Romans 8:5-8

Coram Deo Reformed Baptist Church iconCoram Deo Reformed Baptist Church

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Starting in verse 1, There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
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For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
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For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do, by sending his own
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Son in the likeness of sinful flesh for sin and for sin.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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Those who are in the flesh cannot please
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God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the
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Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the
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Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the
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Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the
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Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised
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Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
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Today we'll be going through verses 5 -8.
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It's a short little section here. But it's where Paul again contrasts the two types of people that exist in the world.
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Starting in verse 5, he says, For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the
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Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The person that is carnally minded, or the person that sets their mind, has their mind set on things of the flesh or the things of the world, because they have their mind set on these things, things like money or power or status or any other worldly thing, the things that they do, they do in pursuit of that.
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Simple enough concept. The person who lives by the
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Spirit, those who are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, they have their minds, they have had their minds set on the things of God.
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Word, prayer, Christ, sanctification, the gospel.
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It says this in Philippians 4, 8 -9,
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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
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What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the
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God of peace will be with you. Think about it like this.
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What is the base desire of your heart? What is the one thing you want more than anything else?
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Take a minute. Really think about it. That base desire drives everything that you do.
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It's in charge of all of the other goals in your life. It can be anything from person to person.
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Is it to be the most obedient child of God that you can be?
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Is it to grow in knowledge and wisdom? Is it to get to heaven or is it something else?
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Is it to be wealthy or successful? Is it to have a family?
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Is it to get married? Is it to have a business? Your dream job?
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Is it to earn God's favor? Whatever the highest desire you have is, that is the thing that you worship.
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It is what you work for. It controls all of your other desires.
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For example, for the Christian man, his first desire ought to be to be the best possible servant of Christ that he can possibly be.
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Period. Now you might say that different here or there, but he can't be anything else before he is that, because that's going to drive what he thinks about being a husband and what he thinks about being a father, being an elder, being a neighbor.
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It's going to drive everything else. The same is true for those who are idolatrous.
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Now idolatries are sneaky. Do you prefer football over Scripture?
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Do you prefer working over prayer? They sneak in these things that you think are innocuous desires, these things that, oh, well, it's football, it's golf, it's this or it's that, it's music, it's singing.
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But once they surpass what you ought to be doing, it becomes idolatry.
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And the majority of people in the world walk around idolaters, everyone, including everyone in this room.
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We did. One big part of our day as saints ought to be prayer, and included in that prayer ought to be the asking of God and the
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Holy Spirit to keep us on track, because while our spirits are renewed, our flesh, this corpse that we drag around with us, is not.
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And like Paul said, the flesh cannot please
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God. We'll get further into that here in a moment, but it can't. So we have to make sure to pray that God helps us keep our minds on Him.
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Verse 6 says,
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For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the
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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.
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Indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please
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God. A lot of us grew up in church. Some of us did not.
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But one thing, either way, that you might find familiar is one of the most pervasive and erroneous teachings.
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And I'll point this out for a reason. You'll see why. That teaching is this.
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God loves everyone. Here's the issue with it.
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The issue with that is because it conflates providential grace with familial love.
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That's the problem with it. Matthew 5, verse 45.
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For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
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This is providential grace. All of humanity gets to enjoy
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God's creation. All of us, across the board. Everyone gets to live, be it for 70 years or for 30 years or for eternity.
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Everyone gets the opportunity. This cannot be confused with familial love.
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For one, just one example in Hebrews 12, verse 6. For the
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Lord disciplines the one He loves and chastens every son whom He receives. The Lord doesn't discipline everyone.
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Not in the same way. He doesn't act as a father towards everyone.
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And also, let us not forget that there are those He justifies and those He does not.
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There is a marked difference that cannot be argued with. Scripture is very plain on that.
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Psalm 5, verses 4 through 6 say this. For you are not a
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God who delights in the wicked. Evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes.
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You hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies. The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and the deceitful man.
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A good example of this, of God's holiness, is one we're all familiar with, of Moses on Mount Sinai.
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When God reveals Himself to Moses, He makes Moses hide himself. And even then,
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He only reveals part of Himself. Because otherwise, it would have killed
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Moses. Because Moses is a human being. And even then,
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He glowed. So I'm also going to point that out. That must have been a sight to witness.
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It was enough of a sight that He had to veil Himself. So as not to scare everyone.
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Psalm 11, verse 5, it says, The Lord tests the righteous.
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But His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. I think that one's pretty clear.
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Malachi, chapter 1, right at the beginning. Verse 2 and 3.
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Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated. Now you also have to understand, love being an action, not a feeling you feel.
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And hate being the same. It's a treatment.
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Get the idea, the Greek idea of feelings out of your mind.
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But there's a marked difference between those that God has familial love for and those that He doesn't.
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We've discussed, we've talked about in previous chapters, that those who have their minds set on the flesh, as He is talking about, are headed for perdition.
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I don't know if you're familiar with the word perdition. I used it. It's just a longer word for hell.
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For damnation. But I don't think it gets used enough anymore. Paul also says that the mind that is on the flesh is hostile toward God.
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It's not a matter of indifference. It's active hostility and enmity with God.
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Being opposed. Literally that they hate God. This is the natural state of man.
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All of us were there at one point or another. Paul says that they cannot submit to God's law.
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Just like when Jesus is talking about being born again in John.
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He says, cannot. I'm sure everyone is familiar with may and can.
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May I, can I. You say may, you're talking about permission.
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Can is a matter of ability. Saying that the flesh lacks the ability to please
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God. Or submit to God's law. It cannot be done. However, praise be to God that He gives us
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His Son. And that He gives the saints the
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Holy Spirit. Because He can. If you are in that situation that we were all in.
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Where you are afraid. You're not sure.
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Call out, pray out to God. Call out to Him.
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That He would save you. And He will. He has made that promise.
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You as a natural man cannot please Him. But the
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Holy Spirit can. The Holy Spirit is the one who does the work. He's the one who regenerates.
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Don't wait. Don't take too long thinking about it.
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None of us know the date or the time in which Christ will return. We don't.
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If there was ever something that needed to be done in your life.
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It is that. No amount of silver or gold.
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Or anything else. Is worth more.
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Than being saved from an eternity. In hell. Paul then says, but to set the mind.
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If you go back to verse 5. He says, but to set the mind on the
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Spirit. Is life and peace. Life and peace.
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Paul says that the mind that is set on the Spirit. A Christian mind.
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A mind that is being renewed. Has true life.
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True life in God through Christ. Having been regenerated. And true peace.
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This is not a worldly peace. This is a more important peace. This is peace with God. For before you were at enmity with Him.
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You were actively opposed to Him. And rest assured He was actively opposed to you.
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And your dealings. You are now at peace. Having your slate.
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Wiped clean. Of sin debt. Knowing.
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That we serve a sovereign God. Who is in control of everything.
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Who will discipline you. When you need it. But a sovereign
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God that does all things for His glory. And for the good of His people. A God that will take our anxieties from us.
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A God in which we can rest. And have true joy. One of the rights we have in this country.
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One of the very first ones that is listed. Is the pursuit of happiness. I think it's a very good thing that that's listed in there.
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But happiness is not the same as joy. It's not. Happiness is fleeting.
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The joy that is found in Christ. Is permanent. And everlasting.
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I would challenge you. In your daily prayers. To give thanks.
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To give thanks to God. For His character. For your salvation.
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I'll leave you with this. John Calvin on this passage says this.
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This passage deserves special notice. For we hence learn that we.
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While following the course of nature. Rush headlong into death. For we ourselves contrive nothing.
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But what ends in ruin. But He.
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Immediately adds another clause. To teach us. That if any. That if anything in us.
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Tends to life. It is what the spirit produces. For no spark of life.
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Proceeds from our flesh. John MacArthur.
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Had. A relatively good question. That I heard several years ago.
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And that question was. Who lives your Christian life? I think it's a really good question.
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Who lives your Christian life? Think about that.
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Next week we'll be in 9 through 11. If you'd like to read ahead.