It Matters Who You Are!!!

Context

We are coming closer to the end of this Easter series that we have been in. I hope that you have gained something from this series as we have discussed:

The Nature of God

The Purpose of Man

The Nature of Sin

The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Today, we are continuing through this series by looking at “The Work of the Holy Spirit”. As we spoke last week, we must let Jesus off of the cross. We must realize that He is alive and well. We must realize that if we are truly in fellowship with Him, He lives in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was called “Emmanuel”. Emmanuel means “God with Us”!!! He is with us every single day. When we realize this and then live like this, our worlds will change.

I want to speak to you today on the topic of “It Matters Who You Are”!

Content

The Work of the Holy Spirit (Vs. 2-4)

Romans 8:2–4 CSB

2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Freedom (vs. 2)

Because of our fleshly nature, we are bound by birth to that which comes natural. In other words, from the moment we step into this world, we are bound to sin. We are bound to that which we understand. Because the flesh is physical, we are naturally drawn to that which we are. Physical things have an expiration date and for the physical body, that means death. Death is a result of sin, to which we are accustomed to. We sin because we are sinners. Therefore, we are naturally destined for death. From the dust you were created and to the dust you will return. This is the law of sin and death.

The Word tells us that the Holy Spirit of God is the Spirit of Life. Once present in oneself, it creates a new law within us. Before, we were bound by a law that stated sinners must suffer the consequences of their sin. Sinners must die. They must lose the life that they had been given and be forever separated from it. It is an eternal death. Now, through the Holy Spirit of God, a new law is created. Through the Holy Spirit of God we are freed from the law of sin and death and are placed under a new law, a law of life. It is a spiritual law that trumps the fleshly law. It is law made possible through Jesus!

Fulfillment (vs. 3-4)

How does it work?

There is nothing wrong with the first law itself. The law of God is good. The law is God’s expectation of His own creation, and for those who do not fulfill that law, the consequence is death. The law itself was good, but those who are trying to fulfill it are not. That’s us. The flesh is weak. We are weak. In our own efforts, there was no way to fulfill God’s law completely and be perfect, so God did what we could not. He sent a perfect sacrifice to do it for us. He sent Jesus.

Jesus lived a perfect life and never committed sin. Because He never committed sin, He did not deserve to die. Remember that the law of sin and death stated that sinners must die. Jesus was not a sinner though. Jesus, in His perfection, deserved to live forever, or at least until He committed a sin. Because Jesus did die, though He did not deserve to, He became a perfect sacrifice. He died in our place. According to the original law of sin and death, we deserve to die because we are sinners, but Jesus died in our place as a perfect sacrifice. He represented mankind on the cross and bore our shame. He died in our place.

Now, once an individual accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior (which simply means that they understand their sinful nature, they understand the punishment they deserve, they believe that Christ died in their place, they repent of their sins because of their shame, and as a result, pledge their lives to Him) they are freed from the law they were once bound to. Christ fulfilled the law’s requirement, but notice that it says in vs. 4 that “the law’s requirement is fulfilled in us”. We are now able to stand in fellowship with God, through Jesus Christ. We are also able to live according to the law of God because of the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin in our lives. He leads us and guides us into all truth.

Our Need for the Holy Spirit (Vs. 5-8)

Romans 8:5–8 CSB

5 For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. 6 Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Separation

Mentally Separated (vs. 5-6)

Those who are living apart from the Spirit of God have their minds set on things of the flesh. It even goes as far as saying that the mindset of the flesh is death.

Now I know that some might say that your mind is not on deadly things, but let’s ask a few questions to make sure:

Do you speak things of evil or of good?

Do you speak only good things of people, or do you speak evil of people?

Do you say things that might damage someone else’s reputation or character?

Do you gossip about people and the things going on in their lives?

Do you pray for others’ faults or do you point fingers at their faults?

Do you dwell on evil or good?

When something happens, do you find the good or bad in the situation? Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

Do you constantly fill your mind with good or evil things? What type of TV shows do you watch?

What type of relationships are you drawn to? Do you surround yourself with people who are positive influences on your life, or with people who are negative influences on your life?

What do you do with your idle time?

When you are not obligated to something else, what do you do with your time?

Do you spend your time doing things that are good for you, or bad for you?

Do you spend your time looking at everyone else’s feed on social media or watching TV?

Do you spend it checking on those who didn’t make it church or those who have requested prayer requests?

Do you spend it looking at useless websites or in the Word of God?

The things you do in your idle time says a lot about what you are drawn to.

Relationally Separated (vs. 7-8)

Paul goes a step further here by saying when you are separated from God mentally, without the Spirit, you are actually an enemy of God. The things of the flesh are hostile to the Kingdom of God, because it does not submit to God’s law.

He even goes a step further and says that the flesh is unable to do so. The flesh is unable to submit to God’s law. Why is in it unable, because it does not have the desire to do so. It doesn’t want to. Even it did want to, it couldn’t. The flesh is to weak to live out God’s law without flaw.

He even says in vs. 8 that those who are in the flesh “cannot please God.” You cannot be pleasing to God when you are in the flesh.

Eternally Separated (vs. 9b)

Paul now gives us the ultimate form of separation from God and that is eternal separation. He says that if you do not have the Spirit of Christ, you do not belong to Him. In other words, you are not part of the family of God. This means that your spiritual separation from Him now will continue into eternity. You will be eternally separated from Him.

The Proof of the Holy Spirit (Vs. 9-11)

Romans 8:9–11 CSB

9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. 10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 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.

Does God live in You?

Which part of you controls you? (vs. 10)

Does your Spirit determine what your day will look like?

Does your Spirit determine what you say or don’t say?

Does your Spirit determine what you do with idle time?

Does your Spirit determine how to react to ugly people?

Does your Spirit determine how to react to situations in your life?

Does your Spirit determine what you spend your money on?

Does your Spirit determine who you form relationships with?

Which part of you is living, and which part is dead? If the flesh is alive, then you are spiritually dead, but if your Spirit is alive, then your flesh is dead. Not just restricted, but dead!!!

What do you long for? (vs. 10)

Do you long for sin or for righteousness? Do you long for that which is good, or are you ok with that which is less than good?

Are you alive today? (vs. 11)

Are you truly living? Are you fulfilling your purpose in life? Is there meaning, on a spiritual level to what you are doing in life, or are you simply living for the flesh?

Commitment

Romans 8:12–13 CSB

12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, 13 because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

We have been talking about a choice. We must choose between life and death; between now and eternity; between Jesus and ourselves. If we choose Jesus, we get the Holy Spirit as well, to which we cannot please God without. If we choose ourselves, we get nothing but heartache, pain, and suffering.

How many of you want to live? How many of you who are living want to be alive? You can be. You can have it all, but you must set aside everything that is holding you back. You must set aside every doubt, every fear, every concern, every worry, every fleshly desire, every fleshly anything, and you must believe in the Word of God!!! God’s Word says that He wants you to be free. God’s Word says that He wants you have life, but not just any life, a more abundant life. God’s Word says that He loves you, cares for you, and has made every effort possible to win over your heart. Will you give it to Him today? Will you give Him all of you?

I do not know what God has impressed upon your heart today, but whatever it is can be taken care of in prayer! Would you bow with me as we go together to God in prayer? Let us pray!!!