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Living by the Spirit (Romans 8:5-17)
“Living By The Spirit” (Romans 8:5-17) by Richard Jones – 9/29/19
Real love is when you genuinely care about the best interests of others, loving them with a heart informed from God’s own heart – from His word and led by His Spirit. Then you become useable and make eternal differences!
Romans 8 shows both why and how to live by the Spirit and to let peace rule in our hearts. The Holy Spirit within us continually testifies to us that we are children of God. He re-assures us of our relationship with God to convince us that nothing will ever separate us from His love. This is a passage of hope because we know our future is bright in Christ.
In Romans 7, Paul gave us a transparent view of what his out-of-control life looks like when he tries to be righteous on his own, apart from the Holy Spirit’s leading. He is not telling us who he is – he’s telling us who he was – it is not his present condition! He’s not giving us excuses; he’s exposing the problem, and, as he’ll show us in Romans 8, he’s giving us the solution. Look with me at his before picture in:
Romans 7:19-25 – 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7 describes our life before we submit to the Holy Spirit’s control. It’s about the power struggle we all have in that un-surrendered way of life, before we are truly led by the Holy Spirit. It’s a life of ups & downs because it’s a life reluctant to risk intimacy with God. It’s directed more by our feelings, by our impulses, and by the un–tamed desires of our flesh (that God did make us with). But until the desires of our flesh are tamed by the Holy Spirit and His love, they still need the cage of the Law to keep you from hurting yourself and others.
Romans 8 is the rest of the story, after we submit our Romans 7 existence to the Holy Spirit’s leading in our life – the life, the peace, and victory we can have only after we submit to His leading.
In John 16:13 Jesus said, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.”
With only God’s Word, but not submitting to the Holy Spirit, you’ll live a Romans 7 life because you are not being guided or controlled by the Holy Spirit’s desires, but you still have your own. With only the Holy Spirit, but neglecting God’s Word, you might live a Romans 7 life because you have no point of reference – you won’t live by faith because, as Romans 10:17 tells us, faith comes from hearing and receiving God’s Word about Jesus. Therefore, you might not be able to tell the difference between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit. (3x’s Proverbs warns – there’s a way that seems right to us, but leads to death.)
● The Flesh is all our God-given appetites and cravings: Hungers for food, for relationship, for feelings, for experiences, for control – all these are God-given. But sin is having our own plans for our life apart from God’s plans for our life, which will greatly affect what kind of desires you allow yourself to act on.
But when you love God, it changes everything! Here’s why – look with me please, beginning in Romans 8:5:
V5-8- 5 Those who live according to [or who allow themselves to be dominated by] the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires [as in Romans 7]; but those who live in accordance with [you might could equate this with “in friendship with”] the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6
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By First Baptist Church Bartow
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“Living By The Spirit” (Romans 8:5-17) by Richard Jones – 9/29/19
Real love is when you genuinely care about the best interests of others, loving them with a heart informed from God’s own heart – from His word and led by His Spirit. Then you become useable and make eternal differences!
Romans 8 shows both why and how to live by the Spirit and to let peace rule in our hearts. The Holy Spirit within us continually testifies to us that we are children of God. He re-assures us of our relationship with God to convince us that nothing will ever separate us from His love. This is a passage of hope because we know our future is bright in Christ.
In Romans 7, Paul gave us a transparent view of what his out-of-control life looks like when he tries to be righteous on his own, apart from the Holy Spirit’s leading. He is not telling us who he is – he’s telling us who he was – it is not his present condition! He’s not giving us excuses; he’s exposing the problem, and, as he’ll show us in Romans 8, he’s giving us the solution. Look with me at his before picture in:
Romans 7:19-25 – 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7 describes our life before we submit to the Holy Spirit’s control. It’s about the power struggle we all have in that un-surrendered way of life, before we are truly led by the Holy Spirit. It’s a life of ups & downs because it’s a life reluctant to risk intimacy with God. It’s directed more by our feelings, by our impulses, and by the un–tamed desires of our flesh (that God did make us with). But until the desires of our flesh are tamed by the Holy Spirit and His love, they still need the cage of the Law to keep you from hurting yourself and others.
Romans 8 is the rest of the story, after we submit our Romans 7 existence to the Holy Spirit’s leading in our life – the life, the peace, and victory we can have only after we submit to His leading.
In John 16:13 Jesus said, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.”
With only God’s Word, but not submitting to the Holy Spirit, you’ll live a Romans 7 life because you are not being guided or controlled by the Holy Spirit’s desires, but you still have your own. With only the Holy Spirit, but neglecting God’s Word, you might live a Romans 7 life because you have no point of reference – you won’t live by faith because, as Romans 10:17 tells us, faith comes from hearing and receiving God’s Word about Jesus. Therefore, you might not be able to tell the difference between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit. (3x’s Proverbs warns – there’s a way that seems right to us, but leads to death.)
● The Flesh is all our God-given appetites and cravings: Hungers for food, for relationship, for feelings, for experiences, for control – all these are God-given. But sin is having our own plans for our life apart from God’s plans for our life, which will greatly affect what kind of desires you allow yourself to act on.
But when you love God, it changes everything! Here’s why – look with me please, beginning in Romans 8:5:
V5-8- 5 Those who live according to [or who allow themselves to be dominated by] the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires [as in Romans 7]; but those who live in accordance with [you might could equate this with “in friendship with”] the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6