Introduction:
How much good is good enough? Have you ever asked yourself that question? It’s often a question we ask when we begin to contemplate death. At the root of the question is this. When life ends are we okay? Do we have a good enough standing in the afterlife to reach heaven? How much good is good enough. It’s a question that every religion in the world tries to answer. From the idea of karma, to deeds, to the animal sacrifice. It’s the question I want to explore today
In Romans 8 Paul is wrestling with this same question. In Romans 7 he talks about how he wants to do good but he can’t. The good he knows he ought to do he doesn’t and the bad he knows he shouldn’t do he does. Laments in Romans 7:24 (NASB) 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
Is there any rescue from the question?
Body:
Romans 8:1-17 (NASB)
1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
It’s the story of two laws : the Law of the Spirit and the Law of sin and death. And Paul tells us that we all at one time are under the law of sin and death. That law is carried out in the flesh. I’ve heard people say that things like AIDS are the law of sin and death being carried out in homosexuality”, but folks, it is carried out in every persons life. We are all slaves to it. We see evidence that the law is carried out in the weakness of our own flesh.
Illustration:
When I went to Central Christian College, I attended as a non traditional student. I was 36 years old. My first semester, I signed up to play I.M. flag football. It was BIG Mistake! What was I thinking – 36 year old competing with 18-22 year olds. I was so sore, after half the season, 2 games, I had to quit. I experienced very real evidence of weakness of the flesh. We all have. The older we get the more we can appreciate the weakness of the flesh . The flesh IS weak; life is fragile.
And Paul tells us that we cannot escape the law of sin and death through the flesh. Flesh alone is not good enough. We are sold as slaves into the bondage of sin leading to death. We are under the influence of the law of sin and death in the flesh. We all face the consequence of sin; we all owe the price of death. So our bodies begin to deteriorate – we age – and we die. In our own flesh, we are unable to find freedom from the law of sin and death
But through the events of the cross, we’ve been set free from the law of sin and death carried out in the flesh. This has been carried out by the spirit of life through Jesus Christ.
Listen to what Paul writes in Romans 4:3
3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Do you hear the claim of Paul? Christ came in the flesh and he paid the price for our sin; sin in the flesh has been condemned and we make a move; in Christ our walk is no longer motivated by our flesh and it’s weakness, but by the Spirit of life. We have a new freedom in Christ.
Freedom in Christ means …
We have new life
Jesus has removed the weakness of the flesh; he has done away with the burden of death brought about by sin. We are moved from death to life based on the events of the cross.
Illustration:
An atheist organization recently got into hot water when it put up a billboard that crossed over onto church property. The message on the billboard read, “I can be good without God.” What do you think? The funny thing is I agree, I think they are right!
They have hit something on the surface; I believe to some extent that we can be good without God; we can behave ourselves; we can have some sense of ethics.
But the atheist organization has missed the point of Jesus; they’ve answered the wrong question; they don’t go any deeper than behavior. Being a follower of Jesus is not about being good but about being ALIVE! There is no life without JESUS!
Paul writes in Romans 8:5
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Two laws -- Two mind sets. One is set on flesh; on death; other is set on life and peace
I’m a Science Fiction Geek. Do you remember the show Star Trek? Captain Kirk would beam down to a planet carrying a phaser. And when they would encounter danger he would turn to his landing party and tell them to set their phasers to ….. stun. Do you remember the other setting? I can recall one episode where Captain Kirk tells his landing party to set phasers on a different setting…. Kill.
One setting for Life and One for death / destruction.
Freedom in Christ means…
We have a new mind setting –
We set our minds on life. Our purpose statement says we Light the way to Life! The mind of the flesh is set on death and destruction. Paul says it is hostile toward God; it is angry, hard, and antagonistic. I’ve learned in counseling classes that anger is often a sign of a deeper sin; and vice versa, that a good number of addictive type practices are rooted in some kind of anger. Is it any wonder that James warns
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
The idea is continual anger / a mind set on anger. Paul takes it to a greater extreme in our text. He says the mind set on the flesh cannot even please God. A life lived in the flesh is a dangerous thing. We may be able to do “good” without God but we are still dead nonetheless. Folks there is a lie that Satan has gotten the church to buy into. He tells us that as long as we are good enough and as long as don’t hurt anyone then we are okay. And he bypasses the cross and the empty tomb. In essence we become Christian atheists. That belief system leaves no real need for Jesus. That’s a life lived in the flesh. Paul says it’s not that way with you.
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Freedom in Christ means…
We belong to God we belong to God
We have a true connection with god – if the Holy Spirit dwells in us, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also raise us and give life to our mortal bodies. So Paul reminds us that in our newfound freedom, we have a new obligation – a new influence.
12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
It’s a question of lifestyle – life lived out in the flesh or a life lived in the Spirit
A life orientation or a death orientation – A life orientation lived in the spirit gives us a new identity.
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
Freedom in Christ means…
we have a new status
We have a dual testimony taking place. The new spirit we have testifies with our own spirit that we are children of God. Two witnesses. Not just one, two, Corroborating the evidence. And with it a transition takes place. We are moved from the status of slaves to the status of God’s children. The word Abba is an intimate word for Father. Some have suggested that it has the context of Daddy. Move from a formal title to a familiar title. God is no longer a master who we fear, but a father we can know and love
If you are asking yourself, “How good is good enough?” I think you are asking the wrong question. That question brings bondage. Instead, we can depend on the freedom we have in Christ! The freedom that brings new life; the freedom that brings a new mind setting; the freedom that brings a new spirit; and the freedom that brings a new status. We have been freed from the bondage of sin; from asking the question, “Am I good enough?”
Invitation:
Jesus in Matthew 11 looks out and sees a crowd of people burdened with expectations of goodness. He sees the religious leaders trying to answer the question, “How much good is good enough.” They want to see God. They believe if they can be Holy enough that God will return and restore the nation of Israel. But they can’t answer the question, “how good do we have to be”. So they keep adding / redefining what good was good enough / developing new yokes of teaching / throwing more and more burdens on people/ making people live in the weakness of the flesh. So Jesus offers an invitation
Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.“
Jesus offers them freedom from the question. Not freedom and rest from work, (take my yoke upon you) but freedom from the weakness of the flesh that cannot be good enough on it’s own. Do you want that freedom today? Do you want to escape the question, “How much good is good enough?” The answer if found in life in Jesus. Paul sums it up beautifully. After he wrestles with the question of how his actions are not good enough, he concludes in the very first verse, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.”
