Wide Open: Session 3

Intro

Paul wrote the letter to the Christians in Rome while he was in the city of Corinth, sometime around 57 AD. So, that’s something like 30 years, give or take, after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Paul was writing to the Christians in Rome, expressing his desire to want to come and visit them and to encourage them to stay strong in their faith.

Romans contains Paul’s most complete view of grace and faith. It’s a book that has so much to teach us. Let’s look at a few verses from this important letter together.

While Romans is one of the best books in the entire bible, I believe that Romans 8 is possibly the best and most powerful passage in all the bible.

Read

Romans 8:1–4 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.

Teach

1. In Jesus, there is Freedom from Sin and Death (v. 1-2)

Romans 8:1–2 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.

I want to begin by saying, I know we have talked A LOT about freedom up until this point, but I want to drive home the fact, just in case you missed it, that our freedom from sin and bondage is only through the bloodshed of Jesus on the Cross.

Remember that when we have un-dealt with sin, that is usually what defines us.

I am a drinker

I am a pot-head

fill in the blank

In Christ we are know as:

Redeemed

Alive to God

Possessors of eternal Life

Free from the Law of Sin and Death

members of one spiritual body

sharers in Christ’s Work

Sanctified

New Creatures

Sons and Daughters of the King

Forgiven

Chosen

Saved

Encouraged

None of the things listed would be possible if we were under the condemnation of God. But being in Christ Jesus means that we are free from the law of sin and death which blocked our way to every other blessing which is ours in Christ.

1 Timothy 3:16 ESV

16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

The great news is when Jesus frees us for our sin, we no longer defined by it nor do we face the punishment that that sin requires of us.

In 2008 a man named Ruben Martinez Jr. was sentenced to almost 48 years in prison for a series of armed robberies, even though he was at work when two of the crimes were committed. He proclaimed his innocence throughout the trial. There was no physical evidence linking him to the robberies. Two witnesses said they were with him at work when the robberies were committed and that he could not have been the robber. The witnesses' testimony was never introduced at the trial.

Martinez could have accepted a deal to plead guilty of the crimes and only have served 2.5 years in prison. But he knew he was innocent. He appealed his sentencing several times, but to no avail. He was sentenced to prison. It would be 11 years before his sentence was finally overturned. He spent 11 years in jail, waiting for his innocence to be proven. Finally, it was.

Martinez never lost faith in God or his family. He remained extremely positive throughout, even given his trying circumstances. When asked about his freedom, he stayed hopeful. Asked if he held any grudges for the people who convicted him, he said, "The Lord Jesus Christ is a part of my life, and there's no grudges. People are human people do make mistakes."

2. In providing for our Freedom, God Expresses His amazing grace (v. 3)

Romans 8:3 ESV

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,

Do you see what Paul is saying here? The Law was good! It was God’s way of calling a people who lived according to His ways. But people, i.e., us, mucked it up! The law was weakened by our inability to keep it. That’s what it means that we are people who have a sinful nature. It is in our nature to sin.

We can’t NOT sin!

Knowing this is true, God is within His rights to punish humankind to the fullest extent. We deserve death for rebellion against God, which is all that sin is. We deserve it. It’s the right punishment.

Explain that God wouldn’t be mean, or harsh, or evil for giving us exactly what we deserved. But that’s not exactly how God chose to move forward.

See what Paul says here? God the Father sent the Son to make a way for the STING of sin to be taken away forever. Jesus, perfect, sinless Jesus “became” the likeness of sin so that through His death, sin might be condemned . . . not us! It’s just a staggering expression of grace and mercy. God went to such great lengths to make a way back to Him for His children. All because He loved us. THAT is amazing grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

3. Our Freedom in Christ Empowers a Spirit-fueled life (v. 4)

Romans 8:4 ESV

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.

Paul says here that when we come to saving faith in Jesus, and His death counts in our place, it is as if we have satisfied the requirement God made of His people.

When God said, “I’ll be your God if you’ll uphold my law,” He was talking to a people who couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain. Neither can we. But in Christ, God looks at us as if we had. God counts Jesus’ obedience as if it were our obedience. That’s profound in itself.

But there’s more.

When we are freed from sin through faith in Jesus, we are freed to walk according to the Spirit, not the flesh. Our very lives are lived in the power of the Holy Spirit, who, when we come to faith in Jesus, is given to us as a promise that one day we will be with God forever.

We are empowered by the Spirit to live by the Spirit. We walk according to God’s ways not because we’re strong enough to, but because the Spirit gives us strength. It is a radical change in the way we see ourselves and our lives. We are made new through freedom in Christ.

Romans 12:6–8 ESV

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

You possess the Holy Spirit, have you tapped in to it yet?

1 Timothy 4:12 ESV

12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

1 Samuel 15:22 ESV

22 And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

James 4:17 ESV

17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Respond

Acts 2:38 ESV

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

James 1:22 ESV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.