Romans #25

Life in the spirit

Romans #25 Slides to be highlighted in Green

Jamey Mills

Northside Church

Mar 23, 2025

Good morning. My name is Jamey, and I’m the lead pastor here at Northside. So good being with you guys this morning.

We are in our 25th week of our sermon series on the book of Romans… only two more left.

30 years ago almost exactly… in 1995

I had the opportunity to play basketball in college at a realy small school in Seattle.

My freshman year I was the last to make the team… but never played.

I didn’t try out my sophomore year, they they had a lot of really good players come… but after the first grade check, over ½ team quit. In our league you needed at least 8 guys, so the coach asked me it I’d play…

The nice thing about being the worst guy and a team of 8 is…

You still play a lot. And… we were really good.

We had a great season… and ended up in the national tournament as a 7 seed.

We won the first game by 10…

We knocked off the previous year's champs by 1 with a last-second shot.

We beat one other team by 8 or so…

The title game was against this huge and fast team out of Missouri who walked on every team they faced.

There were two title games that day… and people didn’t show up to ours… because no one thought it’d be a game.

We stayed within 10 pretty much the whole game, but in the last four minutes or so, things just started to click. People started showing up for the game after ours… no one could believe it… everyone loves and underdog… it got louder and louder…

And even though it was a small school… in a league no on has heard of… being a 1995 NBCAA Div II national champ is still pretty cool.

And… through the years, I’ve thought about what made that team special…

It wasn’t talent… every team at the tournament had more people and just as much talent.

It think it was a few things…

Work ethic… we practiced hard

The team trusted each other

But the big one… Every person knew and accepted their role.

As an example…

I would have played on most of the teams we faced… but I was the worst guy on our team. With only having 8… I played a lot and I had to know my role…

Practice hard… make them work and make them better.

Evertime I saw the floor…

Outwork, out hustle, every loose ball, fly around and cause chaos on D, and don’t be stupid with the ball.

Through the years, I’ve found myself wondering if the Church as a whole… couldn’t gain from having a better understanding of roles…

Here is an important example…

All my experience and training are in whats called the traditional, independent, non-denominational church… its played a HUGE role in my development… and… it’s not perfect by any means, there is a lot to love about it.

One thing I realized early on… in my undergrad was that there was this major theme in the Bible that never really got taught on…

I’d done a lot of outside reading about things like the trinity… which is a closed handed, non negotiable at NS…

The trinity

The trinity = We believe in one God that exists in three persons

God the Father

God the Son

And God the Holy Spirit

This is hard to understand…

It’s not polytheism… but ONE GOD… in 3 persons… meaning…

There is no power struggle, no conflict of interest, no conflicting puposes…

At our udnergrad… we talked about God the father and God the son at length.

But I realized they were almost silent when it came to the HS…

And I remember asking our NT prof after class… and here is what he said…

Well, to be honest, we really don’t understand the HS, so… we don’t talk about it much.

Even as a young man who was barely a believer…i knew it… while I respected his honesty, I could see it on his face… that, is probably not a responsible way to handle that.

And… I fully admit its hard for me.

God the Father… I get

God the Son… I can wrap my mind around

But God the spirit has always been a little hard for me…

And I would tell you its a fairly major issue withion the independent, non denom Christian Church. This hands off… not understanding the role of the HS.

The backdrop is this Church in Rome whose trying to follow Jesus…

In one of the most secular cultures the world has ever seen.

With incredible disunity between Jews and Gentiles…

A few weeks ago we talked about this in terms of

Legalism: Making open handed theological issues close handed… and demanding everyone agrees. (Jews)

And Liberalism: Taking close handed issues that are essential for unity and salvation… and making them open handed and optional (Gentiles)

And in the face of increasing persecution…

Do you hear that…

We have a lot in common with the Church in Rome…

America is for sure one of the most secular cultures the world has ever known.

There is a great devide happening within the curch now that centers on legalism and liberalism… both are sinful

There is a growing persecution happening…

Just last week… an event had to be cancled in WA state because it was being hosted at a Christian owned coffee shop…

We actually have a lot in common with the Church in Rome…

It was hard for them… and sometimes its hard for us…

I remember as a young man thinking… how much easier faith would be…

If I could see just one miracle… then… then I would know for sure.

Or, if God would fix this issue… then, I’d know

Or, even if I could have walked and talked with Jesus… then, There’d be no doubt.

And… maybe there is some truth to that… BUT…

I do think we’ve learned to explain away miracles that happen everyday.

We have, at least I have… seen God take care of things but as life goes on… so does the struggle.

And as to walking and talking with Jesus… Leading up to the cross this is what Jesus said…

John 16:7 (ESV)

7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

Jesus is telling those who walked closely with Him that having the Holy Spirit is even more advantageous.

with Him closely that having the HS is even more advantageous….

I’m not going to lie, there is a part me that wants to fight that…

But I really believe this…

Part of the issue is, we don’t understand or maybe even care to understand the role the HS plays…

And even that statement I think might cause some to draw conclusions to where this sermon might be heading… hear me out.

This is important…

In Acts 1… before the disciples were sent out… the risen Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem just yet… why… for the very thing He promised before He left… the coming of the HS…

And in Acts 2… when we see it happen, we realize a lot…

Including the power and influence the HS had on these men… Peter… as an example… became the leader Jesus knew he was.

I didn’t notice this until I heard another pastor point this out, but this passage I think is very much connected to the Holy Spirits work in through this local church in Rome…

Romans 15:14 (NLT)

Romans 15:14 NLT

I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.

14 I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.

Paul didn’t plant this Church, in fact… we aren’t 100% sure how this church started… but it was incredibly early… not long at all after the life, death and ressurection of Jesus. Most people in fact believe it was a direct result of Acts 2… coming of the holy spirit… event.

They were still young, but they’d been around a bit.

And paul encourages them… by sharing some observations based on what He’d heard…

Being “full of goodness” could mean “I see God in you and the spirit of God at work in and among you”.

He points on the passage in Matthew and Mark.. where Jesus says there is only one that is good…

To be full of goodness is to be filled with the goodness of God.

And Also the fruit of the spirit…

Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Goodness is one of the 9 listed fruits of the spirit…

Fruit = evidence based results, proofs, or what the spirit produces in you. A growing sense of goodness is evidence of the spirits presence in you.

Goodness is more than doing whats right, its doing whats right for the right reason and with the right heart

To love what is truely and morally excellent and good… is to reflect the heart of God.

The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that God is good… and God’s goodness is seen in all He is… His love, provision, kindness…

Pointing back to Romans 12… Paul is saying it’s obvious the Spirit is at work within you…

And that your are not living lives conformed to Rome… or the patter on the world… but lives that are transformed… by the renewing of your mind and by the power of the spirit.

Paul also encourages them… saying that they know these things so well, than can and should instruct each other in them…

It's different than what the recipients of the letter of Hebrews got…

Hebrews 5:12 (ESV)

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.

Evidently, the Roman Believers had something the recipients of Hebrews didnt… and it wasn’t access to the truth…

What could the difference possibly be… I think there could be many…

There is a difference between hearers and doers of God’s word.

Being a door of God’s Word actually changes the way you hear it.

We aren’t looking simply for information or advice, that at best leads to luke warm belief.

Being a doer of the word… leans into the truth of God and about God… with the desire to honor Him with it in our everyday lives. There is a submission in it.

Information… is not what leads to transformation.

It’s information + application + the presence of the HS is where real transformation is found.

Hearing God’s Work like that I think engages the HS in us in ways that enlighten and empower us to undersand it… and in that way the HS brings both Wisdom and Conviction.

These virtues of goddess and knowledge are inseparable. Paul could have described them as having a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. They knew God, they knew His truth, and, by the power of His Spirit, they were committed to living transformed lives.

Knowing it so well they could instruct one another…

That word instruct = encouraging, warning, and advising

It has strong ties to the idea of wise counsel.

They were obedient to the Lord and were kind, generous, and humble. By their moral goodness, they gave abundant evidence of their spiritual transformation and of the good works in which God ordains all believers to walk

When God’s Word rules our hearts, His Holy Spirit makes us “rich in the true wisdom” and prepares us to walk with each other… encouraging, warning, and advising well.

There are a lot of believers that feel disqualified to “instruct”... to walk with others in encouraging, warning, and advising…

And I think there is some wisdom in the pause…

But at the same time… I do think it something we are all responsible for…

A few notes…

Be grounded in the word…

Are you hearing the word like a Roman or Hebrew Christian…

Leaning in to obey… or… just hearing it

Are you a student of it… Thats what the word disciple actually means

Its a posture we bring… I need to learn from Him

Don’t be afraid to wrestle with it… thats actually what the name of God’s chosen people… Israel means… wrestles with God.

Learn to be sensative to the HS in your life.

Think about… what the HS is doing, teaching, conivicting you about,and leading you to in your life.

Test it by the Word of God

Ignoring the HS… can lead to becoming deaf to the HS.

Know the power of your story.

People can and try to argue with scripture…

They cannot argue with your experience… the way God through the HS has intervene and changed you. Your story is powerful.

The blind man in scripture… He didnt know a lot… his entgire testimony is right here… Hey look man, this is what I know… I once was blind, but know I see and I can introduce you to the man whos responsible for it.

When God’s Word rules our hearts, His Holy Spirit makes us “rich in the true wisdom” and prepares us to admonish one another, to “teach and help one another along the right road.”

Romans 15:15–18 (NLT)

Romans 15:15–18 NLT

Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them.

15 Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, 16 I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy (sanctified) by the Holy Spirit. 17 So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. 18 Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them.

Paul admits that he's taught them hard truths…

Romans 1… about what happens if we abandon God and His truth.

Eventually, God giving you over to…

About wages of sin is death… and how we’re all guilty

How gospel is not a story of your goodness, but God’s.

That the only way to be saved… is by grace, through faith, in Christ.

And knows this isn’t new to them…

Paul points out the importance of repetition, repentance, and reminders.

We see it all over in scripture…

Jesus… when teaching about communion says… so this as often as you gather together… why? Because he knows you… and knows humanity… and that we are prone to forget.

We see it in the OT…

When God told them to build these memorials… so that every time they saw it, they’d be reminded of God’s goodness and faithfulness…

Paul points out the necessity of repetition and reminders…

It’s one of several major reasons why Church attendance is so important.

A major responsibility within the church is to continue to teach truth you already know… to refresh, re inspire, and re inforce…

It’s one of the major reasons spending time in the word regualry… 4 days a week or more… is so important.

(Hold up bible) This book is amazing to me…

You can study the Bible everyday for your entire life and never exhaust the treasure it holds.

Part of that, I believe, is the HS in us… teaching us… guiding us in all truth.

I can't help but wonder if that's part at least what it means when it says that the God's word is living and active. there's an aspect of God revealing truth to you when you need it most. that is absolutely been true for me when I'm d disciplined in the word. bringing something to my attention or helping me to see it in a new light…

Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the earth, and the light of the world

That salt… is useless if it loses its saltiness.

That the light is useless… if cover it up…

A good teacher must keep in mind the opposing problems of familiarity and forgetfulness. Even for the best of minds with the sincerest devotion, that which is not kept familiar eventually will be forgotten.

This book is different. It is living and active… it changes people. If a group got together a couple times a week and went through any other book, I don’t care what it is… you wouldn’t get the same results.

If your drowning in life choices… Harry potter hasn’t got a thing for you.

If you’re stuck in sin… the great gatsby… wont do it.

If you’re struggling in relationships… killing mocking birds won’t help

In teaching the truth of God’s word… Paul says that he presents them as holy the actual word there is sanctified…

Sanctification is the process of the Holy Spirit molding us and shaping us into the likeness of Christ.

Several authors point here to this idea of the priesthood of all believers…

That the presence of the HS within us brings with Him two things that are ver near and dear tot he heart of God…

The equipping of the saints

The reaching of the lost

Paul talks about how he does that in word and deed and what he's saying is… teaching involves both

What we say…

The the example we set

And every single one of us have been gifted by the spirit to play a role.

Romans 15:19–21 (NLT)

Romans 15:19–21 NLT

They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum. My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, “Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”

19 They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.

20 My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. 21 I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says,

“Those who have never been told about him will see,

and those who have never heard of him will understand.”

Paul was a church planter… cool

I’m out of time here… so let me wrap it up with this…

Paul talks about people being convinced by signs and wonders…

We don’t chase signs and wonders… (matt 12:39)

We should expect signs and wonders to follow us as we follow God.

And I want to confess something to you… I struggle with this. I'm as conservative as anyone you're probably ever meet. in some ways I'm a bit of a skeptic.

I am not a cessationist…. I think the spirits gifts are for today.

But I think it's important to understand what signs and wonders actually are. or at least what they include.

Things that point to God…

Things that make us wonder about Him.

And, as skeptical and conservative as I am. 100%, I've seen the Holy Spirit move in powerful ways in my life and around me.

I worked all through college, but it was often not enough. on one occasion I was told that if I couldn't make more progress on my bill I would have to go home… in high school I had financed a truck, wasn't my best decision... and I was upside down in it. one night I remember praying in a way I've never prayed before and probably for the only time in my entire life I gave something completely over to God in this way that brought insane peace. something I've never experienced before. I kid you not, the very next morning my dad called me and told me that someone had finally bought my truck…

and I remember just getting off the phone and weeping. I couldn't believe it.

but it doesn't stop there. I ended up having $550 left over after they bought it. I had to get to work, so I started looking for a car and the cheapest one I could find was $1,000 for a 1976 Buick skylark. I went and looked at it, and somebody had broken out one of the rear windows that night. they fixed it well. but the gentleman found out I was a student and basically told me that he would give it to me for $500. was the crazy deal. and then I had to go put it in my name in the state of Washington anybody want to guess how much that cost?

I was still struggling at that point as to whether or not I was supposed to be in college studying to be a pastor ... not anymore.

another quick note.. if you've been around North side at all and a scene God work at all, I would tell you there are signs and wonders everywhere in the north side story.

I can only imagine what this encouragement to them.

call basically is reminding them to look around.. look at the growth that the Holy Spirit has brought to their life.

because of dad I realize that sometimes growth is so hard to see when it's right in front of your face. but what do you see when you look back at your kids even a year ago, right the difference is staggering.

I remember the day the God showed me that sort of growth in my life. it was a day that a former boss asked me to take his daughter to Bible College with me saying that Place could do the same thing for his daughter, would you take her with you.

Be encouraged by the growth the HS has brought.

Be a student of the word that seeks to obey it.

Instruct one another… with gentlness and wisdom

Have a heart for… pray for those who haven’t heard or responded to the Gospel

And know you have a role to play.