Beyond the grave

Intro:

beyond the limit..

Setup to Romans 8:9-11

———

Romans 8:9–11 (ESV)

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. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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.

Prayer

Story: Why is Halloween so popular now? Spending has increased to over 12 billion dollars for last year! It has seen such an increase in popularity that it is considered to be the third most popular holiday after-all after Christmas and Thanksgiving..

— It is obsessed with the concept of death and darkness and the spiritual world.

— Now, I know this can be a hot topic for Christians!

— But the history goes way back..

— It must go back further that most realize because cultures around the world have similar celebrations:

— In Mexico and other South American Countries there is Día de Muertos from October 31 to November 2.[2]

— Festival of the Dead, lasting up to 3 days, was held at the end of October and beginning of November; examples include the Peruvians, the Pacific Islanders, the people of the Tonga Islands, the ancient Persians, ancient Romans, and the northern nations of Europe.

— In Japanese Buddhist customs, Bon Festival and is held in July or August.[6]

— For Hindus, ancestors are venerated during Pitru Paksha.

— In Nepal, the popular festival of Gai Jatra

— Of course the celtics had the fall celebrations of Samhain (/ˈsɑːwɪn/ SAH-win, /ˈsaʊɪn/ SOW-in,

— You have pagan dark interactions with the spirit world etc..

— An interesting theory that has some good logic to it, is that the reason all these cultures share a very common celebration is because before the Tower of Babel people shared a common culture and practice (This is before God brought different languages and the people dispersed) and that there may have been a yearly practice of honoring the people who would have died in the great flood (which a flood story is also shared across many cultures)..

— So, either way we have a whole day dedicated to the notion of death and spirit world. Of course darkness would celebrate that as well. The whole reason we have death on the planet is because of the lies in the garden and the subsequent temptation and fall of the first humans!

— But, we as Christians have a message for those obsessed with death. We don’t have to walk in fear..

Hebrews 2:14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery

— The world doesn’t know what to do with the reality of death. But Jesus dealt with it!

— We don’t have to be afraid of Halloween, the day of death can be an opportunity to preach the Good News to our kids, to whoever will listen that because of sin, death came into the world. But Jesus overcame death he overcame darkness!

Transition:

The apostle writes to the Roman church, and he talks quite a bit about the connection between sin and the death it causes..But he speaks to the life we have because of Jesus! We can embrace this message of life even in the darkest of days, we are not limited by the bonds of the greatest limiter, DEATH.

1. Saved?

— Here is what is true for you if you belong to God, you have the Spirit..

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.

— So, let’s go first things first. Before we get into the weeds of what it means to be Spirit led/ filled etc. that’s a moot point if you are not saved.

— Theologians make a distinction between the visible church and the invisible church.

— The visible church, when you see the cars parked. The people in their seats. That is what you and I can see. I cannot see inside each person.

— The invisible church is made up those who truly belong to Him. Only God can see who is His when He looks in this room!

— That’s why we preach the Gospel every week. We preach Jesus. I don’t want you after attending this church, to one day be surprised by Jesus saying, “I never knew you..”

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

— SO, how do we go about answering that question, “am I saved?”

— The hint is in the text.. 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.

— So, we see the Spirit, then Spirit of God, then Spirit of Christ..

— Now, we know that God exists in three persons and we see a good example of all three here. They have the same essence yet different persons.

— What’s interesting is that you can also deduce from this text that if you have the Spirit of Christ you DO belong to HIM

— What Paul is stressing here is the Gospel by placing “Spirit of Christ” right next to “Belong to Him”. He is stressing the role of Jesus in paying for our sins on the cross.. When we receive by faith the payment Jesus made, well we belong to Him!

— Do you belong to Him? Do you believe that Jesus paid for your sins? That your sin has been paid in full…

— ++1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price.

— So, how do we come to know that we are saved? We start with belief, then according to this text we understand that when we believe Jesus for salvation we receive the Holy Spirit..

— It says something similar in ++Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

— We have this sense, this blessed assurance..

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

— Well, you might say, “I don’t feel it, once I did but I don’t know anymore..”

— The fact you are asking the questions is good. The fact you showed up today is good. But if you feel that way, be encouraged! Here the gospel. That Jesus came your way:

Eph 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

2. Swayed by the Spirit

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

— The meaning here is that you are under the sway of the Spirit

— That doesn’t mean you won’t be swayed by your natural desires (flesh)

— I want to live by the Spirit when I am saved, if you are truly saved you will feel conviction when you sin. That means you’ve been convinced when it comes to sin in your life..

— And the text goes on to say what? although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

— SIN brings death. The whole obsession with the day of the dead starts with sin.

— it says in ++ Romans 5:18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

— Sin brought death, but Jesus and His act of righteousness brings life!!

— This imputed righteousness, that I did not earn but was credited to me only through faith brings LIFE SALVATION

— SANCTIFICATION Now, because God has made His home in me, He dwells in ME. I abide in HIM he lives in ME. The decor in my life, the arrangement of the furniture begins to reflect the occupant..

— With the Power of the Holy Spirit I begin to change, I begin live the way He wants me to live.

— Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

— Church, you aren’t powerless anymore.. You aren’t captive to be held sway by all your evil desires. It says in

— ++Rom 8:13 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.

— GOD GIVES US THE POWER. Let me give you a quick prayer example when you feel so swayed by temptation that you feel you will fall:

GOD I TRUST YOU. I feel tempted right now, and I know that if it was just up to me, I would jut give in. But I believe it when you say you will help me. Right now, I believe I have your power working in me right now. Thank you for overcoming this temptation in me. I give you all the glory for giving me victory in this area!

3. seismic shift

— I used that word, because what this text is saying is such a departure from our previous reality. We have a whole new set of realities when we are saved, and chief among them is the fact that though we will die physically we will not really DIE.

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.

— What this text is saying is that our physical body is getting worse and worse. I heard that 25 is the age where you stop being young.. That’s pretty depressing. I guess it’s all downhill from there.

— Over time, hair starts rejecting us in certain places in favor of other places.. Skin starts longing for the earth from which it came, our cells and our systems start unraveling..

— But our spirit has been made alive! If God dwells in you, you’ll still age.. But from a spiritual perspective, you become more and more conformed to the image of Jesus.. It’s like in that area it’s Benjamin Button.

— One of the proofs of your salvation is that as you mature, you are more and more like Jesus. You won’t be perfect, but there’s evidence of His working in your life!

Col. 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

— WE are those who were like Lazarus, it was long past the time for us to save ourselves. Jesus had to come to our tomb, as stinky as it was, and say COME OUT. We were brought to life because of Jesus! Then He says, UNBIND HIM and let him go.

— This was a major shift in Lazarus and in us, Jesus brings us to life. Then, as the Power of the Word of God and His Spirit work in our lives, we get disentangled from our bondages and our stinky grave clothes, we are a new creation!