Revering the Word
Romans 8 The most important question: Is Jesus living in you?
Good morning everyone this morning. We are in Romans chapter 8 and what a glorious chapter it is We ended Romans 7 with Paul talking about the conflict of the fact that our flesh and Living under the Old Testament law made us a prisoner of the law and a prisoner of our Evil deeds and we just couldn't seem to rise above To live for God because we were always Chained or imprisoned by our lustful flesh and the fact that we were guilty under the law So let me just begin there and Roman 7 and summarize it says But I see a different law in the members of my body Waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin Paul felt like we all Prior to Christ are in a prisoner to sin and being under the law Which is in my members and then he says wretched man that I am Realizing that he was a sinner and really that was a very strong emphasis of this book the book of Romans in the first two and a half chapters Is realizing that we are sinners and then he says this who will set me free from this body of death Who's gonna free me from my? Flushly nature and my guilt under the law, and then he says this hallelujah Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord Jesus is set us free from the law of sin and death so then on the one hand I myself with my mind I'm serving the law of God, but on the other hand with my flesh the law of sin so Paul is beginning to illustrate that the way to solve the problem of being guilty under the law and really At a deeper meaning would be we'd be under the curse of the law because we disobeyed the Old Testament law But we couldn't seem to rise above it because of our fleshly sinful nature But Christ has set us free from that and that's what we're gonna see now in Romans 8 is how he said it's free listen to this Therefore there is now no condemnation Hallelujah for those who are in Christ Jesus So if you're in Christ Jesus even though we would be guilty of sin and guilty of the consequences of the curse of the law There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus now those without Christ Jesus there would be condemnation because we would be under the penalty of the law and of out of the consequence of our sin But he says this in verse 2 of chapter 8 for the law now he's speaking of a different law now It's not usually referred to in this way what what he's saying here But he's calling it now a law the law of the spirit of life meaning now we're under a new agreement We're under a new new rules of God and we have the spirit of life once we've become Believers in Jesus we we've been given the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus and listen to what this is done Has set you free from the law of sin and death. See we were no on we are no longer under the curse of the law and we're No longer powerless to overcome our sinful nature because Jesus Christ died on the cross taking the curse For us on the cross and then giving us the Holy Spirit So now we have the strength to overcome our sinful nature and to begin to live in a new way According to the spirit verse 3 for what the law could not do weak as it was through the flesh God did sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh He looked like us and as an offering for sin there always needed to be an offering for sin and Jesus was God's offering He condemned sin in the flesh see Jesus took our condemnation on that cross So that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit Hallelujah, see now We have a new way of living and we are never apart from Jesus once we've become born again He tabernacles with us. He lives inside of us. He gives us this Holy Spirit For those who are according to the flesh shut their minds on things of the flesh But those who are according to the spirit the things of the spirit and you could insert in their set their mind on things of the spirit What an incredibly important thing that is it's been brought up a bit in this book as we've gone through this journey But setting our minds on things of the spirit we now are enabled to think spiritually to Have the counsel of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives because he is Not only available to us, but in us, but yet we still have a flush We still have a sinful nature, but now it's not on its own and and and we do not lack the power of God in us to overcome that sinful nature, but there is still an aspect of our human will Deciding to say, you know what? I'm gonna set my mind in the spirit the spirits there and available to me, but now I choose to Put on Christ to clothe myself with Christ. I choose to Lord give me a set of glasses with your spiritual lens That's available to me now to see life through a different lens through the power of your Holy Spirit and help me to not lose sight of the fact that I have Grace God's power and favor and mercy extended to me to be able to live for you and We have to set our minds that way we have to renew our minds day by day Remembering that God is in us to help us Then it says this in verse six for the mind set on the flesh is death I Love how Paul doesn't sugarcoat things and says things very straightforward. We need that sometimes we need we need Clear words for the mind set on the flesh is death if we have not become born again And if we just live according to the flesh ultimately, that's going to be death and separation from God forever But the mind set on the spirit is life and peace see Hallelujah through the spirit when we set our minds that way we not only have life leading to eternal life But we have peace with God But the mind set on the flesh is hostile towards God For it does not subject itself to the law of God for it is not even able to do so and those who are in the flesh cannot please God That is a very significant word Those who are not born again and do not have the Holy Spirit cannot please God You can't do enough good things. You can't think, you know, you're a good person or unkind or I I do good for people or You know listen you have to be born again You know That's the beginning the basis of our salvation the basis of our forgiveness of sins is believing in Jesus as Lorded Savior and then having the born-again spirit Imported into us and now being empowered by God to live for him and now yes We do do good and we do serve God But it's built on a foundation that's been made in us through Christ Jesus You can't get to heaven without that foundation and really you'll be resistant to God and hostile to God And you will not want you won't want to read the Bible. You want to turn away from anything holy and spiritual Because you you're not right with God And the first most important thing is giving your life to Jesus and say I want to follow him as Lord and Savior Lord Get baptized You know give your give your life to him and allow him to begin something new in you and now the good that you do Can be credited to your account because it's being the foundation is there you can't start building a house of good If you don't have a foundation It's just stuff. It's just would hand straw that will amount to nothing But once you have the foundation in Christ now you can build your life upon him and do good and In honor of him and that will be accredited to your account because you you started with the foundation of Jesus You have to get that right. You can't please God until you have the foundation of Jesus Christ as your cornerstone Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You cannot please God in any other way You got to start with the foundation right and that's Jesus. However You are not in the flesh, but in the spirit if indeed the spirit of God dwells in you You know He's making sure you get this you have to have the spirit of God dwelling in you He dwells in all who genuinely believe in him. He knows when our faith is real and when it is He comes to dwell inside of us And then we're not in the flesh but in the spirit because the spirit is not dwelling in us But if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him That is a very important word in verse nine, but if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ He does not belong to him You are not a person is not born again until they have the holy spirit um You can grow up in the church. You can grow up going to sunday school you can Casually think about God and say oh, yeah, I casually think about God You could even go to church and not be born again You've got to receive him as your lord and savior if you confess with your mouth Jesus is lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead And then I would say the best spiritual practice is to say i'm going to get baptized as we read about in Romans chapter six I'm going to die to living on my own. I'm going to be died to live to my old ways I'm going to go underneath that water and i'm going to rise to new life I'm going to come out of that water and i'm going to say i'm committing my life to Jesus And also i'm receiving the promise of eternal life just as Jesus rose from the dead I will one day rise because I have faith in him and when you When God knows your faith is real then the holy spirit comes and while is in you until then you're not saved And and I don't say this listen i'm going to say it like paul until then you're on a path to hell Because you're under the curse of the law Because you aren't unable as i am to to live up to the standard of god But jesus christ took the standard of god upon himself And by believing in him we've been made righteous and we now Get forgiven of our sin and we get the holy spirit to strengthen our resolve to live for him But if you don't have the spirit You're still under the penalty of your sin and you're on a path to hell and i i don't listen I'm saying that because I love people and i'm saying that to make it very clear You can't get there on your own you got to come to christ and allow him to live inside of you Through faith And now you have the foundation and you can begin to live for him and and you can know that you're going to have him because he's living inside of you Verse 10 if christ is in you though the body is dead because of sin yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness But if the spirit of him who raised jesus from the dead dwells in you listen to this This is beautiful verse 11 But if the spirit of him who raised jesus from the dead dwells in you He who raised christ jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you hallelujah when you when you Trust in jesus not only does he dwell in you but you received the same Promise that jesus received in that he rose from the dead and once you've come to place your faith in him You can know that one day you will rise from the dead too Because jesus is going to raise everyone who's he he's living inside and hallelujah He lives inside those who believe and and then you can live with a smile and with peace because you know where you're going when this Life is done hallelujah. What a great gift that is But see once we've received that gift and god has come to dwell inside of us and promise eternal life Then it says this in verse 12. So then brethren We are under obligation Not to the flesh to live according to the flesh for if you were living according to the flesh You must die I mean you got to die to living your old ways. You got to die to making your own rules You got to die to living to your own truth You know, you can't say well, I want all the benefits of jesus, but I want to ignore what he said I don't really, I don't really want to honor what he said I think god was wrong his the bible was wrong and and somehow I know what's right. I know what's better Then you really haven't come to him you're you're you're making If I can say it humbly help me lord jesus When you are not willing to honor god's instruction in the bible as far as who god is and what he said and what he believes and what he wants Is to live basically you're making your own god. You're saying, you know what I don't trust the bible So therefore let me tell you what I think god is And basically we're making god in a in our own minds And and what god has said, you know Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word from that proceeds from the mouth of god You might recall when jesus was being tempted in in the um after he fasted for 40 days and the devil came to tempt him and The devil was trying to get jesus to serve him and jesus four times says it is written it is written it is written He combated the evil devil schemes By the word of god jesus honored and believing the word of god and he wants us to believe in that too And what it's saying here then so then brother and we are under obligation Not to live the old way according to flesh But For if you are living for the flesh you must die but if the spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body you will live and We we have to seek to honor him or in our obligation after we've come to jesus christ his lord and savior He's forgiven us giving us eternal life giving us the spirit It we have to say now lord What's right and wrong according to you? How would you like me to live and you know what praise god that even when we make mistakes God's grace is big enough to forgive us his love covers a multitude of sins hallelujah But he doesn't want us to short-circuit what he said he doesn't want us to say You know disregard him that's not That's taking advantage and that's that's not even receiving someone as lord and master and saying i want to obey and follow the king of kings and lord of lords that's saying well I want your benefits, but I don't want your guidance and uh that that's not truly believing in him For all who are being led by the spirit of god, these are sons of god You know what when we're being led by the spirit and by the way the sort of the spirit is the word of god And when we're being led by the spirit of god and by his word And we've come to have faith in him. We become a child of god What a beautiful thing that is, you know, i've i've had a good earthly father um But i'm so grateful that I also have a heavenly father And I love knowing that i'm a child of god. He he sent his son to die for me. He he loves me He loves you who believed in him and he wants us now to to live for him For you have not received a spirit of slavery Leading you to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out abba father hallelujah When we have the spirit of god, we are a son of god and he is our father. What a blessing that is The spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of god and you know what you'll you'll sense that inside of you The spirit will testify with your spirit that you're your god's son or your god's daughter hallelujah and if children then heirs heirs of god and fellow heirs with christ and we're going to inherit the kingdom one day we're going to inherit eternal life I mean we have it now, but we're going to receive it one day Now listen to what it says here if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him And you know in this life there's going to be rejection There's going to be hurts. There's going to be challenges. There's going to be persecution um You know, I uh, you don't have a lot of people that get unhappy with me It's it's kind of interesting. You know everything that I say and do As far as what I'm promoting and what I believe it's all based on the bible So like why people take it personally that they don't like my personal views or something like that Doesn't even make sense. I mean people are going to have to take it up with god because I'm following what the bible says people have so many You know today people will quote, you know one verse that says god is love and they think they can ignore the rest of the bible Well this god who is love who we are to honor he's got a whole bible and he wants us to learn it and growing it and follow what he said And he does not want us to Water down the bible and then just use one phrase and interpret everything Incorrectly from something that we don't even understand You know, what if the fact that god is love He's given us instructions to guide us so that we don't go the wrong way and if we ignore that We're ignoring the loving god the god who loves us and we're making our own rules It's it's sad how people Twist god's word because they I wish people you know what help me lord, but I wish people would just be more humble You know, I don't i've read this bible Uh, I don't know maybe six times through now i'm reading through every chapter of the bible And and studying and teaching on every chapter of the bible. I've been following Jesus christ for 20 years Excuse me 28 years since 1996 and yet you could have a conversation with someone on the street About a particular issue and they will try to tell you oh well. God is this and and very likely Most of those folks have never even read the bible and they're not even born again And they don't even have the spirit and somehow they're confident in their own opinion and it's it's such a travesty It's sad really it's sad because the pride of thinking you know It's right when you don't even know god in the bible and yet you proclaim that somehow now you know it And then you you position god to be a certain way when you don't even know what you're talking about But yet you operate and live your life as though you think you know what you're talking about And then sadly you're going to pay for the consequences of not really being born again and living for god Because you've made up your own god and that's happening all over the world Is people are too prideful in their own opinion and thinking they actually know something? Well, they don't know anything It's very very sad and what people need is greater humility You know, listen I do my best to get it right Am I saying that i've got every single thing right? No, but you know what i i i'm i'm going to speak to you with a little bit of authority because i've earned it by now And following jesus christ for 28 years and studying this bible the way that i have i've earned the right to speak with authority about what god's word says i know what it says And people need to be more humble and come to jesus christ and realize they need to be born again And follow his word hallelujah, otherwise you're going to pay forever in a place you don't want to go And that's love What i'm saying to you right now is love Because you need people need to recognize they're apart from god They've made up the god in their own image They've got to recognize that and it's really important that they recognize that So they can turn away from their own opinion and turn towards god and follow him And the reason i'm saying it Directly and sternly and trying to say it lovingly and compassionately too is because i'm trying to get people's attention You can't make up your own rules and just follow your own way of thinking that's not going to lead you to heaven For i consider that verse 18 that the suffering of this present time Are not worthy to be compared with the glory that has to be revealed to us hallelujah, even though You know, sometimes we suffer sometimes people will come against us life will come against us The fact that we have the promise of eternal life It gives us the strength and resolve to face the difficulty and just have confidence with god And the promises of what's to come that we can make it through the difficult times of this life hallelujah For the anxious longing of creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of god You know, one day it's going to be revealed who those are who are his I believe one of the events that could lead us to to know who's his is the rapture of the church before the awful time of the tribulation And that's going to be revealing of who the sons of god are at that time But there's going to be other revealing after that in the future as well for the creation was subject to you filth utility Not will need be because of him who subjected it in hope That creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption Into the freedom of the glory of the children of god hallelujah The freedom that we now have is that we're not slaves to our corrupt way of thinking. We're not slaves to our flesh We're not slaves to the sinful nature. We're not slaves to the Old Testament law Because we've been set free through Jesus Christ to now live for him For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now See actually You know when this tent is destroyed there is a home for us in heaven what i'm referring to is the tent of this body You know, uh, i'm in my fifties now when i wake up in the morning. There are some days that man My legs are so stiff in the morning. It's unbelievable how stiff they are I mean, I don't even want to walk down the stairs without my crocs on because my kiddies feel like they're gonna snap You know and and you know gosh my dad has been Doing better the last few days, but he's been going through a lot Um, we suffer in this life and you know gosh god Hard to even call suffering. I feel so grateful for you know the health i've had to date But listen, I know a lot of people that have gone through a lot of things in our church and family And people we we groaning we suffer in our bodies stop working the way they used to and you know what we're supposed to do for that We're supposed to long for our heavenly dwelling And not only this but also We ourselves having the first fruits of the spirit hallelujah when we become born again. We get the spirit Even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons the redemption of our body See one day we won't be groaning on this earth anymore And we're going to be with the lord in heaven and actually then you know That's something to look forward to and sometimes the suffering of this life The groaning of this life the difficulty that we experienced in this life What it's supposed to do is give us greater hope for the eternal life that's coming For in hope we have been saved but hope that is seen is not hope For who hopes for what he already sees, but if we hope for what we do not see with perseverance We wait eagerly for it. We're waiting to be with the lord again That may happen at the rapture or you know at his return when he comes again. He's coming again y'all And and we eagerly wait for that we we wait for the world to be made right again We may we wait for him to rule and reign again We wait to be with our father and to have our bodies restored hallelujah We wait for that wonderful day to come In the same way the spirit also helps us in our weaknesses verse 26 For we do not know how to pray as we should but the spirit himself intercedes for us With groanings too deep for words in that wonderful the spirit is interceding you know God is in heaven jesus is at the right hand of god and it says that he is interceding and his spirit is helping To intercede on our behalf With groanings too deep for words and he who searches the hearts knows What the mind of the spirit is because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of god And jesus is helping us he's helping us now through the power of his holy spirit to live for the will of god And we know that god causes all things to work together for good To those who love god to those who are called according to his purpose and that's a magnificent verse and Man, I could preach for an hour on that verse alone But i'm going to make it real quick this morning And we know that god causes all things to work together for good First of all, what's good by the way? That's a really important thing to understand Good is us coming into the likeness of god Good is us reflecting who our lord and savior is good is us having come to faith and having our faith increasing That might not be how we always Define good, but we should define god. That's what's good according to god Got what's good according to god is that we believe in him We follow him We're drawing near to him that we've received the promise if he turned a life And when it says that all things work together for good It's saying you know what even when we go through difficult times and groanings and suffering It can help us To become more like our savior that difficulty that challenge that persecution can help us to reflect who he is And actually go to him for strength and have our faith increase And here's what it says all things work to the good Who is this for to those who love god? Listen, not all things work to the good to those who do not love god But if you love god, he can make good come from anything and by the way, this doesn't mean all things are good You know I wouldn't be real happy if you know one of my children or my spouse died Um, you know, I wouldn't say well, that's good I'm so glad that they died right but what it's saying is is god can make even good come from bad To those who love him When we don't love him sometimes we can just be resentful and we can just be mad at god But if we'll just but seek god and say god help me to grow through this difficult experience that i'm going through God can make good come even from a bad thing to those who love him and not only to those who love him To those who are called according to his purpose see if you're not trying to see Something god could do in something bad if you're if you're not called to the purpose of god god How how are you working in me in this difficult situation to help me to become more like you? If you don't have that perspective if you don't love god and you're not called according to his purpose You can miss out on the good that god can bring from any situation. So it's a very deep passage Romans 8 28 God can make all things work together for good But you have to know what good is us reflecting him us growing in our faith us becoming more mature in him And in that this verse that anything can come to Anything can work out for good is for those who love god and who are called according to his purpose So when we have all three of those right understandings the verse is 100 sure and it makes sense hallelujah For those from he foreign knew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of a son and see this is what god says is good Us being conformed to the image of a son For those of you have been part of this podcast from the beginning or if you go back Which I would encourage you to take in the whole three-year journey But beginning back in genesis one god created us and his image and likeness instead I want you to be fruitful and multiply and what god is after is us to reflect Who god is he wants us to become more like his character on this earth And here's what it says for those he foreign knew he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son May we become more like jesus because we believe in him so that he would be the first born among many brethren And those he predestined in in some beautiful and mysterious way God knew those who are his God helped enable us to even believe in him Praise god that you know Everyone who calls in the name of the lord shall be saved and I do believe it's necessary that we Call on jesus and say I believe you I confess with my mouth you are lord and believe in my heart that you raised him from the dead But in some mysterious way god also knew who would call on him and that's what predestined means And he also called and these whom he called he also justified We've talked about that a lot. He's made us right and those she justified he also glorified If you've been justified if you've been made right by faith in jesus and you know Go back if you didn't hear those messages, but we spent a lot of messages talking about what it means to be justified or made right But here he adds something he also glorified And in a sense jesus looks at us in our glorified state now because his holy spirit is in us And one day we will be glorified before him because we are his child For then what shall we say to these things if god is for us who is against us hallelujah You know and I don't like i'll be honest You know like I don't like it when people are mad at me because i'm promoting the word of god and they get a wrong impression And they persecute me or talk ill of me or how could he say this or do that But honestly, it doesn't really bother me that much. I don't like it But I know if god is for us who is against us. I know god is for his word I know god is for what i what i'm promoting him him his word What he has had to say So I don't get too troubled of what man thinks of me because i'm not trying to live to please man I'm trying to live to please god And he gave us a book he gave us his word he revered it and that's why this is called revere in the word By the way, I revere the word of god I believe that we are to honor the word of god and Who if god is for us who can be against us hallelujah He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him over for us all he delivered jesus up on that cross to forgive us How will he not also with him freely give us all things and man, we have a treasure in jesus We have a treasure and god gave us that treasure by having his son come to die and then he rose and then he gave us a spirit Who will bring a charge against god's elect? Well, you know what people may bring charges uh behind our backs on earth or maybe you know, we may even be get charged Uh on earth by earthly people but from a heavenly perspective who will bring a charge against god's elect no one Because god is going to justify those who believe in him. God is the one who justifies Who is the one who condemns? Christ jesus who died. Yes, rather who was raised who is at the right hand of god Who also intercedes for us. Isn't that a beautiful thing? Who will separate us from the love of christ? You know someone talking illavos or someone being against us here on earth is not going to separate us from the love of christ will tribulation Will distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword no matter what we go through here even death Even martyrdom no matter what we go through here is going to separate us from the love of christ For just as it is written for your sake. We are being put to death all day long We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered and you know what people have killed christians throughout the centuries I mean i'm thinking of uh tendale You know one of the guys that was translating the bible into english and the catholic church burned him at the stake for Taking the bible and turning it into an english reading bible What a travesty that was that he did that isn't it? They were too afraid that if people read the bible they wouldn't be catholic anymore And that's what happened to me by the way But people killed him for it, but you know what tendales in heaven hallelujah So no matter what you go through here in life You know even if you're persecuted all the way to death You're just going to go on living with him when this tent of this body is destroyed We have a home in heaven eternal dwelling in heaven and we will be with our lord And we will be made right before him hallelujah glorified in heaven It's not going to be a bad thing. You know what? Paul said it'd be better that i'd be away from the body so i could be home with the lord So don't look at death as bad death is going home hallelujah We're just a stranger and alien passing through for a little while on this earth, but our home is in heaven But all in all these things we are overwhelmingly We overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us We'll conquer even death hallelujah because of what jesus did in our faith in him for i'm convinced that neither death nor life Nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth Nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of god, which is in christ Jesus our lord hallelujah When you are a child of god and you believe in him and he's Made his dwelling with you. There's nothing that's going to separate you from god's love He will be with you and one day you will be with him again hallelujah Keep your hope in jesus all the way to the end keep your faith in jesus all the way to the end And when that day comes you'll be glorified before him hallelujah until then Realize that you are not alone. You have a father who's made his dwelling inside of you by the power of his holy spirit Set your mind on things above and live for jesus hallelujah and there'll be a better life in this life And eternal life to come god bless you all [BLANK_AUDIO]