Celebrating His Presnece - DR
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Have you ever felt like Jesus isn’t close? Like you can’t feel Jesus’ presence? For some reason you’ve lost the ability to celebrate your closeness with Christ?
As we open God’s Word today, I hope we are reminded of a few of the realities that can be ours when we live our lives close to Christ.
The author of a book I read asked this question, “Can people living in the world today actually encounter, and enjoy the in-person presence of the divine-human Person — the God-Man, Jesus Christ?”
We are going to be studying a few verses in Romans chapter 8 today that will answer that question.. As you open your Bibles and find your place I’d like to remind you what the Bible says regarding the presence of Jesus.
We are to abide in Christ… b/c apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5)
Christ is in us (Col. 1:26-27)
We are One in Christ (John 17:21 & 1 Cor. 6:17)
Christ is Omnipresent..... He is one with the Father.... Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father… are God!
Our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ will never leave us (Heb. 13:5)
We have been crucified with Christ.... it is not we who live but Christ who lives in us! (Col. 2:20)
These are all super encouraging verses that speak absolute truth! Jesus is with us!
The issue most of us have is not recognizing these truths.... but wrestling with the practically of applying these truths to our lives..... with all of our problems…
Maybe you’ve been in a hard situation… maybe you are in a hard situation right now...
Maybe you’ve said....
I know that Jesus said he would never leave us… but where was he when your 5 mo. old son died?
I know that Jesus said to abide in him…. I think i’m doing that…. but why does it feel like I’m still failing?
I have done by best to be faithful to Jesus… why does it seem like my world is falling apart?
If Christ is in me, why can’t I feel him?
I remember that Hebrews says that Jesus will never leave us….. why was I abandoned by people who I thought were my friends?
If Christ really lives in me…. then why do I feel so broken, alone and why do I struggle so much?
Those are all real questions that, if we are honest.... we all struggle with.
Paul asked some similar questions as he wrote to the believers in Rome.
In chapter 7:13-25, Paul shared his own struggles with living the Christian life. .... even when I want to do what is right… i can’t..... I know what is right… and I want to do it… but I still end up doing what I don’t want to do!
Paul’s conclusion is... “even those who delight in God’s law find themselves unable to obey its commands.”
The reality is.... we can’t live the Christian life on our own. If you try to manage your fallenness on your own..... you will fail. but Paul’s words are meant to encourage the heart of the believer with the reality that the solution is within reach.
Do you struggle with sin? Do you wrestle with the tension of wanting to do what is right… but constantly failing? Do you struggle with the desire to live a godly life… but lack the strength to follow through? Do you desire to be close to Jesus…
Great! So did Paul! That’s why he challenges … and encourages us with these truths in chapter 8.
We can have victory!…. just not on our own.
Do you want to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord? Then you must be close to Jesus.
Main Idea: We are never closer to Christ than we are completely yielded to His Spirit and living in obedience to His Word!
‘how can we live godly lives, when we want to do what is right but we feel like we are already condemned and keep doing what is wrong?’ — Paul shares an answer that is worth celebrating in Chapter 8.
Let’s start reading in verse 1.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 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, 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.
Isn’t that good? If you are in Christ Jesus today.... you are no longer condemned! You have been set free from your sinful condition! You have been liberated! Aren’t those all truths we can celebrate?
Let’s keep reading in verse 5.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
This is the tension we all live with. The battle between the flesh and the spirit.
Paul just described the sphere in which unbelievers live. As long as our minds are set on the things of the flesh.... we, in a sense, remain in slavery to sin. Someone who has set their mind on the flesh embraces hostility towards God, rebellion against God, and cannot be pleasing to God.
A mind set on the flesh leads to death..... let that statement in verse 8 resonate in your minds for a moment.... “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
… Those who try to live the Christian life on their own will fail… and cannot please God.
There are two paths to take.... one where your mind is fixed on the flesh (leading to death and hostility).... or one where your mind is fixed on the Spirit.... which leads to life and peace.
Our sin nature pulls us one way… but according to Paul’s next statement… as believers we can be different!
True believers can experience a life that is close to Christ!
Paul presents several realities of our closeness with Christ that I’d like you to think through today.
I. Condition of our Position (9)
2000 years ago, the God-Man Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross, buried in a tomb, rose from the grave, was seen by more than 500 people, and then ascended to heaven where He currently sits at the right hand of God interceding for those who believer.
So, can you physically experience the in-person presence of Jesus? No, no matter how old you are… none of us were around when Jesus was physically walking on this earth.
But.... can a person today experience the genuine presence of Jesus? Absolutely yes!
That is what Paul tells the believers in Rome!
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
In verses 5-8 he shared the the way that unbelievers live.... their minds set on the flesh. Then in verse 9 say… “But you! … are different! You who believe do not have to live according to the flesh! You can live your lives according to the Spirit… but only if the Spirit of the living God dwells in you!
Our position as believers is not based on any act that we do or any level of performance that we can achieve.
Our position in Christ is based on the reality that the Spirit of God dwells in us!
Do you want to experience the presence of Jesus? The first step is belief..... responding in faith to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
If you have done that then you’re in good company.... you can put your name alongside those to whom Paul writes and celebrate the reality that your position is in Him!
Paul clarifies with his statement in verse 9:
“Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.”
When we place our faith in Christ, the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) comes to dwell in us. When this happens, it marks us as being a person who belongs to Jesus… because His Spirit is in us!
How do you know if you are in Christ? You are marked as a possession of Christ by the presence of His Holy Spirit in you! Through our position in Him.... we experience the presence of Jesus!
How can a person today experience the presence of Jesus?
Be a believer!!! who consistently yields to the leading, guiding and teaching of the Holy Spirit!
That is when you will be conformed into the image of Christ and filled with the character and personality of Jesus (His kindness, gentle care, and his love in our lives)
If someone is not a true believer, then no matter how spiritually they talk.... they cannot experience the presence of Christ. It’s impossible… their minds are fixed on the flesh… separating them from Christ.
(Illustration of the professor at Mt. Union)
No matter how spiritual someone may sound..... no matter how much someone may use the name of Jesus.... or how spiritually they may talk.... unless you are born again… unless you are in Christ and enabled by Christ to live in obedience to the Spirit of God and the Word of God… you will know nothing of the presence of Jesus in your life.
Our closeness to Christ is directly related to our position in Him.
Even though we live in fallen, sinful bodies.... in a fallen and sinful world..... for those who have placed their faith in Christ..... our position in Christ is secure and we can experience the presence of Jesus through the ministry of the Holy Spirit!
Since you are in Christ… what is preventing you from sensing an intimate closeness with Christ?
unrepentant sins?
unresolved conflict?
a mind still set on the flesh?
Our position in Christ determines our ability to experience the presence of Christ!
Another reality about our closeness to Christ that Paul shares is the:
II. Completeness of our Permeation (9-11)
As a believer in Christ, we are completely permeated by the personality of Christ. ----
There are several phrases that are repeated in this passage that speak to our saturation by Christ.
As I read through verses 9-11, pay attention to the places where Paul uses the words “if”, “dwell”, “in you”, and “belong”.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Dwell: to reside in… to inhabit… (house)
In you: located in something (marks a defined location) - (internal organs)
Belong: to be a possession of…
When we become Christians.... We become possessions of Jesus where he marks our bodies as a defined location where He dwells!
One of Paul’s points here is to help us understand that if Christ dwells in you…
Yes, your body is still living in a fallen world.... you are still going to have to deal with the problems that come with life in a fallen world..... your body is still even subject to physical death (a consequence of sin)…
but the Spirit who has taken up residence in you, the living and active Spirit gives you a sense of new life! He enables you to live life for Christ now..... and gifts to you eternal life (a consequence of justification).
The Holy Spirit not only confirms our assurance of eternal life (immortality with Christ)!.... but He enables us to live for Christ now!
How are you living out the truth that the Spirit of Christ has taken up residence in you?
When people watch your life… can they tell that you have been marked out as a defined location where the Spirit of God dwells?
In verses 10-11 there are a few “if” statements..... Paul isn’t questioning whether these things were true..... He is confirming that they are true.
Verses 10-11 are both if/then statements expressing the certainty.... —> instead of “if”, you could just as easily write the word “since” in these two verses...
…But since Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Since the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
Believer, since Christ is in you.... Since the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead has taken up his residence in you.... you are completely saturated.... completely permeated by Christ.... therefore you have been enabled to be closer to Him than anyone or anything else!
Because these realities are true.... we can be certain that His promises are also true!
III. Certainty of His Promise (10-11)
But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Here is the promise......
Christ is with you today in all the messiness and fallenness of life! That is not all. His promise does not stop there.... not only is Christ with you today… where you are.... navigating the joyful and the sorrowful times of life with you..... but He has also promised that some day you will be with Him where He is in glory!
The promise here is that through the presence of Jesus... we are given life! (now and for all eternity)
Can someone today experience the in-person presence of Jesus? If you are asking if you and I can experience the presence of Jesus the same way that Peter, James, and John experienced it.... the answer is no.
But, you know what? Paul didn’t experience that specific presence either. He may have lived a lot closer to the time of Christ’s incarnation, but he didn’t meet Jesus until later....
I wonder if that is one of the reasons why God chose Paul to write so much of the New Testament. His experience is very similar to ours.... He didn’t walk with Jesus from town to town.... but he was still able to experience Jesus’ intimate presence as he yielded to the Holy Spirit and lived in obedience to His Word.
As Paul wrote these thoughts.... inspired by the Holy Spirit.... He encouraged the believers with the truth that our position in Christ and saturation by Christ gives life.
That means that Jesus enriches the “now’s” of life.... but He also assures us of the the “then’s” of living through the Holy Spirit.
Now: Your day to day living.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
Paul’s words which flow from the truth that the Holy Spirit has set us free from the bondage of of our fallen nature and sin problem… and enables us to be transformed day by day into His image....
Then:
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Believer… you are in Christ… which brings you into the presence of Jesus and enables you to live a godly life now.... but also gives you the gift of being called a child of God.... and heir with Christ.... and one day when we see Jesus face to face.... we will be glorified with Him!
Yes! Someday we will be glorified with Christ! That is a promise that has been paid for and is absolutely certain! — Amen!
Then, why is it so hard to live a godly life that is honoring to the Lord? In my fallenness… I just can’t do it!
That’s the point! Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!.....
I have been placed in Him..... His Spirit dwells within me.... Somehow Jesus is able to be seated on the throne… at the very right hand of God… while simultaneously His Holy Spirit dwells in me… inhabits me.... has placed me completely inside His sphere of life.....
As believers we no longer have to live in the sphere of life ruled by the flesh.... We no longer have to allow our minds to be focused on the flesh and the fallen horribleness of sin....
Jesus is victorious over sin! His Spirit dwells within you!
We may not be able to experience the same kind of in-person presence with Jesus that the disciples had.... but I think Paul realized… and I hope you do too.... that we have something better!
We may not be able to see Jesus with our eyes now.... but we are able to live with Him in our souls...... in the very core of who we are… where our personality, character, and desires are created.
Through faith in Christ… we can experience a kind of closeness with Christ that is not possible with any other relationship.
Does that mean that we won’t struggle with sin? Nope! Paul still did.... we will too!
Application/ Conclusion:
Can you live a godly life that pleases the Lord? No, not on your own! But, as the Spirit dwells in you.... as you yield to His leading and guiding.... then you will be enabled to live a godly life that is honoring to the Lord....
You don’t have to focus your mind on the things of the flesh… you are free to live according to the Spirit!
Only a closeness to Christ can enable you to overcome the fallenness of your sin nature.
How close are you to Christ today?
— Are you truly able to celebrate your position in Him? What is preventing you from sensing an intimate closeness with Christ?
— How are you living out the truth that the Spirit of Christ has taken up residence in you?
— Does the certainty of Christ’s present and future promises change the way you make decisions and live?
Do you want to be close to Christ?
Why do we need this today?
When we try to manage our fallenness on our own… we will fail.
Fighting with your siblings, resolving conflict at work, dealing with addiction, or struggling through the loss of a loved one.....
Without a closeness to Christ.... you will fail.
Without a closeness to Christ.... you cannot live a life that is pleasing to the Lord and you will not be able to say no to the flesh.
You cannot live the Christian life… without being close to Christ. — You might be able to pretend for a while… but unless you are constantly drawing closer to Jesus.... by yielding to His Spirit… and living in obedience to His Word.... then you will continue to experience the same struggle that Pauls shared.... “I know what is right… but my body wont’ do it!” I find myself doing the very things that I hate..... I struggle with my flesh...
Want to live the kind of Christian life that Jesus wants for you?
Strive to completely Yield to the Spirit’s leading .....
Commit to live in obedience to the Word of God....
(only then will you be able to ).... Celebrate the joy’s that come from a life close to Jesus
David and Emily are still mourning the loss of their only son. While that event would have devastated some people. When their life was turned upside down… they quickly realized that they were not strong enough.... and unable to survive this experience alone. So they decided to yield to the Spirit of Christ… and live in obedience to His Word.... even when it hurt… and they didn’t feel like it. They saturated their broken hearts with Scripture… through the tears, anger, numbness and doubts.... the presence of Christ… through His indwelling Spirit enabled them to not only survive this trauma… but thrive through it.
David and Emily will continue to heal this year as they share with others what God has taught them through the loss of their son.... and Lord willing by next year this time they will be in North Africa leading people to Christ!
David and Emily serve as an example of the truth that:
Main Idea:
We are never closer to Christ than when we are completely yielded to His Spirit and living in obedience to His Word!
Intended Response:
Completely submit to the Holy Spirit who dwells in you!
Commit to wake up every day with a determination to obey God’s Word!
Celebrate your position in Christ in a way that makes other people notice!
Don’t give up! Hard things happen.... but you are not alone! Even when it seems like the world is against you and nothing is going right.... Christ is close! You can experience the intimate presence of Christ through His indwelling Spirit each and every day.
He will never leave you..... He is always with you.... holding us fast..... until the moment when we shall meet Him face to face!
Amen!