Submitting to God

Romans 8:12-17

INTRODUCTION: Understanding that sin is an offence toward God, that God dictates what sin is, the need to repent of our sin, and knowing that Jesus is the sacrifice for our sin, we now move on to how do we live. Romans 6-10 are about this very thing. You can just see the way people think reading chapter 6. We should sin more so God can be more forgiving, or since you have a Jesus paid it all account you should max it out. Even Paul struggles with the sinful nature that keeps trapping him from time to time. In chapter 8 we find an answer, a new way to live.

1. THE STRUGGLE WITH SIN

A. ONE STRUGGLE OFTEN TAKEN UP IS THE ONE TO KEEP SINNING

B. ANOUTHER STRUGGLE IS TO KEEP FROM SINNING

C. A QUESTION OF SUBMISSION TO GOD

a. WE ALL MUST SUBMIT OUR SEXUALITY TO GOD

b. WE MUST SUBMIT FINACES TO GOD

c. WE MUST SUBMIT OUR LIFE GOALS AND DIRECTION

d. OUR GREED , CONSUMERISM, LUXUARY

2. A DIFFERENT WAY TO LIVE

A. LIVING ACCORDING TO THE SINFUL NATURE

a. FOCUSED ON OUR DESIRES AND THE LAW AND THE DIFFERENCE

b. DRIVING A CAR FOCUSED ON OBSTICLES AND TRAFIC

c. THINGS OF LIFE SHOUT LOOK AT ME

B. LIVING ACCRODING TO THE SPIRIT

a. FOCUSED ON DOING THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT VS 5

b. DRIVING FOCUSED ON THE ROAD AHEAD

c. JESUS SAYS LOOK AT ME FOCUS ON ME

3. FINDING PEACE

A. FIGHTING SIN DOES NOT WORK

B. FOCUSING ON WHAT YU CAN DO DOES WORK

C. FOCUSING ON LIVING IN THE SPIRIT BRINGS PEACE AND LIFE

CONCLUSION: Repentance, forgiveness and submission God is what our lives in the Spirit are all about. It is the way we find real peace.

NOTES

In Romans 1-5 Paul writes about the sinful human condition and the need for forgiveness by God. For both Jews and Gentiles the only source of righteousness is through faith in Jesus’ death on the cross. Chapter five ends with Paul reminding us that we can only experience true joy and peace by being reconciled to God through Jesus.

I Jesus freely forgives our sin when we confess, and ask to be forgiven, it naturally brings up the subjects we find in chapter 6, how should the forgiven live?

6:1-14 Sin more so that God can be more forgiving.

It is amazing how we find ways to justify continuing on in our old life when Jesus has given us a new one. Much the same as being given a new car after wreaking your first one and then driving the new one just as reckless as your first car which you ruined. There are some who want to continue in the old sinful ways and claim they are helping God look generous. Paul’s answer is to point out that we have been united or joined to Jesus in His death and that we remain joined to Jesus through the resurrection. We therefore are to crucify the Old Sinful Self and now live a resurrection life today. We truly honor Jesus by not proving how forgiving He is but by how transforming the resurrection is.

6:15-23 Sin more because Jesus has paid for it all any way.

Another approach to keeping the old sinful life is to say that since we live by grace in the forgiveness of Jesus then sin does not matter or even does not exist. Sin is only sin because God said it was, now it is paid for and forgiven so now it is no longer sinful. But God has not changed the definition of sin nor has Jesus removed the Law. Paul’s point here is that we have been set free by Jesus but we can become volunteer salves to sin. Sin has a way of trapping a person. Sin is like a fishhook with barbs which easily pass through leash in on direction but resist coming back out. Paul argues that since Jesus made us free from being slaves to sin then we should become volunteer slaves to righteousness.

Romans 6:23 is true not only for our life before accepting Jesus it is true after accepting Jesus. The wages of sin is death. Even though we are forgiven sin still earns a wage in this world and that wage for nonchristian and Christian alike, is death. That death may be physical, it maybe the destruction of our life or relationships, or it may be seen in our children’s, lives but it will show up. The gift of God is eternal life. Instead of earning a wage of death now we could be living the gift of eternal life. Jesus has given us the opportunity to live for Him now.

7:7-25 Here Paul tells us the truth of the Christian life. We will always struggle with sin. We live is a world corrupted by sin and there is a sinful nature in each of us seeking to take control. At times we win the battle and at times we lose. While we seek to live as a slave to righteousness we find we fail far too often. But Jesus is honored in the attempt and rescues us from our failures. Paul’s situation is different from those he mentioned in Chapter 6 in that in chapter 6 they we trying to excuses and not confront sin, making no effort to live rightly. Paul on the other hand is not excusing His sin but confessing his sin and trying to live righteously.

Chapter 8 presents an even different way to live. We could live to sin, trying to find ways to break the law, or live to be righteous, struggling to keep the law, or we could forget both and live through the Holy Spirit. This is a major shift in our focus from looking at life through the law to looking at life through the Holy Spirit. Much like driving a car we can focus on the lines and obstacles along the road a struggle to keep the car going right or we can focus on the road ahead and the car seems to just go there with little effort.

When we live by the law we live in fear of either the penalty of sin or anxiety of trying to keep it. But when we live by the Holy Spirit we do not suffer from the fear or the anxiety, instead we experience peace, joy and love.

8:18 – 27 while Paul distresses over the struggle in his life with sin he now reminds us that today’s battles are nothing compared to the joy that awaits us. Often when we look at the moment all we can see is defeat or pain, but our final victory is sure. One of the greatest weapons we have is the knowledge of the outcome.

Paul also reminds us that we have the Holy Spirit that steps in, in times of distress. When our body, mind, and spirit are spent, the Holy Spirit comes in to take over and carry us through. The Holy Spirit may speak for us to God, or the Spirit may direct a person to help us, and we may never understand how the Holy Spirit has taken over for us.

Vs 26 & 27 “In our weakness, we do not know what we ought to pray for.” This is not to say that we do not have ideas or that we are unable to pray. Often we are praying for what we think we need, but the Holy Spirit steps in for us because we don’t know what we ought to pray for. What we are praying for and what we ought to be praying for may be very different things. As we tune our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit’s leading we may find a whole new direction that never occurred to us.

Vs 28 Is one of those often misunderstood passages. This verse does not say only good things will happen to you, it means that God will find a way for whatever situation we go through to bring something good to our lives. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery and then he lands in prison yet eventually God brought good out of it. I think that another key in all this is that we must cooperate with God. We must struggle to look for the good in something or we may miss it completely.

Vs 29 – 30 While it is clear that God predestined some the question is who, why and what, did God predestinatined. All of what the predestination means must be found in the Foreknowing. This foreknowledge indicates that God knew who would respond to Him and those who will not. Is this a knowledge of the persons heart and mind and then God never gives them a chance, or is this knowledge of how the person will respond to all the chances they will get?

The primary thing God predestined is that we be conformed to the likeness of His Son, Jesus. While many are focused on salvation and heaven, what we should be focused on is in becoming like Jesus. We see it today in that many sports figures are more focused on the press conference proclaiming their greatness that they forget to play the game.

We should take this passage as our assignment from God for our life, be conformed to the likeness of His Son.

Chapter 8 ends with the great statement of confidence in God’s ability to hold us fast and that no power exist that can take us from Him. Yet this must be contrasted with the warning of 11:26 when Paul warns that we can be removed for unbelief. The security that we have in the power of Jesus should not be cause for spiritual laziness or faithlessness.

Chapters 9 and 10 focus on Paul's lament for His own Jewish people and how they have lost their relationship with God. God chose Israel to be His example and ambassadors to the world, but they failed. God sent to the Jews the Messiah of redemption and they missed Jesus. This all leads into the warnings to the church we find in chapter 11.

I hope this has brought you food for thought while you are reading.