Who's in Charge?

Well, thank you very much, Stephanie, for that lovely reading. Great to hear the passage read like that.

I know at my house group last week we were commenting on Thane's reading of the passage the week before,

which was really beautiful, so we're getting a high standard set for us.

Now, I stand before you this morning, very pleased to be here,

pleased to have the opportunity to take a few minutes as we look at Romans chapter 8,

Romans 8 · chapter mention

but also feeling pretty inadequate, if truth be told.

So, last week, let's have a show of hands. Who was here last Sunday?

Okay, quite a lot. Quite a lot weren't, which is quite interesting.

We had Ewan Dodds giving us, I think, a really masterful exposition of Romans 7.

He had put a huge amount of work into it.

He had even consulted with Pauline theologians who had PhDs in these passages, right,

in order to make sure that the exposition was really careful.

Next week we have Wayne Sutton, the senior pastor at Corubbers,

who also has devoted his life to studying all of this.

And sandwiched in between, you've got me.

So, sorry, there's no degrees or PhDs in theology.

I haven't even found somebody with a PhD who I could consult to be able to speak to you.

But all I have been doing is reflecting quite carefully on what are incredibly rich verses

throughout the last couple of weeks and just trying to let them sink into my own heart and soul.

And, of course, reading a bit, but also just praying that God would make something here really real to me

so that I've got something to share with you this morning.

And I think you could probably look at this and study it for a week or two

and come up with about 50 different sermons, to be honest.

Such is the depth and complexity to it.

So, here goes.

Here's my attempt at making, at just sharing what this has meant to me as I've studied it.

And the title, if you want a title, is this question.

Who is in charge?

Who's in charge?

Now, we could look at that in terms of the nation.

I do, of course, have a picture there of number 10 Downing Street.

And it's a question which many are asking.

Who's in charge?

Has Theresa May really been in charge over these last weeks and months?

Well, maybe, maybe not.

And we now, of course, have a battle going on for who is going to be in charge.

Who is going to be having those keys?

Do they have keys?

The door just seems to open, doesn't it?

Who is going to have the door open as they turn up to number 10 Downing Street in a few weeks' time?

The battle is raging, isn't it, for control?

Maybe some of you, are some of you backing Boris?

Or we don't like to be too political this morning at Brunsfield.

Maybe you've got your other favourites.

Maybe you're not too sure.

Maybe you're switched off altogether with this whole battle.

But I want to present to you, as we look at Romans 8, a different battle that is raging for control.

Control this time in our lives.

Because time and again, and please have the passage and make sure you agree with me or feel free to disagree with me.

But it seems that time and again we've got a battle between what's described variously as sin, the flesh, death.

Lots of different words used for it.

All seeking to have dominance and control.

And on the other hand, we've got so much that is said about God.

God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, 17 references in these verses to the Holy Spirit.

And it seems that God is appearing to us in this passage.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

Moving and inviting us to allow Him to be in charge in our lives.

And telling us something about what life will be like if we really allow God to be in charge.

But yet isn't it the case that as we look in our own hearts and lives, we know the reality of this battle.

Particularly those of us who would describe ourselves as Christians.

Those perhaps who have been coming to this church for some time or other churches or seeking to follow God.

And we recognise that for all that we have come to understand something we believe about God.

Powerful forces still seem to be at work.

That cause what's in these verses about sin and flesh and death to still have an influence in our lives.

And we saw that particularly last week as we looked at what Paul was saying about the struggle with sin in Romans chapter 7.

Romans 7 · chapter mention

Well, there was a little passage I came across in Tim Keller's book, Counterfeit Gods, that I'd like to share with you before we go any further.

A great book, and it's a book about how the promises of money, love and power have so much appeal but yet let us down.

And he says this, the human heart is a factory that mass produces idols.

Idols can never really be removed, they can only be replaced.

If you try to simply uproot them, they grow back, but they can be supplanted.

What we need is a living encounter with God in order for them to be supplanted.

Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart than your idols.

If you uproot the idol and fail to plant the love of God in its place, the idol will simply grow back.

Now those are pretty profound words that might take us a while to get our head around.

But if I can make it a bit more straightforward, I want you to think of a garden.

And I want you to think of a garden, perhaps if it's anything like the patches of garden that I have,

then the one thing that seems to grow very, very easily are lots and lots of weeds.

And what I think Tim Keller is saying there is, it's not enough just to be trying to uproot the weeds.

Because the reality is, we'll soon find in those patches of grounds, other weeds are going to grow in the place.

What we have to be focusing on is planting.

Planting things that will take the place of those weeds and that will cause the garden to flourish.

And what I'm going to invite us all to do is perhaps to take some of the seeds,

seeds which are in Romans chapter 8 verse 1 to 17.

Romans 8:1–17

Seeds of truth, of great transformational truth about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

I'm going to invite you to take these seeds and to plant them in your life.

And we're going to focus more on the seeds of truth about God

than we're going to focus on the weeds of sin, flesh, devil and all of the other idols

which we may feel are taking place in our life.

And I'm just going to invite you to perhaps focus on these seeds.

And I hope some of them will be really precious.

Maybe some you'll take and you'll want to just really cultivate in your life.

Because you know that you need these seeds to grow and flourish

so that God can really take his proper place in your life.

And may that be the case as we just try to explore this a little bit further.

So I've got three seeds to offer you which I think tell us something amazing,

something really true, something really vital about God.

First of all, God the Father.

I'm going to turn to verse 3 where it says this,

what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,

God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.

And my first seed for you this morning is that God is an active God.

God is somebody who is moving towards us in love.

God is not someone in Romans 8 who is passive,

who is simply waiting to see how we will respond.

But God is always moving and reaching out towards us.

And in verse 3 did so in the most ultimate way,

by reaching out to us to send his son in the likeness of sinful flesh in order to die for us.

Are we seeing God as someone who in Christ reached towards us in love

and still through the work of the Holy Spirit is reaching out towards us today?

Maybe there's a seed there.

The God who is active,

the God who is not disinterested,

the God who is reaching out towards each of us in love today.

But another truth about us and God is there in verse 7.

And I'm going to point you to that today where it says,

verse 7,

the mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God.

It does not submit to God's law,

nor can it do so.

And verse 8,

those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

And the reality about God that we're exposed to here

is that just left to ourselves and our own devices,

we will turn away from God and from all that God wants for us.

And I wonder if we just need to take that truth again

and remind our hearts and our souls

that naturally left to our own devices,

we do not as humans get better and better and better and more advanced

and life does not, in the terms of this passage, get better.

But rather left to our own devices,

we are in rebellion against this God

who is reaching out towards us in love.

We are consciously, actively turning aside from him,

turning away from him and going our own direction.

And I wonder if we pause this morning

and we allow these words,

verse 8,

those who are in the realm of the flesh

cannot please God.

And if we need to acknowledge and confess

and perhaps repent of the fact

that our attitude towards God

has been one of turning away from him.

Today is, of course, Happy Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads here.

I certainly got some lovely gifts this morning.

I hope some of you are not looking around

and suddenly realizing that you'd entirely forgotten

to look after your own dads.

Well, there's still plenty of time

to write that for those of you

who need to wish someone a Happy Father's Day.

But the other wonderful truth about God here,

and you'll see it in verse 14,

and in many of the other verses towards the end,

is that God has children.

Verse 14,

those who are led by the Spirit of God

are children of God.

And the wonderful truth that God invites us,

it's there in verse 15,

to approach him

and to cry to him,

Abba, Father.

This simple cry out to,

in need,

but in trust,

to one who knows us so well.

The invitation of God this morning.

The God,

the Father God,

who is moving towards us.

The Father God,

who naturally we are moving away from.

And yet the God who invites us to approach him.

The God who invites us to be part of his family,

to share in his inheritance,

and to call him Father.

There are just a few seeds of truth about God the Father

that you might want to take

and plant deeply into your own life this morning,

in place of the weeds

that may be so prevalent

and that will crop up

if we allow them to.

I've got four truths for you now.

Four seeds about Jesus

that I see in this passage.

Jesus Christ, our Lord,

which I want to offer to you

and see if you can really take them

and if they are helpful to you.

And first of all,

in verse 11,

we are reminded of the truth.

It says,

If the spirit of him

who raised Jesus from the dead

is living in you,

he who raised Christ from the dead

will also give life to your mortal bodies

because of his spirit who lives in you.

Now reality,

in that one little verse,

we've got truths about what God the Father is doing,

what the Holy Spirit is doing,

and we've got a great truth in the middle of it

about what Jesus,

what has happened with Jesus Christ,

and that is that he has been raised from the dead.

And the word that is repeated a lot

in this passage is the word life.

And just as Jesus was given newness of life,

so the promise that comes to us

time and time again here

is that the reality,

if we are to live the life that God wants,

then that is what we will experience too.

That new life that Jesus had

is in some ways like the new life

that we will be able to experience.

Why on earth have I just put up a picture now

of a sports car?

You may ask.

Well, I'm keen to get your attention here

as we think of three other truths

that we are,

that we're encountered,

that we're invited to reflect on here

about Jesus Christ.

The first truth is that it is possible

to experience life in Christ.

Verse 1,

Therefore there is now no condemnation

for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And verse 10,

If Christ is in you,

then even though your body is subject to death

because of sin,

the Spirit gives life

because of righteousness.

So we can know the truth

of being in Christ

and having Christ in us.

Just reflect a little

on the closeness,

on the intimacy involved

in that image.

And I can't really think of

an image that is in any way

good enough

to even come close

to describing it.

But I was spending some time

this week sitting in my car.

The kids were having

an incredibly long haircut

and I decided

I wasn't waiting there any longer.

And indeed,

I was going to give

a little bit of thought

to what I wanted to share

with you today

while sitting in my car.

And it struck me

that as I was in the car,

I was completely enclosed

by that car.

The doors were shut,

the windows were up,

and this doesn't seem

a particularly profound truth,

but I was in the car.

Yeah?

But also that within that car

there was so much

that could be done

that I would not be able

to do myself.

By simply pressing the button,

putting my foot

on the accelerator,

and trying my best

to pay attention

to the surroundings

and the rules of the road,

I would be able to

get places

at a speed

that would be

utterly impossible

if I wasn't actually

in the car

and driving in the car.

You see where

kind of my mind went to

in eventually giving you

an image of a racing car

to think about.

And I freely acknowledge

that the image

is limited.

But the seed

I want to give you

this morning

is just this thought

about Jesus

that he invites us

to step into

all that he is,

all that he has,

and all that he wants

us to be.

and not just have

a kind of head knowledge

of Jesus

and yes,

a set of beliefs

about who he is

and what he did,

but to really step in

and to think about

what it means

to be in Christ

and to be experiencing

a life

where we are

surrounded

by him

and by his love

and by his power

and by all

that he offers

to us

in Christ.

But the other phrase

that comes

time and again

here

is that it's possible

not just to be

in Christ

but to belong

to Christ.

Verse 9

says

you whoever

are not of the realm

of the flesh

but on the realm

of the spirit

if indeed

the spirit of God

lives in you

if anyone does not

have the spirit of Christ

they do not belong

to Christ.

Verse 10

but if Christ is in you

then even though

your body is subject

to death

because of sin

the spirit gives life

because of righteousness.

And here's the truth

here is the seed

about Jesus Christ

in the same way

as I

and my children

can say with confidence

that we belong

to the Johnston family

and you

I'm sure

can look at the family

and hopefully

have a sense

of belonging

to that family

though I appreciate

that's not a reality

for everyone.

So Jesus

invites us today

to recognize

the truth

that not only

has he died

and risen for us

not only does he invite us

to step in

and experience

a life

in Christ

but that he says

you belong.

You're no longer

strangers.

You're no longer

at a distance.

Come in

and experience

what it is

to belong

to this family

this family

of Christ.

And I wonder

if some of us

need to experience

again

a sense of belonging

a sense of belonging

first and foremost

to Jesus.

We're not alone.

We're not isolated.

We're not trying

to work all this

stuff out ourselves.

We belong.

Hear the truth.

You belong

this morning.

If you just step in

willing to step

into that relationship

with Jesus Christ

you're not on your own.

And of course

church

is intended

to be

an expression

of the truth

that God offers us

which is that

in Jesus Christ

we're not alone.

We belong.

And so in church

we're told

we belong to

one another.

We're intended

to have fellowship

that just

emulates in some way

what it is like

to be part

of this

family.

And finally

and marvelously

in terms of Jesus

we're about to move on

to some seeds

in relation

to the Holy Spirit.

Verse 17

tells us this.

If we are

God's children

then we are

heirs.

Heirs of God

and co-heirs

with Christ.

Verse 17

the truth about Jesus

is that as we

think of Jesus

and his greatness

his splendor

his glory

as creator

of this universe

as the one

who we see

who we read about

in Revelation

as enthroned

and exalted.

We're told

in verse 17

that part of

what's going on

here in terms

of God

is that we are

co-heirs

with Christ.

All of his

inheritance

all of his

riches

are things

that we are

invited to

share in.

I don't pretend

to understand

even the

beginnings

of what that's

really all about

other than to

offer it to you

as a truth

as a seed

which perhaps

can supplant

some of the

rubbish

that might be

in our lives

and growing

all around us.

Truths about God

truths about Jesus

and now we come on

to in many ways

the person who

seems to be

the central figure

in this passage

the Holy Spirit

himself

note in verses

9 and 10

that he's not

somebody who may

or may not

be present

in the lives

of Christians

it's very very clear

in verses 9 and 10

that he comes

and dwells

in every single

person

who is

a follower

of Jesus

Christ

and again

he offers

us life

verses 2

verses 6

verses 10

verses 11

verses 13

and there are others

repeating time

and again

that the Holy Spirit

comes and offers

life

but I want to

just give you

two or three

specific seeds

about the Holy Spirit

that I observe

in this passage

which I think

might be helpful

for us

verse 5

let's look at it

those who live

according to the flesh

have their minds

set on what the flesh

desires

but those who live

in accordance with the

Spirit

have their minds

set on what

the Spirit

desires

and just that wee phrase

at the end

has been playing

in my mind

mindset

on what

the Spirit

desires

and the truth

about the Holy Spirit

that I offer you

this morning

is that the Holy Spirit

is not disinterested

in us

and in our life

and in our choices

and in our present

and in our future

but he has desires

for us

the Holy Spirit

has desires

for your life

and for mine

regardless of our age

and stage

regardless of our past

regardless of our regrets

regardless of our fears

I stand confident

because it's in God's Word

and say

that the Holy Spirit

has desires

for our life

and for my life

verse 13

another truth

if you live

according to the flesh

you will die

but if by the Spirit

you put to death

the misdeeds of the body

you will live

and the truth here

is that the Holy Spirit

gives us power

the Holy Spirit

is the only one

who gives us power

to change

he's the one

who gives us the power

to uproot those weeds

and rubbish

that might be taking

place in our lives

and so if we are here

this morning

struggling with sin

feeling regretful

about the

perhaps the events

of the last week

month

year

or maybe even

our lives

then in and of ourselves

that's normal

but I want to

encourage us

and to give you

this seed

this morning

that the Holy Spirit

is the one

who says

I'll give you

that power

day by day

to change

I'm not saying

it'll be easy

I'm not saying

that suddenly

because you've got

the Holy Spirit

in your life

everything will be fine

and you'll no longer

experience the desires

around sin

but I am saying

I'll give you the power

to put to death

the misdeeds

of the body

and then another truth

about the Holy Spirit

is in verse 14

where it says

those who are led

by the Spirit of God

are the children of God

I don't normally use slides

and some of you

might be saying

Paul we wish you

continued not to use slides

because some of your pictures

are really a bit bizarre

why on earth

are you now showing

a picture of a dog

with a dog's lead

in its mouth

well I was thinking here

of what it means

to be led by the Spirit

because as well as

the Holy Spirit

having desires

as well as the Holy Spirit

having power

the reality is

the Holy Spirit

wants to lead us

now I find it's quite strange

I for the last couple of years

have had a little dog

and have very much enjoyed

being out with a dog

but there's a choice

you have to make

every time

you're going to go out

with a dog

and that is

is it a time

to have the dog

on the lead or not

now some of you

who might be in the

kind of centre of Edinburgh

maybe have never experienced

taking a dog out

without a lead on

because I appreciate

you probably don't want

dogs walking up and down

Leamington Terrace

without leads on

it's probably a bit dangerous

but I do like the times

where living slightly

out of town

it's possible to have

our little dog Harris

running around

without his lead on

but do you know

what happens?

He gets so distracted

he's having a great time

but he can't really

get anywhere

because

let's face it

it's smells

it's lamp posts

it's random bits

of ground

it's the grass

it's another dog

but there are just

so many distractions

that if he's out

without his lead

then it's pretty much

running round

in circles time

and every so often

when I call him

because I think

we're going to go somewhere

the odd thing is

he gets quite excited

about the lead going on

and as somehow

or other then

having a somewhat

more purposeful

journey

where we see more

than just the same

patch of grass

that we're sort of

running round and round

and round

and fascinated by

slightly unpleasant

smells in it

now again

it's an illustration

which I'm offering you

it's got huge limitations

because I do not think

God sees us

as people

in the same way

as I see that dog

right

so I'm not suggesting

for a minute

God wants to take us

in a lead

and drag us through life

or that that's what

the Holy Spirit's up

but what I am saying

from this passage today

is the Holy Spirit

wants to lead us

and I think the question

is whether we are

willing to be led

by the Holy Spirit

and I think

where my illustration

may have some relevance

is that the reality

is that without

the Holy Spirit's leading

we might be a bit

like that dog

running round and round

and round in circles

being totally distracted

maybe at times

thinking we're having

a great time

but getting absolutely

nowhere

and so I ask

myself

where is the Holy Spirit

wanting to take me

where is he wanting

me to go

what decisions

is he wanting me

to make

today

and in the days

ahead

and am I seeking

his will

am I saying

God

through the power

of the Holy Spirit

please lead

and direct my life

so that I do not

just run around

in circles

and waste this time

on earth

but that I use

whatever days

and moments I have

to bring pleasure

to you

and to go

in the direction

that you want me

to go

and then finally

the Holy Spirit

comes

and in verse 16

he assures us

he gives us

power to change

he leads us

he assures us

verse 16

he testifies

with our spirit

that we are

God's children

and maybe some of us

the seed I can offer you

is that the Holy Spirit

comes and says

you're not alone

you're not forgotten

you're not abandoned

and just as children

need assurance

after a fall

or after a scare

the Holy Spirit

comes and assures

you today

you are indeed

God's children

we're pretty much

out of time

so I'm going to

have to finish

but I wanted to

leave with you

three of the promises

which happen to

begin with an F

and therefore

might be memorable

for some of you

if you like

that kind of thing

that we are offered

if we are willing

to do that work

of getting rid

of the weeds

and planting

in place

the truth

of God

the truth

of what God

the Father

Son

and Holy Spirit

are wanting to do

and it's there

in verse 1

there is no condemnation

for those who are

in Christ Jesus

and it's there

in other bits

of the passage

the word freedom

that's what we are

offered today

do you know

in Scotland

there are more people

imprisoned

in our prisons

across Scotland

than has been the case

for many many years

more than 8,000 people

are in prison custody

today in Scotland

despite our crime

being at a lower level

and it's been for many many years

to discuss

feel free to have a chat

about why that might be

the case over lunch

but I wonder how many of us

while not being in prison custody

in reality

are not experiencing

anything like the freedom

that God actually intends

for us

and that he offers

if we allow him

to enter

into our lives

and then the other truth

that we see time and again

is that he offers us

the reality of a life

that is not

marked by fear

dread

insecurity

but rather

a life

where we can know

what it is

to be fearless

and finally

a life

where we know

what it is

to be part of

God's family

I offer you those

as we close

and

just invite us now

to take a moment

as we reflect

on all that God

Father

Son

Holy Spirit

want to do

in our lives

in our hearts

in this church

in our families

for our today

and for our future

let's come before him

and invite him

to supplant

all the other stuff

and to take his place

in our lives

God thank you

for your desires

for us

thank you for

the work

that you have done

for us

to

offer us

rescue

hope

purpose

and a future

Holy Spirit

thank you

for your

presence within

and your desire

to lead us

and we say

as we

move on

from this point

would you

dwell within

be at home

in our hearts

and rule

in our lives

we ask

in Jesus name

and for his glory

Amen