 Good morning everyone. Welcome to today's session on BC110 on identity. So I hope week after week we are studying on this identity. We are getting our self more clear on who we are in Christ. Is it helpful? Students in the class, is it helpful? Are we getting clarity on our identity in Christ? You can post on chat. So what we can do today is we are going to move on to the crucifixion with Christ. We are buried with Christ, we are resurrected with Christ and we have been seated at the right hand of God. So how are we, you know, we are going to study in detail on this. So as we progress, we would request each of us to take your scriptures and read. So I request everyone to keep your Bibles open and the students from the online also can keep your Bibles open. I would request one of you all from the online to open up the scriptures and read through. So what happens is when we read the scripture, the word has power. The word has power to change our mind, to renew our mind, to bring the truth into us so that we realize and we will accept this truth. So we are going to read a lot of scriptures today and study on that. So I would request students on campus and online to keep the Bible handy and read through the scriptures as we progress to study on the steps we have been identified in Christ. Okay, so we are on page 61 on our notes. Okay, so let's turn to Romans chapter 6 verse 6 to 7. Romans chapter 6 verse 6 to 7. Can I request somebody from online to turn and... You can unmute your mic. And somebody from the on-campus also in the same time. So who's reading online? Can you please raise your hand? Can I ask Krisha if you're ready? Okay, Karen is ready. Good. Okay, Karen, you can unmute your mic and... Romans chapter 6 verse 6 to 7. And on-campus who's ready to read. Okay, Anand, you can read. Yeah, please go ahead. Knowing this that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves with him, for he who has died has been freed from sin. Okay, so what we saw here... Knowing this that our old man was crucified. When we say the old man, our old nature, the natural man was crucified in Christ. The old person or the sinful person has been crucified with Christ on the cross. So can we turn to Ephesians chapter 4 verse 22 to 24? Krisha, if you're ready, you can read. Yes ma'am, I'm ready. Your hearts and your minds must be made completely new. Okay, sorry, it's from 22. From 22, right? Okay, so get rid of your old truth. Sorry, so get rid of your old self, which made you life as you used to. The old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful... 22 to 24? Yes ma'am, but my version is different. Yes, Ephesians chapter 4 verse 22 to 24, I'm reading. Is Krisha audible to everyone? Okay, I'm going to repeat this. So get rid of your old self, which made you life as you used to. The old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. Your hearts and your minds must be made completely new and you must put on the new self. Which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy. Thanks Krisha, thanks Rin. So what happened in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 22 to 24? We see a contrast between the old man and the new man. So what is that? The old man had to do with the life before the new. Life before becoming a new creation. So this old man was corrupt, was sinful. He was deceitful. He carried this deceitful lust in him. But on the other hand, when he received Jesus as the Lord and Saviour. Now he has become a new creation. He's become a new man. He became a new man. What is in him? There's life. There's God's nature put in him. Now what he has? There's no more. There is no, there is, the sin has no power over him. The sin nature that was in this natural man has been crucified on the cross. Now what is the truth that we need to understand? The sin nature, the corruptible nature. The things that was, you know, had a grip over our life. Maybe it can be different addictions that we were in. Now those nature has no power over us. Why? Because now we have been crucified with Christ. Of this nature has no power over us. What we need to understand? The body of sin. The old nature of man has no power over us because he's been dead. So let me put it this way. Let's give an illustration. In natural, if a man dies and this man had a lot of deaths. Lot of deaths. Whatever the deeds he did, good, bad, everything. Now will those deaths have power over him? So nothing in the natural realm would have any power over him. Nothing in the natural realm has any power over him. Why? Because he's been dead. The same way. The natural, the sin nature that was in man has no power. The minute he's been crucified in Christ. We are saying, Lord, I'm crucifying myself. The old man, the old nature, the sinful nature, the deceitful nature, which is in me with which I was been birthed, has been crucified in Christ. So what happens when we are crucified in Christ? The old nature dies with Christ. This is what in the last class we studied about the divine exchange. We need to understand that we have been crucified with Christ. Now how do we have this understanding? We need to tell ourselves again and again. That's what Romans says, right? I mean Paul says it in the book of Romans. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. So why is this word been repeated twice? Anyone in the class, why is this word been repeated two times? I'm sure you'll be studying this in the faith class. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Why do you think this word has been repeated in the scripture? Sean, sorry? Okay, the Romans where I think it's 10, 17. Can you all turn to Romans chapter 10? Sean, can you repeat Romans chapter 11? Okay, NKJV version, anyone has NKJV? Okay, so faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. That means that you need to keep hearing, you keep repeat the truth again and again till we get the understanding, till our heart receives the understanding, till we start believing in this truth and this truth will set us free. That's what the scripture says, when you know the truth, the truth will set us free. So we need to get this understanding, we need to get this knowing within us that we have been crucified in Christ. Our whole nature has been crucified in Christ and this nature has no power over us. So we need to understand this, we need to get this. This nature has no power. We are dead to sin, we need to believe that we are dead to sin so that we have been made alive in the nature of God so that the righteousness of God, the holiness of God can become alive and active in us so that we can work towards the nature of God. This new nature of God, the fruit of the Spirit can be developed within us. So we need to understand the truth. How? By renewing the mind, Romans 12 says and do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So how do we renew our mind? By reading the word of God, by pondering on the word of God. The more and more we meditate on the word of God we see our mind been renewed. The word of God has the power to change us inside out. Only the word of God. The word has power to change us inside out to bring life into every dead area in our life. To give us the understanding to our mind. It's a gift of the Spirit. Understanding is the gift of the Spirit that which the natural man did not understand before Now, through the Spirit of the Lord he is able to understand what he was unable to understand before. How? The Spirit of the Lord enables his mind. Gives him the understanding. We see the wisdom of God been activated in us. And that's when we experience the new revelation of Christ in us when we read through the scripture. Every time we read the scripture it is not the same revelation that we get. It's not the same understanding we get. Every time there's something new. God keeps renewing our mind, our understanding and he reveals to us. He speaks to us. The spiritual truth has been revealed to each of us when we read the word of God. So this old man has no power over us. Why? Because he's been crucified with Christ on the cross and he has no power over us. This old nature it can be anything. It can be as bad as it can be. But this old nature is crucified. It's been nailed on the cross and you need to believe it and you need to claim it. The minute you believe and claim you see that which was holding a grip over you as no power over you. You have the freedom. You have the freedom to rebuke it. You have the freedom to be away from it. You have been set apart. You have been set apart from the whole nature. In the previous class we studied on sanctification. We have been purified by Christ. How? When we are crucified in Him. This old nature has no power. It can be any area that we are struggling in. Any area that is not any nature that is not of God that we may be struggling in with the old man. But you need to believe you are not that old man but you are a new man in Christ. You are a new creation in Christ. You have the Spirit of God who's in dwelling in us. How do you know the Spirit of the Lord is in dwelling in us? Can we turn to John? Chapter 14. Vimal, can I get your Bible please? John 14. Gospel of John. Chapter 14. Verse 16. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Nikhil. Anyone from online would like to read the scripture from NKJB Version. Gospel of John chapter 14. Verse 16. John 14 verses 16. And I will pray the Father and He will give you another helper that He may abide with you forever. Thank you. Thank you, Jaijin. Okay. It says, and I will pray the Father and He will give you another helper that He may abide with you forever. So, what does the scripture talk about? It talks about that Jesus is sending, God is sending an helper. Who's the helper here? Holy Spirit. And what does it say? It says, He will abide with you forever. The Spirit of the Lord who's sent by God Himself will abide with us forever. This is a promise that God gave us, right? That I will never leave you, thank you. So, we have the Comforter, the Holy Spirit who's abiding with us forever. So, He has overcome every sinful nature that is in us or that was in us. So, now when we become a new creation, when we accept Jesus as a Lord and Saviour, when we receive Jesus as the Lord and Saviour, we receive the Holy Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit will guide us and lead us in the right way, in the right direction when we seek Him. So, Paul also reaffirms this truth in the book of Colossians or in the letter to Colossians chapter 2 verse 11 to 13. Can I request or return to Colossians chapter 2 verse 11 to 13? So, here we see Paul draws a comparison with regard to circumcision. He says that in Christ we were circumcised. That is something was taken out from the body of sinful nature or the body of flesh and here. So, through that the power of the dominion of sin over us has been cut out and put away. So, he is talking about the circumcision. He is not talking about the actual one but he is telling what happens when we are in Christ. So, we have been circumcised in Christ. He says that, not made without hands but putting off the body of sin of the flesh. Every flesh desire has been put off from us and we have been circumcised in Christ. That means we have been purified. The old nature has been cut off from us and thrown away and that part of it has no power over us. And we also see now we have been identified in Christ how through his Crucification. We have been crucified. When we are crucified the old nature of sinful nature has been dead and that has no power over us. We have been made free through Christ Jesus. So, we need to believe this. So, with that we will move on to verse 3, Romans chapter 6 verse 3 to 5. Can I request someone from online to take up the scripture Romans chapter 6 verse 3 to 5 and read it out. Please go ahead. Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death therefore we are buried with him to baptism into death that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in the newness of life. But if we have been united together in the lifeness of his death certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection. Thank you, Karen. Thank you women reading. So what happened here? So in Christ we have been baptized we have been baptized into Christ and we are baptized into his death after crucification what happened Jesus died on the cross. So we have been taking part into his death. So we were buried with him through the baptism into the death. We have been submerged in the water right? We have been taking part into his death burial in Christ. So just as Christ was raised from the death by the glory of the Father even so we should walk in the newness of life by knowing by acknowledging so yes we had this in nature in us but now I'm a new creation my nature, my old nature the old man has been crucified and cross is dead buried and he has no power over me. Now I'm a new man, new creation the old nature has no power. It has lost its grip over me we need to renew our mind we need to believe the truth that the word of God says that you are the new creation. You have the newness of life in you. Why? For we are united together in the lightness of his death. Certainly we also shall be in the lightness of his resurrection. So when you believe that you have been crucified in Christ you have died in Christ you need to believe that the old nature has also been crucified died and buried and that nature has no power. Now we are resurrected in Christ we are the new creation and the spirit of the Lord is living inside us and he will help us to walk in this newness of life the old nature has no power. It has no grip over us how do we know that? We need to believe it Mark 923 anything nothing is impossible to the one who believes the scripture also says the truth sets you free so we need to understand this truth we need to know this truth so when we know the truth when the temptation knocks at your mind you know that you need to speak the scripture to overcome the situation and you need to know that that temptation has no power over you that you are strong enough to overcome that temptation because now you are in Christ because you are in Christ you are more than an overcomer you need to believe that you need to believe that you can overcome everything every situation every temptation every vials of the enemy you can overcome nothing has power over you because the Christ is in you and you are a new creation because he says for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God what happened when you died when you die that is when we receive Jesus as a lord and saviour we immerse ourselves like how we immerse ourselves in water in the same manner we immerse ourselves in Christ okay so Christ is around you and you have been immersed in Christ just imagine if you are wearing a blazer how do you wear a blazer you just put your hand inside a blazer and you have been immersed you have been covered with that blazer isn't it are you getting you have been covered in that blazer same way you have been immersed in Christ so when God looks at you God does not look at you as an individual but you know when God looks at you he sees Jesus through you because we have been immersed for example if you are immersed in the colours like if you are immersed in red colour how would we be completely red that's how that's how you will be when you are immersed in Christ you will be full of Christ that's how you see the nature has been transformed you don't carry that old nature in your new life the old nature has no power and it starts reflecting in you you don't have to tell everyone that you are in Christ you are a believer you are a follower you are no more like before no people notice that in you automatically there will be a difference in the way you lead your life the way you talk in the action the way you conduct yourself there is a change in your nature change in your behaviour change in the way you lead your life there is a new character been developed a new that is the Christ likeness because you have this new mind in you and this new mind which Paul is talking about in Romans 12 he says this new nature the new mind desires to lead a life that is pleasing to God it desires why because you are living a life in Christ so you want to reflect the nature of God in you that's why there is a desire within you that you desire to lead a life pleasing to God you avoid getting angry you avoid speaking lies you avoid being a false witness you avoid things that you were indulged in doing before you avoid thinking negative things or doing anything negative but here you are doing the things that are pleasing God the new nature of God the love of God the fruit of the spirit has been activated within you you see that nature more in you growing more in you so every time you do something good that pleases God the nature of God in you you see this kind of peace this kind of joy the kind of happiness that comes within you and at the same time when you do the deeds that are not very pleasant and that is not of the nature of God you see yourself grieving within you you see yourself being convicted within yourself hey you did something not right that is against the nature of God and now to correct that you take a step of going and correcting yourself may also be to ask somebody an apology or do things rightly give away the things that was taken from the person unrightfully there is a change in our nature in our thoughts why because we have been crucified and we have been buried to the old nature of man and we are hidden in Christ so we can lead a life into righteousness and holiness of God the next is being resurrected with Christ I request someone to read Romans 6 verse 4 5 and 8 anyone on online also can start reading you can unmute your mic and start reading Romans 6 verse 4, 5 and 8 therefore my brethren are you able to hear me are you able to hear therefore my brethren you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ that you may be married to another to him who was raised from the dead that we should bear fruit to God for when we were in the flesh the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death but sin taking opportunity by the commandment produced in me all manner of evil desire for apart from the law sin was dead thank you okay so what we saw in the scripture that we were buried in Christ through the baptism into death just like how Christ was raised from death by the glory of the Father even so should we walk in the newness of life and we also see in verse 5 for we have been united together in the likeness of his death and certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection now if we die with Christ we believe that we also live with him and in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 2 sorry Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 to 5 we read can we all turn to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 to 5 and read it for all of us and you he made alive you were dead in trespasses and sin in which you once walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit now works in the sons of disobedience among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and where by nature children of wrath just as the others but God was rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Christ the grace you have been saved so what did we understand from the scripture anyone what did we understand yes please go ahead and share with me here we were once living in sin and now we are made in God with God we also see that your child what we were dead in trespasses and sins walked according to the world and Christ so we have been made alive time to read and write the scripture so what we understand from the scripture is that when we were constructed when we were buried we all died in this sin the old angels and dead and that nature has lost that nature has no power for us so as we believe and the old we also believe the new creation that we have been resurrected with Christ this truth the way we believe that okay we have been crucified and we died in Christ we need to now believe that we are resurrected in Christ and been made alive in Him in this new life we are the new creation in Christ we have access to the new life like how we believe the old nature has no power nature has lost the grip over us now we need to believe the new creation in this newness of life this life is eternal the zoe life of God is eternal for us we need to believe that this new life which is eternal we have the fullness of life in Christ Jesus that is what the scripture says we are made new we are the new creation and we have this freedom we have this liberation to lead a life in Christ by believing the old nature has no power and now the newness of life the life in Christ God expresses gives us a new grace virtue put into us that is the truth which can lead a life in truth to lead a life that is pure to lead a life that is holy because these are the nature of God the God who dwells in us the Holy Spirit who dwells in us will lead us in the nature of God the grace of God that God has put in us will lead us in the nature of God that is pleasing to God and this nature has the power of God this nature has the power of God and only with this nature only with the power of God we can set ourselves aside from the old nature we can tell the old nature that you have no power no claim over me because I am a new creation I have the Holy Spirit Christ who dwells in me as in John 15 says as you abide in me I abide in you we are together we also read in collosions that we have been hidden in Christ Christ is in us as we believe that let's also believe in the next verse Ephesians chapter 2 verse 6 to 7 it says we have been raised up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ so we are just not crucified died and buried but now we have been raised in Christ and we have been seated at the right hand of the Father we have been seated at the right hand of the Father and we should understand one thing sitting sitting at the right hand of God is the highest place sitting at the right hand of God is the highest position that has been given to Jesus John 3 16 what does it say God so loved the world that he gave us only begotten Son only begotten Son and where is this Son being seated right now at the right hand of God the Father now this place this position that has been given to his only begotten Son is been made available to you and me when we are in Christ Jesus you got this truth got this understanding so when we receive Jesus as a Lord and Saviour it is just not the freedom from the sin it is just not the freedom from our old nature it is not just that we have got a new identity but we have also got this new position we have the authority this position carries certain authority and dominion because the scripture says everything on earth under the earth and in heaven is subjected to Christ Jesus so now you and I are seated with Jesus on the right hand of God so you and I have the authority and dominion over certain things that we can exercise so God has given us the authority so we can handle ourselves with that we need to carry that power and tell the enemy you have no power over me I am in Christ Jesus and me I have a new identity I have this new authority I have a dominion and you have no power over me we need to get this understanding in us that we are in Christ we have been crucified dead buried resurrected and now we have been seated at the right hand of God and one thing we need to understand that you are not alone clearly understand there is no way for us to feel lonely to be depressed to have any kind of anxiety nothing has power over us when we are in Christ when we are in Christ he is with us the spirit of the Lord is with us he is within us is much closer than the breath that we breathe and there is a promise that he will never leave us nor forsake us we just read in John chapter 14 16 that he abides with us forever so this is something that we need to believe and understand that knowing that we have been seated with Christ the right hand of the Father as stated in Ephesians 2 6 that we are raised up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so there is a position to rule and reign that God has given to each of us it is a better and a higher position in the spiritual realm and with that understanding you can lead your life with authority on this earth on this natural realm knowing that God is with you nothing can come against you so what are the three things that we need to know the three keywords used in Romans chapter 6 instructing us what to do with the truth of identification with Christ is three things what are those three knowing reckon know reckon and healed know reckon and healed what is knowing Romans 6 6 turn your bibles to Romans chapter 6 verse 6 by we knowing the truth by we knowing the truth now what is the truth that we are the old nature of us has been crucified died buried we need to know that clearly and that nature is no power that nature has no power over us okay and the third point what is that reckon or consider Romans 6 chapter 11 to 12 Romans 6 chapter 11 to 12 it says accept the truth accept it as a fact so we need to consider to be true and act aligned to this truth so when we act or accept this truth when we consider this truth when we reckon to this truth that means what we are believing and when we believe it becomes true in our life when we believe we start exercising we start walking in the authority and dominion that is given to us from the spiritual realm we start exercising the authority and dominion what we receive from God on this natural realm because we believe and because we believe it becomes it manifest in the right way to us so we need to believe we need to know and we need to reckon that is believe or consider the truth accept the truth and then the last point is healed embrace to it Romans 6 verse 13 verse 16 and verse 19 it says heal yourself to the Lord that means give yourself to the Lord embrace yourself to the Lord surrender yourself completely without holding anything back complete surrender or make yourself available to God so that He can use you as this instrument of righteousness and this will eventually result us being a vessel of honor unto God it will lead us to lead a life that is pleasing to God holy and righteous that has been accepted in Christ Jesus so finally we have covered on these three points that is knowing reckon and healed it when we know we put things into action we consider and then we are healed we are enduring it we are applying it in our life and we are leading a life that is pleasing to God so we need to believe that we are crucified in Christ we are died in Christ we are buried in Christ and we have been resurrected in Christ and we have been positioned to be seated with Christ at the right hand of God and this is the highest position that God has given to His Son Jesus which has been made available for you and me through Christ Jesus and now we need to lead a life with this authority with this knowledge with this knowing that we are in Christ and I carry this new identity the old nature has no power but this new nature which is in me has eternal power it is the zoe life of God which will lead me more to be more like him and the power of God has been activated in me that I can overcome the old nature of God so there is nothing that you and I could give up on our self but then we can hold on to this truth and lead our life that is pleasing to God okay done? because the scripture says my burdens are my yoke is not heavy right? it is not heavy because he is with us and he is leading us the scripture says I hold your right hand and I will lead you I will walk with you so we need to believe on this truth we need to accept this truth we need to understand we need to renew our mind with this new identity new life that we have the zoe life of God is active in us class you got it? okay so with this understanding we will end this session and in the next class we will study on Romans chapter 8 where Paul teaches us about the spirit of life who empowers us to live in this truth of identification okay so with that we will end this session with a word of prayer can I ask somebody from the online Surya can you lead us in prayer and one person from the on campus Nina you will lead us in prayer thank you Surya you can unmute or anyone from the online can unmute and lead us in prayer amen thank you so much for joining in today's session I hope it was a blessing to each one where we can renew our mind and identify ourselves and Christ with that we will see you all next class next week thank you God bless have a nice weekend