The Proclamation of Life

Our theme for “2020” is “Seeing Spiritually.”

Much of what we see depends on the lens through which we see the world.

Right now people have vastly different opinions on everything from politics to the pandemic.

Should we wear masks or not?

A lot of it depends on who you are listening to.

Which news channel you watch.

Who your friends are and what they are posting.

I’ll leave those debates for another time.

What you believe about God and your spiritual condition is much the same.

You can look at God, yourself and the world around you very differently depending on which voices you are listening to.

This is now the fifth week of a five part series on the first half of Romans entitled, “What does it mean to believe?”

At the end of October I will begin a similar series on the second half of Romans called, “What does it mean to belong?”

Remember that Paul is writing to a church which he has not yet visited, but he knows a lot of people there.

The Jews got kicked out of Rome and Paul met many of them while traveling through Asia Minor.

Now they are finding their way back to Rome.

In the mean time, the church has become largely Gentile and they don’t worship the same way the Jews did.

The Torah (the law) is central in Jewish worship.

And Gentiles just don’t seem to have the same appreciation for the law of Moses and for the traditions of Israel.

Paul is trying to sort this out.

It seems like he is writing primarily to Jews, because that is his perspective.

But some passages seem to be more geared toward Gentiles, which Paul would understand as well.

Review:

Paul began by saying that most of the world is in denial about the truth of God.

Then we talked about the true purpose of law, that it is designed to teach us about right and wrong and to bring us to seeking God for help with our sinful human nature.

Then he brings in grace. Grace is literally God’s pleasure. God extends favor to those who please Him.

And last week we talked about choosing between our sinful nature and our new nature in Christ.

Both natures are present and real.

Like we said, we are a mixture of good and bad tendencies.

The key is to choose what you are going to focus on.

Which voice are you going to listen to?

People know which choice you have made by what comes out of your mouth - it is your declaration that represents your decision.

"What does it mean to believe?"

We declare that we are made alive in Christ!

We are not saying that we aren’t human or that we don’t have human struggles, but our sights are set on the new life that we have in Christ and on following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Dying to live

Romans 7:4–6 ESV

4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

You are allowed to grieve, but you are also allowed to move foreward.

Paul begins this chapter by speaking specifically to Jews who may feel like they are betraying their religious traditions by focusing on Christ instead of the Torah.

He uses the illustration of the death of a spouse.

When a spouse dies, you are no longer bound to that person, but you are free to enter a new relationship.

You grieve what is lost, but you find that you also have to move forward.

This illustration hits home to me because I know what it is to loose a spouse.

Attachments that you have formed over many years don’t just go away.

When you enter a new relationship, that person who helped to shape you into the person you are today is still part of you.

It takes a conscious effort to focus on the person that you are with and not project images of the past on to your new relationship.

You can’t go back, even if you wanted to. You have to move forward.

Under the Old Covenant, Israel was married to the Law.

Exodus 24 contains the essential elements of a wedding ceremony.

Actually they were not married to the law but to God, and the law was a witness to that fact.

But here’s the twist on the analogy, the law didn’t die. We died to the law.

We broke the covenant, we brought death on ourselves.

The law made us aware of sin and it leads to death.

By identifying with Jesus death and resurrection we died to sin and to the old nature and we are joined to Christ.

We may still feel the remnants of those old attachments, but you can’t go back. You have to move forward.

Remember where you came from.

Romans chapter seven is one of the puzzling texts of scripture.

Scholars argue whether Paul is talking about himself or perhaps someone else.

Is he talking about a pre-conversion experience or a current one?

Nobody wants to believe that the great Apostle Paul struggles with sin.

Romans 7:15 ESV

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

I think that Paul is having what amounts to a flashback.

At times he uses past tense and at other times, present tense.

The point is that even though, I believe He is talking about something in the past, it is still very real to him.

And he speaks as if he knows that if he stops moving foreward it may catch up with him.

After someone dies you spend a lot of time reflecting on what happened.

You think about different scenarios and what you could have done different.

Paul is reflecting, but he is also examining his own sinful nature.

“Why DO I do the things I don’t want to do?

It’s easy to second guess when looking back, but in the moment we just react.

Paul is realizing, “That wasn’t me!” or “It was me, but not the me that I now know that I am.”

Paul seems to be saying that there are actually two of him.

Like he has a clone or a body double.

Will the real Paul please stand up?!?

As a counselor I have had occasion to work with a number of people who suffer from DID, formerly Multiple Personality Disorder. One of the people that I have worked closely with actually committed a crime that she was not aware of and did not remember. It was out of character for her. She is a believer who is normally a very moral and godly person.

Part of her healing was recognizing that she was the same person who did this and taking responsibility for her actions. At the same time she also came to recognize that that part of her was damaged from years of unspeakable abuse. But that is not who she really is.

She had to also realize that she was an adult, that she had survived her trauma and that she had a God-given destiny and a future.

What this passage implies is that we are all divided.

We are flesh and we are spirit.

We are good and we are evil.

We are made in the image of God and we have a sinful nature.

At any given time we can act out in the flesh or we can walk in the Spirit.

You need to decide who you are going to be.

Romans 7:21–25 TPT

21 Through my experience of this principle, I discover that even when I want to do good, evil is ready to sabotage me. 22 Truly, deep within my true identity, I love to do what pleases God. 23 But I discern another power operating in my humanity, waging a war against the moral principles of my conscience and bringing me into captivity as a prisoner to the “law” of sin—this unwelcome intruder in my humanity. 24 What an agonizing situation I am in! So who has the power to rescue this miserable man from the unwelcome intruder of sin and death? 25 I give all my thanks to God, for his mighty power has finally provided a way out through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One! So if left to myself, the flesh is aligned with the law of sin, but now my renewed mind is fixed on and submitted to God’s righteous principles.

In DID treatment, we encourage people to take control of their various “parts,” to recognize the contribution that they have made in self-protection but to insist that we have a new goal now and that is healing. They are welcome to listen and learn how they can participate in this new goal.

Most of us can relate to the idea of “parts”- part of me wants to do this and part of me wants to to that.

A healthy person can resolve their varying desires by coming to a decision.

Some people try to live a double life, acting differently depending on where they are and who they are around.

You can fool other people. You can even fool yourself, but you can’t fool God.

Jesus tells us who we really are.

He is the image of God who shows us what it really looks like to be made in God’s image.

Jesus shows us what an uncorrupted humanity looks like.

He has redeemed us and made a way for us to be what God originally intended for each of us to be.

If you are having difficulty deciding which voice to listen to, follow the part of you that is following Jesus.

Living above the ordinary

Romans 8:1–6 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not 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 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.

God’s voice does not speak condemnation.

If you are having trouble hearing God’s voice or trying to figure out which voice is God, here’s a clue. God does not condemn you!

If you grew up in a strict family you might immediately think that the harshest voice must be God - wrong!

But doesn’t God convict us of sin? Isn’t He holy and righteous? Doesn’t He condemn sinners to hell?

There is a difference between conviction and condemnation.

Conviction lets you know that something is wrong so you can repent.

Condemnation tells you that you are hopeless and helpless.

Conviction is meant to change you for the better.

Condemnation tells you you’ll never get any better.

Conviction is meant to restore us.

Condemnation is meant to defeat us.

Bottom line: any voice that does not offer hope is not of God.

God gave Pharaoh a dream of famine that He was sending on Egypt, but He also gave Joseph a plan for how to survive.

God sent Jonah to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh, but when they repented, He also relented.

God sent His people into exile and they suffered at the hand of foreign kings, but God also protected His people in exile and brought them out again into their own land.

God sometimes has to say hard things that need to be said, but there is always a way to respond. There is always hope.

God gives you a clean slate and a helper.

You are under a new law now - the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.

The first thing you need to know is that Jesus has wiped your slate clean.

That’s what it means to be justified - just as if you had never sinned.

Well, almost…you may still have to deal with the consequences of your sin, but the guilt should subside with knowing that you have turned around.

Your salvation was a Divine exchange; all of you for all of Him.

You get Jesus’ report card! - as Guerty said in his children’s message.

But why is it the Law of the Spirit and not just the Law of Life in Jesus?

God knew we would need some help working this out.

Sure, Jesus wipes our slate clean, but it doesn’t take long for us to make it dirty again. We still have a sinful nature.

The Spirit guides us whereas the law condemns us.

The Law tells us what NOT to do. The Spirit tells us what TO do.

The law sets boundaries and says, “do not cross these.” The Spirit says, “here, this is the way. Come here.”

The law is completely impartial, but also impersonal and uncaring. The Spirit knows you, knows how to teach you and knows how to motivate you.

The law proves that we have failed. The Spirit empowers us to succeed.

Your part is to set your focus higher.

Remember I said last week that I used to ask,” What can I get away with an still be a Christian?”

A person who asks this has no idea what it really means to be a Christian.

Why? Because it does not show any desire to follow Christ, but to serve one’s self while pretending to follow Christ.

It is the “mind set on the flesh,” Paul would say.

But what does it look like to set your sights a little higher?

What if you thought about God more that just during your morning devotions and at meal time?

What if you worshipped throughout the week and not just on Sunday?

What if prayer were not just something you do occasionally, but became a lifestyle?

Paul calls it, “walking in the Spirit.”

Just like Adam, Enoch and Noah walked with God, you can literally have an ongoing dialogue with God.

Jesus’ disciples spent time with Him. They walked with Him along the road, shared meals together and slept out under the stars together. This is arguably where most of “discipleship” happens.

The Holy Spirit wants to share every moment of every day with you. He wants you to ask questions and He wants to give insight into your everyday life.

The key is where you set your mind and how you walk it out.

Becoming what we were meant to be

Romans 8:18–24 ESV

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

Do you have any idea who you really are? Who God made you to be?

Superhero movies are really popular these days. We all love to watch as a seemingly ordinary person discovers that they have super powers and are destined to save the world.

Well that isn’t so far from the truth. God destined us for greatness and glory when he made us in His image. We have super powers, but we need to first overcome our own dark past or our mindsets that would either keep us down or try to twist us to use our powers for anything other than pure good.

Like our favorite superheros, we need to get over ourselves in order to do the most good.

You are a child of God.

If you are listening to the Spirit, your heart knows it.

Romans 8:15 NLT

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:16 TPT

16 For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, “You are God’s beloved child!”

God wants to empower you with His Holy Spirit to be all that you can be.

Romans 8:17 The Message

17 And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!

Meditate on these scriptures. Pray about them. Ask God about them.

I can tell you what God says about you, but it doesn’t mean as much as hearing it from God Himself.

You are destined for good.

Also in this chapter is one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible:

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

We often use this verse to say that “everything is going to work out good,” but is that what it really says?

It says that if we love God and are called to His purpose, the ultimate end is good.

Let me say it another way, “You are destined for good!”

How do we know that? Because God is good.

We love God. We know His goodness.

We are called by God and our lives are committed to what God is doing.

What is God doing? He is restoring everything back to the way He created it to be - good!

This verse reminds us of our goal and our commitment. It reassures us of ultimate victory.

It doesn’t mean that everything will be OK (meaning that there won’t be disappointment, suffering or even tragedy.).

But it does mean that everyone and everything that aligns itself with a good God will eventually end well.

You are more than a conqueror!

I want to end our series on this note on which Paul ends the chapter.

Romans 8:37–39 TPT

37 Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything! 38 So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. 39 There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!

When you know that God loves you, nothing else really matters.

It doesn’t matter if the world around you is in chaos and confusion, you know who you are and you have a purpose.

It doesn’t matter if you get hurt, because you know how to be healed.

It doesn’t matter if the devil is so in your face that you feel his hideous breath. God is for you, there’s nothing he can do to stop you unless God allows it.

It doesn’t matter if everything that you had hoped and dreamed comes crashing down around you and it looks like nothing good will ever happen again. That is how it feels sometimes, but it’s a lie.

God is still good. He loves you. And ultimately, there is no way you can possibly loose - even if you die.

"What does it mean to believe?"

We declare that we are made alive in Christ!

We are not saying that we aren’t human or that we don’t have human struggles, but our sights are set on the new life that we have in Christ and on following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Questions for reflection:

Can you relate to the idea of having dual natures? Can you discern which thoughts are the flesh and which is the Spirit? How do you decide which voice to listen to? Which part of you is the real you?

Do you struggle with condemnation? What does God say about you? Have you exchanged your life for that of Christ?

Have you discovered what it means to walk in the Spirit? Do you have a sense of where the Spirit is taking you? Are you becoming more confident of God’s love and of your ultimate victory?