Calvary
Chapel of Fullerton
June
28, 2020
Skitguys Video – July 4 Prayer
Introduction
The letter of Paul to the Romans is considered Paul’s most important
letter. This is why it is placed in front of all his others
writings.
The first five chapters are about justification – how we are saved. We aren’t saved by obeying the law, but by
having faith in Jesus, who was God’s perfect sacrifice for our sins.
In chapters 6-8, Paul deals with sanctification. This is the process that believers go through
as they mature in their faith, learning to be more and more like Jesus.
While chapter 7 focused on the frustrations of living life according to the
flesh, chapter 8 turns the page and teaches us about living life after the
Spirit.
The life of the Spirit is the key to growing up as believers.
I believe that since March, and the beginning of the pandemic, a few of us
have experienced a couple of things.
We’ve been cut off from some of the folks who give us support and
encouragement.
We’ve experienced a measure of fear at the events transpiring in the world.
We’ve may have struggle with temptation a little more than we did before.
8:1-8 Spirit vs. Flesh
:1 There is
therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk
according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
:1 There is therefore now no condemnation
condemnation – katakrima (“against”
+ “judge”) – damnatory sentence, condemnation
I think there could be two reasons why a person walking in the Spirit does
not experience condemnation.
1. They will be walking close to God, obeying Him rather than disobeying
Him.
2. They will find God’s forgiveness during the times when they do disobey
Him.
There is a qualification for “no condemnation”.
:1 to those who are in Christ Jesus
This is what happened when we put our trust in Jesus, we were “immersed” in
Him, we are now “in Him”.
This is part of the imagery of baptism.
The word “baptism” means “immersion”, being soaked, being covered.
Baptism is all about identifying with Jesus, being “immersed” in Him. Paul said this back in Romans 6:
(Romans 6:3 NKJV) Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
When I’m “in Jesus”, I in effect go everywhere and do everything that Jesus
does, or has done.
Illustration
When I’m “in my car”, I go everywhere my car
goes. If my car goes to McDonald’s, so
do I, if I’m in it. If my car goes
through the car wash, and I stay in my car, then I go through the car wash.
If I’m “in Christ”, then I participate in the benefits of who Jesus is and
what He offers me.
When Jesus died and paid the price for sins, my sins were paid. When Jesus rose from the dead and conquered
death, I conquered death.
Illustration
Abraham Lincoln was walking into town one day when he was overtaken by a
man in a wagon going in the same direction.
Lincoln hailed him and asked, “Will you have the goodness to take my
overcoat to town for me?”
“With pleasure,” responded the stranger, “but how will you get it again?”
“Oh, very easily; I intend to remain in it!”
If you have trusted in Jesus, then what Jesus did on the cross He did for
you.
(2
Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to
be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
God performed a “great exchange” on the cross. He took my sins and put them on Jesus. He took Jesus’ good deeds and put them on me.
Lesson
No Condemnation
Jesus has come to free us from condemnation. He has come to bring God’s forgiveness.
Here’s a clip from the movie “The Gospel of John”, the story of Jesus and
the Adulterous Woman of John 8 –
(John 8:1–11 NKJV)
—1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in
the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and
He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees
brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the
midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in
the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us
that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they
said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse
Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as
though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him,
He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let
him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote
on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it,
being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with
the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman
standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and
saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman,
where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said,
“No one, Lord.” And Jesus
said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Jesus has come to remove guilt and shame.
He’s also come to ask us to “sin no more”.
Illustration
Lee Strobel shares this account:
We were doing a baptism service. We told people before they came up to the
platform to be baptized to take a piece of paper, write down a few of the sins
they’ve committed, and fold the paper. When they come up to the platform, there
was a large wooden cross on the stage. Take that piece of paper, take a pin,
and pin it to the cross, because the Bible says our sins are nailed to the
cross with Jesus Christ, and fully paid for by his death. Then turn and come to
the pastor to be baptized.
I want to read you a letter a woman wrote who was baptized in one of those
services. She said:
I remember my fear. In fact, it was the most fear I remember in my life. I
wrote as tiny as I could on that piece of paper the word abortion. I was
so scared someone would open the paper and read it and find out it was me. I
wanted to get up and walk out of the auditorium during the service, the guilt
and fear were that strong.
When my turn came, I walked toward the cross, and I pinned the paper there.
I was directed to a pastor to be baptized. He looked me straight in the eyes,
and I thought for sure that he was going to read this terrible secret I kept
from everybody for so long. But instead, I felt like God was telling me, I
love you. It’s okay. You’ve been forgiven. I felt so much love for me, a
terrible sinner. It’s the first time I ever really felt forgiveness and
unconditional love. It was unbelievable, indescribable.
Do you have inside of you a secret sin that you wouldn’t even want to write
down on a piece of paper out of fear somebody might open it up and find out?
Let me tell you something about the Jesus I know. Not only does he want to
adopt you as his child, he wants to lift the weight of guilt off your
shoulders.
Lee
Strobel, "Meet the Jesus I Know," Preaching Today tape no. 211
:1 who do not walk according to the flesh
This part of the verse isn’t in all the ancient Greek manuscripts, so some
of your translations leave it out – which is a shame.
The same phrase is found in verse 4 though, so in all practicality, it
could just as easily be here as well.
walk – peripateo (“around” + “to tread”) – to walk; to
make one’s way, progress
In Hebrew this concept of “walking” is used to describe how people “live”
or conduct themselves.
according to … – How do you live your life? What is your life aimed at right now?
the Spirit – pneuma –
Spirit, soul, human spirit or the Holy Spirit
In Romans 7, Paul’s focus was on “himself”, as it was also on his
“will”. Paul used the word “I” 32 times
in that chapter. Like:
(Romans 7:15 NKJV) For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do,
that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
(Rom 7:24 NKJV) O wretched man that I am! Who will
deliver me from this body of death?
In Romans 8, the focus changes.
The word pneuma (“Spirit”) appears
21 times in Romans 8, all but one of them referring to the Holy Spirit. The word “I” only appears twice.
We’re going to see Paul’s frustration from ch.7 change.
Lesson
Spirit living removes
condemnation
I think that some of us have so conditioned our minds to feel guilty, that
even if we acknowledge the forgiveness we have in Christ, we still carry the
burden of shame on our shoulders.
When we learn to live our lives in the Spirit, we find a freedom from
condemnation.
It doesn’t mean you never sin, but that you are learning to live closer to
the Lord.
When you sin, you will learn to quickly bring it to the Lord and be
cleansed.
The Bible says,
(1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
If you admit to God that you have sinned, He will forgive
you.
This needs to be a daily verse we use continually.
Even as a Christian, when you are living your life aimed at the flesh, the
sin nature, then you are probably experiencing condemnation, not forgiveness.
It’s not that you don’t have God’s forgiveness, but that you aren’t
experiencing it.
You may be experiencing the conviction of the Holy Spirit,
reminding you that you are not right with the Lord.
We don’t “earn” forgiveness by cleaning up our life.
We find forgiveness simply by jumping into the river of cleansing that God
has for us through Jesus.
When I learn to yield my life to the Holy Spirit, I find
that river.
:2 For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
:2 law of the Spirit … the law of sin
Throughout his letter, Paul has been contrasting different kinds of “laws”.
Through the first 6 chapters of Romans, Paul has used the word “law” to
mostly talk about the “Law of Moses”.
(Romans 3:20 NKJV) Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His
sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
But through the last part of Romans 7, Paul has used the word “law” to
contrast a “law of God” at work in his mind versus a “law of sin” that is at
work in his body:
(Romans 7:22–23
NKJV) —22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Now he adds a “law of the Spirit.
This law makes us free from that law of “sin and death”.
has made me free – eleutheroo – to
make free; set at liberty
; aorist tense
One law sets you free from the other law.
Illustration
The law of “sin and death” is kind of like the law of gravity. There’s not much you can do about it. What goes up must come down.
Video: Early Flight Fails
Except there is another law. The law
of aerodynamics is used by an airplane to overcome the force of the law of
gravity.
Video: Wright Brothers
When I learn to live my life according to the “Spirit”, I find forgiveness
(freedom from condemnation) and I find victory over my flesh (freedom from sin
and death).
I’m living my life after a greater “law”.
:3 For what the law could
not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the
flesh,
:3 the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh
the law – Paul now goes back to the original idea of “the law”, the
Law of Moses.
could not do – adunatos – without
strength, powerless, weakly, disabled; unable to be done, impossible
This is the opposite of dunamai, or dunamis, the word used to describe the “power” of the Holy
Spirit (Acts 1:8)
weak – astheneo – to be weak, feeble, to be without
strength, powerless
The Law of Moses is spiritual (Rom. 7:14), and when we are trying to obey
it in the power of our own flesh, we can never accomplish God’s standards.
:3 sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh
in the likeness – homoioma – a figure, image, likeness, representation.
Like the difference between a real person and a cardboard cutout. Who really got their picture taken with
President Bush?
Paul is saying that Jesus was a man, a human, with real flesh, but it
wasn’t complete picture in that He had no sin.
Just a likeness.
condemned – katakrino – to give judgment against, to judge
worthy of punishment; The verb form of “condemnation” in verse 1.
Robertson: “He
condemned the sin of men and the condemnation took
place in the flesh of Jesus.”
God took care of our sin problem when He sent Jesus to take on human
flesh. While He was a human, He went to
a cross to die, where God heaped the sins of the world upon Him. Jesus died, paying the price for our sins.
(Isaiah 53:5 NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities; The
chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
:4 that the righteous
requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to
the flesh but according to the Spirit.
:4 the righteous requirement …according to the Spirit
righteous requirement – dikaioma – that
which has been declared to be right
When a Greek word has the ending “-ma”, it indicates a “work” of the root
word. This is a “work of righteousness”
might be fulfilled – pleroo – to make
full, to fulfill, to cause God’s will to be obeyed as it should be
Two ways this applies to us:
Lesson
Jesus did it all for me
The law requires us to be perfect.
When a person is not perfect, they must pay the price.
If you don’t want to pay the price yourself, you present a “sacrifice”,
someone else pays for you.
Jesus meets all the requirements in the Law of being a perfect sacrifice
for us.
When we are “in” Him, His blood is applied to our sins, and the requirement
of the Law is met.
Lesson
Spirit filling looks a lot
like the Law
When we’re walking in the Spirit, we will find the Holy Spirit shaping our
lives to look more and more like the things described
in the Law.
A legalistic person is one who looks at the Law and tries to make their
life match the Law.
A Spirit-filled person is one who looks at Jesus, allows the Holy Spirit to
work, and ends up doing things in the real spirit of the Law.
Both people might look the same on the outside (for a
time) – both might not smoke, both might not drink, but how you get there makes
all the difference.
One is trying to clean up their life from the
outside. The other is allowing God to
work in the inside.
For example:
The legalist will live by:
(Exodus 20:13 NKJV) “You shall not murder.
The legalist looks at that and keeps his gun in his
holster. He might get angry with
people. He might curse and yell at
people. He might hate and carry grudges
against people, but he does his best not to kill them.
The Spirit led person lives by:
(Romans 13:8 NKJV) Owe no one anything except to love
one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The Spirit filled person isn’t going to allow the hatred
and bitterness in their heart. The
Spirit is producing “love” in them. They
are going to learn to love others.
Both persons might not kill. But
they get there by different routes.
The outside looks the same, but the inside is very
different.
:5 For those who live
according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who
live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
:5 set their minds on the things of the flesh
those who live – eimi – to be, to
exist, to happen, to be present
It’s not the usual word for “to live”.
We could say it’s talking about people who “exist” according to the
principles of the flesh or the Spirit.
set their minds – phroneo – to feel,
to think; to direct one’s mind to a thing; to be of one's party, side with him
(in public affairs)
The verb is present tense – continually setting their minds on…
The word can almost give you the impressions of political parties.
It seems our nation has become so politically divided over the last few
years that you almost don’t want to raise the issue of politics lest someone
“unfriend” you.
The idea here isn’t about Democrats and Republicans, it’s about the Spirit
and the flesh. Which “party” are you
voting with? When the Holy Spirit votes
a certain way on an issue of your life, if you are “minded” or of the same
party as He is, then you’ll vote the same way to.
The non-Christian doesn’t even have a choice – they have a mind that only
knows the “flesh”.
(1
Corinthians 2:14 NLT) But people who aren’t spiritual
can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and
they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.
The Christian has a choice, they can “vote” for the Spirit or they can vote
for the flesh.
The sad thing is when the believer continually votes for the “flesh” in
their life.
:6 For to be carnally
minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
:6 to be spiritually minded is life and peace
minded – phronema – what one has in the mind, the
thoughts and purposes; based on phroneo in verse 5.
carnally … spiritually – the words for “flesh” and “spirit”, same as
in verse 5.
death – thanatos – the death of the body; separation
(like the soul from the body)
life – zoe – life; of the absolute fullness of
life; life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous
peace – eirene – not being at war; peace between
individuals; security
Lesson
My head affects my heart
Though words like “death” and “life” make us think of heaven and hell, they
also make me think of the things I experience in my heart.
Where my head is at has something to do with what kind of emotions I
experience, whether I’m living under “death” or “life”.
You have a say as to what kind of state your heart and mind are in.
You can choose the misery of death or the blessing of life and peace.
The choice is based on whether you are choosing to have your mind camped
out in the flesh or in the Spirit.
(Isaiah 26:3 NKJV) You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is
stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Illustration
John Ortberg writes, “FTT—my
wife first introduced me to those initials. Nancy was a nurse when I first met
her. There were many parts of nursing for which she did not care. But she loved
diagnosis. To this day there cannot be too many episodes of Grey's Anatomy
for her. (Oprah either, but that's another story.) She is constantly telling me
her private diagnoses of people—even total strangers—based on their skin color.
She can tell you how long you have to live if she gets
a long look at your face and the light is good.
But of all the diagnoses I ever heard her discuss, FTT is the one that
sticks in my mind. Those initials would go on the chart of an infant who, often
for unknown reasons, was unable to gain weight or grow.
Failure to thrive.
Sometimes, they guess, it happens when a parent or care-giver
is depressed, and the depression seems to get passed
down. Sometimes something seems to be off in an infant's metabolism for reasons
no one can understand, so FTT is one of those mysterious phrases that sounds
like an explanation but explains nothing.
Failure to thrive.
I didn't know why it struck me as so unspeakably sad until I read Dallas
Willard's The Spirit of the Disciplines, a book that has affected me
more than any book other than the Bible, from which Dallas actually gets his
best ideas.
Dallas writes that although we have tended to think of the word salvation
as the forgiveness of sins or the escape from punishment, it actually has a
much more robust meaning for the writers of Scripture: "the simple and
wholly adequate word for salvation in the New Testament is 'life.' 'I am come
that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.' 'He
that hath the Son hath life.' 'Even when we were dead through our trespasses,
God made us alive together with Christ.' "
This is the human condition. FTT.
Thrive is a life word; a word full of shalom. Thriving is what life
was intended to do, like a flower stubbornly pushing through a crack in the
sidewalk. It is why we pause in wonder at a human being's first step, or first
word; and why we ought to wonder at every step, and every word. Thriving is
what God saw when he made life and saw that it was good. "Thrive" was
the first command: be fruitful, and multiply.
John Ortberg, "Ministry
and FTT," LeadershipJournal.net (June 2008)
There is a sense in which part of our “thriving” comes from where we’re
sticking our head.
:7 Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor
indeed can be.
:7 the carnal mind is enmity against God
carnal mind – literally, “the mind of the flesh”
enmity – echthra – enmity; from echthros – hated, odious, hateful; hostile
There is a state of war between God and the flesh:
(Galatians
5:17 NLT) The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is
just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires
that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are
constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good
intentions.
(James 4:4 NLT) You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world
makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the
world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
not subject – hupotasso – to arrange under, to subordinate;
obey; to submit to one’s control
This is that “awful” word “submit” used in:
(Ephesians
5:22 NKJV) Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the
Lord.
Also in:
(Ephesians
5:21 NKJV) submitting to one another in the fear of God.
can be – dunamai – to be able to do something; to be
capable, strong and powerful
The mind that continually setting itself on the things of the fleshly sin
nature will not be yielding to the things of God. It is not even capable of doing so.
It sounds to me that one of the keys to learning to do the right thing,
learning to “submit” to God, is learning to put your mind on the right things.
Lesson
Follow through depends on diet
One of the things that can happen at church is “inspiration”. We get “inspired” by a message – we come away
from church thinking that we’re going to change.
The problem is that we can set ourselves up for complete failure if our
head is in the wrong place.
If I have the kinds of lifestyle habits that are constantly feeding my old
sin nature, I’m going to have a hard time keeping those commitments I make at
church.
Could my TV viewing habits or my internet usage affect my ability to obey
God? Absolutely.
Your mind, your thoughts, the words in your head, all affect your life.
Sometimes we need to change the “words”.
Instead of filling our minds with the things of the flesh, we need to fill
them with the things of God.
:8 So then, those who are
in the flesh cannot please God.
:8 in the flesh cannot please God
in the flesh – the chapter started with talking about being “in
Christ”.
cannot – dunamai – to be able to do something; to be
capable, strong and powerful
please – aresko – to please; to strive to please; to
accommodate one’s self to the opinions
desires and interests of others
This is because in my flesh alone, there is “no good thing”.
(Romans 7:18 NKJV) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells;
for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not
find.
If I am living my life as “in the flesh” rather than “in Christ”, I don’t
have a lot to work with when it comes to doing the right thing.
You are not ever going to be able to please God by yourself. This is why it’s totally futile for a person
to think they can clean up their life and make God happy. Impossible.
Lesson
Pleasing God
It starts with living after the Spirit.
Jesus said,
(John 7:37b–38
NKJV) —37 …“If anyone
thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of
living water.”
He was talking about the Spirit of God and how to receive
it. This is how we start the life of the Spirit.
We receive it when we are “thirsty” for it. We receive it when we simply open our hearts
and receive it.
But that’s just how we “start”.
How do I live after the Spirit?
Choose the Spirit.
Make a choice that you want to live under the Spirit’s
control. Keep casting your vote.
Yield to the Spirit.
Get out of the driver’s seat. Let the Holy Spirit direct you.
Feed the Spirit.
Continue to make choices that build up your inner man, what
are you feeding your mind, move away from the things that feed your flesh.