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Sunday 03/06/25
Title: Led, Renewed & Overcoming
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Led, Renewed & Overcoming
Over the last few weeks we’ve been looking at the role the mind plays in living out the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives. This is directly connected to our peripheral topics of bearing fruit,being living testimonies, being the hands and feet of the Lord Jesus and fulfilling the great commission.
All of this is the result of the Holy Spirit within and upon us.
Last week we looked closely at Romans 12 where Paul said,
“Don’t be conformed by pressure from the outside to the pattern, morality and character of this world, but be transformed from the inside out.”
The instruction was to let what’s truly real about you since the new birth, be translated into how you live your life on the outside.
That right there is being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, which of course we are going to look at today in Romans 8.
Of course, the Holy Spirit being upon us is what enables us to live that out. He enables us to take that life change of becoming like Christ Jesus and turn it into a living testimony before the world around us. And so that when we speak into people’s lives with relevance, we speak to them about what God is actually doing in our life.
So the one thing that conforming to the world or being transformed from our spirit has in common is the mind!
If you’re going to be transformed from the inside out, it requires our mind to be set on spiritual things – on things above.
So then last week we went to Romans 7 because we needed to spend a little bit of time addressing this issue that we are in fact a dual person.
I mean we know we have three parts to us – spirit, soul & body, but the duality comes from the disagreement that exists between our spirit and our flesh.
Both our body and our spirit greatly influences us. Our soul, of course, is that part of us that we make our decisions with. Our mind, our will and our emotions.
When one gets born again something fundamental changes about them. We identified what that was two weeks ago and really bore down on it last week by spending our time in Roman 7.
How did Paul address it?
He said that we are spirits and as such we serve God from the inside out. That’s where that “metamorpho” we read about in Romans 12 comes from as a source.
The transformation starts from WHO WE ARE and begins to go outward to change how we live.
Remember how in 1 Corinthians, Paul said he wanted to speak to them as to spiritual people, but he couldn’t because they were carnal. He said, “I have to feed you with milk and not solid solid food because you’re still babies. Solid food belongs to those who are of full age.”
So what does that tell you? Milk is for babies, solid food is for adults!
Babies in Christ are carnal and people of full age or maturity are spiritual.
So there’s another set of words you can throw in your repertoire.
You’ve got fruit, bearing the image of Jesus Christ, babies in Christ, mature in Christ, spiritual, carnal and the list just goes on from them but all of these are just different ways of saying the exact same thing!
But notice when the NewTestament addresses this, it speaks of the conversion of our mind or our will and our emotions. The salvation of the SOUL!
“Be renewed in your mind”.
“Receive the granted word of God which is able to save your SOUL” – not your spirit, but your soul!
That our minds have to be renewed by the word of God.
These words, you’re familiar with all these words. You’ve heard them over and over and over again, haven’t you?
All of this is addressing the next step in your salvation.
The initial step is getting you into the kingdom where there’s been a rebirth. There’s been a systemic change, a fundamental change of WHO you are.
You were dead, now you are alive.
You were darkness, now you are light.
You belong to God!
You have changed, right?
NOW we’re working that salvation out from the spirit through the soul and it will eventually transform even the body. We’re going to see that progression right here in Romans 8 today!
You can see that it is a very clear progression, but it begins with the rebirth of the human spirit. So that once we come to Christ and are truly IN HIM, sin no longer comes from WHO WE ARE, but is produced from our lower nature due to our minds capitulating with the influence of our lower nature.
Paul says all of this in Romans 7.
Romans 7:19-
“(19) For what I do is not the good thing that I desire to do; but the evil thing that I desire not to do, is what I constantly do.
(20) But if I do that which I desire not to do, it can no longer be said that it is I who do it, but the sin which has its home within me does it.
(21) I find therefore the law of my nature to be that when I desire to do what is right, evil is lying in ambush for me.
(22) For IN MY INMOST SELF ALL MY SYMPATHY IS WITH THE LAW OF GOD; (23) but I discover within me a different Law at war with the Law of my understanding, and leading me captive to the Law which is everywhere at work in my body–the Law of sin.
(24) (Unhappy man that I am! Who will rescue me from this death-burdened body? (25) Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!)
To sum up then, with my understanding, I–my true self–am in servitude to the Law of God, but with my lower nature I am in servitude to the Law of sin.”
Paul is saying that the thing that drives us as Christians… We have an inward compelling to do, a drawing to do from the inward man, is to live according to the word of God and to live in a way that facilitates the work of Christ. We desire to honor the rule and the reign of Jesus Christ in our lives.
However, when we go to do that we find another principle in us that always tries to deter us to the left or the right and keep us from fulfilling the will of God!
He says so, “if I do that, which I desire not to do, it can no longer be said that it is I who do it, but the sin that has its place and influence within my lower nature. I find therefore the law of my nature to be that when I – Paul, who I really am – my spirit, I desire to do what is right. However, WHEN I desire to do what is right, evil is lying in ambush for me. For in my innermost self, (talking about his spirit, who he is) all of my sympathy, is with the law of God.” ALL OF IT, not just some of it. In Paul’s spirit, he’s not divided. He doesn’t have two interests.
Now in your mind, you’ve got two interests, don’t you?
You have an interest in God but you also have some interest in doing your own thing, your own way.
In your soul, you are divided.
In your spirit, who you are, you are not divided!
Paul goes on to say,
“But I discover within me a different law that’s at war with the law of my understanding which leads me into captivity.” The word “lead” is a very key word, which is why I used the Weymouth translation for this. Other translations often say, “bringing me into captivity” or “holding me in captivity” which paints a picture which is entirely wrong and inconsistent with everything else Paul has and will say!
When worded that way it presents it as if the child of God is stuck and that the flesh has got more power over you than the spirit does – but that’s really not the case.
Paul goes on to say, “I discovered within me a different law at war with the law of my understanding”
The law of my what? MY UNDERSTANDING!
Continuing he says, “and leading me captive to the law, which is everywhere at work in my body. That is the law of sin.”
So the law of sin and death is at work in my body even now after I’m born again. Isn’t it?
That’s the reason why our bodies, unless we’re raptured, will physically die because that law is very much at work. Isn’t it? And this is true even though you – the REAL you – have been made alive spiritually.
So you can see you, you’re not a whole integrated self yet. Are you? You can’t be. You can’t have part of you with death and part of you fully alive and be integrated. You can’t be.
The Bible says, addresses this in terms of who we commune with and hang out with. It says,
“How can light fellowship with darkness? There can be no communion between the sons of God and Belial?”
And so that’s why it says right here, that inwardly we are at war. There’s no communion there. Our flesh is fighting us. Our souls to the degree that they are not conformed to Christ fights me.
That’s the reason why the Bible says work out your salvation with fear and trembling because it’s God in you Who causes you to not BE, but rather WILL and DO after His good pleasure.
Who was Paul writing in that letter to the Philippians? He writing to born again believers! So could he have been telling them to work out their eternal salvation? No, of course not – they were already born again.
If any of those people would have died at that moment, they’d have been in the presence of the Father forever.
What salvation then were they to be working out? The salvation of their soul!
He says that if you do this, the Spirit of God is with you causing you to WANT TO and to have follow through in your flesh to do the things that He wants you to do.
Well, where’s my “want to” located? In my soul! So in Philippians he’s talking about my SOUL salvation.
“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling because it is God Who is at work in you causing you to WILL and DO after His good pleasure.” Will and Do are addressing the soul and the body respectively!
So when he says “causing you to will and do after His good pleasure”, that’s working out your salvation – a salvation of willing and doing!
Can you see how that applies with what we just read with Paul?
He said, “I want to do the right thing, but there’s another ‘want to’ within me that’s not lining up with that godly desire. And I wind up doing the thing I don’t want to do. And if that’s the case it can no longer be said that’s me that’s doing it”, right?
So Paul, says in response to this inward struggle –
“Oh, unhappy man that I am. Who will rescue me from this death burdened body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So to sum this up then with my understanding, I, my true self, am in servitude to the law of God. But with my lower nature, I am in servitude to the law of sin.” [paraphrased]
Now he doesn’t leave you there. He’s just saying that’s where we find ourselves. Right?
What do we do about that? In steps Romans 8!
Romans 8
“(1) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus; (2) for the Spirit’s Law– telling of Life in Christ Jesus–has set me free from the Law that deals only with sin and death.
Why is there no condemnation?
The reason why is because I’m in Christ and because the Spirit’s law telling about life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law that deals only with sin and death.
In my spirit, there is no more sin and death anymore. I am a free man. Amen. Independence Day has taken place. I am free from the law of sin and death!
“(3) For what was impossible to the Law–powerless as it was because it acted through frail humanity–God effected. Sending His own Son in a body like that of sinful human nature and as a sacrifice for sin, He pronounced sentence upon sin in human nature; (4) in order that IN OUR CASE the REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAWM I G H T B E fully met. For our lives are regulated not by our earthly, but by our spiritual natures.”
(5) For if men are controlled by their earthly natures, they give their minds to earthly things.
If they are controlled by their spiritual natures, they give their minds to spiritual things.
(6) Because for the mind to be given up to earthly things means death; but for it to be given up to spiritual things means Life and peace.”
The NKJV says, “That the righteous requirement of the law” That word “requirement” there is a big deal!
Again, who’s Paul writing to? Believers!
So speaking to Gentile believers, Paul calls the righteousness found in the law is still a requirement!
He said, Jesus did what He did so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. But the next key words are “might be” fulfilled in us.
So now that I’m born again, as I am working out my salvation with deep and honest respect to the point of trembling before my God, the Spirit of God works in me causing me to will and do after His good pleasure so that I’m not walking after the flesh, but I’m walking after the Spirit.
To the degree that I do that, the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in me!
Can you see that this is what this passage is saying?
So how do we walk after the Spirit if we couldn’t even walk after the law?
Well that’s a good question.
We couldn’t walk after the law because it was external to us and relied upon the ability and strength and resolve of our flesh which had sin and death in it.
At the new birth we came under a New Covenant where God took out of us a Stony heart and gave us a soft heart upon which he wrote his law. So now the law of God is no longer external to us but internal. Also we are no longer dependent upon our flesh to live it out. Sending death is still in the flesh but the power of the flesh to control us has been broken through our dying with Christ. So now all we need to do is set our minds on the Spirit in order to live the righteous requirement the law. In other words we do what we do by the Holy Spirit taking together with our spirit and our soul setting its attention on that rather than the appetite of our fleshy or lower nature.
So if I set my mind on earthly things, then I’m going to wind up living according to my flesh and the righteous requirement of the law will not be fulfilled in me because I’m not putting my mind where it belongs.
Can you see why the Bible says so much about setting your mind?
Do you see why I’m talking about having a disciplined and renewed mind?
This isn’t just huge guys, it’s everything! This literally is how you live the Christian life right here. This is, you actually engaging in the actual work of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, where He alone is ruling and reigning in our life.
This is how you do it. You set your mind.
Now let’s circle back around to WHY the righteousness in the law is a requirement for a believer.
The typical question of the only partially informed Christian is this…
“If we are no longer under the law and if we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ then why is the righteousness of the law considered a requirement for us?”
Well first off we were not delivered from the law we were delivered from being UNDER the law. It is no longer our Taskmaster nor is it our Tutor to bring us to Christ because we are in Christ. However the law is spiritual. It is holy, just and good and sets forth what rightness with God looks like if it were lived out.
Nothing about right and wrong changed at the cross. For the law to become obsolete the cross would have had to change what makes right right and wrong wrong.
Instead of delivering us from the power of sin it would have really just had to redefine sin. What used to be wrong is no longer wrong and what is used to be right is no longer right. Of course this is all utter nonsense; we know that did not happen at the cross.
In order for that to happen God Himself would have to change because He’s the very standard of all that is right.
As such the law dictates what right hearts and behavior look like which makes it the default requirement for ANYONE who claims to belong to God.
As I told you last week there are two forms of righteousness. THAT is why we spent so much time with Paul last week in Romans 7.
There’s the righteousness that I am because my spirit has been changed and now everything about who I am as a spirit – is of God. The seed and nature of Jesus Christ remains in my spirit and I can no longer give birth to sin.
As a spirit I am not an evil tree therefore I cannot bear evil fruit.
However I still inhabit a body that has sin and death in it which is where evil fruit comes from in the life of a believer.
God did not just send Jesus to redeem our spirits but our whole selves – spirit, soul and body which is what we’re looking at today.
Righteousness in our soul will become righteousness lived out in our flesh.
So the two types of righteousness or forms of righteousness are the righteousness that I am and then the righteousness that I live out.
It literally is the precise same thing as Romans 12:1&2 is saying.
I am not to be conformed to the World Around Me by external pressures, which is what the law was doing as well; it was trying to conform me to the image of God through external pressures and obligations. But now that we are recreated spirits, we are to transform our external lives by the renewing of our minds.
When we set our minds on spiritual things it agrees with both Who God is and who we are now as His children.
Now that the flesh has no more control over us we’re not under the sway of sin and death. We are only under this way of what we set our minds on.
So it’s imperative for the Christian, in order to live out the righteous requirement of the law, that they set their mind on what is spiritual.
What is spiritual? God’s word and the Holy Spirit are Spiritual.
As we keep reading in Romans 8 we see that to set our minds on earthly things is to evoke death while setting our attention on the spiritual yields life and peace…
Roman 8:7,8
“(7) Abandonment to earthly things is a state of enmity to God. Such a mind does not submit to God’s Law, and indeed cannot do so. (8) And those whose hearts are absorbed in earthly things cannot please God.”
This accords with James which says,
“Adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
And 1 John who says,
“(15) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
(16) For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (17) And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”– 1 Jn. 2:15-17
Okay, not to be too redundant but who did we determine Paul was writing to? Believers in Rome!
Paul essentially said, “If you believers do not follow after the Spirit, but after your flesh, you will die”!
How many times have you heard that in a typical American church or Christian teacher? Probably not very many times.
Now I know you’ve heard it from me probably more times than you would care to remember.
Now let’s just look at that and apply that to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
I came to Jesus as a non-regenerate person, bowing the knee to Him and declaring Him to be my Lord.
If I, however, live my life as the person in this passage in verse 5 – is that in any way consistent with my confession that Jesus is now my Lord?
No it is not! Right?
“Why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do the things I’ve told you?” Jesus said!
Now Paul says if men are CONTROLLED. Now this word is in the continual present and describes a continual action rather than one that is broken up between acts of devotion and obedience.
The idea is not of people who occasionally sin. If people occasionally give in to sin and then recover by confessing their sin and setting their course right – he is not talking about them. Paul is talking about being controlled by the flesh habitually. And we cannot overstate that Paul is referring to Christians here – otherwise it hold no relevance to those the letter is addressed to!
If a believer is controlled by their earthly nature, this is the person who is a branch in the vine that is bearing NO FRUIT. I hope that you see what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to connect verses that are worded in different ways throughout the Bible but which are all talking about the very same thing. I’m doing this so that when you read it, you’ll be triggered to realize that in those places they are still talking about the same subject. Otherwise you may make the severe mistake of thinking this is an isolated reference and teaching.
When Jesus was making that statement about branches and His being The Vine, He said,
“Every branch IN ME that bears fruit is pruned and grows more fruit as a result, but every branch IN ME that does not bear fruit is removed.” Yes?
So we’re familiar with these words and this is the same idea here.
If men are controlled, or rather if they have surrendered control to their earthly nature. They live as if they had never had an encounter with Christ. Right?
It’s because that’s where they set their minds!
Do you think it’s any mistake that the enemy has done everything he can to carnalize the gospel? The gospel in many many places in today’s world have taken the gospel and tried to teach it in a way to influence people towards natural success in their businesses, relationships, marriages – which would not be bad if “success” was defined in a way which is consistent with Kingdom work, but it isn’t! It’s all about increasing wealth, power, control and influence regarding things associated with this life and one’s personal preferences, dreams and desires! THAT IS NOT THE GOSPEL!
I wonder if the passage where Jesus said that in order to aspire to His high life, one must divest themselves from interests in his lower, earthbound life. I don’t think verses like that get much traction in many of these churches and “christian” gatherings.
This is especially true in places that attract a lot of traction and a lot of attendance. Not all of them. There’s some really good ones that have a lot of people in them. I’m not saying this is exclusive. It isn’t. There’s some good churches out there that have a lot of people in it and they’re teaching solid truth.
But by and large, the greatest majority that’s attracting a lot of attention is because they are selling a gospel that appeals to the flesh!
The gospel is not about how I can make pursuits of this earthly life successful. It’s about how I can conform to the image of Jesus Christ and encourage His lordship in the hearts of those within my sphere of influence.
You realize you can preach the gospel and turn it into a means of gain. And it doesn’t have to be financial gain. It can be a form of gain in any area of your life.
I’m telling you – you can turn the gospel into that and you have literally distorted the image of Jesus Christ and sold the gospel out to be something that is not. Misrepresenting it as a way of pursuing the flesh rather than overcoming the flesh.
That is not what the gospel Jesus Christ was sent to do. You will search in vain for anyplace anybody in the New Testament, including Jesus, said anything about that. Nothing about the gospel Jesus Christ was intended to be used as a way of manipulating your external world around you.
It’s about changing you from the inside. That’s what the power of Jesus Christ, the power of the gospel Jesus Christ is.
“For if men are controlled by their earthly natures, they have set their mind on earthly things.”
So again it’s no wonder the enemy has tried to teach and sell a gospel that sets men’s goals on earthly things. That’s a very dangerous gospel.
So for a child of God to give their minds up to earthly things means death. But for a believer’s mind to be given up to spiritual things means life in peace.
Thus Colossians tells us those who are Christ’s to seek those things which are above and not those things on the earth.
The Holy Spirit warns us through Paul that abandonment to earthly things is a state of enmity against God. People being taught in churches how to be God’s enemy.
Such a mind does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it cannot. Not only are they not obeying, they’re making obedience impossible!
Now as we continue we will read about overcoming the DEEDS of the body by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit through suffering which brings the glory of the nature and likeness of Christ in us.
Continuing on in Romans 8:9-…
“(9) You, however, are not devoted to earthly, but to spiritual things, if the Spirit of God is really dwelling in you; whereas if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, such a one does not belong to Him.
(10) But if Christ is in you, though your body must die because of sin, yet your spirit has Life because of righteousness.
(11) And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead is dwelling in you, He Who raised up Christ from the dead will give Life also to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit Who dwells in you.
(12) THEREFORE, brethren, it is not to our lower natures that we are under obligation that we should live by their rule. (13) For if you so live, death is near; but if, through being under the sway of the Spirit, you are putting your old bodily habits to death, you will live. (14) For those who are led by God’s Spirit are, all of them, God’s sons.”
“(15) You have not for the second time acquired the consciousness of being–a consciousness which fills you with terror. But you have acquired a deep inward conviction of having been adopted as sons–a conviction which prompts us to cry aloud, “Abba! our Father!”
(16) The Spirit Himself bears witness, along with our own spirits, to the fact that we are children of God; (17) and if children, then heirs too–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ; if indeed we are sharers in Christ’s sufferings, in order that we may also be sharers in His glory.
(18) Why, what we now suffer I count as nothing in comparison with the glory which is soon to be manifested in us.
(19) For all creation, gazing eagerly as if with outstretched neck, is waiting and longing to see the manifestation of the sons of God.
(20) For the Creation fell into subjection to failure and unreality (not of its own choice, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it).
(21) Yet there was always the hope that at last the Creation itself would also be set free from the thraldom of decay so as to enjoy the liberty that will attend the glory of the children of God.
(22) For we know that the whole of Creation is groaning together in the pains of childbirth until this hour. (23) And more than that, we ourselves, though we possess the Spirit as a foretaste and pledge of the glorious future, yet we ourselves inwardly sigh, as we wait and long for open recognition as sons through the deliverance of our bodies.
(24) It is *in hope* that we have been saved. But an object of hope is such no longer when it is present to view; for when a man has a thing before his eyes, how can he be said to hope for it? (25) But if we hope for something which we do not see, then we eagerly and patiently wait for it.
(26) In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness; for we do not know what prayers to offer nor in what way to offer them. But the Spirit Himself pleads for us in yearnings that can find no words, (27) and the Searcher of hearts knows what the Spirit’s meaning is, because His intercessions for God’s people are in harmony with God’s will.
(28) Now we know that for those who love God all things are working together for good–for those, I mean, whom with deliberate purpose He has called.
(29) For those whom He has known beforehand He has also pre-destined to bear the likeness of His Son, that He might be the Eldest in a vast family of brothers; (30) and those whom He has pre-destined He also has called; and those whom He has called He has also declared free from guilt; and those whom He has declared free from guilt He has also crowned with glory.
(31) What then shall we say to this? If God is on our side, who is there to appear against us? (32) He who did not withhold even His own Son, but gave Him up for all of us, will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
(33) Who shall impeach those whom God has chosen?
God declares them free from guilt. (34) Who is there to condemn them?
Christ Jesus died, or rather has risen to life again. He is also at the right hand of God, and is interceding for us.
(35) Who shall separate us from Christ’s love?
Shall affliction or distress, persecution or hunger, nakedness or danger or the sword?
(36) As it stands written in the Scripture, “FOR THY SAKE THEY ARE, ALL DAY LONG, TRYING TO KILL US. WE HAVE BEEN LOOKED UPON AS SHEEP DESTINED FOR SLAUGHTER.”
(37) Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who has loved us.
(38) For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither the lower ranks of evil angels nor the higher, neither things present nor things future, nor the forces of nature, (39) nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God which rests upon us in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The rest of the teaching is only in verbal form since I did not teach from notes today.
Blessings!
Tri
