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Sermons
Free In
Christ
Romans 8:1-17 |
Pastor Howard Chang
November 11, 2001 |
Introduction
Last week we talked about the first path to following God, through the
Flesh. The second path to following God is through the way of the Spirit.
It is through a continual putting to death the sinful ways of the flesh
when they arise. There is assurance and help through the Holy Spirit when
we are in the midst of the deepest struggle. And there is forgiveness for
our failures—which will empower believers to once again battle to the end
with ultimate hope. Today we’ll finish our four week series called, “Set
free from the power of sin.”
Discipleship Principles
Let’s review the THREE principles of discipleship we have talked about the
last few weeks.
1. Every Believer is Called to be a Disciple
(Jn 8:31-2). We read about believers whom Jesus called to be disciples in
John 8.
2. Each Believer Must Make a Personal Choice to
Follow Jesus (Jn 20:19). Jesus told Peter to not worry about
John, but to Follow Him.
3. Disciples Adopt the Purpose of Christ,
Servanthood (Mk 10:45). Jesus came for the purpose to serve,
and not be served. And He calls his disciples to do the same—have a
servant attitude.
4. Disciples Put Jesus First In Their Heart.
Luke 14:25-27
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife
and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be
my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me
cannot be my disciple.
The disciple of Christ must give first priority to Jesus even over his
parents, his wife and children, and even his own life. The disciple’s love
for God is so much greater than his love even for his own family it is
like “hating” his own family. In Luke 9:23 Jesus spoke similar words
earlier to his disciples:
23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny
himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Putting Jesus first is not just a one-time decision, but more importantly
it is a daily one. It is a decision to
1. Deny Self—give up something we want
for the sake of God. I like to watch sports and play hockey. It is not
that it is inherently sinful to watch sports. But I felt God showing me
that if I give it up, I can remove something that keeps me from following
God wholeheartedly. In this way I deny myself what I like.
2. Take Up Cross—take on something we
would not want for the sake of God. Taking up our Cross is not to bear
with some suffering like a disease or a hard person to live with. To take
up our Cross is to take upon ourselves something that we would not
normally want to—but we are willing, as Jesus was, in order to serve God
and others. When I decide to not watch or play hockey, then what do I do?
I begin to find ways to meet other people’s needs, however difficult it
may be.
3. Follow Me—in this way we live the
life of Christ and becomes his disciples.
Remember, to follow God is our personal choice. We desire to follow God’s
ways because we are New Creations Who do not want to be enslaved to sin
any longer. (Romans 6:1-23).
This desire to be a disciple of Christ is the essence of being alive in
Christ. Now there are two ways we can carry out this desire; either by the
flesh and Law or by the Spirit. That is the concern of chapters 7 and 8.
Let’s read Rom 7:5-6
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the
law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way
of the written code.
We have died to serving God in the way of the Law and Flesh—of the written
code. Serving God legalistically is the old way. This is no doubt what is
being mentioned here is Moses’ Law given to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai,
but it is an example for all of us who try to serve God through rules and
standards. Let’s first talk about the way of the flesh and law.
Way of the Flesh
I talked about Timmy last week—he will be two years old in exactly a week.
These last couple of weeks he has perfected his usage of a new vocabulary
word. What word is that? NO. I call him the “no” man, because when we ask
him to do something, he says, well you can guess. He has a newfound
independent spirit-he wants to do things his way.
The other day he wanted to pick up a heavy chair in our house to bring it
down from a step. Being a good dad, I was right there with him. I tried to
grab the chair to help him bring it down, but he said his second favorite
word, “MINE!” I let go gently and guess what happened? The chair fell down
and he fell down. He wasn’t strong enough to bring it down himself.
The Law is weak in the same way my two year old son is. The Law is good,
but it is not strong enough to make us do what is good, right, holy and
righteous.
Rom 8:3
3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the
sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,
The same word for powerless is used In Acts 14:8 about a man. There we are
told of a man who was crippled in Lystra. He was not strong enough to get
on his feet from birth. Certainly he could not walk or run. It would be
ludicrous to ask the man to get up and walk. Paul said with a loud voice,
“Stand on your feet.” With God’s power, he was able to get up.
Remember the law itself has its good side: v.7 It is not sin, v.10 meant
to bring life, v.12 holy, righteous, and good, v.14 spiritual, v. 21 God’s
Law, v. 22 to be delighted in. v.7 “I would not have known what sin was
except through the law”. The law has a good purpose in that it reveals
sin. The problem is not with rules and standards that are meant to be good
with us. No, the problem is within us—because of our flesh we are too weak
to meet the requirements of the law by ourselves.
We are very capable people. One
Thursday night we went around the room to talk about our high school
experiences. Over half the room said they had a 4.0+ gpa in high school.
Those who do not have so high a GPA have done quite well in further
education and in their work. I can tell that when we have a project to
complete or a goal set before us, when we put our minds to it, we can do
an excellent job. We can be efficient, creative, and productive. But there
is something we could not do—and is be good enough, smart enough, or work
hard enough to save ourselves in the first place.
If we cannot save ourselves, we certainly cannot
sanctify ourselves. We could not do good works to gain our
salvation. And in our own strength, we still will not be able to carry out
those good works.
Why do we even try this way of following God
legalistically? It is tempting to us because it appeals to our
sense pride and accomplishment.
If we can follow the rules, such as read my Bible every day or go to
church every week, then we feel like we have accomplished something good.
Instead of claiming God’s grace, often when we feel we are in a bad
spiritual condition we will make a goal or set a vague standard like, “I’m
going to get better.” For every time we missed praying with God, we make
ourselves do it two more times to make it up. All we end up doing is
defeating ourselves.
And this failure is what caused Paul to share his struggle in Romans 7. He
wants to do good, but finds he is powerless to accomplish the task:
Rom 7:18-20
18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For
I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For
what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to
do-this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no
longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
And we will become discouraged easily as Paul says in 7:24—“What a
wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
Notice the question is not what—WHAT can I do or what punishment must I
receive, but WHO. And the WHO is God. We should be eternally thankful to
our Father for sending His Son Jesus who rescues us from our flesh. In
him, as 8:4 tells us, the righteous requirements of the Law have been met
in us.
We can be thankful that He also sent His Holy Spirit for us. Now we do not
have to depend on our own ways and strength—we can serve God through the
Spirit.
Way of the Spirit: Living under the Guidance of the Holy Spirit
Hiking Up Half Dome
When I was twelve my family went to Yosemite National Park for vacation.
We rented a cabin in the park and expected to do some relaxing and
sightseeing. My brother had another idea. He wanted to hike from the base
to the top of Half Dome. Some people camp along the way-but he wanted to
go up and back down in a day.
We left with a small bottle of water, hiking boots, and just a little
food. The hike was over 16 miles roundtrip and took the whole day from
early morning to nightfall.
To get to the top we needed to follow the signs and the map. Those tools
helped us know how to stay on the trail to get to the top.
About half way up, I started to complain and lose strength. We needed to
take some breaks. When I got to the top, there are cables you have to grab
onto to get up the backside. I held on tightly, and my brother had to push
me from behind.
Coming home I just thought I would never get home. I think we walked a
thousand switchbacks. I had to trust that I would get back against what
seemed like long odds. I did not know God before that trip, but by the
time we made it back to the cabin I was crying out to a greater power than
myself.
I often think of growing in the Christian life as a journey not unlike
hiking up to the top of a peak. It is a long process that takes
perseverance. But the view on top is really wonderful. Getting to the top
also means we both NEED help and we NEED to ask for and accept Help. In
this case, the help we need is the help that only God can provide through
His Spirit. It is being “poor in spirit” as Jesus preached in the Sermon
on the Mount (Matthew 5:3).
Growing as a disciple of Christ means living day by day in the Spirit.
This sounds mysterious and even mystical, but it is not. Romans 8 gives us
a three-step process on how to live in the Spirit. We must learn to YIELD
to the Spirit, DEPEND on the Spirit, and TRUST the Holy Spirit in our
journey as Christians.
a. Yield (8:1-7) vs. Own way/strategy
The first step is to YIELD. To yield is to let someone go ahead of you. It
is also to let someone else set the course and direction. When I was
hiking up Half Dome, I yielded to the signs and map. Sure, I could have
looked up and said, yep, I’ll get up there my own way.
To yield to God’s Spirit is to let Him take the lead in setting our course
and direction. Where do we find God’s course and direction? Right here in
God’s Word. It is a roadmap, the signs of how we are to go. If we do not
get to know this Word, we will hardly be able to yield to the Spirit.
I can either follow it or go my own way. To follow is to submit, or to
yield, to God way.
FRUIT of the Spirit
Koinonia has been learning from a great series on the Fruit of the
Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Going into the
series we recognized that these character traits are Fruit. They are the
manifestations or outcomes of living by the Spirit. Let’s take one of
these characteristics and see how living the Sprit works. Let’s take
patience.
When Lori and I went on our honeymoon, I became impatient with her. She
did not want to go to a certain restaurant and I did. She simply did not
want to go because I had a coupon. At that moment I knew God wanted me to
be patient—Ephesians 4 says be completely patient and humble.
To follow the Spirit at that point meant changing my mind from angry and
impatient, to becoming impatient. It meant thinking about Lori and ways to
address her needs.
Romans 8:5 tells us that the yielding process to God’s ways and God’s Word
happens where? In our mind—in our thinking:
Romans 8:5
Those who live according to the sinful nature 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.
What we think about, and whether we are willing to change our thinking to
fit God’s thinking determines whether we are willing to yield to God’s
Spirit or not. Another good word for Yield is Submit, as in 8:7 It does
not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
Now I am in the street with Lori and God reveals to me ways that I should
be patient with Lori. My next step is important—will I DEPEND on my own
strength, or will I depend on God?
b. Depend (8:8-11) vs. Own strength and power
Remember the word Powerless? That is how I felt walking up the back face
of Half Dome. Without my brother pushing me from behind, I would have
never made it.
We need to depend on God for the strength to follow through on the
directions he gives us. Vv. 8-11 describe what it means to depend on the
Spirit. It is to give Him control.
Rom 8:9-10 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by
the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have
the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
This verse is telling us that every believer has the Spirit of God, Who
indwells him or her. And those living by the Spirit give the Spirit
control. Remember, when we take control, we are weak and frail. And so to
depend on the Spirit is crucial.
If I depend on myself to be patient, I may succeed once or twice, but the
third time you know what will happen? I will inevitably blow up at Lori.
So I was not strong enough by myself.
What is the last step? To Trust.
c. Trust (12-17) vs. Fear (v.15).
We depend on people like spouses and friends, we depend on things like
chairs and cars, but it is so difficult for us to give ourselves over to
God. Verse 15 tells us that we are no longer slaves to fear—God is now on
our side and wants not to punish us, but for us to be successful in
following Him.
To trust God is to first expect God to deliver us from our struggle—if we
live by the Spirit, Paul tells us, we will overcome the misdeeds of the
flesh (8:13). He will deliver us.
Second to trust Him is to express our need for Him. It is the by the
Spirit we cry out to our Father for help! We call him “Abba” or Daddy, for
this is an intimate way to address our Father Who cares for His dear
children (8:15).
For me to exhibit patience to Lori, I had to finally let go of my control
of the situation, even my own struggle, and trust God would bring peace to
me.
Through this process of YIELDING to God’s desire I be patient, DEPENDING
on God for strength, and TRUSTING He would deliver me, I began to have
victory over my impatience. I began to exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit:
love, joy, peace, and PATIENCE.
And so we have two ways to go when we want to Follow God, by the Flesh or
by the Spirit.
Conclusion to Series: Power of sin eradicated, but still may Fail
I have learned along with you as we have scratched the surface of the
truth in Romans 6-8. We certainly have just begun, but beginning is
important. How will we end? We need to end with what we began with: God’s
Grace.
My struggles with impatience have improved greatly since Lori and I
returned from the honeymoon. But I still have my moments. None of us is
perfect; we are in the perfecting process. That means we will certainly
fail at times. What is the good news?
Let’s look at Romans 8:1-2:
8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me
free from the law of sin and death.
There is no punishment or condemnation for making mistakes, only Grace.
And so let’s take to heart what John says we should do when we do sin:
1 John 1:8-9
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not
in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
And give Thanks to God in Christ Jesus (7:25, 6:17) for the forgiveness of
our sins.
Conclusion
I would like to leave you with a Challenge and then a Response. First the
Challenge: It is to take The Road Not Taken. Robert Frost’s poem has
inspired me ever since I read it in school:
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
Jesus knew there would be few disciples who would truly follow Him. He
spoke to the disciples in the Sermon on the Mount: Matt 7:13-14
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road
that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the
gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The Road that leads to life is the Road Less Traveled By. It is the narrow
road and the narrow gate. But it is the gate that lead to life.
As we go through our life, we are challenged to
walk according to God’s Word by the power of God’s Spirit. When we do, we
will never look back, and it will make all the difference in the world.
Responses
After four weeks of talking about being Set free to follow Christ as
disciples in Romans 6, 7, and 8, I would like to spend the last couple of
minutes to respond to what we have heard from God’s Word.
If you have never received salvation from your sins and would like to
receive Jesus, the one Who has freed us from our sins through His
sacrifice on the Cross, as your Savior, please raise your hand.
If you would like to commit or recommit your life to not just be a
believer in Christ and stop there, but to follow after Christ as a
disciple, please raise your hand.
If God’s Spirit has challenged you to submit some area of your life to
God’s control and dominion—perhaps your impatience or anger, an habitual
sin, a critical spirit, attitude toward serving His Kingdom, or some other
area--please raise your hand.
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