He Is In You

Romans 8:9–17 NIV

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. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 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. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 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. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 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.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 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.

Presence

Presence

The word Trinity isn’t in the Bible but we see the THREE at work

At creation - Spirit of God - let us make in OUR image

The Great Commission - baptizing in the name of Father, Son, and Spirit

Peter - Father’s foreknowledge, Spirit’s sanctification, obedience to the Son

Jesus Baptism - voice of the Father, the Spirit from heaven like a dove

Anne Graham Lotz - “Jesus In Me” - speaks of the Spirit’s presence in eternity, history, and humanity.

He came upon persons in the Old Testament

Arrived on the Day of Pentecost

Permanent presence in the New Testament believer - 24/7 - never alone

Indwelling

Indwelling

More descriptive of His presence

Vance Havener once said:  “ You can become a Christian by going to church just about as easily as you can become an automobile by sleeping in a garage.”

That is what Paul is talking about here in Romans 8 - living by the Spirit

He is actively at work in our lives

He is the person we talked about last week.

Helper, Advocate, Counselor

“God Help Me!” “Jesus Help Me” - it is the Holy Spirit is there

Whatever issues of life we are going through He is there

Whatever path He is leading us down - He is there

Affirmation

Affirmation

We are part of the family!!

Abba, Father, Dad, Daddy

Heirs - Joint-Heirs with Christ

Spirit testifies / affirms our relationship with the Trinity - the triune God - Three Yet One!

This intimate family relationship with the creator of the universe

M. Craig Barnes, in the sermon “The Blessed Trinity,” National Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C. (May 30, 1999)

When I was a child, my father brought home a twelve-year-old boy named Roger, whose parents had died from a drug overdose. There was no one to care for Roger, so my folks decided they would raise him as their own.

At first it was difficult for Roger to adjust to his new home. Several times a day, I heard my parents saying to Roger, “No, no. That’s not how we behave in this family.” “No, no. You don’t have to scream or fight or hurt other people to get what you want.” “No, no, Roger, we expect you to show respect in this family.”

In time, Roger began to change. Did he have to make those changes to become part of the family? No. He was part of the family by the grace of my father. But did he have to work hard because he was in the family? You bet he did. It was tough for Roger to change, and he had to work at it. But he was motivated by gratitude for the amazing love he had received.

Do you have a lot of hard work to do now that the Spirit has adopted you into God’s family? Certainly. But not to become a son or a daughter of the heavenly Father. No, you make those changes because you are a son or daughter. And every time you start to revert back to the old addictions to sin, the Holy Spirit will say to you, “No, no. That’s not how we act in this family.”

Adopted?

Adopted?

Do you know He testifies that you are a child of God?