; For The Wrath Of Man Does Not Produce The Righteousness Of God: In Light Of The Nature Of Temptation And The Goodness Of God, We Must Take Special Care To Be Slow To Wrath, Because Our Wrath Does Not Accomplish The Righteousness Of God. Our Wrath Almost Always Simply Defends Or Promotes Our Own Agenda.

In The Text, All Filthiness And Overflow Of Wickedness: This Has In Mind An Impure Manner Of Living. In Light Of The Nature Of Temptation And The Goodness Of God, We Are To Lay Aside All Impurity, Putting Them Far From Us.
John Trapp Said, All Filthiness: “The Stinking Filth Of A Pestilent Ulcer. Sin Is The Devil’s Vomit, The Soul’s Excrement, The Superfluity Or Garbage Of Naughtiness, Wickedness, As It Is Here Called By An Allusion To The Garbage Of The Sacrifices Cast Into The Pit Of Wickedness.
The Older King James Version Translates The Phrase Overflow Of Wickedness As Superfluity Of Naughtiness.

In The Text, Receive With Meekness The Implanted Word: In Contrast To An Impure Manner Of Living, We Should Receive The Implanted Word Of God Doing It With Meekness, A Teachable Heart. This Word Is Able To Save Us, Both In Our Current Situation And Eternally. The Purity Of God’s Word Can Preserve Us Even In An Impure Age. We Are Living In A Selfish Age, In A Greedy Age, In A Terrible Age, In A White Supremacist Age And In A Poverty-Stricken Age. Despite All Of The Challenges, Despite All The Setbacks And Despite All The Circumstances We Have An Opportunity To Live A Blessed Life.

The Problems Arise When We Refuse To Accept The Blessings That Come From God Because We Think That We Know Best, We Think That Our Way Is Better Than God’s And That We Know More Than We Think That We Know. All The Education That We Pursue Doesn’t Stop Us From Being A Pure Fool Because Wisdom Comes Directly From God Through The Holy Spirit.

Moreover, “The First Thing, Then, Is Receive. That Word “Receive” Is A Very Instructive Gospel Word; It Is The Door Through Which God’s Grace Enters To Us. We Are Not Saved By Working, But By Receiving; Not By What We Give To God, But By What God Gives To Us, And We Receive From Him.”

Here James Alluded To The Spiritual Power Of The Word Of God. When It Is Implanted In The Human Heart, It Is Able To Save Your Souls. The Word Of God Carries The Power Of God Through The Holy Spirit Which Has Brought Us Through Struggles, Through Pain, Through Tribulations, Through Heart Ache, Through Agony, Through Stress And Through Wickedness In High Places.
For The Bible Says In:

Hebrews 4: 11-12
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
God Has Not Given His People A Spirit Of Fear Therefore, Live A Blessed Life, According To The Word Of God.

Second Of All, Verses 22-25, How To Receive The Word Of God And To Put It Into Action.

Verses 22-25 New King James Version
But Be Doers Of The Word, And Not Hearers Only, Deceiving Yourselves. For If Anyone Is A Hearer Of The Word And Not A Doer, He Is Like A Man Observing His Natural Face In A Mirror; For He Observes Himself, Goes Away, And Immediately Forgets What Kind Of Man He Was. But He Who Looks Into The Perfect Law Of Liberty And Continues In It And Is Not A Forgetful Hearer But A Doer Of The Work, This One Will Be Blessed In What He Does.

In The Text, But Be Doers Of The Word, And Not Hearers Only: We Must Receive God’s Word As Doers, Not Merely Hearers. To Take Comfort In The Fact You Have Heard God’s Word When You Haven’t Done It Is To Deceive Yourself.

It Was Common In The Ancient World For People To Hear A Teacher. If You Followed The Teacher And Tried To Live What He Said, You Were Called A Disciple Of That Teacher. We May Say That Jesus Christ Is Looking For Disciples: Doers, Not Mere Hearers.
Jesus Christ Used This Same Point To Conclude His Great Sermon On The Mount. He Said That The One Who Heard The Word Without Doing It Was Like A Man Who Built His House On The Sand, But The One Who Heard God’s Word And Did It Was Like A Man Whose House Was Built On A Rock. The One Who Both Heard And Did God’s Word Could Withstand The Inevitable Storms Of Life And The Judgment Of Eternity In Matthew 7:24-27.
I Believe That, “A Pastor Or Preacher May Give An Eloquent Sermon On The Gospel, Or Explain Ably Some Old Testament Prophecy About Jesus Christ, But When The Sermon Is Done, It Is Not Done; Something Remains To Be Done By The Hearers In Life, And If They Content Themselves With Sentimental Admiration Or With Enjoying The Emotional Or Mental Capabilities, They Need Not Imagine That This Is Religion.”

In The Text, He Is Like A Man Observing His Natural Face In A Mirror; For He Observes Himself, Goes Away, And Immediately Forgets What Kind Of Man He Was: The Person Who Only Hears God’s Word Without Doing It Has The Same Sense And Stability As A Man Who Looks Into A Mirror And Immediately Forgets What He Saw. The Information He Received Did Not Do Any Good In His Life.
Observing His Natural Face: The Ancient Greek Word Translated Observing Has The Idea of A Careful Scrutiny. By Application, James Had In Mind People Who Give A Careful Scrutiny Of God’s Word; They May Be Regarded As Bible Experts, But It Still Doesn’t Result In Doing.

Charles Spurgeon Said, “The Glass Of The Word Is Not Like Our Ordinary Looking-Glass, Which Merely Shows Us Our External Features; But, According To The Greek Of Our Text, The Man Sees In It “The Face Of His Birth”; That Is, The Face Of His Nature. He That Reads And Hears The Word May See Not Only His Actions There, But His Motives, His Desires, And His Inward Condition.”

Furthermore, Understanding This Power Of The Word Of God, The Preacher Is Responsible For Working Hard To Not Hinder This Power Through The Holy Spirit. “Certain Pastors Or Preachers Dream That It Is Their Business To Paint Pretty Pictures: But It Is Not So. We Are Not To Design And Sketch, But Simply To Give The Reflection Of Truth. The Thoughts Of God, Are Not Our Own Thoughts, Are To Be Set Before Our Hearers” Minds; And These Discover A Man To Himself. The Word Of The Lord Is A Revealer Of Secrets: It Shows A Man His Life, His Thoughts, His Heart And His Inner Most Self.”

A Healthy Person Looks In The Mirror To Do Something, Not Just To Admire The Image. Even So, A Healthy Christian Looks Into God’s Word To Do Something About It, Not Just To Store Up Facts That He Will Not Put To Use By Being A Doer Of The Word.
Moreover, “The Doctrines Of God, Faithfully Preached, Are Such A Mirror; He Who Hears Cannot Help Discovering His Own Character, And Being Affected With His Own Deformity. But When The Preaching Is Over, The Mirror Is Removed, He Soon Forgets What Manner Of Man He Was But He Reasons Himself Out Of The Necessity Of Repentance In His life And Then Deceives His Soul.”

In The Text, But He Who Looks Into The Perfect Law Of Liberty And Continues In It This One Will Be Blessed In What He Does: If We Study The Word Of God Intently, And Do It, “Continue In It”, Then We Will Be Blessed.
He Who Looks Into The Perfect Law Of Liberty: In The Ancient Greek Language, The Word For Looks Into Spoke Of A Penetrating Examination, So That A Person Would Even Bend Over To Get A Better Look. Though James Stressed Doing, He Did Not Neglect Studying God’s Word Either. We Should Investigate God’s Word.

In The Text, The Perfect Law Of Liberty: This Is A Wonderful Way To Describe The Word Of God. In the New Covenant, God Reveals To Us A Law, But It Is A Law Of Liberty, Written On Our Transformed Hearts By The Spirit Of God.

Third Of All, Verses 26-27, Examples Of What It Means To Be A Doer Of The Word Of God.

Verses 26-27 New King James Version
If Anyone Among You Thinks He Is Religious, And Does Not Bridle His Tongue But Deceives His Own Heart, This One’s Religion Is Useless. Pure And Undefiled Religion Before God And The Father Is This: To Visit Orphans And Widows In Their Trouble, And To Keep Oneself Unspotted From The World.

In The Text, If Anyone Among You Thinks He Is Religious: James Just Explained That Real Religion Is Not Shown By Hearing The Word, But By Doing It. One Way To Do God’s Word Is To Bridle The Tongue.
Thinks He Is Religious: The New Testament Never Uses This Ancient Greek Word For “Religious “In A Positive Sense In Acts 17:22, Acts 25:19, And In Colossians 2:23. James Used It Here Of Someone Who Is Religious, But Is Not Right With God, And This Is Evident Because He Does Not Bridle His Tongue.

In The Text, This One’s Religion Is Useless: Your Walk With God Is Useless If It Does Not Translate Into The Way You Live And The Way You Treat Others. Many Are Deceived In Their Own Heart Regarding The Reality Of Their Walk With God.
“This Seems To Reflect Upon The Hypocritical Jews, Whose Religion Consisted So Much In External Observances, And Keeping Themselves From Ceremonial Defilements, When Yet, They Were Sullied With So Many Moral Ones, In Matthew 23:23 And In John 18:28; Devoured Widows” Houses.”
“He Does Not Deny The Place Of Public Worship In James 2:2, And In James 5:14 Or Of Religious Observances, But He Explains That In God’s Sight A Pure, Unsoiled Religion Expresses Itself In Acts Of Charity And In Chastity, The Two Features Of Early Christian Ethics Which Impressed The Contemporary World.”
In The Text, Pure And Undefiled Religion Before God: There Is A Great Deal Of Pure And Undefiled Religion In The Sight Of Man That Is Not Pure And Undefiled Religion Before God.

In The Text, To Visit Orphans And Widows In Their Trouble, And To Keep Oneself Unspotted From The World: A Real Walk With God Shows Itself In Simple, Practical Ways. It Helps The Needy And Keeps Itself Unstained By The World’s Corruption.
Christians Must Remember, “The Biblical Ritualism, The Pure External Worship, The True Embodiment Of The Inward Principles Of Religion Is To Visit The Fatherless And Widows In Their Affliction, And To Keep Ourselves Unspotted From The World. Charity And Purity Are, The Two Great Garments Of Christianity.”

I’ve Discovered, “True Religion Does Not Merely Give Something For The Relief Of The Distressed, But It Visits Them, It Takes The Oversight Of Them, It Takes Them Under Its Care. It Goes To Their Houses And Speaks To Their Hearts; It Relieves Their Wants, Sympathizes With Them In Their Distresses, Instructs Them In Divine Things, And Recommends Them To God”.
Unspotted From The World: The Idea Is Not That A Christian Retreats Away From The World; Instead, They Interact With Orphans And Widows In Their Trouble And Others Such In Their Need. The Christian Ideal Is Not To Retreat From The World; They Are In The World; They Are Not Of It; And Remain Unspotted From The World.

Lastly, From The Book Of Genesis, Lot Is An Example Of A Man Who Was Spotted By The World. He Started Living Towards S***m, Disregarding The Spiritual Climate Of The Area Because Of The Prosperity Of The Area. Eventually, He Moved To The Wicked City And Became A Part Of The City’s Leadership. The Result Was That Lot Lost Everything And Was Saved Only By The Skin Of His Teeth.

Live A Blessed Life, By Becoming Obedient To God’s Will In Your Life.
Live A Blessed Life, Because Weeping Will Endure For A Night But Joy, Joy, Joy Comes In The Morning.
Live A Blessed Life, Because Jesus Christ Was Whipped All Night Long For Our Benefit.
Live A Blessed Life, Because Jesus Christ Was Pierced In The Side And His Blood Came Streaming Down.
Live A Blessed Life, Because Jesus Christ Had A Crown Of Thorns Placed On His Head.
Live A Blessed Life, Because Jesus Christ Was On The Cross Between Two Sinner Men.
Live A Blessed Life, Because Jesus Christ Died On The Cross For Our Sins.
Live A Blessed Life, Because Jesus Christ Was Buried In Joseph’s Borrowed Tomb For Three Long Days.
Live A Blessed Life, Because Jesus Christ Rose From The Grave Early, Early, Early On Sunday Morning With All Power In His Hand.

07/18/2026

It's Sunday Morning in America and the lies continue from The Criminal President regarding the 2020 election. Man, you lost get over yourself!!! They will release selective data to support the Republican Parties extensive voter suppression efforts. He knows that the Midterm Elections could be disastrous for him because he has done nothing but destroy American Exceptionalism. Our standing in the world has been demonized and diminished. We are a laughingstock and it's very sad to live through. I've Discovered, that communities are fighting back against this Thin-Skinned Want To Be Dictator and just look at The White House. Look at the Reflecting Pool. Look at The Kenndy Center. The Question Becomes, What Has He Down Right? All disasters for this administration and Republicans don't care about The Constitution anymore. They will do anything to maintain power including cheating and including racist voter suppression. We Must Fight Back!!!

Agape Christian Fellowship Church Santa Barbara Believes In A Beloved Community Under God's Agape Love. Even Though Our Theology Is On The Conservative Side We Believe That God Loves All Human Life. I Work With A New Group Of Clergy Called Berkeley Multiethnic Covenant Of Diverse Faiths (BMCDF) In California Trying To Bring Congregations Together Through Love And Caring About The Least Of These. No Matter Our Denominations We Are People Of Faith Trying To Begin The Healing Process In California. We Don't Care About Race Or Gender Because God's Loves His Creation. We Are On Cash APP. At AGAPECFCSB And We Appreciate Your Support. I Always State That "Hope Is Making A Comeback" In America And God Still Cares About His People. Remember, Oh Yeah!!!God Is Good!!!

07/12/2026

Sunday's Sermon
Subject: “Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”
Scripture: Romans 6: 17-23

In Human Life Most Things Costs Money, Costs Time, Costs Commitment, Costs Energy, Costs Mental Stability And Costs Physical Strength. As God’s Creation It Costs To Be Human Because We Are Being Troubled On Every Side, On Every Phase Of Life And On Every Hand Especially Because The Devil Is Busy Leading People Astray. Our Commitment To Jesus Christ Is Being Tested Every Day, Our Faith In Jesus Christ Is Under The Microscope And Our Love For Jesus Christ Is Being Scrutinized By Those Who Claim That They Are Modern-Day Christian Baptized Believers.

I’ve Discovered, That “Salvation Is Free, But It Costs” And We Must Be Prepared To Sacrifice For The Gospel Of Peace. Some Of Us Spend Too Much Effort, Too Much Time And Too Much Mental Thought In Playing God Thinking That There Are No Consequences For Our Actions. There Must Be A Reflection On Sacrifice, On Commitment, And On Redemption To Serve Jesus Christ Properly.

Introduction:

The Phrase “Salvation Is Free, But It Costs” Carries Profound Meaning, Inviting Us To Reflect On The Nature Of Redemption, The Price Of Grace, And The Responsibilities That Come With The Promise Of Salvation. Whether Considered From A Spiritual, Philosophical, Or Personal Growth Perspective, This Statement Suggests That True Transformation And Deliverance Require More Than Mere Desire, They Demand Sacrifice, Commitment, And Genuine Change In Our Behavior Daily.

The Cost Of Salvation In Christian Contexts:

In Many Christian Traditions, Salvation Is Portrayed As A Gift, Yet, It Is Not Without Cost. In Christianity, For Example, Salvation Is Made Available Through The Sacrifice Of Jesus Christ, Whose Death On The Cross Is Seen As The Ultimate Price Paid For Humanity’s Redemption. Believers Are Invited To Accept This Gift, But True Acceptance Involves Repentance, A Turning Away From Old Habits, And A Commitment To Walk A New Path. The Cost Lies In Surrender, Giving Up Personal Pride, Old Ways, And In Some Cases, Enduring Hardship Or Persecution For One’s Beliefs.

Personal Sacrifice And Growth:

Beyond The Religious Lens, The Concept Applies To Personal Growth And Self-Improvement. Achieving One’s Goals, Overcoming Destructive Habits, Or Breaking Free From Cycles Of Negativity Always Comes With A Cost. That Cost May Be Time, Energy, Discipline, Or Even Letting Go Of Relationships And Situations That Hinder Progress. The Notion Of “Salvation” Here Is About Freeing Oneself From Limitations, But It Requires Hard Choices And Persistent Effort Through The Power Of The Holy Spirit.

The Paradox Of Free Yet, Costly Grace:

The Phrase Also Highlights A Paradox: While Salvation Is Described As “Free,” Its Acceptance Requires Something From The Recipient. Grace, Love, And Forgiveness May Be Offered Without Price, But They Call For A Response, A Willingness To Change, To Let Go, And To Grow. In This Sense, The Cost Is Not Monetary But Existential: It Is The Price Of Transformation, Of Truly Embracing A New Way Of Living Because Of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs” Reminds Us That Every Worthwhile Change Demands Something Of Us. Whether Seeking Spiritual Redemption, Personal Transformation, Or Societal Healing, The Journey Is Marked By Sacrifice, Commitment, And Sometimes Pain. But In Paying That Cost, We Discover The Depth Of Our Convictions And The True Value Of The Freedom We Attain Through The Holy Spirit.

First Of All, Verses 16-17, There Are Spiritual Principles We Must Understand In Order To Answer The Statement “Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”.

Verses 16-17 New King James Version

Do You Not Know That To Whom You Present Yourselves Slaves To Obey, You Are That One’s Slaves Whom You Obey, Whether Of Sin Leading To Death, Or Of Obedience Leading To Righteousness? But God Be Thanked That Though You Were Slaves Of Sin, Yet, You Obeyed From The Heart That Form Of Doctrine To Which You Were Delivered.

I Can’t Say I’ve Always Known What It Truly Means To Be A Christian Or Be A Slave For Jesus Christ.

I Can’t Say I Have Understood The Gospel Or Salvation My Whole Life, Its Gravity Or Application For Humankind. I Certainly Did Not Come Out Of The Womb Acknowledging Sin, Being A Sinner, Or My Need Of Repentance And A Savior. These Truths Were Gradually Revealed To Me By The Grace Of God And The Power Of The Holy Spirit. Being Born And Raised In A Christian Household Was Not My Golden Ticket To All Knowledge Or Being A Pastor.

Furthermore, I Still Had To Be Born Again And Sanctified. And, Of Course, Sanctification Is Lifelong Endeavor Through The Holy Spirit In My Life.

Throughout My Life Up Until Now, The Lord Has Blessed Me With Many Faithful Pastors, Faithful Teachers, Faithful Mentors, Coworkers, Family Members, And Faithful Friends, All Of Whom Have Proved Fruitful In My Walk With Jesus Christ. I Have Learned How To Be A Slave For Jesus Christ Through The Power Of The Holy Spirit. We Must Be In Constant Communication With God Through The Holy Spirit.

A Lifetime Of Academic Theological Study Has Given Me A New And Deeply Profound Reverence For The Word Of God And “Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”. How Miraculous It Is!!! More Than Ever, I See God’s Hand In Absolutely Everything In His Creation. Through The Broad Lens Of Politics, Sociology, Economics, Or Science, I See How The Bible Applies To Each Field. Narrow In, And matters Of Emotion, Ambition, Day-To-Day Living, Marriage, Gender, Or Anything Under The Sun Does Not Escape God’s Sovereignty And Lordship. God Can Do It!!!Yes God Can!!!

In The Text, To Whom You Present Yourselves Slaves To Obey, You Are That One’s Slaves: Whatever You Present Yourself To Obey, You Become Its Slave. For Example, If I Obey My Appetite Constantly, I Am A Slave To It. So, We Have A Choice In Our Slavery: Sin Leading To Death Or Obedience Leading To Righteousness. In Human History Slaves Didn’t Have A Choice Because They Had To Obey Their Masters Or Be Punished For Their Disobedience.

One Way Or Another, We Will Serve Somebody. The Option To Live Our Life Without Serving Either Sin Or Obedience Isn’t Open To Us.

In The Text, Though You Were Slaves Of Sin: Paul Puts It In The Past Tense Because We Have Been Freed From Our Slavery To Sin. He Also Says, That We Have Been Set Free By Faith, Which He Describes As Obedience From The Heart. The Faith Is Put In God’s Word, Which He Describes As That Form Of Doctrine. All In All, The Point Is Clear: “You Put Your Faith In God And His Word, And Now You Are Set Free. Now Live Every Day Consistent With That Freedom.”

As Was Seen Earlier In Romans 6, We Can Be Legally Free And Still Choose To Live Like A Prisoner. Paul Has A Simple Command And Encouragement For The Christian: Be What You Are!!!.

Moreover, Obeyed From The Heart Is A Wonderful Description Of Faith. It Shows That Faith Comes From The Heart, Not Only The Mind. It Shows That Faith Results In Obedience Because If We Really Believe Something, We Will Act According To That Belief.

In The Text, That Form Of Doctrine: This Phrase Is Part Of A Beautiful Picture. The Word Form Describes A Mold Used To Shape Molten Metal. The Idea Is That God Wants To Shape Us, First He Melts Us By The Work Of The Holy Spirit And The Word Of God. Then He Pours Us Into His Mold Of Truth, That Form Of Doctrine And Shapes Us Into His Image.

Adam Clarke On That Form Of Doctrine: “Here Christianity Is Represented Under The Notion Of A Mold, Or Die, Into Which They Were Cast, And From Which They Took The Impression Of Its Excellence. The Figure Upon This Die Is The Image Of God, Righteousness And True Holiness, Which Was Stamped On Their Souls In Believing The Gospel And Receiving The Holy Ghost. The Words, Refer To The Melting Of Metal, Which, When It Is Liquefied, Is Cast Into The Mold, That It May Receive The Impression That Is Sunk Or Cut In The Mold; And Therefore, The Words May Be Literally Translated, Into Which Mold Of Doctrine Ye Have Been Cast. They Were Melted Down Under The Preaching Of The Word, And Then Were Capable Of Receiving The Stamp Of Its Purity.”

Second Of All, Verses 18, Why Not Then, Occasionally Sin? Because Sin Is Not Our Master, And We No Longer Serve It. As Modern-Day Christians “Salvation Is Free, But It Costs” Us To Live Righteously For Jesus Christ Through The Holy Spirit.

Verse 18 New King James Version

And Having Been Set Free From Sin, You Became Slaves Of Righteousness.

In The Text, Having Been Set Free From Sin: What Does It Mean To Be Free From Sin And To Become A Slave Of Righteousness? It Means That Sin Is No Longer Your Boss, Your Love Language Or Your Master. Now Righteousness Is Your Boss, So Serve Righteousness Instead Of Sin. It isn’t Right To Think About Pleasing Your Old Boss When You Change Jobs.

Slaves Of Righteousness: What Does It Mean To Be A Slave? A Slave Was More Than An Employee. The Noted Greek Scholar Kenneth Wuest Defined The Ancient Greek Word For A Slave Here By These Terms:

· One Born Into A Condition Of Slavery.

· One Whose Will Is Swallowed Up In The Will Of Another.

· One Who Is Bound To The Master With bonds Only Death Can Break.

· One Who Serves His Master To The Disregard Of His Own Interests.

The Following Was Once True In Regard To Our Slavery To Sin:

· We Were Born As Slaves To Sin.

· Our Will Was Swallowed Up And Captive To Sin Within Us.

· Our Bo***ge To Sin Was So Strong That Only Death, Spiritually Dying With Jesus Christ On The Cross Could Break The Bo***ge.

· We Were So Enslaved To Sin That We Served It To The Disregard Of Our Own Interest, Even When Sin Destroyed Us.

Now The Following Is True In Regard To Our Slavery To Righteousness:

· We Are Born Again, Now As Slaves To Righteousness.

· Our Will Is Now Swallowed Up In The Will Of God. It Is His Will That Matters To Us, Not Our Own.

· We Are Bound To Jesus Christ With Bonds That Only Death Can Break; But Since He Has Triumphed Over Death And Given Us Eternal Life, Those Bonds Will Never Be Broken!!!

· We Now Willingly Choose To Serve Jesus Christ To The Disregard Of Our Own, Selfish, Interests.

in The Text, Set Free From Sin: This Means That We Never Have To Sin Again. Though Sin Is Inevitable Until Our Flesh Is Resurrected In Glory, It Isn’t Because God Has Designed A System By Which We Must Sin.

Sinless Perfection In This Body Is An Illusion. 1 John 1:8 Makes This Clear: If We Say We Have No Sin, We Deceive Ourselves, And The Truth Is Not In Us. Yet, We Know That In The Power Of Jesus Christ We Each Can Resist The Next Temptation And That Is What Jesus Christ Wants Us To Be Concerned With.

Kenneth S. Wuest Says, “Because Of The Frailty Of Man, The Christian At Infrequent Intervals Does Yield To The Evil Nature And Sin. But The Point Is, God Has So Constituted Him, That He Need Not Do So.”

It Is Mockery To Tell A Slave, “Don’t Behave As A Slave”, But You Can Say That To Someone Who Is Set Free. Jesus Christ Tells Us To No Longer Behave As If We Were Slaves To Sin. We Have Been Set Free; Now We Are To Think And Live As Free People.

Third Of All, Verses 17-23, How To keep From Enslaving Ourselves On An Everyday Basis. “Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”. The Question Becomes, Are You Willing To Pay The Price?

Verses 17-23 New King James Version

I Speak In Human Terms Because Of The Weakness Of Your Flesh. For Just As You Presented Your Members As Slaves Of Uncleanness, And Of Lawlessness Leading To More Lawlessness, So Now Present Your Members As Slaves Of Righteousness For Holiness. For When You Were Slaves Of Sin, You Were Free In Regard To Righteousness. What Fruit Did You Have Then In The Things Of Which You Are Now Ashamed? For The End of Those Things Is Death. But Now Having Been Set Free From Sin, And Having Become Slaves Of God, You Have Your Fruit To Holiness, And The End, Everlasting Life. For The Wages Of Sin Is Death, But The Gift Of God Is Eternal Life In Christ Jesus Our Lord.

In The Text, I Speak In Human Terms Because Of The Weakness Of Your Flesh: The Apostle Paul Apologized For Using Slavery As An Illustration, Because It Was So Degrading And Pervasive, And Especially Because Many Of His Roman Readers Were Slaves. Yet, He Knew This Was An Accurate And Meaningful Illustration.

You Presented Your Members, So Now Present: Paul Repeats A Point Made Earlier. First, Present Your Members As Slaves Of Righteousness. This Means That We Don’t Show Up For Work To Our Old Boss.

The Question Becomes, Can You Imagine? A New Job, And The First Day On The New Job You Leave Work At Lunch Time And Go To Your old Job And Ask Your Old Boss What He Wants You To Do. It Just Isn’t Right!!!

In The Text, Lawlessness Leading To More Lawlessness: Paul Describes A Principle Ingrained In Human Nature. Lawlessness Leads Too More Lawlessness. Righteousness Leads To Holiness, Which Is More Righteousness. This Describes The Dynamic Power Of Our Habits And How We Move Along In The Direction We Are Pointed Too.

In The Text, Think Of Four Trees In A Row: The First At One Year Of Growth, The Second At Five Years, The Third At Ten Years, And The Last at 15 Years. Which Tree Will Be The Most Difficult To Pull Up Out Of The Ground? Obviously, The Longer We Are Rooted In A Behavior The Harder It Is To Uproot It, A Principle That Works Both For Good And Evil.

In The Text, For When You Were Slaves Of Sin, You Were Free In Regard To Righteousness: Paul’s Point Is Almost Humorous. When We Were Slaves Of Sin, We Were Free All Right, Free In Regard To Righteousness. Some Freedom!!! Not At All!!!

What Fruit Did You Have Then: To Walk In Victory Over Sin We Must Think Rightly About The Fruit Of Sin. To Say, “The End Of Those Things Is Death” Means That The End Product Of Sin Is Death Not Fun. But The End Product Of Righteousness Is Everlasting Life Through The Blood Of Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, In A Time Of Temptation, These Truths Can Seem Unreal So, We Must Rely On God’s Word. When We Are Tempted, Faith Reminds Us Of The Bitter Fruit Of Sin When Our Feelings May Forget That Bitter Fruit.

In The Text, For The Wages Of Sin Is Death, But The Gift Of God Is Eternal Life In Christ Jesus Our Lord: When You Work For Sin, Your Wages Are Death. When We Serve God We Get No Pay But He Freely Gives Us The Best Benefit Package Imaginable.

The Wages Of Sin: “Every Sinner Earns This By Long, Sore, And Painful Service. What Pains Do Men Take To Get To Hell!!! Early And Late They Sin; And Would Not Divine Justice Be In Their Debt, If It Did Not Pay Them Their Due Wages?”

Answering His Question From Romans 6:15, Paul Has Made It Clear: As Believers, We Have A Change Of Ownership. The Christian Must Fight Against Even Occasional Sin Because We Need To Work For And Work Under Our New Master Jesus Christ. It Isn’t Appropriate For Us To Work For Our Old Master The Devil.

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”, Because We Must Become New Creatures In Jesus Christ.

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”, Because We Must Live Right, We Must Be Right And We Must Become Right Through The Holy Spirit.

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”, Because We Must Resist The Devil And He Will Flee From Us.

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”, Because We Have Power Over Sin Through The Blood Of Jesus Christ.

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”, Because Weeping Will Last For A Night But Joy, Joy, Joy Comes In The Morning.

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”, Because Jesus Christ Was Whipped All Night Long In Pain And In Agony.

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”, Because Jesus Christ Had A Crown Of Thorns Placed On His Head.

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”, Because Jesus Christ Prayed Father, Father Forgive Them For Doing Me Wrong.

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”, Because Jesus Christ Died On The Cross For Our Sins By His Own Free Will.

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”, Because Jesus Christ Was Buried In Joseph’s Borrowed Tomb For Three Long Days.

“Salvation Is Free, But It Costs”, Because Jesus Christ Rose From The Grave Early, Early, Early On Sunday Morning With All Power In His Hand.

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