The Promised Blessings Of Those In Christ Series

The Promised Blessings of those in Christ!

Romans 8:1-39

Those in Christ will not be Condemned (8:1-17)

Those in Christ will not be Forgotten (8:18-34)

Those in Christ will not be Separated (8:35-39)

Good morning.

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We are back into our Series, “Summer in Rome” after taking a week off for our family Sunday and Jonah.

I want to just kind of recap where we have been so far.

Recap

We started out learning that the gospel is the power of God for salvation and for righteous living. And we saw that there is no excuse for those who will stand before God one day who do not believe in Christ and who are trusting in anything besides Christ for their salvation.

We also saw that for those who reject God, there are consequences that show up as evil and sin continues to expand throughout our life and society.

Paul goes on to explain that there is absolutely no one who deserves any of the blessings God has to offer, but that he gives them freely to those who trust him in faith and that this is the way it has always been, even back to Abraham.

Then Paul discusses the dual nature of the Christian and the relationship between the Christian and the law saying we are not under the law but under grace and he describes the war that is going on between the sinful nature and the spiritual nature and the battle between living in your own power and living in the power of the Spirit.

Chapter 7 kind of ends on this note of life is going to be a constant battle between the evil I don’t want to do and the good that my spirit desires to do.

Now, if you would turn with me to Romans chapter 8,

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we will see that Paul begins by telling his readers that even though this battle is faced, those in Christ can be assured by some incredible promises!

Let’s read chapter 8 and then get a big picture overview of the incredible blessings that those in Christ have!

Romans 8

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive 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 through his Spirit, who lives in you.

12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 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.

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.