SONS + DAUGHTERS

Romans 8 - Part 2

Romans 8:12–17 (NLT)

12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

You’re not held hostage to the urges of your flesh. They no longer have any power over you. You’re not the victim of a stronghold. You may be the perpetrator of one, but that’s your choice.

Living yielded to the flesh absolutely produces spiritual death. The Spirit whose power raised Christ from the dead dwells on the inside of you, though, which means that the power to defeat every last part of your sinful nature resides on the inside of you!

When you’re a son or daughter of God, you’re led by His Spirit and nothing else. It’s on the inside of you and has the ability to guide you and direct you, but only to the extent that you’ll allow it.

That Spirit on the inside of you does not lead you to fear. It overcomes the spirit of fear. God’s Spirit is his bond and guarantee that we are His children. If you don’t have His Spirit, you’re not His child.

If you’re not led by His Spirit, are you His child? Do you actually belong to Him? That’s an active and ongoing decision. That relationship requires choice. If you’re not all His, you’re not His at all.

He’s not just made His children as a legal arrangement. What a gift that would have been, but it’s not just about that. It’s about the intimate relationship that He grants us upon our adoption. We are not foster children who have a home as wards of the state. We have been given a whole new identity. Our old birth certificate has been superseded by a new one in which we take upon every part of who He is and leave behind every part of who we were.

We call him by an endearing name. Abba. Dad. He desires to be more than just a generous benefactor in your life. He desires to be your dad. He has made Himself available for you to not only receive from His wealth, but also to receive from His heart. You will never truly understand what it means to receive from God’s open hand until you first desire to receive from His open heart. He wants to be more than just your relative. He wants to be your dad.

That relationship brings with it all the benefits of being an heir. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus. That means that everything that Jesus has is also yours. God does not love Jesus any more than He loves you.

John 17:23 (NLT)

23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

This means that your past is not relevant to your place in the family. He loves imperfect and jacked up you just as much as He loves perfect and sinless Jesus.

Jesus has no advantage over you in the family of God. We’re all His sons and daughters. Jesus is the big brother who paid the price for the sins of his younger siblings. We will all share in the glory that Jesus made available to us. We are heirs of God’s presence heavy with everything good. Is it a good thing from God? If so, you have a right to it!

We can get too technical about sharing in his suffering. Do you know what you’re doing on earth right now? Sharing in His suffering. We’re waiting for the eternal redemption of the earth and our bodies. In a couple of verses, Paul will say that we’re all eagerly waiting for freedom from death and decay. We experience it on earth every day. I woke up this morning with a gnarly allergic reaction to something. My lips and throat were swollen. I could barely open my eyes. What is that? It’s suffering! The world isn’t perfect yet. Oh, but it will be. There’s coming a day. Jesus will return and make all things right and fully establish His glory on earth forever and ever. Amen! We, as co-heirs, share in that glory because we shared in the suffering and didn’t quit! This is the reward for not being controlled by your sinful nature. This is the harvest for yielding to the Spirit. This is the result of being A CHILD OF GOD!