10/4/2026 - Living In the Spirit, Part 2

Devotional

Day 1: The Deed Bears Your Name, But Whose Junk Remains?

The Holy Spirit’s presence in believers is like moving into a house legally owned but still cluttered with the previous tenant’s belongings. God’s Spirit doesn’t merely visit—He unpacks, settles, and claims every room. Yet old habits, mindsets, and secret sins often linger like dusty furniture in corners. True ownership means cooperating with the Spirit’s renovation, trusting His work to clear what no longer belongs. This isn’t self-improvement but surrender to a permanent Resident. [51:00]

“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” (Romans 8:9, ESV)

Reflection: What “room” in your life still feels cluttered with old patterns or hidden struggles? How might you actively invite the Spirit to rearrange one specific area this week?

Day 2: Resurrection Power Unpacking Its Suitcase in You

The same explosive force that resurrected Jesus now dwells in believers—not as a relic behind glass, but as a living current. This power isn’t reserved for future miracles but fuels daily obedience. Like a wedding ring reminding a spouse of vows, the Spirit’s presence guarantees our future glory while transforming present weakness. His indwelling turns ordinary moments into eternal investments. [01:02:24]

“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.” (Romans 8:11, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel spiritually “mortal” today—exhausted, frail, or defeated? How might remembering the Spirit’s resurrection power shift your perspective?

Day 3: Yanking Weeds by the Root, Not Trimming Leaves

Sin cannot be managed—only executed. The Spirit empowers believers to attack sin’s roots, not just prune its visible growth. Like stubborn weeds with deep taproots, hidden lusts or toxic habits demand radical extraction. Half-measures leave voids where darkness regrows. True freedom comes when God’s truth fills freshly cleared soil, crowding out old patterns with new life. [01:12:13]

“For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13, ESV)

Reflection: What habit or relationship have you been “trimming” instead of uprooting? What practical step could you take this week to starve its roots?

Day 4: From Foster Child to Heir—Learning to Say “Dad”

Adoption into God’s family changes more than legal status—it rewires identity. Like foster kids hoarding cookies under pillows, believers often struggle to trust their Father’s provision. The Spirit whispers “Abba” into anxious hearts, replacing orphaned striving with sonship. Every whispered prayer and rebellious doubt becomes a training ground to live as heirs, not hired hands. [01:29:34]

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Romans 8:15, ESV)

Reflection: When have you related to God like a nervous employee on probation rather than a beloved child? How might praying “Abba” today shift that dynamic?

Day 5: The Family Business—Suffering Now, Inheriting Forever

Kingdom inheritance includes both the cross and the crown. Like apprentices in a family trade, believers share Christ’s sufferings to fully share His glory. Earthly trials become apprenticeships for eternal reign. The Spirit assures heirs that temporary pain serves eternal purpose, turning present struggles into rehearsals for resurrection. [01:27:08]

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:17, ESV)

Reflection: What current difficulty might God be using to train you for eternal responsibilities? How could viewing it as “family business” change your perseverance?

Sermon Summary

Romans 8 begins with the verdict that changes everything: there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. God did what the law could never do, sending the sinless Son in the flesh to condemn sin and fulfill the righteous requirement of the law. Paul draws a hard line between the mind set on the flesh, which leads to death, and the mind set on the Spirit, which leads to life and peace.

The old-house picture makes the point plain. The deed has changed hands, but the question is whether the new owner will live like it. The Spirit of God has moved in, set up house, and taken up residence in ordinary believers. The Spirit is not a visitor who stops by on Sunday. The Spirit lives at their address, and the fullness of God calls them to live differently.

Paul says the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now lives in believers. The resurrection is not a museum piece, locked behind glass somewhere in history. The indwelling Spirit is God’s pledge, like a wedding ring that reminds a person of a covenant, that He will finish what He started and raise mortal bodies. Christ has been raised as the first of a great harvest, and those who belong to Him are part of that harvest.

The Spirit also gives real power to put sin to death. The flesh may still send the bills, but its account has been canceled. Paul does not call believers to manage sin, negotiate with it, or trim it at the surface. The Spirit helps them pull it out by the root. The weed image exposes how hidden habits, apps, relationships, and failure-mode moments can keep feeding the old life. The empty hole left behind must be filled with Scripture, prayer, trusted believers, and the things of God, or the old mess will try to come back.

The Spirit finally tells believers who they are: sons and daughters, not slaves on probation. Adoption gives a new name, canceled debts, full rights, and an inheritance with Christ. Abba is the warm cry of a child at home, not the fearful cry of a prisoner before a jailer. The family road still runs through suffering and the cross before it reaches the crown, but fear does not get the final word. The deed has been transferred, the junk is being cleaned out room by room, and the new name over the door is child of God.

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Key Takeaways

1. The Spirit lives at your address The Holy Spirit does not merely influence believers from a distance. The Spirit takes up residence, bringing God’s presence into ordinary life, private thoughts, and hidden choices. The holy God who lives within His people calls them to sober, thankful, Spirit-led living. [57:30]
2. Sin’s old bills are not owed The flesh may still demand attention, pleasure, control, or escape, but it no longer owns those who are in Christ. The Spirit gives power for more than behavior management. Sin must be brought into the light, cut off at its supply, and put to death at the root. [67:47]
3. Pulled weeds leave a real void The removal of sin leaves an empty space that cannot remain empty for long. The Spirit calls believers to fill that place with prayer, Scripture, honest accountability, and healthy fellowship. The old life often returns where the new life has not been given room to grow. [76:35]
4. Adoption replaces probation with belonging The Spirit does not train God’s children to live as anxious employees who are always afraid of failing. Adoption gives a new name, a permanent place, and the right to cry, “Abba, Father.” The Father leads His children by the hand because they belong to Him. [83:32]
5. The family road includes the cross Heirs with Christ share both His coming glory and, in this present age, His suffering. The promise of adoption does not erase hardship, but it gives hardship a destination. The road runs through the cross before it reaches the crown.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[48:13] - Living in the Spirit, Part Two
[50:30] - The Old House and the New Owner
[51:48] - No Condemnation in Christ
[55:20] - The Spirit Takes Up Residence
[60:12] - Resurrection Power Lives Within
[65:37] - Stop Defining Yourself by Failure
[66:35] - The Spirit Empowers the Fight
[71:17] - Pulling Sin Out by the Root
[78:00] - Expect a Fight, But Not Alone
[79:37] - Sons and Daughters, Not Slaves
[85:00] - Crying Abba, Father
[87:08] - Heirs With Christ Through Suffering
[89:16] - Adoption and a New Family Name
[96:51] - Live Like You Belong Here

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 8:1-17
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 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, 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. 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. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 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. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 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. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 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. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” [50:30]

1 Corinthians 15:20
“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” [01:04:50]

2 Timothy 1:7
“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” [01:24:44]

Observation questions

In Romans 8:1–8, what contrast does Paul draw between the mind set on the flesh and the mind set on the Spirit? [54:19]
According to Romans 8:9–11, what names does Paul use for the Spirit, and what does he say the Spirit does in believers? [59:43]
In Romans 8:12–13, what does Paul say believers owe to the flesh, and what are they called to do by the Spirit? [01:06:45]
What images are used to describe the believer’s new life in Christ: a transferred house deed, weeds pulled by the roots, and adoption into a family? What does each image highlight? [01:36:51]

Interpretation questions

Why does “no condemnation” in Romans 8:1 not mean that sin can be treated casually? How do forgiveness and Spirit-led change belong together? [58:40]
Romans 8 says the Spirit who raised Jesus lives in believers. How does this truth give hope while believers still experience weakness, sickness, and mortality? [01:02:32]
Paul says believers put sin to death “by the Spirit.” What is the difference between relying on the Spirit’s power and merely trying harder through willpower alone? [01:09:17]
Romans 8:14–17 describes believers as adopted children rather than fearful slaves. How would this change the way a person understands obedience, failure, and coming to God in prayer? [01:23:23]

Application questions

When shame brings up a past failure or worst moment, what would it look like to answer it with the truth that there is no condemnation in Christ? [01:05:42]
If the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in ordinary believers, what private choice, habit, or area of thought needs to be viewed differently this week? [57:30]
Is there a sin pattern that has been managed at the surface rather than dealt with at the root? What may be feeding it—a habit, an app, a relationship, a time of day, or something else? [01:12:31]
If one unhealthy pattern is removed, what could fill the empty space in a life: Scripture, prayer, a healthier routine, fellowship, or honest accountability? What is one specific replacement step to take this week? [01:16:35]
Where is the fight against sin especially discouraging right now? How does it help to remember that struggle is not proof that the Spirit is absent and that no believer fights alone? [01:19:04]
Do fear, shame, or a sense of being “on probation” ever shape the way God is approached? What would it look like this week to come to Him as a loved child who can say, “Abba, Father”? [01:35:42]
What present hardship needs to be seen in light of being an heir with Christ—on a road that includes the cross before the crown? How can the group walk alongside one another in that hardship? [01:29:01]

Sermon Clips

42s

#SpiritLedLife

“A quick summary of today's message is this. Because the spirit dwells in you, you are never alone and your future is good. It's based on the resurrection. All of us will be taken up to be with the Lord. Because the spirit empowers you, you owe sin nothing. You can fight it and you can win contrary to how you might feel about it. Because the spirit adopts you, you could stop living like a slave and start living like a son or a daughter.”

52s

#FreedomFromSin

“However, we are not indebted to our flesh. That's what verse 12 says. It opens with, therefore, everything Paul had just said becomes our obligation. We are debtors, but the old master, hear this, the old master has no claim on us. Listen, sin is still gonna send you the bills. But you don't owe them. Your case has been closed. Your account has been canceled.”

51s

#IdentityInChrist

“If you are in Christ, some of you really need to hear this. If you are in Christ, stop defining yourself by your worst moments. We're we're good at that. We forget all about the nice things we've done, the good things we've done, the victories we've had. What do we focus on? Ah, that stupid little thing we did there the other day. God defines you not by your worst moment, but by the fact that he lives in you. If you are unsure whether the spirit lives in you, then this is the moment to settle it. At the end of this message, I'll give you that opportunity.”

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10/4/2026 - Living In the Spirit, Part 2 - Pastor Norm Oberlin