We Are Debtors!

Sermon Preached at
Green Brier Baptist Church
August 27, 2006


Romans 8:12-17 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. (13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (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. (16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (17) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Introduction: Paul begins here with the words, "Therefore... we are debtors." If you stop and think about it, we become debtors because we receive something. Often we do not receive full value for the obligations we incur, but not so in our dealings with God.

In the previous passage we are told that we have received (1) Release from Condemnation, (2) the righteousness of God, and (3) the resurrection life. The proof of this transaction is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. That is why we are debtors. Let’s look at my paraphrase of this passage.

12. Because of this, we are obligated to abstain from living according to our human nature.
13. Living according to our human nature only brings death, but life led by the spirit is our participation in the resurrection.
14. Only those people who are led by the Spirit of God are really His children.
15. For we are not timid as slaves, but the Spirit gives us confidence to be intimate with God as a child looks to his earthly father expecting the next blessing.
16. It is through this intimacy that God's Spirit confirms that we are truly his children.
17. We have confidence then, that we will possess the limitless treasure troll of God right along with Christ. Sharing his sufferings results in the sharing of His glory.

This passage speaks of the results of salvation in our lives. The debt that we owe must be repaid. Here, we look at not the why, but at the how, we are to repay the debt.

I. WE ARE DEBTORS! v.12-13

A. Because we have received priceless salvation.
B. To live by human nature brings death.

1. To return to the fallen condition.

a. impossible
b. caused God to send Jesus

2. We have received real life

II. WE ARE SPIRIT LED! v.14-17

A. Body is dead and the Spirit is life because of righteousness. v.13 (12)
B. God's children are spirit led. v.14
C. We have confidence that God will treat us right. v.15
D. We have this confidence because we are sure that we are His children. v.16
III. WE HAVE AN INHERITANCE! v.17

A. Suffering
B. Glory

Conclusion: Only those who will go through the valley of the shadow of death with Him will experience His glory. We look to pass from death unto life but life is received because we pass through death with Him.

He Came Unto His Own

He Came Unto His Own - a Bible Study on John 1:11-13

Joh 1:11-13 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

During the early sixties, John 1:12 was popularly quoted, most often with a great lack of understanding. These were the days when there was a renewed awareness of God. The "God is Dead" controversy had met its own demise. I remember struggling with the book written by Langdon Gilkey entitled "Naming the Whirlwind: The Renewal of God Language." It took me a month to understand all the words in the first chapter in which Gilkey assured us that God is not dead as many had supposed. People were talking about God. People were finding God everywhere and it was believed by many that it was a very easy thing to do. Count me in the many. After all, the Word said, "as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." As diligently as I struggled to understand Gilkey, I never took time to understand this passage in context. We never stopped to think that perhaps we weren't finding God, but that God was finding us. After all, we were lost, not He.

These verses raise several questions that must be answered in order for the passage to be understood.

1. Who is it that is referred to as "his own" in verse 11?
2. Why did "his own" receive him not?
3. What power did God give to those who became his children?
4. What does it mean to believe on His name and how do you do it?
5. What does it mean to be born of God?


Who is it that is referred to as "his own" in verse 11?

The passage begins by telling us that he came unto his own. Who are those that are called "his own"? When I looked into the several commentaries to which I have access, I found that a great number of writers and theologians believe that the “his own” referred to here refers specifically to the nation of Israel. While it is true that the "his own" is this passage does speak of Israel specifically, it does so, it seems to me, in the same way that Adam is spoken of as representing the entire world. Jesus did not die for the sins of Israel alone but for the sins of the entire world. It seems to me that it is better to understand the "his own" of verse 11 as all of God's creation, after all, in verse 10 we are told, "He was in the world... and the world knew him not."

This is a rather lengthy explanation of "his own" but we need to be certain that we know that the world is His. He has a proprietory right to it. It is His because He made it. We are His because He created us. Psalm 24:1-2 declares, "The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods." The earth and all that dwell therein are His by right of creation and ownership. That includes all the plants, all the animals, and all of us.

It should not be difficult for us to understand that the inhabitants of the garden were His. He made them for His glory. Adam and Eve understood His ownership, at least until disobedience brought death into their world.


Why did "his own" receive him not?

Satan deceived Adam and Eve into believing that the Word of God might not be true. God had said, "You eat this fruit and you shall surely die." Satan said, "Truthfully, God knows that you shall not die." In this case, half-truth is worse that no truth at all. While it is true that sin did not cause an immediate death of the body, there was, nonetheless, an instanteous death. This immediate death was neither the death of the body nor the death of the soul, but rather the death of the spirit, the part of man which allows us to communicate in the spiritual realm. Evidence of this death is first revealed in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of God and testified to by Paul in Ephesians 2:1 when he states, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." Herein is found the answer to the question, "Why did his own not receive Him?" They were spiritually dead. A dead person can do nothing! They cannot see, hear, feel, smell, or think. A dead person cannot act in any way. Adam and Eve could not relate to God after the fall because God is a spirit and their spirits were dead. In Romans 8:5, Paul said it this way, "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit." In First Corinthians 2:12-16, Paul explains what I am saying here. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (14) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (15) But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. (16) For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

In Genesis 6:5, God, Himself, observes "that every imagination of the thoughts of his (mankind’s) heart was only evil continually." Again in Genesis 8:20, God acknowledges that evil totally controls the thoughts of man. The will of mankind has been totally subverted by sin.

It is often said that God made man free to choose. He did. Man chose. He chose sin and disobedience rather than obedience and trust. As a result, unregenerate mankind is now the slave of sin. It is not that he will not come to God. He cannot. Not on his own at least. Man does not have free will. He has free agency. This is an important distinction because mankind can never choose against his own sinful nature. So, then, "He came unto his own and His own received Him not." This was not due to the lack of invitation. There is a general invitation inviting all people everywhere to come to Him. God has said whosoever will, may come.

The difficulty with this general invitation is two-fold. First of all, no one responds positively to it. Not even one person has ever responded to the “whosoever will” call of God. The second difficulty with this universal invitation is that we suppose that some or many will respond positively. Here is what the bible says about this matter. Rom 3:9-20 “... for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; (10) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (11) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (12) They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (13) Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: (14) Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: (15) Their feet are swift to shed blood: (16) Destruction and misery are in their ways: (17) And the way of peace have they not known: (18) There is no fear of God before their eyes. (19) Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. (20) Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The bible clearly states that nobody will ever come to God by his or her own free will. Charles Spurgeon once said, freewill never sent anyone to heaven, but it has sent many people in the other direction. Considering, therefore, man's helplessness God has acted on our behalf to bring life to those who would be saved.


What power did God give to those who become his children?

Imagine this. Those who are "His own" are slaves to sin in such a way that they have no awareness of sin because they are dead. The term we have used all of our lives describes the lost ones correctly. They are spiritually dead. Enticed by Satan, the original inhabitants of the earth could not trust God. They hid from Him because their spirits were dead. This is the curse that has followed to all of us. We do not trust God because we cannot. The lost person has exactly the same hope as Lazarus as he lay in the tomb. I could stand in the graveyard and shout all day and not one dead person would hear but just let God call his name and he immediately responds. It is the power of God that gives new life.

Apart from the intervention of God, no one will become his child. This is the explanation of verse 12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.... In John 3:3 and 1 Peter 1:3, 23 we see the term "born again." The greek word (gennao) translated here literally translates begotten anew or begotten from above and emphasizes the activity of God in salvation. Salvation is not initiated by mankind but by God. He gives the power and the grace. In John 5:21, Jesus is quoted as saying, "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." We always called this power that He gives conviction. Whatever you cal it, it is what happens when a person actually becomes aware of his or her need for God. In John 16:8 Jesus, speaking of the Holy Spirit, declares, "And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment." (ESV) Perhaps the plainest statement on this comes from John 6:43-45 where Jesus says plainly, "Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." Can it be said any clearer, a special teaching, a divine revelation, a personal anointing comes from the Father giving a person a new insight into his or her sin nature. God teaches us to hate our sin as much as He hates it Himself. At this, we should cry out with Isaiah, "Woe is me! for I am undone...."

This power is the power to see both God and ourselves. It is the power to recognize that apart from God we have no hope. It is that which was lacking in the life of the rich young ruler when he went away sorrowful (Mat 19:22). Though he came to Christ and inquired concerning the way to have eternal life he went away sorrowful. Today, I often find myself repenting of the number of times when someone asked me, "What must I do to be saved? And I answered, (1) Do you believe God loves you?, (2) Do you believe you are a sinner?, (3) Do you believe God will forgive you if you ask Him to do so? If they answered yes, "I said pray this prayer....” Jesus sent the rich young ruler away sorrowful. He was willing to accept Christ nominally but was not willing to commit his entire heart, mind, soul, spirit, and body to Him. Unless God had taught him he could not do that. What a revelation we find in John 6:45, "Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." What a wonderful liberating promise for the one who is telling of God's power to save. We are not responsible for the results but we are responsible to tell every lost person about God.


What does it mean to believe on His name and how do you do it?

Jesus said unless a person is born again he cannot be saved. Born again translates literally to “begotten again from above.” There is something wonderful and powerful that occurs in this second begetting when we are begotten of God from above. It is not of an earthly conception that we are born again. It is from above. Peter states that from this begetting we are born again of an incorruptible seed (1 Peter 1:23). When Lazarus was called to life by the voice of the Lord, he was still in the tomb - still bound in his grave clothes. He was not yet free from them but he was very much aware of them for the first time. When Jesus cried, Lazarus, come forth, no one had to cajole or convince him to leave the tomb. He obeyed the voice of God. Because we receive this teaching (John 6:45) from God we will always come to Him for Salvation when He calls. None will ever do any other. When one comes to the foot of the cross in simple faith, trusting God to do only what God can do, God has already provided both the power and the grace to do it.


What does it mean to be born of God?

John 1:3 states, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." What do these words mean?

The first thing that the verse tells us for certain is that those who had become the children of God had savingly believed on the name of Jesus. The one thing that is missing from the testimony of many people is absolute trust. As previously stated, people don't trust God because they cannot trust him. By grace and through the revelation of truth, those who come to Him are able to savingly believe.

This verse makes it very clear. This does not happen because of the will of man but by the will of God. Sin has made it impossible for us to will to be right with God but when God calls us, He wills it on our behalf.

The result: we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father (v.14). He came into the world and the world did not know Him, that is, the world did not see His glory. Make no mistake about it. Salvation is not about us. It is about some, a portion - those who would be saved, recognizing the glory of God.

I'll close by quoting one of my favorite passages for in it is expressed the sum of God’s eternal purpose: "Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. (Psa 115:1-3 ESV)

Let me quickly add an important footnote. If you have read this Bible study and you are not a born again child of God, it could be that God is calling you right now to come to Him. Won't you bow your head just now and cry out to God for mercy. Here is a prayer prayed first by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. You can make it your prayer if you will.

"Lord, I am guilty, I deserve thy wrath. Lord, I cannot save myself. Lord, I would have a new heart and a right spirit, but what can I do? Lord, I can do nothing, come and work in me to will and to do thy good pleasure.

Thou alone hast power, I know,
To save a wretch like me;
To whom, or whither should I go
If I should run from thee?

But I now do from my very soul call upon thy name. Trembling, yet believing, I cast myself wholly upon thee, O Lord. I trust the blood and righteousness of they dear Son... Lord, save me tonight, for Jesus' sake.

(From Iain Murray, The Forgotten Spurgeon [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1973], pp.101f.)

If you would like to discuss your salvation I would like to hear from you. Email Me.

Crashed and Burned: Paramount Stint Over For The Top Gun

He's the guy with the baby face, the face which never seems to age. Regardless of what is being publicly stated, perhaps the real reason The Top Gun finally crashed and burned is found in his refusal to grow up.

I like Tom Cruise. On the screen, he is always fresh and young, oh so young. You just have to like a guy who always seems to be smiling. His demeanor seems to say that he always gets the utmost pleasure from life.

But does he? What is real pleasure? Can you find real joy in worldly pleasures? Does pledging your faithfulness to one person and then changing to another when the new wears off find you real purpose? Can you find it in fame and fortune? Can it be achieved in brief media notoriety that one achieves by making outlandish statements or by acting out in crazy ways? Is lasting pleasure to be had by becoming part of a religious group which is on the fringe at best and then making bizarre and outrageous claims in the name of that group. Scientology itself may yet ground this Top Gun. For a humorous view of the zany antics of Tom Cruise go to http://www.TomCruiseIsNuts.com.

What I am describing in the life of Tom Cruise is another kind of religion. It can be practiced wherever you are, in the limelight or out of it. It is called Hedonism. Hedonism is the deliberate and wanton pursuit of pleasure. It is not just a part of Tom Cruise's life, it is the way many of us have been taught to live today. We come to the place where we believe that life is all about us. We are the center axis upon which the universe rotates. Life is about my immediate pleasure. This is not a new philosophy. It has existed for thousands of years. It is practiced by the non-religious and it is practiced by the religious. There are Baptist Hedonists, Catholic Hedonists, Methodist Hedonists, Pentecostal Hedonists, Evangelical Hedonists and Hedonists in every place there is organized religion. Outside of religion, it exists within the lives of those who have determined to make any changes necessary in their society in order that they may make more money or have more pleasure in their life. Nothing else can explain the changes we have seen in America for the past 60 or 70 years. (I can't remember back further than that.)

Tom Cruise is an icon. He is us. He is the representative of the teeming millions searching for meaning and purpose and real happiness in life. We search diligently only to discover that what meaning, peace and joy, we thought we found is fleeting. We find ourselves as wise King Solomon who "became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun." Like Solomon we crash and burn because our search is for all the wrong things in all the wrong places.

What Solomon ultimately discovered is that it was not about him. It was and is about God. Solomon's conclusion must be the message our broken world ultimately hears: "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them"; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut--when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low-- they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets-- before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. (Ecc 12:1-7 ESV) Real allegiance to Jesus Christ, will make all the difference in our lives as we delight in Him and delight to bring Him glory.

In closing, I commend to all who will read them, 2 small books. The first is Cat and Dog Theology by Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison. I have read it several times in the past couple of years. Every time I read it, it brings something new to my walk with the Lord. The second is a little book by John Piper entitled, The Dangerous Duty of Delight. While I may disagree with Dr. Piper about some of his nomenclature, this little book may change your mind about the entire purpose of your Christian life. Links to the web sites where you can get more information about these books are located on my web site at http://www.thegoodnewsmall.com.

We need to be on a course to reclaim America one person at a time. If just one more person finds real peace and real joy today, that is one who will not crash and burn.

Enough - a Devotional by Rhonda Brown Stone

A few weeks ago, the following devotional, written my our daughter Rhonda was published in the online edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. http://www.theoldschoolhouse.com
I believe it is worth sharing here.

Signed

Proud Dad


Enough
By Rhonda Brown Stone, Winchester, KY

Recently I was asked to do something in church that I really, really hate to do - speak in front of the congregation. My family and friends can tell you how much it terrifies me to speak in front of a crowd. It immediately changes me into the town idiot! But that Sunday was a little different situation in that it was not my thoughts, words, or ideas that would be heard, weighed, and judged, but someone else's thoughts, words, and ideas. This only made things worse because I could make two people look bad at once!

Let me explain. My family and I have become friends with a Deaf pastor. That weekend he had driven several hours to visit the Deaf in our church just to get to know them some. When our pastor asked if he would share in our Sunday morning worship service to let our congregation know of any prayer needs he had in his ministry, I thought it was a wonderful idea. That is, until I realized he would need a voice interpreter for the hearing people to know what he was saying. This meant someone familiar with how he signs would need to voice, and they thought I was the woman for the job. I was absolutely and positively sure I was not. There are times I can't understand him when we are just talking in the living room, much less under pressure before nearly 800 people. What's more, I knew I would need to use a microphone - that alone nearly sent me packing. But he and his wife were so encouraging and really believed I could do it. (Did I hear someone whispering, "blind faith?" Oh, that sounded like my voice.)

All Saturday night I prayed and sweated. Come Sunday morning I was ready for church before anyone else, so I sat down with my Bible for some comfort and reassurance. I turned to Proverbs 21, but it wasn't until the last verse that my comfort came. The verse was underlined with a bright pink highlighter. I don't remember ever doing that, but there it was nevertheless.

The verse read:

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory rests with the Lord."

I felt God patiently and lovingly but firmly saying, "You're the horse." Just what every woman wants to hear, right? Yet, just what I needed to hear. I had done all I could to prepare in my own power. OK, granted, sweating may not be effective preparation, but I had prayed. I had been working very hard to learn sign language. I had developed a relationship with the Deaf pastor and his family. I had done all I could do and even though I didn't feel I had done enough, God was saying the victory rested with Himself. What a Word! I don't need to tell you how things came about: what God promises, He performs! The congregation was able to "hear" his heart through my voice. The message came forth clear and true, for which I say, "Glory to God!"

Why tell this story? Many, many times in my homeschooling experience I have felt, well, terrified. I've kicked (not literally, but spiritually) and screamed (spiritually and sometimes literally, I'm ashamed to say). I've cried, prayed, and sweated knowing what a great responsibility it is to educate our children! A privilege, yes. A joy, yes. But sometimes that does not ease the weight of responsibility that can bear down on me at times. But my God is faithful! What He calls me to do, He Himself equips me to do, AND THE VICTORY RESTS WITH HIM! My job is to be like the horse. Ready. Prepared. Following the direction of my Master.

"... being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you [me, my
children, my family] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ
Jesus." Philippians 1:6

So, when you feel overwhelmed with the task of homeschooling, fearful of the outcome, not confident in your abilities or feel you just flat out haven't done enough, I would say to you:

"Yes, make yourself ready for the day of battle - but know this: You are just the horse. The victory rests with the Lord."

Editor's Note: Would you like to see your devotion highlighted here and on our website? Send your devotional submissions for review to devotions@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com For more encouraging devotions written by you, our readers, visit our website's Devotional Door here: http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Devotional_Door/

No Condemnation - Romans 8:1-11

The following is the bare outline of the sermon preached on August 20, 2006 Green Brier Baptist Church, Utica, KY on August 20, 2006 by Larrry Brown.

No Condemnation!
Sermon Preached at
Green Brier Baptist church
August 20, 2006

Romans 8:1-11 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (4) That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (5) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. (6) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (7) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (8) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (9) But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (10) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Introduction: In Chapter 7 Paul made it clear that even though we are part of God's forever family, the old person we were before we came to know Jesus strives in us to control us. Paul spoke of a war that goes on within us. No amount of effort on our part will win that war for us. It is only when God does something in us that we become the victor. What the law cannot do, the gospel of Jesus Christ is able to do in us. That is what Paul tells us about in Chapter 8. Let's listen to my paraphrase of the first eleven verses.

1. Therefore, because of what Jesus did those who live in union with him will not be punished for their sin.
2. For the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, who unites us with Him has set us free from the power of sin and death.
3. Moses’ law could not do what God did by sending His Son because human nature is weak and our weakness showed the weakness of the law. God condemned sin in the flesh when he sent his Son in the nature of human flesh and overcame the power of sin.
4. This God did in order that the righteous demands of the law might be satisfied in those who live in union with the Spirit and do not obey the desires of human nature.
5. Those who live under the dominance of their human nature are controlled by what their human nature tells them. Those who live as the spirit tells them to live are controlled by what the Holy Spirit wants.
6. To be controlled by the desires of our heart brings death but if we let the Spirit control us we will have life and peace.
7. It is impossible for our human nature to be at peace with God: because human nature is always an enemy of God.
8. It is impossible to please God if we allow our human nature to control us.
9. But you are not controlled by your fleshly desires if God's Spirit lives in you and if God's Spirit does not live in you then you are not his child.
10. Even though this body will one day die, God's Spirit gives life to those in whom He lives.
11. God's Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and if His Spirit lives in you, He will give life to you just as He gave life to Christ.

I. NO CONDEMNATION TO THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST! (v.1-3)
A. The Law (works) could not....
B. This result is based solely upon the actions of God.
C. Sin is condemned.
D. Life in Christ has set me free from sin's power to kill me.

II. PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION IS ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN SENDING HIS SON. (v.4-8)
A. The purpose of regeneration is sanctification.
B. We will always live according to the content of our hearts.
James 1:12-15 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (13) Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: (14) But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (15) Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
C. Human nature is God's enemy naturally.
a. Not subject to God's will.
b. Cannot be.
D. If we live according to human nature we cannot please God.

III. THE HOLY SPIRIT ENABLES US TO LIVE A LIFE PLEASING TO GOD! (v.8-11)
A. All of Grace.
B. We do not have the Spirit. The Spirit has us.
C. If the Spirit does not have us, we do not have Christ.
D. Even though the body dies, the one who has Christ will live.
E. Resurrection power is extended to us as to the Son.

Conclusion: Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. When we began the study of The Epistle to the Romans, we saw that entire book is framed around these wonderful words found in Chapter 1, verse 16. I am not ashamed of the Gospel! It is the power of God! It is the power of God to everyone who believes! Without the truth of these words, we have no hope. We stand condemned because of the evil of our own hearts. Thank God for this good news: "He loved us while we were yet sinners." If at this moment, you are experiencing the call of God, won't you cry out ot him, "Dear God, be merciful to me a sinner."

Future Posts From The Book of Romans

For some time now, I have been preaching through the wonderful book of Romans. The book contains for us the most comprehensive look at the gospel message found in the bible. Throughout his writings, Paul rests on a very high view of the sovereignity of God and nowhere moreso than in this book. The entire thought of the sixteen chapters are framed in the words of one verse, namely, Romans 1:16 where he writes, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. This one verse is an able summary of all 16 chapters. Here, Paul finds agreement with the words of John, the beloved Apostle, where he wrote: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (Joh 1:11-13) my emphasis added. Salvation is for each and everyone the experiencing of the power of God. That is the gospel. Salvation is of God! And that is primarily what Paul writes about in the 16 chapters of the book of Romans.

I don't know that I will able to go back and post the messages from Chapters 1-7 but I do intend to post the bare outlines for the rest of the book begining with tomorrows sermon from Romans 8:1-11.

--Larry

Hello From a Newbie

This is my first time to attempt to publish to this blog so I just want to know that it works. If you read my profile you will see that I have a number of interests so there is just no telling what may show up here.

I want to write some things which will encourage people to look thoughtfully at some of todays greater issues. I have strong opinions about the state of the church as well as the state of the world.

Check back often, I am sure I will be sounding off on some timely issues.

--Larry