Sermon Transcript
Bible Reading
Romans 8:1-17
Good morning. Reading today is from the book of Romans chapter eight, verses one to 17.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us who do not live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires. But those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death. But the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh, but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves so that you live in fear again. Rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings, in order that we may also share in his glory.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks, Pete.
I wonder if in your time at Deep Creek Anglican you've met Gerhardt and Helen, who adopted three children into their family and had a little chat during the break. We'd discussed it before, but clearly some of those children had difficulties, they came into the family with difficulties, and I just thought how wonderful it is that Gerhardt and Helen gave them such a chance, such a love and a family and all the kind of help that they needed.
It's so wonderful, isn't it? And God has done that for you. That's the message. God has done that for you.
Opening Prayer
Let's pray. Our Father, we're so grateful that knowing our need, you provided for us in your son.
And you've not just kind of helped us out of a hole and left us, but you've lifted us up all the way into your family. You didn't just have pity on us, you've saved us and loved us.
And Lord, given us a deposit in the Holy Spirit that enables us to be so much more than we could ever be without you. So give us grace to understand this wonderful gift, the spirit of adoption.
And may it be part of the equipment, Lord, that you are pouring into us for encouraging us to live in a way that pleases you and gives glory to you in the world, so that your kingdom may come and your will be done in us for Christ's sake, amen.
From a Cry of Despair to a Cry of Confidence
Yeah. Good. I'm sorry, I don't have the page number. Has somebody got it? Could you yell it out? It'll be in the... Yep. Here we go. Cool. 1754.
If you've got your Bible there, 1754. It's useful because often, and we're doing it again, when you just kind of dive into a book, there's stuff going on around it. So if you've got it open, it'll help you with your understanding.
I know this will surprise you, but brace yourself because when I get tired, I get grumpy. Yeah, I know. Something's not right. I don't know what it is.
And so I go on the hunt for the thing that's wrong and start to find fault with things. Of course, that's not going to help, but I can't see it at the time. Usually I managed to upset someone.
What's that doing there? Well, that wasn't put away. And then I have to apologise and everyone hopes I won't do it again. What are my chances?
It's a situation where, I hope that's familiar to you, it's a situation where my head, my heart wants one thing, that is not to hurt the ones I love, but my body wants to vent some frustration. There's this little volcano thing going on inside. And this is exactly the situation that Paul is describing when we come to the start of Chapter 8. And if you read Chapter 7 and 8, they're like two pages in a book that go together. And that's why Chapter 8 starts with the word, therefore, because it looks back and he says, therefore, there is now no condemnation.
Well, why does he say that? Well, here's how Chapter 7 ends.
So I find this law at work. When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being, I delight in God's law.
But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war with the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
What a wretched man I am. Who will save me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
So Paul finds himself in this position where he's not doing what he wants to do. He can't do it. He just continues to go over that harmful ground, that hurtful behavior. It seems that he's stuck in a cycle.
So we know that feeling because even with the best will in the world, the best intentions, we still seem to repeat our old failings over and over and over. They're called habits, aren't they? And we know them very well.
Well, in Chapter 8, there's these wonderful words. There is therefore now no condemnation.
We don't have to be down on ourselves. Other people don't have to be down on us. It's only we're stuck in this hole.
Something has changed and that's the good news that we're going to be looking at. This morning, he ends Chapter 7 with a cry of despair. Wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from this body of death?
And starts Chapter 8 with a cry of confidence. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
There's this complete change. Why? Because God has intervened in the person of his son to condemn sin in Christ.
And that law, that power that makes us do what we do not want to do, is condemned in the flesh, Jesus' flesh, that we might have the power to live in the way that God wants.
So when Jesus goes to the cross, the man, Jesus, goes to the cross and is killed, he dies. Okay? That's the process.
And when you're dead, the law no longer applies. You can't fine a dead person. Well, I suppose they'll find a way. Right?
So when you're dead, your past is finished. And when you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, when you're covered by his blood, when you put your faith and trust in him, your old person dies.
You don't have to wait for heaven. It's not like a pie in the sky when you die by and by. That is not the Christian life.
The Christian life is when you believe the Holy Spirit comes, you are changed, that is finished, this begins. And that's why we can go from chapter 7 to chapter 8.
There is therefore now no condemnation. He couldn't be clearer. And he's talking about himself. This is his testimony.
Wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from this body of death? Hmm. No, no, there's huge transition here.
Verse 3.
For what the law was powerless to do, all those good intentions, was powerless to do in that it was weakened by my sinful nature, my flesh. God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.
And so he condemned sin in sinful humanity in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us who do not live according to the sinful nature, the flesh, but according to the spirit.
It's like you march to the beat of a different drum. Somehow or other, what is it, computer people would understand this. It's like when you install something and it's different, an upgrade.
It's like that was, but it isn't anymore, now this is.
And as he says that, he's saying two very important things in the light of our struggle with sin. This echoes from last week, right? Still talking about the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' death absorbs the wrongs of the past. He pays for them. So you don't have to. They're dealt with. They're erased. We don't have to carry our guilt around anymore.
You know that thing or those things that you regret, that from time to time you remember, or maybe you constantly remember? You don't have to carry that around anymore.
That's why Jesus went to the cross. He paid the penalty for that so you wouldn't have to, so that burden can be lifted.
You are free. You are forgiven. That's what that means.
God Is Never Down on You
Secondly, the Holy Spirit living within us is the power we need to change. Verse 12,
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it's not to the sinful nature to live according to it, to do what it says, to follow its desires and passions.
For if you live according to the sinful nature or the flesh of you, you'll die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, the flesh, you will live. Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
And so it's not just that your past has changed, your future has changed. Again, we looked at this last week. And the coming of the Spirit is the point of change and you are actually lifted up out of one kind of context, one family, one realm, one rule, one system, and placed in another.
You are transitioned. That's what it means to be saved. And so in Christ, God deals with the problem of sin or the problem of our being stuck in a hole that we can't get out of. Head on, sin is ruining the world.
So God sends his Son as a sin offering. And you know the John the Baptist's language, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And if you know your Old Testament, there's a whole bunch of temple stuff in that language.
But it's the point at which once a year, Yom Kippur, the nation's sins are laid upon a sacrifice and taken away. And taken away.
This is a surprise for us because Jesus comes to condemn sin in us, not the sinner. And this is where you've just got to think a little bit harder this morning because I know when I do the wrong thing, I'm down on myself.
But let me tell you something, friends, when I do the wrong thing, God is not down on me. And if you think God is down on you, you're wrong. Because he's not down on anyone.
Okay, there's a bunch of that in the scriptures. We can look at that if you like. God is never down on you. He's for you. And he's lifting the burden off. He's not adding the burden on.
He comes to condemn sin in us, that thing in us. He comes to break that, which causes us to behave the way we don't want to behave. He doesn't come to condemn us.
Look, it's English language. We're talking about heavenly things, but kind of good luck with that.
So it's a bit like baking a cake and then trying to separate the eggs, milk and flour once it's cooked. All right, you know, that's never happening. But he's God. All right.
So whatever it is, that recipe that makes you up, he can take the sin out. He can kind of unplug that. He can disempower that.
And so if there's, you know, a hill for you to climb this morning, it's this. I want you to imagine humanity with the sin taken out. I want you to imagine your life with the sin, with that thing that the flesh drives, taken out.
And that's actually who God's calling you to be. And that's who he's equipped you to be by the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Your Spirit Is Revived
The language Paul uses to help us imagine this is found in verses 10 and 11.
But if Christ is in you, though your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
So he's another way of thinking about it, the body and the spirit. So two distinct parts of us. I've got, you know, flesh. You know, I put food in, you know, it goes.
But there's also something, you know, in me that loves and is inspired by beauty. And, you know, wants to be faithful and true and struggles with. So, you know, the body and the spirit, they're different.
And we're talking about the Holy Spirit, God's life coming into us. Enabling us to live in a way that pleases God.
Here's the language.
And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies.
Now, not then. Now. So if you have the Holy Spirit within you, if you've believed in Christ, you do. His resurrection life is at work in you, read Ephesians 1.
Now. So you can do something about that chestnut, you know, problem, that recurring issue for you with God's help. Now, you don't have to wait for then. This is the good news.
The Holy Spirit comes and revives your spirit. The body we know is still weak and shot through with weaknesses and failures. So that body is got rid of and a new one is given in its place at the resurrection.
Could I have my slide? We had all sorts of trouble getting this thing up. I hope it helps you.
So here's, close, okay, it still didn't work, right? So here's the picture. We are flesh and spirit. That's the language you've heard Paul use.
But in terms of the way we think about things, you're probably gonna do better with body, soul, and spirit, okay? So when you're living according to the flesh, according to the, you know, innate kind of human desires, before Christ, okay?
If you're just on your own without Jesus, here's how this thing works. The body dies. Okay, I'm 65 and counting. One day I'm not gonna be here, right? So the body dies.
The soul, which is your mind, will, and emotions, dies. And the spirit is dead. Before Christ, your spirit is dead.
When you come to faith, when you live in the realm of the spirit, the body we know will be resurrected. That's a promise.
The soul is regenerate. The mind, will, and emotions are renewed. And the Holy Spirit comes to live within you. Your spirit is revived. This is what it means to be a Christian.
You are unable to fulfill the law. You are unable to please God beforehand. You just don't have the equipment. It's broken. It's called the fall.
But when the Holy Spirit comes, when you put your faith and trust in Jesus, your body will be resurrected, the soul is regenerate, and your spirit is alive. This is what Paul is describing.
Your capacity now is vastly different from what it was before you believed. Thanks.
And so clearly what we're talking about today is much more than counseling or behavior change, some kind of methodology or system, trying harder and so on. None of that's relevant. It's a change of heart.
It's something that happens within, in a place that you and I can't reach without God's help. Verse 14.
Because those who are led by the Spirit of God, those who are in the realm of the Spirit, those who have the Holy Spirit, are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption. And so by him we cry, Daddy, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifying with our spirit that we are God's children.
And if God's children, then heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Indeed, if we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
You're Under New Management
So when we trust, believe, put our faith, hope in Jesus, he delivers on his promise and comes to be with us forever by his Holy Spirit. Our spirit is revived.
The presence of the Holy Spirit within us means the defeat, the ejection of the power of sin. That which used to rule is expelled.
And we still have all the old habits and belief systems and we still live in a world that's pervaded by that way of thinking, but we don't have to. We may still act out in the old ways, but the point is we don't have to anymore.
That stronghold is broken. Jesus is willing to teach us a new way if only we will trust him.
And you know, sometimes that's miraculous. Sometimes if there's an addiction or some kind of pattern of behavior or even a circumstance or a situation and you come to faith in Jesus, boom, that's then. That just changes.
And I've heard lots of stories like that. Pump me afterwards, okay? They're really encouraging stories. You've probably got your own.
But there are some things about the Christian life where it seems to be a slow grind and the incline is pretty steep and you kind of wonder how you're ever going to get there, okay?
So in God's wisdom, he deals with us in both ways. But it's still his work. He's still showing us that that used to run us, that used to rule us is broken if we'll just hang on to him.
What sort of language we can use here? But to be a Christian is to have changed families. It's to have changed rulers. It's like having new DNA or a system upgrade to have new potential, new power, new habits, a new culture, new capacity, new attitudes, a new driver, a new identity, a new owner.
How many different ways can you say this? This is different. Thanks be to God, Paul says, who gives us the victory. And so if you're a Christian, you're under new management. Have you grasped that?
Once you were under the rule of the law of sin which leads to death, but now you are under the rule of the spirit which leads to life. Your destinations are different. I think we appreciate that.
But the change starts now. We don't kinda, you know, hang on Harvey until we get to the end. No, no, the change starts now.
And that's why if you read the verses that Pete read for us earlier, again, you'll notice words like controlled, governed, ruled, dominion. Because what once used to kind of have you doesn't have you anymore.
But now you've come into the sphere, the orbit, the place of blessing in Christ. And if you feel trapped in a damaging cycle of behavior and you can't find a way out, I would like to encourage you that that's a lie.
I would like to encourage you that that thing that controls you is already defeated. I would like to encourage you that you are free. We did that last week, didn't we? You are renewed.
You have all the tools, all the weapons you will need to defeat that. And frankly, as a group of Christians sitting in Deep Creek, I think we have the power to do that in our community as well.
For where two or three are gathered, there he is in the midst.
So I think as a church, if you are seeing something in your community that does not please Christ, then you get together and you pray about that, and it will change. I've got lots of stories. But in God's time, and in God's way, we can do that. Because you know, He loves you, but He loves everybody. He's just not going to wipe people out. He's going to want to turn them around, and sometimes that takes time.
If We Share in His Sufferings
So what to do? Again, please notice the last verse and that word, if.
Now, if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.
I don't know, what do you think that means? Sharing Christ's sufferings.
When we mention Christ's sufferings, what do you think of first of all? What's the first thing you think of?
Yeah, the cross, I reckon. So Paul's saying something about death and suffering here.
How can we share in His death? How can we share in His sufferings?
It seems to me that at this point in Paul's thinking, he's reaching out to us for a response. He's kind of going, yeah, you're not passive, you have a part in this, and it's an important part. Yeah, we have the responsibility to listen to the Spirit, to keep in step with the Spirit, to not grieve the Holy Spirit. So to be attentive and alert, and we sang about being available, giving it all to you. That attitude, yeah, that's right. But there's also the parts of our past, perhaps, that we still hold, that God is trusting us with, or sees there for our good, that we should learn to trust Him, to learn our own weakness, and to learn His strength.
He will always give you some things to work on. That's a bit like an apprenticeship.
The next challenge for Kev is, and that's just going to keep coming, because He loves you, not because He's forgotten you. It's a way of knowing Him deeper, and of growing in your own confidence in God's ability in you.
Remember, this is Paul's testimony, so he's really speaking from personal experience. Wretched man that I am, but because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free, Paul says, from the law of sin and death.
So he's both commending an experience, and holding it out as like a template. Friends, this is the way. Walk in it.
But you've heard me say this a number of times, so let me just reiterate it here. If sanctification, if becoming more like Jesus, if the Christian life, if discipleship is about losing things, and gaining other things, putting old things to death, that familiar language from Paul, and receiving new life, putting things to death is hard.
Putting things to death is hard. But that's the discipleship journey. That's what we're called to do. We're called to say no to sin, and yes to righteousness, but you actually have to say no.
And sometimes the people around you aren't helping, and your circumstances are making it more difficult, and you feel the pressure's building. But where's God? No doubt you've prayed that, I have.
But He's nurturing you. He's just increased the difficulty. You're going to grow those muscles, those spiritual muscles. They're going to grow. You're going to be stronger. We can do it together.
Okay, that's the message. I don't like thinking about the parts of me that displease God, that are sinful, that are selfish. I don't like other people, perhaps particularly my wife, pointing them out to me.
I don't like being confronted with the consequences of my own bad behavior. In fact, if I'm honest with you, I love my sin. That's why I do it. How about you?
And I don't like being so familiar with my failings that I don't even see them anymore. But praise God for the spirit of adoption who comes and lifts us up out of this sticky mess that we are sinking into, in which we have no hope in ourselves, and sets us on the rock, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, from where you will never be moved.
He is firmly establishing you on Christ.
Friends, this chapter begins with the words, no condemnation. It ends with the words, there is no separation. And in between, there is no defeat.
Because even if you feel that you are not up to the task, He is. And that's what He wants you to learn.
Kev, you just can't handle all that stuff that's going on in your life. You can't deal with it. If you could have dealt with it, it would have been dealt with 65 years ago.
Man, you're still doing it. That's because you need my help. Trust me a little bit harder.
Friends, we are family together, you and me. We are brothers and sisters of the same heavenly Father. Brothers and sisters with Christ. Children of the same heavenly Father.
We've been given the same spirit to drink. We all share the same DNA. We are heirs and co-heirs with Christ.
Do you think He's going to let that fail? He's got an investment with you. He's looking for a return. He's going to get you there.
Chapter 8 of Romans is a wonderful testimony to the freedom that forgiveness brings. Of being forgiven by God and passing that forgiveness on to others. It's a wonderful testimony.
Paul was changed. Read the Acts story on his way to Damascus. Paul was changed. We are changed. We just have to live it out.
The strength we need to live in a way that pleases God and brings Him glory is not our own. I think that's the message. It's not our own. It's His. But there's gallons of it.
He's freely given us of His spirit. Use it. Use that capacity. Get to know the Holy Spirit. The one by whom you have been adopted welcomed into God's family that has changed your trajectory and gives you all you need to walk the walk with Christ.
