JOY "Israel" January 25

January 25, 2012

Israel

Romans 9:1-29

The subject of the doctrine of election and  predestination is a polarizing one, among denominations and among individual churches, within denominations, and and among individual believers, within a church. I daresay, that even, in this room-----we would have a wide difference of opinion. But, the bottom line is, that's all it is, opinion. Now its biblical opinion, because there is scriptural evidence to back up both sides, of the argument. But, the truth is, only God knows the fullness and the entirety and the execution and the end result, of His plan------and that is a truth that everyone can agree on. 

I will try and explain in a nutshell: John Calvin was an influential French Theologian, during the Protestant Reformation, who was instrumental in the development of a Christian theology, known as Calvinism, which has been embraced by denominations and individuals, in some  form, since that time. Many brilliant biblical scholars have wrestled with it down through the ages-----many have reluctantly, and many have wholeheartedly, inserted it into their belief system, along with their trust in the Gospel. I think largely, because they can't explain Paul's words about it, which are only found in chapters 8-11 of Romans, Acts 4:28, 1Corinthians 2:7, and Ephesians 1:5, 11.

I am going to start off, this very hard lesson to teach, and this very hard lesson to understand, with a statement that the 20 century pastor, preacher and author, A.W. Tozer, made in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, He said, that "Man's will is free, because God is sovereign." He goes on to explain his thought, with this illustration-------"An ocean liner leaves New York bound for Liverpool. Its destination has been determined by the proper authorities and  nothing can change its course. This illustrates a faint picture of sovereignty to us. 

On board the liner, are hundreds of passengers. They aren't in chains, and they aren't forced to participate in some activities and banned from participating in other ones. They are completely free to choose to do whatever they want to do, that has been is provided for them to do, on the ship. They can eat, sleep, play, hang out on deck or in their cabin, read, talk, swim, play games-----whatever they please with whatever is available, that's what they can do. And all the while, the big boat is carrying them steadily onward toward the predetermined port. 

Both sovereignty and freedom are present here and they don't contradict each other. So it is, I believe, with man's freedom and the sovereignty of God. The mighty ocean liner, of God's sovereign design, keeps it's steady course, over the sea of history. God moves undisturbed and unhindered, toward the fulfillment of those eternal purposes, which He had determined in Christ Jesus, before the world began. We don't know all that God has included in His purposes, but He has disclosed enough of His plan, to us, in His Word, that we can see and understand the broad outline of things to come, and can rest assured, in the good hope and firm assurance, of a future well-being." 

He went on to say, in his book, The Pursuit of God,  "God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, 'O Lord, You Know.' Those things belong to the deep and mysterious profoundness of God's omniscience. Prying into them, may make them theologians, but it will never make them saints." He's basically saying, we need to keep the main thing the main thing---we can get bogged down in the arguing over something that men and women of God have argued over since the scripture was first written, or we can walk forward trusting that God has all things worked out and that they are in the palm of His hand, doing the work that He has given us to do--which is loving God with all our hearts, souls and strength and our neighbors so much that we will go to any length to make sure that they have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ----and it's by His grace alone, that anybody is saved------because we don't deserve salvation, we all deserve death, but Jesus took the sin, of the whole world into His holy body so that every person would have the opportunity to be saved. Taken in its entirety, that is what the scripture teaches.

I read in my study this week, from a commentary, from one of my favorite authors, R. Kent Hughes---- the former pastor of College Church, in Wheaton, Illinois---- that whether you believe in the Calvinist interpretation of election and predestination or whether you don't------ before you teach these chapters in scripture, Romans 9-11, that you need to lay all your cards on the table so that you are completely honest right up front--so here goes… I believe in God's absolute sovereignty. I also believe that God created mankind, with the free-will, to make his own choices. I believe that God is omniscient (He knows and has always known all things) I believe that these 2 truths co-exist, side by side. I believe that God preordained, before He spun the world into place, a plan to redeem mankind, because He knew that we would use our free-will to disobey Him.I believe that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world. I believe that God knew that some people would accept His plan and that some people would reject it. I believe that the Elect, is anyone, who accepts God's plan. I believe that the person who accepts Jesus as their Savior has a sure destiny, that has always been predestined. I believe that if a person rejects God's plan of salvation then He is condemning himself to hell. I believe that God calls everyone to accept His plan but that not everyone will accept His call. I believe that when He calls a person to be saved, He can call and call and call and call and a person will still reject God's plan. Look at Judas-----he walked and talked with Jesus----he heard everything he had to say and he still rejected Him-----that is the mystery to me------why someone would say no to Jesus---- but people do, they see themselves as their own Saviors, their pride covers their eyes like a blindfold. So, instead of seeing and choosing the light and glory of heaven, they only see darkness and essentially, and eventually, they choose hell. God, whose ways are not our ways, allows people to make their own choice about receiving His free gift of salvation, by receiving His grace by faith.

With that our of the way, I can now teach you what this scripture is talking about and Paul is addressing the Jews.

JOY "Certainty" January 18

January 18, 2012

Certainty

Romans 8:17-39

I        Future Glory and 

       the Spirit's Intercession   8: 17-27

II      God's Sovereignty        8: 28-30

III      God's Love                   8: 31-39

John Chrysostom, the archbishop of Constantinople, lived in the 3rd and 4th centuries. He's been canonized to sainthood, by the Roman Catholic and the Greek Orthodox churches. He was known for being a brilliant preacher, as well as, a well-quoted theologian, during his lifetime. From descriptions written about him, he was considered to be a very eloquent speaker, who defied the abuse of authority and the lavishly, excessive lifestyles, which were embraced, by both the spiritual and the political leaders, of the day. 

This made him a target for the Roman authorities, and when, he was brought up in front of the  emperor, for trial, he was threatened with exile, if he continued to speak out against them---they even tried to coerce him, into denying that he was a Christian. Chrysostom's reply to the emperor, reflects the insight of a person, who truly understands, that real security, in life, comes, when we have deep trust in, and submission to, the Holy Spirit and when we can rest, in the absolute certainty, of God's love for us. 

His bold conversation with the emperor went like this:

C: "Thou canst not banish me, for this world is my father's house."

E: "But I will slay thee."

C: "Nay, thou canst not, for my life is hid with Christ, in God."

E: "I will take away thy treasures."

C: "Nay, but thou canst not, for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there."

E: "But I will drive thee away from man, and thou shalt have no friend left."

C: "Nay, thou canst not, for I have a friend in heaven, from who thou canst not separate me. 

I defy thee; for there is nothing, that thou canst do to hurt me." 

Chrysostom understood, and claimed, what Paul wanted the believers in Rome to understand and to claim------and it's a truth, that's more than important, for us to understand and embrace too------ and it is, that once we've been liberated, from the condemnation of sin and death---we are truly and surely, free, for all eternity. And this means that there is nothing else, in this world that matters, in comparison----not geography, not possessions, not human relationships, not power, not position and not life and death. 

The wonderful reality is, that when judgment and condemnation, are lifted from our shoulders, and we begin to believe, with our hearts and our minds, that they have been, -----then---- we can start dwelling, in the mental, emotional and spiritual freedom, that God created us, to live in, in the beginning----and this plants in us, a calm assurance and an absolute certainty in our hearts, that begins to lead us, into a life of peace and victory, right now, in whatever circumstances, we find ourselves in------but this can only be experienced by people, who've come to know Jesus, as their personal Savior.

We need to believe and walk in the truth, that, in the Lord Jesus, there is no more shame and no more guilty conscience, about the things, that we know, that the scripture tells us we've been forgiven for.

We need to believe and walk in the truth, that, in the Lord Jesus, the practice of our faith, can match the position of righteousness, He's given us, as God's beloved, children.

We need to believe and walk in the truth, that, in the Lord Jesus, all areas of our lives, can be led and governed by the Holy Spirit. 

We need to believe and walk in the truth that, in the Lord Jesus, we are God's adopted children, with all the rights and privileges of a natural born child.

We need to believe and walk in the truth that, in the Lord Jesus, we don't have to be frustrated that we live in a cursed world, because we know that heaven, with all its glory, is just a breath away.

We need to believe and walk in the truth that, in the Lord Jesus, there is nothing in heaven or earth that we ever have to fear again----- we can have a clear conscience, at the end of the day, and we can have a fresh, exciting expectation, every morning.

"The 19th century British pastor, Billy Bray, had been converted, from a life of drunken debauchery, while he was reading John Bunyan's book, Visions of Heaven and Hell. It's been said, that he was so continuously, overjoyed, by God's grace and goodness, that he confessed to his congregation, "I can't help praising the Lord. As I go along the street, I lift up one foot, and it seems to say "Glory"! and I lift up the other one and it seems to say "amen"--and they keep on like that, all the time I'm walking."

When we're compelled, by love for God; feel deep hatred for sin; reject the world; long for Jesus's return; love other Christians, even when they aren't lovely; recognize answered prayer;  discern between truth and error, and long for, and move toward, being Christ-like-------then, we can be confident, that we're walking in the right direction with the Spirit------even if we stumble and fall, sometimes---we can rest assured, that He will be right there, to pick us up, and make sure, that we take the next step forward. We're God's children and we're blessed beyond measure--------and in spite of our circumstances and because of them-----we need to live like it!

I Future Glory and the Spirit's Intercession    8: 17-27

The ancient Jews believed, that they were the only ones, who would inherit the Promised Land, but Paul is very careful, in all his writings, especially in Romans, to make it clear, that God's promise of inheritance, includes anyone, who's accepted Jesus, as their Savior, whether they are Jew or Gentile, Greek or Barbarian. 

As believers, we are co-heirs with Jesus and we will inherit a land (heaven), that is far more wonderful, than the small strip of property, that the Jews thought, was their precious promise.

We are God's heirs, because Jesus went to the Cross and suffered and died for the whole world. But instead of loving Him for it, the world, has hated Him and His followers, for His selfless and perfect sacrifice. And the result has been, some degree, of spiritual, emotional or physical suffering, for anybody, who has ever had a relationship with Him. In John 15:20, Jesus told His disciples, "Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecute me, they will persecute you also". And History, has proven, that hatred for Jesus, has resulted, many times, in terrible persecution for Believers, a lot of it, resulting in martyrdom. The early Christians who died in the arena, shared, in the Lord's suffering, and their deaths, were often the seeds of faith, that bloomed in another person heart. 

And, in many parts of the world today, there are Christians who face pressures, just as severe, as the ones, if not worse, than the first-century believers did------ and even in countries, like ours, where Christianity is tolerated and even encouraged, we have to pay a price for following Him too. 

We can't become complacent! -------Striving to live like Jesus did-------serving other people, giving up our rights, resisting the pressure to conform to the world, having an attitude of love and kindness, instead an attitude of entitlement, keeping our eyes on eternity, rather than on what we can achieve right now-----takes it's toll and it exacts a price. But nothing, that we suffer, can compare, to the great price, that Jesus paid, to save us. So, we need to count it, as a gift and an honor, to share in His suffering, if someday, we're going to share, in His glory. 

It's hard for us, to rationalize the concept, of glory and suffering, being linked so closely together. The idea of linking hurts and hallelujahs, makes no sense to the human mind. 

To me, it's a little like pouring ketchup, on ice cream; or adding maple syrup to sushi (yuk). But last week, I took my nephews, to Chic fill A, and Oliver, ate his chicken nuggets, dipped in ketchup with a cone of vanilla ice cream, at the same time; and he didn't even bat an eye. 

We need to get to the place, where we're as comfortable with the fact, that suffering and the-glory-that's-coming, are as eternally linked, as a part of God's plan, as Ollie was comfortable, with his ice cream and ketchup. 

The scripture continually presents, both the sufferings, that we endure; and the glory that we're going to be given, as privileges. Paul tells us in Philippians 1:29, "For it has been granted to you, on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him." That doesn't mean that we can earn God's glory, by our sufferings-----the bible doesn't teach us, that the person who suffers the most, will earn the greatest glory------it teaches us, that it's a privilege, that's granted to us, by God's grace, as part of our inheritance, to be able, to share in the sufferings, that Jesus endured for us, because they change us, so that we become more and more like Him.

The wonderful truth is: the sufferings that we have to experience, for a little while, are nothing compared to the glory that's waiting for us, when we get to heaven-----it's a glory that is beyond description and far greater than anything that we can imagine. I told y'all about the funeral that I went to last week, that was such a joyful worship service-----well as we were leaving, Beverly said, "That just made me homesick!"--------and it should have made us all homesick for heaven-------on this earth, we can only experience a taste, of the glory that's waiting for us when we see Jesus ------and sometimes, the joy we feel here, is almost more than we can handle; can you just imagine, what heaven is going to be. 

Throughout the Old and the New Testaments, runs a thread of hope, that points to the glory that's coming. This hope, speaks of a day, when all the pain, heartache and injustice of this world, will be laid to rest, and we won't ever again, experience anything, but blessing upon blessing upon blessing, for all eternity. This hope was just a whisper in the OT, but got stronger when Jesus was born and intensified even more, after His death and resurrection--------but it became a shout, as Paul began to explain, with every word that he wrote, that our present sufferings, aren't even worth mentioning, compared to the glory that's coming! And the fact, that Paul, could proclaim this, proves to us, that it's true, because he endured so much suffering in his short lifetime. He was beaten with fists and leather whips and rocks and he was shipwrecked and chained and imprisoned, and he was left---- starving, naked and cold, to die alone, more than one time, and he was still able to say, in Romans 8:18 …"Our present sufferings are not worth comparing, with the glory that will be revealed in us." 

But, we can't make light of our human sufferings. We've all seen people go through physical illness and injury and emotional distress, that is unimaginably painful. I would never presume to minimize or to trivialize or to judge, another person's suffering, because suffering and trouble, just like sin, is all level at the cross. Paul's words aren't doing that either; because what he's saying to us, in his message; is that the glory that's coming, will be so utterly beyond our comprehension, that some day, our earthly sufferings will be insignificant, in comparison! 

Meanwhile, any kind of suffering, for the Lord Jesus, hurts. And it may not always feel like the privilege that it is---- but we need to remember, that we can rest in the fact, that we don't have to suffer alone, because the Lord has promised, that He will never leave us nor forsake us and that He'll give us a peace, that surpasses all understanding, as we walk through, whatever valley, we have to, on our way to heaven. We have an eternal hope that takes our focus off of our circumstances and puts that focus where it belongs, on the Lord Jesus, and then, that focus on Jesus, gives us a renewed hope. It's a hope that reminds us of who we belong to and who we are in Him. It's a hope that cleanses us and purifies us and gives us the strength and energy to keep pressing on, about our Father's business, in spite of and because of, our sufferings.

Paul says that there are 3 types of groaning going on, that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, confirm our hope of glory.  

Creation; Believers; and the Holy Spirit, are all groaning, for God's future glory, to come. 

We, along with nature, are waiting and groaning with eager anticipation for God to reveal His sons. We're like little children who are waiting excitedly for their birthday party to start------looking out the window------driving their mother crazy, as they complain, about how long its taking for people to come, craning their necks to see, who will be the first to arrive. Or a mother, as she groans in the pangs of labor, craning her neck, as she pushes, to get the first glimpse of her baby's head. 

Creation fell, along with Adam and Eve, when they were disciplined, for their disobedience, in the Garden. So, it wasn't, just, the human race that became subject to sin and death, but the entire physical universe, began to die at the same time. It was sin, that put thorns on roses and that put hostility between different species of animals, including man against animals and man against man and animals against animals; and it was sin, that turned plant-eating creatures, into carnivorous predators, and that caused the ocean to surge with tidal waves and sunamis, and the rivers to leave their banks in floods, and the wind to whip itself into a frenzy of hurricaines and tornadoes, and it is sin, that has allowed disease and age and deformaties, to ravage human bodies . The universe has been subjected to the same frustration, bondage and decay that human beings have been, as a result of the Fall. The law of physics, states, a very accurate description, of the fact, that everything is decaying-----the universe is running down and it's order is becoming disarranged and disordered and we are contributing to it, as we abuse, our air and rivers, with pollution, and our minds and bodies with drugs and other harmful activities. 

Creation longs for the day when everything will be made right and when God's sons and daughters will be revealed. Creation was created by God, for man and was given to him to control. But, when Adam sinned, God flipflopped reality, and nature became the master over mankind. Nature groans to be released from the curse, so that it can fulfill it's purpose. And one day, when humanity is finally delivered from decay, nature will be delivered too. The universe will burst into bloom with a beauty that we can't even imagine. The desert will blossom, like the most lush river valley, and the lions will lie down with the lambs, and rivers and lakes and oceans, will run with water, as clear and sweet, as they were, when God first created them. 

Believers groan to be delivered from the curse too. (We have a video of me in labor with Lizzie, its hilarious, because when I first got to the hospital, I refused to take an epidural, cause I hadn't taken one with the other 2 children-------but, I'd been in labor for so long, by that point in time, that my doctor tried to convince me to take the epidural, by saying, "that with Mary Kathryn, I didn't know any better; that with Griff, I was trying to be heroic; and with Lizzie, I was just plain stupid, if I didn't take it." So, he convinced me and they gave me the epidural. On the video, behind the pitiful picture of me, you can hear Dale say, "this is Debra, before the epidural" and then you can hear him say, behind a picture of me, smiling and bright eyed and bushy tailed, "and this is Debra, after, the epidural.") 

The contrast is night and day------That's the way we are, as we groan to be delivered from the curse of sin--------right now, we are groaning in agony------but we know, that someday, we will shout with joy, because we'll have been, once and for all, delivered from all pain and suffering. 

We are also, groaning for our adoption, as God's children, to be completed. God loves us and He loves the world, so He sent Jesus to rightously regain, what we lost through sin. When we accept Him as our personal Savior, we become God's children, but we won't be ready for eternity, until He changes our hearts to be like His, as He allows us to walk though the valleys and mountaintops, that we face in this life and until our bodies are redeemed and resurrected, never to be subject to disease or death, again. He will change us, in the twinkling of an eye, and everything that God has promised, will be true in an instant. How can we not groan for that?????

And, we're groaning, because of the misery, of having to live in these fallen bodies, in this fallen world-------Ray Stedman, a 20th century preacher and theologian writes, "Our lives consist of groans. We groan because of the ravages that sin makes in our lives, and in the lives of those we love. We groan over lost opportunities. We groan because we see gifted people waste their lives. Even Jesus groaned. It's recorded, that as He drew near to the tomb of Lazarus, He groaned in his Spirit, because of His grief over the loss of his friend. Even though He knew that He would soon raise him from the dead; He was saddened by what sin had done, to a believing family. We groan in our Spirits, in disappointment and bereavenment and sorrow. And, we groan physically, in our pain and limitation. Life consists of a great deal of groaning."

Our sufferings can and should work for us----When a woman is in labor, if she fights against the pain, the misery, will be almost unendurable and seemingly unending, but if she welcomes the pain and rides with it, knowing that each contraction, is bringing her, one step closer to the promise of joy, she can handle the ordeal, with grace and strength. 

In this world, we need to embrace every groan, as a reminder of the promise of glory-----and every pain, as an assurance, that we are one step closer, to our future joy.

As Believers, we are saved in hope-------and in faith, we live by that hope. Hope is the earnest, confident, expectation, of something unseen. Our waiting for God, to bring His plan to completion, is made bearable by the fact, that we already have the "firstfruits" of the Spirit.  

Farmers understand the concept of "firstfruits". They fight against weeds and drought and pests and the extremes in weather conditions, to grow a crop. They drop their seeds into the ground or tend their trees or their vines, with no guarantees. So, the first sign of a productive yield, is cause for celebration and hope. Jesus, is the 1st fruit, of God's greater harvest, that is yet to come and so are we; and the Holy Spirit, living in our hearts, is a guarantee, that there is so much more to come----- as He gives us joy, in the middle of heartache, and peace, in the middle of turbulant, painful circumstances and, as He, miraculously, grows the fruit of His Spirit, in us.

The Holy Spirit groans, as He intercedes for us. He groans to the Father, with words that we can't express. This pasage helps us to understand prayer---it teaches us, that, not only, does the Holy Spirit speak to us but he speaks for us, too. We don't know, what we need to pray for. We can't see the future. We don't know, what's in our best interests or what's in the best interests of the people that we love. We have no clue what's good for us; and we rarely recognize what's bad for us. We lack the wisdom to pray for the right thing. But God still wants us to pray, and He wants us to pray without ceasing, so, when we need to thank Him or when we can sense that something is wrong, and we don't know what to say-----we need to lift our souls and our hands to the Lord, expressing our weakness and our bewilderment and our inadequacy, to express ourselves, and we need to ask the Holy Spirit, to pray the prayer request, or to sing the praises for us.

 Chad said, Sunday morning, when he preached from this exact same passage, "….that we are children, spiritually, and that we need the Father, to give us, what is good for us. He said that the Holy Spirit, is always moving us into the perfect will of God, and that it would be foolish for us to quench or thwart the Spirit of God------so why to we try to. We need to trust Him enough to let Him work. We trust Him with our salvation, so why in the world can't we trust Him with our day to day living."

When we don't understand the heartache that we sometimes have to face and when we're tempted to think, "Why me Lord?" It helps us, to remember that the Holy Spirit groans for us. When we see a mother sobbing over the loss of a child, or when we see a wife struggling to make sense of a husband leaving her, or when we see a husband frantically trying to keep his family from financial ruin, or when we know parents, who are distraught over a child's descent into a lifestyle, of drugs and alcohol, or when we are privy to a friend's battle with depression------we can know that the Holy Spirit is suffering anquish and the desperate ache of sadness, right along with us. He is, the Spirit, of the Creator, who made our bodies and our minds, to reflect His glory, not to suffer from disease and disaster and decay. He loves us so much more than we can love ourselves or each other----so He groans with us--- This should be our greatest comfort.

And, fortunately, the Holy Spirit possesses power that we don't. In our own strength, all we can do is groan, we can't do anything else. But the Spirit groans with a purpose, and with a wisdom, that we don't have, making requests for us, that we are too shortsighted to even imagine.The Holy Spirit's goal, is to help us grow deeper and closer to the Lord; He wants our minds and hearts and God's heart and mind, to be united----- so, His prayers are always answered, because He always prays in agreement, with the Father's will.  

II God's Sovereignty  8:28-30

"Years ago, there was an episode of the Twilight Zone, where a kindly anitque dealer happened to release a genie from an otherwise, worthless bottle. In keeping with tradition, the man was granted wishes, and for some reason, he was given 4, instead of the usual 3, but it was a good thing, cause he needed all of them. The genie warned him to choose wisely, after he wasted his first wish, on something insignficant. So, after he consulted with his wife, he used his second wish to ask for a million dollars, which the genie granted immediately. After giving away nearly 60,000 of it, to their needy friends, they found out that they owed the IRS the rest of it, except for $5.00. The man realized that he should have wished for a million, tax-free dollars. He didn't think about the consequences of his wish, so it bombed.

Next, he wished for power-----he wanted to be the leader of a modern, powerful country, where he couldn't be voted out of office. The genie immediately granted that request too-------and the man found himself in a WWII bunker, surrounded by Nazi attendants and sporting a style of mustache that, hopefully, this world will never see again. Bless his heart, he should have been a little more specific.

The poor man had no choice, but to use his final wish to restore life as it was, before he found the genie in the bottle. The only thing that he gained from the experience, was the wisdom to know, that the power to wish for something, without complete foreknowledge, could have disastrous results, and, that if he'd found a genie that genuinely cared about him, things might have been different.  

We are the same, when we pray----- because we really don't know what's good for us. We can do our very best, to pray in harmony with the Lord's will, but way too often, we pray for the exact opposite of what's good for us. Thankfully, we have a loving God, who only wants good for us, never bad. If I had a dollar for every time, I've been able to thank Him, for not granting my misguided, shortsighted requests, I'd be rich. 

We don't know, and we can't see, how we're supposed to pray, but there is one thing that we can count on, for sure and that is, that Romans 8:28 does not begin with "we think", or "we hope" or "we wish"------it begins with, "We know"……Paul tells us that when the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, "we can know, that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who called according to His purpose." This verse is often taken out of context by well-meaning Believers------but it's important, for us to understand it, in the context, that it was written in. Paul says, that what the Spirit prays for, is what happens. The Holy Spirit prays according to the mind of God, and the Father answers His prayer, by bringing into our lives the experiences that we need, to make us more like Him.

This means that even the trials and the tragedies that occur in our lives are the Father's answers, to the prayer of the Spirit. Everything that happens to us, the pleasant and the painful and the stressful and the easy, happen according to God's plan. It's hard for us to understand and we won't fully know, why many things happen the way they do, until we get to heaven-----but we can know, that God always knows what's best. And that He allows things to come into our lives, because, either we, or someone close to us, needs, what He wants to teach us, through them. 

God weaves events and situations and people, into His perfect plan, so that good, will come out of, even the worst, suffering and heartache. We're being prepared for something that's beyond our comprehension. One day, we will step out of time, into the incredible eternity, that Jesus knew, before the beginning of the world, and we'll share it with Him. 

As we face our sufferings, we can be comforted and blessed, by the privilege, of being considered worthy, to suffer for the name of Jesus, so that we can share in His glory. Sharing in His suffering points us toward sharing in His glory-----we can know that we're His, when we suffer, becasue satan, would leave us alone, otherwise------he doesn't care about sinners-------he just cares about trying to trip believers up and robbing them of their joy-----he cannot stand it, when believers are cheerfully, being about their Father's business, in spite of their circumstances. 

To accomplish His purpose, God called the entire universe of time and space, into existence. He spun the world into it's orbit. He populated it with human beings and gave them a free-will, so that they could choose to obey Him or reject Him. When they fell into sin, He sent His own Son to fix what they'd done wrong---and He did it all, "so that He could work together, all things, for the good of those, who love Him and are called according to His purpose." 

That's what our lives are all about. Thats the meaning, of all that is-------God's purpose is to have a people, who are His own children; a people, who will love Him 1st, and who, then, 

will love each other. God isn't working to make us happy; He's working, to make us holy. 

There is a 5 step process, that God has used in the lives, of every single believer, who has had, who does have and who will have, a personal relationship with Him, down through the ages and for all eternity. 

1. He foreknew….

2. He predestined…

3. He called….

4. He justified….

5. He glorified….

In these verses, Paul is not talking about why some people believe and why some don't; he's just describing the process, that God uses, to bring people to a place, where they can become believers. "William Barclay says, that its almost a lyrical expression of the road to salvation, for every Christian." It's all God, the whole process-----we have nothing to do with it, except to accept it or reject it. 

1. God foreknew us-------God knew us intimately before He even created the world. And, because He isn't bound by time and space, He can see the past, the present and the future, at the same time, and He's always known, that there could only be one path, to salvation, and He's always known, that that path would be a narrow one, and He's always known, who, will accept His offer, to be saved. 

When the Bible talks about a person knowing someone, it means that he knows them so well, that he has a purpose and a plan and a task for them. God knew the children of Israel and He had a plan for them-------but He had given them free-will, and so, there came the day, that, except for the Remnant, they refused the plan, that God had for them. But that didn't change God's plan, because He had predetermined, what it would be, before He ever even created mankind.  

2. God predestined us-----God did not line up humanity and say, "numbers 1, 3 and 5 are going to heaven and numbers 2,4 and 6 are going to hell…" That is not what the Bible says about predestination. (Although there are many theologians, who believe that it does; it just is not, in keeping, with God's character; plus, it totally negates John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever would believe in Him, would not perish, but would have everlasting life." 

Predestination has nothing to do with who's going to hell-------it's only concerned, with who's going to heaven. Predestination tells us that God made the decision, before time, what His purpose for believers would be, and how He would execute His plan, to conform us, to the character of Jesus, so that we will be fit for heaven, to live with the Lord, as His children and to walk and talk with Him, in the cool of the day. Predestination is all about His plan, and His execution it. 

3. God called us-----God draws us to Himself, through the wooing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 6:65, "No one can come to me, unless the father has enabled him." We think that we choose God, but the reality is, we are only responding to His calling us. This doesn't mean that we have no choice, in the matter----- we can choose to yield to His wooing or we can choose to reject it. That's where our free-will comes into play, in the matter of salvation------ and even though the Lord does know, which one we will choose-----He doesn't make us choose Him. 

But, before we do choose Him, He does more, than we can even imagine, to draw us to Him. He will use hundreds, even thousands, of seemingly insignificant events, to get our attention. You can see this, in the different ways, that Jesus called each one of His disciples, personally and individually. 

4. God justified us-------Justification is God's gift of rightousness and worth. It means that we are valuable to Him and that we have been forgiven, cleansed, loved and accepted, by Him. It means He sees us the way we were created to be. Justification is something that we could never have accomplished ourselves. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, was the only thing that could accomplish our justification. God demanded the price, for the penalty of our sin, and then He turned around and satisfied the price, with Himself. 

5. God glorified us-----Paul writes this in the past tense, as if our glorification has already taken place. And the truth is, it has already begun-------this whole lesson, has taught us, that all of creation, is anticipating and groaning for the moment, when God will suddenly pull back the curtain, on what he has been doing, in the hearts of Believers. Glorification is going on right now, in the spiritual world, as we speak------ and on a day, that God has already appointed, the process will be complete, and the children of God, will step out, in glory, and the whole world will recognize them.

Sanctification is another name for the process of glorification. This is the process that the Holy Spirit uses, to change our attitudes, our habits, our speech and our conduct. This process of sanctification, being set apart, to be examples of God's glory, as we conform more and more into the image of Jesus, is inevitable, in the life of a believer. You aren't a believer, if the Spirit is not woking in you and you aren't being changed. God has begun the process and He will see it through to completion.

And no one, is ever lost, in the 5 step process, because God, alone, is responsible for it--------and God doesn't make mistakes. "Those whom God foreknew, before the foundation of the world, He also predestined, to be changed into the likeness and character of His son. Those He predestined, He called; those He called, He justified; those He justified, He glorified and sanctified. For you and me, this process will involve pain and healing, sorrow and joy, stumbling and surefootedness, sin and forgiveness and maybe, even death---------but the ultimate outcome, will be incredible glory!

III God's Love  8:31-39

In the last passage of this chapter, Paul asks 3 rhetorical questions. Each one is directed at satan and his minions-----"Who is against us? Who will bring a charge against God's elect; who is he who condemns? and, Who will separate us from the love of Christ?" Each of the questions, has the same exact answer, "no one!" because, clearly, evil has no power, before Almighty God. These questions, demand a response, of love, from us, because that's really the only thing that God wants from His children. He wants to know, that no matter what heartaches and problems we go through, we won't stop loving Him---- and---- we won't stop, letting Him love us. 

"If God is for me, who can be against me?" When we truly understand God's love for us, all our fear is blown away. We may have sorrows to walk through and problems to solve and enemies to face, but if God is fo us, there is no sorrow that can destroy us and there is no problem that can defeat us and there is no enemy that can conquer us. God didn't spare His own son, but gave up His life, for ours. He gives us everything that we need, and He will do whatever it takes, to protect us and to provide for us, and to make sure that we get safely home. No fear, is the first sign that God loves us and that we love Him. 

"Who will bring a charge against God's elect; who is he who condemns?" The second sign that we love God and that He loves us, is that we can and do, stand secure, in God's completed work of salvation. We are saved once and for all-------we can never lose our salvation. God has justified us, which means there is no one, who can condemn us. No matter what doubts and temptations, satan tries to throw at us, they won't stick-------because Jesus has already borne our guilt and we can never be accused again and God is our judge and He's already said that He's satisfied.. 

"Who will separate us from the love of Christ?"  The 3rd sign, that reveals how much we love God and how much He loves us, is manifested, when we realize, that there is nothing that can separate us from His love. Once we come to the Lord, and commit our lives to Him, nothing can remove us from His hand. Paul considered the worst events that life can throw at us----the most gruesome tragedies that we could possibly face; natural disasters, persecution, war, disease, injury, abuse, murder, mutilation, and death----- and even in the face, of such fightening events-------the answer is, that nothing can separate us, because in all these things, God's great love, makes us more than conquerors, over them. 

Even in the middle of the worst, that this world can do to us, it can't separate us from God's love. In fact, instead of dividing us from the Lord, these things actually move us closer to Him; they make us even more dependent on Him. And the closer we cling to Him, the more we get to know Him and the more we get to know Him, the more we love Him and the more we love Him, the more successful we will be, to walk in step with the Spirit.

Verses 38 and 39 are my favorite verses, in the whole Bible, because they represent the joy of being a believer to me-----------joy, is sunshine and laughter and it's heartbreak and sorrow and "it's being convinced, that no matter what, that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height (of heaven) nor depth (of hell), nor anything else, in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord."

"The Christian poet and author, Ruth Harms Calkin has expressed the grateful, loving heart of  a Believer who has truly grasped the truth, of the whole, of Romans, chapter 8-------she writes, "Nothing can separate me from your measureless love, pain can't, disappointment can't, anguish can't, yesterday, today, tomorrow, can't, the loss of my dearest love can't, death can't, life can't, riots, war, insanity, insecurity, hunger, neurosis, disease-----none of these things, nor all of them, heaped together, can budge the fact that I am dearly loved, completely forgiven, and forever free, through Jesus Christ, your beloved son." 

I hope we've all, claimed the truth, of what we've studied this week, and are standing awestruck, before the Lord God, with grateful hearts, that are full of joy, amazed by the love that He has for you and me, and the absolute certainty, that we have in Him.  

JOY "Life in the Spirit" January 11

January 11, 2012

Life in the Spirit

Romans 8:1-17

I             No Condemnation 8:1-4

II            Choice of Flesh or Spirit 8:5-13

III           Children of God 8: 14-18

Charles Swindoll tells the story of Maria and her daughter Christina. It seems that they lived in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of a Brazilian village. Maria's husband had died when Christina was just a baby and Maria had never remarried. It was just the 2 of them and life was really hard, until Christina, finally, was old enough to get a job so that she could help contribute to the family finances. 

Christina talked all the time about moving to the city. Her dream, was to trade the streets of her boring, dirt-road, neighborhood, for the exciting avenues and boulevards of city life. Just the thought of it, scared her mother to death though, because Maria knew what kind of life Christina would have to live, in order to survive in the city. 

There came the morning, when Maria woke up and found that Christina's bed was empty. Her heart broke in two. She had a hard time believing that Christina would run away like that----but she didn't waste any time! Knowing where Christina must have been headed, she threw some clothes in a bag, grabbed all the money she had, and set out after her, as fast as she could. 

On her way to the bus stop, she made a small detour. She went into the drugstore and got one last thing----- pictures. There was a photo booth there, that people usually used just for fun--------but fun, was not what Maria had in mind, as she sat down, pulled the curtain, and spent all the time, and money, that she could, on making pictures of herself. 

And when the bus to Rio de Janeiro, pulled away, she was on it, with a purse full of little black and white photos. 

Maria knew that Christina had no real way of  earning any money. She also knew that her daughter was as stubborn as she could be, and wouldn't give up easily. And she knew that when pride meets hunger, human beings will do things that were unthinkable, before they found themselves in their situation------because "anybody will do anything, given certain circumstances". 

With her heart in her throat, and awful images filling her mind, Maria began her search. She went to bars, hotels and nightclubs------she went every place, that could possibly be, a location for street walkers and prostitutes. She searched day and night and at each place, she left one of the little black and white photos of herself--------she taped them to mirrors and tacked them to hotel bulletin boards and fastened them to corner telephone booths and tucked them in the windows of neighborhood markets. And on the back of each picture, she wrote Christina a note. 

But when her money and the pictures ran out, Maria, reluctantly, had to go back home. 

A few weeks later, Christina was leaving a hotel in the early hours of the morning. Her pretty little face was smudged with make-up and her shoulders were drooping with tiredness------in her eyes you could see that her bright dreams had turned into nightmares. When she got to the bottom of the stairs---she couldn't believe that she was looking at a tiny little picture of her mother. He eyes burned and her throat tightened as she peeled the photo off the back stairs mirror. When she turned it over, she began to weep as she read the compelling invitation, on the back------"Whatever you've done, whatever you've become, it doesn't matter, please come home."        Christina ran for the bus stop. 

The message that Christina found, on the back of that little picture, and the love and forgiveness and mercy and grace, that was embodied, in those few words, is the exact same message, that God has written to us, through Paul's pen, in Romans 8-------"whatever you've done,whatever you've become, it doesn't matter, please come home." 

Romans 8 helps us to claim and take hold of a new way of life in the Holy Spirit---a way of life that gives us peace, and security, and assurance, of the love and presence and promises of God, no matter what our circumstances are. Christians, through the years, have cited Romans 8 as the greatest chapter in the Bible, because it's words, make it so clear, to believers, that we are God's children and that our lives are totally overshadowed, by the protective hand of our loving, heavenly Father, who never gives up on us and Who's always looking for us, with His arms outstretched, so that we can run right into them.

I  No Condemnation  8:1-4

No Condemnation! There are no words, in the English language, that fill my heart with peace, like these two words do. I can"t even wrap my mind around what that kind of love means----as much as I love Dale and our children, and as unconditional as I think it is, it is not a love without condemnation, because I get disappointed and I can be critical and I like for my expectations to be met-------but God's love is pure, it's without condition and it's without condemnation and when we're His children, He only sees us, in the way that He sees Jesus, perfect and good and whole------we can't disappoint Him, and He doesn't judge us critically and He meets every expectation that He has for us, with Himself. He's a good God!

Romans 7:21-24 says "So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law in my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 

This is the cry of each one of us-----we want to do good, but we end up doing the very thing that we don't want to. Our hearts want to please God, but the power, to do it perfectly, all the time, in every situation, is beyond our grasp. But, praise the Lord, the message and the precious blessing of Romans 8, is that we can't, but the Holy Spirit can. Thats why Paul says "therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus". What he really means is "but there is no condemnation, caused by sin, for those who are in Christ Jesus". This verse doesn't mean that we don't make mistakes or that we have no failures or that we don't sin-----because we do fail and and we do make mistakes and we do sin------Abraham lied about his wife; and David  committed adultery; and Peter cut off a man's ear with his sword and denied even knowing Jesus------and of course, they suffered consequences, for their disobedience, but they didn't suffer condemnation or penalty from the law, which would have been spiritual death. Jesus's sacrifice, on the cross, took care of all condemnation, once and for all, for anybody who'll believe. 

Believers still have to face physical death, but we can know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we are not alone, as we walk thorough our lives on earth, and that, in the end, we will either be raptured or resurrected and will spend eternity with the Lord, as the beloved children, of God our Father.

We have talked for 7 chapters about how we've inherited a sinful nature from Adam, and that it is the means, that satan uses, to try and implant doubt and the desire for disobedience, in our minds. But we've also talked about the fact that we don't ever have to yield to those satanic attacks, because we have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts, giving us the strength and the desire and the ability, to withstand anything, that satan tries to trip us up with. The only way we can do it though, is to surrender to the fact, that we are not able to live the Christian life in our own strength. We have to come to the end of ourselves and see ourselves for who we really are----sinners, saved by God's marvelous grace------incapable of even lifting one finger, without the will of the Holy Spirit, but yet, somehow, miraculously, having been adopted into His family! 

That's our only path of deliverance. When we finally see who we truly are-----redeemed children of God----we can say "no" to our sinful nature and "yes" to the Holy Spirit, and we can begin to embrace, on a daily basis, the life that God planned for us to have, when He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden. 

The reason that we are no longer condemned, is because we have been justified by faith. To be condemned means that a person is rejected by God. So, if we're not condemned anymore that means that God will never turn us away, not for any reason! We've been reborn into the family of God, by faith in Jesus, and the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and He will never leave us. The story I told y'all about Maria and Christina, reminded me so much, of the story, of the prodigal son-------which, is one of the most precious parables, that Jesus taught His disciples. 

The prodigal son left his home, wasted his inheritance on sinful living and ended up working in a pigpen. Dr. J. Vernon McGee once asked his congregation, "Do you know the difference between the son in that pigpen and those pigs? 

The difference is---- is that no pig ever said to himself, "I will arise and go to my father". Dr. McGee was right, only a son would say that. 

The son got up and left the pigpen and went home to his father. When he got home, you know what happened, the son wasn't condemned by his father; he wasn't rejected or tossed out of the family. He was loved and accepted and restored, to his rightful place as an adored son. In fact, as he was trudging down the road toward home, he looked up and saw his daddy running to meet him----the father had been searching the horizon for his son to come home since the day he'd left. What a glorious picture this is, of our relationship with our heavenly Father, once we've been justified by faith. We are restored to Him as His children, and condemnation, is as far from us, as the east is from the west. 

"No condemnation" also means that God isn't angry with us when we struggle with temptation or moral dilemmas. He knows our hearts; He knows our motivation; He knows our desires;  He knows our shortcomings and He knows what tempts each, individual one, of us, to sin.He knows that we want to be good and He knows more importantly, that we want to stop being bad. He knows that we feel ashamed and embarrassed and guilty when we fail. He grieves with us, over our sins, like a parent does with a remorseful child, whose gotten himself in trouble.  

We beat ourselves up for our sin and disobedience and failure to trust God, through our circumstances, but God doesn't. He knows that we are just like babies, learning how to walk; and He knows that we have to learn how to crawl before we can learn how to run. A loving father doesn't spank his child when they stumble, as they are figuring out how to take their first steps. And God doesn't either, instead He encourages us and holds on to us and teaches us how to take the next step without falling down. 

"No condemnation" also means that God will not punish us when we struggle with sin-----although, He will discipline us, if we deliberately rebel against Him. We have to remember that punishment and discipline are not the same thing. Even with our children-----discipline is a training tool, its a loving thing, its not an instrument of torture---(I know a young teacher who had to discipline some of her 6th grade girls because of a bullying situation---- She pulled all three girls aside, individually, and questioned them. With just the facts that she had been given---she determined that vicious bullying had occurred------she very candidly made sure that the little girl understood what bullying is and what it feels like----she explained several instances where she had been bullied herself--------and then, through many tears, she mediated between the 3 girls. The last thing she did was to give each one of them positive encouragement. The air was cleared; boundaries and expectations for future behavior was set; and a new respect, for everybody involved was established.) The Bible is clear that our loving Father, disciplines His children, so that He can correct us and rescue us from ourselves, so that we don't go down a wrong path. Thats why I always prayed for my children to get caught the first time, so that there wouldn't be a second time. We need to rest in the fact, that because God promises "no condemnation", He will never punish us, if we are sincerely struggling to walk the way that He wants us to walk!

The other wonderful blessing of "no condemnation" is that it has a built-in provision, for victorious living, where we are right now. When we beat ourselves up and declare ourselves to be hopeless, wretched failures, God, says to our hearts, "you are so wrong; if you could just see yourselves the way I see you, joy would flood your souls. You need to believe that you are my child, forgiven and free, from all doubt, and from any chains that could keep you bound. Accept what I've given you, thank Me for it, and then move on, to be about my business, in the absolute confidence, that your struggle was ended forever, at the cross." 

We know that God hasn't ended the reign that sin has in the world yet. The law of sin and death, just like the law of gravity, will spin itself out when God determines that the time is right. But for us, the very minute that we believe the truth about Jesus and accept it; sin's reign is over, in our hearts and minds; and we are, from then on, governed by a new law that is written, executed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

 God wants us to see ourselves the way He sees us------but its hard for us to, because His image of us, doesn't agree with the we way we feel about ourselves, or the way other people feel about us. To our detriment, way too often, we trust feelings, more than we trust God and His promises. But feelings are mercurial-----they're fickle and unreliable. They can change on a dime, depending on the circumstances and the situation. We have to step back and consciously separate ourselves from whatever emotion we feel, and trust God's word, because it is dependable, unchangeable and eternal. God's image of us is the only one that we can rely on. 

God did an astounding thing for us, by sending His very own Son, in the likeness of sinful man. There is a sweet tenderness in Romans 8:3 in the words, "His own son." And it's because God didn't send an angel or some other lesser being, to take our place and to show us the way, He sent His own precious son. Jesus had a real, physical body, like yours and mine, because He had to. It was the only way that God's righteousness and justice could be satisfied-------because of sin being done in the body of man, it had to be judged and broken in the body of a man. Jesus was fully human, subject to all human frailties------He got tired and hungry and sore, and death claimed Him, just like it will all of us. But there was one difference----faced with all the temptations that we face, He never one time, sinned. And in the mystery of the cross, that we will never be able to understand, completely, no matter how long we live, the Lord Jesus, somehow gathered up all the sins of the world, so that they could be crucified in His own body, and our penalty was paid.

The way God sees us, can become the way we see ourselves, when we choose to live according to the Spirit, and not according to our sinful desires. When we believe what God says about us is the truth, then our behavior can't help but change. (Hal Lindsey tells the story of the daughter of one of the royal families of Europe. She saw herself as unloveable and unlovely, because she had a large, bulbous nose. Eventually, her family hired a plastic surgeon to change the contour of her nose. After the operation, the doctor removed the bandages and held up a mirror so that the girl could see that the operation was a complete success. Everyone around the girl gasped in amazement: her nose was completely changed------and she was beautiful!!!!!! But when the girl saw herself, her gasp was in horror, not in wonder, -----she didn't think she looked any different-----she thought she still looked ugly. She was devastated that the procedure had failed.  

For months afterward, the doctor and the girl's family worked with her, trying to convince her that she was beautiful. Everybody else could see the change in her---but the girl just couldn't!  It took many months of therapy, before the girl finally accepted the fact, that she was completely changed . And it was only when her view of herself changed, that her behavior finally began to, as well.)

We are so much like that girl. We've been changed! We've been made beautiful in God's eyes, through His grace-----now, all we have to do is believe it, and behave accordingly. 

II Choice of Flesh or Spirit   8:5-13

The choice to walk in our own strength and the choice to walk in the Holy Spirit's strength, is a dilemma, that Believer's face, many times a day. And it all depends on how we, consciously, set our minds. Do we set our mind on what the Spirit desires? or do we set it, on what our sinful nature desires? What we do with our thinking, is a bottom-line choice!

The mindset of the world permeates every area of our lives------it saturates our entertainment media, our news media and the conversations of just about everybody we come in contact with. Unfortunately, even believers get caught up, way too often, in allowing the desire for money, status, power, comfort, pleasure and fun, to become the main focus in our lives. We find ourselves living for these things, because we mistakenly believe, that they can bring us fulfillment. 

Now, I want us to understand that there is nothing wrong with sincere, dedicated Christians devoting part of their lives to making money-----we have to provide for our families and we have to help operate the church and we have to make sure that those who are in spiritual and physical need, are given assistance. And there is nothing wrong, with achieving positions of influence, because they can be used for Christian leadership and for spreading the Gospel. And there is nothing wrong, with our creating lovely and comfortable homes----- we need to be able to open them up and extend warm and generous Christian hospitality, as often as we can. And there is nothing wrong, with enjoying the beauty of nature and the pleasure of entertainment-----because even the Lord Jesus, took time to rest and relax and enjoy Himself with His friends.

Where the problem comes in, is when these things become the focus of our lives-----

obviously, we have the wrong mindset when we begin to seek our fulfillment in wealth or position or possessions or people or pleasure, instead of finding our fulfillment in the Lord. 

And we also have the wrong mindset, when we're embarrassed to enjoy the temporal blessings that the Lord has given us, in this world.

There is a balance that we have to find, as we come to understand, that God never intended for us to hoard the good things that He gives us------ nor did He intend for us to sell everything that we have; or to do nothing, but sit around and memorize scripture every day; or to never have any fun because we might seem frivolous. 

I have friends that struggle with the blessings that they've been given because they are afraid that material possessions and the bounty of love and family that they have, is more than they deserve------so they struggle with guilt over those things. 

Either way, that's when these perfectly fine, even, God-honored, pursuits, can become perverted and destructive to our souls. The Lord gave us the whole world and all its beauty and wonder---and He wants us to enjoy it. But, He wants us to never forget, that He, is and should always be, our first love, and the absolute center of our lives. If we could just remember that, and live in it everyday---- everything else, would always be, in the right perspective, and would just fall into place. 

But, (with human beings, and their free-will, there's always a but, isn't there?) in order for us to live in the balance that we're supposed to, we have to have our minds set on the Spirit------ and this means, that in the middle of providing for our families and enjoying life, our primary concern, must be, to love God with all our hearts, souls and minds and to love our neighbors, like we love ourselves, and to live, every moment, of every day, in such a way, that our actions and attitudes and even the expressions, on our faces, bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Living with our minds set on the Spirit, doesn't separate us from the mainstream of life-------it sets us right down in the middle of it-----so that we can spread God's perspective to everyone around us. (there's a story about a garden in England that is filled with the beauty and essence of thousands of roses---and that if you go and spend any time there, when you leave, the scent of those roses, will cling to you, for such a long time afterward, that you'll bless everyone you come in contact with.) That should be our goal, to bless everybody we encounter, with the precious aroma of Jesus and His love.

Paul describes in no uncertain terms, in verse 6, the results, that flow from these 2 ways of living: He says, "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." 

The scriptures tell us that death is not something that's waiting for us at the end of our earthly existence-----as believers, we'll live forever---our physical deaths, are just the doorway to eternity, for us. 

No, death is something that we experience, now, whenever we choose to live according to our sinful natures. And this death, really comes down, to 4 basic things-----fear, guilt, hostility and emptiness, and they are a result, of always trying to make ourselves feel good. Fear, is nothing more than worry, anxiety, dread and timidness. Guilt, is shame, self-loathing, self-righteousness, and perfectionism. Hostility is hate, resentment, bitterness, revenge and cruelty. Emptiness is loneliness, depression, discouragement, despair and meaninglessness. 

No Christian has to give into these, because God has provided another way and it's the perfect way!

To live by the Spirit, means, that we are choosing to place God, as the Lord of our careers, our finances, our pleasure, our fun, our fulfillment, our joy, our ambitions and our influence. When we live by the Spirit, we don't make it our goal in life, to be powerful and popular; we make it our goal to serve the Lord------- and if He chooses, to give us a position of influence, so that we can serve Him better, then we need to accept it with humility and gratefulness and be about our Father's business. 

And if He chooses to use us, in unrecognized places and in thankless and mundane ways, then we need to accept that, with humility and gratefulness, and be about our Father's business. We can't forget, that because God has done everything we needed, to be able to have a close relationship with Him, that we have an obligation, to live, in the power and control of the Holy Spirit. We need to refuse the temptations and desires of our still attractive and enticing, but crucified sinful nature, to say no, to ungodliness and worldly passions and to say yes, to self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the world we live in. The old sinful nature, may present its demands, based upon the past, but we don't have any obligation, to yield ourselves to it. Our obligation is to the Lord Jesus. We need to live by the Spirit, and so emulate His nature, that other people will come to know Jesus, as their Savior too. ( Beverly and Laura and Wendy and I attended a funeral on Monday. I was so struck, by the different areas of my friend Mike Williams life, that his mourners hailed from---his church, his growing up and college years, his dental practice, his neighbors, his golfing buddies, his children's school, his children's friends (and his children are adults, parents themselves)-----it was amazing! The thing that just touched my soul was that Mike exemplified Jesus and the Gospel, with his infectious smile and laugh, his slow-moving, unhurried generosity of time when he engaged you in conversation, and his willingness to do for others before he even knew what the task was---------I would pray that we would all be like that------sharing the Gospel, by being the people that the Lord has created us to be, in the situations that we find ourselves in, today-----no matter how simple or how important-----we should do them, as though we're doing them for the Lord. He sacrificed everything for us------how can we not be obligated to live for Him.)

A mind, that yields to it's sinful nature, doesn't submit itself to God's will, because it can't. James 4:6 says "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." If we live just to please, gratify, advance and exalt ourselves, then we will be opposed to God and He will be opposed to our behavior. God gives grace to the humble and He will advance and exalt anyone, spiritually, who'll place their confidence in Him, not in themselves.

Another thing that we need to understand, about our choice to live according to the Spirit or not, is that there is a clear difference between a Christian who chooses, to yield, momentarily or situationally, to their human sinful nature and a non-Christian, who can't help but be controlled, by their sinful nature. Paul says that if a person doesn't have the Holy Spirit in their hearts, then they aren't Christians and because of that, they will choose a life style of sin and try to justify it and rationalize it, even if they're "good" according to the world's standards. 

But, as Believers, we cannot stand it, when we're living in disobedience, and ultimately, we want to be pulled up short, by the Holy Spirit, so that our relationship with the Lord, can be what and where, its supposed to be. Where the difference will really show up, is when the tests of life, storm our way------because, when push comes to shove, the one who doesn't have the Spirit, will collapse; and the one who has the Spirit, will walk victoriously through.

One of our greatest blessings from God, among the too many to count, that He gives us, is the presence of Jesus living and dwelling in our hearts, from the moment that we accept Him, as our Savior.  (I remember when our daughter, Mary Kathryn, was 2 or 3 years old and Miss Tanya Shelton was her Bible Study Fellowship, children's leader. One day, she got in the car and told me that Miss Tanya had told her, that the Holy Spirit, was just Jesus, without skin. I loved the truth of that, then, and I still love it, now!)  

We should find such great comfort in knowing that our physical bodies might be subject to age and death, because they haven't been redeemed yet-----but that our souls are getting stronger with every step that we take with Jesus. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:16, "Though outwardly, we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." The Holy Spirit, living in us is stronger than any sin, that our bodies are tempted by-------so even though our bodies are wasting away, we don't have to wait for eternity to be free from sin. The Spirit, increasingly ,gives us the desire and the wisdom and the ability, to control our minds and our bodies, no matter what temptations we face.  We can't reverse the process of death, no one can----- it was put into motion back in the Garden, when Adam and Eve disobeyed and God had to discipline them------but we can refuse to allow our bodies to be instruments of sin. The Holy Spirit gives us the supernatural power, that we need, to "just say no" and then He gives us the courage, to walk away, and never look back, and we call this, the daily path to sanctification. (Normal Christian life)

If we live by the Spirit, and put to death, the sins that the body is tempted by, we will glorify God, in everything that we do, and we will experience the life, that God has planned for us to enjoy in eternity, right now--------with all that that life means, in terms of security and fulfillment and vitality and joy and peace. It is our privilege, to begin kingdom-living, by faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit. (I heard Ron Rowe, our former pastor, preach a sermon one time, on this passage, and he said, that the Holy Spirit will never force us, to choose to obey Him; He wants us to willingly choose to surrender our will to His-----Ron used the illustration of being lost ,while out riding a horse and he said that you get to the place where you just have to let go of the reigns and trust the horse to lead you home------well, we reach the place where we have to take our hands off of our lives and trust the Spirit to lead us home.) 

III Children of God 8:14-18

All genuine Believers, in the Lord Jesus, are all son's of God; the human spirit is androgynous, there is no distinction between males and females-----we're all created in God's image. We are children of the living God, with the power and the authority to overcome evil and sin. There are times that we may feel like we are overwhelmed, but we have to remember that we can never be defeated.

In this passage Paul lays out 3, very practical levels of assurance, that allows us to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, if we are led by the Spirit, then we are, the sons of God. 

First Level: To be led by the Spirit, means that we are under the control of the Spirit. It means that our thoughts, behavior and goals have been submitted to God. It means that we have a deep love for, and an increasing understanding of, the scriptures. It means that we have an ever growing desire to spend time alone with God in prayer, both talking to Him, and listening for His leadership. It means that we will experience more and more victory, over temptation and sin. It means that we will grow in our love, for our fellow Christians. and finally, we will have a yearning hunger for God and His righteousness. 

Second Level: If we're led by the Spirit, we will feel, in our hearts, a growing assurance of our place in the family of God. He gives us the privilege of calling Him Abba, Father. Through the tenderness of the Holy Spirit, He allows us to experience an emotional response to God, which makes us keenly aware of Him as our Father, deep down in our souls. Abba is the Aramaic word for daddy. It is an intimate, precious word, that is used between a loving father and his child. Jesus used this word in the garden of Gethsemane, when He begged his Father to let the horrible cup pass from Him, if there could be any other way. 

One of the closest and most trusting relationship that you can have, is a relationship with a loving father. Mothers are wonderful, but there is something special about a daddy with his children. It gives us, such a unbelievably, secure feeling, to experience the embrace of those strong, protective arms and to hear his deep, warm voice of love. Children crave the affection of a father's heart, the guidance of a father's wisdom and the security of a Father's arms. When we have sense the tender fatherhood of God, it's because the Holy Spirit has awakened our hearts to an awareness of our place, as one of God's children.

Third level:  This is the deepest level of assurance------when we are led by the Spirit-------He Himself will testify with our spirit, that we're God's children. This testimony goes far deeper than human emotions. It is a deep conviction and an underlying awareness, born of the Spirit of God, that lets us know, that we know, that we know, that we are God's children.

We may not always feel, like we're God's children and we may not always act like we are, but the Holy Spirit never lets us forget who we belong to. 1 John 3:19-20 says, "This then, is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts to rest in His presence, whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything." When we genuinely and sincerely receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God's Spirit bears witness with our spirit, that we are His children. 

And because we are God's children, we are also His heirs-----which means, that we will share in both his sufferings and in His glory. What a staggering thought!  

I don't have enough time  to go into great detail about that today, but next week we will discuss it much more fully. 

To close today, I want us to remember, that when we face temptation and struggle with guilt-------  that God views us, as His children. That's who we are. And if we're consciously mindful, of who we are, then we will act according to who we are. When we do, we will find that we have all the power, of Almighty God, available to us--------the power to say no, to the sinful nature, the power to say yes, to the Holy Spirit and the power to live, in the way that God created us to live, from the beginning.