A Righteous Walk Qualifies Us As Children Of God||Romans 7:25-8:1-13

What's going on, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ?

We're going to take a little detour tonight.

We've been studying in the book of Philippians, and we are currently getting close to finishing chapter one.

But I'm going to take a detour tonight.

I'm going to start talking and teaching in the book of Romans, the specifically chapter 8.

Chapter 8 is loaded.

It is truly, as you hear about the Holy Spirit somewhat in some of the chapters, the Holy Spirit is heavily mentioned in chapter 8.

And the reason why is because the Holy Spirit is the key component to helping us battle with our flesh so that He can fully, with the Spirit Man, take control and guide us into all truth and into the things of God's will.

Okay?

And so this is why now when he really explodes on the scene in chapter 8, uh after we see the internal battles that are going on within us.

Romans, the book of Romans, even though the book of Romans was not the first book that the Apostle Paul wrote, it was put in this Bible as his first epistle by design.

And the reason why, ladies and gentlemen, I wish somebody had taught me a long time ago about this, it's because it displays us all having to go into our wilderness season.

Immediately after Jesus Christ, after his baptism by John the Baptist, received the Holy Spirit.

John said that he saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove.

What did the Holy Spirit do?

Immediately led Jesus into his wilderness season.

Now for Jesus, he spent 40 days and 40 nights there in this wilderness season.

Okay, uh coming back into remembrance of who he is on the earth, okay, and who he was in heaven.

And he's getting all these revelations brought back to him so that he can go and fully lead off in his ministry the way that the Holy Spirit needed for him to do in order to accomplish the great mission that he was ultimately led to, which is to the cross, to die for the sins of the whole world.

But as we saw this 40-day and 49th sample of Jesus going into the wilderness, we saw 40 years of a physical presentation of Moses leading the children of Israel into the wilderness.

And so, even though we saw that physical connotation of the wilderness season, we now all have to go into our own spiritual wilderness ourselves.

This is the place where the battle begins.

This is the place where the transformation begins.

This is also the place where the flesh fights against that transformation because the flesh wants to continue to fulfill his own selfish desires.

Now, the Holy Spirit in no way is going to force us into the transformation period.

He is waiting on us to willingly submit ourselves, dying daily to our selfish desires, so that he can ultimately take over and guide us along with our spirit man, who has now been made alive by Jesus Christ, because we believed on and trusted in him.

He now is able to guide us in the way that we need to be guided, so that we can fully show evidence that we are indeed God's children.

And so when we get into reading chapter 8, we're going to see the importance of this.

It's a lot of meeting here.

And we're going to understand where the concept of adoption came from.

What state the creation was not only in when the Apostle Paul wrote this epistle, but what state the cu the whole creation is still in tonight as it awaits evidence of God's children to come back one day with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, so that it will know that death, sin, and the grave have finally been lifted permanently off of the earth.

Okay?

So I want to start in Romans chapter 7 and read the 25th verse first.

Romans 7 · chapter mention

And the reason why is because a lot of times you will find that the apostle Paul is continuing something from previous verses or that chapter, specifically at the end, when he uses the words therefore, because of, or if this.

And he's continuing something, his thought based on what the Holy Spirit is telling him to write, off of where he left off of in the first chapter.

And so this is why I want to start here first because when you read the whole chapter of chapter seven, boy, it really shows us that this battle is serious.

The apostle Paul says the things that I don't want to do, I still find myself doing.

And the things that I want to do, I don't do.

So that he could allow the Holy Spirit to lead him the way we saw the Holy Spirit leading him.

And this is where we ultimately want to get to eventually ourselves.

So let's go ahead and start in chapter 7, verse 25.

And again, I am reading it from an amplified Bible.

Um, this this is my Bible of choice, whatever Bible of choice you have.

Um, if that's more comfortable for for what you want, uh stick with it.

But I I I love studying from the Amplified Bible, so I will be reading from the Amplified Bible.

And it says here, Thanks be to God for my deliverance through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now, the first place that the power is revealed and your deliverance is being set free from the bondage of sin, ladies and gentlemen.

Okay, when the Holy Spirit comes to indwell you, he is releasing you now from the bondage of sin, so that he can help you walk in the freedom from sin, such as Jesus, when he went to the cross and killed sin at the cross, has given us.

Okay, so it is because of this deliverance through Jesus Christ our Lord, so then on the one hand, I myself with my mind serve the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh, my human nature, my worldliness, my sinful capacity, I serve the law of sin.

So as the apostle Paul continues to make it known about this internal battle that we are going through.

See, this is the whole reason for the wilderness season, ladies and gentlemen, so that we can go through this internal battle and eventually get to that place of transformation that Romans chapter 12 wants us to get to.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

Be not conformed to the continuous ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

And it is a battle.

And you're seeing the apostle Paul tell us about this battle on one hand, in his mind, he wants to serve the law of God, but on the other hand, he's fighting to serve his flesh.

Okay, now, and it is because of that, verse 8, it's chapter 8.

Now let's get to chapter 8.

It says, Therefore, there is now no condemnation, no guilty verdict, no punishment for those who are in Christ Jesus who believe in him as personal Lord and Savior.

Despite the battle that he was going through, it will not be counted against him, is what the apostle Paul is talking about.

Now, as he tells us in chapter 5 and 6, does that mean just because grace will more abound that I keep on sinning?

No, it does not.

But the reason for the Holy Spirit is to help us to get past that place where we're no longer falling.

Let's go to Proverbs 24, verse 16.

Proverbs 24:16

Now many of us have heard this quoted, but what does it actually mean?

Proverbs 24, 16.

Verse 16, it says, For a righteous man falls, look at this, seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of disaster and collapse.

Now it says a righteous man falls seven times and gets back up again.

What does it mean by that?

Because we are still internally battling sin.

And so God knows that we're going to go through those internal struggles.

This is why there's no condemnation.

This is why when you go through those falls, don't allow Satan to tell you otherwise.

See, you're not saved.

See, you still want to do the things you want to do.

No.

What you're dealing with is the memory of what sin is still causing you to do.

And so those things, through consistent studying of the word, consistent praying to God, consistently uh practicing and applying the word of God, is going to help you eventually get to your transformation state so that you will no longer be falling, but you do have a buffer in your wilderness season to help you call the Holy Spirit until you get to that place where you're no longer falling all the time.

Okay.

So just because you become saved does not mean you're still not going to be walking in your old ways of sin.

But there is hope because the Holy Spirit now has given us hope that eventually we will transform out of that state of mind into the state of a godly mind, living a godly life.

Okay, and this is what it means by just man falls seven times.

That no matter how many times he's fallen, he gets back up, dust himself off, and keeps walking in the Lord because of the promise of transformation.

Okay, now let's get on back over here.

So there is no condemnation because Jesus took the sin penalty.

So Satan or anybody else can't keep digging up your past and trying to keep you in who you were.

Yes, you might be falling right in their presence.

But the moment you got saved, you're not the person that you was.

And this is why you continue to dust yourself off and get up to get to that transformation state.

Alright, now.

Verse 2.

For the law of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, it's capital S of life, which is in Christ Jesus, the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus Christ and helped aid in his performing the miracles that he performed, speaking with authority, such as he spoke, is in us today.

Alright?

For the law of the spirit of the of life which is in Christ Jesus, the law of our look at this new being, has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Jesus went to that cross.

He killed and weakened the power of sin in your life.

He killed death by being raised by the same Holy Spirit that we have today from the dead in a body of immortality.

So let's keep going.

Verse 3, for what the law could not do, what the law couldn't do, couldn't save you.

But what the law did do was make us recognize that we needed a savior.

Alright.

For what the law could not do, that is overcome sin and remove its penalty.

The law couldn't do any of that.

But the law was still perfect.

Make no mistake about it.

The law was still perfect.

Alright.

Now, it's power.

See that?

So the power of sin has been removed.

Watch this.

Being weakened by the flesh, man's nature without the Holy Spirit.

So man's nature without the Holy Spirit desires to do what he wants to do.

Now, why do I keep saying he?

Because you'll see that the Bible calls our nature the old Adamic sin nature or the sin nature of Adam, because that's who we got our sin nature from.

Alright.

Watch what God did now to help us with this realization of this battle.

He says, God did.

He sent his own son in the likeness of a sinful man as an offering for sin.

Now make no mistake about it.

Jesus was tempted such as we were.

Yet for him to qualify to go to that cross, the Bible tells us he was born without sin.

Don't mean he wasn't tempted by sin.

This is the reason why the Bible tells us that he can be, he serves as an immediate relief.

Because he can empathize with what we go through on a daily basis, especially in the land of temptation.

We saw Satan try to attempt to trip Jesus up in Matthew chapter 4.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

But how did Jesus fight him?

With the word of God.

And this is why we have to stay in our word every day.

Until it soaks in and we start really believing it.

And the word is life breathed within us.

Alright?

So now, he sent Jesus as an offering for sin.

Watch what he did.

Watch what the power of that did.

And he condemned sin in the flesh, not us.

He condemned sin.

Okay?

Subdued it, took control of it, and overcame it in the person of his own son.

So God was able to subdue and kill sin through Jesus Christ, through the shed blood.

Because why?

Because he judged Jesus for what we should have been punished for.

He punished Jesus for the sins of the world.

The Bible says that Jesus carried sin, the sins of the world in his body.

But when he came up from that grave, guess what didn't come up with him?

Sin.

Stay dead.

Okay, I want y'all to hold that.

Verse 4.

So that the righteous and just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not live our lives in the ways of the flesh.

Watch this.

Guided by worldliness and our sinful nature, which is the atomic nature, but live our lives in the ways of the who?

Spirit, guided by his power.

Now, if true for transformation is beginning like it should, and it's effective like it should be, you will start noticing that you are now in a place where the Holy Spirit can actually guide you into the will of God without a lot of fight.

But believe me, while you're in your wilderness season, it is a fight, ladies and gentlemen.

It's a battle.

And though sin and death has left us for dead, the Holy Spirit has given us hope that He will, as long as we allow Him, we stay in His Word, we pray, we apply Transformation will take place.

Alright?

Now first uh let's go back to verse 4 so that the righteous and just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not live our lives in the ways of the flesh, guided by worldliness and our sinful nature, but live our lives in the way of the Spirit guided by his power.

Showing evidence of sin, the power of sin being broken.

Verse 5 for those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh.

They still haven't reached that place of transformation, still battling, which gratifies the body, but those who are living according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit, his will and purposes.

Now, verse 6.

Now the mind of the flesh is death, both now and forever.

What is the wages of sin?

Death.

Because it pursues sin.

But the mind of the spirit is life and peace, the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God both now and forever.

Now I want to go to I want to go to Ephesians.

Let's see, where I want to go.

Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

When we talk about putting off the old self, the old nature, the atomic nature, and putting on a new self.

As we stop here and talking about walking with God, walking in a way that pleases God.

Let's go here.

And let's look deeper into this walk and what this walk should look like.

What it was and what it should be as we continue to walk in God with God.

Alright, here it goes.

It says, So this I say and solemnly affirm together with the Lord as in his presence, that you must no longer live as the unbelieving Gentiles live in the futility of their minds and in the foolishness and emptiness of their souls.

Now, what does the Apostle Paul say over there in Romans chapter 8?

Romans 8 · chapter mention

Those who still live in their flesh are led by the flesh, but those who live lives in the Holy Spirit are led by the Spirit.

They have no hope right now.

And he's reminding these Gentile believers that you once were that way, and now you have been set apart by the Holy Spirit.

Verse 18 for their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is clouded.

They are alienated and self-banished from the life of God with no share in it.

This is because of the look at this, y'all, willful ignorance and spiritual blindness, not forceful.

Because of what Jesus did, he eliminated every excuse to say that the power of sin is still what's leading you.

Let that sink in for a minute.

So the apostle Paul says it is willful ignorance, it's not forced ignorance.

They want to be this way.

And spiritual blindness, that is deep.

Look at this, seated within them because of the hardness and incentivity of their heart.

Their hearts are still hardened, can't be reached.

Because their sins run so deep that it's taking a lot to uproot it because they don't want to let it.

Go.

Alright, now verse 19, and they, the ungodly, look at this, in their spiritual apathy, having become callous and unfilling.

That's a scary place to be, where you are numb to the Holy Spirit.

Alright.

Have given themselves, look at this, over as prey to the unbridled sensuality, eagerly craving the practice of every kind of impurity that their desires may demand.

Still holding on.

That you are more important than God.

Verse 20, but you look at this, did not learn Christ in this way.

If in fact you have really heard him, you're truly led by the Holy Spirit, and have been taught by him, just as truth is in Jesus, revealed in his life and personal, personified in him.

If you're truly like Christ, then you will live and walk like Christ did.

And that's the whole purpose of these verses.

That regarding your previous way, look at this.

You once living such as those he was talking about in the first few verses up here.

You once lived that way, you no longer live that way now.

Alright, verse 22.

That regarding your previous way of life, you put off, look at this, your old self.

Completely discard your former nature, which is being corrupted through deceitful desires.

Verse 23.

And be continually, this is an everyday process.

Everyday.

Keeps going.

Now it gets easier the more submissive we become to the Holy Spirit and empty out our own selfish desires and allow him to fill us more with his self, with his power.

The walk gets a little bit easier.

Doesn't mean it's not going to be challenging, but it becomes less challenging the more that we commit to a more intimate and deep relationship with God.

Okay, and the only way you can do that is through prayer in this word, and be continually renewed in the spirit, our spirit of your mind, having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude.

Verse 24.

And put on the new self, the regenerated and renewed nature, created in God's image, God like in the righteousness and holiness of the truth, living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation.

Now, the apostle Paul has mentioned this before about showing gratitude for our salvation.

What does this mean?

We don't wait till we get to heaven to walk a righteous life.

We show evidence that we have eternity by walking that righteous life now, by bringing the kingdom on the earth.

Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This is the whole thing.

It's us bringing the kingdom to the world.

Showing what the kingdom is actually about as opposed to how Satan is running this world.

Okay, so we are to put on a new self.

Verse 24, the regenerated and renewed nature, created in God's image, God like in the righteousness and holiness of the truth, living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation.

Verse 25.

Therefore, because of your new way of walking, rejecting all falsehood, whether lying, defrauding, telling, half-truths, yes, there's a certain thing, such thing as half-truths, God Satan did this to Eve, gave her half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these, speak truth.

He's quoting from the old testament now because everything is in caps here.

Speak truth, each one with his neighbor.

For we are all parts of one another, and we are all parts of the body of Christ, and we should all be of one mind, one purpose.

So this is generally what our walk should look like.

And this walk pleases the Lord, not living the same way as mentioned in the previous verses within this chapter, but living in comparison and alignment with the latter of the verses after that.

So let's go back to Romans.

I won't go back to verse 5, and then we'll continue reading from there.

Verse 5, for those who are living according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh, which gratify the body.

What the apostle Paul spoke about in great length in Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

Those who lack their transformation.

He's talking about right here as well.

But those who are living according to the Spirit, the Holy Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit, his will and purposes.

Verse 6.

Now the mind of the flesh is death, both now and forever, because it pursues sin.

But the mind of the spirit is life and peace.

The spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God.

And we just talked about what does a true walking God look like?

Both now and forever.

Verse 7: the mind of the flesh with its sinful pursuits is actively hostile to God or enemies against God.

The moment we come into this world, ladies and gentlemen, we become enemies of God.

Why?

Because that sin nature that we are born into this world with.

That sin nature that King David mentions, I believe, in Psalm chapter 51, verse 5.

Psalms 51:5

For in my mother's womb I was shaped in iniquity.

Alright.

So the flesh is at is hostile to God.

It does not want to do or please God in any way.

Only wants to please and serve himself.

Alright?

With its sinful pursuits, it's actually hostile to God.

It does not submit itself to God's law.

See?

Since it cannot.

And without the Holy Spirit, he won't be aware that he's living a sinful life.

The Holy Spirit is the one who brings us to conviction to make us aware that not only are we living a sinful life, but we need a Savior, and that there is an eternal battle that we have now become awakened to.

Alright?

Verse 8 and those who are in the flesh living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses cannot please God.

When your desires are still stronger than God's desire for your life, the Holy Spirit will be ineffective.

He won't be able to lead you.

But these are the battles that you internally go through in your wilderness season.

Verse 9.

However, you are not living in the flesh controlled by the sinful nature, if the Holy Spirit is truly in you, and you are effectively receiving your transformation.

You should not still be walking in the flesh, but in the spirit.

Look at this.

And this is a prepositional phrase.

If in fact directing and guiding you, if the Holy Spirit is truly directing and guiding you, you will no longer be submitting to the selfish desires of your flesh.

But if anyone, look at this, does not have the spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him and is not a child of God.

Now that is a hard one for many to receive.

But if you're not walking in obedience, then it's kind of hard for you to claim that you are a child of God.

Jesus says, Why do you call me good?

Those who do the will of my father belong to the Father.

Period.

Now, with that being said, let's get on over here to 1 Corinthians chapter 5.

1 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

And see what it looks like for those who so call themselves Christians, but are far from it.

Now there was a serious situation going on in the church of Corinth that was not being addressed, and the Apostle Paul had to address it and tell them to stop being arrogant about the matter and to deal with it.

And in doing so, he wrote some very strong words.

1 Corinthians chapter 5.

1 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

Let's start in verse 9, and we're going to end in verse 13.

Watch what he says here.

I wrote to you in my previous letter not to associate, watch this, with sexually immoral people.

Watch the distinction he has with sexual immoral people in the world versus those who are in your church.

Not meaning the immoral people of this world or the greedy ones and swindlers or idolaters, for then you would have to get out of the world and human society altogether.

Now look at this.

The apostle Paul is basically saying that it's better for you to deal with those who are unbelievers in the world who are doing these things than those who claim to love the Lord who are doing them.

Those who are claiming to be Christians but still living sinful lives, they're more dangerous than the people in the world.

And this is basically what the apostle Paul is telling us.

Listen, because you got to go to work with people that are of the world.

Everybody's not saved like you, everybody's not walking like you.

But the people you need to be more most concerned about are those who say they are, and they're not.

They're the most dangerous.

Alright now.

So let's keep going.

He says, I'm not talking about the immoral people in the world that do these things.

For you had to get out of the world altogether because you're gonna be around plenty of people that aren't saved.

Alright now.

But actually, watch what the apostle Paul says is I have written to you not to associate with any so-called Christian, brother, if he is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolatry, devoted to anything that takes the place of God, or is a reviler who insults or slanders or otherwise verbally abuses others, or is a drunkard or a swindler, you must not so much as eat with such a person.

Now, many people would think this is cruel, but because of the severity and the dangerous nature of someone who claims to walk in the Lord is as disobedient as they are.

Guess what he says?

Bad company can ruin good morals.

And what happens is because these people in the churches of Corinth were doing this very thing, they were omitting sin, being fooled by who these people say they are, unbeliever in Christ.

So they just was letting it go.

And the Apostle Paul said, No, player, we gotta address this thing.

This person is walking in a way that is not right among you.

You need to deal with it.

So let's keep going.

Verse 12.

For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders?

Look at this, non-believers.

Do you not judge those who are within the church to protect the church as the situation requires for all those who says you can't judge me?

This Bible says I can.

If I'm walking in the righteousness of God and you're not, I have a right to address you and say something about it.

Now, in brotherly and sisterly love, of course, but if you continue not to listen, I'll bring others to address the situation.

If you continue not to listen to them, guess what we'll have to do?

Put you out of the church, put you out of our community in hopes that that isolation will help you to learn and understand more about what you're doing so the Holy Spirit can convict you in your situation.

But as long as people continue to aid and feed your situation, you're not gonna see the error of your ways.

And this is what the this is what the apostle Paul is talking about.

Yes, I have every right to deal with that someone who is walking amongst me, especially in my church community, and not living the right life.

When they say they believe in God.

Now, let's go back over to Romans.

Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

So those who are walking in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, in obedience, like Christ was, are true sons of God.

Verse 10 if Christ lives in you, though your nature is dead because of sin, your spirit is alive because of righteousness, which he provides.

Now, it tells us over there in Ephesians chapter 2, the verse 2, first two verses, that we once were spiritually dead in our trespasses.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

But now Christ, because we believed and trusted in him, by believing that he died for our sins, was buried and raised from the dead on the third day according to scriptures.

Our spirit man now has been made alive.

It is the first resurrection, ladies and gentlemen, that we have to go through upon receiving the Holy Spirit.

The spirit man that Adam killed during his willingly disobedience moment has to be made alive again.

Okay, and as we're going through our transformation period, this is why he keeps uh going between capital S, which is the Holy Spirit, and the small S, which is our spirit, because it is very important for the Holy Spirit and the Spirit man to work together in order to subdue and take control over the selfish nature of our soul.

Alright, now verse 11, and if the spirit, the apostle Paul keeps using that word, if here, if you are truly who you are, saying you are, then these things should be showing evident in your life through the Holy Spirit.

If Christ, and if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, that same Holy Spirit who raised him from the dead, we have He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your look at this mortal bodies through his spirit who lives in you.

Verse 12.

So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but not to our flesh, our human nature, our worldliness, our sinful capacity to live according to the impulses of the flesh.

Our nature without the Holy Spirit.

And he keeps continuing to say that because before the Holy Spirit came to live within within us, our spirit man was dead.

We were spiritually dead in our trespasses, separated from God.

And this is why he keeps giving us distinguishing factors about that.

Alright?

Now, verse 13 for if you are living according to the impulses of the flesh, watch this.

You are going to die.

For the wages of sin is death.

And I can tell you, my friends, that spiritual death is worse than physical death.

Because when you're spiritually dead, you can be walking delusionally thinking that you still belong to the Lord.

But you are dead as all get out.

Even though people can see you walking around here, you are like a walking zombie.

You're dead spiritually, and that is by far more dangerous than physical death.

Verse 13, for if you are living according to the impulses of the flesh, you are going to die.

But if you are living by the power of the Holy Spirit, His guidance, you are habitually putting to death, look at this, the sinful deeds of the body.

You will really live forever.

You are walking in evidence of eternal life righteously on this earth for people to see right now.

And walking this way will lead you into living forever, such as Jesus has promised.

Now we're going to stop right here.

And uh we'll pick back up in verse 14 in chapter 8, but I'm gonna conclude it right here.

And uh I can't wait to get to the next part of teaching because we're gonna talk about the adoption of the Holy Spirit.

Where did that concept come from?

Because it was a concept that was already begun in this Bible, which leads us to this place of the spirit of adoption.

Other than that, I'm evangelist Toby Doubt it.

Peace.

I'm out.