L1 Lesson 2: Our New Life in Christ
INTRODUCTION
Ito ang sad truth nung wala pa tayo kay Christ,
"Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin." (John 8:34)
Hindi lang yun. The Bible teaches us na nung slave pa tayo ng sin ay nasa strong influence tayo ng devil. Blinded tayo sa truth (cf. 2 Cor 4:4)!
Dati yun! Praise God dahil ni-rescue tayo ng Dios from darkness, inilapit, at inilipat sa Kanyang only Son through the gospel!
I. WE HAVE A NEW MASTER
"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God..." (Romans 6:22)
💡Trivia: Sa Bible times, ang slaves ay binebenta sa market. Yung buyer ay automatic na magiging master ng slave at ang slave ay magiging servant. Obliged ang slave na sundin ang kanyang master sa lahat ng utos nya.
Ganun din tayo sa new life na mayroon tayo in Christ. From being slave to sin ay naging slave tayo ng Dios. Meaning, si God na ang master natin. So, we no longer obey sin, but rather, we obey God as our master! And do you know how much it costs God para i-rescue Niya tayo from slavery to sin? The blood of His Son, Jesus Christ!
"In him we have redemption (ransom) through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace." (Ephesians 1:7)
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, (6) who gave himself as a ransom for all..." (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
So, since ang blood ni Jesus ang naging payment para ma-redeem tayo ng Dios from slavery to sin, kay Jesus na natin tina-transfer ang ating loyalty and submission--Siya na ang ating new Master and Lord!
✅ Reflection: Napansin mo ba ang bagong adjustment mo as a child of God? Ramdam mo ba na parang hinihila ka pa din ng sin or ng devil pabalik sa kanya? Napansin mo ba ang strong conviction sa iyo ni Lord ganun din ang new desire sa heart mo na si Jesus na ang gusto mong sundin?
Next na pagbabago sa buhay natin bilang children of God:
II. WE HAVE A NEW GUIDE
Ito ang sabi ni Christ sa Kanyang disciples:
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth..." (John 16:13a)
"And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment." (John 16:8)
Dumating na ang Holy Spirit nung day of Pentecost (Acts 2) at Siya ay naninirahan sa lahat ng true believers. Ito ang sabi ni Paul sa believers sa time niya,
"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." (Romans 8:9)
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own." (1 Corinthians 6:19)
III. WE HAVE A NEW HABIT
Sa growing relationasip mo kay God ay may bagong habit na makakasanayan mong gawin-- Bible reading and prayer.
a. Bible Meditation. Ang guidance ng Holy Spirit ay palaging in line sa truth na nasa Bible. So, hindi tayo basta-basta malilito dahil ire-remind sa atin ng Holy Spirit ang Word ni Lord sa tuwing gina-guide Niya tayo. That's why, we need to meditate upon God's Word.
Simple discipline in reading the Bible: S.P.A.C.E.P.E.T.S.
- Sin to confess
- Promise to claim
- Attitude to change
- Command to obey
- Example to follow
- Prayer to pray
- Error to avoid
- Truth to believe
- Something to praise God for
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b. Prayer. As we learned in our first lesson, ang Bible reading and prayer ay palaging magkasama. Dito tayo lalalim at tatatag sa ating relationship kay Lord.
Simple prayer outline: A.C.T.S.
- Adoration. Begin by praising God (Ps 99:5) at i-address Siya bilang Father (Rom 8:15).
- Confession. Humingi ng forgiveness sa iyong sins.
- Thanksgiving. Isipin at sabihin sa Kanya ang lahat ng pwede mong ipagpasalamat.
- Supplication. Humiling ng may faith and trust sa Dios according to His will.
IV. WE HAVE A NEW IMAGE
May goal ang Dios sa pagkatao natin bilang Kanyang children,
"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son...." (Romans 8:29a)
Ang emphasis dito ay ang image ni Jesus ng righteousness nung Siya ay nag-incarnate. In-example ni Jesus ang submission sa will ng Father even to the point of dying on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins (Luke 22:42). Ito ang gusto ng Dios na maging image natin--righteous--submissive sa Kanyang will--Christlike!
Now, may dapat tayong maunawaan sa new image na ito na gusto ng Dios na makita sa atin:
a. We cannot change ourselves. May mga little ways tayo na ginagawa para maging better person, pero hindi yun enough. Ang totoong may power to change us ay ang Dios!
b. God is at work in us to change us. Alam ng Dios na wala tayong power na baguhin ang ating sarili. Kaya sa Old Testament ay nag-promise Siya na, balang araw, ay Siya mismo ang kikilos para baguhin ang lahat ng sa Kanya. Ni-reveal ito ng Dios kay prophet Ezekiel:
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. (26) And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (27) And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." (Ezekiel 36:25-27)
Kaya naman ang sabi ni Paul:
"For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)
Our new life in Christ:
- We have a new Master--Jesus Christ.
- We have a new Guide--the Holy Spirit.
- We have a new habit--Bible reading and prayer.
- We have a new image--Christlikeness.
- Siguraduhin sa iyong sarili na pinaghahari mo na si Jesus sa iyong buhay bilang Master and Lord. Magusap kayo ni Lord in prayer tungkol dito.
- Maging sensitive sa guidance and leading ng Holy Spirit.
- I-discern ang will ng Dios through His Word.
- Let your light shine. Others will naturally see yung good works na result ng work ni Lord sa buhay mo. Habang nakikita ito ng mga tao, ang luluwalhatiin nila ay si Lord na Siyang dahilan ng pagbabago mo! (cf. Matt 5:16)
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