The Difference of the Spirit Life

Last week we looked at the Deliverance of the Spirit Life, and we saw how living in the Spirit delivers us from the Sentence of Sin, the Slavery of Sin and the Susceptibility to Sin.

Now in this next section we want to see the Difference of the Spirit Life as we compare the old life of the Flesh with the new life in the Spirit.

One pastor said, “There are two great needs in the heart of every person - One is for forgiveness, and the other goodness. Both of these needs are met in Jesus Christ.”

Verse one shows us the forgiveness - There is therefore now no condemnation.”

Verse 2 shows us the goodness “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.”

One is Justification the other is Sanctification.

Holiness (Sanctification) is the work of the Holy Spirit as we yield (cooperate) with Him.

We have a new position in Christ - Justified - verses 1-4

Now we have a new life available to us - Sanctified - verses 5-13

But there are three key things that we must yield to the Holy Spirit if we are going to live the Spirit Life, and see the difference that God wants to make in us.

I. The Mind of the Believer

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after 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 be.

The Bible says again in verse 5 that those after the flesh mind the things of the flesh and those after the Spirit mind the things of the Spirit.

This word translated Mind - phronéō - To think, have a mindset, be minded. The activity represented by this word involves the will, affections, and conscience.

It is talking about what we set our mind to do.

So in these verses we see The Believer’s Mind will have

A. A Different Focus

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

If you focus on the things of the flesh, you will do the things of the flesh.

If you focus on the things of the mind, you will do the things of the mind.

What you feed is what will grow stronger in you.

So if your mind will be different, you must guard what you focus on.

What are you focusing on?

When the Alaskan Pipeline was being built, there were many Texans who went to Alaska and found work on the pipeline. The Texans could only work a few hours in the frigid weather, yet the Eskimos, the native Alaskans, could work indefinitely in the cold.

They decided to do a study to find out why the Eskimos could withstand the weather. After much study they found that there were no physiological differences between the Eskimos and the Texans. There was nothing in skin thickness, blood, or any other thing physically that would explain the differences in the ability to withstand the temperatures. The solution came when they did a psychological study. The difference was the Eskimo said, "He knows it was cold but there was a job to be done." In other words, his focus was on the job and obtaining results rather than on the weather. The Texan focused on the weather and this kept him from focusing on the job at hand.

Watch what you are focusing on.

B. A Different Finish

The difference between the Flesh life and the Spirit life is seen not only in the Focus of that life, but also on the result of that focus.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Paul is telling the Roman Christians - If you focus on the the things of the flesh - If you are carnally minded the end is death.

It leads to death!

James 1:14–16 KJV

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

The life of the carnal christian is the life of death.

Even Solomon came to this same conclusion

Ecclesiastes 2:10–11 KJV

10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. 11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

When he focused on the things of this world, it was vanity, it was a vexation to his spirit - he saw that it had no profit at all!

But you do not need to be such - you have been quickened.

You are renewed, and have the Holy Spirit living inside of you.

And as Paul tells us here, “to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

Sounds like a much better life to me!

Not only is the Focus different for the Believer

And not only is the Finish different for the Believer

But thirdly we see in verse 7 that the Believer has

C. A Different Foundation

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

The very foundation of the carnal mind comes from the place of enmity with God.

You cannot please God with that which is His enemy.

The Flesh does not follow the Law of God.

In fact it is impossible for it to as we have seen earlier in Romans.

So the Difference of the Spirit Life is our Focus, Our End Result, and Our Beginning. - Where we are coming from.

The Carnal Mind cannot please God because the carnal mind is the enemy of God.

But we are of the Spirit -

We mind the things of the Spirit, Our Spirit life results in life and peace…Our spirit life comes from Yielding to God.

So the Mind of the Believer is different.

II. The Means of the Believer

That is the method of the believer -the instrument that is used to obtain the result that we are looking for, and more importantly God is looking for.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

What is the instrument that we use to please God?

The Flesh or the Spirit?

A. The Flesh Can Never Please God

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Those who are controlled by the flesh, who walk after the flesh, who focus on the things of the flesh they cannot please God.

We can try on our own to please God, but it will never happen.

God is not interested in your efforts outside of your cooperation with His efforts.

The only righteousness that He is pleased by is the righteousness that He gives to us, through faith, by yielding to His Holy Spirit.

Then and only then will we see Righteousness produced in our life.

B. Only the Spirit Can Please God

The only way to please God is through faith.

Hebrews 11:6 KJV

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

And Faith is a part of the Fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 KJV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

When a Christian acts in faith he is showing the evidence that the Spirit not only resides inside of him, but that he is yielding to Him.

The flesh cannot produce that which is spiritual.

When a person has the Spirit of God they have an interest in the and a desire for the things of God.

By God’s Grace our desires change...

The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible, so through the Holy Spirit we desire to read the Bible.

The Holy Spirit called the church body together into the Church, so we have a desire to go to church.

The Holy Spirit came to convict the lost sinner, so we have a desire to see the lost saved.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Intercession, so we have a desire to pray.

The Holy Spirit enables us to sing, so we have the desire to worship him in Spirit and in truth.

How are we doing? Do we have these desires?

If not, it is a tell-tale sign that we either:

1. Do not have the Holy Spirit living in us (we are not saved)

2. Or we are not yielded to the Spirit of God.

If we are working in the flesh, we will not desire the things of the Spirit.

But as we yield to the Holy Spirit of God we begin to desire the things that God wants us to do.

So the Mind of the Believer is very different from that of the Carnal.

And that is because the Means of the Believer is different from that of the Carnal.

And then third difference we see in the Spirit life is that of ...

III. The Members of the Believer

The Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out.

And soon you begin to see the result of that change in our body, in our actions that our body creates.

We see three things in these verses regarding our Members:

A. A Change

There is a change in our members.

10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

What a change!

When Christ is in us our body (members) what was dead now liveth!

The desire to do right, or righteousness, that was dead, now is alive and well giving us the grace to do right.

The very Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell is us…he that raised Christ from the dead will quicken - make a live again - revive our mortal bodies by the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.

When we are saved there is a new desire to honor God by our lives.

When we do fail, there will be a godly sorrow and conviction that will spur us to repentance.

1 John 1:9 KJV

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

What a Change!

Donald Gray Barnhouse – “Our text cries out that the purpose of God is a daily transformation in these very bodies of death. This dust forms the walls of the temple of the Holy Spirit. This clay makes the platform for the exercise of God’s glory. This throat, once a grave, has now become a flowing fountain; this tongue which once used deceit now speaks the truth in love.

Under these lips where once poison was stored lies the refreshing spring of the grace of God; the cursing and bitterness of this mouth have been banished by songs of praise and the sweetness of gratitude. These feet, once swift to shed blood, are now swift to proclaim the glories that flow from the blood of the Redeemer.

Salvation and peace mark our ways; we know no other way than the way of peace, and before our eyes there is the loving fear of God. We now are the proof of Christ’s own prophecy, “He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38).

There is a Change in our Members!

B. A Challenge

That is a Challenge to our Members.

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

The Apostle Paul now turns his attention to those he is writing to and says We are debtors!

We owe our lives to Christ

We owe a debt we could not pay!

We no longer owe a debt to the flesh - the flesh was crucified with Christ.

We owe a debt to the Spirit of God.

We need to there fore live for the Lord who saved us, and now enables us!

Jesus paid it all All to him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow

We have seen the Change in our Members

WE have seen the Challenge to our Members

Now Let’s look at

C. A Caution

A Caution to our Members.

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Even though we are born again, we still have the potential to live after the flesh.

The Bible is clear that hwe are as capable of committing sin as we ever have been.

1 John 1:8–10 KJV

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

However living the Spirit Life causes us to see the damage that fleshly living brings (death).

We cannot go to Hell, but we can feel the chastening of our loving Father.

Hebrews 12:5–11 KJV

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

But if we yield to the Holy Spirit and Live in the Spirit - we can escape this Chastening.

We have the power through the Holy Spirit to mortify the deeds of the body.

If we do this we will see some real benefits

We will please the Father

What joy that is - Oh how I want to hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

I want to please my father!

But not just that...

We will show a lost and dying world the difference Christ makes.

I hope people around me, people that see me in the store see something different about me.

I do see it in the lives around me.

I’ll go through the store and I’ll see some return my smile, and I’ll see others whose focus is on this world see me and I can discern that they do not like me - I’m a pastor, I’m a Christian, I’m a do-gooder in their eyes and that brings conviction to their heart, and they don’t like it!

But that can’t stop us!

We just need to show forth the life of life!

A life touched and changed by Jesus.

Conclusion

We all need to closely examine our hearts and lives this evening.

Can we truly say:

“I’ve been changed! I’m not perfect, but I am different!”

Can we say:

“I don’t think the way I used to think, I don’t act the same.”

Can we say:

“I can truly see where Jesus has made a difference in my life”

Only Jesus can bring spiritual change in our life.

The difference between the Fleshly life and the Spirit Life is in:

The Mind

The Means

and The Members of the Christian.

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