10/04/26 AM

Want me to have you here this morning. Your bibles are instantly springing open at this points to page 1757 because that's the page to which they've sprung open tune out for several weeks, in a row. For those of you who are just joining us here this morning, maybe for the first time in a while or for the first time ever we are going through what I would consider to be the most important chapter in all of scripture. Now we hold all of God's words to be important. We hold all of them to be inspired by the Holy Spirit to be in errant, that is without error and infallible. That is unfailing in their ability to properly and fully communicate the grace of Jesus Christ. But we understand. Not, each of those words has equal value in doing. So, however, these words in the 8th chapter of Romans form a summary of sorts, not just of the book of Romans, which is highly important in and of itself, but really, of the entire Bible. So we've been working our way through it for several weeks. Now, that brings us up to verse 12 Agent. Notice there about verse 12 is its opening word. Therefore, That ought to trigger a bit of a red flag to you as you read because that's a poor place to start with the word therefore because that should cause you to ask a question. Anytime you see the word therefore you need to ask yourself, what's that there for, what is it? That's being summarized, and being responded to what that does to us as readers. It causes us to back up a little bit but then back up to the beginning there of chapter 8 and we noticed that begins with that same exact therefore in other words, so many ideas and Concepts and theology is being brought together here in these summary statement. If you really want to know what this summary statement is all about, let's go back to the all-important, third chapter here of the book of Romans, know, we often talked about the need to be ready at any time to be able to present the gospel in a minute or less than. And the reason that we practice at reminder, sell debit too often is because, as simple as that sounded, really, really hard to do. Because all of these ideas that we've learned throughout the years, they all flood between our ears all at once and tell her to get jammed in there and, and no word end up coming out. Romans chapter, 3, verses, 23 and 24. Or just it's just such a good verse to have memorized, because this is what the gospel is all about. All have of course, send many of you already have this memorized. If you don't, you really should all of us, have sinned. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. However, we are Justified made just as if we had never send and just as if we had always obeyed, that's what Justified means. We are justified by his grace as a gift. And as you're writing, that work gift down. If you're taking note, I want you to Circle it, maybe put a couple of stars behind because that's going to be very, very critical to understand what the Lord is going to lay before us. Today we are justified by his grace as a gift through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And tell that there for is why there is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ, why? Because through Christ Jesus, the law of the spirit who gives life has set you free. Again, another very important concept to understand as we approach verse 12 here this morning you have been set free because there is no longer, there is no longer any condemnation for you. You've been set free from the law of sin and death. Last week week, we were reminded of the presence of the spirit in our lives. The fact that we mutually and dwell in both the Holy Spirit and in Christ and they indwell, and I. Until we were reminded that since 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. Another big glue that's going to help us with what we have to unpack here this morning. This is not just something that's spiritual for us. It's eminently practical. Certainly it transformed, Our Lives spiritually, but we're going to see once again this morning that it's not just our spiritual aspect, is not just a mental aspect. Its comprehensive over every aspect of Our Lives. Even our mortal bodies are given life. That brings us into our second there for And it's there that are passage begins. Romans chapter 8, verses 12 and 13, if they will. Why don't you just go ahead and put that on the screen as well? Certainly, we have the technology to do that, but it's because it's so good for you to have this book open that we read our texts from it, because we want you to experience God's way in every way that you can, we want you to see it up here on the screen, but we also want to have you see it right in front of you? We were why you be able to touch it. Cuz your finger Trace is over these words, may be. As you teach one of your young children, how to read it because words are so, vitally important that we want you to see it if I hear it and he wouldn't feel it as the spirit proclaims them to you. All of that brings us to our text here. Romans chapter 8, beginning at verse 12 here. Now the word of the Lord There are four brothers. We have an obligation to the sinful nature to live according to it for if you live. According to the sinful nature, you will die. but if by the spirit, you put to death to Misty's of the body, you will live I'll go ahead and finish the sentence here, but our test is going to come to an end at verse 13. You will live because those who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God. Thank God for these amazing worth.

Father in Heaven, as we have read, through this amazing chapter of the Bible has these last few weeks. Nearly all of the word that we have read, have been about what you have done for us. How it is that through your Sovereign Grace? We have been Freed from the condemnation that our sins rightfully deserve because of what Jesus Christ did in our place. But our father, as we continue to read your word, we're going to see that the emphasis changes a bit. Certainly, it's still about what you have done for us. But as we come to understand what our obligation is in return. Now butter please take whatever, preconceived ideas we have in our minds out. Help fill our thoughts with only what comes from your word. And we pray that you would lead and guide us to know what it is that we are being told here in these very important versus today. All of this. We pray in Jesus name, amen.

What, let's begin with the announcement. Hear that you are in that you were in debt. That's how the passage begins here today or brothers. We have an obligation does the word that's being used? Here is a very unique word in the New Testament. That doesn't get used very often at some of your apples. If you have a different version have already translated that word, obligation into debt, others, like rnib that were using. The day goes, with this word obligation. It's a great choice, but it's also the word that Jesus used that you're very familiar with. As you pray, the Lord's Prayer where we pray that God would forgive our debts as we forgive those who have that's against us. The same exact words that's being used. So how did you hear about the word that this is not a word of that? We are real comfortable with is it? This is not a word that inspires any sort of Good Feeling in anybody. None of us like that. All of us here have been in debt at some point in our lives, many of his here, continue to be dead as like this growing monster to be very careful with in your life. But but we get buried by to begins to control us because we have to make that payment every month for our car, for our house, for credit card. Even that's get out of hand because of one reason or another, this monster begins to eat your freedom. I am. So what I'm going to tell you next is going to be quite surprising to you and it's going to make you think about debt, maybe in a way that you've never thought about it before. But what I want you to understand that what I want you to understand what this text is calling you to understand is that this debt that you and I are in because of what Christ has done for us. This debt is actually the best news that you will ever hear that you are in debt. Not really. If you wanted to summarize the summary chapter, the Saints chapter of Roman, you can summarize it. And just a few words by by saying, this gives us instructions for living in the freedom that has been one for us by Christ. That's what Romans 8 is all about it. So it seems kind of contradictory then to be thinking about freedom, on the one hand. But then the way that you would pain that freedom is by taking on this debt, but that's exactly what we're going to see here this morning that in order to live in the freedom that Christ is one for you. All you have to realize the debt that you've been placed in. You are in debt. Why is that? Well, let's be very, very clear here about this debt. That it does not come to you because the grades that you've been given needs to be repaid. A quite the opposite. That's why I had you Circle that we're gifted are as we were doing in the blanks to Romans chapter 3, verses, 23, and 24. After all, it would not be grace that you've been given. If you were required to make good upon it with it, that's not what Grace is made. So, still specifically clear to us there in that third chapter, got that Grace is nothing. But again In fact, if you did need to repay it you never caught and never caught. So that's not the death that you and I have been placed in as we live our lives in Jesus Christ. Actually, this debt is a mechanism by which we maintain our freedom put another way. If you have this debt you most certainly would fall away from the Grays that you've been. Given this debt then is the way that God bind you to his grace, the way that he hold onto you in such a way that we're going to read here in a few weeks, at the end of this chapter in such a way that he will never ever let go of you. What is the debt that forms the mechanism that keeps you free? Cuz that's what this chapter is all about, isn't it? What we read earlier that there is now no condemnation and when we talked about that several weeks ago, we we we described it as if it was a courtroom and you were sitting there as a defendant who has been charged with sin and the evidence that the prosecutor present is overwhelming. And in other words, there's no way that that any juror that any judge would look at this evidence in our lives and conclude you know that man, that woman is not a sinner. I've never done anything wrong to deserve the wrath of God. They can be dismissed from the courtroom. It's actually quite the opposite, isn't it? We are so abundantly guilty. The fact that we've been set, free doesn't mean that suddenly, you're not guilty of all of these sins that you've committed. It just simply means that you are no longer condemned. On the sentence is red. For the conviction that you deserve of your sins that sentence is death, scripture is very, very clear about that. We could go back to the 6 chapter of Romans there, the 23rd verse again, where we read that, the wages of our sense, what we deserve is, nothing but death, But you've been set free from that condemnation. But it's very, very important for us to understand that although you have been set free from that condemnation, you have not been given a license to live as you please.

You see what's so ironic here is that this debt comes as the result of being set. Free, Romans 6, verse 22. Now that you have been set free from sin, isn't that good news? You have been set free from sin to pay, you've become slaves of God, Maybe you're thinking, I'd like to kind of hang out in that liminal space, there between those two things. Haven't been set free from the sand. On the one hand that sounds really, really good, but I don't know yet that I'm ready to be a slave of God. I would just like to live on my own here for a few moments. A few days, a few decades or maybe my entire lifetime. That's not an option for you to understand that, this is a very binary choice that you have before you. You can live as a slave to sin. You can link to a slave as a slave to God. There is no middle ground because the benefit you reap now from being a slave to God lead holiness. What is it? That you need more than anything else in order to live at peace with God. So yeah, I need to be holy, I need perfect righteousness and you're given that perfect righteousness on one hand through the blood of Jesus Christ. You've been Justified. Close corollary to that is this doctrine that we call sanctification. Justification happens all at once. You have been declared to be free from condemnation that's what that's what justification is sanctification. Is this lifelong process were more and more you and your life. Look more and more like Christ. But see, here's the thing. Just as justification is not optional. If you want to be at peace with God, neither is sanctification. The two of them are both. Completely necessary. You cannot not be justified and you cannot not live a life of sanctification. They're both absolutely necessary sake of occasional lecture. The problem is is we treat it as such. All I know, I've been Justified. I was reminded of that on Sunday but I have a really busy week and I'm going to have to set my sanctification aside so that I can get all of that stuff done. I'll never lose my justification but I can wait with my sanctification know you can't that's not an option that's that's been given to you. You're a slave of God and the benefit that you read from that leads to the Holiness. That's required of you to be at peace with him. The results of that holiness. Which is all by God's grace. Is eternal life. God's grip. This behind your justification is Grace's behind your sanctification because you now belong to God. That's why you're in debt. Again, this is contrary to us as Americans. We don't want to believe that we belong to anybody. That's really interesting listening to Kamala speak this morning. She's going to be going as a missionary to Estonia, which is a country, that maybe you've never heard of before, but it was a country that was part of the Soviet Bloc the gained its independence not that long ago in 1991, but there was a protest that was going on there. The last time that you went to visit and this protest was against some socialist policies that were being introduced there and the people had had enough of it, they didn't want their government dictating these things for their life anymore. So they're coming into the same sort of mindset that we have As Americans that we just want to be on our own independence, will take care of ourselves. Thank you very much. We don't need anybody's help and we certainly don't want to belong to somebody else. Do you see how grading this is for us? But yet this is where our freedom lies, people, the fact that you and I are in that because we belong to God. That can be such crushing mode for people. Isn't that if you've experienced that, maybe you are now. You know what that feels like? But what we're coming to understand here, looking at this debt, not enough financial sense. That is a crushing thing that you need to avoid with everything that you have. But this spiritual jack is not a crushing load up on you. It's actually your greatest comfort. Maybe you'll recognize this question comes at the beginning of what we call a catechism. A catechism is just a summary of what it is that we believe and it comes in a question-and-answer format. First question, and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism is very familiar. Many of you here, probably have it. Memorized what is your only comfort in life and in death? Is it the fact that your Independence that you are free that? Nobody can tell you what to do but you live life on your own in your own strike? No, of course not, that's not your comfort. Your comfort is that you are not your own but that you both along both in body and soul, and life and in death to your faithful. Saviour, Jesus Christ. Do you see how this day? The slavery to God. Even as his Paul put it in the 6, chapter is really the most comforting thing that you have. Do you see that how this debt is obligation that you and I have been given for the Salvation that we have in Jesus Christ that's an obligation than is the most free thing that you have. This debt is good news. What we've looked at why were in debt now? We need to answer a very important question. What exactly are we in debt to? What are we in debt to? Paw, Paw makes clear what were not in debt to. We're no longer in debt to sark's. There's another word that many of you are just going to recognize right off the bat because we talked about starts so often others of your like I've never heard of that before. What's he talkin about? Starks is just simply the Greek word there for Flash, for our Earthly, sinful nature, Paul use of the word starts and then that were just has a has a feel to it until I like like somebody who's his kind of dare with you all of the time trying to pull you back into the sin and into the despair. That Christ lifted, you out of until we talk about sark's here often this sinful human nature as that's that's inside of us all but you're no longer obligated to sark's here. This is good news as well, isn't it? You do have an obligation but it's not to start says not to your flesh, it's not too. As the NIV put it here to your sinful nature to live according to

I mean what are we obligated to Paul tells us very clearly what we're not obligated to but he really doesn't tell us what it is that we are obligated to. Do you see that versus that we read you say well maybe it's in one of the subsequent verses that come here between now and the end of Romans chapter right now you're not going to find it there. Paul does not list here. What it is that we are obligated to Don't worry. We're going to get an answer to that question before we're done here this morning right now. We just need to understand that you and I are in debt, and we're in debt, not just for a term, like what it is when you buy a car for so many months or, or buy a house for 30 years or whatever the case is, no, this is a debt that you will be in for eternity. And that doesn't sound very good, but it's actually the best thing in your life because you are in debt to God, you are obligated to him for what he has done for you, and it's through that obligation that he holds you securely in his hand. No understand that fulfilled him this debt. However it isn't a matter of life or death. Do I know when you see a bullet point like that it sounds Sensational, doesn't it? It just sounds like it's a bit of clickbait to try to capture your attention, may be overstating. The case of its, I promise that, that's not what this is. You need to know that, sorry, it's your sinful. Human nature will kill you. That's just not something that I think on my own. That's exactly what Paul says here. If you live according to sucks, if you live, according to the sinful nature, you will die. That's how serious this is.

That's why it's so important for us to warn centers about the predicament that their sin has placed them in. Let's go back to chapter 6 once again, this time, a 20 and 21, he see when you were a slave to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. And that sounds pretty good, doesn't it? We live free from the control of anything. We want to just live according to our own terms and impulses here. Well that's actually being a slave to send that's the way things are for people who are slaves to send this. We we look at what God has commanded to us. For those who have been set free from that slavery and we see the beauty in it. We see the value of living according to God's law and it makes so much sense to us. It doesn't make sense at all to them because they're free from that control, they could care less about what their creator has said. And how it is that he's directed us to live there, free from that control. But what benefit do? They reap from the things that cause shame. Maybe you've experienced that in your life and you think back on those things that you did, those things that you thought were going to bring you freedom and it turns out it brought you quite the opposite. Didn't it benefited nothing from living that way because those things result in death, Obviously it's not sudden death obviously, once we get our hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar, we don't just drop dead, but that's not what Paul says. Here isn't Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit. He doesn't say you're going to instantly. You said living about way, living apart, from the law of God living depending upon nobody. But yourself and certainly not the righteousness of Christ Coleman. Ate it results in gas.

And you have so many of your friends right now, maybe even relative of yours that are telling you the best way to love somebody is to just let them remain in their sin, just let them be themselves. Just let them live free from the control of righteousness because it's so stymieing. Do you understand what they're doing to them? They're just letting them go to their death. That's why it is that we remain. So vigilant for the law of God and that vigilance it mustn't start with you being vigilant about somebody else's life Vigilant about your own. Because you will die. If you don't tell serious, this is, you been set free from this many of you here, myself. I don't remember the moment in my life where I didn't know who Jesus is. I have the blessing of being brought up in a home in, and out of school, and in her Church community, were from the youngest time in my life, I was just like the kids in the Sunday School room this morning, singing at the top of their lungs to Jesus. I don't remember what it was like to be a slave to sin. Maybe you don't either. That's describes, many of us, doesn't it? But yet, Starks is still at work. Can you you still at working me he's trying to drag us back into this death. In which he wants us to have it. So he begins to warp. Are thinking what everybody else is doing it? Their hat is in the cookie jar. They're not dropping dead. It's not going to hurt for me to do that as well. And we begin to to twist our thinking and it turning, what is good into a Temptation and vice-versa? What the Temptation into something good. And we begin to tell ourselves a little eye. I deserve this, I deserve to take a break from my righteousness for just a moment then and live the way that I want to live, this is what sharks is doing to you, trying to drag you back into death. But that's not the worst that he's doing to you. The worst is he is flooding Our Lives. With good thing. Running our lives with good thing things that were spending. Our money upon what you're all good in and of themselves activities that were taking part of which are good in and out themselves. And he's giving us so many of these good thing that we become so buried in them. Do we become slaves to them to maintaining these good things to continue to fulfill our obligations that we have to be a good thing that we no longer have the time or even the desire, then to be slaves of God and whom we've been set free and see what starts is doing to us. Even giving us good. Thanks, those things result in death because starex will kill you, understand how serious? This is, that means you're in a kill-or-be-killed situation that mean that you must kill to live to see the logic that's at work here. What Paul says, if by the spirit you put to death, you kill the misdeeds of your body, you will live. Three important what Paul has done here. He's not talking about again, something that's just sort of abstract and out there anymore. He's not talking about your mindset at this point because important as your mindset is, we talked about that several weeks ago, now that how we have is spirit-led mindset, makes us different than everybody else. Now he's talking about your body. He is not talking about your flesh at this when he's talking about your, but he's talking about everything about you, not just your mind, not just your soul, not just your spirit, he's talking about everything in your life when he talks about your body.

You will live. If you put it to death means you're going to live eternally. That's what gives us hope isn't it? But it also means that you can live this blessed life. Now that bond is created you for how often don't we? Look at her. All of the Bible point is to it. That's what the Psalms point is to, to living a blessed life. That's how the songs begin. That's how Jesus begin to the ministry with The Sermon, on the Mount, by giving people to be attitude. Blessed are those happy fulfilled? This is a life that God wants for you. It certainly looks different than the blessed life that we often think it ought to look like but you have been saved to live a blessed life. You will live Both now. And in eternity, if you put to death in this deed of the body, how do you do this? How do you do this? Put put the death of the Mysteries of the body that sound. So violent, doesn't it? It is itself, flagellation every time that you get your hand stuck in that cookie jar. Again, you just push your self-doubts farther and farther, maybe physically may be mentally, your your self-image of yourself as turn to nothing and now because you've punished yourself so walking for continuing to fall into sin, is that how you put to death the misdeeds of the body? Is it by giving some sort of continual Penance, always offering something to the Lord of Hill. Just set you free from this spinning addiction and sometimes you make good on those promises and sometimes you don't but you've already figured out that you can't offer. Enough Penance can you? You can't fully pay that debt until it just pushes you down, even further. Others try a life of deprivation. You think of the monks of old, would separate themselves from society taken a vow of silence or poverty, so that they might not fall into sin more modern Lee. We have neighbors Hooter rights and Mennonites, and Amish people who have deprived themselves of The Temptations of the modern world to that. They might not send, but that doesn't work. Either doesn't want. You get to know those people. How is it that we can do this? What we need to understand is that killing the misdeeds of your body? The best way to do that is by coming to New Life till the misuse of your body by coming to New Life. I think you can't do this on your own. You must do it by the spirit, are not called to put the misdeeds of your body to death on your own. You do it by the spirit.

That's why verse 11 that we read last week is so important. If the spirit of him who raised Jesus, from the dead is living in, you than he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to what to your mortal body. Right Here. And Now Because the spirit lives in you and you live in him. I don't know what you're talkin about a mindset. We're not just talking about repentance here at this point are, as important as what repentance is where we begin to think differently. A mind. That is not about how we think, it's about every aspect of our lives. This is pervasive over everything. It's about your body, your mind, and your soul. Spirit giving life to what you're putting to death. You see how these two things working concerts you are, putting your sin to death. And as you do that the spirit is giving you new life. That's simultaneously. That's why we often sing this song, Phil down my life for Lord. My God, can every part with praise that, my whole being not just my spirit, not just my mind, my entire body May Proclaim, your being and your ways. I'm not just doing this for the lip appraisal own Arena, praising heart. Even though those things are important or asking for a life made up of prey every part So shall each beer, each rack each care be turned into a song. And every winding of the way, the echo that is of what the spirit has done for you, as he fills you, with life, as you put the death of misdeeds of your body that Echo. She'll be prolonged. So, she'll know, part of day or night from sacredness be free, but all my life and every step he fellowship with thee,

The best way to. Kill the misdeeds of the body is by coming to New Life. Is he? It's important for you to know that Paul does specify what this obligation is that Dash, mark, that I have there in red that you can see it and are not to miss that we often, just skip right over punctuation like that. But that happens to be one of the most important punctuation marks and all of scripture, you see what's going on here? Is Paul is telling us that we have an obligation but I want to tell you about something else. First, I want to tell you about how dangerous it is for you to keep living in the flesh. I want you to understand this. We're going to look at next week. What it means to be an adopted son of God. And I want you to understand how God will always have you in his hand, all those on for three chapters. Now, give me. What I would consider to be the most important Theology and all its scripture between Romans chapter 8, and the end of Romans chapter 11, all of it. Comes behind this Dash mark. In other words, all of it as somewhat of a rabbit Trail. And he comes back to this important concept of the deck that we have at the beginning of chapter 12. We are called to offer our body. Is that word again offer our bodies as a Living Sacrifice. Turn up there again, is the word therefore because all of this massively important theology is true in view of that Mercy offer your bodies as a Living, Sacrifice to God, and then not a sacrifice someday a Living Sacrifice. Now, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship. Really? Your logical act of worship. It's the best way for you to kill the misdeeds of your body. By not killing it, all in a sense, if I living in to turn living into this obligation is. That we have to live in Christ. to do that, duet offer more of your body, you have an opportunity tomorrow when you go to work to offer your work, as a sacrifice of praise to the Lord, those of you who are retired, Offer your retirement as a Living, Sacrifice to God, holy and pleasing the sports that you play this week. The recreation that you take part in your family, your home. What does it mean for us to the church? How can we do this more offer our church as a Living Sacrifice? This is what we are being called to do. This is our worship. Is it as good news, this deck, this Everlasting that brings two things that all people want. It brings us assurance. And it brings us a sense of purpose. It's just amazing how many people are going through life with no sense of purpose. And you've been given the sense of purpose, you know? Well but opening line of the Heidelberg Catechism that I am not my own but I have a long and bonding and soul in life and in death, my faithful Savior. Jesus Christ, you may not know as well. The final paragraph of that answer it goes this way because I belong to him and after this morning, we could rephrase this lightly. Couldn't we? Because we're in debt because we have an obligation to him. That's what it means to belong to God, because I belong to him Christ by his holy spirit, Usher's me eternal life. There's that insurance that you need to have. You can be absolutely assured. That your salvation has been one for you by Christ but it doesn't stop there. You are now made wholeheartedly. Wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him that purpose that gives you something that nobody else out. There has people who are just floating through life with no purpose whatsoever you have a purpose because you belong to him, you live for him because you are in debt, you have an obligation and the more you pay this obligation, the more life you're going to come into. I can't give you a better deal than that. Let's thank God for it. Father in heaven.

You owed us nothing except for death, that's what our sins deserve. Yeah, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, you pronounced over us that there would be no condemnation for what we were unable to do you through your son did on our behalf. We thank you for that. I thought of this morning, we thank you but you didn't just save us and let us go off on our own once again. No, you put us eternally in debt to you. You gave us an obligation. Your father is as we fulfill this obligation that we live life to the fullest, but was here in this world and in this coming week and in the world to come. By the way, thank you for that. Help us to be reminded of this all week long. That we live for you. All of this. We pray now in Jesus name, amen.