Sept 27, 2020 Gospel Shaped Living Romans 8:14-17 Disruptive Discipleship Every four years since the election of 1992 I've stood in this space as your pastor and said - this is the most important election of our day. In less than 40 days America will experience a presidential election like no other. Rarely has our nation been as divided among racial, economic, religious, educational, and political affiliations. What is needed in this cultural moment are not Democrats or Republicans or Independents. Socialists, communists, the Green Party, or even the Libertarian Party. Many among believers would prefer to study 'end-times' and avoid even thinking about the current challenges. Or do we find ways to authentically express our convictions and our commitments? Is that even possible any longer? ROMANS 8:14-17 Because of the indwelling Holy Spirit we are securely placed in a new family system 1. Our new life is unlike the previous life 'Heart' in the Bible (Prov 4:23) is the seat of the person. Having Jesus come into your heart...would mean that He fuses Himself into the deepest part of who you are - that you rest your hopes upon His righteousness, lean on Him for strength, and submit to His lordship at your core. God fusing Himself to the believer at salvation is what the church fathers (the generation of believers after the apostles) called theosis (translated divinization), whereby Christ literally unites His Spirit with ours....1 Believing in our heart, confessing with our mouth is literally a life-changing decision because at that moment "And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you." (Romans 8:11, HCSB) 2. Our new life changes our most intimate environment Not only does the Spirit bring new life, He completely reorients our relationships. READ Luke 8:19-21 Instead of being filled with fear we are given the privilege of addressing the King of Kings as 'Abba, Father.' Sept 27, 2020 Gospel Shaped Living Romans 8:14-17 Disruptive Discipleship Every four years since the election of 1992 I've stood in this space as your pastor and said - this is the most important election of our day. In less than 40 days America will experience a presidential election like no other. Rarely has our nation been as divided among racial, economic, religious, educational, and political affiliations. What is needed in this cultural moment are not Democrats or Republicans or Independents. Socialists, communists, the Green Party, or even the Libertarian Party. Many among believers would prefer to study 'end-times' and avoid even thinking about the current challenges. Or do we find ways to authentically express our convictions and our commitments? Is that even possible any longer? ROMANS 8:14-17 Because of the indwelling Holy Spirit we are securely placed in a new family system 1. Our new life is unlike the previous life 'Heart' in the Bible (Prov 4:23) is the seat of the person. Having Jesus come into your heart...would mean that He fuses Himself into the deepest part of who you are - that you rest your hopes upon His righteousness, lean on Him for strength, and submit to His lordship at your core. God fusing Himself to the believer at salvation is what the church fathers (the generation of believers after the apostles) called theosis (translated divinization), whereby Christ literally unites His Spirit with ours....2 Believing in our heart, confessing with our mouth is literally a life-changing decision because at that moment "And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you." (Romans 8:11, HCSB) 2. Our new life changes our most intimate environment Not only does the Spirit bring new life, He completely reorients our relationships. READ Luke 8:19-21 Instead of being filled with fear we are given the privilege of addressing the King of Kings as 'Abba, Father.' This privilege changes how we experience God's presence AND it impacts how we look at one another. No longer is fear driving us back into slavery. Notice something in this passage, We should not overlook the fact that in this passage Paul puts the Father at the center. The Spirit does not cause us to cry "I am God's son", but "God is my Father."3 3. Our new life radically changes our present and our future If we are truly heirs of a kingdom that cannot be thwarted, a kingdom that cannot be overcome, a kingdom that will stand any challenger, then why do we as believers hang our heads in shame and hide from the conflict raging around us? Should not we - as heirs to the kingdom of God - be engaged as Christ was engaged? Notice how this brief paragraph ends: "seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." (Romans 8:17, HCSB). Some of you are seeing this as a crisis, but I'd rather see this through the lens of opportunity. We who have a life that has a different origin, a life that places us in a new environment, a life that has an eternal quality to the here and now we can, as Paul challenged the believers in Philippi "so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world." (Philippians 2:15, HCSB) If you haven't received this life, today confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. You can do this right where you are watching this - simply acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, know for certain that God raised Him from the dead after He died for your sin and the Bible assures you that you will be given new life - the Spirit of God will grant you the life of Jesus, you will immediately find yourself in a new environment and new family, and you will shine like a star, piercing the darkness! Please let me know if you are doing this for the first time. I'd like to help you with some resources, put you in touch with some new family members...so reach out to me and let me know! This privilege changes how we experience God's presence AND it impacts how we look at one another. No longer is fear driving us back into slavery. Notice something in this passage, We should not overlook the fact that in this passage Paul puts the Father at the center. The Spirit does not cause us to cry "I am God's son", but "God is my Father."4 3. Our new life radically changes our present and our future If we are truly heirs of a kingdom that cannot be thwarted, a kingdom that cannot be overcome, a kingdom that will stand any challenger, then why do we as believers hang our heads in shame and hide from the conflict raging around us? Should not we - as heirs to the kingdom of God - be engaged as Christ was engaged? Notice how this brief paragraph ends: "seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." (Romans 8:17, HCSB). Some of you are seeing this as a crisis, but I'd rather see this through the lens of opportunity. We who have a life that has a different origin, a life that places us in a new environment, a life that has an eternal quality to the here and now we can, as Paul challenged the believers in Philippi "so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world." (Philippians 2:15, HCSB) If you haven't received this life, today confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. You can do this right where you are watching this - simply acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, know for certain that God raised Him from the dead after He died for your sin and the Bible assures you that you will be given new life - the Spirit of God will grant you the life of Jesus, you will immediately find yourself in a new environment and new family, and you will shine like a star, piercing the darkness! Please let me know if you are doing this for the first time. I'd like to help you with some resources, put you in touch with some new family members...so reach out to me and let me know! 1 J. D. Greear, Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How To Know For Sure You Are Saved (Nashville, TN.: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), 9. 2 J. D. Greear, Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How To Know For Sure You Are Saved (Nashville, TN.: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), 9. 3 Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 316). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press. 4 Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 316). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------