INTRODUCTION
• PC VIDEO
• SLIDE #1
• I remember seeing that when it came out, I was scared!
• Depending on what list you find, Americans fear many things. One list of fear from selfhelpcollective.com suggests that the top two things people fear is flying and public speaking. Fear of heights comes in at 3, fear of the dark enters in at 4.
• Fear of intimacy is 5
• Fear of death comes in at number 6.
• Fear of failure is 7, fear of rejection is 8, fear of spiders is 9 and the one they called the male fear, the fear of commitment is 10.
• I would contend that fear of flying, heights, and the dark can be tied in with fear od death.
• A Chapman University survey from April of 2015 suggested that the number one fear of Americans was the fear of corruption of Government Officials. https://blogs.chapman.edu/wilkinson/2015/10/13/americas-top-fears-2015/
• All I can say to that is RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
• They put public speaking at 26 and dying at 43 behind reptiles which came in at 17.
• There are many things people fear in life and about life. The Chapman University study broke the various fears into 10 categories from man-made disasters, to Government, to personal failure, daily life, etc.…
• I believe fear is something we all deal with on various levels. Some folks are consumed by fear; others are touched by fear.
• I do not believe Jesus wants us to operate out of fear, the disciples operated out of fear and that fear stifled their effectiveness until they were able to trust God enough to overcome that fear.
• I believe in life you have a choice, to be driven by fear or to be driven by faith.
• Throughout the Book of Romans, Paul talks about the freedom we have in Jesus versus the slavery we endured when we were in bondage to sin.
• In verse 1 of chapter 8, we are told that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ! Verse 2 reminds us that in Christ, we are free from the law of sin and death!
• Throughout chapter 8, we are reminded that when you are in Christ, you are part of God’s family!
• Whatever fear you are facing, God is big enough to uproot your fear!
• In Christ, we can have victory!
• Let’s look at Romans 8:15 together this morning as we examine how God can uproot your fear!
• SLIDE #2
• Romans 8:15 (HCSB) For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. Christians have not received a spirit of slavery from Jesus.
• In the previous verses, Paul reminds the readers that they are sons of God, so when he hits verse 15, he begins the verse with the simple word FOR.
• This word is meant to appeal to the conscience of Christians, to confirm his statements that they are indeed sons of God and that son-ship equals them being heirs in verse 17.
• Verse 16 will show that the Holy Spirit will confirm our one’s inner spirit that they belong to God.
• As we dive into verse 15, we need to understand what is being said concerning the use of the word “SPIRIT”.
• There are three possible meaning to Greek word PNUEMA. Context determines the meaning here.
• It could refer to the Holy Spirit, which would mean this verse offers two more titles for the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Slavery and the Spirit of adoption.
• It could refer to the HUMAN SPIRIT, the spirit of a person.
• It could refer to a FRAME OF MIND, therefore a SPIRIT OF SLAVERY would be the mindset that follows slavery and the SPIRIT OF ADOPTION would the mindset of one who has been adopted by God. (Reference TDNT #7)
• Commentators and translations are not on the same page as to what is being referred to when the word PNUEMA is used.
• The American Bible Societies translation the TEV (One known as the Good News Translation) renders the passage this way.
• SLIDE #4
• Romans 8:15 (GNB) For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God’s children, and by the Spirit’s power we cry out to God, “Father! my Father!”
• So the first use of SPIRIT indicates the GOD’S SPIRIT, the HOLY SPIRIT did not make you a slave, but rather does something positive.
• Even though the word RECEIVED is in the aorist verb tense which denotes something was done in a one-time act in the past, I will lean toward the word SPIRIT being a reference to a FRAME of MIND.
• When one received the SPIRIT at baptism, you did not receive a MINDSET of a slave, but rather of an ADOPTED SON.
• This implies that before one is in Christ, they have a spirit of a slave, we are told we are slaves to sin with the appropriate mindset of a slave.
• This is not the mindset God’s Spirit gives to those who are His!
• God did not intend for us to fall back into the fears we had before we became Christians.
• For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
• Before Christ, we were slaves to sin, we had no hope without Jesus.
• It is hard for us to picture, but think of the life of a slave.
• It would not be a joyous life; it would not be a life filled with hope.
• SLIDE #5
• Ephesians 2:12 (HCSB) At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
• Fear comes about because we see something before us that is too big for us to handle.
• Or we think we will lose something that we cannot stop from happening.
• If our God can save us from our sins, if our God can create the world by speaking it into existence, what do we have to fear?
• SLIDE #6
• Romans 8:31 (HCSB) What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
• For one to overcome fear we need to know that what we fear can be handled, that we have a way to deal with the fear.
• WE have a GREAT reason to not live in fear! We do not have to return to the old mindset!
• SLIDE #7
II. Christians have received a spirit of adoption from Jesus.
• When you look back at verse 15 we see; Romans 8:15 (HCSB) For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”
• SLIDE #8
• Back to the GNB or the TEV version.
• Romans 8:15 (GNB) For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God’s children, and by the Spirit’s power we cry out to God, “Father! my Father!”
• I love it is phrased, look at the blessing you receive when you are baptized into Christ and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!
• You one of God’s children, not is a generic sense but a real sense!
• The SPIRIT of adoption is a spirit of confidence and hope, versus one of fear!
• A SPIRIT of adoption is the mindset of those who are in Christ!
• The Jews had a system of adoption, but it was not as formal as that of the Greeks and Romans. The Law of Moses did not cover adoption.
• It was not uncommon in the Roman world for a man to adopt even one of his slaves or servants as his son.
• In 1st Century Roman culture, a adopted son was deliberately chosen by his adopted father to perpetuate the family name, and he inherited his fathers estate, and the adopted son was in NO way inferior to ANY blood relative of the father.
• His old life was gone, the adopted son had a totally New life!
• SLIDE #9
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 (HCSB) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.
• This verse is true of those in Christ and it was true of an adopted son in the Roman world.
• When you are in Christ, what can God not handle? I think many fears we have is HOW God is going to work. Those fears spring out of a lack of trust.
• If you are struggling financially and all the sudden you won the 1.4 billion dollar, or what ever it is Powerball, would you be worried about finances? Would a $1000 car repair bill bring fear into your life?
• Probably not, because you know your bank is large enough to handle it.
• When you are in God’s family, your bank is large enough to handle whatever comes your way!
• When you are in God’s family, God will provide and protect you.
• SLIDE #10
III. Christians can trust in God through Jesus.
• Look at verse 15 again.
• SLIDE #11
• Romans 8:15 (HCSB) For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”
• In our world we do not understand the significance of the part of the verse underlined.
• Fear is the product of the frame of mind one possesses when in spiritual bondage to sin, trust is the frame of mind on possesses when they are an adopted child of God!
• Today we pray to God our Father, we throw the term FATHER in reference to God like it is no big deal.
• I do not mean to sound mean about it, we are just used to calling God our father.
• In the 1st Century, people did not call God their father in the context Jesus did. It was not until Jesus’ teaching that folks were comfortable with calling God their father.
• Then Paul comes and punctuates the point.
• The term father is the language of a son or daughter, not a slave.
• Here is how Paul punctuates the point, he did not say that we just call God FATHER, but he adds the phrase ABBA which is an Aramaic phrase that was an informal term a child would be privileged to use with HIS OWN FATHER.
• Today we might say DADDY!
• Paul says we can cry our, giving the picture of a young boy in destress who is calling out to his daddy for protection and help.
• The word FATHER in the Greek denotes the formal relationship between child and son, ABBA brings it to a deeper emotional level, a deeper level of intimacy and trust!
• It denotes a relationship of loving trust between and child and their father.
• God is your loving Father who is there for you.
• My dad has ALWAYS been there for me, he did not always fix my issues but he was always there for me to help me and guide me.
• Our heavenly Father can take a life that is in shambles and make something beautiful out of it, He can take our worst and make something inspiring out of it.
• IF God is for you, then who can be against you.
• I have always trusted my dad; I will always trust my heavenly Father! He knows me and He loves me in spite of who I am.
• SLIDE #12
• Psalm 23:4 (ESV) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
CONCLUSION
• Are you living in fear? You do not have live that way, when you are in Christ, your Father who is in heaven is there for you.
• Those of us already in Christ, we have to learn to lean on Him and trust Him. Do not waste your days living in fear.
• He loves you and accepts you.
• Are you ready to be adopted into God’s family? Come forward today and begin a new life in Christ!
