May 14, 2017 To Be Pleasing To God by Pastor Josh Sheldon

The Holy Spirit and the Work of Romans 8

I'll turn please to Romans chapter 8. As we continue To study to preach to work our way through this great letter to the Romans from the Apostle Paul Romans 8 our text this morning will be verses 9 through 11.

Because you may recall that chapter 8 when we got there made the point that chapter 8 is about the work of the Holy Spirit. In verse 2 of this chapter it is he the Holy Spirit who has set us free from the law of sin and death a Work he does in alliance with the Lord Jesus Christ to the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus.

And now we walk according to his ways, which is verse 4 tells us. Verse 6 tells us that the mind fixed on him on Christ by his spirit that mind is Determined to walk in his ways, and then we'll have a life life and peace.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit of God. Now in verses 9 through 11 our instruction in the person and work of What we call the third person of the Trinity the Holy Spirit our instruction continues.

So look down in your Bibles if you have those open there to chapter 8 verse 9. And just these three verses for our text this morning. The Apostle Paul writes 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? And may God bless the reading and the hearing and the preaching of his word this morning. There is a change in how Paul writes here in chapter 8 of Romans. There's a there's a whole shift if that I want to point out to you it's because previously he had been kind of general in his use of Pronouns he preferred for a long while a third person a bit of a distancing pronoun if you will.

It's they it's he it's them and now if you noticed Beginning Beginning here he changes and writes directly to us. From they from from him from those we get you we us. Even at the beginning of this chapter where he writes of those who are in Christ Jesus in the very next verse he Betrays his unmistakably warm and personal connection to them.

He says for the law of spirit the law of the Spirit of life has set you free. And now in verses 9 through 11 as the Apostle instructs us yet further in the work of the Holy Spirit this personal this warm intimacy continues is the Holy Spirit who now has center stage as Paul expounds how the Spirit works in us.

He's going to build towards our ultimate hope. Which is what? It's the resurrection it was right there in verse 11, that's where we're building to the verse 11 the resurrection. That he who raised Jesus from the dead is also going to give life to your mortal bodies.

Verse 11 Gives us a promise. That this is going to be our final end if you are in Christ Jesus if Christ Jesus dwells in you. This is the promise of God to you the resurrection. You see the resurrection of believers is more than just a propositional truth.

It is the promise of God confirmed in history by the resurrection of his son Jesus Christ from the dead and applied personally and Individually to the heart and soul of the believer by the life-giving Spirit of God.

That's a fairly long sentence, but this is what we're going to see as we go through just these three verses. Let me say it again to you. The resurrection of Believers your resurrection if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's not just a propositional truth. It's not just a technical sentence or some conclusion like a lawyer going through a rhetorical exercise. It's more than that. It is the promise of God. Confirmed in history by the resurrection of his son that if you are in Christ, you will follow him.

God by his spirit will raise you up as well. There is in verse 9 a small but very very important word we've come across it before in Greek. Just two letters. We would alliterate it as de as death or day.

It's what we call an adversative. It sets something off as distinct distinct from something else and here the way Paul uses it. It sets off what? Follows from what? Preceded so what preceded was this but then he uses the word but this adversative day and says instead of that now this verse 9 says you however.

However is that word you however? Coming from that word death. So you as opposed to something else are this as. Opposed to that other thing that other condition you are this. Death other than that and we don't need to look very far for the antecedent.

What is he setting us off from when he says you? However, or another way to say it would be but you has the same force the same meaning. As opposed to what? Well, we can just look at verse 8. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God but you are.

Not in the flesh but in the spirit. You however, but you you are not in that condition in which it is impossible to please God if indeed the Spirit of God Dwells in you you are not in that verse 8 condition but adversative to that different from that opposite to that.

If you're in the spirit if the Spirit is in you. No longer that. That disqualifying condition has been itself disqualified there is this qualification a very important one if in fact The Spirit of Christ dwells in you if in fact the Spirit of Christ dwells in you.

Then this is true of you. Paul's not suggesting that they are not believers. What he is doing is he's he's restating something we might call the sine qua non of our faith. Sine qua non Latin expression means very simply without which not it's speaking of something it could be almost anything you want to think of a Battleship without guns is not a battleship.

What is the sine qua non the without which not of a battleship? Must have guns. Only those in whom the Spirit dwells are Christians. Only Those in whom the Spirit dwells are Christians. It's just sine qua non without which not if you don't have the Spirit you cannot be this and this is what Paul says.

Verse 8 those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Verse 9 you however are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If indeed if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you or he says the Spirit of Christ without him.

Without the Spirit of God without the Holy Spirit without the helper. There's one that Joseph was reading to you about that Jesus tells his disciples about in his high priestly prayer at the end of John's Gospel without him.

There is there can be no conversion. There can be no coming to Christ. There can be no indwelling of the Spirit without the Spirit dwelling in you. As simple as that. Sounds that's a very profound truth.

The sine qua non the without which not you cannot be a Christian without him. We've made the point before. I'll make it again. Not it. Not just a force not just an influence. He the person the third person the Trinity God the Spirit.

No, they can't be conversion without him because to him to the Spirit of God is attributed our Regeneration and without regeneration there can be no faith. And without faith there can be no repentance and without repentance there can be no pleasure from God.

Did you catch all that? Without the Spirit of God there is no conversion. And if you not converted if you're not Regenerated there can be no faith because it has takes regeneration to bring about faith.

Faith is not natural to us. God doesn't look at your faith and say I'm happy with that faith. Therefore will regenerate your soul quite the other way around. Regeneration impossible without the Spirit faith impossible without regeneration.

Repentance impossible without faith. And all this dependent upon whom. Not what? Upon whom the Holy Spirit of God. The more distant third-person mode is at the end of this verse. Because here when he says but you you however not in the flesh, but in the Spirit he's speaking personally.

He's speaking to those to whom he seems to have some confidence. The pronouns are to you. Not them anyone though. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ that's that impersonal that distance again.

Those people. The ones you may know who do not have the Spirit of Christ those do not belong to him. It doesn't say if you don't have or seeing that you don't have it just says anyone anyone who does not have.

So I'll take a moment and from this test text we can ask ourselves. How is it the people like you or I can please God. If you ever let your mind just dwell on this for a moment that a broken feet of clay as we like to say Sinner like you or me can in fact, please God dwell on that for a moment.

The adversity of death in verse 9 he draws that distinction between those who are in the flesh who cannot please God. They can't do it. It's impossible. And then there's Paul's target our audience in verse 9.

Those who are no longer in the flesh those who are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit the Spirit of Christ. That distinction has to do with their being their ontology as we call it you remember that from last week Paul calls it that in verses 8 5 and 8 9 your Ontology your state of being your state of existence is either flesh or it is spirit and those in the one Cannot please God.

Implying those in the other can and in fact do. If verse 8 declares the utter impossibility of pleasing God when the approach to him is from this fleshly state of existence this fleshly physical perspective verse 9 then With that small two-letter word that death that sets it off different as opposed to that now this it Declares the certainty of God's pleasure in those who come to him by way of his spirit in other words Broken sinners.

Like you and me are pleasing to God think about that for a moment. Think about God in all his glory his holiness his perfection his absolute Antithetical nature to anything even close to not good much less sin.

Think of that God for a moment the heavens declaring his glory every second and now think of Yourself and pleasing to him by your works. No. By my qualifications, of course not. Because of the indwelling spirit because as it were when God looks upon this broken sinner.

This one who can't stop doing these things. There's one with feet of clay. What does he see? On the manner of speaking himself the indwelling Spirit of God. He the Holy Spirit has placed us in God's Son Jesus Christ.

This idea began way back in chapter 5 of Romans where we learned the difference between having been born in Adam and inheriting the consequences of his sin primarily death and then being in Christ that federal headship that representative act of his and Inheriting inheriting from him the consequences of his obedience, which is life.

Death and Adam life in Christ Aligned with Adam by natural birth and in Christ and Christ in you. By the Holy Spirit's rebirth. Let me stop a minute. Think about this meditate quietly for a moment. On what this really means and really think about this for a second.

I think if we consider it rightly. If we stopped you just had silence in here for 10 or 15 or 20 minutes. Really thought about that. I Mean Jesus Christ's prayer his what we call high priestly prayer.

It'd be breathtaking. Should make us faint away. Think about some of the things he said. John 14 verse 23 if anyone loves me this is our Lord speaking. If anyone loves me he will keep my word and my father will love him and We will come to him and make our home with him.

John 16 verse 27. For the father himself loves you. Because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. Think about this a moment we're speaking here from Romans chapter 8 verses 9 through 11 of the work of the Spirit and Jesus here the night before his crucifixion.

Speaking of the Spirit whom he will send to accomplish these very things that we're studying from the book of Romans. The father loves those who are in his son with the love with which he loves his son.

We did a whole sermon on this a couple of years ago when we were preaching through the gospel of John. It's like an equal sign. God's love for Jesus Christ. Equals his love for those who are in Jesus Christ.

Now think of yourself compare yourself to God and Wonder at the beauty and the power and the love and the compassion of the Holy Spirit of God. Who converts our souls and then dwells within? Such that when God looks upon his son Jesus Christ.

He who knew no sin his beloved son and The Holy Spirit as it were puts an equal sign on that love and points it straight to you. Where he himself dwells? Think on this. The next time you're feeling down and out.

How came we to be in this position? Nothing we did. We said it last week neither you or I or any other person in history ever took any part in accomplishing this. This equal sign of the love of God pointing from his son to you.

It's not something that he did because he's pleased with anything we've ever done. No this transference from flesh to Spirit from death to life is totally the work of and the realm of the Holy Spirit of God the helper our advocate.

The one who comes alongside us the one who reminds us of all things that Jesus said. Jesus said of him. John 6 63 it is the spirit who gives life. The flesh is of no avail the words. I've spoken to you are spirit and life.

John 15 26. But when the helper comes whom I will send to you from the father the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father. He will bear witness about me. John 16 13. But when the spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all truth for he will not speak on his own authority.

But whatever he hears he will speak and he will declare to you the things that are to come. This is the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised and this is the Holy Spirit in Romans 8 9 through 11. That Paul says what about He's come and If he has done his work of regenerating your soul remaking your heart if he's done this work He's dwelling within you and all these promises are right now true of you.

Romans 8 9 through 11. It gives us a clear witness not a single mention of the Holy Spirit is made without Connecting him to his joyful work of what revealing Jesus Christ. You see we're pleasing to God the Father because God the Spirit has placed us in God the Son.

There's a Trinitarian work if you're a Christian if you by faith have repented of your sins fled to the cross for forgiveness. You're a walking embodiment of the work of the Trinity Father Son Spirit all included here.

It's a spirit as Jesus said he will bear witness of me. When God looks at us He sees us through the prism of our immersion in his Son Jesus and he loves those who are in Christ with the with the same love with which he loves Christ.

And The Spirit's every mention here just in these three verses in Romans. His every mention is connected to the one it is his glorious intention to reveal Christ. Look down at these verses again. Look down at verse 9.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned there three times just in that verse. Do you see what he's called? He's called the Spirit. When I stand at this pulpit and I say the Spirit you know who I mean. I mean the Holy Spirit of God.

Paul calls him the Spirit and then he calls him the Spirit of God and Then he calls him the Spirit of Christ. He's a spirit. He's a spirit of God. He's the Spirit of Christ in Verse 10 he simply called the Spirit again and here connected with his life-giving ministry.

He's the Spirit. The Spirit is life. But notice that verse 10 begins with Christ the one the Spirit reveals. Look at verse 11. He is the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, and he is the Spirit who dwells in you.

There's not a mention of the Spirit here and His work in you without connecting that to what to whom to Jesus Christ you see the Spirit. The Holy Spirit without Jesus is just an impersonal force or influence and Jesus without the Spirit is what he's just a historical figure.

Romans 8 9 through 11 though is as Trinitarian as you can find anywhere Paul transitions so smoothly between each of the three persons of the Godhead. Attributing to each the name of the individual person the Spirit of God the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit.

Jesus prayer in John 16 adds this for us. He's the helper. He's the Spirit of truth. John 1 17 says grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Do you see how they're all in connect interconnected here?

Are you getting a vision why God would now be able to be pleased with you when he looks upon you and sees the indwelling Himself he sees the Spirit of truth in you. He sees the Spirit of God the Spirit of Christ the helper the advocate.

He's pleased because what he sees is himself anyone he says. Going back for a moment to the impersonal third person anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ. Does not belong to him. Perhaps a warning perhaps a qualification he gives.

Perhaps simply a statement of fact. So we glory glory and revel all the more. And what God has done like before the seemingly negative statement implies just as strongly the positive. He says if you do not have the Spirit of Christ.

You do not belong to him and him could be God him could be Jesus him could be. The Spirit makes no difference. You could see how easily they're just intermixed here means all one in the same thing. If you don't have the Spirit you don't belong to him.

If you do have the Spirit you do belong to him. That's simple. We could just turn it around. That's exactly what Paul is saying here. This is a personal warm intimate relationship with God by and through his spirit.

Where Paul spoke of the negative does not have he's speaking of personal possession of the Spirit. Now God we know is the initiator of this. Ephesians 1 3 said it is he God the father who chose us before the foundation of the world even so.

This is God in his mercy by his spirit deigning condescending joyously. Taking up residence and that within Such as us you see it pleases God to see his will carried out in the conversion of sinners. We know what Jesus said in Luke's gospel.

What happens when one sinner repents I? Like to picture that he says all heaven rejoices all the angels rejoice before the Father and the way I like to think of that is is as if God the Father said okay.

Hold it a moment. We're gonna change. Holy holy holy. And just for a second I want all heaven to stop and say praise God Almighty who by his spirit did that marvelous creative work of regenerating a soul.

And so all the angels with God's good pleasure. Stop and give him glory when they look in wonder. Angels know nothing of salvation. Jesus didn't die for them. He died for you. And they look and wonder so much so.

That when one sinner Out of all humanity one sinner stops to repent heaven stops to rejoice before God the Father. It pleases God when sinners are converted. So pleased is he that he dwells with them, and it's that indwelling that causes the conversion in the first place the word dwells.

The word dwells in the Greek is okay. Oh, you don't need to remember that but it's. Used once in verse 9 is used twice in verse 11 it speaks of something that fills a vessel. Whatever oikos is the dominant feature the thing that it fills.

You could go so far as to say that the oikos the dwelling entity will brook no sharing no dual occupancy. Remember what I read a moment ago where Jesus said if anyone loves me He will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Who dwells in you if you have the Spirit as I said before it's not just some impersonal distant force. Remember the change in pronouns. From anyone from them from he she they to you to we. The Holy Spirit.

He's the one the Spirit of Christ the Spirit of God if you speak of persons. They are all they're settled and pleased to be there dwelling within this person. If you speak of God he is there present as the one true living God indwelling the believer by his triune personage.

You could say it any way you want as Long as it is a God the Father. Electing people to be in God the Son and benefit from his redemptive work and your heart made Knowledgeable of that by God the Spirit it works and his proper theology and His good doctrine and what a support for our souls this must be as we walk through this world as We stumble and fumble and sin and need to go to God again and again for forgiveness of our sins.

To know that when we go to God even in our fumbling in our stumbling He's pleased with us because the Spirit of God is in us. Verse 10 says. But if Christ is in you with all the although the body is dead because of sin the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

It's more like saying seeing that Christ is in you. Seeing that he is in you and here's the result if Christ is in you. Here's the result we live in bodies that will manifest the ravages of sin. It's happening to all of us.

Some of you younger ones don't think so because it's not quite as accelerated process as it is for others amongst us. It's true of all of us all the while knowing that the Spirit is working life in you as As you see the ravages of sin.

Primarily death because as Alistair Begg said and I love to quote this one out of one. It's kind of a startling statistic. The Spirit within is working life because of righteousness. We cannot undo What Adam did not historically or literally?

He sinned he brought death and all who come after him will die. Even Christians who possess and are possessed by the Holy Spirit We all feel the effects of sin. We age we grow weary more and more easily cancer strikes any number of maladies attack us.

Gray hairs become more prominent even as hair itself becomes less. So the bodies we live in are dead because of sin. Dead and dying and It's not your particular sin though. The wages of any sin is death as We said as Paul has said it's Adam's sin that brought death and it is this sin that's in view here.

Adams legacy is for all humankind. We're all born in him. We all inherit his sin. We all inherit that consequence, which is death being the one that is coming to us all. Then verse 10 does something that verse 9 did.

You see verse 9 turn verse 8 on its head. Remember verse 8 said those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Verse 9 starts. I said, but you but you or in our ESV you however. Verse 10 follows on the warning at the end of verse 9.

Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. With that same but that oh so important little word death. But if Christ is in you, which is to say if you are a Christian if your faith is in Christ if by faith you've repented of your sin and if you trust and hope in God and all he is accomplished by and through his son Jesus at the cross.

Where and where alone he suffered the penalty for your sin for my sin. If this is true of you if all of that is true of you. Then the indwelling spirit is life. The death sin life righteousness cycle comes as from.

From chapter 5. I want to read to you three verses from there just to remind you. Paul writes if because of one man's trespass death reigned through that one man. Much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Therefore as one trespass led to condemnation for all men. So one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners. So by the one man's obedience versus speaking of Jesus Christ is speaking of his entire life, but most particularly his cross.

By one man's obedience the many were made sinners. So by the one excuse me. Let's get that one right. By one man's obedience Jesus Christ at the cross the many will be made righteous. Thank you for your patience.

The correlation of this idea of righteousness with life is an old idea in the scriptures. Psalm 119 40 behold I long for your precepts in your in your righteousness. Give me life. Proverbs 12 28 in the path of righteousness is life and in his pathway.

There is no death. Proverbs 21 21. Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life righteousness and honor as a Paul says. It's the Spirit giving life to our mortal bodies when he speaks of mortal bodies.

He's speaking of a present physical condition. That doesn't deny that you're in the Spirit or the Spirit is in you. What it says is that as long as we are here until Christ calls us to himself. Or we pass away before he does so we are in these deteriorating states even while.

The spirit of life is within you see in one sense. We are walking dead men. Ephesians 2 says you were dead in trust the trespasses and sins in which you once walked. Or you can think of 1st Corinthians 6 with that long list of heaven preventing iniquities and then.

Going back to Ephesians 2 for a moment says you're dead and trespasses sin. But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us made us alive together with Christ. 1st Corinthians 6 after 6 after that long list these shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

There's no way they can they never shall but you were washed. You were sanctified you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. You see you've got to watch out for that little word, but It cancels everything.

Our bodies are dead because of sin and then he says but but but if Christ is in you. The Spirit is life because of righteousness. I Ask you do you believe this? Do you believe this. Watching our bodies fail under the ravages of Adam's sin might make it a little hard to believe.

But how do we walk. By faith not by sight. If our sight shows that the age is encroaching and its end is nearer now than it was before. Our faith says that Jesus has conquered death and though you may die yet.

You shall live. It's 1st Corinthians 15 Where Jesus Christ has conquered death. That's John 11 at Lazarus's tomb. If you have faith in me says Jesus though you die yet, you shall live. That God is a God of life.

The indwelling Spirit of God proves it ask yourself. Why are Christian funerals so different and I would answer at least partly. Because we don't have to pretend anything. We can acknowledge death and at the same time believe it is not the ultimate end.

We don't have to pretend that death is anything other than horrible and It is bad. It's tragic. There's nothing to celebrate when someone dies. There's nothing to celebrate about that. And because we have a realistic view of it.

Because by the inner witness of the indwelling Spirit we look beyond mere succession of life of the biological functionings. We don't look just at that but with the eye of faith, we look upwards to Christ.

We can give vent real vent to our true sorrow. Without contriving ways to make it hurt less. That's just one of the many applications of this. Because of the indwelling Spirit of life. Knowing that we will be Like Jesus one day we can treat things realistically.

Can we say biblically? Because the Bible pulls no punches about what a horrible thing death is how antithetical that was to God's original design. Finally there's verse 11. As we try to finish this up this morning.

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. We've talked quite a bit about this.

Here's our final answer. Here is the one answer which holds virtually all of our Bible together. And what is it? It's the resurrection. It's the resurrection. Verse 10 says that the spirit is life. In verse 8 to that's his name the spirit of life.

How important is this for us to apprehend? To know. To go in this strength when we leave this place and go on about our business in the world. How important is this for us. Just look at the repetitions in verse 11.

I read it a second ago. Listen again. The spirit of him who raised Jesus. He who raised Jesus from the dead the spirit who dwells in you. And he says though his spirit who dwells through his spirit who dwells in you.

And the middle of all this what does it say? Will also give life to your mortal bodies. What is this? It's the resurrection from the dead. And this is the promise of God. This is what it means to be in the spirit and not in the flesh.

There's much ethical behavior that the scripture insists upon as being characteristic of the christian. Of the one indwelt by this spirit of life. But without the resurrection without this promise without this hope what is our ethical behavior?

It's just ethics. It's just ethics. It's just doing good and decent moral things. But because of the resurrection. Because of the certainty that we will be raised up just as Jesus christ was. Our lives in these mortal and decaying bodies carrying importance far beyond what it would be otherwise.

So let me close. With a very simple statement. I said it before if you're in christ. Your resurrection is not just a propositional truth. It's not just a platitudinal statement to make you feel good if you are in christ.

Your resurrection you personally no more them they others no you. Believe her in jesus indwelt by the spirit of god who is the spirit of christ who is the holy spirit indwelt by him. If you are that one if he has done that work in you.

Then your resurrection. Is god's promise to you? Personally to you personally. A promise confirmed by the inner witness of the holy spirit, but in history by the resurrection of the lord. Jesus christ himself.

This promise is applied directly personally to your heart by him by the life-giving spirit of god. I think you can see. That I was quite taken. With these very small changes in language in these three verses of romans 8.

That two-letter word de but however that negating word. The one that says no longer unable to please god because no longer in the flesh, but you are this other. And then the pronouns the pronouns. You me.

Us we by the indwelling spirit. Confirming this resurrection and applied personally to you by a god who loves you. The way he loves his son. Amen. Heavenly father give you thanks again for this day that you've given us this time together in your word.

We thank you father for the assurance that we have. That all these words are true that your holy spirit indwelling each of us and god willing all of us. Witness to this truth. That these are more than words that god.

The father has promised because he has placed us in god the son that god the life-giving spirit will also bring us to the same place as jesus is. For these promises father applied directly and personally and warmly and lovingly to us.

We give you great. Thanks. We pray lord that as we go on about our Our weeks our lives that we will go in the strength of this promise before we ask it in jesus name. Amen.