Hi and welcome back. My wife Mary and I have been really busy with our street ministry, so this podcast is a little late being published.
Recently we have been trying to get a homeless woman and her son temporary shelter.
The woman I’ll call her Jane, is having surgery on her aorta tomorrow. We were able to find an organization that was willing to get her a motel room for the week before her surgery. The Holy Spirit continues to lead us and guide us to those who are in need. So please know that I will continue to do this podcast, but there will be times that it may be a little late in coming, as Mary and I continue to serve wherever the Lord may call us.
Last week we left off with Romans 8:8. Let’s look at that verse again.
Romans 8:8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
There’s nothing an unsaved person can do to please God. You can’t buy your way into heaven by your good works. Your religious rituals won’t help you one bit. That sinful flesh that you choose to live in will be the death of you. Not just physically, but spiritually.
Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
If you are born again, you are no longer living in the flesh, but in the spirit.
We not only live in the spirit but the spirit lives in us. We are totally immersed in that spiritual realm. Just as a fish lives in the water we live in Christ. The last portion of this verse says now if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not His. I believe it is safe to assume that the spirit of Christ refers to the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit you are not walking with Christ.
Romans 8:10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
What a powerful statement that Christ dwells in us.
Even though sin will bring about our physical death, the Holy Spirit is life to us because we are declared righteous.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Death is not the final frontier, because Christ came out of that tomb, we too will have new and glorified bodies. Death, where is your sting?
Romans 8:12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
We are not obligated to our flesh.
We owe our flesh nothing. Come on now Christian you’ve been set free. So what do you live for? Do you live for things of eternal value or do you live for the next paycheck? Do you live for the opportunity to serve your Lord and Savior or do you live for recognition and fame? Do you live for Jesus or do you live for today and the pleasures of this world? If you’re a Christian you need to be sure who or what you are indebted to.
Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
So why is Paul preaching to the choir?
He’s talking to Christians. We need to be absolutely positively sure of our walk. Paul is driving home that point with this scripture. Just seven verses ago Paul made a similar reference.
Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
We need to have the proper mindset.
It’s easy to get comfortable in our walk. We say to ourselves, I’ve got this. We should never feel comfortable and feel like we’ve arrived. Each day is another opportunity to grow in Christ. If you’re not moving forward, and you’re stagnant in your faith, then sooner or later your faith will fade away. That is why Paul keeps driving home the obvious to the believer.
Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
We need to renew our minds daily or that old man is going to find fertile ground.
Scripture is the key to renewing our minds. Commit it to memory and meditate on it daily. Renew your mind with the word of God.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
As believers, whether we are new believers or mature in our faith, we have this inheritance.
Men, women, boys, girls, all have been adopted as a child of God, at the moment of our conversion. Our parents could never live up to our expectations, but our heavenly father will never fail us. He is a good, good Father.
Romans 8:15 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.
Put yourself in the shoes of a child who is in an orphanage.
They feel trapped and fearful. They never know what tomorrow is going to bring. There’s no structure, no parents, no guidance. They are left to their own means. Yet one day, a loving couple brings them into their home and raises them as their own. What a joy to finally know what it’s like to have loving parents. Before we came to Christ, we were those orphans. But now, as we come to Christ and accept him as our Lord and Savior we too can say Abba, Father. What a joy to have such a loving Father in our lives!
I think this is where we’re going to stop.
Just a footnote. Jane, the woman I mentioned at the beginning of this podcast is out of surgery and is doing well. Please keep her in your prayers, that she may make a full recovery.
Thank you for listening and as always may you have a week full of opportunities to share this good news with those that need to hear it.