Sermon Series on Romans 8: Reasons to be encouraged!
Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
>Reason #2, Our priorities are transformed -Romans 8:5-8
"Those who live according to the sinful nature (the flesh) have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God."
We’re face-to-face with a major conflict, the contrast between two opposing forces--the flesh and the Spirit. As we consider verses 5-8, we have to ask ourselves a personal question: “Who’s in control?” Are we running things, or are we letting God direct us? We’re either under the control of the Spirit or under the control of our fallen nature. When we surrender our lives to God, He transforms our priorities and gives us new purpose in life. That’s encouraging! But let’s consider—how do we really view life? Do we see God as part of everything, or is life only what we make it?
Paul is describing (in Romans 8) more than attitude—He’s showing us who we are. A major teaching of Scripture is that there are two kinds of people, who act according to their nature, or mind-set. The two are: “flesh” and “Spirit”. We all start out in category #1, as lost--fallen, and polluted by sin. This is what Paul means by “the flesh” (other translations use the terms “carnal” or “sinful nature”). In contrast, the “Spirit” is the indwelling Holy Spirit, Who leads us to Christ and causes new life to spring up and transform us. The flesh is human nature--corrupted, directed, controlled by sin. Those controlled by the Spirit have renewed interests and purpose. We’re either spiritually-minded or self-minded; we’re all “minding” something—there’s no middle ground. In Galatians, Paul explains, “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and our choices are never free from this conflict” (5:17, NLT). Paul then lists several typical actions of the flesh, in contrast to the fruit of the Spirit (19-23).
We feed our cat Spike regularly, but when he goes outside, he hunts for mice. Not because he’s hungry—he’s simply behaving according to his nature. In the same way, people live according to their nature, which is either led by the flesh or the Spirit. This doesn’t mean people are either horrendously sinful or completely perfect. Scripture indicates that until we get to Heaven, we retain some of our fallen nature, our imperfections. It’s like two armies fighting within—the one that wins is the stronger one, the one we support the most. Paul realizes that we have a foot in two worlds.
As believers, our minds are fixed on the things of the Spirit. We live in a new sphere, with a converted outlook. But this doesn’t mean that unbelievers never do anything good, or that believers never do anything bad. It means that the focus of our lives is different. One lives for the flesh, the other for the Spirit.
Because “the flesh” is depraved human nature, some people think depravity means being a monster like Hitler or Stalin. Human depravity means being led by the flesh, by self-interest. It doesn’t mean that unbelievers are as evil as possible, rather it means they’re living according to their own desires. Until our priorities are transformed by the Holy Spirit, we’re only interested in doing our own thing.
In Colossians, Paul urges that in all things Christ should have preeminence (1:18). If He has the first place in our lives, it says something about our priorities. When we live for self, we may find ourselves at the top of the ladder of success, only to discover we’re on the wrong ladder. As we evaluate our goals, we should discern whether they have any eternal value, or if they’re land-locked into this fleeting, temporal world.
Patrick Morley is an author and mentor of business professionals. When his own business was starting to take off, he began getting lots of offers and invitations from his business community’s in-crowd. He gave it his all, to the neglect of his family. He worked long hours, brought work home, and became consumed by ambition and defined by his business. One day he told his wife Patsy, “We’ve arrived!” -and she added, “Yes, but at the wrong place.” This began a transformation of Morley’s goals. He said to Patsy, “Maybe we should prioritize everything we do on the basis of who’s going to be crying at our funeral.” This saved his family. When I conduct funerals, there are usually a few eulogies, in which family and friends stand up and say what kind of impact their loved one made. Will we leave a lasting legacy, or will our lives amount to little of eternal value? What will be said about our faith? When we reach the close of our days, will we have regrets? And will we be ready to stand before God?
Our priorities reveal our inner nature. Even our interests show what kind of people we are. The books and magazines we read, the movies we like to watch, our favorite TV shows, how we spend our spare time, the friends we choose…all these things say something about our values. The things we enjoy can indicate how much we’re led by the flesh, and how much by the Spirit. Believers may struggle with the world, but unbelievers love the world. Their cultural, political, and social interests leave out God.
The author of Hebrews urges, “Let us throw aside every sin that entangles us and every weight that hinders us” (12:1). Some things are sins and need to be confessed and eliminated from our lives. But the “weights” are things that are morally neutral in themselves…but they’ve taken too much of our lives and they’re getting in the way of what God has for us. These weights may seem harmless, but they are potential problems for us because they can crowd out the things God wants us to be doing. We may need to re-prioritize our lives to keep certain seemingly harmless activities from enslaving and impeding our spiritual growth.
If I got more specific, and named an example, I might hit too close to home, and you’d possibly argue, “What’s wrong with that?” The answer is, nothing—unless and until that activity becomes too important, to the point where our spiritual growth suffers. It’s all a matter of what’s really important to us. When we trust Christ, He gives us new direction in life.
Every Christian is Spirit-filled, but victory in life hinges on how much we’re yielded to the Spirit. Until we depart our bodies, we struggle with sin, and with lots of worldly things clamoring for our attention. The power of our sinful nature is conquered by Christ, but not destroyed. Being born-again frees us from the total control and domination of the flesh, but it does not perfect us. In this life we won’t reach a point where we’ll be fully satisfied with ourselves.
What does our inner nature lead to? What’s the result of being flesh, or Spirit-led? Verse 6 explains that the unbelieving “mind of the flesh” is spiritually dead. This death leads to separation, estrangement from God. Unbelievers are cut off from God. Verse 7 explains why: “the sinful mind is hostile to God”. To live according to the flesh is self-destruction. The flesh-mind resists God and resents His claim on our lives. In contrast, the “mind of the Spirit is life and peace”. This means two things--eternal life, and reconciliation with God. When we trust Christ, God takes enemies and makes us His family and friends.
“The sinful mind is hostile to God”, Paul says. Is it possible to hate God and not even know it? A man was asked by a minister if he’d like peace with God. He replied, “I’m not aware that I’m at war with Him.” Perhaps not overtly, but there is a subtle enmity revealed through apathy and living one’s own way.
Paul goes on to say that the flesh, the sinful mind, not only refuses to submit to God, it cannot submit (vs 7) and cannot hope to please God (vs 8). The fundamental reason for our existence, our “chief end”, is to please and glorify God. The life controlled by the flesh is unable to achieve this objective. The flesh is unable to seek God and surrender to Him. The word “submit” used here is a military term, to show how soldiers obey their commander. We won’t submit until we’re willing to enlist. In Ephesians Paul explains that we’re spiritually “dead in our trespasses and sins” (2:1). The Spirit has to revive us before we’ll even consider turning to God.
A church deacon persuaded a friend to go hear a well-known Christian speaker. The friend was admittedly a non-believer. The speaker was at his best, and the deacon was enjoying himself immensely. Afterwards, his friend admitted, “I don’t have the slightest idea what that man was talking about.” The speaker might as well have been preaching to a dead man…and was. Those who walk after the flesh are spiritually dead. Biblical truth appears as foolishness unless the Spirit opens their eyes and ears. The Gospel is like music played for someone who is tone-deaf.
So who’s in the driver’s seat? When we’re tempted, what does it take to stop us? Are we living according to the dictates of the flesh or by God’s Spirit? That depends on our inner nature. When our priorities are transformed, we’re governed by the Spirit, we love God, and have an appetite for eternal life!
>For the church bulletin…
The flesh/sinful mind-set: versus The spiritual mind-set:
(consciously and unconsciously, life will be oriented toward…)
-death/separation -peace/reconciliation
-enmity/hostility toward God -surrender to God
-rebellion/resistance -obedience
-living for self -living for God
-alienation from God -closeness to God
-guided by temporal values -guided by eternal values
-actions/attitudes unpleasing -knowing/following Jesus
to God
