IntElecS
Infinite Never-ending Trinity Everlasting Lord Excellent Christ Savior

Once a small company that served control systems, now a couple that serves the All Powerful God.

To navigate the pages for this site, Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select the page you want to view.  Some pages have sub-pages as the seven sayings series so you must be on that page to scroll down and pick its sub-pages.

All of life's answers are found in His book.

Wanted Dead or Alive

Romans 8: 10 “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but rthe Spirit is life because of righteousness.” [1]

I.   If

     A. Spirit

     B. Soul

II. Then

     A. Separated

     B. Sin

III.     Else

     A. Sanctified

     B. Salvation 

Introduction:  The title of today’s message is Wanted Dead or Alive.  Many remember the TV show from 1958 which starred Steve McQueen.  He was a bounty hunter who had a little sawed off rifle that he carried like a pistol.  In the 1986 Jon Bon Jovi sang a song with the same title.

The scripture today will give a different perspective on the idea of wanted dead or alive.  We have a Savior who loves us so much that he takes us as we are.  When we are finally ready to be dead to the life we have without Him then He gives us life eternal.

In the Steve McQueen TV show a bounty hunter claimed the reward for turning the reprobate.  The reward was given to the bounty hunter regardless of whether the perpetrator was alive or dead.  The person was proven guilty of a crime that would lead to death one way or the other so the reward would be paid.  The winner in this was never the one who did the crime.  It was always someone else who was an innocent bystander who decided to get involved.

That is the way the world works because we live in a fallen world.  That is the way flesh works.  If someone does something bad then that person must pay for the crime.  When this doesn’t work so that people who are guilty are held responsible there is chaos.

The only way that good can come from this is if the perpetrator really is willing to confess, make retribution for what they have done, and then repent.  That would work only if the damage done might be repaired.  If there is a life ending situation then no matter what happens the crime will never be made right for the one who received the injustice.

In the outline that usually accompanies our messages the points and sub-points are normally written in some form of alliteration. The purpose for this is to draw attention to the ideas easier when God brings the points back to your attention.  Today the main points are not done in the pattern which is normal for outlines that I do.  Instead we will talk a little about my former life and how to program logic control systems.

When writing a binary logic control program; the “if, then, else” routine is common to most of the many computer languages.  The “if” statement examines data from sensors which monitor temperature, flow, pressure, level and many other variables.  The “then” statement makes a decision on whether the parameter has reached the target or not and then sets the output,

There is an area light beside the fellowship hall that had its output switch set to on so the light came on.  The photo sensor is broken or covered because the area light never turns off now.  That’s where the “else” statement comes in.  Once the set-point has been reached and the output has been turned on, something must happen to make the output turn back off.  That’s what the photo-cell is supposed to do.  So if the simple photo cell routine would be placed in a control system logic computer the line of code might read like this, “if photo-cell sees darkness then turn on lamp, else if photo-cell sees light then turn off lamp.

The cruise control is a type of regulatory control.  If the car needs more power to maintain speed then the accelerator is increased or decreased by the correct amount to maintain the speed.  The speed is regulated.  Artificial intelligence systems remember what was done before and then anticipates what it needs to do in varying circumstances.  God is not artificial intelligence!  God is intelligence.  He knows and He doesn’t need to be taught.  He is The Teacher if we will only allow Him to be.

God has infinite pieces of data that He is monitoring.  When the conditions get right then He does what He has promised us that He will do.  Does He want you dead, or alive?  What do you think?

Scripture:  The scripture today is Romans 8:10.  Please stand if you can for God’s written word.

Prayer:  Please be seated.

Message:  Gary Wicker was my high school classmate and CP&L co-worker.  Gary went home this week.  Pastor Steve spoke of how we all considered Gary’s death a surprise and a shock yet death should take none of us by surprise.  Of all the people God has conceived in this life there have only been two who passed through this life without death.  Even Jesus was appointed once to die.  So it should not take us by surprise that we all will go that way unless Jesus returns to take us home before we die.

Last week we considered Paul’s words to the Romans about the difference between Christians and none Christians.  In verse nine we learned that we are not in the flesh but the Spirit of God is in us.  If anybody doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ then we are not His.

Today we carry on this theme to learn that IF Christ is in you Then the body is dead ELSE the Spirit is Life because of righteousness.  So there is the condition that allows us to receive the righteousness of Christ.  His Spirit must be within a person’s soul or the rest of the statement is not true.  If a person hangs on to life as he/she insists and has not relinquished all of the Spirit that once was the thing that they lived for, they are not the empty vessel that God can fill.

So many people believe that they can give themselves to Jesus as they live.  They believe that it is up to them what they will allow Jesus to control.  As long as they give what they want to give they can keep the part of themselves that they want to control.  Church is church and work is work.  Have you ever heard the statement, “Business is business?”  Many people really believe that as long as they give God His portion, the righteousness of Jesus will be allotted to them.  Without the righteousness of Jesus there is no relationship with God so that is really what most people who call themselves Christian really want.  Most certainly do not want to be controlled by Jesus’ will.

That wish is not the hope that Jesus gives.  The only hope we have is Jesus.  We cannot give enough of ourselves to buy our portion of righteousness that will allow a right relationship with God that is required to take us to heaven.  We must have enough faith in Jesus to give up the Spirit of flesh that lives in us so that His Spirit can indwell us or there is no life with Jesus.

In verse nine Paul followed that up.  We must have the Spirit of Christ or we are none of His.  No part of us belongs to God unless we have the Spirit of Jesus in our soul.  That must be the Spirit that keeps this body alive. So that is the IF statement.  That is the examination.  If the Spirit of Christ is within your soul then this line is satisfied to go to the next step.

In computer programming if any IF statement does not become true then the whole line is disqualified and the computer moves on the next line.  When the statement is true then the output is engaged.  In this case that Paul is explaining, when the Spirit of Christ is allowed to enter a person’s soul that person becomes dead to self.  Sin has become separated from affecting that person’s life ever again because sin is what caused the separation from the old life of that person.  Is that good news of what!

Rachael and I met folks there in front of Zion Church the afternoon of Gary’s funeral.  One of the funeral directors asked how we knew all those folks.  Rachael explained that we all worked together in the past but I had left to go corporate.  When I left, the plant gave me a going away party as if I had retired.  When retirement came there was no party from corporate because the company merged and it was decided that the position would be done away with.  It was as if when I left the plant that my power plant life was over.  I had my retirement party. 

I’m not expecting a funeral either.  Racheal had that in our backyard with a crowd when I left my career to finally go back to get a degree in religion.  That happened many years ago.  Now here I am with you.

As I listened to Pastor Steve preaching Gary’s homily it occurred to me that this is how we become Christian.  We are still here yet there is a difference that makes others who knew us before feel awkward.  The desires from the past are remembered but they don’t have the attraction they once had.  Everything is different.  Gary is not gone, just different.

The THEN part of this statement might make some misunderstand what it is that God wants from us.  IF Christ is within us then the body is dead.  Does God want us dead?  How can we serve God if we are dead?  Does God not expect us to serve Him?  What does He want?

The only way that sin can be separated from us is if we die to sin.  That is what God wants.  God can only work with an empty vessel.  He will not compete with our pre-decided wants.  That is the THEN statement.

Let us make what God wants perfectly clear!  God wants us alive!  That is the ELSE statement.  Once it has been determined that a person is alive in Christ THEN that person is dead to the flesh which is sin ELSE that person has life because of the righteousness of Christ,

The righteousness of Christ brings about salvation which begins the process of sanctification that is complete when we are in the presence of God.  So now that you know how to write a line of computer code do you know that The Spirit of Christ is alive in you?

Prayer:

Invitation:  Many years ago in another church we were having Bible study on Revelation.  The comment was made that when the Bible was written people probably had apprehension hearing that the world would know of Jesus’ return all at the same time.  The illustration of the internet was explained as one way that this phenomenon might be accomplished today.  If people who didn’t understand back then might come back they would not think this impossible anymore.

A church saint who I admire and respect stood up and said, “Preacher, God don’t need no internet!”  I did some back peddling.  We talked about computers today because that is a part of my life that I have left behind yet I still have knowledge of.

God did not and will not remove all of your knowledge to make you a Christian.  What He does is a heart transplant.  He removes that heart of stone and replaces it with a softer heart.  In the KJV Ezekiel 36:26 says it this way, “eA new heart also will I give you, and efa new spirit will I put within you: fand I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, fand I will give you an heart of flesh.” [2]  To one who is not a Christian this might sound like a contradiction.  One might wrongly consider, “I thought we were to die to flesh. Why should we want a heart of flesh?”  Other translations translate this differently.  The Good News Translation translates it this way, “I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart.” [3]

God wants your obedience.  To obey you must be alive.  The sacrifice has been made.  Now it is time to live for Him because He loves you that much.  Consider as we sing…

r See 1 Cor. 15:45.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ro 8:10). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
e ch. 18:31. See Jer. 31:33.
e ch. 18:31. See Jer. 31:33.
f See ch. 11:19.
f See ch. 11:19.
f See ch. 11:19.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Eze 36:26). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[3] American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation (2nd ed., Eze 36:26). New York: American Bible Society.