Learning To Walk Worthy Of Our Call Series

Rom 8:1-11NKJV

1. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; [hostile toward…a hatred for]

for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Verse one is another one of those verses that gets so misused and misquoted.

1. There is condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…

Is this a true statement AS IT READS HERE? ­ ˜no ˜yes ˜not sure What did I do to make it read the way it reads.

I left out some important stuff…Look at the verse “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Matthew Henry said: ­

It is the unspeakable privilege and comfort of all those that are in Christ Jesus that there is therefore now no condemnation to them. He does not say, "There is no accusation against them," for this there is; but the accusation is thrown out, and the indictment quashed.

He does not say, "There is nothing in them that deserves condemnation," for this there is, and they see it, and own it, and mourn over it, and condemn themselves for it; but it shall not be their ruin.

He does not say, "There is no cross, no affliction to them or no displeasure in the affliction," for this there may be; but no condemnation. They may be chastened [disciplined…punished] of the Lord, but not condemned with the world.

(from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

In order to learn to walk I believe we need to understand how NOT to walk.

I guess we need to start with the guy behind the pulpit or those who claim to be ministers.

2 Corinthians 4: 1,2NKJV “1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.

2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.”

If we are going to call ourselves ministers we need to understand that the very word demands…honesty…and integrity.

Notice 4 things that we find in this passage…

1. Those who claim to be ministers are to surrender any dishonesty.

The NLT version reads this way.

“1 Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.

2 We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don't try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.”

There must never be a time when our integrity or honesty can be questioned.

Eph 4:17-24NKJV “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.