Pastor Mac Hammond | March 20, 2022

Recap:
This past weekend, Pastor Mac illuminated a unique connection between the mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory and the mystery of a one-flesh marriage. We see in Ephesians chapter 5 that a one-flesh marriage between a husband and a wife mirrors the relationship between Christ and the church. That means just as two spouses grow to become one flesh within a godly marriage, we can become one flesh with Christ. When this is true and Christ is evident within you, the world sees Christ through your actions and your deeds.

Dive Deeper:
When you are saved, you are immediately brought into the kingdom of God. Beyond that, you have a choice. You can choose to grow in your relationship with Christ and become more and more like Him. You can also choose to let your flesh rule and ignore the leadings of the Spirit.

In which of these scenarios will the world see Christ in you?

The first one, of course! When we choose to change our ways and follow Christ, the world notices something different about us. Christ becomes our hope! He becomes our future, our expectation. We start to see things through His way of thinking and operate with Bible-based thought patterns. We confidently expect that God will show up in the direst of circumstances and deal with whatever issue we’re facing. There’s no room for condemnation to undermine this expectation when you prioritize God in your life.

So how does this happen? Christ formed in you is a product of prayer. You can get beyond the dictates of the flesh through prayer and allowing the Holy Spirit to pray through you. You can also pray that Christ would be formed in others. When Christ is formed in you, that’s when you will make a spiritual difference in this world.

Read More:
Ephesians 5:31–32 KJV
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Romans 7:15–25 KJV
For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Romans 8:1–6 KJV
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
 
Romans 8:26 TPT
And in a similar way, the Holy Spirit takes hold of us in our human frailty to empower us in our weakness. For example, at times we don’t even know how to pray, or know the best things to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words.
 
 
Discussion Questions:
1. How do our words and our actions create a picture of who Christ is to those who don’t know Him?
2. When facing difficulty, how does Christ in us make a difference in our perspective?
3. How can praying in the Spirit dramatically impact our lives and the lives of the people around us?
4. When Christ lives in us, how do our desires change?

Rewatch or catch up on the full sermon with the link below!
Watch Now
Share
Share
Share

Recent Sermon Notes

The Impossible Dream, #2: Fasting and Prayer | Mac Hammond

Jan 19, 2025

Pastor Mac gave the second installment of his series entitled, “The Impossible Dream.” He said, “Even though I say about every new series I teach that it is the most important message I’ve ever preached, when it comes to this message—for this day, at this time, and where we are right now—I truly believe that about this message. God has a dream for your life. And it’s not possible for you to achieve that dream without His partnership in your life.” That being said, what is God’s “Impossible Dream” for your life?

The Impossible Dream | Mac Hammond

Jan 12, 2025

Pastor Mac taught the first message in his new series entitled, “The Impossible Dream.” He said “the impossible dream” is a good message for the outset of a new year. However, it’s a good message for all to hear at any time during the year. He began the message by asking a rhetorical question: “Do your dreams fall only within the realm of logical possibility. Or do your dreams require the element of the miraculous in order to be realized?” He went on to explain how God-given dreams will always necessitate the supernatural power of God in order for them to be fulfilled.

GRACE UNVEILED, “Dominion of Grace” #25 | Jim Hammond

Jan 5, 2025

This past Sunday, Pastor Jim gave the 25th installment to his teaching series entitled, “Grace Unveiled.” In the past messages, we’ve been studying Romans 3, 4, 5, and 6. Before teaching on chapter 7, Pastor Jim wanted to break down these chapters again in a way we have not heard them before. He said, “You’re going to hear these chapters taught in a different way.” So far, we focused on the gift of righteousness. And we focused on justification. But there is a third subject that Pastor Jim wanted to focus on before we moved on to the next chapter.   

GRACE UNVEILED, #24, “The Dominion of Grace” | Jim Hammond

Dec 17, 2024

Pastor Jim was back and gave his 24th installment of his study on the book of Romans called “Unveiled Grace: The Dominion of Grace.” By now, the congregants that have been following Pastor Jim’s teaching on Romans should have a clear understanding of what justification is and what it means to the believer. There are many benefits to this justification. It’s a gift of New Testament righteousness. But this righteousness is something you must be established in. And fortunately, by the time this study on Romans has been completed, you absolutely will have been established in it. Because, as Pastor Jim said, “I’ve been hammering it and hammering it and hammering it!” 

How to Finish the Year Strong 1 | Mac Hammond

Dec 10, 2024

Pastor Mac gave a message entitled, “How to Finish the Year Strong.” We’re at the end of the year and many use this time as an occasion to pray about what the Lord would have them do in the coming year…to set their sail in Christ, so to speak. They want the Lord to help them identify the marks they are to press toward in order to finish their race. To that end, Pastor Mac spoke to us about “finishing strong.”