Sermon Series “Toolbox of Faith” #2
Inside our Faith #2
Romans chapter 8:1-11
Prayer-
Father, Have your way Lord! I thank you this morning for Stephon’s testimony. I pray you continue to use him and allow him each day to get into your presence and your presence will matter in his life and to those around him. I pray now as we continue looking at faith in our life that you would anoint and bless our time together and that you would speak to each one of us clearly and powerfully. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Introduction-
Last week we began looking at faith and this morning again peaking into the toolbox and see what else we can learn about faith and the importance of faith.
We saw that we need as Christians to allow the Lord to convict us in certain areas of our life
To be able to be open and honest with the Lord so that He can accomplish much in our lives.
We saw that faith is both internal and external and that you need both operating in our lives.
Internal because we need to know that we know that what God has said is true and that everyday, we are not making a decision wither we will serve the Lord.
We have to settle that issue once and for all and work that out everyday in our lives.
That His Spirit bears witness to our spirit.
External, in that it must be expressed not only through our lives but verbally we need to be sharing our faith with those God has brought in our path.
Today pulling the tool of faith again out of the toolbox and looking at what we believe-
What are you putting your faith in?
Is it faith just to have faith? Abstract Faith
Is it the faith of others… mom, grandmother, or is it yours?
Our must our faith be securely in someone named Jesus?
I know people who say that have faith, but when they are asked about it, they cannot define what they believe.
If I was to call you out this morning and I won’t- could you tell me what you believe and why you believe it-
Could your faith be backed up by the Word of God?
What you believe, as you know it, are you living it out everyday for people to see?
Romans 8:1-11
Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes to the church in Rome about two different lifestyles.
One is about life in the Spirit of God and one is a life in our own flesh. I’ll explain that in a moment.
It is a difficult passage because there is a lot of meat in a few verses.
In the sense if we do not understand the difference, we may be putting our faith in the wrong things.
One lifestyle is pleasing to God and one is not- The Bible tells us that to live right before God that we must live our life in the Spirit of God.
Meaning that the Spirit of the living God dwells within us and He is directing our lives.
That we live our lives according to the Word of God recorded in His Word and that we have surrendered our old lives and taken on the new life in Christ.
The life that is not pleasing to God is the life that operates in the flesh.
There are some terms that you must understand in this passage.
“In the Spirit” is that Christ dwells within and you operate in His Holy Spirit guiding our lives- not perfect.
We will not be perfect until the perfect one takes us home, but we allow God to operate in our lives. He is first. To please Him is important in our lives. When we fail, we quickly come back to Him.
“In the flesh”- means that we operate by our own standards and by our own pleasures. Because of the fall of man, this is where mankind is without Jesus changing our lives and making us New Creations. We operate with a selfish attitude of it is all about us.
Because of the fall of mankind, because God cannot tolerate sin, our sin was condemned in the flesh (3) and we cannot have fellowship with God as long as we are in sin.
Jesus became the answer to the sin problem because He had no sin, He became the sin offering. The only sin offering accepted by a Holy and righteous God.
That is the main reason that being a good person is not enough- you may not be as bad as someone else but the measure of sin is not between each other but a righteous and holy God that does not allow sin and sin that is in each one of us. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23)
Christ sets you free and sin brings bondage and death.
God the Father sent Jesus the Son to be the offering for each and every person on this earth- Everywhere and everybody.
8:1- “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” I don’t know about you, but those words bring me comfort.
Jesus convicts us of our sin- means drawing us closer to Himself, towards being a new creation in Him and offers his help.
The Devil condemns- moves you farther away from God. Wanting to keep you in bondage to your sins and lifestyle.
There are churches and people today that use condemnation as a way to belittle and destroy people.
We see extreme churches causing chaos at funerals.
We see individuals writing letters to churches and people condemning them to hell.
There is one man who has written several times a year since I have been here condemning several major denominations including ours while not belonging to any denomination.
We must decide wither we will live by His Spirit directing our lives or we will live by the flesh, the sinful nature because of fallen of man.
Jesus wants to redeem us and the devil wants to destroy us.
We have a choice of what and who we want controlling our lives. One brings life abundant here and in the future and one brings temporary pleasure now and will destroy us.
Apostle Paul is clear that he is not only talking about the flesh as being simply the body.
He is talking about a lifestyle- one of God and one without God. One where God is first in our lives and one where we are first.
He is clear about sexual sin but He also included “in the flesh” as idolatry, hatred, wrath, strife, heresies. In the flesh would be involved in things that you know are against the Word of God and dabbling in things of the occult.
Thankful that he does not leave us there!
While each one of us is not without sin and not without needing a savior.
Not one of us is perfect- he says that those that have their faith in Christ Jesus- those who have asked the Lord to redeem them, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ! Hallelujah!
“For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His Son Jesus!”
We were condemned by a holy God, but offered redemption from a holy God! “In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.’
Because Adam sinned, we were doomed to death spiritually because of disobedience. But because of Jesus sinless life and his obedience, we are offered eternal life in Him He is our sin offering- not any person here, not any church, not anything you can do…. Because of Jesus Christ.
We are not saved because we do good! We do good because we are saved!
We cannot earn heaven but we can be grateful and serve God and not ourselves.
I see a lot of people doing good things- it is not about being good. I see a lot of people who have done bad things find Christ in their lives and do good things- because they are grateful for what has been given to them.
Because of what Jesus did, There opens up for each one of us an opportunity to no longer be dominated by the flesh and now live by the Spirit of God which fills us with power that is not our own.
The penalty of the past is removed and the strength of the future is assured. Someone ought to be shouting about now!
Read 8:6-8
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind that is governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”
Wow! Can it describe any better the reason the world right now is in turmoil, why we feel like we are in the last days according to the book of Timothy.
The Spirit of God is battling the spirit of man- God is trying to draw us close to Himself and offer us life and peace and man in his sinful nature is hostile toward Him and saying in God’s face he would rather die than give up his right to do things his way.
People fighting God and His love are on spiritual suicide- making God their enemy when He loves them is foolishness according to the word of God.
No one will win that last battle of our souls against a Holy a merciful God.
We will stand before Him in our sins and Jesus blood will not cover them.
Closing thought-
Jesus tells us –
“He is the author and finisher of our faith.”
“For all have fallen short of the glory of God- “Wages of sin is death”
There is not one righteous person within themselves without Jesus-
There is peace and hope and they are found in Jesus-
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ.”
If we believe that- Then Jesus has to change our lives forever!
It has to change the way we act.
It has to change the way we think.
It has to change the priorities in our lives.
Honesty and transparency is what we seek when we seek a Holy God and allow Him to change us-
Inside our toolbox is faith- the belief that Jesus is who He says He is and that He is the one we are putting our faith in.
I know that I know… if I would die this moment, I know exactly where I will be going.
Do you know that today? Is your faith secure in Jesus?
Have you settled the issue that you will follow Jesus?
Would you bow your head for a moment-
Prayer-
Father, I know you are speaking to each one of us this morning, you have put a finger on issues going on in our life. You are showing us areas that you desire to work in… would we be open and honest and let you work in those areas.
Is your faith secure in Jesus? That would be yes or no.
If you would answer no, today you can change that by putting your faith in the Jesus we talked about this morning.
Today, you can begin to talk on that New Life He talks about. With His help and with His guidance-
Amen.
