Ministry of the Spirit
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Living in the Spirit
Living in the Spirit
Analytical Exposition of the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans B. Sanctification Is the Evidence of Justification (Chapter 8:5–17)
The subject of that division of the doctrinal part of the epistle, in the exposition of which we are engaged, is substantially this proposition, “The righteousness of God”—i.e., the Divine method of justification, originating entirely in the free grace of God, based entirely on the atonement of Christ, and suspended, as to the communication of its blessings, not on working but on believing—so far from having a sinister influence on the interests of true holiness, is the only means by which true holiness can be produced, promoted, and perfected, in human nature.
Fortunately, being a Christian is not a test, yes we are tried and tested to see where we stand and how we persevere.
There is no test, there is no pass-fail, there is no cheating your way to a relationship with God.
Why then is EVERYONE not a follower of Christ.
If what is Christ is selling is true then we get eternity with him. If it is false then you get the same result as your natural man would have gotten all along.
So why not follow Christ. You have eternity waiting for you. An eternity in Heaven vs. Hell
When I realized some of these things
Jesus was probably my Savior, I had learned that as a kid going to Mass and CCD each week.
Up to that point he was NOT my Lord, and I was not sure that I wanted him to be my Lord. I was having fun in some of the darker areas of my life. - I gave him my life that day. He became my Lord and My Savior.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
[who walk not according to the flesh (but according to the Spirit)]
Paul was a genius. In the first two verses of this chapter he sets up a parallel.
Paul was a genius. In the first two verses of this chapter he sets up a parallel.
“because through Christ Jesus the Law of the Spirit, who gives life, has set you free .”
“from the law of sin and death.”
Here is my question…we have 60 or so adults in this room, my guess is that we have 50 or more answers posed in those questions… “The Law of the Spirit” vs. “Law of sin and death.”
Let’s see if we can clean this up a little bit in your mind today.
We don’t have to wait long as powerless people with weak flesh to understand what God did. Because Christ was condemned we were not.
How was this “no condemnation” won pulling us from the clutches of satan?
For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,
The law would have met all of the needs of the people and would have honored God… IF it could have been followed
In the temple system of the Old Testament, sin was atoned for or covered when the Priest went behind the curtain and spilled blood on the altar as a covering.
22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Heb 9.222
Christ, once for all shed all of the blood necessary to cover all of sin of world past, present, and future. Christ was the sin offering.
22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Christ, once for all shed all of the blood necessary to cover all of sin of world past, present, and future. Christ was the sin offering.
He once for all answered all of the meaningless ritual in the law. He replaced it with this.
Romans
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.
“Those who live in the accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” —
What does the Spirit desire? How do we know what the Spirit desires?
Once again, I think with 60 people here there are at least 50 different answers or variations.
OK we have gotten here…we can begin the message for this week. Can someone reset the 30 minute clock beginning NOW!!
We have gotten to the place of understanding, I hope, about condemnation, death without living in Christ. With Christ you are alive, without Christ you are dead in your trespasses
If you have been with us more than a couple of Sunday’s you hopefully now how difficult it is for me to say these words...
I never want to say that someone is dead, and remains dead and will never taste the sweetness of the fellowship with Christ and his people.
I am a GRACE person, I have been treated Gracefully by my God, my wife, my family, by this church
NO ONE is to far from God to call on his name and be saved, like I was. I was far away and was saved and you too can be.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
There is only one way to be saved
Now for this mystery of how to live “by the Spirit”
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.
#1 If you are not in the realm of the flesh…but in the realm of the Spirit.
The two cannot exist together…once you leave the realm of the flesh and choose the “Spirit of Christ” you belong to Christ.
OK…a little bit clearer
Lets move on...
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 if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8
#2 “The Spirit of him who raised Jesus” well this must be the Holy Spirit…will also give life to your mortal bodies.
#2 “The Spirit of him who raised Jesus” well this must be the Holy Spirit…will also give life to your mortal bodies.
What…you and I know many very fine, live by the Spirit people who have died! Paul says, God will also “give life to your mortal body.”
In my world this is the promise of promises!! O death you did NOT have victory over Jesus and you will NOT have victory over me…because I live in the Spirit.
There is a Hope, a faith that we have that on that day, prophesied in scripture when the end comes in preparation for that 1000 year reign. We too will rise from the dead to inhabit a new kingdom, a new earth, with new perfected bodies to reign with The Lord himself.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
#3 “Therefore” is always a clue in scripture… what is the there for? It is a summation clue. Paul is summarizing where we have been so far.
This one is not long and complex...
We, Paul, and you and I have an obligation…it’s not to the flesh…it is to the Spirit.
Here is a clue that further explains this “there for” found in this verse
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Gal 5.24
There is a couple of hints here about spiritual living… don’t become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
In verse 15-17 we get the best picture in this passage…What should we do???
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Romans
[Sometimes in our human failings, we didn’t have a “Daddy” relationship with our human father or children. If you did not, let God draw you into a relationship with himself where he can be your “Daddy.”]
You are no longer a slave
You no longer have to live in fear
You are adopted…you are a son or daughter
He is our “Abba” Father… Our “Daddy”
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
The Holy Spirit joins our spirit and confirms in our hearts that we have a new family…we are in God’s family, we are his child.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
We are children, heirs, heirs of God.
I never really understood…heir until I moved to Central WA. That concept is VERY important here. Legacy, lasting imprint, this is my father’s farm, this is my families homestead since the late 1890’s. And many other
Being an heir in Christ is so much MORE important than any of these!!!
True confessions…if you didn’t get your answer what it meant to fully and completely “Live in the Spirit” we, collectively” all of us are continuing to work this out…each and every day. What it means, how do we do it, how do we live in community, how do we treat each other, how do we treat other Christians (even if they are different than we are), and probably the most important question...
How do we treat non-Christians, how do we treat those brother and sisters who have fallen into sin and not yet repented. It one thing to live in our own little world that we can say that we live in the Spirit then life gets in the way, and our work, our families, our friends, our neighbors come knocking at our door and then we are challenged with every step living “In the Spirit.”