Listen to the Spirit
Spiritual, Not Religous • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Intro
Intro
Have you ever noticed, that what you think about dictates what you desire? And what you desire begins to be made evident in your life?
EX: this yesterday - i wanted ice cream - desire grew - acted on it.
What we set our Mind on —> Desire —> Do
What we set our Mind on —> Desire —> Do
There is a deep connection between what we think about and what we do. Paul is going to make that evident as we continue in Romans 8.
As you are turning there, a little bit of review. Last week we talked about the diff between the Law of Sin and the Law of the Spirit. Today we are going to continue to build on these ideas.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
What we set our Mind on —> Desire —> Do
What we set our Mind on —> Desire —> Do
So if we want to change WHAT WE DO - have to change what our MIND is set on.
So if we want to change WHAT WE DO - have to change what our MIND is set on.
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Worship is a response to God’s Character: “IN VIEW OF GOD’s MERCY”
Offer YOUR BODY - embodied worship
As a LIVING SACRIFICE - Sacrifice is still part of the liturgy of worship. But it is now in the form of putting to death our flesh.
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
What is the Flesh?
Anthony Thiselton defines the flesh as: "the outlook oriented toward the self, that which pursues its own ends in self-sufficient independence of God.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
SO WE WORSHIP GOD by putting these to death instead of being put to death by these things.
SO WE WORSHIP GOD by putting these to death instead of being put to death by these things.
We either put the flesh to death - or the flesh will put us to death.
We either put the flesh to death - or the flesh will put us to death.
IF we want to experience life it is only accessed BY THE SPIRIT
And then instead we choose to experience live life to the full; how? By SETTING OUR MIND ON THE SPIRIT.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
What is “the Spirit”
not a vibe, not energy, not carma,
The HOLY SPIRIT
When we set our mind on the Spirit - we begin to desire his desires - and act as he would act
Example from this week: Reconciliation
When we obey what we experience is the fruit of the spirit
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
But how does all of this occur? It begins with our mindset;
But how does all of this occur? It begins with our mindset;
And here’s the reality:
It is not only an issue of what we set our mind on; but on who we allow to govern our mind.
It is not only an issue of what we set our mind on; but on who we allow to govern our mind.
Our mind; governed by self - leads to sin
Our mind; governed by the Spirit - leads to life & peace
6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
But in order to be governed by the Spirit we have to be IN THE KINGDOM
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
YOU - this if for US
“DOES NOT BELONG TO CHRIST” - HOW DO WE KNOW?
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
IS THE SPIRIT IN YOU?
if SPIRIT IS IN YOU; YOU ARE IN CHRIST.
Story about presence. What dictates whether Victoria is a mom or not - is does she have children. How do you know if a women is pregnant? Is their life inside her womb.
How do we know if we are followers of Jesus? If we have and possess the Spirit of God!
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
Our spiritual life is about dwelling: The spirit in us and us in Christ
Our spiritual life is about dwelling: The spirit in us and us in Christ
10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
WHO ARE WE - AS A CHURCH? What is THE CHURCH?
It is not just a building, it is not just a gathering, it is a place for the presence of God to dwell.
Recap Israel History & How God longs to dwell with us and in us!
This brings us back to the question we started with, how do we live according to the Spirit?
Our temptation here is to go right back into religious thinking. We want a three step formula for how we can live according to the Spirit or we want some boxes to check, duties to accomplish, specially worded prayers to pray.
But the honest answer is not found in religion. It is found in relationship.
We have a relationship with the people who dwell in our home. If you have a roommate, even if you aren’t getting along with the roommate, you still have a relationship. If you have family dwelling in your home with you, you have a relationship. If you have dog or cat, there is a relationship. We have a relationship with those who dwell in our home. God now dwells with us. In order for us to live according to Him, we need to have a healthy relationship with Him.
Imagine a friend of yours comes to you and wants to talk with you about a relationship in their life. Here is what they tell you about the relationship: Each morning I wake up, I read a sentence on my phone from something this person has written to me. Then I send them a list of requests I’d like them to do for me that day and then I go on with my day. I repeat this most mornings and then once a week I spend about an hour thinking about them and learning a little more of their story.
How would you evaluate the strength of that relationship?
At times, this can be how we treat God. How can we have a healthy relationship with the Spirit of God who now dwells within us? How do we allow Him to govern our lives?
Listen to the Spirit.
When we are in relationship with people, we listen to them. We even start to talk like them. I’ve noticed certain words I’ve acquired in my own vocabulary have come from friends. I have a few friends who come from England and I’ve loved the word, Brilliant. I use it inappropriately often. Another friend of mine is an immigrant from Europe and he uses the word tremendous all the time…and now I use the word tremendous. The more we listen to the Spirit, the more we are influenced by the Spirit and the more He shapes us to be like Jesus.
Practically, how do we listen to the Spirit? We listen like we do in other relationships, we ask.
Ask questions:
What is it about your character that I need to know?
1. Does it align with God’s Word? Jesus referred to the Spirit as the Spirit of Truth in John 16:13 and tells He will lead us in all truth. Is what you heard aligned with all of God’s Word? If yes, it could be the Spirit. If not, even if it sounds good, it isn’t the Spirit.
2. Does it align with His fruit? Paul is clear on what the fruit produces: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. God’s Spirit will never lead us to do something or value something which isn’t aligned with His fruit.
3. Does it make me more like Jesus? The Spirit looks to bring transformation to our lives. Are we being convicted of sin and are we looking more like how Jesus calls us to live?
4. Does it cause my faith in God to grow? God’s Spirit often gives us the more courageous way forward. The Spirit doesn’t lead us to a more comfortable, less risky, easier life. It often leads us to places where we become more dependent on God. Where our faith grows. Where we are taking a stand for our faith.
We have the opportunity to listen to what the Spirit has to say to us so we can know His voice and trust Him to guide our lives forward.
Let’s take a moment to practice listening now as we prepare to receive communion.
Spirit, what do You want us to know about how we are listening to You?
Kyle’s Version
Kyle’s Version
Welcome back to our series Spiritual, Not Religious. Last week we introduced the idea that religion is a lot like trying to row a boat against an ocean current. It is a lot of hard work, but you don’t actually get anywhere. We saw that following Jesus isn’t about religion or doing a bunch of religious activities. Instead, we said following Jesus is more like sailing. In both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible the word for Spirit is the same word for wind. Following Jesus, then, isn’t about rowing harder by our own effort and works. It is about raising sails and catching the wind of God to move in and through our lives. This series is about how to raise sails to experience God’s Spirit in our lives.
To teach us, we are going through chapter 8 of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans. Last week we learned that the first step in raising sails is to get rid of condemnation. Jesus took on all of that for us when He went to the cross and when He rose from the dead, there was no condemnation left for anyone who follows Him. We’ve been set free from condemnation. We left off last week, however, at a place that forces a practical question for us: How can we actually live by the Spirit? Please open to Romans 8:5, on page 1717 (1756 at BR) of the pew Bibles.
Two Minds: Romans 8:5-8
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
Paul teaches there are two different minds and these minds are in conflict with one another. We need to be specific in what Paul teaches here so we don’t misunderstand his argument. Let’s first look at what Paul means when he says “flesh.”
What is the flesh?
Paul was a first century Jew, he was trained as a Pharisee before meeting Jesus, which means he understood and knew the Hebrew Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament. Paul was also aware of and understood the different schools of philosophical thought throughout the Roman world. Much of this Greco-Roman thought was influenced by thinkers like Plato and Aristotle. Those philosophies talk about how the body with all of its appetites and desires holds back the soul. Their idea is that if the soul can get freed from all the material junk holding it down, it can become pure and holy. The soul is the real you, the virtuous you, and the body is in the way. That is almost true.
Let me get a little nuanced here, but good theology is specific and nuanced. Our body isn’t the problem. Paul was a creationist, we must be too. He knew God created everything and when God created the world, He said it was “good.” God made us, humans, and after forming us He said it was “very good.” What causes problems isn’t our body or material things. It is sin.
You might wonder, “Why does this matter?” Philosophies have consequences. If you agree the body is bad but your soul is good, you will begin to devalue the human body. Then it doesn’t matter what we do with our body because it isn’t the real me. But God didn’t create us with our soul and body to be separated. We are embodied beings. Which means two things. One, we are called to honor God with our bodies. We can worship God with our bodies. That is good and pleasing to Him. Two, our bodies have a future. Hold on to that thought about the future of our body, Paul will get to this idea in a few verses.
The other reason this matters is if our souls are good but our body is bad, then becoming holy means you do the work of freeing the soul and you do the work of controlling the body. That is all religious thinking. It becomes all about your own effort. That is rowing harder. That is religion.
This is not what Paul means by flesh. What he means by flesh is our sinful nature. Sin impacts our body, it impacts our soul, and it impacts our will. It impacts this created world. Sin impacts it all. Here is how Paul explains the flesh to the Galatians:
Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Each one of these items takes a natural, God-created human impulse or desire and it perverts and inverts it. For example, look at the first item on the list. God created sex, within the bounds of marriage it is a good and beautiful thing, outside of those boundaries, it can cause hurt and heartache. The problem isn’t our body and the problem isn’t being human. The problem is sin has twisted our humanity so instead of treating others with love, we are self-centered. All of these actions lead to death. This is in contrast to the Spirit.
Who is the Spirit?
Notice I asked who and not what. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit. It is the third person of the Trinity and the Spirit is God. The Spirit is not an impersonal force. He has a personality, a nature, speaks, teaches, encourages, corrects, convicts and is with us. The Spirit points us back and brings us back to God. Paul gives a contrast to the actions of the flesh by sharing the fruit of the Spirit. Here is what the work of the Spirit results in:
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The work of the Spirit brings life and peace. Notice, this is not fruit that only works in our soul. It is our body and soul working together. The joy the Spirit brings isn’t just a joy your soul experiences, you experience this in your entire being. What the Spirit does is He transforms our entire selves so we can now be used by God.
We’ve seen there are two ways, the way of the flesh and the way of the Spirit. Paul tells us these different ways govern our lives. In verse 5 he says “the mind governed by the flesh” is in contrast to what he says in verse 6, “the mind governed by the Spirit.” When we see a contrast like this we think, “What do I need to do to be governed by the Spirit?” Hold onto that question because Paul does something profound in verse 9.
You have the Spirit: Romans 8:9
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
The first thing Paul does is when he starts verse 9 he changes his wording to the second person. “You,” If you have accepted Jesus, then this “you” is for us, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. How do we know if the Spirit of God is living within us? Paul is making it clear, there are two options. We either have the Spirit in us or we don’t. At the end of verse 9 Paul writes, And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. How do we know?
It is not about perfection. It is about fruit.
Each spring in Minnesota I love how over the course of a week or so the trees go from being empty, bare, and looking dead, to full of green. It starts small, each morning I’ll start to notice the smallest bud and then, within a few days, life is everywhere. It is easy to spot dead trees in that season because they don’t spring to life.
Same is true in our lives. If the Spirit is within us, there will be some life. If there is no Spirit, there is no life. If the Spirit isn’t within us, that means we are still dead in our sins. Do you know what something does when it is dead? Not much.
Is there any fruit of the Spirit in your life? Is there any fruit that comes from God’s Word? When you read God’s Word, or when you hear it preached, or while you are praying, are you convicted of areas of sin? Have you asked God to forgive you? Have you intentionally seen a desire to move away from the acts of the flesh and have you seen any growth from the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, self-control? Those are marks you are growing spiritually and that growth comes from God’s Spirit. Often, that life comes in the smallest bud, but it continues to grow. If you see some fruit, that is evidence of God’s Spirit within you. If you honestly see no fruit then I would ask, have you said yes to Jesus? Have you come into agreement with God that you’ve sinned? Have you asked Him to forgive you of your sins? If not, that is the first step. We don’t work the Spirit into our lives, that is religion and that doesn’t work. We invite Him into our lives.
Future Promise: Romans 8:10-11
But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
For those who do, check-out this incredible promise which comes in verses 10 and 11. The promise given to us is if we’ve said yes to Jesus and received His Spirit, there is a future for our body. God promises one day there will be a day of resurrection. When Jesus died on the cross, He then rose again on the third day. He rose in the body. It wasn’t a spiritual resurrection; He rose in a body. It was a glorified body, it was a little different, but it was His body. Jesus will forever be in a body, which means when you see Him face to face, He’ll have a face and so will you. Your body will be resurrected, like His, glorified. The body will be restored, healed, it won’t be a body that breaks down or is given to decay because God wants to restore His beloved creation. We need to value the body because God does and He has a future for our entire world. In fact, He values our being so much that when the Spirit comes to us, He moves in with us. This is something no Greco-Roman philosopher would have ever dreamed of but this shows us how much God loves us and how much God wants to be with us.
In verse 9 and then twice in verse 11 Paul mentions a word which brings all this together for us. It is a word that for years I’ve read in this passage and honestly have skipped right by. I’m grateful for New Testament Scholar Tom Wright for pointing this out, the word is dwell. In our English translation we read it “lives in you.”
Dwell
Dwell is actually Temple language. That word was used in the Old Testament to describe what God would do when He took up residence in the Temple or the Tabernacle. Paul, in laying out Romans, does something really clever that helps us to understand the significance of what God has done for us.
§ In Romans chapter 6 Paul deals with the problem of sin and how, before Christ, we were slaves to sin. Sin was our master and we had no control over our own lives. We couldn’t live a life pleasing to God.
§ In Romans chapter 7 Paul then describes the tension of wrestling with God’s Law and not being able to do it on our own strength.
§ Then in this chapter, Romans 8, he explains the indwelling of God’s Spirit which enables and empowers us to actually live by God’s law through the transformation the Spirit brings.
That pattern follows the actual, historical story of the people of Israel. The people of Israel were enslaved in Egypt and Pharaoh was a terrible and harsh master, bringing death upon the people of Israel. Then God raised up His servant, Moses, who led the people out of slavery, through the Red Sea, and to the desert. There on Mount Sinai, God gave the people His Law. Yet, the people couldn’t live by the Law. In fact, the first time God gave the Law to Moses, Moses had to hurry back down the mountain because the people were already breaking the Law and worshiping idols. When the Law came there was this struggle to be able to obey it. Which maps onto Romans 6 and 7. Then, once the people followed the Law, they set-up a tent structure called the Tabernacle, they cleansed the Tabernacle and God’s Spirit came and dwelled in the Tabernacle.
Paul is telling us, what happened among the people of Israel has now happened to us, personally. God has come to dwell within us! Even better, now with God’s Spirit within us, we can finally live out God’s Word. The timing of when God’s Spirit first came to the followers of Jesus reinforces this connection. The Spirit first came upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost. That was a Jewish festival day, also called the Festival of Weeks that celebrated the giving of the Torah, God’s Law. The day the people celebrated God’s Law coming to them was the same day the Holy Spirit came. Not to replace the Law, but to fulfill its purpose.
This brings us back to the question we started with, how do we live according to the Spirit?
Our temptation here is to go right back into religious thinking. We want a three step formula for how we can live according to the Spirit or we want some boxes to check, duties to accomplish, specially worded prayers to pray.
But the honest answer is not found in religion. It is found in relationship.
We have a relationship with the people who dwell in our home. If you have a roommate, even if you aren’t getting along with the roommate, you still have a relationship. If you have family dwelling in your home with you, you have a relationship. If you have dog or cat, there is a relationship. We have a relationship with those who dwell in our home. God now dwells with us. In order for us to live according to Him, we need to have a healthy relationship with Him.
Imagine a friend of yours comes to you and wants to talk with you about a relationship in their life. Here is what they tell you about the relationship: Each morning I wake up, I read a sentence on my phone from something this person has written to me. Then I send them a list of requests I’d like them to do for me that day and then I go on with my day. I repeat this most mornings and then once a week I spend about an hour thinking about them and learning a little more of their story.
How would you evaluate the strength of that relationship?
At times, this can be how we treat God. How can we have a healthy relationship with the Spirit of God who now dwells within us? How do we allow Him to govern our lives?
Listen to the Spirit.
When we are in relationship with people, we listen to them. We even start to talk like them. I’ve noticed certain words I’ve acquired in my own vocabulary have come from friends. I have a few friends who come from England and I’ve loved the word, Brilliant. I use it inappropriately often. Another friend of mine is an immigrant from Europe and he uses the word tremendous all the time…and now I use the word tremendous. The more we listen to the Spirit, the more we are influenced by the Spirit and the more He shapes us to be like Jesus.
Practically, how do we listen to the Spirit? We listen like we do in other relationships, we ask.
Ask questions. One of my favorite questions to ask God is this: “LORD, what do you want me to know about this?” When I am facing a difficult situation or a confusing decision or when something didn’t go well, I’ll ask this to listen to what God’s perspective is on a situation. My flesh is to default to jealousy, self-interest, self-protection, case-building against another person. But by asking this question and listening for the Spirit, I’m trying to set my mind on the Spirit.
Then the question is, how do you know if you hear from Him? Over time, we learn God’s voice. I’ve never heard Him audibly, but over time, I’ve learned His voice. Here are a few ways to know if the thought you are thinking is actually God’s Spirit or if it is your own flesh:
1. Does it align with God’s Word? Jesus referred to the Spirit as the Spirit of Truth in John 16:13 and tells He will lead us in all truth. Is what you heard aligned with all of God’s Word? If yes, it could be the Spirit. If not, even if it sounds good, it isn’t the Spirit.
2. Does it align with His fruit? Paul is clear on what the fruit produces: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. God’s Spirit will never lead us to do something or value something which isn’t aligned with His fruit.
3. Does it make me more like Jesus? The Spirit looks to bring transformation to our lives. Are we being convicted of sin and are we looking more like how Jesus calls us to live?
4. Does it cause my faith in God to grow? God’s Spirit often gives us the more courageous way forward. The Spirit doesn’t lead us to a more comfortable, less risky, easier life. It often leads us to places where we become more dependent on God. Where our faith grows. Where we are taking a stand for our faith.
We have the opportunity to listen to what the Spirit has to say to us so we can know His voice and trust Him to guide our lives forward.
Let’s take a moment to practice listening now as we prepare to receive communion.
Spirit, what do You want us to know about how we are listening to You?
