Life by the Holy Spirit
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Intro
Intro
Last week I started a new sermon series through the book of Romans and specifically looking at Romans chapter 8,
And last week be began looking at the topic of our salvation, understanding salvation is never the work of man, no it is always and only the Work of God through His grace extended to our lives.
Jesus came and born our sin upon himself that we might be free, the prophet Isaiah says By His stripes we are healed…
How wonderful is that my friends!
But today, Paul is contrasting life by the world, or life by the Spirit...
When you consider the world Paul is ministering in, there were lots of divisions among the people in regard to their thought and practice. Philosophers urged people to empty their mind and thoughts in regard to the world around them. The world they taught was temporal. Instead they were to find the true meaning of life. What really matters.
The Jewish people divided everything into two groups, Jew and Gentile, those with the promise and those without… They placed all that was important to them on the fact that they were God’s chosen… everyone else, well they were cut off… separated.
But here, Paul is contrasting life by Spirit and life by the temporal…the flesh.
Now today we are going to move on and looking at our next passage in the book of Romans, still chapter 8 of course but this time we will be examining verses 5-13.
So lets read the passage together, I hope you brought your Bibles today...
So lets read the passage together, I hope you brought your Bibles today...
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
A powerful message Paul communicates in this passage… so lets being and let me start by asking you a question...
1. Where is your Heart and Mind Focused On....
1. Where is your Heart and Mind Focused On....
if there is one point of view that seems to always block and hinder the growth of our spiritual man, our walk with Christ, it is our attraction to the world and to the things of the world.
It is the one thing that can steal us away.. the lure of what’s bigger, better and so on… it always does...
Let me share an example.... You find yourself watching something on TV or perhaps you’re reading a article in a magazine… Doesn’t matter how it comes about, but it distracts you from what you know is right or wrong. And you think for a moment, its not bad, its not hurting me, let it go… and suddenly you have had a polar shift from one area to the next.. You have let your guard done on that particular issue or point.
Here goes: have you ever gone in to a store to shop and you see something that catches your eye, maybe a new fancy coffee pot , Your curious, perhaps you didn’t need it, but you run into a person, they demonstrate it and suddenly, you have it in your hands and out the door you go.
I’m not saying it is a bad purchase, what I am saying it is easy for us to be lured into by newer, bigger or better than what we have… when what we have works just fine…
That is why we must be so careful, for the natural mind, the flesh can easy be distracted and its possible at that point to be lured into something wrong.
Look at verses 5-7
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
Paul makes it clear that there are two clear and opposite forces here.
Those things which are by the flesh and the other by the Spirit. One leads to life and the other, death.
Those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the flesh. A persons thoughts are shaped by their nature, by their actions.
Paul is warning them, those believers there because it will be easy for them to be lured away if they are not diligent in their actions and thoughts.
Listen to the words Paul addressed to the church at Philippi..
19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
And the outcome of being fleshly minded is death… it never glorifies God or honors Him.
In fact if you just go one verse forward to verse 8.. we see a pretty self explanatory description of life following the flesh.
But there is a great contrast here in the passage, verse 6b
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
No matter what you do, a heart that is set on the flesh
English Standard Version Chapter 8
but to set the mind on the Spirit T] is life and peace.
But there is a great contrast here in the passage, verse 6b
“...but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
To set you mind on the Spirit is to set your mind on God and godly things, which brings life… The Greek word here, Zoe… is referring to the best possible life, physical life.
And that is what is exactly what Jesus promised. “....I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” -
The next word, peace refers to the blessing of peace, His peace will reside upon our life. And this speaks to what Paul has already side in verse 2, that we looked at last week.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
So I guess the best question, what is your mind, your heart focused upon? Why do you chase after those things?
Now what do you truly desire to do? What stands in your way for life?
Now lets prepare to move on to the next thought....
2. The Spirit Brings Life...
2. The Spirit Brings Life...
The most beautiful work of the Holy Spirit is the life He brings to each believers life as they walk according to His leadership in their lives. As He leads, we are called to follow...
So how does this happen… well lets listen to Paul as we speaks to the believers at Rome
Lets look at verse 9-11
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Being a born again believer says that you are not in the flesh, but the Spirit. You see the moment a person confesses their sin, humbles themselves as calls out to God for forgiveness and salvation, they are saved.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Being saved, you have received the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
Paul makes this abundantly clear in verse 9. You, the believers at Rome, and it can speak to us as well. You are not in the flesh, instead you are in the Spirit.
You are saved< Jesus came into your heart and the Spirit filled you…is indwelling you.
Let me share with you...
3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
And since our life is hidden in His, we live by faith and the Holy Spirit works in us to make us more like Christ, He works in us to change us, to make us more righteous.
Jonathan Edwards, the great theologian of the first great awakening said this...
“The Holy Spirit, in his indwelling, his influence and fruits, is the sum of all
the grace, holiness, comfort and joy.”
Even though the body was once dead in its trespasses and sins, in Christ, the Spirit has made us alive, in fact the Spirit is life because of righteousness, as mentioned at the end of verse 10.
The righteousness we have received, is that Christ has imputed righteousness to us through His sacrificial death on the cross, whereby He took my sin upon His own body. He took our punishment so that our sin has been made right, the charges against us dropped and we were seen as Righteous and justified in front of God.
And at the moment of our conversion, He came into us, indwelling us and now we enjoy the new life of the Spirit. And His Spirit has sealed us unto the day of redemption, . and He is our deposit of what is to come, .
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
How wonderful it is that He is with us
And His Spirit has sealed us into the day of redemption, Ephesians 4:30
ephesians 4”30
The Spirit brings life because the Spirit is life....
Listen to the words at
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
And here is a great truth my friends Without the Holy Spirit inside of us, there can be no assurance of salvation. There is only death without Him.
Do you have the Holy Spirit in your life? Are you a born again child of God?
Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to lead your life?
Now lets consider this one last thought my friends. If your heart and mind are focused on life and not death, the things of God and not the world, and if we know the Spirit brings life...
Then we are called to live according to the Spirit....
3. Live According to the Spirit....
3. Live According to the Spirit....
If there is any one truth I recognize about our salvation and the preceeding work of the Holy Spirit, it is this, It is not my work. its His work. I am forever grateful that God did such a great work in our life, one that I can never repay.
In fact the Scriptures reminds me “I am a debtor to His salvation and grace....” Listen to Paul as He explains this....
Verses 12-13
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
So we are debtors to the work of the Holy Spirit, for He is the one who called you and convicted you of sin, to show us the need of a Savior. And he did so not for sin, the flesh to have dominion over us, no… but so the Spirit would have dominion in our lives and with it the Spirit brings us life.
Our obligation is no longer to fall by the way of sin, but to walk in His grace and mercy each and every day.
Listen my friends, sin doesn’t have to control us, persuade us or lure us away, no, not at all, Paul says this in Romans 6:14
14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
His grace has given us the advantage, sin doesn’t have to rule over us.. … listen my friends , I love this.. Greater is He that is in You than he that is in the world. - :
Instead the Holy Spirit is the one who has dominion over us as we walk with Jesus.
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Each day we are to continue to put to death the flesh, it is a ongoing work, and as this work happens by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we overcome we grow in our life and we are blessed.
Listen to Paul as he speaks to the Galatian believers…
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
:17
Keeping yourself in His presence, and we will not find yourself walking in the lusts, the problems of the flesh.
The word walk speaks to a certain pattern of behavior. If you desires godly behaviors, walk in by the Spirit, you ignore the Holy Spirit and his prompting in your life, and you will gratify the flesh
I see it all the time, let a person get out of church, let their love and passion for Jesus wain and you will see their life change in ways the Holy Spirit would not be happy with…
As we listen and obey the Spirit, we grow in our life, our walk is blessed.
it is a ongoing work, and this work happens by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. As we listen and obey the Spirit, we grow in our life, our walk is blessed.
. As we listen and obey the Spirit, we grow in our life, our walk is blessed.
John Calvin the great reformer said.... “Personal holiness is not the condition for faith but the true evidence of our faith.”
It is your responsibility to do your best my friends, to take up your cross daily, dying to self, we follow the Spirit and enjoy the life he has planned for us...
Oh what a blessing it is to life by the Spirit.
And
So where is He leading you today?
Service
decisions
no matter what, it is always life.
Live according to the Spirit