Scripture:
Romans 8:1-11 NKJV
[1] There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. [2] For 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 did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, [4] that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. [5] For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the 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, nor indeed can be. [8] So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. [9] But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. [10] And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. [11] But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Observation:
For the last few days I have had two verses running through my mind, Roman chapter 8 verse 1 and Romans chapter 8 verse 11, and being that Roman chapter 8 contains one of my favorite verses, I felt like the Holy Spirit was saying it’s time to look at this. I know that the first verse mentioned is one that brings an enormous amount of freedom from the power of sin, and should not be taken lightly, and will require a quick journey back to the beginning of the Bible. Genesis chapter three to be more specific. I believe it’s important to expose what the power of sin is, and as we look over the fall of man it becomes easy to identify that the power of sin is guilt, shame, fear, and death, all 4 of these things entered the world on that day. If you will take the time to read Genesis chapter 3 verses 8 through 13 I’m sure the Holy Spirit will point out these 4 things to you as well. Guilt, shame, and fear are all really easy to identify. The fourth element might be a little harder to identify because it’s not necessarily referred to directly and will require a little more wisdom. Prior to eating of the fruit Adam had been given the breath of life. Man is the only thing that GOD created that HE breathed the breath of life into. That my friend is the Holy Spirit. It was given on the day we were created, and when the fall happened that Spirit died and condemnation entered, and the plan of salvation began to unfold. That Spirit had to be restored somehow. I believe if we are paying attention we can begin to see how that takes place. Looking at Romans chapter 8 and verse 1, it’s really clear. A relationship with Christ Jesus that restores that Spirit to us. Let’s just take a look at the key points of that verse, “ There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. The key is the phrase, “Who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Living according to the flesh opens up the door to the enemy, and allows him to accuse and through guilt, shame, and fear into the life of someone who opens that door. The connection that has been offered by a relationship with Christ has changed that all together. It allows opportunities for correction through the grace of GOD, which turns that condemnation into godly conviction. It turns the enemy’s phrase that says, “You’re going to hell fire that,” and turns it into the Holy Spirit saying, “Now you know you don’t need to do that.” As Paul continues to lay out this teaching, he begins to do his best to explain the relationship between the law and the Spirit. You see, the law only brings condemnation, but it also does something deeper than that. It acts as a mirror. This takes me back to Romans chapter 7 and verse 7, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “ You shall not covet.” The law has a purpose. It’s to identify what sin looks like. It’s not a means of salvation, it’s a way to identify sin. The re-connection with the Spirit through Jesus Christ is the pivot point. Upon the day you receive HIM as your LORD and savior the game changes. It changes your focus. Looking at verses 5 and 6 will help us see that, and raises a question… where is your mind set? The warning in verse 7can not afford to be missed either. The statement that is made is heavy. If your mind is set on sin you are in enmity or rebellion to GOD. Looking at verse 8 should also open our eyes as well. However I love the way Paul brings it all back to speaking life in verse 9. In case you can’t tell, my desire is to get you into the word. Paul’s statement is setting the groundwork for the power statement that comes at the end of our reading this morning. It’s the statement I have been working towards getting to. By starting a relationship with Jesus Christ as your LORD and savior, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit. That seal can not be removed. It’s permanent. We need to realize that, and understand what it means. So let’s look at it because my goal is to empower you this morning. Verses 9 through 11 are powerful, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of GOD dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not HIS. And if Christ is in you the body is dead to sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of HIM who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, HE who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through HIS Spirit who dwells in you. What’s being said there? It’s important to find out, because there are some important pieces of salvation spelled out. Let’s explain it in the application.
Application:
If you can sin without conviction, you might think about your position with Christ. If you are still justifying your sin rather than want to change it you might take a look at your position as well. Our relationship with Christ should change our desires. Now I’m not talking about condemnation. That’s what the law without the Spirit brings. We have to be able to identify sin. That was the purpose of the law. But the law without the Holy Spirit only brings death. The day I gave my life to Jesus, something took place that I can’t honestly explain clearly, but I’m going to try…all I can say is that I started to think differently. The things I used to want all of the sudden became a lot less important, and my desire became focused on the things that GOD wanted for me. It was like a transformation took place. Now that day did not change my behavior all together. There was still a lot of work to be done. But it was the beginning of a process that still continues today. The Holy Spirit began to tell me when I had made a mistake, and at that point I had an opportunity to do something about it. Sometimes I would make the same mistakes several times, but the Holy Spirit would point it out and steadily draw me away from that life into the new one that Christ died to give me. It’s a process that takes place. There is a lot of conditioning to get through, but Christ died to pull you out of your sin not leave you trapped within it. As HE called HIS disciples, the phrase HE used is important to hear. HE said “follow me” only once dude HE said stay here and what was the purpose of that statement? It was to wait for the Holy Spirit. That one who seals us, the teacher, the counselor, the one who would bring to our mind the things that HE taught us, the one who sets us apart. If you have a relationship with Christ that Spirit lives inside of you, it has begun to change the way you think, the way you act, the things you desire, your focus. Here is the thing. HE is a perfect gentleman, HE is not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do, but HE will offer a way to do things differently if you want it you will pay attention to the still small voice and if you don’t you won’t, but it won’t silence the voice, and if you can ignore it the natural consequences will get worse and worse until you are willing to pay attention to what is being said. The question I have for you this morning is, can you sin without conviction? When you do something wrong is there a little voice that speaks to your heart, that says, “Man you probably shouldn’t have done that” or right before you make a life changing decision to do something that is not right do you hear that still small voice saying… “Don’t…just don’t do that.” What I’m telling you is, that is there is a reason. It’s the Holy Spirit shaping you to be more like Jesus…. LISTEN TO IT. The more you push that stuff away the quieter it gets. Just like Elijah in the mouth of the cave we have to tune our ear to hear it. Over the years I have had times when it has been louder than others. Sometimes today it’s really loud and sometimes I have to sit and focus before I can hear it. But it’s there and if we will do our best to keep in step with it. Life will definitely change. I’m not going to tell you it will be easy but the sane spirit that raised Christ from the dead is calling you out of the tomb of sin and death, and I believe if we will listen our lives will get better.
Prayer:
Father, your plan is so complete and without errors. What an amazing GOD you are. You have not forgotten one aspect. The way that you have reconnected us to you through the Holy Spirit is astonishing. That connection can not be severed, as we are reminded of in the letter Paul wrote to the Romans. Nothing can separate us from your love. But you have always made a way for us to be drawn closer and closer to you, by sealing us with your Spirit. Father, what we are asking for this morning is that you fill us with that spirit, fill us to overflowing. We want no room for anything else. Our desire is to be consumed with YOU. We want our lives to reflect the fact that we have been in your presence. Give us the wisdom we need to navigate this life and steadily draw us closer to you with every step we make. Fill us, father give us a fresh anointing. We want more of you and less of us. Hide our lives behind the cross. We are your children and you are our loving Father. We want to walk with you in the cool of the day. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen.