The Death of the Flesh

Please remain standing now for the reading of

God's word.

We're This is Romans chapter 8

Romans 8:5–8

verses

5 to 8. Again, Romans chapter 8 verses

Romans 8:5–8

5 to 8.

Please listen to the reading of God's word.

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.

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.

Those who are in the flesh

cannot

please God. This is the word of the

Lord.

Thanks to God. Please be seated.

One of the most beautiful sights in the

Galilee

in Northern Israel is known as Mount Beatitudes.

It's called Mount Beatitudes because it is believed

that that was the side where Jesus delivered

his most famous

sermon, the Sermon on the Mount.

And,

that Sermon on the Mount, you may recall

begins

with blessings,

which are the beatitudes,

that that they're known as beatitudes because that's

the the Latin term for blessing,

is is based on that.

That's where it gets the name Mount Beatitudes.

The Mount itself

provides a breathtaking

panoramic view

of the Sea of Galilee

adorned with its lush

vegetation and rich biodiversity

that the Sea of Galilee's fresh water,

sustains and nurtures.

Today,

a lovely Roman Catholic church sits amidst beautifully,

manicured

lawns

and offers a serene atmosphere

that are conducive to reflection,

to prayer,

and to a sense of peace.

Now even though the setting is absolutely marvelous,

it's picturesque

landscape is not the reason

why Mount Beatitudes is one of the most

visited sites in Israel.

What makes Mount Beatitudes

attractive,

it's that it's biblical and historical significance.

After all, the Sermon on the Mount is

one of the most well known and influential

passages

in the whole bible.

It's found in chapters 5 to 7 of

the gospel according to Matthew

and it contains things like

the beatitudes, such as blessed are the poor

in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of

heaven.

It contains Jesus teaching on the ethics of

the kingdom of God,

where Jesus for example,

calls Christians to love our enemies and to

pray for those who persecute us.

It contains the Lord's prayer, perhaps the best

known prayer world worldwide. I remember the first

time that I went to Israel,

we were in the northern most part of

of Israel,

and,

we visited a a Christian church.

And the

the pastor there,

he he said who was,

an Israeli citizen, but in but, from,

he's a Syrian. He he said, pastor, would

you come up here

and lead everyone here in the Lord's prayer?

Right? And and so the assumption was made,

of course, that surely I know the Lord's

prayer, and surely the people will be able

to follow, and then he was gonna say

it

in in, in Aramaic.

So it is just such a well known

prayer that you just can just assume. If

you're a Christian, you're gonna know the Lord's

prayer. Well, that happens in the Sermon on

the Mount and is given to us. It

also contains the golden rule, Do unto others

as you would have them do unto you,

underscoring the importance

of valuing and respecting

others.

But for all of the wisdom,

of the sermons teaching

and for all the beauty and tranquility of

the landscape

where it was the sermon was delivered,

it is the terror of the sermons conclusion

that I want to bring to your attention

right now.

Consider what Jesus says in Matthew 7 verses

Matthew 7:21–23

21 to 23.

He says,

not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord

will enter the kingdom of heaven,

But the one who does the will of

my father who is in heaven.

On that day, many will say to me,

Lord Lord,

did we not prophesy in your name

and cast out demons in your name

and do many right works

in your name.

And then I will declare to them,

I never knew you.

Depart from me you workers

of lawlessness.

Jesus then concludes the sermon by imploring people

to obey his teachings,

building their house on the rock of God's

word,

which will withstand the storm whenever it comes.

Unlike the house that is built on the

sand of man's own ideas,

which is doomed to collapse,

and with it, everyone

dwelling therein.

On what foundation

are you building

your house?

That's the question before us this morning.

What are the things that you value?

What are the things that you aspire

to attain?

Most importantly,

what are the things

you love?

Because the main point that I want you

to remember today,

is that you are what you love.

And our text will guide our thinking this

morning, as we consider 3 headings.

1st, our worldview.

Secondly, our will.

And finally,

our worship.

Our worldview,

our will and our worship. So let's consider

first

our worldview.

Look at verse 5 again with me.

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.

Notice that Paul divides humanity here into 2

camps.

Those who set their minds on the things

of the flesh

and those who set their minds on the

things of the spirit. These two groups have

different mindsets,

which are shaped and guided by the way

that they live.

1 group lives according to the flesh.

The other group lives according to the spirit.

We'll consider how their wills are governed by

different rulers when we look at our second

heading. But for now, I want us to

consider

the different mindsets of these 2

different groups.

When Paul writes that they set their minds

on something,

he's not merely describing

the content or the focus of their thoughts.

It is that,

but it is more than that.

Paul has in view not only what one

thinks about,

but rather

how one understands

or evaluates reality.

In other words,

a mind that is set on the flesh

for example,

a fleshly mind

is a mind that interprets reality

according to the fleshly principles

or values of this world.

It's a mind that undergirds a worldview

that is shaped and governed

by the flesh.

Remember as we discussed in Romans 7, the

flesh is not a reference to the human

body. It's not talking Paul's not talking literally

about our flesh. It's not that the body

is a bad thing and the spirit is

a good thing. That's not the dichotomy

that he is doing here. That's a Greek

idea. That's not the biblical

idea.

Rather,

the flesh refers to

a to the fallen state of existence

where individuals

operate according to

their sinful nature, in total bondage

to the tyranny

of sin.

That's what the flesh refers to.

How that person

perceives life,

what that person

appreciates,

why that person gets up in the morning.

All of these are governed by fleshly,

worldly

principles.

It's a whole mindset. It's a posture toward

life. It's a worldview.

Now if someone is involved in a life

of debauchery

or of crime

or someone has given his life very clearly

just to pursue

his own selfish ambition,

It is easy to recognize that such a

person

has set his mind on fleshly things.

Since we are what we love,

we can safely assume that that person is

not a Christian.

Since that person loves the world as it

were more than he loves Jesus. Whatever Jesus

calls us to do, that's not interesting for

that person. He has other loves.

So if that's not you this morning, you

might say, okay. Well, that doesn't describe me.

I don't have to worry about Jesus telling

me someday, I never knew you.

But you can be sure

that hell's membership roles

will include people who

are just nice people.

People who don't drink, people who don't smoke,

that not that you're not a nice person

if you drink or smoke, but you know

what I mean. People who don't curse,

people who attend church faithfully,

people who receive the

sacraments,

people who affirm the creeds of the church

like we just did,

and even those who are given the responsibility

of of preaching,

of shepherding,

and of ruling the church.

There will be people that are described

by like that

on hell's

membership roles.

You see a Christian is not defined by

directives,

but by devotion.

A Christian is not defined by commands,

but by conviction.

A Christian is not defined by laws,

but by love.

Christianity

is a matter of the heart. Paul has

told us that already in this letter.

And this means that mere religiosity

won't save you.

Man looks at the outside,

but God looks at the heart. So we

might be able to fool one another,

but we will not be able to fool

God.

But here's the question,

are you fooling yourself?

Are you fooling yourself?

Under the cover of regular church attendance for

example,

might you be hiding a heart that is

hostile to God?

That's a scary question, isn't it?

The way to get at this question is

to consider

the things that you love.

What is your mind set upon?

What are the affections

of your heart?

What kinds of things captivate your attention?

What do you desire so much

that you believe that you cannot live without

it?

What do you want so much

that you are angry

and bitter

because such a thing isn't yours?

How you answer these questions determines

your walk in life.

It sets your daily pursuits.

It shapes the way that you look at

reality.

It defines what matters most to you.

According to the worldview of our fallen fleshly

society, you should devote yourself to the pursuit

of wealth for example.

You should purchase the latest

technological gadget so you can truly find happiness.

You should dress in the most expensive clothing

brands

so you can show people that you're worth

something.

You should obsess

about your physical appearance because beauty is everything,

isn't it?

And you should order your life around your

own happiness.

And never mind the fact that at the

end of their pursuit,

the people who actually attain many of these

things,

tend to remain just as devoid of happiness

and peace as when they first began.

Now if you're a Christian,

you must no longer see the world according

to fleshly principles.

Instead, you must heed the words the words

Paul writes in Romans 12:2,

Romans 12:2

where he says, do not be conformed to

this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your

mind that by testing,

you may discern what is the will of

God.

What is good and acceptable

and perfect.

When the spirit changes our hearts

in from from being hearts of stone into

hearts of flesh,

He transforms us by renewing our minds.

So that we can for the first time,

discern God's will.

Enabling us to pursue what is good and

acceptable

and perfect.

When we become Christians, our priorities and perspectives

and pursuits

change.

Our minds are renewed and set

on the things of the spirit and no

longer on the things of the flesh.

With this new world view,

our thoughts are transformed

and our values are redefined.

You look at life in an entirely

new light.

When Samara was pregnant with Santiago,

our oldest,

I remember that a month before he was

born, I went to the Walmart where we

usually

shop for groceries,

except that this time we weren't I wasn't

shopping for groceries. I went to buy diapers

and baby bottles and other things so that

we could be ready for Santiago's arrival.

To my great joy,

I discovered that there were several aisles dedicated

to baby stuff.

I bought everything that we needed and when

I got home, I told Samara, you're not

gonna believe this, but Walmart

added a whole section in their store

just for babies.

Somebody gave me a puzzled look

after a few seconds asked me, are you

joking?

I told her, no.

I'm serious. Look look at I bought all

these things.

She just kept looking at me And finally

said, one card of those Walmart has always

had aisles dedicated to babies.

And of course, she was right.

The reason I had never seen this section,

a conspicuously large section in that Walmart I

may add, is that my mind had never

been set on baby stuff.

But now,

I had a new love

and my mind was set on caring for

my son.

So things that were hidden before

were now visible

and things that were insignificant to me were

now valuable.

And this new way of looking at the

world,

determine how and where

I walked.

Do you have a new way of looking

at the world?

Does this new way of looking at the

world, this new worldview

determine how and where you are walking?

The things that captivate your mind,

that intensify your passions,

that drive your pursuits.

In short, the things you love

are the things that determine your character,

the things that evidence

who you are.

The Christian must have his affections

more and more calibrated to

and directed toward

the things of the spirit.

It won't be immediate

and it won't come without a struggle,

but as you mature in your faith,

you will find yourself strangely at odds with

the values of this world.

And increasingly at peace and at home,

when your mind is set on things above.

You should expect that.

So having considered our worldview,

the second heading I want us to consider

this morning is our will.

Look at verse 6 with me.

For to set the mind on the flesh

is death,

but to set the mind on the spirit

is life

and peace.

The original Greek is more direct. Paul literally

writes,

for the mind of the flesh is death,

but the mind of the spirit is life

and peace.

Notice that every human being either has the

mind of the flesh

or the mind of the spirit.

The mind is either of the flesh

or is of the spirit because it is

ruled by the flesh or ruled by the

spirit.

That is to say,

either the flesh or the spirit

exercise

authority

over our mind

and they govern

our will.

When the flesh is in control of our

will,

our actions will be characterized

by death.

When the spirit is in control of our

will,

our actions will be characterized by life

and peace.

The contrast,

thankfully,

helpfully

cannot be more stark.

That's because the 2 masters governing the wills

are antithetical,

each to the other.

Precisely in the Sermon on the Mount,

in chapter 6 of Matthew,

Jesus says that no one can serve 2

masters

because one will hate and despise the one

and love and be devoted

to the other.

So which master are you serving?

Which one do you love

and which one do you hate?

Which one are you devoted to and

which one do you despise?

1 of these masters, the flesh

leads to death.

The other master, the spirit leads to life

and peace.

Also, the sermon on the man is helpful

here in chapter 7, where Jesus says that

one can recognize false teachers

by their fruit.

So what fruit

is the garden of your will

yielding?

Is it fleshly

or is it spiritual?

In Galatians 5 verses 17 to 21, Paul

Galatians 5:17–21

describes the fruit

of those whose will is led by the

flesh.

Look at what Paul writes there in Galatians

5.

I'll read beginning in verse 19.

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, writes

Paul, as I warned you before, that those

who do such things

will not inherit the kingdom

of God.

If this list

or even a subset of this list

characterizes

the fruit of your life,

your will

might be governed by the flesh.

Jesus might yet say to you, depart from

me.

I never knew you.

In other words, the things on the list

are not to be taken lightly.

Is sexual immorality

and impurity

and sensuality,

your raging passion,

your relentless pursuit

and even your regular

practice?

Have pornography

and promiscuity

enslave your mind

and your body?

Do you seek pleasure in

overeating

or in over drinking,

in doing these things without any control?

Are you consumed by envy

and by jealousy? Always thinking about what someone

else has

or what someone else is doing.

Are you the kind of person who is

constantly

sowing

strife

and dissension and

division.

Treating others as rivals to dominate

and defeat

and destroy.

The question is not whether you are ever

guilty

of any one of these things.

The question is whether these things

on this list

characterize

the pattern of your life.

Because you see the things on this list

don't merely lead to death,

rather they are indicative of death,

a spiritual

death.

If this is you,

then you could not be in a better

place.

Right now,

this morning.

Because you see, that used to be each

and every one of us in this room.

We were all helpless

and hopeless sinners in bondage to the domain

of death.

And I'm telling you,

there is no enduring joy and fulfillment in

the realm of the flesh.

There's only misery,

regret, and death.

But by grace and because of the great

love of Jesus Christ,

he made us alive,

transforming our hearts and renewing our minds through

his spirit.

Praise the Lord.

And because Christ gives us his spirit,

the Holy Spirit governs our will and enables

us to bear spiritual fruit.

Even though we still sin,

even though we're still in battle,

But these things no longer dominate us because

we have a new master.

Look at what Paul writes in Galatians 5

Galatians 5:22–24

verses 22 to 24.

But the fruit of the spirit is love,

joy,

peace,

patience,

kindness, goodness,

faithfulness,

gentleness,

self control.

Against such things, there is no law.

And those who belong to Christ Jesus

have crucified the flesh with its passions

and desires.

The flesh was used to govern our wills

has been crucified.

Its dominion over us has ended.

We do battle against it and are able

to bear good spiritual fruit.

To enjoy assurance of salvation,

it is not enough to say

that one is a Christian.

It doesn't matter if someone has been coming

to church for 6 weeks or for 6

decades,

nor if he has yet to be baptized

or has pastored a large church for many

years.

If that person is not characterized

by love,

joy,

peace,

patience,

kindness,

goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness and self control,

then he or she

might just hear Jesus say,

depart from me.

I never knew you.

In his heart of hearts, that person cannot

have

peace because it is the mind of the

spirit

that is

life and peace.

Do you have peace?

Do you have peace?

The confessions of Saint Augustine began with the

famous prayer

that states, God, you have made us for

yourself

and our hearts are restless

until they find their rest in you.

Are you still restless?

Won't you find your rest in Christ today?

Let the Holy Spirit take over your will

and rearrange your affections

and redefine

your love.

So having considered our worldview

and our will,

the final header I want us to consider

this morning is our worship.

Look at verses 7 and 8 with me.

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.

Those who are in the flesh

cannot

please God.

The first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism

asked, what is the chief end of man?

That is to say, what is the purpose

of man?

Why did God create man? What is the

purpose? What is the chief end?

And the answer of course is, man's chief

end

is to glorify God

and to enjoy him forever. That's why we

exist.

Man's chief end is to glorify God and

to enjoy him forever.

And the best way to glorify and enjoy

God is to worship him.

And it is to worship him

in the presence of God's people as we

are doing right now. That's the best way

that we glorify God. God delights

in receiving the worship of his people. That's

what we're doing today.

On the Lord's day, the first day of

the week.

The problem of course is that the mind

that is set on the flesh is hostile

to God.

In other words,

the fleshly

fallen mind still in bondage

to the sinful nature

is hostile to God which is another way

of saying, it hates God.

Paul writes that this hostility

is a consequence of not submitting to God's

law. The word translated as submit is a

military term, meaning that the hostility against God

is characterized by a persisting

insubordination

against God's orders.

We're in rebellion.

One commentator notes that it is as if

man's mind is marshaled against God under a

hostile banner.

What this means for our purposes,

is that the mind and will

that are governed by the flesh

are in rebellion against God

and do not recognize God's authority

and even hate God.

That's what this means. Therefore, an unregenerate person,

someone who is still in that bondage

cannot worship God.

It's not that that person cannot attend a

worship service, that person cannot worship God.

That person cannot render God the glory and

honor that he is rightly do.

That person, therefore,

as Paul writes in verse 8,

cannot

please God.

It's not that he won't please God.

It's not that he's not inclined to please

God.

It's not that he wouldn't like to please

God. It's that he cannot please God.

It's impossible.

That person in that state cannot

please God.

Now for your sake, I will resist the

temptation to embark at this point in the

sermon

on a defense of the biblical doctrine of

total depravity.

The doctrine that teaches that human beings

are so impacted in our entire constitution

that we are utterly incapable of enjoying communion

with God.

Because even our mind is hostile toward God

and therefore, we want nothing to do with

him.

But that is precisely the implication

of verses 7 and 8.

Fallen human beings cannot glorify God,

cannot enjoy God,

cannot

worship

God, and therefore, cannot

please God.

And since our repentance

of sin

and are turning in faith toward Christ for

salvation,

glorifies

and pleases God,

we are in and of ourselves,

incapable of choosing salvation

as fallen human beings.

In and of ourselves.

Every single fallen human being,

which is the status

that we all share at birth,

is therefore

of the flesh

in hostility against God

neither wanting nor being able to please God.

At least not with the factory settings that

we arrive.

The realm of the flesh

is a realm of spiritual

death.

That is the realm that we are born

into

and cannot get out.

That is the devastating death that permeates

our fleshly existence.

How then can anyone be saved?

Well, the only way to escape the death

of the flesh

is to put the flesh

to death.

And although we cannot do it ourselves, that

is exactly what Christ has done for us.

Remember that in Galatians 524,

Paul writes that through Christ, those who belong

to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with

its passions and desires.

And because Christ gives us the Holy Spirit

by his power, we are able to continue

to the battle against the flesh

knowing that our king has already conquered.

Thus, we can heed the words of Paul

who in Colossians 35 writes, put to death

therefore

what is earthly in you. It's a command.

Put to death what is earthly in you.

The death of the flesh was accomplished on

the cross.

Christ's love did it.

Remember Julio's excellent illustration last week

about the person who wants to determine if

their love interest loves them back.

So they pluck the flower

from the garden and they remove each petal

one at a time,

alternately saying, he loves me

or she loves me.

I'll say, they love me.

They love me not.

They love me.

They love me not. Right? And so on

and so forth. And then whatever last petal

remains, when you plug that one, if that

one

says, they love me and they love you.

But if it says they love you not,

you better start looking elsewhere. Right?

Well, let me remind you

that you don't have to guess about Christ's

love.

Christ is the bridegroom

who has come to take his bride,

and he himself is the rose plucked from

the father's garden.

And he gives that rose, that is he

gives himself

to you.

But he doesn't give you the thorns.

The thorns he keeps for himself.

So that every petal on this rose always

says, I love you.

Even when you love him not.

Let therefore his holy spirit indwell you with

Christ's love.

And let him shape your worldview

so you can perceive the truth.

And let him govern your will so you

can walk in righteousness

and let him lead you in worship

so you can offer God your love.

He is worthy.

He loves you

even

when you love him not. Let's pray.