Living in the Spirit: Hope Amidst Suffering

I think the reason for the bad news in verses 5-8 was to make clear why the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do what had to be done and so he gets down to 5-8 he says here's what I meant by weakened by the flesh the law couldn't do those things because the mind of the flesh is so insubordinate to God when it meets the law it produces law breaking not lawke keeping therefore the only hope in the universe was that the Son of God would be sent into the world. [00:00:00]

You however are not in the flesh but in the spirit if in fact the spirit of God dwells in you so it's the difference between being it in you and you in it my understanding of that would be paraphrase like this you however are not in the sway and control of the flesh you are in the sway in the current of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus if he's in you so if he's in you you're in his control. [00:01:12]

In Paul's mind to belong to Jesus is to be bought out of slavery out of the flesh into Christ so this language of belonging to him is Jesus language in Paul's mind maybe that's why he shifted to Spirit of Christ that's a guess I don't know he's I'm just happy to to say spirit of God and spirit of Christ are one spirit and anyone who has the spirit of God is in the spirit and his sway so that you're walking according to the spirit and anyone who has that Spirit call it Christ call it God belongs to Jesus. [00:03:41]

Though your your body is dead dead because of sin the spirit is life because of righteousness and you you could say well I thought you took care of the sin problem on the cross and his answer would be I did but you will benefit from it in due time your sins are gone righteousness is provided wrath is removed moved everything decisive to secure your future is done it is finished but The Last Enemy will be death and we'll do that later you're going through it it's a sobering and he means for it to be sobering but the spirit is life. [00:08:24]

The reason the holy spirit is at work in you with lifegiving power is that you have become righteous that's just totally doesn't work it doesn't work on Paul's terms you might make it work it just doesn't work cuz he said the Holy Spirit was poor out because Christ died for us so that we would be righteous that's verse three and four and the logic between them so my answer here is this is God's righteousness not this is not my lived out righteousness this really is justification this is imputation. [00:11:09]

Take heart you must die and you will live again and your body will not be thrown away we are not platonists who want to be set free from the body we don't want to be naked we want our bodies and we want them glorious and you're going to get it I want it to be covered with hair on top not so much saggy right here and fewer wrinkles and better eyesight and don't want my wife complaining about my hearing anymore and and I'd like to just be so amazing that you would be tempted to worship me because it says in Matthew 13:43 that we will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of our father. [00:12:43]

The reason you better not live according to the flesh is if you live according to the flesh you will die what does that mean it doesn't mean physically die because everybody physically dies and he just said you're going to physically die and then be raised so it doesn't mean physically die what does it mean it means forever it means hell it means judgment means Wrath brothers and everything you know in your theological body or mind Rises up and says you didn't talk that way to Brothers the whole point of this chapter is security those of be justified he glorified you are Rock Solid safe elect yes you are. [00:17:46]

If you live according to the flesh you will go to hell not contradictory because if you live according to the flesh you show you have the mind of the Flesh and you are not in the spirit and we're never born again and are not among the elect which turns Sunday morning into a pretty serious moment I really believe that I used to say to people every one of my sermons is a Salvation sermon I'm keeping people saved my preaching is an instrument of God to preserve the elect and one of the ways you preserve the elect is to talk like Paul talks you tell them you live according to the flesh you go to hell if you are elect and you full of the Holy Spirit you hear that you tremble and with fear and trembling you work out your salvation and go to heaven. [00:22:43]

If by the spirit you put to death the Deeds of the body you won't die you'll live forever yes she will which means we need to come to terms with what in the world that means what is putting to death the Deeds of the body first of all what what are the Deeds of the body everything is a deed of my body right no well you wouldn't like use my body to take Soup to a neighbor don't put that one to death what is he talking about back in chapter six he says do not yield your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness so sin is the real culprit here not body sin is the real culprit and what does Sin do in us what is the old remnants of the Flesh and the old man the old nature that's trying to war against the spirit what does it do it takes my hand it takes my eyes it takes my sexual inclinations it takes my body and tries to make it an instrument of sin in the world kill those kill those and the way you kill them is by going for the root. [00:24:38]

The spirit himself Bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God what does that mean what does that refer to at least two things in this passage I think it refers to the witness of the spirit with your spirit that you are a child of God is number one The Awakening of a cry Daddy and I think the word cry is important you can program a computer to say Aba father ABA father that's no proof that the computer is a child of God see the issue and humans can say Aba father and on the last day hear him say I never knew you that that's why I think he used the word cry he could have said say he said cry czo because he meant it's going to be real and the word ABA as you know is a a term of endearment and intimacy and preciousness and father is a massively strong and helpful supplying protecting term so you got to cry and you got to little little daddy word here and then just get this massive I care for my children got all that and when the Holy Spirit produces that in you it's a witness you're mine you are mine my child. [00:43:35]

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us for the creation Waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God for the creation was subjected to futility not of its own will but by the will of him who subducted it in hope that the whole creation will be set free for its bondage to corruption and obtain the Glorious uh the freedom of the glory of the children of god let's let's keep going for the creation was all the creation have been groaning together until now in the Pains of child birth and not the creation only but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the Holy Spirit grown inwardly waiting for our adoption the Redemption of our bodies. [00:54:10]

For in this hope hope hope we were saved we've been saved now and then he's talking to these same people again hope that is seen if you can see all the power if you can see all the healing if you can see all the prosperity you don't need a hope now hope that is seen it's not hope but for who hopes for he sees I'm telling you you've been saved in hope not ha saved in seeing we walk by faith and not by sight but if we hope if we hope for what we do not see and we do what what a glory what an inheritance we wait and we wait patiently in the hands of our Sovereign god father as we break and listen to all the small talks this afternoon and pray and deal with you about the sufferings of our own lives come and move on us SE pray in power in Jesus name amen. [01:07:06]