Romans 8:1-11

Teacher: Nick Ford
​Series: Romans (Acts)

Nick's Notes

ROMANS 8.1-11                                                                                                                                        5.30
 
Romans 8:1-11 It is this amazingly freeing chapter for us as Christ followers.  I only hope I can do it justice as it is such a key piece in our Grace abounding journey.
Paul starts out this chapter with a Therefore.  As he does plenty of the time in his writing.  I think Keith said this is in summary or read backwards to get context before you proceed. With that lets quickly touch on the amazing teachers we have had up to this point in our Romans’ journey.
Romans’ teachers

1. David Olthoff taught us that Paul wrote this letter on his third mission, was the longest of all his epistles.  He had never been to Rome, so it was a full picture letter of so many pointed truths that Paul found imperative to share with the Church.  Really the core principals of what our life and faith should look like when we let God live thru us.
2. Keith Tyner taught us that Adam started us down this trajectory of having a sinful nature. In doing so his brain now had a conscience. This cannot be trusted, and Paul begins to lay out that Jews and Gentiles are not exempt from being unjust do to which they are or whether they are circumcised or not.
3. Doug Shrieve laid out for us that the wrath of God is just.  That all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God due to nature that we are born with.  However, we are justified by faith apart from works of the law. Romans 3:28.
4. Ryan McCall expanded on the justified by faith concept using Abraham as a for instance. Abraham was made righteous long before the law was around.  How could that be? Only by faith, not works or law or circumcision.
   1. Al Costlow, Brandon Leum, Chris Pickrell, David Speckman, Brett Sutton, Danny DiSalvo, Greg Dugger gave us some beautiful summary of Romans 1-4 along with some personal reflection.
5. Kevin Willard talked about chasing the phantom of being “a good Christian”. Talked thru since we are justified by faith, we should have peace with God.
   1. Ed Henz told us thru how our reliance on the Holy Spirit is the only way we get thru trial or temptations.
   2. The Leubker’s taught us a little ditty about how Christ died for us while we were enemies and unrighteous. Laying the groundwork for our identity.
   3. Dan Luedke began to introduce us to how man is a 3 part being.  Spirit, Soul, and Body. He started to talk us thru the old man or “Adamic or sinful nature” that we start out with and what that looks like. On the flip side he showed us what our new nature begins to look like upon our being justified by faith.
   4. The amazing youth of our church gave us some great insight and analysis of Romans 5 to close out the chapter.
6. Luke Dunnick gave us a few laughs.  However, he homed in on the tree of life and the tree of knowledge and good and evil.  How we have been united with Christ and our old self was Crucified with him as well.
   1. We had the amazing Teen Challenge weekend.  Everyone say Thank you Jesus!
   2. Shannon Cox really dove into what is should look like to be dead to sin and alive to God. Diving deeper into the “old man” who is done away with and the new man who is Holy, Blameless, Redeemed etc.  She also filled us in on Ron’s driving……..maybe he should be racing today?!
   3. The amazingly encouraging and funny Matt Tully took us to his rehearsal dinner trivia, as well as drove home that we should not be chasing anything other than God.  All other things are fleeting, God is fulfilling and forever.
   4. On Mother’s Day we had some amazing mothers come up and share some raw experiences and wisdom going back over Romans 6. Therese, Amy, Jeannie, Amy, Angela, Nicole, Caroline wow thank you for sharing. We have some amazingly strong women here.  I think Nicole said it looks like we all have it together, so she is intimidated and does not feel like she fits in.  I hope after all the teaching through this series you can see we are all dealing with junk.  I am here to tell you I sure do not have it together.  I am glad you are here Nicole.
7. The brothers of Thunder. Man, I want to be like those guys when I grow up!  Can you tell that these guys are passionate about showing everyone their identity?  I think so!
   1. Wes opened in a powerfully transparent talk about how evil can be present within our flesh and run if we let it. It will take us prisoner if we let it.

• What an amazing group of teachers.  What an amazing group we are a part of here. Where else can you get honesty, vulnerability and transparency and support like this? I love how everyone has shared some of their struggles, I really feel like in doing so it brings them all to light, takes power away from them as we all share in it.  I am so thankful for this place.
• Alright let us get into the scripture
  • 8.1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
  • Mic drop

con·dem·na·tion
 
1.
the expression of very strong disapproval; censure
2.
the action of condemning someone to a punishment; sentencing.
Opposite of praise
Everyone of us deals with this.  Daily. What is the main source of this we deal with this? THOUGHTS! Where do these thoughts come from? Lies from the POS! We have learned that these evil thoughts that enter our mind can enter our brain because what is our brain- its flesh, therefore the POS can live in our flesh and generate these thoughts. If we do not have a filter to filter these out though we can be tricked into thinking these truths are our own.  We can start to believe these lies.  These lies would try to tell us that it is our nature that we are still battling that is producing these thoughts or lies.  However, our old man Adamic nature is done away with once we are justified by faith. It is the POS that resides in our flesh, and once we know and can filter that it is a lot more identifiable. If its not you generating this thought, or God generating this thought you can easily overcome the POS while we rest right!

• Scripture
• Helmet with screen synopsis
• Let’s create a filter for these thoughts
• How do most of these thoughts or lies start…. first person right. Any of these thoughts that condemn us as a person are from the POS.
  • I am a bad father
  • I am a terrible friend
  • I will never be a good follower of Christ
  • I am a bad mother
  • I do not have anything to live for
  • I know god cannot love me
• Any of these thoughts that condemn us as a person are from the POS. This should be an immediate filter for us.
• Thoughts from God
  • I hate lying
  • I do not approve of adultery
• This starting to make sense.
• If we are grounded in our identity, we can easily filter these.  I am not saying it is easy to do on the constant, rather we should be able to discern easier with these truths.
  • I am Holy
  • I am a Saint
• Picture of Cohen and screen time
  • Was probably uncertain because his brain was telling him that there would be condemnation from us
  • Listened to his mind to speak truth
  • Holli loved him
• 8.2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death
  • Law we are no longer under, correct? According to romans 7:6 But now we have been released from the law since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the newness of the spirit and not in the old letter of the law.
  • This is tricky because the word law in Greek can also mean principle, which is the case here in verse 2.  A trick I learned here is big L means Gods law, little l means principle.  So, lets read this again with plugging that in.
  • Romans 6:22-23 But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification—and the outcome is eternal life! 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• 8.3 For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering,
  • Big L so back to mosaic law here in terminology
  • How was the law weakened by flesh?
    • We are born with a sinful nature because Adam’s choice, therefore there is no way to overcome that to completely fulfill the law in our own strength. Therefore, we cannot gain righteousness from the law.
    • Christ was the perfect offering, not born of sinful nature so He could fulfill the prophecy and become the perfect Savior
• 8.4 in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. [1]
  • This passage is referring to the mosaic law and the requirements that we cannot fulfill as we walk according to the flesh (meaning unredeemed, lost)
  • If we have been justified by faith and letting the spirit live our lives for us the requirements of the law will be fulfilled by our “new nature” and the spirit living inside us leading us
• 8.5 For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit.[2]
  • Once again to verify living according to the flesh is an unredeemed person, lost, still living in their sinful nature
  • I think the Brothers of thunder talked about a story where Rusty held up a red shovel and said do not look at the shovel.  What do you want to do, stare at the shovel. Great example of this.
  • Keep your eyes on the Lord!
• 8.6 Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.
  • Paul is hammering home that the flesh is focused on death, it is apart from Christ.
  • What does the flesh contain – POS
  • What does the POS contain?
    • Lies
    • Condemnation
    • Guilt
    • Shame
  • In John 10:10 Jesus says A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.[3][4]
  • Replace thief here with
    • Flesh
    • POS
• 8.7 The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so.[5]
  • Work electrical situation example
  • The flesh is born of a sinful or Adamic nature due to Adam’s decision
• 8.8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.[6]
  • What is someone who is in the flesh?
    • Unredeemed, lost
• 8.9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.[7]
  • What is the distinction that Paul is trying to make here?
  • Paul is stating that a believer who has been redeemed by faith is in the Spirit, and someone who is lost is unredeemed and does not have the Spirit living inside of them.
  • What about a Christian who has turned away from God and is living their life not according to the Spirit?
  • They are walking by the flesh but not in the flesh.  Does that make sense
    • They are still redeemed, but for a period they may be walking by the flesh. Big difference from being lost.  They can repent of their sin.  Someone who is in the flesh or lost must be redeemed by faith first.
• Grandma story
  • I believe it is very important to understand that distinction
• 8.10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.[8]
  • Shannon and Matt gave us a great illustration of what man looks like in a three part being.
    • Body
    • Soul
    • Spirit
  • Paul is saying that the body, which is born, or an Adamic or sinful nature remains that way. Aka dead
  • When we accept Christ, our Old man is done away with. 
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 says    Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.[9]
  • What is our old man?
    • Our Spirit and Soul born out of our Adamic nature is transformed.  It is made new giving us life and life eternal!
    • We are made
      • Holy
      • Redeemed
      • Saint
      • Righteous
• 8.11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you. [10]
  • We have the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead living inside of us
  • Let me say that again
  • He came to bring life and life abundantly
  • Car/IndyCar comparison
• Closing
  • Such a pivotal section of scripture
  • Life your life abundantly
  • I want to encourage you to be intentional when encountering these thoughts of condemnation.  Run them thru the filter of discernment.
  • Live without CONDEMNATION, GUILT, REGRET, SHAME
  • Live like you have the Spirit of God living inside you!

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 8:4). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 8:5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Jn 10:10). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 8:6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 8:7). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 8:8). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 8:9). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 8:10). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (2 Co 5:17). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 8:11). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.