Who's in Control
Who's in Control?
Romans 8:1-10
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Today we take a look at Romans 8:1-10 where we see the Apostle Paul piecing together his argument of the difference between Law and Grace. The first 7 chapters deal with the idea of what the Law really does, namely, show us our sin, and how we truly can be saved, only through Jesus Christ. Just before this section of text we see Paul stating that as hard as he tries he can not keep the Law of Moses, the Law of God. Now in this chapter we see Paul concluding this argument and asking, "Who's in control?" Are we controlled by the world which leads to death? Or are we controlled by the Spirit that leads to life and salvation?
Romans 8:1-10
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) 10 Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God.[1]
To be controlled by the world is to see only the world as your home, to trust only in the things of this world, to be selfish. Here is an example. This week our family put the finishing touches on out taxes. I don't like having our taxes done because it seems that every year we owe more taxes than we thought. As a pastor I am considered self employed and my wife has an at home business which has its own tax commitments. Each year when we have our taxes prepared we always have to take many hours time trying to figure out how to report everything. And in the end, no matter what we try, we owe taxes. And this year was no exception.
Now we have been told by many people not to report my wife's income. It isn't that significant they say and a business seems to get taxed even more that other incomes. When we were getting our home loan we were told that it would have been better if we had not reported Sara's income and we would have gotten a better loan. As we headed home from our last appointment and we saw that we owed money again I asked Sara, "What so we have to do to get ahead?" And the thought came to mind - don't report Sara's income. But would that be right? It would give us more income for our family. It would be less of a headache each year at tax time. But would it be right? NO! When we are lead by the Spirit we are called to live honest, upright lives, which means even "rendering unto Caesar what is Caesars." Follow the world which leads to selfishness and death? Or follow the Spirit which lead to life?
Another example that has hit home for many families this week. It is death. We do need to see who is in control of our lives right now for life here on earth. But the true and real impact of these words of Paul hit us when we face death. You see the question of "who's in control" is a life or death question. Controlled by the world and we have only death to look forward to. Controlled by the Spirit and we have life eternal ahead of us. For Christ overcame death and the grave for us. The end of chapter 8 of Romans is probably a passage familiar to us where Paul states that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
You see that we can't follow the Spirit ourselves. Because of sin we are controlled by the world. We have no ability to lead the life God wants us to according to His law. But thanks be to Christ Jesus who came into the world, humbled himself to be a man and to suffer and die the death we should have so that we could be freed from sin, death and the power of the devil. For those who trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior we are now controlled by the Spirit. Without Christ we would be controlled by only our sinful desires that lead to destruction. But because of God's great love for us we now can be controlled by the Spirit.
Paul uses the term Law that we all understand as God's good and perfect demands on our lives. When we think of the Law we think of the Ten Commandments or Moses or the Old Testament. In fact we often write-off the Old Testament as being just the Law of God and the New Testament as being only about God's grace in Jesus Christ. But that is not exactly true. Here is a passage from Ezekiel chapter 36 26 And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command.[2]
What an image, God comes to us and changes our stony hearts into tender hearts. Even here in the Old Testament we see a clear picture of how God can come into our lives and changes us. In Ezekiel 37 we get a fantastic image of God's changing our lives or conversion. Ezekiel is called by God to a valley where he sees thousands of dry bone. The Lord asks Ezekiel if these bones can live and Ezekiel says only the Lord could decide; basically a way of saying, "I don't think so." So the Lord tells Ezekiel to speak His words and Ezekiel does. The bones start coming together and muscles and skin form on them and they looks like humans again, but they still are not alive. Then God tells Ezekiel to speak again to the people and Ezekiel does. A great wind fills the valley and the people come alive. A great multitude stands before Ezekiel, alive because of God's Word spoken to them. And the Lord says this is how he comes to His people
In this vision God shows to us that He is the one who turns our dry, dead bodies into living bodies controlled by the Spirit. This is a great chapter that shows us how God wants to control our lives. There is also the image of us, who are in the Spirit, going out and speaking God's Word to this dead world. And God's world brings life. We are called to be different in the world, not to follow its sinful desires but to follow the Spirit which brings life.
Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." What don't you say that with me. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." We have been changed by Christ, we are a new creation. Not because we lived the Law ourselves but because we have turned our lives over to God. Stop trying to control your life yourself and turn control of your life over to Jesus.
Amen
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[1]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Ro 8:1-10). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.
[2]Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Eze 36:25-27). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.