This morning we want to continue our series through Romans 6, 7, and 8, particularly chapter 8 as we began our time together in that great chapter last week. This is our study, you'll remember the title, on sanctification. And so we want to now gear up toward what that means for us this morning in this study. Remember, sanctification means to be made holy, to be set apart and sanctified unto the work of service for the kingdom of God. And so our concern is to pursue holiness, Christlikeness, pursue a life of pure godliness in the practical area. We saw that in the previous studies in chapter six and seven especially, we saw the great battle with indwelling sin. And then, of course, last time in our first portion from Romans 8, verses 1 through 4, we saw the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. I mean, fundamentally, the believer and the unbeliever, the big difference is the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. Both are physically alive, but one is spiritually dead, the other spiritually alive. One potentially could be raised from the dead, the other has been raised from the dead. from the spiritual graveyard into newness of life. Now I want you, as you think about this next section, and as you follow me through this study of Romans 8 this morning, verses 5, Romans 8, 5 through 11, but really, remember last time I said chapter 8 is really, could be titled, Life in the Holy Spirit. Life in the Holy Spirit. our response to the great struggle of remaining sin. Paul is keen to help the Romans see in us as well that although we once were dead in sin, we're now alive to God. We once were slaves to sin, but now we're slaves to righteousness. And the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. And then chapter seven, again, the great clashing and struggle of remaining sin. Now in this section here, the overarching backdrop or backstory, if I could even use that phraseology, is really the guarantee of our future resurrection, our future bodily resurrection. I want to have you to look just for a moment at two passages. In Romans 6, in verse 5, there's that initial allusion to physical resurrection. He says, for if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. And then, in what will be my third point of this section of verses five to 11, in verse 11, it concludes, if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies. through his spirit who dwells in you. So he's talking about spiritual resurrection, physical resurrection. Just as Christ was raised from the dead physically, we are raised spiritually. But also one day, physically like him, we will be raised. We'll be looking at that also. That's a backdrop. So keep that as the backdrop. Keep also the clashing of the struggle between indwelling sin and remaining sin, therefore with the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Now what's really interesting about the word the Holy Spirit or the Spirit, you'll see the phrase used in this section in Romans 8, 1 to 11, is that if you do a simple calculation, you'll see that in chapters one through seven of Romans, only two times is the Holy Spirit mentioned. But in chapter eight, And it's 39 verses, the Holy Spirit is mentioned 19 times. That's why it's called, really by many, the chapter of the Holy Spirit, or life in the Spirit. To be a Christian is to be alive in the Spirit. from the dead. Formerly, you walked in darkness. Formerly, you were dead to righteousness. Now you're alive, having been raised from the dead. Go with me for a second to Colossians chapter 2. Colossians 2, you can see this resurrection also mentioned elsewhere. Colossians 2 and verse really 13. It says, and you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all of our trespasses. He made us alive. How did he do this? How did this resurrection take place? It's a great resurrection of forgiveness, spiritual resurrection. It's a changed nature. To be in the Spirit is to have a changed nature, from a sin nature to now one who has a new nature in Christ. You still have remaining sin, that's part of your sin nature, but you're not controlled and you're not overwhelmed the way you were as an unbeliever to be a slave to whatever your sin nature determined. It says in 2 Corinthians 5.17, if any man is in Christ, he's a new creature The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. In other words, there's been a change in our lives. We should expect a change in people's lives. When they profess faith in Christ and they say they've been born again, there should be a change. There should be a fundamental change authored by the Holy Spirit. Again, this is a clear portrayal, chapter eight is, of the difference between a non-Christian and a Christian, a non-Christian and a Christian. The believer, no condemnation. The believer, justified by faith alone, declared not guilty in a high court of heaven. The believer, set apart unto the service of God, positionally holy, practically clashing daily flesh against the spirit, progressively growing more and more like Christ. Christ-likeness. I mean, this is Advent season. This is really the reason for every season is Jesus Christ coming to earth. But especially, this is a reminder here of why Christ was born in a manger. Because men are sinners and God sent his son into the world to save sinners. Now today, in our day and age, particularly, we have people who would say that there really are not just two categories. Yes, Pastor Marcelino, we see in this section of Romans, you're either of the flesh or of the spirit. I'd say you're exactly right, amen. But then they say, but there's also a third category, and that's called the carnal Christian. Many people imbibe this view. As leadership in our church, we reject it. It's false teaching. Do Christians act carnally? Of course. It's called sin. Are they characterized and defined by carnality? No. Are they defined by a life of the Spirit? Yes. Submitting to the Spirit's leading and guidance. But to say you're a carnal Christian, not fleshly and not spiritual, but you're carnal in the middle, and you're settled in that state in the middle, is foreign to Scripture. In these verses here, verses 3 to 11 particularly, we see three things that completely push that view away from reality. walking in the Spirit, thinking thoughts after God, and then ministering and serving God's people, empowered by the Holy Spirit. But let me just say one more thing about the carnal Christian. Here is how the carnal Christian is defined. Because remember, we're talking about people with all of us with remaining sin, the struggle to walk in holiness and obedience, and then having to deal with our sin until we cross the river into glory, we're gonna battle with our own sinful heart and weaknesses, but we're not gonna be dominated and controlled and empowered by that, but in this, discussion of the carnal Christian, people are trying to find a happy medium to figure out how do we explain people that profess faith in Christ and now don't live at all for Jesus. And if you were to confront them or pull them aside, they would say, well, I believe in Jesus. Well, why are you living this way? Well, you know, no one's perfect. Well, that's true. Only Jesus Christ is perfect. Well, I mean, why aren't you ever coming to church anymore? Well, I know I should, you know. Life gets busy. But you seem to be drifting from God. Well, I know, and you're right. Thanks for telling me. But they're not moved. This is one man's definition of the carnal Christian. This is a popular definition, but he said this, the carnal Christian is like many who regularly occupy church pews. They fill the church roles and are intellectually acquainted with the facts of the gospel, but they never strike one blow for Jesus Christ, this author says. They seem to be at peace with Christ's enemies. They have no quarrel with sin. And apart from a few sentimental expressions about Christ, there is no biblical evidence that they have experienced anything of the power of the gospel in their lives. Yet, in spite of the evidence against them, they consider themselves to be just what their biblically uninformed teachers have taught them. That is, that they are carnal Christians. And as carnal Christians, They believe they will assuredly go to heaven one day, though perhaps not in first class. But at least they might have a few rewards. Well, that's trying to figure out, that's an effort to try and figure out why in the world do we have people that profess faith in Christ in droves, and yet there's no interest in Christ, of Christ. Now there's three things then I want us to see then in this passage of verses 3 through 11. Verses 3 and 4 are somewhat of a review of last time a bit and then our focus will be especially on verses 5 through 11. But notice here then the first thing we need to watch carefully and that is verses 3 and 4. Knowing that the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit is meant to fuel our spiritual walk. Let's look at verses three and four. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. He condemned sin in the flesh. In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." According to the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. Now what does he mean here at the outset in verse 3? For what God has done, what the law weaken by the flesh. Now you remember there was two passages I shared last week, I'll just allude to them. The first one is James 2.10, for your own records, if you're taking notes. And then the other one was Galatians 3.10 and 5.3. But basically what they're both saying is this. is that the law came and the flesh of man was unable to keep the law perfectly. Therefore, the law's impact was weakened by the flesh of sinful man. What God has done with the law, here's God's will revealed in the law. Man couldn't keep the law perfectly, so God sends his son to do what man could not do, what man could not do, the law could not do, through man. And so, we need a fueling, as it were, of our spiritual walk, a changed life. So he says here then, by God sending his own son, what happened in sending his own son? It says, in the likeness of sinful flesh, so he was 100% man. You looked at Jesus, it says in Mark 6, he's a man. He didn't have a halo, he's a man. In the likeness of sinful flesh, not in sinful flesh, but in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, and in his effort and his coming, God condemned sin in the flesh. How did he do that? By sending his own son. It's a beautiful snapshot of Christmas. God does what man can't do, what the law could never do. He sends his son to earth to redeem a people for his own possession. In doing so, He condemns sin in the flesh. In other words, He pronounces judgment on all sin. I mean, for God Himself to leave the glory of heaven, John 17, verse 5, leave the glory of heaven and come to earth is a condemnation on all sin. That's what He means by this. He condemns sin in the flesh by His very coming to earth. Denouncing sin. as completely worthless and always dangerous to the believer. It's never right. Sin is never a right choice for you. Think about that for a minute. You have choices all day long. To honor Christ or dishonor Him. To love God or to love the world. It's never right Never is it right to love sin instead of God. So the actual picture being laid out for us now goes further in verse 4. In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Watch. In God's coming, He produced through the Spirit a people who now, like Jesus, can fulfill the requirements of the law by walking out in the Spirit, denouncing the flesh. There's a filling of the Holy Spirit when a believer repents and follows the will of God, that effort, that example, that trusting of God, he's filled with the Spirit because of his obedience. And so, this fulfillment, this requirement of the law is fulfilled in us when we do God's will. What is God's will? Let's go look there. 1 Thessalonians 4.3 tells us. 1 Thessalonians 4.3, for this is the will of God. And before I go any further, let me just say this. He's not saying that this is the only exhaustive definition of the will of God in the Bible. But foundationally, it's one that most people can relate to. He says in verse 3, for this is the will of God, your sanctification, your set apartness and holiness unto God. And what is that? That you abstain from sexual immorality that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God, but that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we are told, as we told you beforehand, and psalmly warns you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this truth, disregards not man, but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. See again, life in the Spirit. Life in the Spirit empowers us to do the will of God. We can do the will of God. We can fulfill the requirement of the law. Christ was the perfect law keeper. As we respond to the word of God, we can glorify God in this way. And how do we do that? Well, the fruit of it is this. We walk. We walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. In other words, it's a matter of walking after the example the Holy Spirit has unveiled to you as a believer. You have the Holy Spirit working in your life. You know the will of God. You have the Word of God as you seek to follow Christ's commandments and will in your life. He unveils that to you. Look at the number of ways Scripture tells us about walking aright. Here it is, first of all, in Galatians. Let's go there. Galatians. Notice this motif of walking. It's very, very clear. It's the lifestyle He wants us to see. It's the dominant feature of our life. First of all, notice in Galatians 4, Verse 1 and following, Paul says, I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. But he is under guardians and managers until, oh, I'm reading the wrong one here, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, yeah, Galatians 5.16. I thought that was the wrong one. Forgive me there. Galatians 5.16. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. And then, in verse 25, if we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Those are two clear examples. Go with me to Ephesians 4. That's what I meant before. Ephesians 4, one through three. Reads this way, I therefore a prisoner for the Lord urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling To which you have been called with all humility Now notice how what it looks like humility gentleness patience bearing with one another in love eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace and then Chapter 5 of Ephesians, verses 1 and 2. Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. So you see, I trust how the ministry of the Holy Spirit fuels our walk with God, our spiritual walk with God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit guides us there. One final one would be in 1 John, which would really kind of seal it clearly. 1 John 1, verses 5 to 7. Look what it says. And this is the message that we have heard from Him and proclaimed to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him while we walk, there it is, walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses, Jesus His Son cleanses us from all Sin. So this picture is clear. Walking in the Spirit is God Himself at work in His people. He's the difference. He's the great contrast. And He condemns sin in the flesh and then causes us to walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Secondly, notice. The ministry of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit, secondly, feeds our spiritual thoughts. One of the marks of a believer is that he has a mindset increasingly more and more given over to God. His mind is set upon the Spirit. The two Greek words here in this section here has to do with what we would say in English, a mindset. It describes the whole existence of a person. Five times in four verses, verses 5 through 8, we see this word set utilized. Look at verse 5, for example. For those who live according to the flesh, set, it's a mindset. They set their minds on the things of the flesh. But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law. Indeed, it cannot. So it's a mindset. So in other words, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. Remember, we're the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we're born again, we're raised from the dead to walk in newness of life. And in this walk here, our thoughts are being fed by the Spirit. This is why we have to understand the bridge between the walking and thinking. Look at this example in 2 Corinthians. Watch how it's clearly a bridge between the walking and the thinking. In other words, the thinking does, in a great way, precede the walking. But the walking also is a demonstration of the thinking. In 10.3-5 of 2 Corinthians, For though we walk, there it is, in the flesh, we are not waging war against the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments in every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ. See that? The walking and the thinking. It's a bridge between point one and point two. Surely you would identify with this example however you lived before you were born again and began to live for Jesus Christ as a true soul saved by the Spirit, surely your subsequent sins are not exactly the way you used to sin all the time. Surely most of your battle has gone inside, right? Most of it's gone inside. And another way of saying that is the mindset The battleground that the Christian must encounter primarily is his mind. That's what Paul is saying. It's the mind. This is where the whispering of the evil one, as it's portrayed in Pilgrim's Progress, for example, when he's going through the valley of the shadow of death, the whisperings of the demons and the lies. All those things are, you've got to realize you're not going to live out demonstrably, externally, exactly the way you used to live if you're truly born again. You're not going to live that way. But the battle is going to be more of internal in the mind. So the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit feeds our spiritual thought in a healthy way. He wants us to grasp that. Let's continue. And it says, therefore, the things of the flesh that live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Again, forget the three categories. You can't be a person who has a mind set on the flesh and be saved. You can battle thoughts, evil thoughts, sinful thoughts, unwanted thoughts, selfish thoughts, carnal thoughts. You can battle those things and push them back through resistance and rejection and prayer. But to say you're dominated by that and defined by that as a carnal Christian is simply foreign and impossible. Again, look what he says here that makes it so obvious for us. Again, verse 5 and following. Look at the contrast. Those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For, whenever you see a for, it means he's going to explain what he just said. For, let me explain, those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh. For to set, verse six, the mind on the flesh is death. So, the life set on the flesh can't be a carnal Christian because the result is death, eternal death. Now look at the contrast of the believer. But to set the mind on the Spirit is life in peace. To be set apart into the things of the Spirit is life in peace. Are you at peace right now? It says in Romans 5, Having therefore been justified by faith, we have peace with God. Elsewhere in Philippians 4, six and seven says, be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your heart and your mind. Notice, will guard your heart and your mind. in Christ Jesus. So we should be anxious for nothing. Pray about everything. As those whose minds are set on the Spirit. And the result will be life and peace. Life and peace. Further, why? Because the mindset on the flesh is hostile to God. The mindset on the flesh is hostile to God. I mean, think about hostility. How could that be a Christian? Well, it's a carnal Christian, they'll say. How could you be saved and be hostile to God, violently opposed to God? It's simply an impossibility. Now look how he defines the hostile person whose mind is set on the flesh. This is what God calls hostility. It does not submit to God's law. A hostile person, I mean, think about the word hostility or hostile. Okay? Well, you think of, that guy's hostile, he's violently opposed. Hostile. Well, what does God call hostile? A life that does not submit to the Bible, to God's law. You could talk to someone calmly about life and the need for Christ, but they're pushing back. They don't have to scream at you and to make a big public demonstration against you to be hostile to God. Let me just give you a simple example. Yesterday, you may have seen in Argentina, I saw this clip go by, whenever I was watching on video, on the internet, and all of a sudden, it's all these women in Argentina, and they're weeping and weeping, and I go, what happened? I'm thinking, did something happen, a building collapse? And as I read further in the article, they were weeping because out of joy, that their country finally beckoned to the pressure, and now abortion's legal. And they were so overjoyed. Now can you imagine if I would have been a person for Christian Broadcasting Network, CBN, Pat Robertson, and I was the, flown down there to talk about pro-life, and here I am, and I would have said, why are you being so joyful over this legalizing of murder. They would be hostile to me. Violently opposed. Call me whatever they would call me pertaining to my anti-woman perspective, they would say. But they're hostile. Hostile to anything that would be seen as sane and right before God. walking in holiness and godliness, pursuing sanctification progressively. Such thinking is simply an impossibility because those who don't know God, that walk in the flesh, that are hostile toward Him, they reject and don't submit to God's law. That could happen to us in this room here. We know what we're called to, you hear a sermon, you're called to live as a husband in a more understanding way toward your wife, and all you can think about is all the ways you think that she's hurt you, and the result is this, is that you just can't quite be that man to live with his wife in an understanding way. Well, in other words, it's too much to ask. I know the Bible says that, but it's simply impossible. Well, that's not what the Bible says. So a person who would reject obeying the revealed will of God to love his wife as himself, Ephesians 5, is a guy that's picking and choosing submission to God's word. But notice here, the next phrase, it says, not only does it not submit to God's law, watch, indeed it cannot It cannot submit to God's law. Why? Total inability. What was known in Calvinism is total depravity from head to toe. There's an inability for those who walk in the flesh to carry out the will of God in a way that would bring glory to God. Inability cannot, they're unable to submit. Verse eight, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. They cannot submit to God, they cannot please God. 2 Corinthians 5, 9 says, we seek to always make it our ambition to be pleasing to Him. to please God. Jesus said He always sought to please His Father. If you're in the flesh, your thinking's in the cesspool. That is, it's against everything the law of God would proclaim. You bow up and push away the Word of God. You have better ideas than your parents, better ideas than the Bible. And the result is a great, grievous fall. So the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit in this struggle with remaining sin, this clashing, there's a fueling through the Holy Spirit, there's a fueling of our spiritual walk, and there's also a feeding of our thinking. And that's what he's saying. feeds our thinking in the way that would bring honor and glory to God, to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. Remember Romans 12. Let's go there for just a moment. You see, again, the mind and how that works. Romans 12, one and two, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, there it is again, the holiness, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, which would be anti-God's law, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, constant mind renewal. that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, that which is good, acceptable, and perfect." Will of God. So it's a mindset, it's a thinking that God calls us to, and He wants us to think in this way. But we saw, again, that the people cannot always think through these things in a way that would honor God. There's not always a possibility that people can think this way. Unless they're filled with the Spirit, there's an impossibility. They're not even able to do so to find they cannot please God. In 1 Corinthians chapter 2, you see this inability portrayed in verse 14. The natural person does not accept the Spirit of God. That makes sense. Natural fleshly person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. That makes sense. For they are folly or foolishness to them, or to him, and he is not able to understand them. Why? Because they are spiritually discerned. If you're in the flesh, characterized by that, you're not born again, you're not born again. You can't even begin to understand what it means to do the will of God. Jesus said he was sent to condemn sin in the flesh. God did what the law could not do by sending his son the perfect sacrifice to save sinners. So the believer then is marked by the fruit of the Spirit. How do you know you're a person who is growing in progressive sanctification? Well, here it is. Galatians 5. Let me now read the contrast. You can see the difference again, the flesh and the spirit. Verse 19, this is the flesh. Now the works of the flesh are evident. Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. That's the flesh. That's not a carnal Christian. That's someone characterized by the flesh. You're either in the Spirit or in the flesh. This is all about one or the other. The broad way or the narrow way, Jesus said. Don't let people tell you there's a third category. of kind of a limping Christian who's perpetually defiant of God's law and unsubmissive to God's ways and lives a life characterized by carnality, and yet they tell you all day long they're a Christian. That's an impossibility. It's actually, if I could use the term, it's often misunderstood, oxymoron. In other words, it's a self-destructing statement. It's an impossibility. Now look at the mark of the Spirit, those in the Spirit, verses 22 and 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love. See, a believer, a true believer walking in the Spirit is gonna be increasing in love, in joy, in peace, in patience, in kindness, in goodness, in faithfulness, in gentleness, in self-control. Those things will become increasingly more evident in a life being progressively sanctified. Not perfect. Not, as one man said, not the perfection of our life, but the direction of our life. There's a life that's moving in that without controversy. Born again, spirit indwelt, Ministry of the Spirit working through the Word of God and your life, bringing you to more and more maturity. It's life in the Spirit because it's a matter of thinking after the Spirit. This mind that doesn't think this way is set on death, and the life that is set on the Spirit is life and peace. The abundant life, John 10.10. Eternal life, John 17.3. It's life in the Spirit, not death, but life and peace. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. To be carnally minded is death. Christians can battle carnal thoughts. But they recognize them, hate them, pray against them, and do whatever they can to bring them away. Thoughts that are not just sexually related. Thoughts of selfishness. Thoughts of, I'm the most important thing and not caring for my brother or my sister or my mother or my father. Thoughts of not concern with the needs in our own church. There are people in our church right now, by the way, who are sick from this COVID. We need to pray in a general way without mentioning names publicly. Just pray, pray for those who are sick. We need to be deeply concerned entering into a prayer for God's people here at this church and for wisdom for our leadership to know how to minister in such a situation. Because To not be that way is to become, over time, hostile to God, which is an impossibility for a believer. To be embittered against God's ways, to have hatred toward God's kingdom and His Word. It's not the calling we've been called to carry out with. God says, do not be friends with the world. James 4.4. Then notice in verse 8. Again, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. They're unable to please God because there's no faith. It says in Hebrews 11.6, and without faith, it's impossible to please God. You could read that yourself. What is faith? Faith is the evidence of things hoped for, Hebrews 11.1, the conviction of things not seen. So we see the feeding of our spiritual thoughts comes through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The fueling of our spiritual walk comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, look with me, how the ministry of the Holy Spirit frees us for spiritual service. Now I have three points with this fueling and this feeding and this freeing. But all three have at the end of them the filling of the Spirit, because if you're fueled by the Spirit to walk, then you're walking in obedience, therefore you're filled or being filled. If you are being fed through the Spirit to go forth in this feeding toward spiritual maturity, And He's called us here in this way to think God's thoughts after Him. That's what it means to know God's Word, to think God's thoughts. Remember, the Scripture is God's thoughts, punctiliously presented all throughout. It's His thoughts frozen on page, on a page of paper. for us to ruminate over and think through and pray over. So the more we are fed in such a way, our spiritual thoughts go forward and we think God's thoughts after Him because of the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. In this third part, we see it continues and now it says the freeing, the freedom now comes to fruition. He says in verse nine, you however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you." There are those statements of if. We don't like those. I get uncomfortable thinking about them, but we have to look at them. He says, you however. Now, what you don't see here in the English, but you see in the Greek, is what's known as an emphatic position. In other words, you That is, you are not in the flesh but in the spirit. He's given an exhortation to the Romans. He's saying, you're not! Not you're not, but you're not! With intensity, emphatic, in contrast. In other words, I've just told you the clashing of the spirit and the flesh, and now you, you Romans, You're not in the flesh, but you're in the Spirit. It's an exhortation. It's a call to wake up for us here this morning. You know better. We all know better. You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Let's continue. So he goes on and he says, if, in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now, he could have left that out, right? I mean, he could have said, you're not in the flesh. You're in the Spirit, period. But why does Paul do this? Then he brings up this statement, if. If Christ. If in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you, he uses in you three different times. Then he says in verse 10, but if Christ is in you, then verse 11, if the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, and then verse 11, I'm sorry, yeah, verse 11 he says, through the Spirit who dwells in you. He's talking, the reason why it's not possible for you is because God the Spirit lives in you. We're back to the union with Christ. When you're born again, you identify with his death, burial, and resurrection, right? So you're in union with Christ. This can't be true of you because God dwells in you. One of the most I think Peyton verses in the Bible, verse 9, let me go back again, 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. It's the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. It's going from remaining sin and indwelling sin to the clashing to the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. Do you know what I'm talking about? Have you experienced the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit, the conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment? Go with me to John, just for a second. John 18. John 18. I'm sorry, John 16. Notice he says, And when he comes in the world, the Helper, the Holy Spirit, when he comes into the world, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer. Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. It's a done deal. Victory has been won by Jesus Christ. He wants us to see the Spirit's work is vital. If in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. For you to be in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit has to dwell in you. The word for dwelling is the word for house. In Greek, it literally means a house or a dwelling. Jesus used a similar language when he said, where it says, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The dwelling dwelt, tabernacled amongst us, pitched a tent amongst us. The Holy Spirit says, the Bible says through the Holy Spirit that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are, as it were, the house of God. God himself is within us and working out of us. So for us to be unaffected is an impossibility. There must be increasing conviction and maturity in our lives. Why? Because Jesus came into the world and condemned sin in the world. I love this passage. The next passage where it says this, Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. Now, you remember, two times ago in Romans 7, it says here in Romans 7, verse 4, Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong, there it is, to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. Why are we, as it were, belonging to another, to God? Just like he says right here, whoever doesn't have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. We belong to Christ. We belong to God. We belong, as he says here, to another. And therefore, why? That we might bear fruit for God. That's why. And notice, to belong to God is not to own your own life. This is a powerful thing to consider. I mean, just think for just a moment. In 2 Corinthians 5. 2 Corinthians 5, look what it says in verse 15. And he died for all, Christ, that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised from the dead." It's powerful. We don't belong to ourselves. Why? We're in the Spirit. We're the temple of the living God. That means we're born again, our life's been changed. And if not, we're in the flesh. But there's no carnal Christian category. Get it out of your thinking. The question is, have you experienced the Holy Spirit in your life? Can you say, yes, I see the Holy Spirit at work in my life. unveiling the beauty of his word and the wonders of heaven glory, the forgiveness of sins, and the love of the brethren. These are all unmistakable evidences that we belong to God. And then look what he says in verse 10. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, in other words, remember we died to sin, Romans 6, 1 and 2, because of our sin, our bodies died to sin, and now is alive to God, and the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if Christ is in you, now notice Colossians 1, 27. We're trying to close. Colossians 1.27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery. Here's the mystery. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you. Jesus Christ. God the Son God the Holy Spirit at work in your life. Christ in you, the hope of glory. What He's begun, He'll continue until it's complete, right? He began the good work in you, will perfect you until the day of Christ. He's the author and perfecter of our faith. He's begun this work. Christ in you, the hope of glory. If indeed, It's referring to you. And this is what Jesus said in John 8. Notice this. In John 8, 31 and 32, he says, so Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, notice, he said this to the Jews who had professed belief in him. If, there it is again, if. If you abide or remain in my word, you are truly, not falsely, but truly my disciples. And he says, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. That's our third point, right? Our third point is the freedom to do a spiritual service for God. What should move us to serve God and his church? The freedom to obey. We've seen what Christ has done for us, his example to us as a servant. Now we're free to minister one to another and obey God with our prayers and with our service and our spiritual gifts. I'll just highlight for you, I won't take time to read, but there's three major sections on spiritual gifts. One by Peter and two by Paul. First of all is this, Romans 12, three to eight. 1 Corinthians 12, one to 11, and then lastly, 1 Peter 4, 10 and 11. When you get a chance, read those passages. It'll help you find out what your spiritual gift or gifts are, and then you'll be able to carry forth the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit as it frees you for spiritual service unto God. And I think John 8, Verses 31 and 32 is a great reminder here that God is calling us through the Spirit to minister one to another and be filled with the Spirit for the glory of God. The Spirit of God is synonymous with the Spirit of Christ. He says we are His possessions and has called us this way. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Finally, verse 11. If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, and he does in every true believer, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life, notice, to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Again, I'll just refer you to two other passages to remind you. Romans 6, 5. And then 1 Corinthians 15, 53 to 55, and Philippians 3, verses 20 and 21. And what those passages do is they show that the culmination of our salvation is our bodily resurrection at the end of history. And those passages lay it out with verse 11. that the backdrop, as it were, the back story behind all that we've been talking about today in Life in the Spirit is that there's coming not just with present life in the Spirit, but also our bodily resurrection is secured by the Spirit at the end of history. As I close then, if you're here this morning as an unbeliever, Because you have not openly repented and believed the gospel, I trust you know who you are today. If you're one of them, I'm just here to tell you to summarize my whole sermon. You're in the flesh and you're not in the spirit. But you can be in the spirit by seeing your sin, seeing what God has done in sending his son to die for sinners. The Bible says he's ready to forgive whoever calls upon his name. If you have not called upon his name, call upon him now. Say, Jesus, come into my life. I repent of my sins and I give my life to you. And that mind that was set upon the flesh will be set upon the spirit. If you're here as a believer, I'm here to tell you and encourage you, you're in the Spirit. Now, go forward in response to the Spirit and walk in newness of life. Continue to have your mind set, your thinking, your mindset, which impacts the direction of your life. Continue to bring every thought captive to obedience, and cause your mind to be set apart unto God. Jonathan Edwards, over 200 years ago, in his great treatise concerning religious affections, he gives 10 examples. They're kind of written in archaic, old English, but he basically says this. looking at it from different angles. It's not the emotion that makes you know that you're a child of God. It's not, you know, he just gives a list. Some of them are hard to read because of the way the English is. But at the conclusion, at the end of it all, he sums it up and says this, the bottom line is, the summary of my view of religious affections, how do you know if your affections are truly from God? He says this, your mind is set on the Spirit. That's simply what he said. Your mind is set on the Spirit. Bring your thoughts captive to the Spirit. Whenever they're not, repent and bring them in by God's grace and His strength through the Word of God. The more you're in God's Word, the more you think God's thoughts after God. The more you pray God's Word, the more God's thoughts come there, and that fuels your obedience, fuels the mindset that God's called you to have. feeds our thinking and our frees our service to Him. Let's close in prayer. Lord, we love You and we thank You for Your precious Word and for the encouragement as to why You even came to earth. What a reminder what the law could not do, God did, sending his Son into the world to save sinners. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of the incarnation and for the resurrection from the dead. Lord, would you cause us as a congregation, to be sensitive to this time in our nation, our city, our church life, and this buy up opportunities to encourage one another in the faith and to call others to trust you for the salvation of their soul, even beginning with our own children at home. Lord, open doors, open conversations, Cause us, Lord, to rejoice in who you are and what you've done in coming to this earth to die for sinners. It's in your name we pray. Amen.