THE ULTIMATE LIFESTYLE

Chapter 8 of Romans is one of the great chapters on the Christian Life. It explains the wonderful privileges we have as believers when we allow the Holy Spirit to fill and control our lives.

Romans 8:1-39

LW - Two Natures … struggle everyone goes through. Civil war going on in your life.

Chap 8 is the opposite. victory… success...

We are going to be in Chapter 8 for a bit…

Chap 8 describes the type of life the HS makes possible… born again...

Key Word: I, me, myself used 47 times

Key Phrase: in Christ

No Condemnation for those in Christ… In Christ 164 times.

No seperatio for those in christ.

This is the ultimate lifestyle that everyone wishes they had.

THE KIND OF LIFE THE HOLY SPIRIT MAKES POSSIBLE FOR US TO LIVE:

Because of the Holy spirit, because we have Christ in our lives, because we are in Christ, we can live a life

1. A LIFE WITHOUT CONDEMNATION: (Verses 1-4) John 3:18, John 5:24, 1 John 3:21

LW, Paul was defeated. Now he shares the solution to the problem he discussed in chap 7.

Romans 7:24 NLT

24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

The first thing he does in chap 8 is point out that the HS is answer to all of his problems.

Romans 8:1–2 NLT

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Romans 8:3–4 NLT

3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

The first benefit of being a Christ Follower is that …

God is not angry with me anymore.

He doesn’t say that if you keep all the rules there will not be any condemnation… He says because you are in Christ, there is no condemnation. Jesus took that condemnation for you.

John 3:17 NLT

17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:18 NLT

18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

One condition for no condemnation - believe in Jesus

John 5:24 NLT

24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

If you have put your faith in Jesus, you have passed from death to life… one requirement - Believe in Jesus.

1 John 3:21 NLT

21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.

It doesnt say because we are sin free that we are not condemned. We still sin. We still deserve condemnation, but because of Jesus, we don’t. The HS allows us to live a life free from condemnation.

Because of the Holy spirit, because we have Christ in our lives, because we are in Christ, we can live ...

2. A LIFE WITHOUT DOMINATION (Verses 5-17) John 8:34, Rom. 6:16 & 22, 2 Cor. 3:17

Because of the HS, sin cannot dominate or control your life anymore.

I hear people say “I cant help myself...” As a Christian that’s not true… it’s all on you because the HS will give you the power to resist temptation.

Romans 8:5–17 NLT

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. 9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. 12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Colossians 2:9 NLT

9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.

All there is of God is in Jesus. When you became a Christian, you got all there was…

Being filled with HS doesn’t mean you get more of the HS than someone else, it means he gets more of you.

Because of the Holy spirit, because we have Christ in our lives, because we are in Christ, we can live ...

3. A LIFE WITHOUT DESPERATION (Verses 18-27) 2 Cor. 4:16-18, Titus 2:13, John 14:26-27

Even in our hard times, we have hope. Paul teaches that no matter what happens in your life, there is hope. No situation is hopeless when you have the HS working in your life.

Romans 8:18–27 NLT

18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) 26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

When you became a Christian did God take away all your problems? NO… You probably got a few because all of a sudden you had a new enemy. God has not promised us a problem free, stress free life. Christians are not exempt from suffering.

But Christians have something that non Christians don't. They have a hope that gets us through that suffering. You can't compare the glory that you're going to have with the present suffering.

Paul -

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 NLT

16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

small problems - understatement. Shipwrecked twice, beaten five times, left for dead twice, stoned, whipped, put in jail, no food -- the guy's entire life was one big trial after another. He calls them small. that’s perspective. We will all go through difficult times and God says they all have a purpose.

Two things we hope for in chap 8

1. Future Resurrection.

Romans 8:23 NLT

23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

2. Holy Spirit praying for us when we go through these troubles.

Romans 8:26 NLT

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

In Roma 8:18-26, there are three kinds of groaning..

Creation Groans. (18-22)

The world is not evolving, it's devolving. The world is not physically getting better and better it's decaying. When God made it back in the Garden of Eden that was as perfect as it was ever going to get. Since then… since sin entered the world -- it's all been down hill. More problems, less ozone.... Creation groans because there's sin in the world.

Believers Groan. (23)

we're anxious to get away from the pressures, pains, problems of the world.

Holy Spirit Groans.

He prays for us. God is concerned about your aches and pains.

Because of the Holy spirit, because we have Christ in our lives, because we are in Christ, we can live ...

4. A LIFE WITHOUT MISCALCULATION (Verses 28-30) Eph. 1:11, Phil. 1:6

God doesn’t make mistakes. Everything that happens in your life has a purpose.

Romans 8:28–30 NLT

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

As a Christian, nothing happens by accident. God is not too concerned with how the problems came… yourself, the devil… He wants to use them to make you more like Jesus. Stop asking why and start asking what he’s trying to teach you.

God’s #1 purpose for you is to be like Jesus, so everything that happens in your life, Hew wants to use to make you more like Jesus.

God created us in his image… but we blew it when we sinned. Jesus is restoring that.

Ephesians 1:11 NLT

11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

All of what is going on today, is working for His plan.

Middle East - going to get worse then God will step in… 7 year peace treaty.

Trump - God used Cyrus…

Putin -

All of these are being used by God to accomplish his purposes.

Proverbs 21:1 NKJV

1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

GOD is on control.

That’s good stuff. Even when we make mistakes, God uses it for our good.

We have free will and the ability to choose, but that is all under God’s sovereignty. He knows the bad choices that we will make and uses them to make into who we need to be. God uses everything for his purpose.

Philippians 1:6 NLT

6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

If you are a believer, God will never give up on you. He started a work in you and will continue to complete it.

Because of the Holy spirit, because we have Christ in our lives, because we are in Christ, we can live ...

5. A LIFE WITHOUT INTIMIDATION (Verses 31, 34-34) Heb. 13:6, Rom. 8:37

Romans 8:31 NLT

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

You are never a.one. If you are a Christian, you + God = overwhelming victory.

Romans 8:33 NLT

33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.

No one can accuse you but God.

Romans 8:34 NLT

34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

When God says you are ok - you are ok. Life w/o intimidation is life with confidence. We find our confidence in the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 13:6 NLT

6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

The minute you begin worrying about what other’s think, you are in trouble. Remember that the Lord is your helper. No one can husrt us, God is on our side.

Romans 8:37 NLT

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Paul is teaching that as Believers, we are victors in Christ.

Philippians 4:13 NLT

13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

What have you been telling yourself you could never do? Stop! If you have the Holy Spirit in your life you can live a life without condemnation, without domination, and without intimidation. You don't have to be intimidated by anyone or any circumstance.

Because of the Holy spirit, because we have Christ in our lives, because we are in Christ, we can live ...

6. A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITATION (Verse 32) Phil 4:19

God will provide for all your needs.

Romans 8:32 NLT

32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

Philippians 4:19 NLT

19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

When God sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for you, He made the ultimate sacrifice. There isn't anything more that He can do than come and die on the cross for you. That ought to show you He loves you. God loved you enough to send Jesus Christ to die on the cross, don't you think He loves you enough to make sure you have a job, have clothes, to care for other needs you have on a day by day basis. Those are minor in comparison. When God saved you He solved your biggest problem, everything else is downhill. If God loved you enough to send Jesus to died for you, He loves you enough to meet all of your other needs. God wants to meet all your needs. All your physical needs. All your spiritual needs. All your emotional needs. He wants to meet your needs. He wants you to live a life without limitation

Because of the Holy spirit, because we have Christ in our lives, because we are in Christ, we can live ...

7. A LIFE WITHOUT SEPARATION (Verses 35-39) John 10:28, Matt. 28:20, Isa. 43:2

Romans 8:35–39 NLT

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate you or I from the Love of God. I may not know the future, but I know the one who holds the future in his Hands.

No one can separate you from the love of God.

John 10:28 NLT

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,

Not only can no one or nothing separate us from God’s love, He promises to be with us through all of eternity.

Matthew 28:20 NLT

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Isaiah 43:2 NLT

2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

No matter what you are going through, God will be there with you.

The tragic news is that the world is more ready to receive this message than we are ready to share it. We act like we're trying to give people herpes or something -- "I don't want to offend anybody by being a witness..." How is that going to offend anybody? Wouldn't you like to live guilt free, have confidence, have your prayers answered, know that you're going to go to heaven when you die? How's that going to offend anybody?

The devil has pulled a fast one on us. We think that everybody is out there saying, "I love living in guilt. I love being controlled and manipulated by my habits. I love the fact that there doesn't seem to be any purpose in life and when I get suffering, I don't know why it's happening." The answers are here and the devil has convinced us that the world isn't interested in it. We just need to be able to take the Holy Spirit in our lives and share it.

Let God’s Spirit live through you. Let go of your frustrations and let the HS guide your life.

Salvation

HS take control of my life.

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