The Freedom We Have in Christ

Intro

Recap

two weeks ago, we learned how God loves to use everyday students to accomplish his will, and he can use you just like he used David to defeat Goliath

last week, we learned how we can Connect Others to Jesus, and some truths from Luke 10 about what that may look like

This week, we wrap it all up by seeing what we, as everyday students, can connect other people to. The Freedom we have in Christ. And I think the best place to see what exactly that freedom is, is in Romans 8.

Context

Romans was written by Paul to the church in Rome

Church was heavily jewish, until emperor Claudius removed jews from rome

gentiles grew, and then when jews came back there were more gentiles than jews

Paul is writing to help mend conflicts, and illustrate the theology of the gospel and the basic facts of it to unify jew and gentile

Here Paul is discussing the law (what jews likely are struggling with) and sin (what the gentiles probably struggle with)

Romans 8 is the conclusion to Romans 6 and 7

Romans 6 talks about the slavery of sin, and 7 about the slavery of the law

Romans 8 then shows us that a new life separate from sin and the law is possible

In that I think Paul shows us three things in this passage we have gained freedom from

Freedom from the law of sin and death

Romans 8:1–4 “1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,

that word condemnation almost means curse. There is no more curse of punishment from those in Jesus! Why?

2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.

But when did this happen?

3 For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

what was the law?

Torah (Gen-Deut) 619 laws on how to live. Jews followed rigourously

That law did not have the power to save. Because we are sinful, we could never hope or dream to not ever break one of those laws, thats what Paul is saying when he says what the law could not do because it was weakened by flesh

SO, God did what the law couldn’t

the law could never save us from punishment, because the law is what showed us we were guilty and deserved punishment

So Christ came and lived a life that obeyed the law, he could do this because he came in the likeness of sinful flesh, meaning he was human, but because he was still divine he could live the perfect life and be a sin offering

law prescribed spotless animals to be a sin offering, Jesus was the spotless man who became the ultimate sin offering

when we break the law we have to pay, if i kill someone, I pay by going to jail for life or pay with my own life. The payment for breaking God’s law, because God is perfect and eternal, is eternal punishment and death.

Christ did not deserve that punishment, but he took it in our place. Because of that we are freed from the chains of the chains of sin and the punishment of the law.

so if we believe that, we are IN Christ (v 1) and have no condemnation, but have His Spirit in us.

But if we are freed from death, sin and the law, there has to be something in its place right? the next verses answer that for us

Freedom to live a new life

Romans 8:5–14 “5 For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh,

this means those who don’t live in Christ are totally focused on the things of this world. When I was living in the flesh, all I cared about was girls, how much money I had, and doing stupid things to make me feel good. When our lives are in the flesh our minds are too

but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit.

things like Love, joy peace…

6 Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

If we still live in the flesh, we are hostile towards God. Nothing we do can be pleasing to him. Everything you do in the flesh will lead to death

9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.

the opposite is to live the new life Christ can free you to in the Spirit

If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. 10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.

When we are in Christ, our spirit is raised to a new life in Him. Our mind is freed to focus on the things of the Spirit. though in this life our body is still dead and will still give in to sin

but one day, the same Spirit that rose Christ from the dead in a new glorified body, will raise all those who belong to Christ and raise their bodies in a new glorified body, just like he already has with our spirit

12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, 13 because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

What Paul is telling us here is that we are freed to live a new life in the Spirit.

When we trust in Jesus’ sacrifice, he sends us his Spirit, the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit then leads us to a new life in Christ

The old life in the flesh, those people think about the things of the flesh, are headed for death, are hostile toward God, do not and can not submit to God’s law and cannot please God, to them God’s word even sounds foolish

But the new life in the Spirit, those people’s minds think about the things of the Spirit, it leads to life and peace, they are receptive toward God and seek and are able to submit to God’s law (though not perfectly) and are able to please God because we are represented by his perfect son Jesus.

What Paul is telling the Church in Rome and us tonight is that if you have accepted Christ, you are free to live a new life, and it should be evident in how you act and think

if the way you act and think lines up more with the life of the flesh, we have to seriously evaluate where we are at

BUT if we live in the Spirit it should be evident in how we live. We become like a glove.

Corrie Ten Boom said illustrated this great. She said that a glove by itself is pretty useless. But put that glove on your hand and all the sudden that glove can do all sorts of good things, though we all know it is actually the hand doing those things through the glove

in the same way, we are like gloves. On our own we are pretty useless, in fact we are hostile towards God, but when we accept Christ and are freed to live a new life in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit becomes the hand that moves us gloves, and he is the one who gives us purpose and meaning and a life of peace, not ourselves

So we’ve been freed from sin and the condemnation of the law, we are freed from the lives of the flesh to a life in the spirit, but how do we know we will stay there?

Freedom from fear of Abandonment

Romans 8:14–17 “14 For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.

meaning the Spirit of God doesn’t bring slavery or fear, but instead

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.”

1 Corinthians 2:12 “Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.”

freedom and…

Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”

Lastly, we can have freedom from the fear of abandonment. Not only does God free us from the law and sin and to live a new life, but the freedom we have in Christ makes us Gods sons and daughters.

This means that God becomes our perfect heavenly father. A father who will never leave you or forsake you. A father who gives you good gifts. A father who loves you more than you could ever imagine. He says we can cry out to him as Abba. Abba means daddy or papa in aramaic. This was revolutionary to be able to call God Dad. thats personal and intimate.

not only that but we are adopted fully into his family to become heirs.

this idea of adoption was prevalent in rome and much different than today. Adoption then was typically a childless man who had an estate to pass down, would adopt an adult man who had shown himself worthy and able to manage a house, to become his “son” and would then receive full legal rights of being that mans son, meaning he would become full heir to his estate

When we become adopted sons of God and heirs with Christ, that means we become full legal children of God. We have full access to Him, we have full ownership to be heirs with Christ of his glory

This means we get to receive the benefit of Christ as well because we are co-heirs with him

but to be co-heirs means we must also do the same as the original heir. Meaning we will suffer, and when we do suffer we can suffer with him, meaning we suffer with the same peace he did, and so then we may be glorified with him

And so as a child of God we have a family, but to be adopted as an heir means we have that family forever. And just like someone signs a legal document to put into effect an adoption in real life, the Holy Spirit signs off on our adoption into God’s family, and we can be freed from any fear of abandonment and we can know that we are a part of God’s family forever.

Apply

If you are in Christ, you are freed from the power of sin and death. no more do you have to sin, no more do you have to fear that because you sinned you will be condemned, you are freed knowing that what Christ did on the cross forgave you and justified you

you are freed from a life of the flesh to a life in the spirit. Because of what Christ did, if we trust him His Spirit lives in us and sanctifies us meaning He helps us to live a new life that is pleasing to God that we could never do on our own

you are freed from the fear of abandonment. You are freed to know that what God has started in you he will complete, and that one day you will receive your full inheritance and be glorified in a new body with Christ

And if you don’t know Christ, everything I’ve told you about tonight, all the freedoms Paul has showed us in Romans, are available to you, if you simply accept who Jesus is. If you believe , hey I’m a sinner. I’ve broken God’s law and there is nothing I can do to fix it, If you believe that Jesus lived a perfect life, and he died the death you and me fully deserve, and took on the full weight of our sins, and if you believe that He was raised 3 days later and took his place at the right hand of the father, if you believe that and accept that forgiveness, you will be saved. You will be saved from the condemnation of the law, from the death of sin, from the unfulfilling life of the flesh, and from the fear that God will abandon you. If you have never accepted that, would you do it tonight and find freedom in Christ.

Response