ROMANS 8C LIVING SPIRIT VS. FLESH
ROMANS 8:5-17
Introduction:
Living by the flesh verses living by the Spirit.
Example 1: A young boy called the pastor of a local church to ask the pastor to come by to pray for his mother who had been very ill with the flu. The pastor knew the family, and was aware they had been attending another church down the road. So the pastor asked, "Shouldn't you be asking Pastor Smith down the road to come by to pray with your mom?" The young boy replied, "Yeah, but we didn't want to take the chance that he might catch whatever this is that Mom has."
The young boy and his family, living by the flesh or by the Spirit.
The pastor living by the flesh or living by the Spirit.
Example 2: Grandpa and Grandpa were sitting in their porch rockers watching the beautiful sunset and reminiscing about "the good old days," when Grandma turned to Grandpa and said, "Honey, do you remember when we first started dating and you used to just casually reach over and take my hand?" Grandpa looked over at her, smiled and obligingly took her aged hand in his. With a wry little smile, Grandma pressed a little farther, "Honey, do you remember how after we were engaged, you'd sometimes lean over and suddenly kiss me on the cheek?" Grandpa leaned slowly toward Grandma and gave her a lingering kiss on her wrinkled cheek. Growing bolder still, Grandma said, "Honey, do you remember how, after we were first married, you'd kind of nibble on my ear?" Grandpa slowly got up from his rocker and headed into the house. Alarmed, Grandma said, "Honey, where are you going?" Grandpa replied, "To get my teeth!"
Grandma, living by the flesh or living by the Spirit”
Grandpa, living by the flesh or living by the Spirit?
Today’s verses covers a lot of area.
The ending of last Sunday’s verses 3b and 4 connect or set the tone for today’s verses.
Christ condemned sin in the flesh.
Fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law.
That we would be able to live according to the Spirit and not the flesh.
We are going to see how Paul contrasts living by the flesh and living by the Spirit.
We will see the results of both as well.
I. Living by the flesh, vs. 5
A. How does that look?
Have their mind set on what the flesh desires?
Paul gives us a pretty good idea what these desires look like in Galatians 5:19-21 “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21. and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Share a brief comment on each one.
Living by the flesh can not submit to God’s law nor can it do what the law of God says.
I believe the law mentioned here is the moral law.
The 10 commandments.
The first and greatest commandment.
The do unto others….
The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God.
That is not a very good thought to be hostile to God.
B. What are the results?
One result is the inability to please God.
One living in the flesh is not even able to please God.
They may want to and may even try to but is unable.
We should certainly have a desire to do that.
The mind governed by the flesh is death.
vs. 13a
Flesh and death go together.
II. Living by the Spirit
A. What does that look like?
vs. 13b putting to death the deeds of the body.
When any of those acts of sinful nature try to come into play in your life stomp on them and put them to death.
Have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
How do we know what the Spirit desires?
The fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 relate a good picture of what the Spirit desires.
Opening our heart and mind to the Spirit.
Reading and meditating on the Word of God.
B. What are the results?
Have life and peace.
John 10:10, full, abundant life.
Eternal life.
Paul talked a bit about peace in Romans 5.
The removal of fearing God’s judgment. VS. 15a
Fear of judgment or punishment is not a bit fun nor desirable.
It is not a bit nice to know that you are in trouble when your father gets home.
But to go through life knowing that you do not have to fear judgment at all is so nice.
The body is still subject to death.
That is a result of sin.
This is still an earthly body subject to the impact of the fall.
Yet the resurrection awaits.
God is our father.
We can call out Abba Father.
We are God’s children
Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
We look forward to sharing in God’s glory.
III. Our obligation
A. To let the Spirit lead us.
If our obligation is not to the flesh then it is to the Spirit. Vs. 12
We have no debt to the flesh.
This flesh has done nothing for us but get us in trouble and set us up to die.
The Spirit’s leading will line up with the will and the Word of God.
B. To share in His suffering.
We talked about this a bit on Wednesday.
Without a cross there will be no crown.
Conclusion:
Lord, help me live by the Spirit.
Lord I want
Life and peace
No fear of judgment
God to be my Father
To be an heir of God and a joint or co heir with Christ.
To share in God’s glory.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Romans 8 No Condemnation
ROMANS 8B NO CONDEMNATION
ROMANS 8:1-4
Introduction:
I am sure that you have heard the statement, Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.
I am going to come up with a new statement.
Laws, laws everywhere and some are pretty dumb.
Have you ever thought about some of the interesting laws that are on the books in some parts of the country.
Here are a few from PA.
It is contrary to Pennsylvania law to discharge a gun, cannon, revolver or other explosive weapon at a wedding.
It it illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors.
Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue.
A special cleaning ordinance bans housewives from hiding dirt and dust under a rug in a dwelling.
You may not sing in the bathtub.
Fireworks stores may not sell fireworks to Pennsylvania residents.
A person is not eligible to become Governor if he/she has participated in a duel.
Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass.
In Maine Shotguns are required to be taken to church in the event of a Native American attack.
In Delaware It is illegal to fly over any body of water, unless one is carrying sufficient supplies of food and drink.
We are going to talk about 3 different laws that are mentioned in Romans 8.
One of which is helpless.
One of which is hurtful.
The other of which is very helpful and very important.
Romans 8 is a very beautiful and powerful passage of Scripture.
It has some more familiar verses in it.
Mention a few.
We are going to start with one of the more familiar ones this morning and let it be our building point.
Verse 1
No condemnation
We are going to begin with the because in verse 2 and explain the steps that bring about this no condemnation.
The three references to the law show us these steps.
In many ways this passage becomes a brief summary of what we have talked a lot about already in Romans.
I. The law of sin and death
We could look at this as one law or as two.
The law of sin
The law of death
Or we could look at it as one law that results in death.
Either way the bottom line of this law is death.
A. The law of sin
Sin entered into the picture with the fall of man.
Genesis 3
Sin has impacted every life since that time.
Sin has impacted our life.
Romans 3:23
Romans 5:12 tells us that sin entered into the world through one man.
That one man is Adam.
We talked more extensively on that earlier here in Romans on a Wednesday night.
B. This law of sin brings about death.
Romans 5:12
“Death through sin.”
“Death came to all men.”
Romans 6:23
C. This law of sin and death is still very real today.
Sin still impacts many lives.
Death is still very real to all of us.
The natural death has not yet been done away with.
Spiritual death and eternal death has been overcome. ( We will continue to see and learn that.)
II. The law was powerless
A. The Mosaic, the OT law.
This is a discussion that we have had several time here in Romans.
B. The law told us what was wrong, what to do and what not to do, but not how to fix it.
Paul adds here in verse 3 that the law was weakened by the flesh.
Because we are a part of Adam’s flesh and blood the law is weakened.
It was given by God through man.
However man’s weak flesh could not do as the law has directed.
C. The letter kills
2 Corinthians 3:6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
We move to the law that brings it all together for us.
III. The law of the spirit
A. The key is Jesus Christ.
Through Christ Jesus….
God sending His own son.
John 3:16
B. In the likeness of sinful flesh
Jesus became flesh and blood.
He was 100 percent human.
He was as human as you and I are.
He felt what we feel, was tempted as we are tempted, put his pants on one leg at a time.
Likeness refers to the fact that he was sinless.
The virgin birth, conceived of the Holy Spirit and not sinful man.
Lived a completely sinless life. “Tempted in all points as we yet He did not sin.”
Paul refers to Him as the 2nd Adam.
It is in him that we all are made to live.
C. to be a sin offering
He who knew no sin became sin for us.
Hebrews 2:14-17 14. Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15. and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
He was our atonement.
He paid a debt He didn’t owe, I owed a debt that I could not pay….
He took our sins and nailed them to the cross.
D. Placing in our hands the law of the Spirit that gives life.
Living a life led by the Spirit.
Letting the Spirit be in control.
The Spirit gives life.
Live by the Spirit and you will live.
Live apart from the Spirit and you will die.
Conclusion:
I am thankful for the day that I realized that the life that I was living under the law was powerless to save me and that I was encouraged to rely on the law of the Spirit brought to me by Christ Jesus leaving the law of sin and death behind and living.
Are you in Christ Jesus?
If not you are under condemnation.
You are locked into the law of sin and death.
We all need to be locked into the Spirit brought to us through Christ Jesus.
If you are not make that connection today.
We are going to celebrate communion today and in so doing we celebrate the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ enabling us to live by the law of the Spirit and live.
ROMANS 8:1-4
Introduction:
I am sure that you have heard the statement, Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.
I am going to come up with a new statement.
Laws, laws everywhere and some are pretty dumb.
Have you ever thought about some of the interesting laws that are on the books in some parts of the country.
Here are a few from PA.
It is contrary to Pennsylvania law to discharge a gun, cannon, revolver or other explosive weapon at a wedding.
It it illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors.
Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue.
A special cleaning ordinance bans housewives from hiding dirt and dust under a rug in a dwelling.
You may not sing in the bathtub.
Fireworks stores may not sell fireworks to Pennsylvania residents.
A person is not eligible to become Governor if he/she has participated in a duel.
Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass.
In Maine Shotguns are required to be taken to church in the event of a Native American attack.
In Delaware It is illegal to fly over any body of water, unless one is carrying sufficient supplies of food and drink.
We are going to talk about 3 different laws that are mentioned in Romans 8.
One of which is helpless.
One of which is hurtful.
The other of which is very helpful and very important.
Romans 8 is a very beautiful and powerful passage of Scripture.
It has some more familiar verses in it.
Mention a few.
We are going to start with one of the more familiar ones this morning and let it be our building point.
Verse 1
No condemnation
We are going to begin with the because in verse 2 and explain the steps that bring about this no condemnation.
The three references to the law show us these steps.
In many ways this passage becomes a brief summary of what we have talked a lot about already in Romans.
I. The law of sin and death
We could look at this as one law or as two.
The law of sin
The law of death
Or we could look at it as one law that results in death.
Either way the bottom line of this law is death.
A. The law of sin
Sin entered into the picture with the fall of man.
Genesis 3
Sin has impacted every life since that time.
Sin has impacted our life.
Romans 3:23
Romans 5:12 tells us that sin entered into the world through one man.
That one man is Adam.
We talked more extensively on that earlier here in Romans on a Wednesday night.
B. This law of sin brings about death.
Romans 5:12
“Death through sin.”
“Death came to all men.”
Romans 6:23
C. This law of sin and death is still very real today.
Sin still impacts many lives.
Death is still very real to all of us.
The natural death has not yet been done away with.
Spiritual death and eternal death has been overcome. ( We will continue to see and learn that.)
II. The law was powerless
A. The Mosaic, the OT law.
This is a discussion that we have had several time here in Romans.
B. The law told us what was wrong, what to do and what not to do, but not how to fix it.
Paul adds here in verse 3 that the law was weakened by the flesh.
Because we are a part of Adam’s flesh and blood the law is weakened.
It was given by God through man.
However man’s weak flesh could not do as the law has directed.
C. The letter kills
2 Corinthians 3:6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
We move to the law that brings it all together for us.
III. The law of the spirit
A. The key is Jesus Christ.
Through Christ Jesus….
God sending His own son.
John 3:16
B. In the likeness of sinful flesh
Jesus became flesh and blood.
He was 100 percent human.
He was as human as you and I are.
He felt what we feel, was tempted as we are tempted, put his pants on one leg at a time.
Likeness refers to the fact that he was sinless.
The virgin birth, conceived of the Holy Spirit and not sinful man.
Lived a completely sinless life. “Tempted in all points as we yet He did not sin.”
Paul refers to Him as the 2nd Adam.
It is in him that we all are made to live.
C. to be a sin offering
He who knew no sin became sin for us.
Hebrews 2:14-17 14. Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15. and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
He was our atonement.
He paid a debt He didn’t owe, I owed a debt that I could not pay….
He took our sins and nailed them to the cross.
D. Placing in our hands the law of the Spirit that gives life.
Living a life led by the Spirit.
Letting the Spirit be in control.
The Spirit gives life.
Live by the Spirit and you will live.
Live apart from the Spirit and you will die.
Conclusion:
I am thankful for the day that I realized that the life that I was living under the law was powerless to save me and that I was encouraged to rely on the law of the Spirit brought to me by Christ Jesus leaving the law of sin and death behind and living.
Are you in Christ Jesus?
If not you are under condemnation.
You are locked into the law of sin and death.
We all need to be locked into the Spirit brought to us through Christ Jesus.
If you are not make that connection today.
We are going to celebrate communion today and in so doing we celebrate the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ enabling us to live by the law of the Spirit and live.
Romans 8:18-39 3 Weeks of Bible Study
ROMANS 8 A & D HOPE
Introduction:
Romans 8 is a very beautiful, a very powerful passage of Scripture.
There are some very familiar Scriptures in this chapter.
We are going to look at verses 1-17 on Sunday am and pm
We are going to talk about verses 18 to the end of the chapter tonight and next Wed.
Thomas Schreiner breaks the rest of the chapter into 4 sections and builds them around the word hope in his commentary.
Hope of a new creation
Hope in prayer
Hope of glorification
Hope in suffering
Hope
Dictionary: The feeling that what is wanted can be had. to give up hope.
Paul explains hope in vs. 24-25
Hope looks for what we do not have yet.
He says that hope is not in what we already see or have in our hand.
Hope certainly takes patience.
Paul describes hope in our first area of study but it can be applied to the others that we will talk about in this chapter.
I. Hope of a new creation
A. Present suffering and future glory
Suffering is very much a reality of life.
It is a sad, challenging reality.
We do not like the pain that comes with the sufferings.
But suffering precedes glory.
Earlier in Romans we talked about tribulation generating patience, and patience generating endurance, and endurance generating hope in the glory of God being revealed.
Without the cross there would be no crown.
Paul says the future glory to be revealed in us far exceeds the present suffering.
Paul is talking about the glory of God.
He is certainly relaying that this glory will be revealed in us.
Hold on through the suffering because the end result is amazing.
B. Creation waits
Vs 19
Creation is waiting for us the children of God to be revealed.
Waiting for this corruption to put on incorruption and this mortal to put on immortality.
Why is creation waiting for this to take place?
Because creation was subjected to frustration.
Creation was drastically impacted by the fall of man.
Genesis 3:16-19
The struggles of creation, the thorns and thistles are all a result of our fall.
Just let that sink in.
Our sin has caused the pains of creation.
The bondage to decay is our fault.
C. Creation groans
Creation wants this new change to happen.
Creation is feeling like it is in pain about to give birth to a child.
Creation wants this new day to come.
We are groaning for this change to take place in us and this adoption to be completed.
II. Hope in prayer
A. The Spirit’s aid in our weakness.
The weakness referenced here is prayer.
Many times we do not know how to pray.
We do not know what to pray for.
B. The Spirit’s groaning
The Spirit helps us to pray.
He knows the mind of God.
He knows exactly how to pray for us.
ROMANS 8 A & D 2
Introduction:
We are filled with hope because the Spirit prays for us.
He prays according to the will of God.
The Spirit always gets a positive answer to His prayers.
The next several verses show us that the Spirit’s goal is that we, believers, conform to the image of Christ ultimately resulting in glorification.
This is possible because God works all things together for the good….
This begins with the foreknowledge of God and ends with glorification.
Let’s look at this and our 2nd area of hope tonight.
III. Hope of glorification, vs. 28-30
Note the transition from Spirit to God in vs. 28
A. All things work together….
Paul begins verse 28 with “And we know”.
This is great knowledge that we are about to learn.
All Things
It is great to know that God has everything under control.
The good and the bad.
The trials and the tests.
God works for good.
They will all somehow contribute to the good.
They teach us that we are weak.
They teach us to lean on the Lord for support.
They point us to the ultimate good.
Those who love Him.
Paul is using this phrase to refer to believers.
Believers love Jesus or they would not be believers.
Those who have been called according to His purpose.
This phrase begins the transition to vs. 29.
Whosoever will may come. We will read that in chapter 10.
God has invited us all to Him.
The called here appears to reference those who have accepted the call and have come to Christ.
God has a plan for everyone that has accepted Him.
God’s plan guarantees the good to those whom God has chosen.
We often reference vs. 28 as a stand alone verse.
But I believe that it is connected to next several verses.
B. The golden chain
One commentator calls the next 2 verses the golden chain that charts the course from God’s foreknowledge of believers to their glorification.
Foreknowledge
To know before hand.
To be acquainted with future events.
God sees the whole picture from beginning to end.
He knows the future.
Predestination
To determine before hand.
Ephesians 1:5
God determined before hand that we would be conformed to his image.
Christ is the firstborn setting the example for us.
We can look to Him as the example of what is yet to come.
This can be a very controversial subject. Explain
Called
He called those whom He predestined.
It was not a phone call but a call of the heart.
It was a calling to a relationship with Jesus.
Justified
This relationship with Jesus results in our justification.
The easiest way to understand justification is in God’s eyes it is just as if I’d never sinned.
Paul told us earlier in Romans that we are justified by faith.
Glorified
This is a reference to eternity, to heaven.
The result of our justification is eternal life in the presence of the Lord forever.
Everything in life works together to bring us from outside the fold to a relationship with Jesus and eternity awaits in the end.
The challenges that we face are not obstacles but steps, the means to the glorious end that awaits.
Recap our hope in chapter 8
IV. Hope in suffering, vs. 31-39
This passage climaxes this section of Romans from 5:1 to here.
Read 5:1-5
This section of Romans on hope begins in chapter 5.
Verse 4, suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character and character hope.
Vs. 5 Hope does not disappoint. Why? Because God has poured out his love into our hearts.
Here in Romans 8:39 we read that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Our passage tonight would reference all of the above and concludes with nothing can separate us from the love of God.
So both passages feature the confidence that comes from the hope of believers.
Friends, we need to understand that the hope that has been building can not be shaken.
A. If God is for us who can be against us.
What shall we say then….
What is the conclusion that we can come up with?
That if God is for us than who can be against us.
God is on our side.
Who can defeat us?
Who can destroy us?
Psalms 118:6,7 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 7. The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.
God gave us the greatest gift in His Son.
“He who did not spare….
God gave his best for us.
He did not even spare his own son.
Because we have his son in our heart God will grant his best to us.
Once you have done the hardest thing there ever is to do it is easier to do other things.
We have the assurance that God with Christ will give us all that we need.
Connecting verse 28-32
Since God works all things for the good of believers everything given to them turns out to be a gift for our benefit.
We do not deny the pain and the challenge.
However the ultimate benefit is out of this world.
B. A closer look.
No one will ever be able to bring a charge against us.
Vs 33
God has chosen us.
God has justified us.
No one will be able to condemn us on judgment day.
Christ died, He was raised to life, He is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.
That means He will not condemn us but defend us.
1 John 2:1
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Nothing will be able to successfully separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus. vs. 35
Many obstacles and opponents will come our way. vs. 35
As it is written…. This is a quote from Psalms 44:22. Christians have experienced adversities down through the generations. The believer lives in a hostile world.
But we are more than conquerors.
The hostilities of this life can not take away what we have in our Father though His Son our Savior Jesus Christ.
Vs. 38,39
Conclusion:
If we fail it is our choice to fail.
No external force of adversity can pull us away.
The Divine love and grace will do its part to keep us.
We have the choice to remain or not remain in Christ.
I hold on to that precious 4 letter word, HOPE.
I pray that believe that you are doing the same.
Introduction:
Romans 8 is a very beautiful, a very powerful passage of Scripture.
There are some very familiar Scriptures in this chapter.
We are going to look at verses 1-17 on Sunday am and pm
We are going to talk about verses 18 to the end of the chapter tonight and next Wed.
Thomas Schreiner breaks the rest of the chapter into 4 sections and builds them around the word hope in his commentary.
Hope of a new creation
Hope in prayer
Hope of glorification
Hope in suffering
Hope
Dictionary: The feeling that what is wanted can be had. to give up hope.
Paul explains hope in vs. 24-25
Hope looks for what we do not have yet.
He says that hope is not in what we already see or have in our hand.
Hope certainly takes patience.
Paul describes hope in our first area of study but it can be applied to the others that we will talk about in this chapter.
I. Hope of a new creation
A. Present suffering and future glory
Suffering is very much a reality of life.
It is a sad, challenging reality.
We do not like the pain that comes with the sufferings.
But suffering precedes glory.
Earlier in Romans we talked about tribulation generating patience, and patience generating endurance, and endurance generating hope in the glory of God being revealed.
Without the cross there would be no crown.
Paul says the future glory to be revealed in us far exceeds the present suffering.
Paul is talking about the glory of God.
He is certainly relaying that this glory will be revealed in us.
Hold on through the suffering because the end result is amazing.
B. Creation waits
Vs 19
Creation is waiting for us the children of God to be revealed.
Waiting for this corruption to put on incorruption and this mortal to put on immortality.
Why is creation waiting for this to take place?
Because creation was subjected to frustration.
Creation was drastically impacted by the fall of man.
Genesis 3:16-19
The struggles of creation, the thorns and thistles are all a result of our fall.
Just let that sink in.
Our sin has caused the pains of creation.
The bondage to decay is our fault.
C. Creation groans
Creation wants this new change to happen.
Creation is feeling like it is in pain about to give birth to a child.
Creation wants this new day to come.
We are groaning for this change to take place in us and this adoption to be completed.
II. Hope in prayer
A. The Spirit’s aid in our weakness.
The weakness referenced here is prayer.
Many times we do not know how to pray.
We do not know what to pray for.
B. The Spirit’s groaning
The Spirit helps us to pray.
He knows the mind of God.
He knows exactly how to pray for us.
ROMANS 8 A & D 2
Introduction:
We are filled with hope because the Spirit prays for us.
He prays according to the will of God.
The Spirit always gets a positive answer to His prayers.
The next several verses show us that the Spirit’s goal is that we, believers, conform to the image of Christ ultimately resulting in glorification.
This is possible because God works all things together for the good….
This begins with the foreknowledge of God and ends with glorification.
Let’s look at this and our 2nd area of hope tonight.
III. Hope of glorification, vs. 28-30
Note the transition from Spirit to God in vs. 28
A. All things work together….
Paul begins verse 28 with “And we know”.
This is great knowledge that we are about to learn.
All Things
It is great to know that God has everything under control.
The good and the bad.
The trials and the tests.
God works for good.
They will all somehow contribute to the good.
They teach us that we are weak.
They teach us to lean on the Lord for support.
They point us to the ultimate good.
Those who love Him.
Paul is using this phrase to refer to believers.
Believers love Jesus or they would not be believers.
Those who have been called according to His purpose.
This phrase begins the transition to vs. 29.
Whosoever will may come. We will read that in chapter 10.
God has invited us all to Him.
The called here appears to reference those who have accepted the call and have come to Christ.
God has a plan for everyone that has accepted Him.
God’s plan guarantees the good to those whom God has chosen.
We often reference vs. 28 as a stand alone verse.
But I believe that it is connected to next several verses.
B. The golden chain
One commentator calls the next 2 verses the golden chain that charts the course from God’s foreknowledge of believers to their glorification.
Foreknowledge
To know before hand.
To be acquainted with future events.
God sees the whole picture from beginning to end.
He knows the future.
Predestination
To determine before hand.
Ephesians 1:5
God determined before hand that we would be conformed to his image.
Christ is the firstborn setting the example for us.
We can look to Him as the example of what is yet to come.
This can be a very controversial subject. Explain
Called
He called those whom He predestined.
It was not a phone call but a call of the heart.
It was a calling to a relationship with Jesus.
Justified
This relationship with Jesus results in our justification.
The easiest way to understand justification is in God’s eyes it is just as if I’d never sinned.
Paul told us earlier in Romans that we are justified by faith.
Glorified
This is a reference to eternity, to heaven.
The result of our justification is eternal life in the presence of the Lord forever.
Everything in life works together to bring us from outside the fold to a relationship with Jesus and eternity awaits in the end.
The challenges that we face are not obstacles but steps, the means to the glorious end that awaits.
Recap our hope in chapter 8
IV. Hope in suffering, vs. 31-39
This passage climaxes this section of Romans from 5:1 to here.
Read 5:1-5
This section of Romans on hope begins in chapter 5.
Verse 4, suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character and character hope.
Vs. 5 Hope does not disappoint. Why? Because God has poured out his love into our hearts.
Here in Romans 8:39 we read that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Our passage tonight would reference all of the above and concludes with nothing can separate us from the love of God.
So both passages feature the confidence that comes from the hope of believers.
Friends, we need to understand that the hope that has been building can not be shaken.
A. If God is for us who can be against us.
What shall we say then….
What is the conclusion that we can come up with?
That if God is for us than who can be against us.
God is on our side.
Who can defeat us?
Who can destroy us?
Psalms 118:6,7 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 7. The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.
God gave us the greatest gift in His Son.
“He who did not spare….
God gave his best for us.
He did not even spare his own son.
Because we have his son in our heart God will grant his best to us.
Once you have done the hardest thing there ever is to do it is easier to do other things.
We have the assurance that God with Christ will give us all that we need.
Connecting verse 28-32
Since God works all things for the good of believers everything given to them turns out to be a gift for our benefit.
We do not deny the pain and the challenge.
However the ultimate benefit is out of this world.
B. A closer look.
No one will ever be able to bring a charge against us.
Vs 33
God has chosen us.
God has justified us.
No one will be able to condemn us on judgment day.
Christ died, He was raised to life, He is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.
That means He will not condemn us but defend us.
1 John 2:1
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Nothing will be able to successfully separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus. vs. 35
Many obstacles and opponents will come our way. vs. 35
As it is written…. This is a quote from Psalms 44:22. Christians have experienced adversities down through the generations. The believer lives in a hostile world.
But we are more than conquerors.
The hostilities of this life can not take away what we have in our Father though His Son our Savior Jesus Christ.
Vs. 38,39
Conclusion:
If we fail it is our choice to fail.
No external force of adversity can pull us away.
The Divine love and grace will do its part to keep us.
We have the choice to remain or not remain in Christ.
I hold on to that precious 4 letter word, HOPE.
I pray that believe that you are doing the same.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
ROMANS 7C OUR VIEW OF THE LAW
ROMANS 7C OUR VIEW OF THE LAW
ROMANS 7:12
Introduction:
I want to use verse 12 as our focus tonight.
“The law is holy….”
I have been saying that we are not under law but under grace.
Paul will continue to tell us that here in Romans.
The law brought sin and death.
How can the law be holy, righteous, and good?
We are going back and read the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:17
Let’s go forward to the words of Paul in Romans 8:4.
I want us to understand tonight that the spiritual requirements of God’s law is to be fulfilled in the lives of you and I followers of Jesus.
Our involvement with the law ….
I. Involves the ethical and moral principles set there in.
A. Set in the OT
Scriptures
Matthew 7:12
Matthew 22:36-40
Galatians 5:14
B. Set in the teachings of Jesus
Scriptures
Matthew 28:20, teaching them everything that I have commanded you.
C. Set in the teachings of the apostles.
Scriptures
I Corinthians 7:19, 9:21
Galatians 6:2
II. Does not involve a system of legal commandments and sacrifices.
A. Hebrews 10:1-4
Routine sacrifices will not save us.
The blood of bulls was of no benefit to us.
That system of sacrifices were fulfilled in Christ.
B. Galatians 2:16,19
We are justified by faith and not by observing the law.
I died to the law that I might live for God.
III. Moves beyond God as our lawgiver to God as our Father.
A. Through faith in Christ God becomes our Father.
John 1:12
Galatians 4:6
B. Our obedience is
Not because it is a law.
Out of a relationship.
We may be or have been around a demanding father a time or two in our lives.
A demanding father is not fun.
Making a father be demanding father does not result in much fun for anyone.
God is not that kind of Father.
However the relationships that encourage obedience is so precious.
IV. Moves into an inner compulsion.
A. We are blessed with the Spirit.
Galatians 3:5,14
B. The Holy Spirit gives us an inner desire and drive to love, follow, and serve God.
Hebrews 10:16
Romans 16:25,26
Conclusion:
The law that should rule in our hearts and minds is the law of Christ.
I Corinthians 9:21
Galatians 6:2
Let the Spirit, the heart of the law that is fulfilled, delivered to us through Christ reign in our hearts.
ROMANS 7:12
Introduction:
I want to use verse 12 as our focus tonight.
“The law is holy….”
I have been saying that we are not under law but under grace.
Paul will continue to tell us that here in Romans.
The law brought sin and death.
How can the law be holy, righteous, and good?
We are going back and read the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:17
Let’s go forward to the words of Paul in Romans 8:4.
I want us to understand tonight that the spiritual requirements of God’s law is to be fulfilled in the lives of you and I followers of Jesus.
Our involvement with the law ….
I. Involves the ethical and moral principles set there in.
A. Set in the OT
Scriptures
Matthew 7:12
Matthew 22:36-40
Galatians 5:14
B. Set in the teachings of Jesus
Scriptures
Matthew 28:20, teaching them everything that I have commanded you.
C. Set in the teachings of the apostles.
Scriptures
I Corinthians 7:19, 9:21
Galatians 6:2
II. Does not involve a system of legal commandments and sacrifices.
A. Hebrews 10:1-4
Routine sacrifices will not save us.
The blood of bulls was of no benefit to us.
That system of sacrifices were fulfilled in Christ.
B. Galatians 2:16,19
We are justified by faith and not by observing the law.
I died to the law that I might live for God.
III. Moves beyond God as our lawgiver to God as our Father.
A. Through faith in Christ God becomes our Father.
John 1:12
Galatians 4:6
B. Our obedience is
Not because it is a law.
Out of a relationship.
We may be or have been around a demanding father a time or two in our lives.
A demanding father is not fun.
Making a father be demanding father does not result in much fun for anyone.
God is not that kind of Father.
However the relationships that encourage obedience is so precious.
IV. Moves into an inner compulsion.
A. We are blessed with the Spirit.
Galatians 3:5,14
B. The Holy Spirit gives us an inner desire and drive to love, follow, and serve God.
Hebrews 10:16
Romans 16:25,26
Conclusion:
The law that should rule in our hearts and minds is the law of Christ.
I Corinthians 9:21
Galatians 6:2
Let the Spirit, the heart of the law that is fulfilled, delivered to us through Christ reign in our hearts.
ROMANS 7B I DO & I DO NOT
ROMANS 7B I DO & I DO NOT
ROMANS 7:1-25
Introduction:
Have congregation stand.
Read the opening to a wedding ceremony. “We are gathered together….
Open the ceremony in prayer.
Have congregation be seated.
Read the “I Do” vows.
Questions about our keeping of our vows.
Gentlemen, How many of you have kept every single vow completely?
Ladies, How many of you have kept every single vow completely?
How many of you would be honest enough to say that there are times that you do what you don’t want to do and there are times that what you want to do you don’t end up doing?
I am sure that is true with most of us.
We are in Romans 7 today.
Paul references marriage here as an example.
He also gets into the “I Dos” and the “I Do Nots“.
It is the I Dos and the I do nots that I want to focus on this morning.
I. Briefly highlight Paul’s comments about marriage. Verses 1-3
A. By law a married woman is bound to her husband.
If her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.
B. An adulteress is one who is married to another while still under the law of marriage.
C. Application
Paul is using this comment about marriage as an example to get a greater point across concerning law and grace and our marriage to the law being broken by our death to the law and our new life in grace.
Man was bound by the law.
Man is set free from the law by grace.
This freedom came through Christ.
This freedom came through our dying to the old man and coming alive to the new.
Paul is still talking about this law and grace issue.
He is still talking about dying to sin and living in it no longer.
But living a new in Christ.
He is telling us today that it is not as easy as it might seem to be.
Was it easy to complete to a T every vow that you made on your wedding day?
The same is true even more so in our walk with God.
One of the commentators that I used breaks this inward conflict of the Christian heart down this way.
Desire and Delight
Conflict and Captivity
Trial and Triumph
II. Desire and Delight, vs. 21,22
A. A desire to do the good.
When I want to do good.
Paul has a desire to do what is right and good.
That is great to have that desire.
I believe many people have that desire.
Paul had more than a desire or a want.
B. Paul had a delight
“For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. “
I don’t think he is talking about the OT law there.
I am thinking his delight is in the heart of God.
Many have a desire to do good.
There is not as many who delight in the Word, the commands of God.
The Word shows us the desires, the delights, the will of God.
C. I challenge you today to desire the things of God and to delight in the things that God delights in.
But a desire and a delight is not enough we need to carry through.
There is often times conflict to get to the triumph.
III. Conflict and Captivity, vs. 23
A. Under the captivity of sin,
vs. 14
vs. 17
The believer is not, nor can not be under the captivity of sin.
Only an unbeliever can be under the captivity of sin.
B. The conflict with sin.
vs. 15
Sinless perfection is impossible in this life.
I believe that the closer we draw to God the more we realize that we are imperfect and that there is a struggle within us.
I am sure that we all want to do good.
But sin has a way of sitting on our other shoulder speaking into our other ear.
C. This conflict even for the believer is real.
Romans 8:13
Galatians 5:16-18 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
We need to get beyond this conflict and trial to triumph.
IV. Trial and Triumph
A. What a wretched man I am?
Paul is saying that this conflict makes me feel like such a wretched man.
I hate sin.
I wish I was never tempted to sin.
I wish that we would never ever yield to temptation.
The closer we get to God the more awful we feel about sin in our lives, even the smallest of sin.
B. What are you feelings about sin?
Do you think one little one won’t hurt?
Do you hate and feel guilty every time you slip?
Do you think that grace will wash it away so its ok?
We need to loath, to hate sin and do our best to avoid it.
We need to see sin as the abominable thing that God hates.
C. Who will rescue me?
Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Conclusion:
Lessons for us to learn.
We need to watch and pray that we do not fall into temptation.
We need to do our best to think on the right and the good. “Whatsoever… think on these things.” Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
This is a lesson on humility as well.
This should teach us love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness toward others that slip and fall.
This should teach us to even more rely on the Spirit of the Lord to help us.
This passage could be looked at from 2 sides.
It could be looked at from the standpoint of a non Christian trying to do good or right.
It could be looked at as a Christian struggling with continually doing what is good and right.
There are those that say it is from one or the other standpoint.
I have been looking at it today from the standpoint of a Christian hearing two voices and doing his or her best to listen to the right voice.
Verse 14 however makes it clearly sound like its application is to a non Christian because a believer can not be a slave to sin.
If you are a slave to sin you need to turn to the Lord and be set free.
If you are a believer struggling from time to time with sin then we need to let the Spirit of God help us overcome that conflict.
Chapter 8 gives us some great help to move beyond this struggle.
ROMANS 7:1-25
Introduction:
Have congregation stand.
Read the opening to a wedding ceremony. “We are gathered together….
Open the ceremony in prayer.
Have congregation be seated.
Read the “I Do” vows.
Questions about our keeping of our vows.
Gentlemen, How many of you have kept every single vow completely?
Ladies, How many of you have kept every single vow completely?
How many of you would be honest enough to say that there are times that you do what you don’t want to do and there are times that what you want to do you don’t end up doing?
I am sure that is true with most of us.
We are in Romans 7 today.
Paul references marriage here as an example.
He also gets into the “I Dos” and the “I Do Nots“.
It is the I Dos and the I do nots that I want to focus on this morning.
I. Briefly highlight Paul’s comments about marriage. Verses 1-3
A. By law a married woman is bound to her husband.
If her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.
B. An adulteress is one who is married to another while still under the law of marriage.
C. Application
Paul is using this comment about marriage as an example to get a greater point across concerning law and grace and our marriage to the law being broken by our death to the law and our new life in grace.
Man was bound by the law.
Man is set free from the law by grace.
This freedom came through Christ.
This freedom came through our dying to the old man and coming alive to the new.
Paul is still talking about this law and grace issue.
He is still talking about dying to sin and living in it no longer.
But living a new in Christ.
He is telling us today that it is not as easy as it might seem to be.
Was it easy to complete to a T every vow that you made on your wedding day?
The same is true even more so in our walk with God.
One of the commentators that I used breaks this inward conflict of the Christian heart down this way.
Desire and Delight
Conflict and Captivity
Trial and Triumph
II. Desire and Delight, vs. 21,22
A. A desire to do the good.
When I want to do good.
Paul has a desire to do what is right and good.
That is great to have that desire.
I believe many people have that desire.
Paul had more than a desire or a want.
B. Paul had a delight
“For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. “
I don’t think he is talking about the OT law there.
I am thinking his delight is in the heart of God.
Many have a desire to do good.
There is not as many who delight in the Word, the commands of God.
The Word shows us the desires, the delights, the will of God.
C. I challenge you today to desire the things of God and to delight in the things that God delights in.
But a desire and a delight is not enough we need to carry through.
There is often times conflict to get to the triumph.
III. Conflict and Captivity, vs. 23
A. Under the captivity of sin,
vs. 14
vs. 17
The believer is not, nor can not be under the captivity of sin.
Only an unbeliever can be under the captivity of sin.
B. The conflict with sin.
vs. 15
Sinless perfection is impossible in this life.
I believe that the closer we draw to God the more we realize that we are imperfect and that there is a struggle within us.
I am sure that we all want to do good.
But sin has a way of sitting on our other shoulder speaking into our other ear.
C. This conflict even for the believer is real.
Romans 8:13
Galatians 5:16-18 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
We need to get beyond this conflict and trial to triumph.
IV. Trial and Triumph
A. What a wretched man I am?
Paul is saying that this conflict makes me feel like such a wretched man.
I hate sin.
I wish I was never tempted to sin.
I wish that we would never ever yield to temptation.
The closer we get to God the more awful we feel about sin in our lives, even the smallest of sin.
B. What are you feelings about sin?
Do you think one little one won’t hurt?
Do you hate and feel guilty every time you slip?
Do you think that grace will wash it away so its ok?
We need to loath, to hate sin and do our best to avoid it.
We need to see sin as the abominable thing that God hates.
C. Who will rescue me?
Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Conclusion:
Lessons for us to learn.
We need to watch and pray that we do not fall into temptation.
We need to do our best to think on the right and the good. “Whatsoever… think on these things.” Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
This is a lesson on humility as well.
This should teach us love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness toward others that slip and fall.
This should teach us to even more rely on the Spirit of the Lord to help us.
This passage could be looked at from 2 sides.
It could be looked at from the standpoint of a non Christian trying to do good or right.
It could be looked at as a Christian struggling with continually doing what is good and right.
There are those that say it is from one or the other standpoint.
I have been looking at it today from the standpoint of a Christian hearing two voices and doing his or her best to listen to the right voice.
Verse 14 however makes it clearly sound like its application is to a non Christian because a believer can not be a slave to sin.
If you are a slave to sin you need to turn to the Lord and be set free.
If you are a believer struggling from time to time with sin then we need to let the Spirit of God help us overcome that conflict.
Chapter 8 gives us some great help to move beyond this struggle.
ROMANS 7 A ADULTERESS, AUTHORITY, & FRUIT
ROMANS 7 A ADULTERESS, AUTHORITY, & FRUIT
Introduction:
We are starting Romans 7 tonight instead of ending it.
I am going to try and not give you to much of a hint about Sunday. (Just to me mean.)
I want us to start by reading Romans 7.
There are several things in the first 6 verses that I was us to talk about tonight.
I. Adulteress
A. Who is an adulteress?
B. Why is Paul talking about an adulteress?
C. Why did Paul not mention adulterer?
II. Authority
A. The law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?
III. Fruit
A. Raised from the dead. vs. 4
Speaks about our salvation.
Speaks about baptism as referenced in chapter 6.
B. To bear fruit for God.
C. Not bearing fruit for death.
Conclusion:
Introduction:
We are starting Romans 7 tonight instead of ending it.
I am going to try and not give you to much of a hint about Sunday. (Just to me mean.)
I want us to start by reading Romans 7.
There are several things in the first 6 verses that I was us to talk about tonight.
I. Adulteress
A. Who is an adulteress?
B. Why is Paul talking about an adulteress?
C. Why did Paul not mention adulterer?
II. Authority
A. The law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?
III. Fruit
A. Raised from the dead. vs. 4
Speaks about our salvation.
Speaks about baptism as referenced in chapter 6.
B. To bear fruit for God.
C. Not bearing fruit for death.
Conclusion:
ROMANS 6B SLAVES TO WHAT?
ROMANS 6B SLAVES TO WHAT?
Introduction:
We talked Sunday morning about dead men walking.
The old man died when we gave our hearts to Christ.
The sinful man died.
We are walking as a new man.
So yes we are a dead man walking.
We are walking in abundant grace.
We move to verse 15 today.
There must truly be a problem in Rome with believers continuing to want to or look for excuses to sin.
Paul brings the idea of just continuing to sin up again.
He brings it up in a slightly different light. Shall we sin because we are no longer under the law.
Our study tonight takes a look at Paul’s answer.
I. We are slaves to the master that we choose to obey.
A. By no means.
Paul starts his response with a resounding no way.
The root of their thinking must be well if the law is gone then we don’t have to worry about carrying out any of it.
So does that mean that nothing is sin?
The law is gone so we won’t even know what is sin or not.
That does not mean that we are free from the moral commands of the commandments or the law.
Grace means with God’s help we have the power to keep the moral commands of the law.
The moral still stands.
Righteousness is the heart of the matter now.
The thought of slavery dominates these verses.
Words related to slavery is used 8 times in these short verses.
We will realize here that we are either sin’s slave or God’s slave.
Vs 16
B. A slave to sin
Obeying the temptation to sin makes you a slave to sin.
Vs 19 speaks of being weak in your natural selves.
Paul elsewhere says that spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
The old man keeps trying to come out of the grave and lead us astray.
We need to keep this body and its parts away from slavery to impurities.
Paul talks here about ever increasing wickedness.
Good habits are hard to establish.
Bad habits seem to come about so easy.
When I read about this ever increasing wickedness that reminds me about how it becomes easier to yield to temptation each time we yield.
It is so easy for wickedness to increase.
A slave to sin is outside of the control of righteousness.
We know that sin leads to death.
Vs 23, The wages of sin is death.
Vs 16b, which leads to death.
Vs. 21b Those things that result in death.
The lead us through shame in the road to death.
Vs. 21
The pleasures of sin are only for a season.
They quickly lead to guilt and shame.
The quote benefit is short lived but the shame carries on for a long time.
The benefit is not very good if the end result is death.
This death is more than a physical death.
It is an everlasting destruction and being shut out from the presence of the Lord.
II Thessalonians 1:9
The opposite of eternal life, verse 23.
C. A slave to righteousness
This is what we need to be.
We need to be a slave to obedience which leads to righteousness.
Paul is rejoicing in verse 17 in their whole hearted obedience to the teachings that they were entrusted with.
He is excited that they have been set free from sin.
He loves the reality that they are so attached to righteousness.
II. The great benefit of being a slave to righteousness
A. He adds in verse 19b that their slavery to righteousness leads to holiness.
Holiness is a benefit.
Hebrews 12:14 says we will not see God without holiness.
God longs for us to live holy and upright lives.
B. The end result is eternal life.
The gift of God is eternal life.
That is a great ending to the story of life.
It is not an ending.
It is an amazing forever.
C. The heart of this all is Jesus Christ our Lord.
His birth, sinless life, death, and resurrection has made this gift and this life possible for us.
Conclusion:
Thank you Lord for the gift of your son and the life that He brings to us.
Introduction:
We talked Sunday morning about dead men walking.
The old man died when we gave our hearts to Christ.
The sinful man died.
We are walking as a new man.
So yes we are a dead man walking.
We are walking in abundant grace.
We move to verse 15 today.
There must truly be a problem in Rome with believers continuing to want to or look for excuses to sin.
Paul brings the idea of just continuing to sin up again.
He brings it up in a slightly different light. Shall we sin because we are no longer under the law.
Our study tonight takes a look at Paul’s answer.
I. We are slaves to the master that we choose to obey.
A. By no means.
Paul starts his response with a resounding no way.
The root of their thinking must be well if the law is gone then we don’t have to worry about carrying out any of it.
So does that mean that nothing is sin?
The law is gone so we won’t even know what is sin or not.
That does not mean that we are free from the moral commands of the commandments or the law.
Grace means with God’s help we have the power to keep the moral commands of the law.
The moral still stands.
Righteousness is the heart of the matter now.
The thought of slavery dominates these verses.
Words related to slavery is used 8 times in these short verses.
We will realize here that we are either sin’s slave or God’s slave.
Vs 16
B. A slave to sin
Obeying the temptation to sin makes you a slave to sin.
Vs 19 speaks of being weak in your natural selves.
Paul elsewhere says that spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
The old man keeps trying to come out of the grave and lead us astray.
We need to keep this body and its parts away from slavery to impurities.
Paul talks here about ever increasing wickedness.
Good habits are hard to establish.
Bad habits seem to come about so easy.
When I read about this ever increasing wickedness that reminds me about how it becomes easier to yield to temptation each time we yield.
It is so easy for wickedness to increase.
A slave to sin is outside of the control of righteousness.
We know that sin leads to death.
Vs 23, The wages of sin is death.
Vs 16b, which leads to death.
Vs. 21b Those things that result in death.
The lead us through shame in the road to death.
Vs. 21
The pleasures of sin are only for a season.
They quickly lead to guilt and shame.
The quote benefit is short lived but the shame carries on for a long time.
The benefit is not very good if the end result is death.
This death is more than a physical death.
It is an everlasting destruction and being shut out from the presence of the Lord.
II Thessalonians 1:9
The opposite of eternal life, verse 23.
C. A slave to righteousness
This is what we need to be.
We need to be a slave to obedience which leads to righteousness.
Paul is rejoicing in verse 17 in their whole hearted obedience to the teachings that they were entrusted with.
He is excited that they have been set free from sin.
He loves the reality that they are so attached to righteousness.
II. The great benefit of being a slave to righteousness
A. He adds in verse 19b that their slavery to righteousness leads to holiness.
Holiness is a benefit.
Hebrews 12:14 says we will not see God without holiness.
God longs for us to live holy and upright lives.
B. The end result is eternal life.
The gift of God is eternal life.
That is a great ending to the story of life.
It is not an ending.
It is an amazing forever.
C. The heart of this all is Jesus Christ our Lord.
His birth, sinless life, death, and resurrection has made this gift and this life possible for us.
Conclusion:
Thank you Lord for the gift of your son and the life that He brings to us.
ROMANS 6A DEAD MEN WALKING
ROMANS 6:1-14
Introduction:
I came across the phrase this week in my research that I found interesting, “dead man walking“.
I discovered that it was the title of a 1995 movie about a death row inmate. The movie was based on a book by the same title. It is a story about a nun and a death row inmate. I didn’t see the movie. I understand in my reading that the heart of the story is anti capital punishment.
I am not getting into those discussions today.
I also found that statement, Dead Man Walking, is used in some of the death rows in the USA.
In some of the Death Rows in the USA – when a prisoner is taken to be executed the guard that leads the procession shouts out, “dead man walking”. It means, get out of the way this man is on his way to his execution. Have some respect and stand or give a last word of encouragement for he is about to leave this life.
I know that sounds a little morbid.
I am going to go a little further.
You and I, children of God, are just that.
We are dead men walking.
Let’s talk about that.
I. Background
We need to look at the last 2 verses of chapter 5 and the first verse of chapter 6 as a background.
A. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
The increase of sin brings the increase of grace.
The addition of the law added to the list of sin and wrong.
Without a speed limit you can go as fast as you want and not be breaking a law and therefore not need the grace of an officer.
So as sin increased it required more grace to forgive it.
Illustration: I know I told some this story of grace. Scratching dad’s car trying to take a trailer load of wood to the end of the yard for a sleep out. I showed it to dad and apologized. He said to me did you learn a lesson from that. I said yes. He said ok that’s good. My dad was a gracious forgiving man. Maybe just to me but I won’t ask my siblings about that. Now once I was legally allowed to drive on the road and not just in the yard if I would have come home with a much bigger scratch on his car he might or he might not have said the same thing.
Hold on to that thought a moment.
Paul reminds us in verse 21 that sin and death go together.
On the other side grace through righteousness that is ours in Christ Jesus bring eternal life.
B. Since grace is a good thing shall we purposely cause more grace to abound, or increase. Verse 1
Back to my illustration about the car.
Would that have been smart of me to get in the car and head down the road with the idea that dad is a gracious man so if I put a big scratch on the car he will forgive me.
No! It would not have been smart o put his grace to the test.
When dad road with me I knew where every curve was before I got there. There is a curve up there you better slow down. Oh but dad you are a gracious person let me see just how fast I can go around that big curve ahead.
The same is true with sin and the grace of God.
C. This background sets the stage for the concept of dead men walking.
II. Dead men
A. Dying to sin
Vs. 2 “By no means, we died to sin.”
Believers died to the power of sin.
We talked Wednesday night about all of us dying in Adam.
Sin and death came to all of us through the sin of Adam.
We also talked about all of us being able to come alive through the second Adam Christ who shed His blood in penalty for our sin that we might live.
This passage paints a beautiful picture of water baptism,
Paul says all you who were baptized.
This passage speaks of baptism as a picture of what happened.
Jesus Christ
Died
Was buried
And he rose again.
He died carrying our sins.
He buried our sins.
He rose again setting us free to live a new life.
So when we accepted Christ we died to sin.
Our water baptism symbolizes that.
You do not bury a live person.
So in your baptism or at your conversion you said I am a dead man. I have died to sin.
Not only did we die to sin but we were buried with Him.
We buried the old man and his sin when we were buried with Christ.
II Corinthians 5:17
We come to life a new man.
B. Some things that a dead man doesn’t do.
Dead men don’t sin.
Dead men don’t insist on their own way.
Dead men don’t demand their rights.
C. Paul says to answer your question we died to sin so we can’t live in it any longer.
He says so that the body of sin must be done away with.
We should be no longer slaves to sin.
You see a dead man can’t sin.
Count yourself dead to sin.
If you are a child of God you are a dead man.
If you are alive in Christ then you had to have died first in order for that to happen.
You can not serve 2 masters.
You can not be alive in sin and alive in Christ all at the same time.
III. Walking
Now let’s go to the walking part.
A. We are now alive to God in Christ Jesus. Verse 11b
We are united with Christ.
Verse 5
In His death
In His resurrection
Verse 8 says that we will also live with Him.
I have said that we are alive to God in Christ Jesus.
The life that Christ lives He lives to God.
vs. 10b
The same is true, should be true with us. The life that we live we should live to God.
B. We have been brought from death to life. vs. 13
We are not a dead man in the grave.
We are a dead man walking.
Dead to sin, its penalty, and it’s power.
Alive to Christ and the righteousness that He gives us through His amazing grace.
When I look at you and you look at me we see the same person that we saw before our relationship Christ.
We see the same person that died when we gave our heart to Christ.
But yet we are up and walking.
We are more alive than ever before.
I might look like the same man that died but I am a new man on the inside.
I am a dead man.
But I am walking a new life.
C. Verses 13,14 give us a couple of nuts and bolts as to how that might look like.
The dead man walking a new in Christ does not offer parts of his body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness.
The dead man walking a new in Christ offers himself to God and the parts of his body as instruments of righteousness.
For sin shall not be your master.
Conclusion:
I ask you two questions.
Are you a dead man?
Are you walking as a new man in Christ.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Introduction:
I came across the phrase this week in my research that I found interesting, “dead man walking“.
I discovered that it was the title of a 1995 movie about a death row inmate. The movie was based on a book by the same title. It is a story about a nun and a death row inmate. I didn’t see the movie. I understand in my reading that the heart of the story is anti capital punishment.
I am not getting into those discussions today.
I also found that statement, Dead Man Walking, is used in some of the death rows in the USA.
In some of the Death Rows in the USA – when a prisoner is taken to be executed the guard that leads the procession shouts out, “dead man walking”. It means, get out of the way this man is on his way to his execution. Have some respect and stand or give a last word of encouragement for he is about to leave this life.
I know that sounds a little morbid.
I am going to go a little further.
You and I, children of God, are just that.
We are dead men walking.
Let’s talk about that.
I. Background
We need to look at the last 2 verses of chapter 5 and the first verse of chapter 6 as a background.
A. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
The increase of sin brings the increase of grace.
The addition of the law added to the list of sin and wrong.
Without a speed limit you can go as fast as you want and not be breaking a law and therefore not need the grace of an officer.
So as sin increased it required more grace to forgive it.
Illustration: I know I told some this story of grace. Scratching dad’s car trying to take a trailer load of wood to the end of the yard for a sleep out. I showed it to dad and apologized. He said to me did you learn a lesson from that. I said yes. He said ok that’s good. My dad was a gracious forgiving man. Maybe just to me but I won’t ask my siblings about that. Now once I was legally allowed to drive on the road and not just in the yard if I would have come home with a much bigger scratch on his car he might or he might not have said the same thing.
Hold on to that thought a moment.
Paul reminds us in verse 21 that sin and death go together.
On the other side grace through righteousness that is ours in Christ Jesus bring eternal life.
B. Since grace is a good thing shall we purposely cause more grace to abound, or increase. Verse 1
Back to my illustration about the car.
Would that have been smart of me to get in the car and head down the road with the idea that dad is a gracious man so if I put a big scratch on the car he will forgive me.
No! It would not have been smart o put his grace to the test.
When dad road with me I knew where every curve was before I got there. There is a curve up there you better slow down. Oh but dad you are a gracious person let me see just how fast I can go around that big curve ahead.
The same is true with sin and the grace of God.
C. This background sets the stage for the concept of dead men walking.
II. Dead men
A. Dying to sin
Vs. 2 “By no means, we died to sin.”
Believers died to the power of sin.
We talked Wednesday night about all of us dying in Adam.
Sin and death came to all of us through the sin of Adam.
We also talked about all of us being able to come alive through the second Adam Christ who shed His blood in penalty for our sin that we might live.
This passage paints a beautiful picture of water baptism,
Paul says all you who were baptized.
This passage speaks of baptism as a picture of what happened.
Jesus Christ
Died
Was buried
And he rose again.
He died carrying our sins.
He buried our sins.
He rose again setting us free to live a new life.
So when we accepted Christ we died to sin.
Our water baptism symbolizes that.
You do not bury a live person.
So in your baptism or at your conversion you said I am a dead man. I have died to sin.
Not only did we die to sin but we were buried with Him.
We buried the old man and his sin when we were buried with Christ.
II Corinthians 5:17
We come to life a new man.
B. Some things that a dead man doesn’t do.
Dead men don’t sin.
Dead men don’t insist on their own way.
Dead men don’t demand their rights.
C. Paul says to answer your question we died to sin so we can’t live in it any longer.
He says so that the body of sin must be done away with.
We should be no longer slaves to sin.
You see a dead man can’t sin.
Count yourself dead to sin.
If you are a child of God you are a dead man.
If you are alive in Christ then you had to have died first in order for that to happen.
You can not serve 2 masters.
You can not be alive in sin and alive in Christ all at the same time.
III. Walking
Now let’s go to the walking part.
A. We are now alive to God in Christ Jesus. Verse 11b
We are united with Christ.
Verse 5
In His death
In His resurrection
Verse 8 says that we will also live with Him.
I have said that we are alive to God in Christ Jesus.
The life that Christ lives He lives to God.
vs. 10b
The same is true, should be true with us. The life that we live we should live to God.
B. We have been brought from death to life. vs. 13
We are not a dead man in the grave.
We are a dead man walking.
Dead to sin, its penalty, and it’s power.
Alive to Christ and the righteousness that He gives us through His amazing grace.
When I look at you and you look at me we see the same person that we saw before our relationship Christ.
We see the same person that died when we gave our heart to Christ.
But yet we are up and walking.
We are more alive than ever before.
I might look like the same man that died but I am a new man on the inside.
I am a dead man.
But I am walking a new life.
C. Verses 13,14 give us a couple of nuts and bolts as to how that might look like.
The dead man walking a new in Christ does not offer parts of his body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness.
The dead man walking a new in Christ offers himself to God and the parts of his body as instruments of righteousness.
For sin shall not be your master.
Conclusion:
I ask you two questions.
Are you a dead man?
Are you walking as a new man in Christ.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
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