From Fear to Son

Romans 8:1–4 “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.” Romans 8:15–17 “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.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 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.”

V1-4

Condemnation: penalty, judgement

Paul is saying that those who have received Christ as Lord and belong to Him have NO judgement or penalty held against them.

Their belonging to Him has freed them from sin’s power

God’s commandments could only show us what was right, but could not help us do right. Christ fulfilled the full law (commandments), ending sin’s control over our lives, and giving us the freedom to walk in the Spirit instead of being bound to flesh.

IN LAW, WE ARE BOUND TO FAILURE. IN CHRIST, WE ARE FREE TO LIVE VICTORIOUS.

V15-17

Since the law’s consequence has already been fulfilled, we no longer have to live in fear of that consequence becoming ours.

In Christ, there is no fear in love.

1 John 4:17–18 “And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

Christ never died for us to live in fear in relationship with Him, but in confidence that we are His adopted sons and daughters. We are able to call Him “Father, Dad!”

If we do not grasp the understanding of God as Father along with His Lordship, we will always believe He is just a controlling God who is withholding things from us.

This mindset is not going to be changed overnight if you have always thought this way. It is going to take time with Jesus to unlearn what you have always known.

Take hope in Matthew 11:28-30

Matthew 11:28–30 NLT

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Weary: tired, fatigued from hard work

Burdens: load

Rest: refresh, stop doing, remain

Jesus invites us to trust Him in the process of giving our burdens and weariness to Him time and again

A yoke was used as a farming tool for animals when they were hauling heavy loads. The yoke would balance the load so it would be manageable for each ox (or whatever animal was being used).

Jesus offers His yoke saying, “…is easy to to bear…is light.”

This means that Jesus is carrying the heavy portion while giving us a light portion. He is partnered with us, but He is the one doing most of the work. Us being in the yoke with Him just symbolizes partnership.

Jesus offers to teach us the way of rest in Him. This means it will be a process of something learned, not something to just be received in a moment.

In this teaching though, the outcome will be rest (a refreshing, a cease from works, a remaining in Him) for our souls.

TRUST IN THE PROCESS . TRUST IN LEARNING FROM HIM. TRUST HIM.