September 17, 2017
Evening Service

Staring with Chapter 5, Paul has begun explaining how sin had entered this world with one man Adam, but now it has been done away with through one Man Jesus. God’s grace is readily available for us receive forgiveness for our sins.  In chapter 6 then Paul instructed us from two different points of view that in receiving this forgiveness we actually died to sin.  Our baptism was our death, burial and resurrection.  We arise to “walk in the newness of life” no longer serving sin as our evil task master, but now we have willingly yielded ourselves to be “instruments of righteousness” in God’s hands.  In chapter 7, Paul then compared our death to sin to that of the marriage relationship.  We were once married to sin, but now after our death in the waters of baptism, we are free to remarry another, Christ our Lord.  Paul then, by a very soul baring testimony, showed us that as long as we are in these mortal bodies we will have a war going on in our minds between what we want to be in Christ and what our flesh seeks in sin.  It will be a life long struggle.  As we begin chapter 8, Paul seems to summarize his thoughts on this subject into one clear point.  Though we will struggle with sin, Jesus will win out in the end.  The price has been paid in full and we just need to keep walking the path God lays before us.

Romans 8:1-4  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  (2)  But the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.  (3)  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; (4)  so that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

·         Though we will continue to struggle with sin, and even sometimes fail miserably, there is and will not be any condemnation or judgment upon us who have surrendered their hearts to God.  Condemnation is being judged and being found guilty.  We must admit that we are sinners, BUT we are saved by the grace of God and our faith in Jesus Christ.

·         Paul again gives us the gospel message; God sent His Son in the flesh to condemn sin making us righteous in His eyes.  It was His blood that freed us from our sins and the wages of them which is death.  He offered us the free gift of eternal life.

·         Notice again he speaks of two distinctive ways of living your life; according to the flesh or according to the Spirit.  This thought goes all the way back to the beginning of this letter when he explained that we have a free will to choose to follow Christ or to refuse to accept His free gift and go our own way.  The difference is who owns our heart?  Are my desires to serve self or to serve Christ?  Which one influences who I want to be?

 

Romans 8:5-8  For those who live according to the flesh set their mind on the things of flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  (6)  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace  (7)  because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it be.  (8)  So then they who are in the flesh cannot please God.

·         To be “carnally minded” is to be controlled by sin; seeking only gratification of self and being a pleasure seeker.  That choice and lifestyle leads to “death.”  To be “spiritually minded” means just what it says.  You are allowing the Spirit you received from God to be your guide in your life decisions.  That choice and lifestyle leads to “life and peace”

·         Just as we know that it is impossible to please God without faith, it is also impossible to please Him being “carnally minded.”  A carnally minded person has no desire to serve God, nor feels any responsibility to be subject to His Word (verse 7).  Thus, we can take great comfort in knowing that our struggles we experience prove we are not led by the flesh, but by the Spirit; otherwise there would be not struggle.

 

Romans 8:9-13  But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.  (10)  And if Christ is in you, indeed the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  (11)  But if the Spirit of the One who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised up Christ from the dead shall also make your mortal bodies alive by His Spirit who dwells in you.  (12)  Therefore, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.  (13)  For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live.

·         We determined that we receive the Holy Spirit into our lives sometime from the time of true repentance and our baptism.  That promise came from Peter’s first sermon.

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Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ to remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

·         Everyone who has sincerely entered the waters of baptism with true repentance, having faith in God’s Word has received the Holy Spirit.  It is the seal that we are Christians.  It is that Spirit that gives us eternal life.  Therefore, we alive to God and dead to our sins. 

·         Tonight you are showing you are led by the Spirit by being in His house as He commanded us to.  We come not out of duty or obligation, but through love for the One who has given us the gift of eternal life.

 

Romans 8:14-17  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  (15)  For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by which we cry, “Abba, Father!”  (16)  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.  (17)  And if we are children, then we are heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; so that if we suffer with Him, we may also be glorified together.

·         I love this text as Paul uses adoption as an illustration of our new relationship with God.  In Roman culture, the adoptive person lost all rights in his old family, but gained all the rights of a legitimate child in his new family.

 

 

 

 

·         It is so obvious how that this ties in perfectly with all that Paul has been trying to explain to us about our dying to sin and being made alive to God.  Our own sinful nature has no longer any legal right to us and now we have become the legitimate children of God.  Since “we are children then we are heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.”  We have been purchased out of slavery and now we are adopted into the family of God.  We are no longer under “the spirit of bondage unto fear,” but are truly set free and are given peace and life. Our inheritance awaits us in heaven.  That is more than we deserve!  But look, it doesn’t end there.

·         We are not only legal children and a full share of the inheritance, but also relational children.  We now address the God and Creator of our universe as “Abba Father” translated as “Daddy.”  We are allowed to enter into the family and be loved equally as God’s only Son Jesus.

·          Isn’t that really all we have been seeking all along?  To be loved and have a hope of something better in the future than what we have right now.  Wow, chew on that this week.

 

Heavenly Father, Daddy, thank You for adopting us into Your family not as only servants, but as sons and daughters.