8 Therefore,
- We’re here! Another way of saying “therefore…” is
- “I told you all of that to tell you this…”
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
- Is this bring glory, honour and recognition to the Holy Spirit? A sometimes much neglected member of the trinity
- Fear of the Holy Spirit
- Fear of folks who are active in, speak of the Holy Spirit
10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
- What is the obligation then?
- Sounds like our actions have an outcome in one direction or the other.
- Zachariah 3
- If… Then…
- Old Testament “…lest he die”
The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.
- Elsewhere in scripture we read that we are slaves to whomever we are obedient to
Romans 6:16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
- The temptation is to continue that paradigm and think of ourselves as “slaves of Christ”
- Our relationship with God is dynamic; it’s hard to put it into words!
- Revelation look and see Jesus is both the apparition so frightening that John fell flat on his face…
12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
- and the lamb that looked as though he had been slain… what a juxtaposition!
4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
- Whose slave are you!?
- We’ve been talking about our identity in this series. It’s God’s point for us in the here and now
- Introducing yourself in an AA meeting?
- Who am I?
- School bus driver, husband, father, grandpa, RAM1500 CrewCab drive, head of maintenance at coop, son of two dead parents, brother (my parents gave 4 brothers to my sister, and only gave me 3 brothers! She was spoiled right from the get-go!
- Each LENS we look at ourselves with, and at each other, brings to light different things
- The beatings will continue until morale improves
And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
- Who’s your Daddy?
- We need healing from our wounds from our earthly fathers
- Some folks I know and I have this in common, we spent much of our lives looking for a Dad. Without even realizing it, men would enter that role, disappoint me, and then be faced with “hatred of Dad” type aggression
- Can any one person replace Dad?
- Hebrews 5:11-14…. Is part of maturity in Christ growing out of it? What remains and what must pass away?
- John 15: Jesus called his disciples friends as opposed to what?
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory
- Is the co-heirs in reference to one another, or in reference to our relationship with Christ Jesus?
- What are we heirs of?
- Parallel to Old Testament distribution of the promised land in the book of Numbers
Running Down Vimy 