Let's open our Bibles to Luke 19:41-44.

The Ignorance of Jerusalem (v. 42 and 44)

They did not recognize the time of their visitation

Isa 29:5 visitation for judgment

Gen 50:24 visitation for salvation

Luke 1:68, 7:16, 19:44 visitation for salvation

The time was unique in history and they were by and large clueless

Why were they ignorant? Did they know the terms of peace?

Luke 13:34 they killed the prophets and stoned those sent to them

Luke 17:20, 11:20 the kingdom was in their midst

To know means to approve, to acknowledge, to accept

Rom 1:18 they suppressed the truth in unrighteousness

Luke 19:42 but now they are hidden from your eyes (Matt 23:38)

God had forsaken Jerusalem; they are irreparably blind

On the one hand - God is not willing that any should perish

On the other hand - God may deem it right to hide the terms of peace

Terrible Judgment is Coming on Jerusalem (v. 43 and 44)

Historical judgment came in 70 AD when the Romans conquered Jerusalem

This is only the beginning of judgment

Matt 23:31-36 Jesus speaks of hell

There is a 'too late' in dealing with God

Their house was forsaken and desolate

Jesus' Response (v. 41)

Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem

Jesus speaks of hell to motivate people to hope in God

Jesus is willing to make peace with all who accept the terms of peace

2 Cor 5:19-20 the message of reconciliation

Terms of peace: lay down your self-righteousness and self-sufficiency

Admit your defeat, accept your pardon, swear your allegiance to Jesus

Let's open our Bibles to Romans 8:14-16.

If the Spirit is leading us to kill our sin and confirming to us the promises of the gospel, then we can be assured that we are children of God

If the Spirit is leading us to kill our sin, then we can be assured that we are children of God (v. 14)

No one who is living according to the flesh kills his sin on the heart level

John Murray: The activity of the believer is the evidence of the Spirit's activity and the activity of the Spirit is the cause of the believer's activity

We have been born into God's family through the Spirit who imparts new life to us

Charles Hodge on adoption:

There is similarity of disposition, character, or nature

"Sons" are the objects of special affection

"Sons" have a title to some peculiar dignity or advantage

If the Spirit is confirming the promises of the gospel to us, then we can be assured that we are children of God (vs. 15-16)

The Spirit confirms the Gospel promise that through adoption we become children of God (v. 15)

Adoption is relatively rare, occurring only three other times with reference to Christians: Rom. 8:23; Gal. 4:5; and Eph. 1:5

William Barclay on adoption in Roman Society:

The adopted person lost all rights in his old family and gained all the rights of a legitimate son in his new family

It followed that he became heir to his new father's estate

In law, the old life of the adopted person was completely wiped out; for instance, all debts were canceled

In the eyes of the law he was absolutely the son of his new father

The result of our adoption is that by the Spirit we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father..."

J. I. Packer: "Father" is the Christian name for God

The Spirit confirms the Gospel promises to us through His inner witness

No one seeks God; only the Spirit of God bears witness to your spirit that you are a child of God.

Let's open our Bibles to Romans 8:12-13.

Kill your sin or it will kill you!

1. To kill your sin, remember your obligation, not to the flesh, but to the Lord (v.12)

a. Those who live habitually according to the flesh, or “in the flesh,” are not truly born again

b. We have no obligation or debt to the flesh – we owe it nothing

2. To kill your sin, understand the horrific consequence if you do not kill it—it will kill you (v.13a)

a. A life of unchecked sin leads to eternal death

i. Col. 3:5 “Therefore, put to death the members which are upon the earth to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry”

b. Sin is not neutral, and it definitely is not nice

i. Satan tries to get us to minimize the serious nature of our sin

ii. Sin is tolerated as normal and repackaged as a good thing

3. To kill your sin, put it to death by the Spirit and you will live (v.13b)

a. John Owen: “When sin lets us alone, we may let sin alone.”

i. Purpose to be godly and discipline yourself for that purpose

ii. Kill your sin at its root and it will not bear its deadly fruit

iii. Cry out to God for deliverance and take whatever action you must to flee temptation

iv. Set your mind on the things of the Spirit, not on the things of the flesh

v. Spend time daily in the word of God

vi. Keep the cross in view at all times to deepen your love for Christ, your hatred of sin, and your desire to glorify God

vii. Walk each day in dependence on the Holy Spirit

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Let's open our Bibles to Romans 8:9-11.

If God’s Spirit dwells in you, you belong to Christ; and though your physical body will die, God will raise your body from the dead.

You are in the Spirit if the Spirit of God dwells in you, which is a mark of everyone who belongs to Christ

It is absolutely vital to have the Spirit of God dwelling in you, because if you do not, then you do not belong to Christ

There are distinguishing marks by which you can tell if the Spirit dwells in you:

Speaking in tongues is not a sign that the Spirit dwells in you

If the Spirit dwells in you, you have experienced the new birth

If the Spirit dwells in you, you are drawn to Jesus Christ, and you desire to know and honor Him

If the Spirit dwells in you, you have been flooded with God’s love so that you hope in Him

If the Spirit dwells in you, you regard Scripture as His word of truth and you are growing to understand it

If the Spirit dwells in you, His fruit is growing in your life and the deeds of the flesh are diminishing

If the Spirit dwells in you, you will have a growing hatred of sin and love of holiness

If the Spirit dwells in you, you will be growing in praise, joy, and thankfulness toward God

If the Spirit dwells in you, you will be growing in prayer

If the Spirit dwells in you, you will tell others about Christ

We who are in the Spirit are still subject to physical death, even though the Spirit has given us life

Death remains as the penalty on the human race until Christ’s work is consummated

We who are in the Spirit have the promise that He who raised Jesus from the dead will also resurrect our mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in us

Thomas Schreiner: The presence of the Spirit demonstrates that believers will not be saddled with their weak and corruptible bodies forever

Let's open our Bibles to Romans 8:6-8.

The mind set on the flesh is spiritually dead and thus an enemy of God because it does not and cannot submit to Him or please Him

The mind set on the flesh is spiritually dead and headed toward eternal death because it is an enemy of God (8:6a, 7a)

The mind set on the flesh is spiritually dead and headed toward eternal spiritual death

To be spiritually dead means to be separated from God and the eternal life that only He can give

Spiritually dead people are cut off from understanding the things of the Spirit, including the gospel

The mind set on the flesh is not spiritually neutral but is an enemy of God

Unbelievers do not love God; they hate Him

God created us in his own image, and they return the favor, creating a god in their own image

We all are born at enmity with God

The mind set on the flesh does not submit to God (8:7b)

The unbelieving mind does not subject itself to God's Word

The root of unbelief is not intellectual; it is moral

Do you have a teachable heart in submission to God's Word?

The mind set on the flesh cannot submit to God or please Him (8:7c-8)

Cannot is a word of inability

Fallen sinners are free to act in line with the flesh, but not in line with the Holy Spirit

1 Cor 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned

John 8:43 It is because you cannot hear My word

The fallen human will is not free; it is in bondage

God must impart life to dead sinners so that they can believe the gospel

These truths have important implications for how we share the gospel - These truths pertain to how we evaluate ourselves

Let's open our Bibles to Romans 8:5-6.

Since there are only two groups of people with two very different destinies, make sure that you are “according to the Spirit,” not the flesh

There are two and only two groups of people in the world: Those who are according to the flesh and those who are according to the Spirit

“Those who are according to the flesh” describes the spiritual condition of unbelievers, who are characterized by death

“Those who are according to the Spirit” describes believers, who are characterized by life and peace

There are not two tracks for Christians:

Discipleship – take up your cross, suffer hardship, sacrifice, etc.

Cultural Christian – accept Jesus as Savior and pursue your own dreams

Mark 8:34-38 deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus

These two groups are sharply distinguished by different mindsets

Those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh

Here flesh refers to the sinfulness of our human nature after the fall

To live according to the flesh is to live independently of God, in dependence on oneself, with self at the center

Being “according to the flesh” has to do with how we think

It includes the affections, the emotions, the desires and the objects of pursuit

Those who are according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit

To set your mind on the things of the Spirit means to relate all of life to God and His Word

It means to think often about matters of salvation - to worship God and commune with Him

A man’s thinking and striving cannot be seen in isolation from the overall direction of his life

These two distinct groups are marked by mindsets that lead to two completely different destinies: death or life and peace

The first group is dominated by the flesh - they are spiritually dead

The second group is dominated by the Holy Spirit - He has given them life and peace with God

Make sure that you have new life through God’s Spirit and that you are not living according to the flesh!

Let's open our Bibles to Romans 8:1-4.

Outline of Romans 8

Justification and sanctification (8:1-13)

Adoption (8:14-17)

Glorification (8:18-30)

Assurance (8:31-39)

God has graciously set free from sin’s penalty and power all who are in Christ Jesus

Justification: God has graciously set free from sin’s penalty all who are in Christ Jesus (vs.1-4a)

Those who are in Christ Jesus can be assured that they will not be condemned at the judgment (v.1)

Therefore: the argument of justification by faith

No Condemnation: in Christ we stand before God justified and acquitted

Now: both in salvation history when Jesus died on the cross and the time since you put your trust in Christ as your sin-bearer

In Christ Jesus: Those who are in Christ have been clothed with His righteousness

Liberation from the law of sin and death comes through the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (v.2)

V.2 refers primarily to the new life that the Holy Spirit gives to us in regeneration

This new life in the Spirit gives us the power to overcome sin in our daily lives

God did what the law could not do: through the substitutionary death of His own Son, the penalty that the law demanded was paid (v.3-4a)

The body of Jesus was a real body so that He could die for humans

But He was also sinless so that he could die as a substitute for sinners

By His sacrificial death, Jesus paid the penalty for our sin

Sanctification: God has graciously set free from sin’s power all who are in Christ Jesus, who walk in the Spirit (v.4a)

Justification frees us from the penalty of sin while sanctification frees us from the power of sin

“Walk” implies a gradual process that lasts a lifetime

Our lives should increasingly be distinguished by the fruit of the Spirit

Let's open our Bibles to Romans 7:18-25.

Our struggle with sin is all too real and frustrating, but Christ has the last word.

The Second Lament (vs.18-20)

The Condition (v.18)

The part of his present being in which sin still dwells is his flesh, his old humanness, which has not yet been completely transformed

The Proof (vs. 18b-19)

The perfect doing of the good that Paul’s heart wished for was not present

in his life

The Source (v.20)

It is not Paul that does it, but sin that dwells in him

The Third Lament (vs. 21-23)

The Condition (v.21)

Lingering sin does battle with every good thing a believer desires to do

The Proof (vs.22-23a)

Paul delights in the law of God.

A corresponding but opposite law operates in the members of the believer’s

body

The Source (v.23b)

As long as he remains in his mortal body, he remains subject to temptation and sin

The Final Lament (vs. 24-25)

Robert Haldane: men perceive themselves to be sinners in direct proportion as they have previously discovered the holiness of God and His law

It's only a believer’s body that remains subject to sin and death

Paul longed for the day when he would be rescued from the last vestige of his old, sinful, unredeemed flesh

Summation: Paul serves the law of God with his mind, but with his flesh he serves the law of sin

Let's open our Bibles to Romans 7:14-23.

Is Paul describing a Christian or a non-Christian?

Non-Christian

“of the flesh, sold under sin”

“nothing good dwells in me”

“wretched man” held captive in a body of death

Christian

This person desires to obey God’s law and hates doing evil

He is humble before God

He gives thanks to Jesus Christ as his Lord and serves Him with his mind

Paul is here describing the most spiritual and mature of Christians

The closer we get to God, the more we see our own sin

The obedient and Spirit-filled believer, therefore, greatly values and honors all the moral and spiritual commandments of God

The First Lament

The Condition

I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin

Paul is no longer in the flesh, but he is still of the flesh

Even as an apostle of Jesus Christ he possessed a remnant of the sinfulness that characterizes all human beings

The Proof

I do not do what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate

It’s not that Paul couldn’t do any good or demonstrate any faith

He was expressing an inner turmoil of the most profound kind, of sincerely desiring in his heart to fulfill the spirit as well as the letter of the law, but realizing that he was unable to live up to the Lord’s perfect standards and his own heart’s desire

Paul was grieved at his least infraction of God’s law

The Source

No longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me

Paul agrees with the Law in every detail

What is the source of our failure to live up to God’s standards?

Paul explains, “but sin which indwells me.”

“No longer” indicates a complete and permanent change