The Promise of Life | Romans 8.1-11

Thank you. I'll Dean. And thank you, Jackson for sharing your story with us. I've always loved hearing how God's changed lives and I am Jackson's. In a dear member of our church family for many years and it's good to hear his story. Once again, I'm Eric Weber. I'm one of the pastor's here at New Life Church, and it's great to have you here. So I'm trying to get things situated here for us. It's great to be back together with all of you. We had crazy yours. All of us. No, don't need to be reminded of that. But we are back here meeting at Crossing resurrection. And also after a summer of just meeting in the Park, which is been a great time sitting through God's word and the books of the book of Acts. If you're new here for the first time here at new life. It's Lani or joining us online. I welcome you. It's great to have you here with us.

Today we're going to dive into the best promises ever. Bernard to get there. I want to start with the account of Walter McMillian. He spent 15 months on death. Row, awaiting his trial in an effort to pressure him into pleading guilty. An attorney Bryan Stevenson now with equal justice initiative took on Mister McMillian case in 1988 to challenge his wrongful conviction and death sentence. Just think about how hopeless. He must have been. Over the next six years, Brian, filed multiple Court challenges, and conducted several hearings, but the trial court refused to Grant Michigan building. A new trial despite overwhelming evidence. Of evidence of Innocence, including the recant patient of the state's main Witness. The ruling was appealed and the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals ordered a new trial because the state withheld evidence of Miss McMillan's, innocence. A motion was filed later to dismiss. All charges in the trial court. Granted it after the district attorney and knowledge. Mr. McMillan's in a sense once and for all I don't know about you, but I love to hear about real events where those who may seem to have. No. Hope are given a new chance at life where those wrongfully sentenced, to be executed are set free to live life again as a free man, a free woman. I believe we love these accounts because God has ingrained within us a longing for real. Hope a longing for life free from the chains of despair. And is ingrained A Love For What brings people real life? But this is not a common experience for us to live on this Earth. Is it? Our world is increasingly becoming hard? Harder and harder to find, hope to find life to find someone. We can really trust.

We're asking questions. Like what can we hold on to? What is true? What or who can I trust? And truly believe. Can I even trust my own thoughts? Today, we are beginning a five-part series to draw Believers and non-believers and to consider the outlandish and truly astonishing Promises of God in Romans 8. Roseate is one of the greatest chapters written and all history because it captures the reality of who God is and what he promises for us.

We are all asking questions. Like, who are we? What really matters after all? So let's look the Romans 8 and cling to the best promises ever. Today we'll focus on the promise of life. But God gives us in the good news of Jesus Christ through the records found and the Old Testament and the New Testament, the scriptures, the Bible. A great description of God's promises can be found in that passage. That was just read. Romans 8:1 through 11. So if you have a chance, open, your Bibles right now, we have free copies of God. Work God's word available to you out in the lobby on the right. If you don't have a hard copy of the Bible there, free, feel free to grab it right now or on your way out. I highly recommend it. Sometimes just helpful to have it not glowing screen to be honest to be able to read through God's word. I thought that vac light glaring in your eyes. It's on page. 550. If you do have a copy of one of the Bible's, we have here. This passage gives us a glimpse into the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. Let's pray before we go any further. Lord Jesus. We thank you. We thank you that you give us your word. We thank you that you help us to understand your word by your spirit. You soften our hearts? You open our eyes, you give us understanding. So we may know you the god of the universe. I thank you for that Lord, Jesus. And Lord as we dig into your word and Romans 8, help us to hear from you. Help us to listen to, you're still Small Voice, Holy Spirit, and speak to us as only. You can Lord, we pray this in your mighty name. Jesus Christ. Amen.

Alright. The gospel begins with the creation of the world, but going back further. It begins with God himself. And as Jackson rightly pointed out Adam and Eve were form to be in perfect relationship with the true God of the universe. And as he also pointed out, they chose to Rebel Adams specifically chose for Bell, leading to a curse for the entire human race, which includes every one of us here online. Also, the Bible makes it clear that each and every one of us stands under the very perfect Judgment of God because not only Adam sins. But if each of us, honestly looks at our own lives, we too have sinned. Each of us has maybe lied or hated lasted stolen, or maybe other somewhat. Other way. That we've Dishonored, God, Dishonored others or ourselves.

But the history continues on from there with a promise of redemption. Beginning with God's choice of Abraham to be the person through whom that promise would come to him has descendants and ultimately to the world. So the Old Testament, as Christians call it, or the Tanakh, as the Jewish people call. It recounts. The history of God's choosing The Offspring of Abraham, the Hebrew people. It is one reason, the Old Testament we see time. And again that many of the people rejected God as our Lord and King.

I know that was true of my life earlier in my life. However, we also see the recurring promise of Life reappearing in the Old Testament. Again, and again, it appears with the promise of the rim provision of the rim, which became a replacement for Isaac, when we, he was about to be sacrificed and also appears in the system of worship established by God himself, for the sins of individuals, or groups are placed on the heads of lambs and Bulls that are sacrificed. We also see the promise of Life appear. There's a blessing upon Judah, the great grandson of Abraham, the promise of life also appears and they pointing of King David, the one through him. God said the promise deliver the Messiah would come. after decades, and then centuries of Disobedience by many There was a remnant of faithful followers.

Threw him. Some of them came, the Prophecies of God. They were shared with the people that they would hope in the Living God in the promised Messiah. The one true deliver who would fulfill This Promise of life. We then begin to read in the New Testament of the one. Who fulfilled, the promise of Life Jesus Christ. The very Son of God. That is God himself who took on Humanity, which was added to his divinity, which is another way of saying his God in this or that which makes him. God is Divinity. You see Jesus. The God, man suffered his life as a human on earth, about 2,000 years ago. He was rejected by many betrayed by a close friend and wrongly sentenced to be executed on the cross. So, what happened? He was beaten, he was whipped who ridiculed. He's bruised. Then he was hung on the cross with nail through his feet and hands and left there to die on a Friday afternoon.

You see, it was at that very moment that Jesus bore all of God's Wrath on sin and his death upon the cross. He took on the sins of humanity, so it could be punished justly. He took my place and is offered to take your place.

Demonstrating his power over sin and death.

But the story does not end there. Since Jesus Is God. He has the power to bring the dead to life. So that is exactly what happened on. Sunday morning. Jesus was raised to life.

Heading to victory over sin death, and end the grave. So why why? So he can fulfill that very promise of life that was shared by God's so long ago, at the beginning of creation and extended throughout that time since He wants to share his life with us. You see. We know what true life looks like when we see it, right? We can feel it at times. We get glimpses of it. When we see the Majesty of the mountains when we see a newborn, baby. When we see a prisoner wrongly sentenced to death is set free. We get a glimpse of true life when we see a sunrise or Sunset, we did get a glimpse of it. When a broken relationship is healed and restored to get a glimpse of it, when it wrong is made, right. We get a glimpse of it. When we feel great joy, When we feel great peace, when we feel great. Hope these are little Windows into that, very promise of life, but they are merely signposts. Not a replacement for the real thing. That is where this passage today's passage in. Romans 8, fits in for us,, It's 8 to us the promise of life, in fact, but to get to the good news, we must first. That's the bad news.

Romans 8, describes those who are not followers of Jesus.

In verse 5.

Does for those who live according to the flash set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live, according to the spirits that their minds, and the things of the spirit for the smile of The Flash is death, but the septum I know the spirit is life in peace. Again, those who are not in Christ. The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God. They're very mind of that. Person is against God, rebelled against God, for it does not submit to God's law and deeded cans.

Those who are in the flesh, cannot please God, and that's important for us to realize even as Jackson pointed out in his story, the work that we do in our lives cannot earn God's favor. We cannot please God, apart from Christ, you, however, not in the flesh. When the spirit is, in fact, the spirit of God dwells in you, anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him. This is a hard reality for us to grasp and hold onto to realize that those who don't know Christ. Do not belong to Jesus. Do not have eternal life. It's heartbreaking to hear that and to reflect on that. But that is the reality of the world, in which we live.

It's important for us to realize that our tendency as humans in the flash as it says In this passage is towards then. It's it's that were drawn to and lured by and we want to satisfy those pleasures of our flesh.

It's the person that continues to disobey guy that continues to cooperate with their sinfulness, that demonstrates that life of disobedience. They might be a good person in many ways. They might do good things. They might be really kind. But there is that sin still within them. So for those who are not followers of Jesus Christ. The spirit does not dwell in this person. Here she is not in Christ. Therefore these promises sadly do not apply to them.

A stark reality of a world that has fallen to his continued in Rebellion against the true. God the Living God.

But one beautiful truth about this passage is the repeating word. If, if you are in Christ Jesus, if you are in the spirit and it just repeats again and again, so he is pointing out that we have a response. We have a choice to make and so some have chosen to be followers of Christ. So, Romans 8, also describes those who are followers of Jesus Christ. Those have made that choice to say. Yes. I am going to a bay, you Lord. I'm going to follow you, no matter what even when it's hard, even when I suffer, and go through the worst of times, God, you're going to be with me and I'm going to Anchor my soul and you Jesus. John verse 1 for those who are followers of Christ. It says there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The promise is applied to those who are in Christ Jesus and skipping down verse 4. Those who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the spirits. The follower of Jesus Christ says, yes, Lord. I want a yield to you. And not that he or she doesn't perfectly. Not the here. She has to reach a point of saying, yes, I've done it. So, well, that I've met a certain standards of of righteousness and Holiness. No, that's, that's not what it's about. It's about yielding our lies to him surrendering and following him. Even when the Temptation comes and we fall flat on her face. God watches us off. Has already washed his clean in fact, and he gives us the power, stand up a new and say, no to that. Since to refuse to give in, to that sin again, and again, and again, and start living for him continuing to walk in his spirit. I'm going on 2 verses 5 and 6. For those who live in the flash that their minds been sings with the flash. But those who live, according to the spirits set their minds on the things of the spirit. And this is critical for us to realize, as followers of Jesus Christ. We have to make that choice to set our minds on the spirit, setting our minds on the things of the spirit. It's not just something that happens spontaneously. We can't just say, oh, yeah, now I'm a follower of Jesus piece. They're automatically going to pop in my head. Sometimes that happens, but honestly, it doesn't happen as much as we would think or like to because often times are mine. They're distracted by the world around us. We have not been saturating our souls and God's words. And so therefore we're going to hear what we have been hearing all along all throughout the day. Repeating the same messages. We've pulled ourselves, the same messages we've heard, From social media or from the news, or maybe from something, a friend has said to us, that really stung. Our soul. Best makes a choice to set our minds, a new on, the things above, on the things of the spirit. That's a choice that we as followers of Jesus Christ, do and yielding and surrender to the Holy Spirit working in allies, been jumping down, the verse 11. For those who are followers of Jesus Christ. It's the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. He, he raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to our mortal bodies. So the spirit dwells in us, that's an assumption, In this passage for a follower of Jesus Christ. And so one truth that I really want to encourage you to see if you haven't grasped, hold of love in your life is the reality. That the moment, we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, the spirit enters into us.

He dwells in us instantaneously maybe even the moment before we it's a mystery by many and many ways. But the spirit dwells in Us, in fact, infusions 113. It says that the spear is given as a deposit. Giratina our inheritance, our life in Christ for all eternity. Great news to know that. I am secure in Jesus Christ because the holy spirit is dwelling in me and everyone who believe on the name of Christ. The spirit is willing and you

So, for all of those who are followers of Jesus Christ, the spirit does dwell in this person, he, or she is in Christ. Take it to the bank. Guaranteed. If you are a follower of Christ, if you are living a life in abeyance to him, he has guaranteed your inheritance because you have placed your faith in him because you have yielded, your life surrendered, knowing that you couldn't do anything to earn salvation. And as a result of the promises that I'll be sharing with you do apply to these people to those who are in Christ, those who are followers of Jesus. So before we go any further again, I want to remind you throughout this passage the word if repeats again, and again. And again because Paul wasn't making an assumption about his readers. Just like honestly, I can't make an assumption about everyone that is hearing when I'm sharing. so, the question stands, Where are you?

Have you made a decision to be a follower of Jesus? I'll pop up these two slides again for you. Those who are not in Christ, those who are in Christ.

Maybe they aren't there. Okay, that's good. So, where are you? Are you a follower of Jesus? Or follower of someone or something, other than the lord of the universe.

As I walk through the descriptions of those her in Christ and those who are not in Christ, which one describes your life.

And I just invite you to just face that soberly humbly yielding before God.

I just want to pray for us before we go any further.

Lord, Jesus, Lord, God. I just pray that if there's anyone here in this room or anyone that is joining us online that has not made that decision to follow you. They realize Lord that they are not in you. They realize you have the Holy Spirit. I don't know. He's not at me because I have not yielded to you, Jesus. Maybe there's someone. Nice activation right now. And what I pray for her, I pray for him at their heart would be softened, that their mind would be open. Their eyes Could See Clearly your glorious goodness, Lord, Jesus. The goodness of your gospel that you have delivered For All Mankind. I thank you for that. I pray that you would open eyes even today in the days and weeks ahead For Your Glory in Jesus name. Amen.

So let's get on to the promises, right? These are the promises that God has for us. Those of us who are in Christ, Jesus. First one. And these are just my little summary statements of what's said in verse one. There is no condemnation for you.

I want you to hear that. There is no condemnation for you.

Take those words, the heart when you are sitting in your bed late at night and you feel unworthy. Take those words to heart. When you fell flat on your face again falling into sin realizing that it was maybe the 10th or the hundredth time that you give to that. Send yet again. For those who are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation for you. It's a statement of both a reality that I am not condemned before God and also a statement of practicality that I am set free from the sense of guilt that comes with condemnation. If you study this passage, you see that that reality comes out with a statement.

First to another promise. Rest of the lads are Hearts onto. You are set free from the law of sin and death. And what does that mean? That you are set free from the law of sin and death. It means that you are set free from the power of sin at work in your life that you no longer have the yield to sin. You've been set free from its power to the point that you can actually say no. And I got to do that anymore and God gives you the grace to obey his spirit and turn away from that sin. You don't have to give in to it again and again and again you are set free from the law of sin.

You also set free from the law of death. The reality that we all will die. That's not going to change. All of us will die this side of Eternity, this side of Christ return. We'll get into the Christ return another points. But the reality is is for those who are in Christ Jesus, those who know Jesus Christ. We do not have to fall prey to the curse of death for all eternity. In fact, the moment that we die we across from death into life for all eternity, in a way that we will never comprehend this side of Heaven. The reality is is, is when we come into Jesus Christ. We are experience life in him eternal life, but that's not fully realized until we meet Christ face-to-face. After we pass away. We are set free from the law of death and that sense and we will be with him forever. Been verses 3 and 4 says, when God, the Father sent God the son. Jesus as a human. He condemned senso God's perfect. Standards might be meth and you. So Gods meets his perfect standards within you. Do you believe that do you trust God's word? To the point to realize that he has met all righteousness because of his work on the cross, his death. In Resurrection, that you can be set free that you fulfill all righteousness. In terms of God's eyes from his perspective.

Do you believe that he has made you righteous and clean pure and holy before? God.

The third promise or fourth promise is you don't have to obey simple Temptations. You have been set free from sin. So you make Whopper 8 with the Holy Spirit. I alluded to that earlier, but this promise comes clear from verse 9. You have been set free. I'm not power of sin and then verse 11. He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to you through his Spirit who dwells in you again? When Christ returns when he lifts the, the dead out of the Grave, those who are in Christ Jesus. He will lift us up a live for all eternity from that moment on. With new bodies now how that happens and exactly how it plays out. I can explain it to you. It's is there the mystery this side of that event that day is coming where we will dwell with him for all eternity because of the work that Jesus did two thousand years ago. Because of that, work of the Holy Spirit. Working in you right now. At this moment, the one who is sparking your soul. Helping you to understand helping you to the grass, God promises and live for him.

So these five promises here in Romans, 8:1 through 11 together. Help us to see the promise of life, God's promise, to those who followed Jesus, to those who choose to believe in the Life Death and resurrection of Christ. God promises life to those who realize a few very simple things. 1. I have sent. I rebelled against you, God. That's true of all of us here and God invites us to realize that truth.

Second, the God loves me that God loves you. There's nothing we can do to change that if we are in Christ Jesus.

In fact, he loves those who aren't in Christ Jesus. It's just that they reject the love. He offers them.

Jesus and his Humanity died in my place. That's another realization that we must. Come to. That Jesus died in my place sitting on the electric chair, too. So to speak. Taking that needle to the vein that would kill any one of us. He took it upon himself.

Person.

The Jesus rose from the dead. He did that to give me life. That's another realization and because of this he gives us the power to repent of our sin to choose to say I'm no longer going to go the way of sin and Disobedience. I'm going to go the way of life. As obedient to Christ Jesus. Repentance is turning away from sin and turning to God is the simplest way to explain it. And as a result, I choose to live for God, those who are in Christ. Jesus, make these realizations. They say, yeah, this is true about me. I've made this decision. I want to follow you Jesus, and if you haven't, I invite you making that decision today. Invite Jesus to work in your heart to give you understanding. So you may believe so that you may trust in his work on the cross.

So as I pray here, I just loved invites all of you. Just bow your heads. If need be or if you want to stand, that's okay to have her which way you went to. Approach the god of the universe in prayer right now, and I'm just going to bite the worship team to come up. Also, as I pray. Lord Jesus. I pray that you would help us to understand the Glorious goodness of your gospel that we do not stand condemned. In fact, the power of sin and death is broken within us, Lord, and I, thank you for that. I thank you that you have done that once and for all because of your work on the cross Lord, Jesus. We pray that you would help us to understand your boss will even more for those of us who do know you Lord help us to Anchor our hearts and these promises these promises of life that you give in your word and Romans 8:1 through 11 and Lord Jesus. I pray that you help us to hold firm to these promises when the world kind of is shattered out from under us. When we are shaking, when we lose hope and we don't have a sense of anything good happen in our lives, help us to see that. You are the good that brings the good to our lives and help us to Anchor hearts in that reality. Or do you just thank you for your love for us. Thank you for your death and your resurrection. And I pray that many would come to believe. Because of your work Jesus. Amen.