NJ Mosaic Christian Fellowship

(Malachi 1:1-2, 6-8) When you withhold your best from God, it is never just about money or offerings—it is a test of your trust in His love. The people of Malachi's day lived in disappointment and scarcity, doubting God's care, which led them to offer blemished sacrifices and guarded hearts. Their actions declared: “God isn't worth my best, and I have to take care of myself.” But the heart of worship is not about surplus—it's about faith. God's unchanging love, proven supremely at the cross, calls us to trust Him even when resources feel thin. True sacrifice flows from being convinced again of the Father's abundant love. Bring your best—not because you must, but because you know His heart is more than enough.

(Habakkuk) There are moments when God feels wrong—when His silence pierces, His timing confuses, and His ways seem unbearable. Like Habakkuk, we cry out not just in confusion but in what feels like betrayal: "How could You?" But God invites us into the tension—not to suppress it, but to bring it honestly before Him. The answer isn't always clarity or resolution. The answer is learning to live by faith: to wait on His timing and to anchor our hope in His unchanging character. Even when the fig tree doesn't blossom and every security fails, we can still find strength in the God who makes our feet sure in the chaos.

God speaks to Zephaniah, and it's horrifying. God has determined that He is going to judge Judah, the nations, even Jerusalem for their rebellion against God. God points out their rebellion in the way they have turned away and worship idols, they compromise and syncretize with false gods, which ultimately leads to the complacent attitude: God is not going to do anything good or bad to me. Judah and the nations dictate their own lives, their own way, in essence believing that it's our day! The LORD declares instead it's My day, the Day of the LORD. We will examine what the Day of the LORD is likened unto: (Zeph:1:15-16). The Day of the LORD shows no partiality to race, gender, socio-economic standing, it will be the day of all encompassing punishment against all sinners. There is no power, possessions, pedigree, nothing that can protect them from the Day of the LORD. His righteousness is as the Sun, consuming all that stand before Him. (Zeph 3:8)Who wants to hear this, let alone be the one to deliver the message? But who needs to hear this? Everyone. Zephaniah delivers an unpopular message, but it is what God has said, it is what God will do, and it is honoring to God, and one of the most loving things he can do to others is to warn them before they face the edge of the cliff. We who claim to be Christians - we too have a message from God, even more clear and sure! We are called to be Zephaniahs in our day!Will anyone heed the warning from God, and seek His Kingdom first and humble themselves? For those who do the Day of the LORD will be for them a day of protection (Zeph 2:3) a day of restoring of fortunes (2:7) a day The Lord has rendered His righteous justice (2:8 - 3:8), and the Day when the LORD transforms those who have surrendered to Him. It will be the LORD who will transform them, there will be no division, no deceit, no lack, no fear in them, rather they will be transformed to singing, worshipping, and loud exultation - and the LORD Himself will sing with them and over them. For those who have sought His Kingdom first, the Day of the LORD will be their reward for surely they will be with the One in whom they trusted.The Day of the LORD, just as He declared had come to Nineveh in 612 B.C., approx. 30 years after Zephaniah had delivered God's Word, Babylon came and decimated them. It was only a 20years later that the Day of the LORD visited Judah as they were conquered and began the Babylonian exile. In the midst of the day of the LORD, we know there are those who have been hidden by God, Daniel, Ezra, Esther, Nehemiah -.So too, the Day of the LORD has come as demonstrated on the Cross as Jesus Christ took our judgment and purchased our salvation, our protection, our justification. But there is still the Day of the LORD to come - just as God has forewarned through Zephaniah, Joel, Daniel, Matthew, Revelation. Let us therefore, heed God and live continually mindful of the Day of the LORD!

Obadiah delivers a scorching rebuke against Edom—not merely for their violence, but for their passive indifference to the suffering of their brother, Israel. They stood aloof while injustice raged, and in doing so, became complicit in it. This message confronts us today: when we retreat behind walls of comfort, affluence, and emotional distance, we risk becoming like Edom—calloused, complicit, and under judgment. But God promises a great reversal where the oppressed and poor will be restored, vindicated, and even rule with Him. The gospel calls us not to climb away from the suffering but to enter in, to see ourselves in the faces of the vulnerable, and to participate—through compassion, justice, and long obedience—in God's redemptive plan. We must come out from our personal Petras and walk toward Mount Zion, where Christ reigns and restores the broken.

(Nahum 1:1-15) Nahum is writing to a downtrodden, disoriented, and despairing people. God's people have been victims of oppression for almost a century by the Assyrian empire. The question they were asking was, “Is God present? Is God strong? Will He save us?” Nahum's response is He is strong and He will save them and Nahum reinforces this truth by pointing them to God's power, God's jealousy, and God's salvation. Nahum teaches that not only is God strong, but He's also good. And because He is these things, we can be confident that no matter what we face, God will be faithful to save us.

(Haggai 1:1-15a) Into a context of bewilderment, discouragement and spiritual lethargy that the word of the Lord bursts onto the scene with its transforming and life-giving power. Through his prophet Haggai, God declares a word of both judgment and mercy with the result that God's people are transformed and God's city is transformed. God's word is effective, accomplishing the purpose for which he sends it forth (Isa 55:11). Through his word that God reorients his disoriented people, reminding them of who he is as their covenant Lord, and who they are as his covenant people, and what they're called to as pilgrims in this life. Thus, in the midst of their despair Israel is given a reason to trust, and to hope, and to work to the glory of their covenant Lord.

James 1 and 2 explore the dangerous deception of thinking we can follow Jesus without obeying Him. James contrasts “hearing without doing” with the true mark of a disciple—costly but life-giving obedience. We will see that hearing feels like doing. One the other hand, doing feels like risk. This is the barrier we need to cross in order to go from "crowd" to "disciple." The vision of Mosaic is to call men and women to pick up their cross and follow Jesus with their lives- with a clear conviction that risk, obedience and suffering all lead to the life we are promised in Christ.

(James 2:1-8) Embrace lies at the very center of Mosaic's calling. In this sermon, we discover that embrace is one of the most powerful ways the gospel becomes real—not just intellectually, but emotionally and experientially. When we are embraced, the false stories we tell ourselves—stories of unworthiness, rejection, or shame—begin to unravel, and the gospel rewrites them with truth: you are loved, forgiven, and accepted. But this truth often doesn't sink in until it is embodied through someone else's presence. At Mosaic, we play a vital role in helping each other believe the gospel—not just by preaching it, but by living it out in how we see, welcome, and hold one another. When we withhold embrace, we risk distorting the gospel for others. James 2 reveals how partiality isn't just unkind—it's gospel-breaking. He calls us instead to live by the “royal law” of love, a law that makes grace visible and believable through consistent acts of warmth, patience, and nearness. This is the culture we are building together: a people whose embrace makes the gospel tangible.

(Matthew 5:13-16) We are called to reach by being salt of the earth and light of the world. Salt and light are powerful metaphors Jesus uses to describe His followers. Just as salt enhances flavor, preserves, and purifies, believers are called to influence the world by pointing others to Christ, especially in broken and decaying places. Light shines in darkness, and Christians are meant to stand out—not blend in—through lives marked by good works, which reflect God's character and draw others to Him. This calling to be salt and light is not just encouragement, but a command rooted in God's love, and it's through faithful living and Christlike action that we help a hurting world experience the hope and transformation found in Jesus.

(Romans 8:9-11) The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely a future hope but a present revolution that reshapes everything about how we live now. Because Jesus rose from the dead—bodily, visibly, and historically—we are not only promised the same resurrection, but given His very Spirit now, which transforms our identity, rewires our operating system, and sets us free from fear, selfishness, and the frantic need to preserve ourselves. The Spirit who raised Jesus lives in us, giving us resurrection strength and security to love radically, forgive freely, and live courageously. We no longer operate out of scarcity or fear of loss—we live as those with nothing to lose, because in the resurrection, we've already gained everything. This Easter, the invitation is not just to believe in life after death, but to receive power to live differently forever—starting now.

(Luke 22:35-38) Jesus is in His final hours with His disciples and gives them a stark warning and tells them what they are going to experience in the next few days during his arrest, crucifixion and burial. There is such a stark contrast between living with Jesus and the darkness the disciples are going to experience. The truth is that when we don't have Jesus, we only live in darkness - and there maybe flashes of light, but those are just reminders of the Light from which we have fallen. But Jesus, has come and He is the Light. He invites us to live with Him, and He in us that we would no longer walk in darkness, but be the salt and light of the world. This message is to encourage and demonstrate to the listener that darkness is their lived reality, but only for those who choose not to live and follow Jesus.

(1 Corinthians 1:10-18) Division is not just a relational issue—it's a spiritual attack that desecrates the body of Christ and empties the cross of its power. When we align ourselves with personalities, traditions, or camps rather than with Christ Himself, we break apart what Jesus died to make one. The Corinthians fell into this trap, and Paul reminds them—and us—that the only cure is to return to the foolishness of the cross. The cross humbles every claim to superiority, forces us to lay down our rights, and calls us to remember what Jesus did to reconcile us to God and one another. At the Lord's Table, we proclaim that Christ was broken for our unity, and we are warned not to break what He died to mend. This is a call to remember Him, discern the body, and restore what the cross has already accomplished.

Even after a powerful season of revival, worship, and recommitment, Nehemiah 13 reminds us that spiritual compromise can still creep in—slowly, quietly, and often through seemingly justifiable reasons like family loyalty, fatigue, or cynicism. We must be vigilant against this drift, because compromise threatens the very holiness God calls us to. The Spirit of God gently convicts us, but we can learn to silence Him—grieving and eventually quenching His voice. But hope is not lost. Like Nehemiah, who corrected Israel's compromises with fierce love and persistent prayer—"Remember me, O my God"—we are invited to resist compromise by keeping our eyes on the eternal reward. Obedience may bring earthly loss, but heaven holds joy, honor, purpose, and the satisfaction of God's pleasure. We endure because the reward far outweighs the cost. The miracle of Jesus' finished work is not a license to sin but a motivation to live holy, Spirit-sensitive lives, storing up joy in heaven and stirring the joy of our Father even now.

Nehemiah 12 highlights the importance of our worship gathering. Our Sunday services are not meaningful because we gather but what makes it meaningful is the reason that we are gathered for. The people of God have gathered to celebrate the goodness and faithfulness of God, similarly that's why we 21st century people of God gather together too. The difference is that we have a greater reason than our ancient predecessors. We are not motivated by a finished wall, but by the finished work of Christ.

(Nehemiah 8:1-12) In Nehemiah 8, revival breaks out as the people, freshly restored in their identity prompt Ezra to read and teach the Law. As they hear it, they are deeply convicted, leading to collective repentance, yet Nehemiah and the Levites remind them that sorrow alone cannot sustain devotion. Instead, they must move forward in the assurance of God's forgiveness, for true strength comes not from endless mourning but from the joy of the Lord. This joy—rooted in God's delight over His people—propels them into a renewed life of obedience, not out of fear, but with boldness and confidence in His love. Revival is not merely about turning from sin but about stepping fully into the freedom and strength found in God's joy.

The rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls in Nehemiah was not just about protection—it was about restoration. Exile had undone Israel's identity, leaving them lost, unseen, and defined by failure. But God, in His mercy, renamed and reclaimed them, reaffirming their place in His covenant. Nehemiah's reading of the genealogy wasn't mere record-keeping—it was a declaration of belonging, a reminder that they were still God's people. Just as Peter, after denying Jesus, was restored by Christ's love, we too are not defined by our failures but by God's promise. Through Jesus, who took on our shame at the cross, we are named, forgiven, and secured in His hands. Our challenge now is to live into this identity, reminding one another of who we are in Christ and walking in the assurance that He has held us all along.

In this sermon on Nehemiah 6, we see how Nehemiah, undeterred by threats and distractions, models a life of focus and discernment, insisting “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.” He shows us that discernment is as essential as determination—knowing when certain “comforts” or “luxuries” are not ours to take, so we can remain true to our calling. Ultimately, we see Jesus who “set His face like flint” to accomplish salvation, rejecting every shortcut and temptation. We, too, are urged to identify our “great work,” cast aside both sin and unnecessary weights, and fix our gaze on Christ. In doing so, we commit ourselves to building lives—and a church—grounded in relentless devotion and guided by devotion

Ezra was chosen by God to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the hearts of the people. He was able to do so because: 1) The Word of God was in Ezra and 2) The Hand of God was on Ezra. When God does his will through individuals, he will put Hand on those who know his heart.

The lesson we're to draw from today's passage is that it's not only opposition from the outside that threatens the work of God, but it's also the disunity and the conflict amongst the people from the inside that can jeopardize the work of God. What good is the strength of the wall and its effectiveness in withstanding external attack, if the people themselves whom the wall exists to protect are weak and they destroy themselves? It's no good at all, it serves no purpose if there is no people to protect. However, if the people inside those walls are strong, together, and unified the wall serves a great purpose. In the same way, if Mosaic desires to be a church who protects its people both spiritually and physically, we who make up this church must be strong, together, and unified. And according to Nehemiah 5, the way we become this kind of people is by restoring the fear of the Lord in our hearts.

Nehemiah 4:15–23 shines a light on the need to be both prepared and persevering when facing opposition. In this passage, enemies threaten the people of God, yet the call is not to cower in fear but to take up both hammer and sword. In practical terms, this leads to two core commitments: Readiness and Resilience. Readiness involves being armed with Scripture, training oneself to know truth well enough to recognize and counter deception, and cultivating a life of prayer that forms a shield against unseen assaults. Resilience grows when trials are viewed as opportunities for spiritual strengthening—much like an immune system that adapts and becomes more robust when challenged. Scripture points out that genuine faith often requires trials in order to mature and emerge refined. Taken together, hammer and sword encapsulate the balance: continuing to build in faith (the hammer) and staying on guard spiritually (the sword). Rather than seeking a life free from stress, believers embrace the reality that adversity can produce perseverance, deeper trust in God, and a more robust faith.

In a world surrounded by discouragement and spiritual attack, Nehemiah 4 challenges believers to confront opposition with faith and courage. We see how mockery and internal doubts often threaten God's work. But it also inspires us to reject the enemy's lies, embrace the redemption of brokenness, and become a church that builds each other up through the power of encouragement. Be strengthened by the truth that God's greatness transforms rubble into a glorious mosaic of His redeemed people.

(Nehemiah 3:1-12) God has a vision for His church, and when His people receive that passion and urgency to accomplish His vision, amazing things can happen for nothing is impossible with God and His people.

(Psalm 78:1-8) The Christian calling essentially involves living as a witness. Jesus called Paul to be “a servant and a witness” (Acts 26:16). Likewise, we are called to testify that God is love, but this doesn't apply only to the people outside the church. It necessarily involves reaching out to the generations within the community that may be growing more distant from the good of God. As you listen and commit to the call of building the church, I pray that God will direct your attention to the younger generations in your own community. “Tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord!”

(Nehemiah 2:1-18) This Sunday's sermon explores the importance of both prayer and action in fulfilling God's mission. We look at Nehemiah's journey from prolonged prayer to decisive, faith-filled action in seeking the favor of King Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem's walls, underscoring God's providence and power. The message challenges Mosaic to embrace its unique season of building through prayer, vision, and participation. We parallel Nehemiah's leadership and the church's mission to establish new worship and churches. The sermon calls members to survey the church's needs, engage in prayer, and rise to build together for God's glory.

(Nehemiah 1:1-11) This Sunday we introduce the book of Nehemiah and challenge our congregation to prioritize God's purpose over personal comfort in the new year. The passage highlights how Nehemiah was deeply moved by the broken walls of Jerusalem, not out of personal gain but out of a calling to rebuild both the physical and spiritual center of worship. This passage wars against the idol of comfort and urges Christians to align their goals with God's kingdom purposes through prayer, repentance, and devotion. As Nehemiah turned to God in prayer for guidance and strength, believers are called to approach 2025 with clarity of purpose, seeking first the kingdom of God and committing to worship and service. Jesus Christ is presented as the ultimate example, who gave up His comfort for the sake of God's redemptive plan.

Psalm 103 invites believers to engage in the battle for gratitude, a deliberate effort to recall God's abundant blessings amid life's challenges. David, in this psalm, models how to speak to our souls, urging them to praise God by reflecting on His forgiveness, redemption, and steadfast love. The lies of discontent, much like those Satan whispered to Eve, tempt us to focus on what we lack, but God's truth redirects our hearts to His vast provision and grace. This psalm reminds us that gratitude is not automatic—it is a fight to remember reality, reject lies, and embrace God's mercy. As the year draws to a close, we are called to lift our hearts in worship and declare, "Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

(Matthew 2:13-18) Christmas is not a flimsy celebration of cheer, but the profound story of a Savior who entered into humanity's deepest brutality to offer us an unshakable refuge of hope. Jesus understands our suffering because He bore it Himself, providing a hope strong enough to stare into the darkness with confidence. Jesus' family was forced to flee to Egypt under the cover of night, seeking refuge. The brutality of Christmas reminds us that the world is filled with darkness and suffering, yet Jesus entered into that pain fully, refusing to turn away. This Christmas, come and hear how the Messiah steps into our darkness to bring a hope that is big enough to overcome it. Jesus is not just a story or sentiment; He is our refuge, our Emmanuel—God with us. Take comfort in the Savior who understands your tears and offers you a deeper hope at Christmas than you ever knew.

The Angel Gabriel comes to a young girl who is to be betrothed. she is living a very normal and common life. unbeknownst to her God has chosen her to be the recipient of the most precious gift of all. but the Holy Spirit will overshadow her and she will become pregnant and bear child in his name will be Jesus. but we will be looking at is her brief interaction with the angel and how her words and inform us of where her heart is. she sees obedience and receiving Jesus Christ as the jewel of greatest prize. she doesn't seem concerned about her marriage, or about her parents, or about the culture or about anything anybody else will think. she simply wants to understand how God is going to do this impossible thing. And after the angel Gabriel explains it to her she is fully submitted and a willing handmaiden of God. We might consider receiving Christ fully into our life as to costly, but Mary tells us that there is no greater price nothing that's not worth giving up in order to receive Christ.

(Matthew 1:18-25) This week we begin our advent series. This Sunday's sermon dives into the profound message of Advent through Joseph's eyes. Joseph's story begins with a crisis—unexpected and life-altering—and transitions into an unimaginable celebration as he embraces God's divine plan. We see that a true reception of the Messiah disrupts and reorients life, demanding a relinquishment of control and submission to His rule. Advent pierces our souls and takes away control but only to bring celebration in the King. The passage calls us to bow down, relinquish control, and allow the Messiah to bring life-transforming celebration.

(Philippians 4:4-7) In the context of the book of Philippians, Paul is experiencing suffering because he is imprisoned. In the midst of suffering and imprisonment, he is able to experience peace. This peace doesn't come from the absence of suffering or God answering his prayer of deliverance, but his peace comes from communing with God through prayer. The result of peace isn't our requests being answered, but comes from being in communion with God through prayer.

(John 17:15-17) In this final message of the (Re)Align series, we explore Jesus' High Priestly Prayer in John 17, where He reveals in his prayer that we are sent into the world with a purpose. As we navigate the tension between living in a broken, chaotic world and longing for our true home with God, Jesus calls us to embrace our mission as His sent people. Jesus prays for us to engage with the world in love and truth, without compromising our identity, and to find our witness in the Word of God and Unity. If you've ever wrestled with how to live out your faith authentically in a culture that often feels hostile or disheartening, this message will encourage you to rediscover your purpose and find hope in God's transformative power working through you.

John 15:18-19 - In John 15, Jesus delivers one of His most challenging teachings to His disciples: the reality that they—and we—will never truly belong to this world. It's a message that confronts our deep-rooted desire to fit in, to be accepted, to call this world “home.” Jesus warns us that because we are chosen by Him, the world will reject us just as it rejected Him. Yet, this rejection is not a sign of failure; it's a mark of belonging to something far greater—a heavenly Kingdom. It's an invitation to understand the difference between being in the world and being of it, to "mind the gap" between our earthly surroundings and our heavenly calling. If you've ever felt the tension between following Christ and the world's expectations, this message will resonate deeply. Discover why our true security, our true home, isn't found in the world but in Christ, who has prepared a place for us with Him. In this sermon, we explore what it means to live faithfully in a place where we don't fully belong—and why that's actually good news.

(John 11:1-44) We find Jesus coming to the funeral service of Lazarus, who has been dead for four days. Martha and Mary have lost their beloved brother. Jesus' interaction with Martha and Mary reveal that though Martha has faith, it's an incomplete faith. So incomplete that she actually tries to stop Jesus from revealing and accomplishing God's glory. Through Jesus interaction and the miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead, we are to be convinced once and for all that Jesus doesn't just give us life - He gives us Himself - and therefore eternal Life in us and with us. Let our faith then not be stagnant, nor limit what Jesus can do, rather let us have a growing faith and hunger to know Christ more fully.

(John 8:2-11) The passage we have in front of us is so precious and we should do everything to focus our minds and our hearts to the word of God because it's pregnant with reason after reason why Jesus is the most perfect judge we are groaning for. And this is because as we will see—only in Him does justice and grace meet in sweet harmony. Jesus never makes mistakes, always makes the right decisions, always judges correctly, and always feels the right emotions at the right time. And because this is true, we should come to Him as our judge who not only defends us from condemnation but also fights for our vindication.

"Our Hunger" challenges us to take a hard look at what we truly crave in life. In John 6, Jesus feeds the 5,000—a miracle that stirred a massive response because people saw it as a chance for economic security. Isn't that similar to how we live today? But have you ever noticed that even when you achieve those goals, there's still something missing? Jesus teaches us about our true hunger- the hunger underneath the hunger. What if the reason we feel hungry is because we haven't discovered true food? Through his Bread of Life discourse, Jesus will invite us to find a new hunger and He offers to satiate us with Himself.

(John 5:1-20) As the Body needs REM sleep to truly rest, so our souls also need REM - Resting in our ETERNAL MESSIAH, He is our True Rest

John 4:15 - Are you aware of thirst within you? In this message, we explore the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, who came to draw water from Jacob's well. Like many of us, she was trying to satisfy a thirst she didn't truly comprehend. But what if your deepest needs weren't just obstacles to get out of the way, but paths that lead you directly to God? Jesus sees beyond the surface, calling us to understand our real thirst—a thirst for eternal, living water that only He can provide. This thirst is not just about our personal longings but also our relational wounds which Jesus is ready to heal through worship. Worship is where our deepest desires are not only met, but transformed. Learn how to move beyond the temporary "mirages" of life's quick fixes and come to the true source of satisfaction. Come thirsty, leave fulfilled. This is the water that will never run dry.

As we being the "" series, we explore John 3:16-21, where Jesus is revealed as the light that stepped into darkness. This passage highlights a crucial decision: will we live in the light of Christ, or will we continue to hide in darkness because of sin? We'll discuss how the pursuit of "hidden knowledge" by the Gnostics parallels today's culture, where many seek enlightenment within themselves, but Jesus teaches us that true light and life are found in Him alone. As we walk through these themes, we will confront the ways we may live comfortably in the world's darkness, even while professing faith, and how stepping into the light requires bringing every part of our lives—our struggles, sins, and desires—before God. This message calls us to reject the false promises of self-realization and worldly pleasures to embrace the new life offered by Jesus, the true light of the world.

Romans 8:31-39 | Paul's final section in Romans 8 is the mountain of our assurance. Paul glories defiantly in this question, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Paul is considering all that he has said from Romans 5-8 about our life in the Spirit. If all this is true, then what possibly can thwart His people? In this sermon, we consider our doubts about God's love and overcome them with the truth of God's love. If God's love has been considered rightly, then we stand unafraid before this world and celebrate our salvation boldly.

Audio Clears Up @ 9:23 (Romans 8:18-30) We live in frustration/futility- creation also- and we groan, but don't know that we are groaning for glory but we are groaning about futility. Once we understand that it is glory we are longing for we gain hope. Why? Because when we realize that Jesus has won glory for us then we hope for “what we do not have, we wait for it patiently”

(Romans 8:1-17) If the Bible is considered a Precious ring, then the book of Romans is considered by many the Diamond on the Ring, and Romans 8 as the brightest gleam from the Diamond! In the first part of the three parts of Romans 8, we will examine why this chapter is so beloved and what abundantly amazingness there is in Christ Jesus, and no condemnation is just the tip of His Goodness.

(Romans 7:7-25) This passage is one of the most controversial passages in the New Testament. The controversy arises from Paul's graphic description of his battle with sin. However, this is not a description of Paul as a non-believer. This is the ordinary work of the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sin. Our battle with sin is violent and tumultuous but with the Spirit of God there is victory. Life in the Spirit means to wage war on sin with the power of God- and refuse to die quietly into the night.

After dispelling the notion that the gospel transitions to sin, he addresses our freedom from the Law. The Law is not only biblical law but everything that places inadequacies, expectations and insecurities upon us. Paul says that Life in the Spirit means that we have been freed from these things. The Law has been fulfilled and now we live in the Spirit- we now bear real fruit. (Romans 7:1-6)

Paul is answering the question—Does grace encourage sin? He asks this because he can already foresee the temptation of grace being abused because of the Roman Christian's failure to understand that grace empowers the upholding of the law, not the dismantling of it. Paul's answer to this question is “no” and he uses the analogy of slave and master to communicate his reasoning. Grace does not encourage sin because God does not encourage sin. Grace does not make space for sin because God does not make space for sin. Under our old master sin was permitted and in fact encouraged but in light of our new master (God) righteousness and eternal life is the fruit of His lordship. This teaching will explore why God is a better master over our lives and how to live in light of His lordship.

Christians get increasingly despondent when they believe that sin is here to stay. When we believe we are powerless against sin (we can't stop!), we despair and let sin just reign over us. Paul is offering a whole new way of looking at yourself in light of the gospel. We need to shift our mindset to believe God and not ourselves. God says that true reality is that we are dead to sin and alive to God. Without this core conviction, the Christian will never live into Life in the Spirit.

The remedy to the pangs of sin is the free gift of Christ

We have peace in life because we have peace with God

Forsake all to love Jesus above all