Security In The Spirit Series

ROMANS 8. 1- 17 SECURITY IN THE SPIRIT PART 1.

• WE LIVE UNCERTAIN INSECURE WORLD RELATIONAL (FAMILY BREAKUP) ECONOMICALLY ( COST OF LIVING) MORALLY (DISINTEGRATION OF RIGHT LIVING) SPIRITUALLY ( THE BLURRING OF SPIRITUALITY AND THE PERVADING SECULAR AGENDA ). ALL OF WHICH CAN LEAVE US INSECURE BUT AS CHRISTIANS WE NEED TO REMEMBER THE SECURITY WE ACTUALLY POSSES ESPECIALLY WHEN IT APPEARS THAT ALL AROUND US ALL IS FALLING APART.

LAST WEEK WE SAW PAUL SHARING US HIS OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCES FIRSTLY AS A YOUNG JEWISH MAN UNDER LAW WHICH EXPOSED THE SIN (7:7) IN HIS LIFE WHICH SIN EXPLOITED (7:8) WITH SIN SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY, HE EXPLAINED TO US THE MINISTRY OF THE LAW OF EXPOSING AND CONVICTING THE SINNER .AND THEN WENT ON TO SHARE HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS A MATURE BELIEVER IN CHRIST, HE SHARED WITH US THE HONEST INWARD STRUGGLE WITH SIN THAT HE CONTINUES TO FACE. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE LAW WAS UNABLE TO SAVE HIM AND ONLY CHRIST COULD DO THAT (7:25) THANKS BE TO GOD - THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!

POINT OF CONTACT : ‘THEREFORE ‘ ( V1-17) PAUL IS NO LONGER PRE – OCCUPIEDD WITH THE WORK OF THE LAW (ROM 7) BUT WITH THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IN A BELIEVERS LIFE , IF THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER FOCUSED UPON THE LAW AND THE STRUGGLE A CHRISTIAN FACES WITH SIN. (7:17 ,20) THIS IS CONTRASTED TO THE LIBERATING WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR LIVES. (8: 1- 2)

ANOTHER POINT OF CONTACT : EARLIER WE HAD LEARNED THAT IN ADAM 5:16,18 BROUGHT CONDEMNATION. HERE WE LEARN (8:1) THEREFORE THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS .

“IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT THE BIBLE IS LIKE A RING AND THE BOOK OF ROMANS IS THE DIAMOND AND CHAPTER 8. IS THE CENTRE POINT OF THE DIAMOND ITSELF.”

CHAPTER 8:1 COMMENCES WITH NO CONDEMNATION ENDS WITH NO SEPARATION V39 AND IS FILLED UP WITH NO DEFEAT V29 -30 .” WE WANT TO BE UPLIFTED TODAY LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THIS CHAPTER....

THE CORE MESSAGE IS NOT ABOUT OUR SANCTIFICATION OF THE BELIEVER ALTHOUGH SPOKEN OF, BUT THAT OF A CHRISTIANS SECURITY IN THE SPIRIT.

1. OUR SECURE STANDING IN THE SPIRIT. 1-4. READ

PAUL ACTUALLY MENTIONS THE SPIRIT 14 TIMES V 1-17 REFERRING TO THE SPIRIT V4 ,5, 6, 9,11,13,16 THE SPIRIT OF LIFE V2 , SPIRIT OF GOD V9,14, SPIRIT OF CHRIST V9, AND THE SPIRIT OF SON SHIP V15 AND IF YOU WERE TO TAKE THE WHOLE OF THE CHAPTER YOU FIND THE SPIRIT IS MENTIONED 21 THIS IS SIGNIFICANT COMPARE IT TO CHAPTER 7, WHERE HE IS MENTIONED ONCE IN THE WHOLE CHAPTER.

WHY? PAUL WANTS US TO KNOW THE HUGE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE INSECURITY TRYING TO LIVE A LIFE THROUGH LAW KEEPING AND THE SECURITY WE POSSES IN THE SPIRIT, ESSENTIAL HE IS SAYING THAT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A LIFE WHICH IS CONNECTED TO THE SPIRIT , WITHOUT THE SPIRIT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS IMPOSSIBLE – WITHOUT THE SPIRIT WE ARE MERE IMPOSTERS .

ROM. 8:1 THEREFORE THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE IN CHRIST JESUS .

DEAR CHRISTIAN ARE YOU FEELING LOW TODAY , ARE YOU FEELING DEFEATED, ARE YOU STRUGGLING WITH SIN IN YOUR LIFE….IS THERE AN ACCUSING VOICE IN YOUR CONSCIENCE CONTINUALLY CONDEMNING YOU GIVING YOU DOUBTS? YOU NEED TO REMEMBER YOU ARE UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT.

B) WITH A NEW FREEDOM V2 -4

TEMPTATIONS AND TRIALS WILL ALWAYS COME WHILST LIVING IN THIS LIFE YET YOU MUST FIX YOUR HEART AND MIND UPON THESE TRUTHS IN SCRIPTURE V2 THROUGH CHRIST JESUS THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE SET ME FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH.

THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT IS IN REFERENCE TO THE GOSPEL WHICH WHEN CONVEYED WITH THE SPIRITS DYNAMIC ACCOMPANIES ITS PROCLAMATION ( READ LUKE 4:18 1THES 1:5 ) AND IT HAS HAD A LIBERATING EFFECT. THE GOSPEL HAS LIBERATED US.

HOW? V 3-4 THE WORK OF THE TRIUNE GODHEAD IT INVOLVES:

GOD SENDING HIS SON - IN THE LIKENESS OF SINFUL MAN - WHO FULFILLED ALL THE RIGHTEOUS REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW - HE CONDEMNED SIN IN SINFUL MAN - AND LAID DOWN HIS LIFE AS AN OFFERING - AS A RESULT YOU HAVE BEEN REDEEMED BY CHRIST - YOU ARE JUSTIFIED BEFORE GOD - YOU ARE BEING SANCTIFIED BY HIS SPIRIT AND YOU WILL BE GLORIFIED V29 - 30 AND THEREFORE THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION BECAUSE YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS. YOU ARE SECURE WHATEVER THIS WORLD THROWS AT YOU AS LONG AS YOU REMAIN IN HIM

DURING A HURRICANE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, A NEWS REPORT HIGHLIGHTED A RESCUE DEVICE USED ON THE OIL RIGS. IN CASE OF FIRE OR (IN THIS CASE) HURRICANE, RIG WORKERS SCRAMBLE INTO THE BULLET-SHAPED "BUS" AND STRAP THEMSELVES INTO THEIR SEATS. WHEN THE ENTRY PORT IS SHUT, THE VEHICLE IS RELEASED DOWN A CHUTE AND PROJECTED AWAY FROM THE RIG. THE SEAT BELTS PROTECT THE OCCUPANTS FROM THE IMPACT WITH THE WATER. THE CAPSULE THEN BOBS IN THE SEA UNTIL THE RESCUERS COME TO PICK IT UP.