Transformed by the Spirit
Notes
Transcript
Welcome
Welcome
Good morning! Welcome to Freedom Chapel. My name is Pastor Terry and I am the lead Pastor here at Freedom Chapel. If you are new with us this this morning thank you for joining us. I have some exciting news this morning we are working to make things a little easier for every one. Check out this new slide. If your a guest or you have never filled out the welcome card you can now do it on your phone.
Offering:
We want to take a moment to thank you for your faithfulness and generosity. We have several way for you to give this morning. you can bring it forward and plate it in the plate, you can give online, or you can place a check in the black box. However you choose to give I would like to pray over today’s giving as an act of worship to our God.
Let’s pray.
We have a lot of things coming up in the next few weeks. So many things going on in September.
A couple of those things I want to touch on.
We have a new people party coming up on Next Sunday Night at 6:30 Pm. If you have started coming since Easter we want to invite you to come out to the Church Next Sunday a 6:30PM.
We have a Family Meal Night coming up as well as all our Wednesday night activities firing back up on September 14th.
Then September 23-24th we will be hosing a Women’s Conference featuring my friend Dr. Sondra Cave. There will be more information coming out this week so Ladies clear your calendars.
As always you can keep up with what is going on here on our website.
Let’s dive into today’s Message.
Pause.
If you have your Bibles Turn with me to Romans Chapter 8.
Pray.
Last week we started in on Romans chapter 8 and we lead out with one of the most powerful scriptures in the new testament.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
This scripture is something that so many of us have read yet so many of us don’t understand.
There is a difference between Conviction and Condemnation.
Condemnation tells the believer that they as shameful, disgusting, unloveable, undesirable.
Basically tells the believe that they are bad and God doesn’t Love them.
Conviction tells the believer that where they are living is bad.
Conviction is about correcting behaviors and breaking free from the flesh.
There is no condemnation in Christ however there is conviction and conviction is what leads us into sanctification.
Condemnation is usually a very loud voice.
Conviction usually comes in the form of a still small voice. That Voice is the Holy Spirit at work with our conciense.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
3 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,
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.
This leads us into today’s scriptures.
5 For those who live according to the flesh 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.
6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 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.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 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 here is the a truth you need to understand.
We are going to struggle with sin and temptation until we Jesus Returns or we die.
The question we must determine is with what mindset are we going to face sin and temptation.
Our Mindset determines.
How we Act.
Who we allow to influence us.
What we are going to value
how we are going to view every experience in life.
What dominates our private life and our public life.
Paul tells us that all-mindsets are reduced to two categories.
Sinful or Spiritual
Sinful or Spiritual
Flesh Led or Spirit Led
Flesh Led or Spirit Led
According to my concordance:
The Sinful mindset:
Consciously and unconsciously orients life towards: Death, Hostility towards God, Rebellion, resistance to any form of submission, actions and attitudes that will not please God.
A Spiritual mind-set:
Consciously and unconsciously orients life towards life and peace, friendship with God, obedience to the Spirit’s influence, Guidance by the Holy Spirit, Love for God and Neighbors,, Knowing and following the words of Jesus.
To very different ways of living Life. Two very different Mental Positions.
6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
This morning
What is the goal of your mind?
What is the goal of your mind?
Are you gravitating towards peace, forgiveness, right living, bringing all aspects of your life and relationships to God?
The phrases Paul uses are, literally, “the mind belonging to the flesh” and “the mind belonging to the Spirit.” Paul forces an uncompromising choice and echoes Christ’s words
The questions we can ask ourselves
Who is my Master?
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
What is crop am I growing?
8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
What things run through my head all day?
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
What is guiding your actions?
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
21 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.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
When we come to Christ our Prayer generally goes like this.
God I need you. I am a sinner and broken. I realize I can’t please you on my own. I need Jesus. I need his covering. I invite you in to be Lord of my life.
The Idea of Lordship should be transformational.
9 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.
Paul is making a statement of encouragement here.
If you are saved you have the Spirit.
If you are saved the Spirit of God dwells in you.
If you are saved you Belong to Christ.
This is not a scripture of Condemnation it is a scripture of Recognition.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Because of Christ in the Spirit we have life not because we are able to be right but because of the covering of Christ righteousness in us we are able to have life and freedom.
11 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.
In Christ through the Holy Spirit our minds are renewed, our spirit is connected to God through His Holy Spirit.
Our Bodies our still mortal. They are still infected with sin and death.
The desires and failures of these bodies can be a constant source of frustration.
As Christians our eyes should not be set on the things and frustrations of our current situation we have a promise which Paul is pointing us to here.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.
14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
We are called to and promised to be transformed.