LIFE in the spirit, death to sin

Introduction:

GRANDPA — have you ever been speaking to a grandparent who is wayyyy too comfortable with talking about death? every-time i talk to my grandparents now they seem to be finishing the phone with “if I get to see you again” or “if i’m still around to see it” —- and i get off the phone feeling horrible —— but i will never forget one of the most recent phone calls i had with one of my grandpas, where he said one of those fatalistic endings as he often does —- and i said “ohhh don’t say that!” and his reply will be with me forever —- he said “lukey (now he’s the only one that can call me that by the way), the Lord has been faithful to me for my entire life, and its been an joy just to get to serve Him”

it made me think so deeply about life. what is its singular goal? what should i do as someone who is 50+ years younger than him… it made me so thankful that i get to LIVE with and for Christ. it also made me deeply passionate about being able to say “its been a joy just to get to serve Him” at 80+ years old.

we know that these bodies have an expiration date (i know how joyfilled has this been so far) — but those of us in christ have Life eternal in jesus.

DL Moody, a christian, said this about death:

“SOME day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher, that is all; gone out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal, a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint, a body like unto His own glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”

Rom. 8:11

11 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.

today I ask us to be more aware than ever about these two realities: Life and death

we have been making the claim all-through out the book of Romans that if you place your trust in Jesus your saved. and that all have sinned and are in need of the savior. today I ask that we zero in on our life in the spirit and death to our flesh in sin. I want us to ask this question all throughout the sermon: How am I living in the Spirit and how am I pronouncing death to the deeds of the body.

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Sermon Summary:

Life is in you. Death is no longer of you.

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ROMANS 8:9-17

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus[d] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Heirs with Christ

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The Spirit of God dwells in the believer (Life)

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 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.

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

“we must not deny the reality of this bodies mortality, but we also must never deny the reality of the resurrection life in christ jesus and what this resurrected life has for us in the sprit”

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you

if you are a christian your life is no longer lived in the flesh but it is lived in the spirit. the spirit of God.

one of the beautiful roles of the Holy Spirit in our life is to bear witness to the beauty of the Son, christ — to bear witness to what He has done, and to who He is

— what he has accomplished for you, and who He his by his character and his nature as savior

you know we ask the spirit — would you open there eyes to see!? well we do not have to ask that prayer for those who believe in this room because if you have said yes to Jesus than the spirit has already opened your eyes to the beauty of the SON!

and in john 16 the Son said I am sending you something better than me … the spirit who will dwell in you! bringing about righteousness and life in you

ROMANS 8:11

11 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.

the point here is that the indwelling of God’s Spirit in us changes everything. Reconciliation and peace with God are just the beginning. Allowing Christ to live in us and through us to serve God is what Paul’s gospel message has been building toward

the same spirit who indwelt Jesus nows dwells within you —theres not a trial not a temptation that Jesus has not endured and you know who walked with HIM throughout all of those trials and tribulations? God the Holy Spirit —- whom you know have — the paraclete in the greek…. the advocate for us in our lives here and now

ROMANS 8:15

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ROMANS 8:16-17

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Paul here new is audience —- adoption is not new language for the christian — but it would have taken an even deeper meaning in Rome — for it was customary in that time in Rome that you could actually disown a biological child. you could rid them of your last name and send them into an orphanage fully legal. what was completely illegal was if you adopted a child you could never ever return them. they knew once they received that new family that they would be home forever —- this is our reality in christ

V. 15

by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” —- run to the father for his arms are wide open. you have life because of Him, cling to Him. find refuge in Him. seek after him. cry out to Him.

STORY: this past weak on vacation there were children everywhere — is it really a vacation if you bring your children… never-mind — but as I was playing with baker who thinks he’s Michael phelps already —- i was watching a little girl who you could tell was trying to convince herself that she could swim —- but her head accidently went under water a little and she immediately sprinted out of the pool to her fathers embrace. this is us with our heavenly father. FATHER!!!

the greek word here used for cry is the same that is used for when Jesus cried out on the cross —- the most important times we need reminding of our adoption as sons and daughters in christ is when we are at our lowest —- this is when the holy spirit bears witness to us about our adoption in christ as His children. he draws us to embrace the beauty and kindness and the grace of Jesus Christ

THE SPIRIT OF GOD THAT DWELLS IN YOU BRINGS ABOUT LIFE ETERNAL, AND LIFE DAILY

2. Life in the Spirit brings continual death to the flesh (death)

ROMANS 8:12-14

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

We do not stop sinning in order to be “saved”; rather, we pursue the denial of sin to become more like jesus, who has granted us righteousness and called us into holiness — this is done by walking in the spirit and setting your mind on the the things of the Spirit

this section is not focused on justification or salvation —- rather it is focused on the death that life with the Spirit brings about in us! for sinfulness has no right to be in the presence of those who are indwelt by the holy spirit. for sin is death, and the spirit is life

Titus 2:11–12

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age

brother and sister — we need to deal with sin, we need to grow in righteousness, we need to display the fruit of the Spirit, and we are able to deal with sin by the power of the spirit

V. 13 but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live

“by the Spirit” — the Spirit of God is given to us to bring about in us the things of true life — this is what He does

look with me at Romans 8:5-6 — 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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

placing your mind on the spirit looks like Galatians 5:22-23TO

Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

“fruitfulness should be the consuming passion of every follower of Jesus Christ” - HB Charles

this term has been hijacted in our time but what Paul is getting at in verses 5 and 6 is to be spiritually-minded — and it does not mean to hum with your eyes closed its means to dig deep into the things of the spirit that gives life.

a famous theologian said this about the natural state of the human: “the humans mind is a perpetual factory for producing idols”

we must constantly be pursuing life in the spirit, and denying the temptation of sin in our lives

i do not mean the effects of sin in our beautiful salvation — for we know sin has no permanent hold on us in christ /// i mean the sin in us that voids us of true life in the Spirit and the never ending pursuit of becoming more like christ as we have been called

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what does the spirit provide for us to be spiritually-minded and to continually turn from our sin? — what is dear and close to the Holy Spirit?

1. the Word of GOD — 2 timothy 3:16-17 —- 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[b] may be complete, equipped for every good work.

holy men of old wrote as they were carried along by the holy spirit — the word of GOD

ALL scripture is a product of the Holy Spirit

2. To make much of Jesus

The spirit wants us to think much of jesus. to see his majesty. to see his beauty. to marvel at all that he is and has done. — being spiritually-minded means to do this for others alongside the ministry of the Holy spirit

3. To have a holy and righteous mind

to think upon the things above