Live like Jesus 1

Live like Jesus

Preaching through the Book of Romans Verse Four

Then in verse four Paul says God did these things for us “so that the righteous demands of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” In other words, Jesus saved us to transform us until we become like Him. Jesus not only atoned for our sins and broke the control of Adam’s rebellion off our spirits, but because He was incarnated into a human body like ours when He died, He paid the penalty for the sin resident in our flesh as well, and in doing so broke its right to enslave us. This means He died for the sin in our body as well as the sin in our spirit so we would be free to change and live new lives.

Preaching through the Book of Romans What Comes First?

What comes first?

Paul is explaining that sanctification (living a holy life) doesn’t lead to justification (being forgiven by God). Instead justification must precede sanctification, because until justification takes place, we stand condemned and have forfeited to sin the moral right to govern us. When we receive the gift of righteousness by faith, the moral claims that sin and death have upon us are removed (fulfilled), and we are indwelt (rejoined to God) by the Holy Spirit who equips us with the resources we need to live free from the old forces in our flesh and boldly obey the call of God.

Interpretation: God doesn’t forgive me because I’ve lived a holy life. I am able to live a holy life only after I have been forgiven. Until then I am the helpless slave of forces too great to resist.

A new sheriff

Jesus set us free not merely to replace our old “chains” to sin with new ones to God. He didn’t come to make us slaves of goodness rather than slaves of evil. He restored to us the freedom we lost when Adam sinned, the freedom to say “no” to sin … or to say “yes.” He has made it possible for our human spirit to again take control of our lives. We’re now free to obey God (goodness) and free to love Him (Abba, Father! Ro 8:15). But if we are truly free, then we’re also free to disobey. Depending on what our spirit chooses we can return to being controlled by our flesh (Ro 6:15–16), or we can follow the Holy Spirit who is always with us and become more and more like Jesus.

A new beginning

Finally a new life is possible. We can start all over again. We can bury the sad things of the past and let the new realities change us and everything around us. Because our human spirit has been set free and the Holy Spirit is always with us, we can:

• Stop the “deeds of the flesh” (Gal 5:19–21),

• And start the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22–23),

• Because “if you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.”

A “seed”

We often ask God to change our circumstances only to find that we have to change first. In effect, we’ve become like a seed which God takes and places in a garden. And then as that seed grows, the whole garden is changed.

• Mustard seed (Mt 13:31–32)

• Leaven (Mt 13:33)

• Wheat (Mt 13:38)

The seed or leaven is small and apparently powerless, but it contains the spark of life. There is a capacity in it that its humble appearance disguises. Jesus is telling us that we are like a seed.

God takes each of us and plants us in particular gardens (family, workplace, school, church, neighborhood …). And now as “the requirement of the Law (is) fulfilled in us who don’t walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Ro 8:4), our circumstances are changed. The new variable introduced into the equation is us.

The “change agent” is me. I’m the one He changes. When I respond differently, decide differently, treat people differently, model grace, pray with authority, become patient and kind, serve others selflessly … then slowly God’s kingdom expands drawing in first this person and then that person. As people change, the whole spiritual environment changes.

• In Romans 12:17–21 Paul gives a great example of this. He says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

• In John 13:35 Jesus says, “By this all men will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Conclusion

So Jesus saved us to change us. First of all, so we’ll become the sons and daughters God longs for (Ro 8:14; Heb 2:10–11), but also so we can become holy, and God can use us to transform the people and situations into which He’s placed us.

Here’s a favorite advent passage that will sound even more beautiful after all Paul has taught us today: Isaiah 9:1–7.

Questions

• Name a situation where God used you as a “change agent” where a change that happened in you had a profound effect on others.

• Give an example of where God has asked you to “walk in the Spirit” rather than “walk in the flesh.”