04. Search Me
05. Above All Else
06. Majesty And Mystery (Awesome God)
08. There's No One Like Our God
09. Captivated
11. Turn Your Eyes

For more about Vicky Beeching click on her name in on the links list or check out www.vickybeeching.com

Monday, April 18, 2005

Live in the Spirit

As promised last time,

Romans 8

Life in the Spirit
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 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, 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. 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. 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.
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. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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.

Heirs with Christ
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Future Glory
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God's Everlasting Love
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul says in vs 9, "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you."
Do you have the Spirit of God? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?
Here is how you can know for sure....Romans 10:9 "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 8:11 "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 the Spirit who dwells in you.

Paul moves on to talk about the difference of living in the flesh and living in the Spirit. Vs. 13 "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
This is a great part here in vs 14-17 "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the Spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."
We are God's Children! We are a part of His family!!!

From here Paul again moves on, in the last part he said "provided we suffer with him". So we are going to suffer, but Paul makes a clear point from vs 18-30 that this suffering that we will go through cannot compare to the Glory that we will enjoy in the future. He aslo says that the Spirit will help us through our weaknesses, interceding for us. And one of the best parts in in vs. 28 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." All things work together for Good!!! God must truly love us....but wait Paul moves straight into that! Vs. 31-39
Vs. 31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" and vs. 37 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." And finally vs. 38-39 "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

GOD TOTALLY LOVES US!!!!!!!! And nothing can ever take that Love from us!!!!!!
1 John 4:19 "We love, because HE (God, Christ) first loved us."

So you may be thinking, "This all great, but you didn't really tell me how to live in the Spirit."

Patience, Patience! Baby Steps on to the bus, baby steps down the isle, baby steps to the seat. (What about Bob! Such a great movie!)

We will get to this tomorrow, but if you need to read ahead the text will be from Galations 5:16-26

In Christ,

Dave

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