Romans 224: Romans 8 - What Kind of Person are You?Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES a Christian Church Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…a worldwide Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark.
Thanks very much to Joel and Deanna Perkosky for hosting the first, of what I hope will be many, bible conferences in the east…the Pennsylvania-New York Bible Conference…on September 18th and 19th. I really enjoyed every aspect of the trip…the lesson was one of my favorite of the year…Joel, Deanna and Colin DeLap, along with June Murphy, provided live music (they played alto and tenor saxophones and the piano)…it was great to hear June accompanied…members of the resident congregation joined us for the conference…Pat and Larry Collins…your support is always deeply appreciated…and then from our non-resident congregation both Kevin Collins and Heather Luttermoser joined us…and it’s always great to see both of them. Thanks, also, to Tom and Kristine Burns, Becca Kosztyo, and to the other members of Deanna’s family for joining us David and Elda Lemmon and David and Julie Martin. We’ve already set the dates for next year’s conference…September 16-17, 2016.
The unexpected highlight of this conference was the question and answer period…a very candid discussion of Christianity…lately, those question and answer sessions just evolve as conversations, and they seem to fly by…two hours feels like five minutes…and I think when Christians get together to talk about how Christianity is impacting their lives, it’s an amazingly edifying thing.
Just a note to the non-resident congregation…I was a member of a non-resident congregation for nearly thirty years…and I must say I didn’t get it that the conferences are for the non-resident congregation. It’s amazing what happens when the non-resident congregation members get face-to-face teaching. So I would appreciate it if each of you in the non-resident congregation would put it in your plans to attend at least one of the conferences next year. It will make a difference in your life. If you’re in the west, come east to the Pennsylvania-New York Bible Conference…if you’re in the east, come west to Coeur d’Alene…it’s worth the trip.
The title of the lessons of this conference was JESUS SAYS. I don’t know if you remember the game many of us played as children…SIMON SAYS. A game for three or more players where one player takes the role of “SIMON” and issues instructions to the other players, usually physical actions, such as “jump in the air” or “stick out your tongue.” The other players should only follow the instructions if prefaced with the phrase, “SIMON SAYS.” For example, “Simon says, jump in the air.” Players are eliminated from the game either by following an instruction that is not immediately preceded by the phrase, “SIMON SAYS” … or by failing to follow an instruction that does include the phrase, “SIMON SAYS.” Success in the game comes from the ability to distinguish between good commands and bad commands. The winner of the game is usually the last player who has successfully followed all of the given commands.
The Christian Way of Living is very similar. The Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says many things to us through His written Word…the bible…the Canon of Scripture. The things JESUS SAYS are the good commands, designed either to instruct or to direct our efforts as requests to our free will. As life presents us with daily decisions that pose dichotomies…
DICHOTOMY Two completely opposed and totally contradictory viewpoints being offered for your consideration at the point of decision.
…we can follow what JESUS SAYS (the good commands) or we can follow what Satan, God’s enemy says (the bad commands). For example, here are some of the things JESUS SAYS, either directly from His own mouth or through the pens of the writers of Scripture…in Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9…JESUS SAYS…
2PE 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of, but is patient toward all His creatures, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (a change of mind about a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ). In First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4…JESUS SAYS through Paul…
1TI 2:3 This (entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings for all men to be saved) is good and acceptable (pleasing) in the sight of the God who is our Savior (the Lord Jesus Christ)…
1TI 2:4 …who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
In John, Chapter 10, Verse 10…JESUS SAYS…
JOH 10:10 The thief (a false shepherd, like Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy (the sheep); I (the Lord Jesus Christ…the Great Shepherd) came that they (the sheep) may have the resurrection life, and have it abundantly.
In John, Chapter 6, Verse 37…JESUS SAYS…
JOH 6:37 “All those that God the Father gives Me (the Lord Jesus Christ) will come to Me (for salvation), and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out (into the outer darkness of the Lake of Fire).”
In Matthew, Chapter 11, Verses 28 to 30…JESUS SAYS…
MAT 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary (from toil) and heavy-laden (with burdens), and I (the Lord Jesus Christ) will give you rest.”
MAT 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
MAT 11:30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
In Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 7…JESUS SAYS…
MAT 7:7 “(Keep on) Ask(ing), and it will be given to you; (keep on) seek(ing), and you will find; (keep on) knock(ing), and it will be opened to you.”
In Jeremiah, Chapter 29, Verse 13…JESUS SAYS…
JER 29:13 “You will seek Me and you will find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
In Matthew, Chapter 21, Verse 22…JESUS SAYS…
MAT 21:22 “And all things you ask in prayer, believing (that you already have the things you ask for), you will receive.”
Welcome to a place where you can learn what JESUS SAYS…blessed are you when you do ALL the things He says.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
GOOD FIGHT Unspoken
The opening song is GOOD FIGHT by Unspoken.
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Thank you for making us who we are…thank you for continuing to perfect us…thank you for giving us Your Holy Spirit who is conforming us into the image of the Godhead…
Help us to treat all of your creatures as You treat them…and thus help us to be an exact reflection of you in every situation we face in this life…
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S STUDY What Kind of Person are You?
Undoubtedly, at some time in your life, you have heard yourself say, “I’m the kind of person who” … and then you went on to describe yourself. Your description is probably noble…“I’m the type of person that will stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves” ... your description will be noble, after all, because it comes from behind the mask of the twelve defense mechanisms that we routinely use to keep ourselves out of touch with reality. In my consulting practice, I always am amazed at how threatened people are when they get the results from the objective profiles we use to tell them things about themselves…their social style…their emotional blocks to performance…people scramble to “clean up” the perceptions of others, especially when the perceptions are indeed reality, and not just perceptions.
I have come to know over the course of my lifetime, that I am not perfect. I have also come to know that I have blind spots…things that are true about myself that others see about me that I don’t see about myself. I have come to realize that I can't really self-assess what kind of person I am. I have to let a source from outside of myself inform me about who I really am. There are people I trust with this assessment…but there is no one I trust more than the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is nothing I trust more than His Word, to help me with the assessment. Second Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verse 5 says…
2CO 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is indwelling you—unless indeed you fail the test? What kind of person are you? Does your life demonstrate that you are a Christian? Does your life demonstrate faith? Does your life demonstrate a reflection of the Lord Jesus Christ indwelling you? Does your life reflect obedience to the Word of Your Lord and Savior? What kind of person are you? That’s the question we’ll investigate in this study. First, a few announcements, and then we’ll take the offering.
BARAH MINISTRIES ANNOUNCEMENTS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Next Deacon’s Meeting September 26, 2015 7:30AM MST
There are several Barah Ministries assets that are provided free of charge for your edification…and the edification of others…
We have a downloadable E-Book on our website…
BARAH MINISTRIES E-BOOK And You Will Be Saved www.barahministries.com Publications Tab
We have forty songs by our Song Worship Leader June Murphy… BARAH MINISTRIES MUSIC www.barahministries.com Music Tab
We have a Barah Ministries App…you can put the Word of God in your pocket or purse. Download the app from the iTunes Store or from Google Play. If you haven’t done this yet, please do, and let me know how you like it…
BARAH MINISTRIES APP www.barahministries.com iTunes Store or Google Play
You can make contributions via the website…
CONTRIBUTE TO BARAH MINISTRIES www.barahministries.com About Barah Ministries (drop down menu) Contributions (click Donate)
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
We appreciate your gifts. There is no greater expression of the unconditional love of God that resides inside the believer in Christ than the expression of giving. If you are benefitting from this teaching, show your appreciation through your gift.
The apostle Paul appreciated the giving of the church at Philippi…he says to them, in Philippians, Chapter 4, Verses 15 to 17…
PHI 4:15 You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone…
PHI 4:16 …for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.
PHI 4:17 Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.
We look forward to hearing about the blessings that the Lord is crediting to your account as you give unselfishly for the benefit of others. Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall to take the offering.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
Barah Ministries Financial Policy
We are sanctioned by God to charge for anything we provide you with to worship God. We choose not to exercise that right. No price appears on any material from Barah Ministries so that anyone who wants to learn about God can do so free of charge.
Barah Ministries Financial Policy
Even though the materials are free of charge, they are not free of cost. We appreciate your much needed financial support so we can continue to share the Word of God with the hearers God provides. Please be generous in your support of God’s work through this ministry.
OFFERING VERSE
JOH 6:63 It is God the Holy Spirit who gives THE LIFE; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I (the Lord Jesus Christ) have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
OFFERING FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE Dave McClure, Instrumental
TODAY’S STUDY What Kind of Person are You?
We continue our study of the first passage of Romans, Chapter 8…which really begins at the last few verses of Romans, Chapter 7…and continues through Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 13…let’s listen to it together…
ROM 7:22 For I (Paul) joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man…
ROM 7:23 …but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
There is the law of a believer in Christ’s inner man…the new self…and its mind…and the law of the members of the body…the flesh…and its mind…and they are waging war with each other…
ROM 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
ROM 7:25 Thanks be to God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord (for the deliverance)! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh I am serving the law of sin.
The mind of the believer’s new self and the mind of the believer’s flesh are not the same entity…and they are at war…are you listening to the lying mind that is in your flesh, who wants to give you a false picture of who you are?
ROM 8:1 Therefore there is now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS.
Notice the capitalization in these verses, if you are watching the verses on the screen, highlighting the contrast…
ROM 8:2 For THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE in Christ Jesus has set you free from THE LAW OF SIN AND OF DEATH.
The next two verses are the focus for today’s lesson… ROM 8:3 FOR WHAT THE MOSAIC LAW COULD NOT DO, weak as it was through the flesh, GOD THE FATHER DID: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh…and as an offering for sin, the Father condemned sin in the flesh…
ROM 8:4 …so that the requirement of the Mosaic Law (righteousness) might be fulfilled in us, who DO NOT WALK ACCORDING TO THE FLESH but who WALK ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT.
ROM 8:5 For those who are ACCORDING TO THE FLESH set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who ARE ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT, set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
ROM 8:6 For the MIND SET ON THE FLESH is death, but the MIND SET ON THE SPIRIT is life and peace…
ROM 8:7 …because the MIND SET ON THE FLESH is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so…
ROM 8:8 …and those who are IN THE FLESH cannot please God.
ROM 8:9 However, you BELIEVERS IN CHRIST ARE NOT IN THE FLESH but YOU ARE IN THE SPIRIT, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that one does not belong to Christ.
ROM 8:10 IF CHRIST IS IN YOU, (and He is for believers in Christ) though the body is dead because of sin (indwelling), yet THE SPIRIT IS ALIVE because of righteousness (indwelling).
ROM 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (and He does for believers in Christ), He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
ROM 8:12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—
ROM 8:13 …for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if you are living by the Spirit YOU ARE PUTTING TO DEATH THE DEEDS OF THE BODY, you will live.
Believers in Christ are encouraged to make the right choices when faced with dichotomy.
ROM 8:3 FOR WHAT THE MOSAIC LAW COULD NOT DO, weak as it was through the flesh, GOD THE FATHER DID: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh…and as an offering for sin, God the Father condemned sin in the flesh (with His wrath)…
ROM 8:4 …so that the requirement of the Mosaic Law (righteousness) might be fulfilled in us, who DO NOT WALK ACCORDING TO THE FLESH but who WALK ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT.
What kind of person are you? These verses bring to mind a focus on our WALK as Christians. Our WALK is our lifestyle. What kind of the lifestyle do you live? Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 1 and 2 exhort us to a principled Christian lifestyle…the lifestyle of the children of a King…
EPH 4:1 Therefore I (Paul), the prisoner of the Lord, implore you believers in Christ to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called…
EPH 4:2 …with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in unconditional love…
Our lifestyle is to be a reflection of the lifestyle the Lord Jesus Christ lived in His human flesh…described well in Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 2…a lifestyle of humility, gentleness, patience…a lifestyle spent showing tolerance for others… a lifestyle of unconditional love…how does your lifestyle stand up to the request which JESUS SAYS through Paul…“walk in a manner worthy?”
What kind of person are you? The apostle Peter asks us to consider our lifestyle…Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verses 10 and 11…
2PE 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
A certain future event…
2PE 3:11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness…
I wonder how much of your time is spent considering what kind of person you are from others point of view? Of course you think you’re wonderful. But what do others think? And do you ever ask?
The good news is you don’t have to change yourself. In fact, you probably can’t. But God the Holy Spirit can. We depend on the Spirit to change us. It’s His job to conform you into the image of the Son…Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 29…
ROM 8:29a For those whom God the Father foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son…
Even God the Father, Himself, is in the process of perfecting you… Philippians, Chapter 1, Verse 6…
PHI 1:6 For I (Paul) am confident of this very thing, that God the Father, who began a good work in you, will keep on perfecting it until the day of Christ Jesus.
The Lord Jesus Christ is indwelling you, along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, to ensure the changes are made that you need to be a righteous one…Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 25 to 27…
COL 1:25 Of this church I (Paul) was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the Word of God…
COL 1:26 …that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested (made clearly visible) to His saints…
COL 1:27 …to whom God the Father willed to make known what are the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ indwelling you, the hope of glory.
The question, “What kind of person are you?” does not need to be an intimidating one, in light of the fact that God is doing all the work in you to make you “the type of person who” … Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 3 and 4…
ROM 8:3 FOR WHAT THE MOSAIC LAW COULD NOT DO, weak as it was through the flesh, GOD THE FATHER DID: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh…and as an offering for sin, God the Father condemned sin in the flesh (with His wrath)…
ROM 8:4 …so that the requirement of the Mosaic Law (righteousness) might be fulfilled in us, who DO NOT WALK ACCORDING TO THE FLESH but who WALK ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT.
You couldn’t make you “the type of person who” … the law couldn’t make you “the type of person who” … but God the Father did…He allowed you to have a lifestyle, not according to the flesh…but to have a lifestyle according to the agency of God the Holy Spirit…the One on whom we depend.
Our flesh is more powerful than the law. Our flesh is more powerful than our will. The flesh has a mind of its own. It hates God. It hates you. It hates everything you value. So if you are depending on the flesh to make you “the type of person who” … you already know what you will become. You will have enmity with God and you will not be in subjection to God or His will. You will ruin everyone of your relationships. You will be disobedient to God, even though you are saved. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 1 to 6...
EPH 2:1 And when you were unbelievers, you were dead in your trespasses and sins…
EPH 2:2 …(the sins) in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (Satan), walking according to the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience (unbelievers).
EPH 2:3 Among them we believers in Christ too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
EPH 2:4 But (even though you were a sinner…ungodly…unrighteous…God’s enemy) God the Father, being rich in mercy, because of His great unconditional love with which He loved us…
EPH 2:5 …even when we were dead in our transgressions, God the Father made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…
EPH 2:6 …and God the Father raised us up with Christ in resurrection, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in union with Christ Jesus…
What kind of person are you? If you’re a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re saved…you’re resident in the sphere of grace…you’re forgiven… you’re at peace with God, which means God has nothing against you.
What kind of person are you? God is changing you into a person with a holy, spiritual life…guided by dependence on the power and guidance of the indwelling God the Holy Spirit…and knowing that you can’t manufacture this life on your own…weak as you are because of the flesh…God will do it for you.
When we have a spiritual life dilemma…we just can’t accept the fact that God will get us out of it. We can’t accept the fact that the Christian Way of Living and the bible are both all about both what God has done for us, and what God keeps on doing for us…and they are really not at all about what God need us to do for Him. God only asks one thing from us… obedience…He just wants us to say yes to His requests…in Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 31 to 35…JESUS SAYS…
MAT 6:31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “
MAT 6:32 “For the Gentiles (unbelievers) eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
MAT 6: 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
MAT 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
What kind of person are you? Don’t worry about it. God is. Live by faith, knowing you already have all the things you ask from God. Let your concerns be of the things of God, a relationship with Him, and constant transformation by His Word working in you, and you will notice the miraculous changes God is making in you. Then you’ll truly know what it means to walk by means of the Spirit and to walk in a manner worthy. He will do it for you.
When the Lord Jesus Christ Promises Salvation, It’s a Guarantee!
ROM 3:10 …as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one”
ROM 5:8 But God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
JOH 3:17 For God the Father did not send the Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) into the world to condemn the world, but the Father sent His Son into the world that the world might be saved through believing in Him.
JOH 1:12 But as many as received the Lord (taking advantage of the free gift of salvation), to them He gave the right (once and for all time) to become children of God…to those who believe in Christ’s name…
CLOSING SONG IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
THANKS- INTERCESSION- PETITION
And we pray that You continue to shape messages from this pulpit that accurately reflect Your unconditional love, Your glorious Person, Your lucid thinking, Your impeccable work, and Your magnificent essence...we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit, in Christ’s name, Amen.
Thanks for coming! Thanks for watching! Thanks for listening!
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