Good evening, brothers and sisters. This evening I will be exhorting from Romans chapter 8, verses 1 through 13. I'll be focusing particularly on verses 12 and 13. Let me pray for us, and then we can open to God's Word. Father, we pray to you, the God who hears our prayers, our all-powerful God who's mighty to save and can do far more abundantly than all that we can ask or think according to the power that is at work within us. Lord, triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit, we thank you that we have access to you because of our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has opened a new and living way for us, and now, Lord, we can come to your throne of grace confidently and receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. We thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, the Lord and giver of life who's making us alive to Christ and causing us to obey and love you, Lord. Would your powerful spirit help us walk according to your ways? And we thank you, God, for revealing yourself in your word. And as we read your true and holy word tonight, would you please help us understand and would your Holy Spirit be with us and lead us into all truth? Would your word pierce our hearts and would your Holy Spirit sanctify us and bring this word to bear on us? Amen. so Romans chapter 8 is found on page 1122 in your pew bibles if you'd turn there with me I'll be reading verses 1 through 13 and our verses tonight are more specifically verses 12 and 13 that we'll be focusing on Romans chapter 8 verse 1 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. 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. 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. in our passage for tonight. 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 lead. This has been the reading of God's holy word. The American poet Robert Frost wrote a poem called The Road Not Taken. This poem ends, two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. In Romans 8 here, Paul is also talking about two paths that we can walk upon, and these paths are very different, and in fact, it makes a huge difference which path you walk upon. These paths are the path in which you would walk according to the flesh, and the path in which we'd walk according to the Spirit. These are the two paths that are before us tonight, and Robert Frost's poem, it pictures paths diverging in a wood. He begins, two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry that I could not travel both, and be one traveler, long I stood. So he's picturing a fork in the road, and a traveler standing there with a choice before him. Which road should he go down? There's a difference in the path that Paul is describing. He's describing two paths that are very far apart. And the traveler doesn't really have a choice to be on one or the other. He's not at a fork in the road because these paths are so different. They have completely different destinations. And even the way in which you would walk upon these paths is completely different. Now, walking on a path here is an idiom for living a life. So we can live according to the flesh or live according to the Spirit. And that's what it would be to walk on those paths. And Paul's purpose here in chapter 8 is to really encourage the Christians that we are on the path of life. We do walk according to the Spirit. And he makes this abundantly clear. If you look at verse 4 with me, he says, 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. And then again in verse 9, he says, you, however, talking to Christians, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if, in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you. So, he's really wanting to make clear that Christians are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. And Paul, in verse 12 here, is saying, so then, brothers. He starts with, so then. And he's talking about this new status we have, and he's making an inference from it. That's my first point tonight, is our new status in Christ. My second point will be the difficult struggle that we have on this new path. and my third point will be the glorious solution that God's given us. That's our new status, our difficult struggle, and our glorious solution. The passage begins with, so then, brothers. Paul's making this inference, and what he's particularly focusing on, you can see in verses 1 and 2. He's saying we've been saved from the power and the penalty of sin. Beginning with the penalty, he says, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We've been saved from the penalty of sin. We've been justified. There's no condemnation left for us. We've been reconciled to God and we've been made right with him. And then in verse 2, Paul moves on, for the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. So we've also been set free from the power of sin, the penalty and the power. We're no longer slaves to sin. We're no longer slaves like our old selves were, because the old self, when we walked according to the flesh, has been crucified on the cross. Paul continues on in verse 12, so then brothers, we're debtors. What does it mean to be a debtor? It means that we owe something, and what we owe is firstly that penalty that we owed, but Christ has paid that for us. So now, because we could never pay that penalty, no matter how long we lived or what good works we did, we owe a debt of gratitude to Christ Jesus. We can only pay him back by giving our lives to walk according to the Spirit, and we could never come close to paying him what his precious blood paid for us. We are debtors, and he says not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. He's making it clear. We're not debtors to the flesh, but we're debtors to the Spirit, and this means our obligation of gratitude. Paul moves on in verse 13 to say, for if you live according to the flesh, you will die. Now, this seems like a warning, and it seems like it's coming right at the Christians, but as we just read, Paul's been making it very clear that we are not walking according to the Spirit, but he's making it known that those who do walk according to the flesh, which means those who do not trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, their end is death. That means that walking down this path will lead to death if you aren't trusting in Jesus Christ. And why is that? Why does it lead to death? Paul says it's because those who are in the flesh can do nothing to please God. That sounds scandalous, and really it is. But in verse 8, Paul says that this is true. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Now, what does that mean? Even if we do good works, we can't please God? Well, what does it mean to do good works? Perhaps you are great in your job, and your boss thinks you're a great employee, and you give to charity and to the poor, and you're good to your friends and to your wife, and you tell the truth most of the time. You know, maybe you think that you're a pretty good person. But in God's eyes, good works must be done firstly in faith. How could you do something that pleases God if you don't even believe in him in the first place, and if your actions aren't done out of a trust for him? And further, how are your motivations in these actions? Perhaps you're giving to the poor for a tax write-off, or you're a good employee so that you could get a raise, or perhaps you tell the truth most of the time just so you don't get in trouble. If your motivations aren't to the glory of God, these works can't be good, and you have no standing. And to even think that your good works could set you right in the first place is wrong thinking, because the scales of justice don't sit with most of your good works on one side and a couple bad works on the other. James says that even one evil work, one act of sin, is enough to condemn you, to completely turn the scales, because just one sin is so wicked in God's sight, and he is so holy, so just, and so pure that he can't even look upon one sin. So one sin in itself would condemn you. We can't trust in our works, but if you are an unbelieving friend tonight, just know that no one who is a Christian here, no one who's been redeemed, who walks according to the Spirit, was saved because of their good works. The good news is that it's all because of God's grace. We can't do anything to merit his favor, and it's only because he first loved us that we can love him and walk according to his ways. So we implore you to call out to God and ask for this faith, ask for forgiveness, and he will give it. He's faithful, and he sent his son Jesus as a means to redeem. Look to Jesus in faith, and you can be saved from this path according to the flesh, which leads to death most certainly, be freed from the slavery to sin, and be brought to the path of life, the path of the Spirit. But if you are saved from this path of the flesh and walk according to the Spirit with us Christians, I can't promise that it's going to be an easy life. And that brings me to my second point, that even as we walk on this path according to the Spirit, we have a difficult struggle, and all the Christians here can admit that. We're obligated, as we said, out of gratitude, out of thankfulness for the forgiveness of sins, to put to death the deeds of the body. We have an obligation to live righteously, and this is daily work, work that we have our entire lives until we're in the heavenly kingdom with Jesus Christ. Paul gives us a picture of this in chapter 7 just before our passage and he says in verse 16 now I do not do what I want I agree with the law that it is good so it's no longer I who do it but the sin that dwells in me for I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh for I have the desire to do what is right but not the ability to carry it out for I do not do the good that I want, but the evil that I do not want is what I keep on doing. If that isn't such an accurate picture of the Christian life, we want to live according to God's will, but we are bogged down by sin. It clings so closely to us. In these old tendencies, from when we once walked upon the path of the flesh, the old man, these tendencies and these habits follow us even into our new life and our new path. What are these old tendencies? I know that some of you may be Christians who have been Christians from such a young age or always been Christians, and you don't really remember or know a life before Christ. That's the experience of many, but God does not leave us to wonder what the works of the flesh are. In Galatians 5 19, Paul says, 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. There's also like the passage we heard this morning from Pastor Contreras, Colossians 3.5, a list of works of the flesh, even Romans 1 and 1 Timothy 1 and 2 Timothy 3. There's lists all over the Bible because God wants us to make it really clear which sins and which actions we ought to hate, which behaviors we need to hate in this life. And hating sin isn't just, well, I don't murder and you know I don't cheat on my wife so I pretty much have it there. We need to hate every sin. There's even a table talk magazine in the lobby right now about commonly tolerated sins. We shouldn't have any tolerated sins. We should hate all sins. These old habits from our old self these old habits die hard but we're called to kill them. On the path of the spirit when we have this new life, we're accosted by these temptations. They're like rabid beasts, and they're not like the little coyotes we have here in San Diego. The Bible pictures Satan as a roaring lion trying to bring us back into sin and temptation. John Owen puts it this way. He says, Let not that man think that he makes any progress in holiness, who does not walk over the bellies of his lusts. He who does not kill sin in his way is not taking any steps towards his journey's end. So we can picture we're on this path of life, and to move forward, we have beasts in our way. The temptations of sin are upon us, and we need to kill them to progress forward in sanctification. Now, Paul makes it explicit here that you need to do this. He says, But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, he's pointing a finger at us saying you need to do it. You are active in your sanctification. You don't just let go. You are active in killing sin in your life by the spirit. This is hard. It's so hard because sin clings so closely to us. Temptation is always begging to be satisfied. And I'm sure you might not feel like you can do this on your own. And the truth is, you can't do it on your own. None of us can do it on our own. But God has not left us alone. He's given us his Holy Spirit, and that's our glorious solution. That's my third point this evening, is the glorious solution that we have to the struggle of temptation in this life is the Holy Spirit. We're justified, but we're still sinners, and we feel the weight of sin on us. But God is our new master in this Christian walk, and he's not left us alone. He hasn't left us without the means to kill sin. This is his will for our lives. In 1 Thessalonians 4, he says his will for our lives is our sanctification. He wants us to be made more like Christ. We're given the means. We weren't just dropped into the woods, and he didn't say just go figure it out. But if you look at verse 14, it says, for all those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. So we're being led by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit's leading us down this path and helping us kill these beasts, these temptations that are before us. I think sometimes Christians try to invent new ways to kill sin that aren't through the Holy Spirit. Maybe fasting or going and living in a monastery. There's all kinds of creative ways we can think of to kill sin. But it's almost like we have our cell phone in our hand and we're searching around for it and tearing up the couch, but it's in our hand the whole time. That's what Paul is telling us here is you don't need to go and find a new way to kill sin. The Holy Spirit is in you. The Holy Spirit is in you right now. Look down. He's telling us this, and we're able to turn from sin now. We have that ability now that we're in Christ. We can turn from sin, and we have a powerful tool to do it. If you'd look at verse 11, he says, 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. The very spirit that dwells in us is the same spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead. We don't have a meager weapon to kill sin with. We have the very Holy Spirit with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Now, how do we use this tool? One way we could think about it is a habitual weakening. That's the term that John Owen puts to it, a habitual weakening of sin. As we said, these temptations could be pictured as beasts. and as we give into the temptations, it's as though we're feeding the beasts and making them stronger. And let's be honest, we've been giving these beasts more than just table scraps as we've been living this Christian life. These habitual sins and these beasts are growing big, and how we'd weaken them, how we'd turn away from them, is to stop feeding them, stop giving into those sinful desires. But as we stop giving into the sinful desires, as we're starving these beasts of temptation, they will become more violent and more angry as they're not being fed. And it will become more difficult to turn away from these sins. It's in these moments that we need to cry out to God and say, Lord, I am too weak. I need your Holy Spirit to help me. I need your Holy Spirit and your power. I can't do it on my own. What you're probably thinking is that's when it's most difficult to call upon the Holy Spirit. That's when it's most difficult to pray. And I agree, that is when it's most difficult. Let's think more about how we might put the sin to death. I've heard a pastor say that we look to him that we might look like him. So the Holy Spirit's work is helping us look to Jesus Christ that we might look like Jesus Christ. This is the debt of gratitude that we're living out is because we see that Jesus has paid for our sins. And we love him so dearly that we want to gratefully live out our lives according to his will. So the more that we look to Jesus and see him as he is, as this blessed savior, perfect, sinless, who loves and cares for us, as we see this beautiful savior, the more we will hate sin and the more we will want to turn from sin in the first place. And the easier it will be to turn from sin, the more clearly we see Jesus Christ. See, as the Holy Spirit leads us on this path, he is making Christ more clear to us. The Bible says as much in 2 Corinthians 3.18. We're told that the Spirit is transforming us from one degree of glory to another as we look to Christ with unveiled face. So as we take the veil away, as we can see Christ more clearly, the more glorious we'll become, the more like Christ we'll become as we're being transformed to look like Christ by the Holy Spirit. I've heard it said, it's as though you're in a room with just one window, and the light's coming in, and you're facing the darkness. As the Holy Spirit's turning our chin to look to the light, to look at Jesus Christ, we can't help but turn away from the darkness at the same time. So the more that we look to Jesus Christ, the more we'll automatically be turning away from this darkness the more we behold our beautiful savior the end of verse 14 or 13 the end of our passage today is if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live this life is the end of our path the eternal life in christ jesus but it's it's even more than that as we're being made like jesus christ we can experience a foretaste of that life, of that true life in heaven. The living is not only looking forward to true life to come, but getting an experience of it now as we're being made into who Christ wants us to be when we'll be perfected in the heavenly kingdom. Now, I imagine some of you might feel like you don't have great success over sin. I think all of us feel that way. And I've heard from a wise man a comforting word that the way this world giving into sin is downstream. It's passive. Dead things float downstream and fall into the temptations of sin. But living things can fight against the current. And as we're swimming against the current, even if we're not winning Olympic medals for our great swimming, which surely we won't, just being in the fight helps you know that you have life in Christ. You can be comforted and assured that if you are fighting sin, if you're in the battle, that's because Christ is at work within you, and his Holy Spirit is helping you do that. So we won't be able to defeat sin completely in this life, and we remember what the catechism says, that in this life, even the holiest have only a small beginning in disobedience. Let us hold fast to Jesus Christ, who's kept all the commandments perfectly for us, and defeated sin and death on our behalf, that we might have eternal life in him. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That is our glorious hope that we hold to. We thank you that we're sealed by the Holy Spirit that dwells in us and is the very power of God to help us fight sin in this life. Help us, Lord, help us to walk according to the spirit and to put to death the deeds of the body. Would we go forth in this new week confidently knowing that the spirit of God will help us in our time of need? Lord, lead us not to depend on our own power, but on your power. Amen.