9/27/26 AM

We're going to jump right into our outline. If you have your bulletin, you'll see that outline and there's some of you like to fill it out if you don't like to fill it out, that's fine too. But we're going to jump right into this first point here, even before we read our texts because it's a first point is the point is that you've likely written down on a piece of paper. So many times, it's a point that I made so many times that if we had a dollar for every one of those times, we could remodel three kitchen. You are different. George different, don't buy that. I don't just mean that as a Christian your qualitatively unique and other word. You have a specific ethnicity are your politics fall under a certain part of the political Spectrum, you have particular tastes, you have abilities and talents that other people don't have that. True of all people. Isn't it your all special in that way? It's, you won't reflect God's image in a different way. All people do what I'm saying here this morning and what are text is going to be saying this morning is that you're different categorically. You're not just different qualitatively, you're different categorical eat. Why is there as well as? Because of what we've been reading about these last several weeks, as we're going through this all-important, 8 chapter of the book of Romans you're different because there is no condemnation upon you. And this makes you different because this is not for everybody. It's only for those who are in Christ Jesus that little prepositions right there in is. So vitally important to understand it's really what we're here to understand this morning you and there's no condemnation because you are in Christ Jesus. Why is this? Well it's because what God's blood law was powerless to do because it was weakened by our flesh. God himself did on our behalf, that is the good news of the Gospel with guns. While requires of us. God did it. We did it through his own son, who he sent in the likeness of our sinful flesh, to be a sin offering to pay for our sins. He did that in order that the righteous requirement. the wall would be fully met and I Credible. The one thing that you need more than anything else is God's perfect righteousness. Holy righteousness. This is what it takes to be in the presence of God. And it's given to you, you meet the righteous requirements of the law because it's fully met because you are in Christ. You're not one who lives, according to the flesh. This is what we looked at last week. No, you can live according to the spirit, this changes our minds, that it changes the way that we think. Those who live according to the flesh, while their mind is stuck, on the things of the flesh. That makes sense, doesn't it? However, those who live in accordance with the spirit, the way we see the world is different but we're different. Our minds are set on what this Spirit desires. Categorically different than what the other people of the world are thinking. The irony here is that even though because of all of those reason you and I are so proud of correctly difference, as Christians are liars, day-to-day life that we leave. Just doesn't seem all that. Different doesn't because you and I have the same exact problems and types of problems that are non-Christian friends and neighbors have We struggle with our help. Finances are always a challenge, aren't they? And right now, all of us especially our farmers. Are all frustrated because it's rainy and wet and sloppy. And you have gotten just as much rain on. Your crops is what your non-Christian neighbor, as we're all in the same boat. We're all going through this together, Our Lives, don't see that different than anybody else. The empty, here's the thing the more we begin to understand what it is to live in the spirit. The more we understand the truth of this marvelous, chapter of the Bible, It's not just that our lives may not seem better. Now, as we see the beauty of the truth, they might actually begin to seem work. The more we understand this. But we're going to see here this morning, is that in Christ, right? That very very very important preposition. We live in Christ in Christ. The problems of this world that we continue to experience are infinitely more bearable because we have, And we know that Christ is coming back. We know that the time will come that he calls us home to him and we know that he is going to make all things new That's what we're here reminded of this morning. We left off here as we work through the state chapter of the book of Romans as a sort of wisdom on a down note, I think you look at versus seven and eight. That's where we left off last week and left off on, on it on a down note that sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law nor can it do so those who are controlled by the sinful nature. Cannot, please God, we talked about how I'm really frustrating that has to be, because you were created your purpose. In being made is to please God. And if you can't, please. There's really no worthwhile purpose for living. What are the what are the terrible predicament to be in and that's why we're going to read this morning is such good news. Do you know the word of the Lord? We're going to read the next paragraph. Verses 9 through 11. Miss start at 8. Again, those who are controlled by the sinful nature. Cannot, please God, but you however, you are controlled by the sinful nature. But by the spirit, if the spirit of God lives in you and if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, He does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin. Yet your spirit is alive 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 through his Spirit who lives in you. Thank God for these words.

Father in heaven. Again, all of the words that you give us in, the Bible are very important. They're all very valuable. There's something different about these words in the 8th, chapter of the book of Romans. It brings all of the other words together and it hits us with power and we pray father that that power would be transformative in the way that we think in the way that we live in in the way that we act and we pray father that it will be very very evident to all of us that our lives are end well by Christ. And by his spirit father, may we live in Christ and in his Spirit as we come to understand these words pour, your spirit out upon his father as we consider them together. All of this, we pray in Jesus name, amen. Let's go back to that opening Point. You're different, very different. We're going to jump into the deep end. Now this opening is opening sub Point here, is it going to be the most difficult? Not just of this morning but but of quite some time. You're really going to have to think hard here to strap in. Let's do this part work together. You you're different because you are in a mutually and dwelling relationship with the Triune. God know there's a lot of big words in that point aren't there and I wanted to make it as simple as a good, that's as simple as I can make it. So, let's, let's unpack what we've just put on the screen there. We're going to go through it backwards. We're going to start with that. That final underlined word Triune at the word that you've heard before I try three, Moon. One are three in one. God, look at. How are three in one? God is presented to Here in verse 11 through the entire Trinity is mentioned here. In this one phrase, we see the spirit right off the bat. We see Jesus, the son of God right there. But we also see God, our father because the spirit is of him who raised Jesus from the dead. We think God our Father, we see Jesus Christ, his son who was dead and is now a live, and we see the spirit all that work at once. We have to understand the Triune nature of God to fully understand how it is that we're different. He said, will, is that the spirit of God, that's how he described here at the opening of our passage. He's the spirit of God, but not just the spirit of God. He's also the spirit of Christ. He's both of those things. That's what's so important about the Nicene confession of the Nicene Creed. It it talks about how the spirit proceeds, not just from the father. But also in, at the same time from the son, he is the spirit of God and the spirit of Christ. That's what it means. When we say that we are saved by a Triune god. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now, let's look at those other underlined words are mutually indwelling. You probably have not use that phrase in this past week have you? What does it mean? The phrase mutual and dwelling mean well, let's unpack that it means that you are in Christ. Now, that is a phrase in crepes. But you will see it exactly that way or in close relationship to an over 200 times through Paul's letters. And if you look in your new testament and just kind of a hold up, the we're Paul's letters fall here, I'm not going to find him exactly. But but it's not a scripture about that much pain. And this many pages in this many pages you are going to read about you being in Christ over two hundred times. This is a very important thing to understand. And this is also something that you can quickly fall back upon when you have that opportunity to share the gospel in a minute or less. You've been in that predicament before. We're all of the sudden, the Lord gives you the opportunity to share with somebody who desperately needs to hear this good news. And all of these thoughts come into your mind at once, and it gets all jammed up. You don't know what to say. If you can't think of anything else, just remember these two words as a Christian? I am in Christ. That's what it means to be a Christian. I'm no longer in myself. I am in Christ. That's what we read in the opening, verse that important opening, verse of this important chapter of the Bible, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, you dwell in Christ Jesus. That's where the indwelling part of that phrase comes from But it's a two-way street. That's why we say that you are different because you are in a mutually indwelling relationship. Not only are you in Christ. But why didn't you? But confusing, isn't it? If we look at this glass of water here, it's easy for us to understand that the water is in the glass. But we could rightfully say that the grass is in the water, right? Has to be one or the other. It can't be both in our minds and that's why we have to think with a mindset of the spirit here, this bigger than what we can chew on ourself. This, this is hard stuff, isn't it? And that you are in price and that Christ is in you, and it's not just cry and said that. It's also his Spirit. You are not in the flesh, but you are in the spirit. I'm in the same way. This is a mutually and dwelling relationship. You are in the spirit and the spirit lives in you. At the same time. A really want to emphasize this to us here in these couple of paragraphs because look how often he mentions it three times. He informs us that the spirit of God lives in the spirit of God lives in you, the spirit is living in you. God's spirit lives in you three times in one short paragraph, you read about the fact that the spirit lives in you that lives, there is important. And some of the older translations that kind of like a little bit better in that case, I put that the spirit dwells in you now, like, I worked well, and it's really no different, I suppose Ben lives, but wealth has its ongoing aspect, doesn't it? But he's just always there. Remember that says, it's the spirit doesn't just drop in and visit every. So often the way that your friends are our relatives do or they occasionally come and they visit with you and they stay for a little while and then they leave again. No, the spirit, dwells with you. And ended the relationship that the two of you had living together is not the relationship that you would have, which is a roommate that happens to be sharing the dwelling or living in the same house as you do. You want to have a good relationship with a roommate, right? And you respect each other's boundaries he stays out of your business and you stay out of his and then you're cordial with one another, but you're not on top of each other, all the time. The spirit is not your roommate. That's not his work, holy spirit, you stay over here that we'll have a good time together. When we meet together on Sunday morning, and maybe occasionally on a Wednesday evening or, or something like that, maybe, cuz I'm driving around and listening to some Christian music, while then you can come out and we'll talk, and have a good time. But other than that, I need you to stay out of my life. I need you to leave me alone. You go in your room and all go in my room. Turn it off. Spirit is not your roommate, spirit is your lord, and I say that in the sense that we use the word, the most not just here in church, but but if you're renting land, or renting a house, from a land lord, they set the parameters. They sent the least. They said, what is acceptable behavior? They control everything about it, such as the case with a spirit as he dwells in you as you live in him, understand the subordinate relationship that you have. He is the Lord. You Are just one who is fortunate enough blessed enough to have been invited to live with him. I love how Karen job's put says he or she really helps make sense of this. She wants to have God dwell within the believer and then the believer dwelling within God. It's not a reference to some mystical experience and that's what happens here when we get to these difficult sections of scripture, like what were in this morning, how can both of these things to be true where we are in Christ, and in the spirit and the spirit and Christ art. And I told him both of those things be true at the same time and since that difficult, well then we tend to think of it as more mystical and it's actually quite the opposite from that we're not just talking about some sort of mystical experience here at the fact that the believer partake of the eternal life that characterizes, God, you have to understand this that as you are in the spirit and the spirit is in you and you are in Christ and in crises in you Understand, then the environment that places you in? Your? Entire being must characterize the god in whom you live and who lives in you? This is heavy. Isn't it? This is not what the rest of the world is thinking about this morning, is it? And here it is early on a Sunday morning and we're already to a point where our head to hurt and even thinking about this hits hard work to be a Christian, his hard work to understand what it is that we've been called to partake and eternal life. Not just in the future, but right now. As we mutually and dwell with a Triune God. she goes on there for the Earthly life of the Christian should manifest the qualities of the eternal life that he or she has received uc4 as complicated and as he threw all as what the statement is there in a season in the spirit and in the father and he is in our very practically oriented, isn't it? Just explained to you not only how you ought to be behaving as a Christian, but why you want to be behaving that way? Intermutual. You dwelling with a Triune gone, there for your Earthly life. That's what you're going to do tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that, must mad about those qualities. Put it much more simply we're right up where we began you are different. You're different than the world out there. You're going to think differently and because you think differently you're going to act differently. He doesn't eminently practical. This affect everything about you. How you think, how you feel and what you do? Your intellect, your emotion, your volition. We've been talking about those three that's cry out of things that make each and everyone of us up. We've been talking about it now for several weeks at because it's completely affected by this relationship that we have with the Triune gone. But just work our way through the talk about thinking first. When you do your thinking in Christ, when you align your thoughts in him, Well, then his conclusions are going to be in you. You see how this works here and you on this side and Ham on this side, when you think and him, you will come to a conclusion that are of him. His conclusions will be in you when you base your feelings. In the Holy Spirit. Not just in the external circumstances that you happen to be going through at the moment. That's What Makes You Different. The whole rest of the world has their feelings set on these circumstances of the moment. That's, that's living in the flesh, but you're different. You're going to base your emotions and the spirit, and when you do that, then the spirits Joy will be in you. See how that works with you big, big friend motions in the spirits. His Joy will be in you when you wrote your actions in Christ, we talked about your thinking, we talked about your emotions when you're read your actions in Christ, you do things. According to the word of That's what it means to rip your action in Christ, for guess what? Price is going to be in you you will look like he done your life will manifest the Fruit of the Spirit. When we understand this relationship correctly, when we let this reality and develop everything about is the way. We think, the way we feel and the things that we do, no, we've already talked about how there really is, no analogy for this mutually and dwelling relationship. The water can beat in the glass with a glass, cannot bendy. And the water was no other analogy that I can come up with, that's going to help us understand how this relationship work. But thankfully, there's one I just didn't come up with it or Sager came up with it. He talks about the vine and the branches that you see, how on one hand of buying and the branches are representative of one thing, right? But you say, in this case, a grape vine, a grape vine has a Vine that has branches. That's one thing, but it's distinctly two things, isn't it? It's divine, and it's the branch. So, it's two things at one time. Jesus died on that vine. You are the branches. There's a distinction between him and not yet. Even though he is in us and we are burying him, there's still a distinction. There he goes on. If you remain in me and I remain in you, you see Paul wrote has a chapter of his letter to the Romans. He wasn't just making this up. As he whipped, he's taking what Jesus taught, not just what Jesus taught god, what the entire Old Testament. Upset about Jesus as well, and he's just summarizing it for us here in this chapter 6, this chapter. So important, Jesus had already sent it. He already took this out. It's both Jesus said, you need to remain in me and I need to remain in you. And when that happens, Jesus said you will bear much fruit. No, I won't make you make a show a hamster, but is there anybody who wants to live a life that there's no fruit at all in here? I don't think so, this this is wired into us to want to matter, isn't it? The Book of Ecclesiastes, again, it's another soggy gray afternoon. Great time to read Ecclesiastes and there's nothing else to do this afternoon. We're going to read that God has set eternity in your heart. You see, this is why so many people in this world, struggle. They are wired and created in such a way that their life has to matter. Because eternity has been set in our hearts But they don't know how to bear fruit. They don't know how to live a life of significance in the end of anything. That's lasting that Jesus says, this is how you do it. I'm going to remain in you and you remain in me and you will bear much fruit because apart from a Jesus said, you can do nothing. Is it? We're right back to us to where we were then at the end of a verse 7, the person who who lives in the flash or the mindset of the flesh. Cannot please gone. You're worthless, you'll never amount to anything. Not at all. What we want. We want to remain in Christ and Christ in Us in this mutually and dwelling relationship. You are in twice crisis and you, you are in the spirit, the spirit lives in you. And I know this is confusing. I know this is hard to wrap your mind around, but it's something that you need to be absolutely certain in your own life. I cannot be certain on your behalf. I cannot come to any of you and say, oh what? Well certainly I I've got this secret list in the office of those who are in Christ in the crisis in and then you're on that list, you're good. But this is something that you need to make sure of yourself. Anybody here who drives a commercial truck? Write your supposed to hit your supposed to. We don't always do it but you're supposed to go through a pre-trip inspection. Every time you take that thing up and there's a whole list of things that you need to go through. I need to make sure that it's in good safe, running condition, so that you can have a successful trip. This is what we're talking about here. When we talked about you being certain of your mutually and dwelling relationship with the Triune God, Before you do anything of any significance? Even getting up in the morning and going about your business. Do this pre-trip inspection. Make sure be certain that you are in this mutual and dwelling relationship as you begin a new day. Understand that Christ is in you and you are in Christ that the spirit is in you and this and that you were in the spirit. How can you do this? Will give you, give you two different ways here. First of all, we'll talk about the basic cuts. Again, if you're a truck driver, you probably have one of those short little baseball bats. Maybe you've seen them before they look just like a real baseball bat except they're only a couple of feet long and what they're designed for. When you go on the Dual right there on two tires, next to each other and you need to make sure that there's air in both of them. The problem is one of them could be flat but being held up by the other. So you can't just look at it until it's good. You hit the bat on that wheel and you can tell instantly when the tire's flat did, it doesn't spring back away but that needs to be fixed. That's a very basic test. To look, look at the basic cast for understanding if you are in this mutually and dwelling relationship. First of all, Do you get any of this? No, I'm not talking about all of the Mariah, the philosophical implications and Theological implications that this leads to I'm just talking about in general. Do you get the fact that there is no condemnation? For those are wearing Jesus Christ, you will look at those words and and Justine I said he'd no longer has over my sin because it's been paid for I got the basic tasks did you. You kept it. Do you want to learn more of it? Did you see what happened in that? Second chapter of Acts, he's 3,000 people who won, they were just going about their business. And the next date stuff, fully devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, I'm not just an hour a week learning about the Bible, not just even an hour and a half, be devoted. Every moment of their be too wanting to know more about the salvation that was just proclaimed. It to them, is that characterize you, that another basic tests are, are you curious? What it is? That you're being presented? Do you want to know more about it either of those two basic Catch You, you'd get what being told to you here even on a surface level and you want to know more about who you just hit the wheel with the tire and it bounced back. It's got air in it, you are a believer in Jesus Christ. That's the evidence of it. Fits the evidence that you've been regenerated that your mind has been opened. Your eyes have been opened to see the truth and you desperately want more of it. But we can get a hold of more of an in-depth test. It looking out. Paul puts this here. I never have liked how its Translate. if, if, if it seemed so conditional, it seemed so transitory offense, but something that may not last when we use that word if Now, we can. Just as accurately. Translate each one of those instances of the word, if with sense and it gets so much more Assurance of deaths since the spirit of God is living in you. Since Christ is in you, since the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you. The insurance, isn't it? And if you're curious about why I can be, so absolutely certain about that translation coming to my office afterwards and will geek out together on, how Greek work, will leave it to the side right now. So even though I am absolutely certain that that word can be translated as sense, If I was on one of these translation committees, I would throw my vote in for the f. Because this is a question. But we need to continually be asking continually not just not just being content with a basic test and slapping the wheel with the back. Now we need to dig deeply into it. This if there is not put there to make you constantly, wonder if you're actually included in the elect does not at all at all. Isn't ending hear what? He's intending here is to drive home, the importance of understanding that you need to make sure. There's nothing more important, then that you need to know if the spirit of God is living you. If price is in you, if the spirit of him who raised Jesus, from the dead is living in, you know, it for certain Daniel. Doryani explains how you can. He says this calls for self-examination. Do you set your mind on spiritual things? That's what we talked about last week. It's God's truth. A passing interest. What is ended up fighting concern? Do you give sustained attention to knowing and living by his truth as you're answering these questions? Positively? You can be assured of God's presence in your life and your present in him. Do you ask? What does God will do? Is the spirit leading me or are you so busy dissipating. Your energy on lesser thing. I know you all have important things to do this week. What is more important than ushering yourself of your inclusion in this? Mutual throwing relationship so that you can think feel and the way that you've been designed to do those things. Do you understand how much better your week is going to go having continually assured yourself of it?

You don't need to worry either, but the spirit will come and go in your life. Hey, Jesus says this to us. This is the promise he makes John 14th. I will ask the father and he will give you another Advocate. That's just one of the Bible's names for the Holy Spirit. He will give you another Advocate to help you. The be with you forever.

Children of God. This is the assurance that you have that having recognized the holy spirit in your life, before you can be certain that he will be with you forever. Even when you don't feel his presence, he's still there with you. This is what Jesus has promised to you. This is the evidence that you can rest upon when you have a loved one or a friend who you've seen the fruit of the spirit in before, but now is not acting in a way that's consistent with it. They seem to have stepped away from their mutually, inclusive relationship with the Triune God. But you can be assured that, that Triune God is still with them because of these kind of promises that Jesus gives to us. This Spirit of Truth is in you forever.

Jesus said the world cannot accept him because it neither sees him or knows him but you know him why when you know him because he lives with you and will be in you I am expecting that Paul is telling us here in Romans 8, isn't it what a promise? This is that Jesus has paid to us.

This difference does not diminish present frustration in your life. Borrowing these lines here from from JG done famous Theologian. He wrote this difference that we live in does not diminish present frustrations and actually it might even increase them Because you've seen the beauty of the truth, haven't you? But yet in this coming week, there's going to be trying, not just a time or two, but with lots of time to fall back into that old pattern and instead of submitting to Christ, you're going to submit to yourself to start to your sinful Human Nature. You're going to experience the consequences of sin and this Fallen World. Your own sin that doesn't just go away, even though you've been forgiven of it, and you're going to experience the consequences of other people's sin, that happens to affect you. That's not going to change. And if that you're only going to notice it more because you've seen the Blessed reality of the truth. Why is this? It is because your body is dead in sin. Your body is dead because of sin.

Hey, there's two or three parts of a depending on who you read and what you want to listen to as to what makes us up as a human being as an image bearer of gone. We certainly have a spiritual aspect but then we also have. And these are either one or two, depending on how you look at it. Both a mental and a physical being as well, right? We are not just Spiritual Beings, we are in Bonnie to be with, mental capacities and physical nature. And our mental capacity. And our physical bodies continue to die. What is at the end of your life, right? As you go, your body becomes more and more physically Dead. All of us who are getting older are experiencing that in one way or another and have Paul remind you hear that, that's not going to change. We often pray for healing and we've seen God miraculously healed people. Occasionally. He does that for us, but not ordinarily, ordinarily disease. Ravaged, our bodies the same as it does. Anybody else? And don't be surprised by that. Your body is dead because of sin.

Is he hears the amazing good news. But even though this difference does not diminish, your present frustrations and sometimes only makes them worse, this difference Make flight infinitely more. Bearable As you come to understand and mutually inclusive relationship, you have with the Triune God, even though your body still feels the ravages of send in some experience that more than others, that's just the way it is. You can bear it, infinitely better than somebody who is not in Christ. If Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. Who is righteousness? Certainly not your own. Certainly not Nia know, the righteousness of Christ that we have because we are in ants and he is an

You see we have a true hope. That he who raised Christ from the dead don't ever let those words get old to you. I mean, how many dozens and dozens, and dozens of Easter services, have you been to? And we sing by the fact that Christ. The Lord is risen today. I had me send that over and it just becomes another song that we sing at Easter. That hit you for a second. He raised from the dead Incredibles that same God with already proved just to put his his capability of doing. So his capacity for bringing the dead to life with no promise to give life. To your mortal bodies. Isn't this incredible? We talked about this last Sunday nights, that's because Jesus ate fish. What is silly little thing that he did after his resurrection? He ate fish proving that. It wasn't just a spiritual dose that Rose from that. Grave walked out of that too. It was a real physical body. Could eat and drink, and and processed food what a promise. This is what an assurance it is. That the one who raised Christ from the dead, what a way to refer to God, by the way, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give lie to your mortal body through his spirit that lives in you. But a blessed reality we have this confusing heavy subject of knowing that you and I are mutually and dwelling with a trying. Thank him for that.

Father in heaven, we will readily admit this morning. That we only have a slight grasp of what this means. This is beyond our ability to think. Even when you open our minds to this truth, we still can't fully wrap our head around it. The father we can live in this. We can live into this truth, although we don't understand it. Comprehensively, and we pray that we would do. So especially in this coming week, but not this week as we prepare for your supper. But every week of Our Lives, father, help us to think in price that we may come to his conclusions. Being a knot at the base are in motion's upon the spirit rather than the circumstances of this world. So that the spirits Joy can be in And father, help us to act the way that you would have us app with your word in US. So that the fruit of the spirit might be evident in us all of this. Father, we pray in Jesus name, amen.