Romans 8:1-11The Normal Christian Life Pt. 1

Announcements!! Adopt-a-dawgs!

“Around the Table” (Nov. 22nd)

Thanksgiving Meal!! (At CV)

Christmas Extravaganza!! (Dec 3rd)

Senior Night!! (Dec. 4th)

Bigger Vision!! (Dec. 6th)

Gulf Coast Getaway!! (MLK Weekend—Jan. 17-19)

Honduras!! (July 12th-19th) 1st meeting on Dec. 8th

Romans 81There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Weird Words

Condemn (V.1)

“Express complete disapproval of, typically in public”

Sentence

Courtrooms and houses

God is both the righteous judge of the universe and the good father of His children

The God Pendulum

“Condemned Men”

Evil and Men

There is something to be learned of God in the way we respond to evil

Casting out, pushing away, a covering up of sorts

We know enough to know we can’t take this on ourselves

But that’s where God is different

In Jesus, God takes up evil into and onto Himself and deals with it, allowing a choice to be made (V.3)

He CONDEMNS CONDEMNATION

The choice is condemnation or no condemnation

4 Paths That Condemn

Everyone is one a path (V.5)

“Set you MINDS”

Everyone is looking for JUSTIFICATION, ADOPTION, SANCTIFICATION

We make GOOD things ULTIMATE things

1. Ourselves

Self improvement

“I can do this!”

What happens when you fail?

Self-condemnation

4 Paths That Condemn

2. Others

JUSTIFICATION, ADOPTION, SANCTIFICATION

Self-fulfillment

End up USING others instead of LOVING them

This is where this ULTIMATELY goes

Others condemn you or you condemn others

4 Paths That Condemn

3. The World

Think systems or structures

JUSTIFICATION, ADOPTION, SANCTIFICATION

Lots of people put stock in these (consumerism, politics, organizations, causes)

But they will ultimately turn on you or disappoint you or blind you (Kony 2012)

Condemnation comes through the structures to you impersonally

4 Paths That Condemn

4. Religion

Seems to offer a way out

JUSTIFICATION, ADOPTION, SANCTIFICATION

Every other religion is about how you get UP to God

Rules are more important than relationship

Rules condemn you

Gospel CAN Save

We have all rebelled against God because we have made these things and ourselves king (V.7)

The Gospel of Jesus both undercuts and fulfills all these things

It is the only thing that can forgive you when you fail it because it is BOTH PERSONAL and had AUTHORITY

Gospel comes in history SENDING in V.3 is ROYAL language The kingdom turns everything upside

down The weak become strong, the strong

become weak Repentance sets us on the true path

Gospel CAN Save

We turn away from the old world of Sin and Death (Egypt)

Live out of and for and towards the world to come

FLESH in Paul in the Old Way

SPIRIT is the New Way

Not Gnosticism

The Real and the Hyper-Real

The things that are really going to last and matter

Flesh Vs. Spirit

The ROPE of ETERNITY

Focusing on FLESH is destined to fail because you will die

Focusing on God, Spirit, and Eternity on the other hand is what lasts (V.6)

Changes the way you look at people, possessions, relationships…

CS Lewis on DESIRE

2 Cor. 5:14-21

“In Christ”

These things only come to those IN CHRIST

When is someone in the ocean?

Belief is when you move toward something

There’s a moment when you go from being ON LAND to IN THE OCEAN

Paul uses this 171 times in the NT

No other major faith talks like this!

There is a COSMIC nature to this Jesus

Christianity is an invitation to SOMETHING BIGGER

Annie Dillard

Dwells In You

God in me? Weird?

When Paul says this, he undoubtedly thinking of the temple in the OT

The temple was the place where people went to meet with God

At the center was the HOLY of HOLIES, where God was thought to actually LIVE

God wants YOU to be the place where people meet God

You start to become like your Father

This is the same power that raised Jesus!

There’s some motivation to fight Sin!

What Activates This Power?

Cross-shaped love! Vulnerability, humility, etc.

We learn in both Jesus and the Spirit that when God gives, He gives HIMSELF!

Heb. 12:2

Let go of the shame! The cross took it!

Your sin isn’t to big for the cross!

Confess and carry each others burdens (Gal. 6:2)

This is living out of the Spirit

HIDING is living out of the FLESH!

Prayer