10-16-2011 Romans 8:1-39 It's All About Certainty
At the end of chapter 7 in our study last week...we read that Paul said 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Even Paul struggled with sin of the flesh...but he thank God through Jesus that he could live to please God by the Holy Spirit that lives in him.
Now chapter 8 deals with sanctification.... cleaning of the Christians life by the Holy Spirit and coming to the reality of His presences and how He works in our life and gives us the security of salvation...
Chapter 8 of Romans is a great part of scripture..verse 1 says Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit continuity guides us from human or fleshly things to Spiritual or Godly things...we still sin but, we can't be condemned for our sin because Christ died for them.
The last 2 verses of chapter 8 says
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is another great promise of our security that we can never be separated from God....now we will look at the working of Jesus in our life by the Holy Spirit that He sent to live in every Christian and how He operates and tries to clean, and sanctify our lives.
**********Some questions to consider***********
1. Since Jesus came into your life... is there a since of guidance and presences of the Holy Spirit?
2. Since Jesus came into your life...can you look back and see the change in your own life?
3. If you were the Holy Spirit that lives within you...would you be satisfied that you live a holy life?
*************************
Romans 8:
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
We live in the Spirit now but we struggle with the old self of flesh...and it's a war every day.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness
In other words: Now if Christ be in you, the body indeed is dead on account of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. He is saying here that you and I are in Christ, and since we are in Him, when He died, we died.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
These bodies that you and I have will be put in the grave one of these days.
But, because Christ was raised from the dead, we shall be raised from the dead.
The Holy Spirit will deliver us from the “body of his death”—this old nature.
*******************************
Romans 8:12-17 (KJV)
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together
Verse 13
“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die”—die to God.
That is, you have no fellowship with Him. I am not talking about a theory; if you are a child of God, we know this from experience.
If we belong to God and we have unconfessed sin in our life, do you want to go to church? Do you want to read your Bible?
Do we want to pray? No, we don’t. We are separated from God.
Here is the guidance ......
Verse 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
God don't drive His sheep; He leads them.
John 10:27 says my sheep hear my voice , I know them and they follow.
It's those who resent Gods word...they resent the preaching...they don't want to hear it...they are not the sons of God....Gods children.
It's like Brenda ask a woman did she go to church anywhere and she said .."those people tried to tell her how to live her life and she didn't want to hear it"
If they don't belong to God...they don't want to hear it...they dont want you to pray for them....they are fine...they dont want to hear it.
Verse 15..Abba could be translated to Daddy...we are adopted into His family...its not fear...its family.
********Verse 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Many times over the years Brenda and I have visited and prayed with folks...and we always say that God is in control and trust Him.
But, when I was sick and had to go to the hospital....I came to God for myself and wondered if all that I had been telling others was so...and found that it was...God bear witness with our spirit and says....trust me...its going to be alright.
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Sometimes we don't know what to pray for...but, the Holy Spirit does.
We are ask to pray for people and we find we don't know what for....but God does.
Most of the time our prayers are like a grocery list...when we need to pray for His will to be done.
*********Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
“All things”—good and bad; bright and dark;; happy and sad; health and sickness; comfort and suffering; life and death.
“Are working together for good” is causative and means that God is working all things—there are no accidents.
Reminds me of the story of Joseph...all that he went through...in the end he said...Gen 50: 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good
You ever had God to use a bad time in your life for your sake?
Love in Christ Jesus, Ronnie Miller
www.themillersbiblestudy.com
