6/23/24 “Life in the Spirit”
“Life in the Spirit”
Romans 8:1-27
This past week, many people around the country recognized a newly instituted holiday known as Juneteenth.
According to Wikipedia, Juneteenth is a federal holiday celebrated annually on June 19th to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States.
It was on June 19th, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas at the end of the American Civil War.
Two and a half years prior to that on January 1st, 1863 – in the midst of the War - President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation….
…the announcement that “All persons held as slaves within the rebellious areas are, and henceforward shall be free.”
The 200 years of slavery in this country (From the mid 1600’s to the mid 1800’s) most certainly serve to remind us how there will always be consequences for sinful decisions and behavior…
In many ways, our country is still dealing with the consequences of the institution of slavery – some 160 years after the practice itself was abolished.
In our passage for today, Paul talks about another kind of Emancipation Proclamation…A Spiritual Emancipation Proclamation.
Unlike the one that Abraham Lincoln signed in Washington, DC – this Emancipation Proclamation was signed by God himself on a cross just outside of the Damascus gate in Jerusalem
when his Son – Jesus Christ – died for our sins…
This Emancipation Proclamation was signed in blood - setting believers free from the bondage of sin.
Romans chapter eight is one of the greatest chapters in all of scripture.
Theologian Griffith Thomas puts it like this:
“If the Bible were a golden ring, the book of Romans would be the diamond on that golden ring – and chapter 8 would be the sparkle on the diamond.”
Romans Chapter 8 begins with a proclamation “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
Remember what we need to ask ourselves when we see the word ‘Therefore’ ?
We ask ourselves “What is it There For?”
In this case, Paul is referencing the theme of chapter 7, which – if you remember – is about that war within each of us between the flesh and the Spirit.
It’s a war that we will always be fighting as long as we are in these bodies of flesh.
So – in essence – Romans chapter 7 is about bondage…
But now in chapter 8, Paul transitions to the theme of Freedom from sinful bondage that can only be found in Jesus Christ.
Some have called Romans 8:1 the most hopeful verse in all of scripture.
It’s a summary of the truth that the believer is justified by faith alone through the gracious atoning work of Christ on the cross.
…this is the most uplifting and hopeful message that mankind will ever hear!
Chapter 8 begins a major pivot in the book of Romans…Paul is moving from the themes of sin, the law, and justification – to that of now looking at the results of justification in the life of a believer.
When we are told that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, it means that there is neither sentencing nor punishment for the sins that believers have committed – or will ever commit.
1 John 1:9 conveys the same truth using these words: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Jesus graciously imputes His own perfect righteousness upon every soul who comes to Him in faith.
Philippians 3:9 tells us that we do not have a “…Righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”
Paul tells us in verse 2 of our passage for today (Romans 8:2) that “The law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Here we are reminded that it is through the working of the Holy Spirit that the believer is emancipated from the trappings of the sinful flesh – and is now free to live in obedience to God.
This is why it’s so vitally important that we tap into the power of the Holy Spirit to avoid falling to the temptations of sin in our lives.
On our vacation last week, Lisa & I took a train ride on the White Pass Scenic Railway where we were told the story of the Klondike Gold Rush.
When people heard that there was gold discovered in Canada’s Yukon territory, tens of thousands of gold-crazed men & women traveled to Skagway, Alaska to – from there - attempt a 600 mile trek through dangerous trails and extremely harsh conditions…
Of the more than 100,000 prospectors who made the initial trek to the Yukon-Klondike region, only about 30,000 actually succeeded in completing the journey…
This means that the vast majority of people either died or turned back at some point on the journey.
…and of the 30,000 people who actually made it to the Yukon gold fields, only 4,000 struck gold…and of that 4,000 who struck gold…only a few hundred got rich.
Only .3% of the people who set out to find gold actually found enough to make them relatively wealthy.
All I could think about while hearing the tour guide relay these numbers to us was how imprisoned these people were to the obsession with becoming rich and gaining material wealth.
So obsessed were many of them, that they happily risked their lives just for the opportunity to find a tiny nugget of gold.
I kept thinking about these people’s families left behind to fend for themselves…
The physical and emotional hardships that were placed on these people - mostly women and children – must have been massive.
…and the pain in hearing that their loved one never made it back out of the icy cold, treacherous mountains must have been horrific.
Even though these prospectors were free in a physical sense to travel thousands of miles away to search for gold – they were slaves to their own sinful desire for materialism and wealth.
This is what Paul is talking about when he tells us in verse 2 (Romans 8:2) that the Holy Spirit has liberated him from the fleshly desires that once had enslaved him.
He was literally set free from spiritual bondage the day he accepted Jesus as his Lord & Savior on that road to Damascus.
How about you this morning?
Have you been set free from the bondage of worldly temptations in your life?
Are you still enslaved to the allurement of what money and materialism can offer you in this world?
You may not be going off to prospect for gold in Alaska anytime soon…
but maybe you regularly sacrifice precious time with your kids (Or Grandkids)….in order to chase a few more dollars at the office, or at the worksite.
Or maybe you’re a slave to that addiction that will only take you down a path of despair & away from a relationship with your savior.
Maybe you’ve been completely concerned with yourself…totally self-absorbed…I’ve been there!...and – being an only child – I still struggle with the temptation to dismiss the needs of others while putting my own needs first.
Maybe that describes you today.
All of this is spiritual bondage.
It is slavery to the law of sin – to the old man/woman - that continually wants to gain back control of your mind.
Has anyone ever heard of a fungus called ‘Ophiocordyceps’?
The Ophiocordyceps fungus is a fungus that will infiltrate the brain of its host and will actually influence the host (Usually an insect of some kind) to act in ways that benefit the fungus and – at the same time - bring harm to the insect.
Many times, after the fungus has seized enough control of the host’s mind, the fungus will “make” the insect climb to a place where the fungus can more easily reproduce and thrive.
Eventually, the fungus infection kills the host and its spores grow right up out of the lifeless corpse of the insect…
Folks, this is why I don’t eat mushrooms…ok? 😊
Ever since my daughter Lindsay brought this creepy organism to my attention when she was in grade school, I can’t help but think about spores growing out of my ears when I see any type of fungus.…thanks a lot, Lindsay! ☹
In a similar way, Satan wants to have influence over your mind…and control your behavior in such a way as to be beneficial for him – and destructive to you.
Satan doesn’t like the fact that you have given your life to Christ – and he will do everything in his power to attempt to bring you back down into that pit of disobedience, defeat, and despair.
But – brothers & sisters in Christ – You have been set free!
You have been emancipated from the yoke of sin that once controlled you!
Jesus reminds us in John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Jesus is not speaking of the physical here – but rather – the spiritual.
He is reminding us that we no longer must be slaves to our fleshly desires…we now have the power within us to choose righteousness over sinfulness every single time we make a decision.
…and this choosing always begins in the mind.
In verse 5 (Romans 8:5) Paul reminds us that “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what the nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
Then, in verse 6 (Romans 8:6) we read that “…The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”
Look at that word ‘Controlled’
Paul is telling us that our minds are either under the general influence of the sinful flesh – or they are under the general influence of the Holy Spirit.
…and if you belong to Christ – you have the ability to remain under the influence of the Holy Spirit by choosing to do so!
In Sunday School, we’re going through a series right now on the Holy Spirit.
One of the ways in which the Holy Spirit’s work is compared, is that of being under the influence of alcohol.
When someone drinks until they get drunk, they have made the decision to willingly submit their thinking and decision-making ability to the power of a chemical substance…
In a similar way (But very opposite way) when we willingly submit ourselves to the person of the Holy Spirit, we voluntarily make the decision to align ourselves with what the Holy Spirit wants for us…
in other words, we come under the influence of His power and His authority in our lives.
This is what Paul elaborates on in here in verses 5-11 of our text for today.
Many of you have what’s called a ‘life verse’ – a verse of scripture that means so much to you that you define much of who you are as a believer by that verse…
Would anyone like to let us know what your live verse is this morning?
Those of you who attend any of our Bible studies know that my ‘life verse’ is:
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
I so appreciate this verse because it reminds the believer that one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is that of renewing our minds on a daily basis…
And that process will result in an ever-increasing level of spiritual transformation – you will more-and-more find yourself wanting to please God in everything that you think and do.
Did you notice that this verse comes with a promise as well?
By coming under the influence of the Holy Spirit, you are told that God’s Will will become crystal clear to you.
Have you ever wondered – or said to someone else – “If I only knew what God’s Will is for me in this area of my life?”
Well…here is the answer to that dilemma – the more you submit to the Holy Spirit, the less you will ever need to wonder what God’s Will is for your life.
In Alaska last week, we saw some beautiful flowers growing in people’s gardens.
One doesn’t normally think about flowers thriving in Alaska, but this time of year they get almost 24 hours of sunlight up there…and combined with plenty of rain – flowers can grow very well.
Have you ever stopped to consider how we never need to expend energy in helping weeds to flourish?
It takes time, effort, and skill to produce beautiful flowers – but if we simply ignore our gardens, weeds grow vigorous and strong…no action on our part is needed.
Our spiritual lives are like planting a flower garden – if you want beautiful flowers, it takes some effort!
But if you ignore the disciplines of the faith, such as time spent in the Word, prayer, fellowship with other believers, etc…the weeds of apathy, pride, and idolatry will soon take over the garden of your life.
In verses 12-17 of today’s passage, Paul elaborates on the wonderful truth that the believer has also been adopted into the family of God – we are His children.
…and by being a child of God, we become co-heirs with Christ to the bountiful provisions of His Kingdom…we receive all of the rights and privileges of being in His family – both now, and for eternity.
…That ought to get us excited this morning!
That truth should keep us longing for the return of our savior as well.
One commentator had this to say about what our attitude should be toward the second coming of Jesus:
“The Christian who is not eagerly looking for Christ’s Second Coming and living his life in accordance with Christ’s will is too tied to this earth. Only those believers who have an eternal perspective, who are truly heavenly-minded, can be of service to Him on earth, because they are freed from the earthly desires and motivations that hinder the obedience of many of His children. Faithful believers are fruitful believers, and they know that their true citizenship is in heaven.”
Verses 18-27 of our passage speak to the hope we have in Christ, even though our present world is full of pain, disease, disappointment, and strife.
No matter how difficult life gets, we have assurance from our savior that everything is going to be alright…
In verse 18, Paul tells us that his “Present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Suffering, for the Christian, is far different than suffering as an unbeliever.
Not only do we grow in our faith and perseverance when we suffer, but we know that there will eventually be a positive outcome on the other side of our suffering – even if our suffering leads to death.
…Because death is just a doorway to heaven – to the place where our citizenship has been all along…It’s a doorway to our eternal home.
For the unbeliever, however, suffering has no value whatsoever.
There is no hope in suffering for the unbeliever – those who live only for this life cannot look forward to any comfort for their souls…or any resolution of wrongs…there is no divine purpose, or divine reward.
Is there any wonder why we see so much depression and despair in our world today?
We see three ‘Groanings’ going on in this passage of scripture as well.
We all know what it means to groan, right?
It’s that sound that many of us make when we get up from a chair…
You younger people – savor your healthy bodies…someday your body will also make unintentional noises…snaps…crackles…pops.
First, we see the groaning of creation.
Verse 22 (Romans 8:22) says “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”
This refers to the created universe as it now exists in the corrupted condition caused by the fall.
Has anyone ever heard of entropy? (It’s also referred to as the 2nd law of thermodynamics)
Entropy describes how our universe and everything in it is slowly losing energy, and moving from order to randomness.
To me, Entropy provides a tangible picture of how the cosmos is groaning because of sin’s presence within it.
The second groaning we see is that of the believer.
Verse 23 says “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”
The Christian groans because of the remnant of sin that still operates within his flesh.
Remember what we covered a couple of weeks ago in Romans chapter 7?
Paul is groaning here because he understands that while on this earth, he will never be sinless – even though he longs to be sinlessly obedient to God all the time….and to have a body that is free from sin.
Finally, the Holy Spirit groans.
Verse 26 says “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”
Have you ever been so consumed with grief that you just didn’t have the words to pray?...all you could do was sob…or cry…or remain silent.
We are told here that one of the ministering responsibilities of the Holy Spirit is to translate the inaudible contents of our heart into a language that is used within the Godhead.
When we don’t know what to say, the comforter – the Holy Spirit – brings forth the words that will align perfectly with God’s Will.
This also should bring us great comfort and relief – knowing that God always understands the weight upon our hearts.
We long to be with our savior…we long to be with the one who gave his life for us…we long to be with fellow children on God for eternity.
The only way to satisfy these longings is to be in Christ – It is only through Him that we inherit life everlasting…make sure you know Jesus as your savior.
Let’s Pray.