Live In the Spirit

Romans • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Transcript

Romans 8:4–9 NKJV

4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 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, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

The Righteous Requirement of the Law

“That the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us”

“That the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us” Perhaps that doesn’t sound very exciting. I would guess that most of us, if we were told we could have any one thing in the world would not say “I would like to have the righteous requirement of the Law fulfilled in me.”

But this is in fact the very purpose of God for each of us. So perhaps we should look into it a bit more.

What does the righteous requirement of the Law look like?

Romans 8:4 NKJV

4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

So it is fulfilled in those who walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.

Further down Paul says.

Romans 8:6 NKJV

6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Rom 8:

So to have the righteous requirement of the Law fulfilled in us also to have life and peace and the alternative is to be fleshly minded which is death.

So now it’s starting to sound a bit better isn’t it? We do want life and peace particularly if the alternative is death.

Another way to describe this is to be made into the image of Christ

Romans 8:29 NKJV

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Romans 8:29 NKJV

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Rom 8:

Rom

Another way of looking at it is that it is holiness

1 Peter 1:15 NKJV

15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

1Pet 1:13

Another way of looking at this is it is freedom

Romans 8:2 NKJV

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Rom 8:

Freedom from law, freedom from sin and freedom from death

It was

This is God’s purpose for us so much so that God sent His own Son to do this for us do do this in us

Romans 8:3 NKJV

3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

Rom 3:

What will one thing will make it impossible for us to have the righteous requirement of the Law fulfilled in us?

Living in the Flesh

Three words are used in our passage this morning that we need to pay attention to. When we read this in english we might think these word are interchangeable but in the Greek they are very different and Paul has chosen them very carefully so what are they?

Walk: To conduct one’s self or follow after

Live: To Exist

Mind: To interest one’s self in or set the affection on

So an person can live in the Spirit that is they can exist in the Spirit and still walk in the flesh that is they can conduct themselves after the flesh follow after the flesh

However, a person cannot exist only in the flesh and be able to follow after the Spirit you can only follow after the Spirit if you exist in the Spirit.

Why is this? Because everyone who exist in the Spirit also exist in the flesh but not everyone who exist in the flesh exist in the Spirit.

let me clarify

John 3:3–8 NKJV

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Romans 8:

So everyone who is, is born of the flesh and everyone who is born again is born of the flesh and of the Spirit. This is why the person who is born only of the flesh cannot walk according to the Spirit and the person who is born again has the capacity to walk according to the Spirit or according to the flesh. However we must walk in the Spirit because this is our calling and the only way that the righteous requirement of the Law can be fulfilled in us.

So coming back to Rom ch 8 Paul is contrasting those who of the flesh (born once) and those who are of the Spirit (born again)

Let’s read this again with a deeper understanding of these terms.

Romans 8:4–5 NKJV

Romans 8:5 NKJV

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, the things of the Spirit.

Rom 8:

Those who live according to the flesh will never set their affections on the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:7–8 NKJV

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8:7 NKJV

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

How can we please God? how can we have the righteous requirement of the Law fulfilled in us?

Rom 8:

Live in the Spirit

You must be born again Those who are in the flesh cannot please God

Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Heb

We cannot have life and peace unless we put our faith in Jesus. That is until we repent of our sins and trust only in Jesus and His death on the cross as payment for our sins. This is life and peace. This is new birth. Spiritual birth.

It is this spiritual life that transforms our purpose and desires and affections from the flesh and fleshly things to the Spirit and spiritual things which then changes our walk so that we begin to follow after spiritual things.

This is the difference Paul is simply contrasting the life of the Christian with that of a lost person.

Romans 8:9 NKJV

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

I don’t know of a more clear distinction in the Bible between a Christian and a non Christian. And if we have any misconceptions about Paul’s meaning of those who live in the Spirit and those who live in the flesh this should clear it up. If you live in the flesh you then you are not His but if you live in the Spirit then you are His indeed.

Rom 13:

Romans 13:8–10 NKJV

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

So what can we take fro this?

We can never please God or fulfil the righteous requirement of the Law or have life and peace if we exist only in the flesh.

If we exist in the Spirit let us also follow after the Spirit.

As we all sit in our home this morning because of the virus which is killing thousands those who have the Spirit of God have all access to life and peace. While fear grips the whole world we have peace if we set our affection minds on the Spirit and follow Him. However, we still have our flesh and if we allow our minds and affections to fixate on the carnal then we will not have peace.

Matthew 6:25–34 NKJV

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.