BOUND BY SIN & DESTINED FOR HELL

THOUGHTS

Have you ever wondered when you put certain clothes on that you feel like your are bound and can not move. They looked good in the store they felt good when you tried them on but now that you have them home and start to wear them they just do not have the same feel. Sometimes in life we feel the same way. Things in our life change and it just seems to hinder us or bind us down. It could be a conversation that we have had with someone that week, it could be that we are worrying about something or someone. It could be that we are just holding on to something to tight. The truth is we often take more on ourselves than we should and we hold burdens that are not even ours to solve. Let me give you a prime example of this.

Prior to deploying to Iraq in 2006 I had a Soldier who had just gotten married and moved his new wife to Hawaii, and they found out a few months later that she was pregnant and would be due about 60 days or so after we were scheduled to deploy to Iraq. Josh and Dani scheduled a meeting with me one afternoon and came in to discuss the pregnancy. Dani was a carrying a high risk pregnancy and was being monitored closely by her team of Doctors at Tripler Army Medical Center. Their question was could Josh stay back 60 days and deploy late to be there for the babies birth since she was a high risk pregnancy. I told them both straight up that I could not make that decision that the Battalion Command Team would have to make that decision and I would go to them and ask and that I would fight for their cause for Josh to deploy late. I did just that. I spoke to LTC Drew Meyerowich and CSM Dave Yates and explained the situation to them on a Wednesday just after lunch time. They told me that they would have an answer some time friday and we would go from there. Friday came and no answer by noon, there was nothing going on so I let the company go home for the weekend and I stayed awaiting the answer from Battalion. About 1400 hrs or so I got the answer and it was a solid NO. No guarantee we could deploy anyone late but we would put him on emergency leave and have him home for the birth. That evening Tammy and I were in Walmart and happened to run into this couple in Walmart. I knew they were waiting the answer so I gave them the news and Dani cried there in Walmart crushing me. What a burden to carry.

Romans 8:1–11 NASB95

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 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 and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 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. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward 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. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 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, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Here in the book of Romans 8 we find a few very interesting things about this writing. First we see Pauls typical style of writing and if you look back at Chapter 1 Paul open the Book in typical Paul fashion. “Paul a Servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.”

The first thing we need to understand here is that Paul begins this 8th chapter and he speaks repeatedly about a few things: the law, sin and death, the flesh, spirit is life and peace, things of the spirit, flesh is death. t There is a lot going on here. But we must untie this knot so that we understand what is being said to us here.

First we must realize that Jesus has already gone to the cross.

Philippians 2:5–11 NASB95

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This passage in Philippians is key to us understanding the wording of verse 2 where it says the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus

What is this law of the spirit of Life? Is the renewing of our Minds from the Reprobate sinful mind from the Garden of Eden that was diverted from its correct moral thinking by the craftiness and cunning of the evil one. Satan the Serpent

As a Christian we are positioned in Christ as a result of our relationship with Christ in death, burial, and his resurrection. This being a new Covenant that fulfilled the old Covenant Law by being a Perfect sacrifice for the atonement of sin.

Law of Sin and of Death - this is nothing more than the Mosiac Law of some 361 rules that were literally impossible to be completely followed unless you were God in the Flesh. The Law had no ability to give true atonement only a scape goat. No repentance.

Lets get serious about Jesus and who he was here. Fully God and fully of Deity, yet born of the flesh and fully human. He was the son of a carpenter you think he did not get splinters in his hand and fingers? You think he did not face bullying by the kids in his neighborhood because he got lost in the temple at 12 years old? You think because he sought his heavenly father in all things some one did not notice he was a bit weird or strange?

When Jesus went to the wilderness for 40 days and nights he did not go for a picnic folks he went to be tempted and to condemn the flesh. Jesus only had 40 days plus three years to face our lifetime of temptations. He went with the purpose of facing temptation and putting away sinful flesh. The flesh had to be conquered and that could only happen by someone fully man and fully God.

We must be dead unto sin, meaning that we have no desire within us to allow the flesh to serve the master of the flesh, are we going to sin and make mistakes yes. Are we going to dwell in that place and wallow in our sins and stay there no, we will simply get up repent dust ourselves off and move onward to the next challenge learning how we have overcome through adversity.

When we get saved we invite the Holy Spirit to come and dwell within us and to lead and guide our thoughts and our steps. This is done by the renewing of our minds when we are born again, a spiritual birth, not a physical birth and then when we are baptised this is the outward symbol to the world that we are a changed person that we have yielded to the Spirit of God.

Flesh - Sarx to be carnally minded -when we are self-willed, self-focused, self-seeking,

This is the problem with certain new ministries they are more about self and less about GOD. When GOD is not the 1ST priority then every other priority is wrong. What will I get at church today hot coffee at the Coffee Bar. Will the Pastor preach a prosperity message. Nothing bad is going to happen. Sin entered into this world by the flesh of man, and must be through the flesh of man that it is made weak and is no longer frightening. It has no sting!!!!

Enmity- echthra Greek to be an antagonist against the Agape Love

Hostility toward Agape Love

The flesh has no possibility of being able to mingle with the Spirit. Light can not mix with the Darkness.

If we do not worship him in Spirit and in Truth we are not worshiping him as he desires to be worshipped.

John 4:23 NASB95

“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

Exodus 20:2–6 NASB95

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

We need to understand that GOD is serious about those who are of the Spirit of God. If we are of the Spirit we have an obligation to worship him. He makes that very clear in Genesis 20. God is a Jealous GOD.

v10- flesh and Spirit can not life in the same being One must be set aside either we crucify the flesh or we set aside the Spirit of God . This is of our own volition free will. Both can not dwell simotanously. Hot or Cold Luke warm spewn out of his mouth.