Victory Over Sin.

Steve Gentry

[0:05] Go ahead and have a seat. [0:06] Welcome to Village Church. [0:07] If this is your first time here, my name is Steve. [0:08] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:10] And as always, I’m thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:13] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to Romans chapter 8.

[0:16] We’re going to be starting in verse 6 this morning. [0:20] Yesterday we had a fantastic day that between both Midlothian and Chester, we had somewhere [0:27] upwards of 3,000 people between both trunk or treats. [0:32] And so we were mostly blown away by the response in Chester, but it even exceeded expectations [0:37] here yesterday. [0:38] And just want to thank everybody that helped us.

[0:41] And my biggest prayer for you in that is that you would, by seeing the number of people [0:48] that had come and the number of people that you are able to serve and the number of people [0:53] that you are able to love and have a good time with, that you will see the potential [0:58] for the work that God could do through your life, that you would actually be able to [1:05] catch a vision for how God could use you to reap his harvest. [1:10] I know when I see crowds of people like that, I think about the words of Jesus when he

[1:16] looks to his disciples as they are looking over a field and he says that the field is [1:20] ripe for harvest. [1:22] I think when you see, when you take part in events and you see just hundreds and hundreds [1:28] and hundreds of people gathered together to receive our love, to receive just the gift [1:33] of having a good day, what you are able to see is the field that is ripe for harvest. [1:38] And the question is, are you available to be a laborer in that harvest?

[1:44] Are you available to be used by God to, number one, catch the vision for what God can do [1:50] if you will just say, yes, I’ll commit to this environment. [1:53] But then number two, the vision for how you could grow to be a person who is tangibly [2:00] reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. [2:03] You see, that is discipleship. [2:05] That is the vision that God has for every one of your lives.

[2:08] The work of living to reach people with the gospel of Jesus is not something that’s reserved [2:15] to a few Christians, but rather it is the cry, the battle cry, rather, for all believers. [2:22] And my hope is that you find joy in that. [2:25] And so it was a wonderful day, but last week we started a new series going through Romans [2:31] 8. [2:32] And so we’re purposefully dwelling down on the victory that Romans 8 decrees over every

[2:39] part of our lives if we are followers of Jesus Christ. [2:42] And last week we covered the issue of condemnation and the fact that Jesus has given us victory [2:49] over the condemnation that we deserve because of our sin, that in Jesus there is no condemnation [2:59] for us, that it’s been taken, the penalty is over, Jesus has paid it. [3:04] If you are a follower of Jesus, you will never face the deserved condemnation for your sin. [3:11] This week the Apostle Paul unpacks the implications of no condemnation because there are implications.

[3:20] And so this week with the Apostle Paul beginning in verse 6 all the way down through verse [3:23] 11, what he’s going to really drill down on is that those who have no condemnation for [3:29] their sin will also experience victory over sin, not just in the future after death, but [3:38] you will necessarily experience victory over sin in this life. [3:44] And he’s going to compare it between two things, the mindset of the flesh and the mindset [3:50] of the spirit, and that we deserve to never have victory over sin, but if you’re a follower

[3:56] of Jesus, all that you should experience is victory over sin in this life. [4:01] Here’s what he says starting in verse 6. [4:04] For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life [4:09] and peace. [4:11] For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to [4:15] God’s law.

[4:16] Indeed, it cannot. [4:18] Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. [4:22] You however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells [4:27] in you. [4:28] Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. [4:32] But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life

[4:37] because of righteousness. [4:39] If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ, [4:44] Jesus from the dead, will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who [4:53] dwells in you. [4:55] See, the key is you must change the way that you think about your life. [5:01] The issue between obedience and disobedience, the issue between following Jesus and not

[5:06] following Jesus, the issue between experiencing victory over sin and experiencing defeat [5:13] because of sin, is going to be fought in the battleground of your mind. [5:20] And how that you think about your life, and how that you envision your life, and how that [5:25] you measure your life, it is all about the way that you think. [5:30] And the problem that most people have, is what one of my old seminary professors used [5:34] to call stinking thinking, is that you have worn such a pit into your mind because of

[5:44] lies that you believe that you aren’t experiencing victory over sin. [5:50] Instead, you are experiencing nothing but a feeling often of defeat in your life. [5:56] So what do you need to do because of that? [5:59] Number one, you need to understand that you are either in the flesh or the Spirit. [6:02] You are either in the flesh or the Spirit. [6:05] There are only two options.

[6:07] It’s fascinating going through the Sermon on the Mount a few months ago. [6:12] As we worked through that series over a period of months, what we really saw was the difference [6:17] between a real Christian and a counterfeit Christian. [6:20] That Jesus always narrows things down to two options. [6:24] You either have His righteousness or you have no righteousness. [6:27] You either have Him as your master or you have someone or something else as your master.

[6:31] You either enter in by the narrow gate or you enter in by the wide gate. [6:35] You either build your house on a foundation of rock or you build your house on a foundation [6:39] of sand. [6:40] There was never a third way mentioned. [6:43] It’s either this or it’s that. [6:44] And in that light, the Apostle Paul drills down.

[6:48] You either have a mindset of the flesh and you are either living by the flesh or you [6:54] have the mindset of the Spirit and you are living by the Spirit. [6:59] There is no third way, but most of you are trying to find it. [7:05] Most of you are trying to find it. [7:07] You are trying to create for yourself a hybrid where you can have just enough Spirit in [7:15] your life so that you do not fear going to hell, but you aren’t having to sacrifice

[7:21] anything of this world so you can have the pleasures of your flesh. [7:27] And the Apostle Paul is letting you know, if that’s the case, then you’re in the flesh. [7:32] There is no third option. [7:34] He doesn’t write this to make us feel good unless we’re in the Spirit. [7:40] As if you read this and your mind is captivated by this thought of there’s got to be another [7:45] way.

[7:47] He’s trying to defeat that mentality. [7:50] See, so many people, they believe that their desire to not go to hell is evidence of salvation. [7:58] I’ve got to warn you that not wanting to go to hell is not a fruit of the Spirit. [8:04] In the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul gives all of these things that the Holy Spirit [8:08] will produce in our lives if we’re actually following Jesus and we have the power of the [8:11] Spirit.

[8:12] And he doesn’t say, you know, the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, not wanting to [8:17] go to hell. [8:18] He doesn’t list that as one of the fruits of the Spirit because that is not a fruit [8:22] of the Spirit. [8:22] The natural man doesn’t want to go to hell unless he’s crazy.

[8:29] So we have to understand what the Apostle Paul is doing here is he is indicating this [8:35] is the way in which there is victory and there is no other way. [8:40] God only sees two types of people in this world.

[8:46] There isn’t a third type. [8:47] So we see thousands of types of people in this world, but it’s far simpler to God. [8:51] God looks onto our lives and he sees a person who is living by the flesh or he sees a person [8:57] who is living by the Spirit. [8:59] And that’s all God sees. [9:00] Those are the only two classes of people.

[9:04] So what you need to understand about your life is that you are either one or the other. [9:08] You cannot have a little bit of both. [9:11] The indicator of which path you are on, according to the Apostle Paul’s passage, is the mindset [9:17] that you take into your life. [9:20] It’s either the mind of the Spirit, which is life, peace, according to verse six, or [9:25] it is the mind of this flesh, which is hostile to God.

[9:29] John Calvin’s commentary on the book of Romans, he notes that this is rooted in what is called [9:35] in that age, the imagination of the heart. [9:38] What that simply means in our era is the affections or the desire or very simply what you want. [9:48] You see, the flesh cannot submit to the law of God, according to this passage. [9:53] It’s hostile to God. [9:55] But the reason it cannot submit to the law of God is very simple.

[10:01] It doesn’t want to. [10:04] And so we often try to complicate Scripture. [10:07] The reason that we do that is because we don’t want to actually come face to face with the [10:11] reality of our lives. [10:13] The reason that you do what you do every day of your life, do you want to know the reason?

[10:21] Because that’s what you want to do. [10:24] It’s that simple. [10:26] So many of you have worked so hard to convince yourself that you are so complex and the reasons [10:33] that you do what you want, what you do, and you can’t do what that is because it’s just [10:38] this complex thing inside of me and it’s just I can’t figure out why I am the way that I am. [10:42] I’ll save you thousands of dollars on counseling right now.

[10:46] You do what you do because that’s what you want to do and you don’t do what you don’t [10:51] do because that is not what you want to do. [10:54] It’s that simple.

[10:57] Stop trying to not take responsibility for your life. [11:03] You are who you are because that is the way, the choices that you are making is driving you. [11:10] Look in Romans chapter 7, here’s what the apostle Paul says. [11:13] He says,

[11:31] So here’s what he’s saying.

[11:39] Don’t do that. [11:40] You say, what about the Ten Commandments? [11:44] Don’t just look at the Ten Commandments and say, oh, I lied. [11:47] I’m awful.

[11:49] Don’t just do that. [11:50] That’s the old written code. [11:52] God is nowhere near as interested in what you do as to why you do it. [12:00] So what he’s saying is that in the power of the Spirit, we have been freed from this [12:05] mindset that if I do or don’t do, I’m either good or I’m bad. [12:11] Now we have a greater work going on in our lives where we don’t just simply have to

[12:16] see what we do and what we don’t do. [12:18] We actually through the power of the Holy Spirit’s regenerating work in our life can [12:23] actually look inside and know why we do what we do. [12:29] And what he’s saying in this passage is that is the secret to victory because you can [12:37] actually rewire your mind through the power of the Holy Spirit. [12:44] Did you know that?

[12:46] Had a conversation so many years ago with a friend about repentance. [12:51] He told me he said, Steve, you don’t understand. [12:54] There’s nothing I can do. [12:57] I thought this guy was a Christian and I was like, what? [13:01] He was like, you can’t change your personality.

[13:06] And so I took him to Romans 8. [13:08] I was like, actually, you know, one of those ones were actually where by the way, don’t [13:14] do that people. [13:16] So rude. [13:18] You’re like, I only do it online. [13:20] That’s worse.

[13:23] Do you understand? [13:24] That’s worse. [13:26] Some of you think they you can do all these rude things online and it doesn’t affect [13:30] how you’re viewed in public. [13:31] No, it does. [13:33] Everyone hates you.

[13:34] But the the the truth is that the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives, we can get down to [13:43] the bottom of why we struggle the way that we struggle. [13:46] We can get down to the bottom of why we’re struggling and sin. [13:49] We can get down to the bottom of why repentance is so hard. [13:51] And we can actually through the Holy Spirit’s power rewire our affections so that they [13:57] embrace the vision that God has for our lives.

[14:01] This is the work of God to redeem you from condemnation and change the affections of [14:08] your heart. [14:08] But here’s the key. [14:10] You either have it or you don’t. [14:12] There’s no third way. [14:13] It’s either yes or it’s no.

[14:15] There is a direct connection between your mindset and the life of the Spirit in your [14:21] life. [14:21] This is why the way that you think is so vital. [14:25] And so a very simple rhetorical question for you to work through in your life.

[14:31] What do you want?

[14:35] That’s a question that if you answer it and you answer it honestly, not right now, we [14:39] don’t want to know. [14:40] But if you will answer that question, you will answer that question honestly. [14:43] It can be the breakthrough moment that you’ve been looking for for following Jesus with [14:48] your heart. [14:49] Because when you answer what you want, inevitably you get an answer maybe you weren’t

[14:54] expecting as to do you want Jesus or not. [14:58] You see, there is no middle ground with God. [15:01] If you do not love Jesus, which is a mindset, you do not have the life of the Spirit in [15:08] your life. [15:09] The scholar Doug Moo in his Commentary on Romans says that there is no neutrality here. [15:14] There’s no middle ground.

[15:15] Without the Spirit’s mindset found only through union with Jesus, people can only order [15:21] their lives in a way that is hostile to God and that will incur his wrath. [15:27] So we are so set in understanding that that which is hostile to God will be obviously [15:35] a deep immorality. [15:38] It would just be obvious that that which is hostile to God is obviously some perverse [15:43] thing.

[15:44] But you always think about it in terms of something that you are incapable of doing. [15:50] What the Apostle Paul is saying here is that anything that does not come from the Holy [15:56] Spirit through your life. [15:59] Only has the option of being hostile to God, even if you think it’s good because it does [16:04] not come from a foundation of desiring the glory of God through the cross of Christ. [16:11] Here’s the way Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 2 14.

[16:14] He says, the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God for they [16:19] are folly or foolishness to him and he is not able to understand them because they [16:26] are spiritually discerned. [16:28] Have you ever had the thought, why do other people take joy in entering environments of [16:36] discipleship? [16:37] But I think they’re a drudgery.

[16:40] I mean, how do other people take joy in the scriptures? [16:45] And I have very little to no interest in them. [16:48] Why do other people talk about this victorious prayer life where they actually want to spend [16:54] time in prayer and yet you see it as irrelevant? [16:59] Why do other people rearrange their schedules so that they can commit more of their time [17:06] to environments of discipleship?

[17:08] And if you’re really honest to say, I like the other things that I’m committed to that [17:13] take me away from environments of discipleship. [17:16] You ever wondered why? [17:19] There’s such a distinction.

[17:22] This verse explains it. [17:24] Because you don’t have the Holy Spirit in your life. [17:27] That’s why.

[17:29] The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. [17:34] The natural person gives things that aren’t of God precedent over the things of God. [17:43] He is not able to understand them. [17:46] Why? [17:46] Because they’re spiritually discerned. [17:49] You’re a natural person.

[17:51] The follower of Jesus is a supernatural person. [17:55] The supernatural person understands that there are things that you need to do in order to [18:02] grow your spiritual life and that person will not commit to anything that will tear [18:08] that down because there is an invasion by the life of God into your mind through faith [18:14] that changes the way that you think. [18:17] It changes the way that you think and you might be thinking, but I don’t think that

[18:21] way. [18:22] Exactly.

[18:24] You think according to just the natural way of thinking in this world. [18:29] If you thought according to the power of the Spirit, you would be different. [18:34] You would be unique. [18:37] Here’s the deal. [18:38] You would live a life that is peculiar to the natural man. [18:42] But so often that’s the exact thing that we are conditioning ourselves to avoid.

[18:48] The reason that your neighbors aren’t coming to faith in Jesus is not because of some [18:53] secret evangelism technique that you have not figured out yet. [18:57] The reason that your neighbors have not come to faith in Jesus is because they see no [19:02] distinction in you as to why they should ask you why you’re different than they are. [19:07] They see no peculiarities going on in their lives, and so they just see a person that’s [19:12] just like them.

[19:13] And if you’re just like them, why should they ask you about the differences in your life? [19:18] They won’t because you do the same things. [19:21] You act the same ways. [19:22] You invest in the same ways. [19:24] You use your time for the same things. [19:25] You educate the same way.

[19:27] You enter the same amount of levels of discipleship that they are entering into just [19:31] enough to inspire you and distract you from the despair that’s creeping within.

[19:38] So you’re no different than them.

[19:40] See, Christians are called to be peculiar people because we are different. [19:46] We aren’t natural. [19:47] We are supernatural. [19:49] Following Jesus is then larger than just religious practice. [19:54] You see, friend, the key is that without Jesus, I can form a lot of religious habit in my [19:59] life.

[19:59] I do. [19:59] I have that ability. [20:00] I’m probably more prone to that than you are. [20:03] I am incapable, though, of forming true affection and desire for Jesus without the power of [20:10] God’s Spirit in my life. [20:12] You see, I receive victory over sin by God changing my affections, and you cannot do

[20:17] that by yourself. [20:18] It is a gift of God. [20:21] You need the power of God in your life. [20:23] And what that will happen in you is number two, we are redeemed to form a life pleasing [20:27] God. [20:28] We are redeemed to form a life pleasing to God.

[20:33] You see, friend, you need to live like you’re in the Spirit. [20:36] Verse eight is fascinating.

[20:40] Verse eight is bad news. [20:41] Verse eight may be the most negative verse in the entire Bible. [20:45] He says, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. [20:49] That’s it. [20:50] That’s verse eight. [20:51] Say, man, Steve, I thought the man, I thought I was coming into victory zone today.

[20:54] All right. [20:55] It is just kind of negative. [20:57] I thought I was coming in to feel good. [20:58] And you’re kind of bringing me down. [21:00] It’s not me. [21:00] It’s Paul.

[21:01] All right. [21:01] Paul, Paul gives some negative reality here, but it’s only negative if you don’t go into [21:07] verse nine and then understand how to understand the whole picture. [21:10] Here’s verse nine. [21:10] You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. [21:14] If in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ

[21:19] does not belong to him. [21:21] You see, the opposite of verse eight is also true. [21:25] And that’s where the victory is. [21:27] You see, if you do not have the Spirit of God, if you are in the flesh, then you can’t [21:32] please God. [21:33] Everything that you do will be tainted by the sin that is ever present in your life

[21:38] because you are still condemned in your sin. [21:41] But the opposite of verse eight is those who are in the Spirit can please God. [21:49] See, that is the victory so many Christians do not live in because you believe a lie [21:57] that even though Jesus has redeemed you from sin, even though Jesus has removed the [22:02] condemnation that you deserve, you are condemned to live your life as a less than [22:09] Christian.

[22:10] So many people believe that they are condemned while on this earth to have less than [22:16] because you don’t think you’re smart enough. [22:18] You don’t think you’re savvy enough. [22:19] You don’t think you have enough ability. [22:21] You don’t think God can bring himself glory because I mean, you know, that’s just for [22:25] that type of person.

[22:26] I’m not that type of person. [22:27] And so you continue in this mindset that if you are in Christ is a complete lie and [22:35] it is preventing you from experiencing the freedom in living that God necessarily has [22:42] designed for you to live through faith in Jesus. [22:46] If you are a Christian, then you can please God. [22:51] If you are a Christian, every choice that you make in this life carries with it the

[22:59] potential to obey God. [23:03] Every decision that you make in this life, if you are a follower of Jesus, carries with [23:08] it the potential to live life exactly as God has designed for you to live to the [23:16] extent where God looks down from his throne and he looks at the life that you are [23:22] living and he is completely pleased with you. [23:27] And if you lived like that, if you believed that, if you had that vision for your life,

[23:32] it would transform the way that you live. [23:35] So many of you believe the notion that you are unable to please God, even if you are [23:40] following Jesus. [23:42] And it’s killing your faith. [23:44] It’s killing your discipleship. [23:46] Because you’re living a lie.

[23:49] If you don’t have the ability to please God, then you aren’t a follower of Christ [23:53] because followers of Christ carry the necessary strength through the power of the Holy [23:59] Spirit to where I can obey God with my life.

[24:04] If you believe you can, do you know what’s dangerous about that? [24:08] You just may actually obey him.

[24:13] And that’s the dangerous part, because then I get back down into your affections. [24:20] Do you want to obey Jesus? [24:22] Do you want to live the victorious Christian life or are you satisfied with the mindset [24:28] of the flesh? [24:30] Because so many of us, we baptize it in this Christian ease. [24:34] We say, oh, you know, when we will change the victory that Jesus has given us through

[24:38] the power of the Holy Spirit and we’ll say, OK, when I’m obedient, I’m going to be [24:41] obedient, I’m victorious. [24:42] But, you know, sometimes I get in the flesh. [24:45] You ever said that about yourself?

[24:48] Oh, my goodness, he’s got me in the flesh again. [24:51] Usually use it about your anger. [24:54] You say, oh, my goodness, I feel defeated today. [24:57] And so you sin, you disobey God. [25:02] It’s completely unhelpful semantics that vernacular. [25:04] Get it out of your language.

[25:07] Stop saying it. [25:08] Here’s the deal. [25:09] There’s one of two categories. [25:11] You’re either obeying God or you’re disobeying God. [25:13] Those are the only two categories you ever need to worry about when you try to pretty [25:17] it up.

[25:17] If you’ve ever seen the movie Dirt, he tries to call himself dear tape. [25:21] He says, this dirt is dirt, son. [25:22] Stop trying to pretty it up. [25:25] Your sin is sin. [25:26] Stop trying to pretty it up. [25:28] If you disobey God, you disobeyed God.

[25:31] Stop trying to pretty it up. [25:33] If you obeyed God, you obeyed God. [25:36] Just say it that way. [25:38] Stop excusing yourself by pretending an exterior force is defeating you and making you [25:47] not obey God. [25:49] Take responsibility for your actions.

[25:53] You are the one disobeying or you are the one obeying. [25:58] Take some personal responsibility for your life. [26:01] A barrier to discipleship in many people’s lives is their refusal to take responsibility [26:07] for their own actions. [26:09] If you have the mindset of the spirit, you will take responsibility for your actions. [26:15] Every choice you have ever made has led you to where you are today.

[26:19] How is that working out for you? [26:23] Deal with that reality and own the responsibility for that reality. [26:28] Here’s how Jesus puts it in John 3. [26:31] He says that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit [26:34] is spirit. [26:35] That’s why I think the Apostle Paul in Romans 8 is writing a commentary on what Jesus

[26:39] says there in John 3. [26:41] Jesus continues and he says, Do not marvel that I said you must be born again. [26:48] So when Jesus uses language like that, he’s talking about the root of life change. [26:53] He’s saying that if you become a Christian, everything starts over. [26:58] Everything is brand new. [27:00] You literally in Jesus have a new life with a new power, with a new victory, with new

[27:09] potential and possibility, and with a new responsibility. [27:15] That responsibility is owning the life that Jesus necessarily wants to give you and living [27:20] in that victory. [27:22] Apostle Paul, I think, makes it very practical in Romans chapter 12. [27:27] He furthers the thoughts from Romans 8. [27:29] And starting in verse one, he says, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies

[27:33] of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which [27:39] is your spiritual worship. [27:41] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that [27:48] by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. [27:54] So many of us barter with God and we say, OK, I know I shouldn’t be conformed to the [28:01] patterns of this world, but how much can I be conformed to the patterns of this world

[28:06] and still get into heaven?

[28:09] We treat it like some of us used to treat classes in college that we didn’t care about. [28:14] How many points do I need to earn to get a C? [28:19] So, you know, I’m not making the Dean’s List anyway, so if I get a C, I’ll get the credit. [28:23] I won’t have to take the class again. [28:25] So that’s how many once I’ve reached those points, I’m out. [28:28] All right.

[28:29] That’s all I’m going to do. [28:30] And sometimes we treat God’s word that way. [28:32] But that’s not what God is trying to say. [28:34] God is not giving you some new grading system for you to say, OK, I’ve got this much [28:40] transformation by the Holy Spirit. [28:42] So that allows me a little bit of confirmation to the patterns of this world, because remember,

[28:48] you’re trying to walk this tightrope between living according to the Spirit and living [28:53] according to the flesh. [28:54] So you don’t have to fear hell.

[28:56] What God is doing in Romans chapter 12 is he is taking the limits off of leveling out [29:04] to see how much is enough. [29:06] And he is giving us a limitless potential where he says, you don’t have to be conformed [29:13] to the patterns of this world at all. [29:16] You can be transformed by the renewal of your mind. [29:21] There it is.

[29:22] He goes to the mind.

[29:25] Everything is stepped into the way that you think about your life and your potential [29:32] where God is concerned. [29:34] You will obey God to the limit that you believe you have the ability to obey God.

[29:41] And your disobedience will work exactly the same. [29:44] Are you struggling in sin? [29:47] Take the limit off. [29:49] Think about that sin as something that you don’t have to be a part of. [29:52] I don’t have to do that. [29:54] If I do, I’ll be honest enough to say I’m doing it because I want to do it, but I don’t

[30:00] have to do that. [30:02] I can have victory over that sin. [30:04] Do you believe that? [30:05] If you will believe that you have the potential for real repentance, if you will stop [30:10] thinking of yourself under the terms of condemnation and begin to think of yourself [30:15] under the terms of the power of the Holy Spirit, you have the potential for real victory

[30:19] and you can live that and you can walk that. [30:23] But you must believe that according to what Romans 12 says, the mercies of God. [30:30] My obedience is determined by the limit of the mercies of God, which I know in Christ [30:35] for me are limitless. [30:38] So I can be renewed by my mind. [30:40] And here’s the wonderful thing.

[30:41] If I am renewed by my mind, I can discern what is the will of God. [30:46] I can discern what he wants from me. [30:49] I can discern what I was designed to live for. [30:51] But what’s great about it is I don’t have to treat it like it’s theory. [30:54] I can treat it like it’s real. [30:56] I can live it.

[30:58] It’s not just theoretical. [30:59] It is actually practical life and I can go from redeemed to redeeming. [31:07] I think some of the problems that we have in life is because of the difference between [31:11] static and dynamic. [31:13] Here’s what I mean. [31:14] Look in Ephesians chapter 5.

[31:16] Apostle Paul says this. [31:17] He says, look carefully then how you walk not as unwise, but as wise, making the best [31:22] use of the time because the days are evil. [31:24] Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. [31:29] The important part of that text is actually something that you probably just breeze right [31:34] through.

[31:35] It’s in verse 16 when he says making the best use of the time. [31:39] It’s a good translation. [31:41] But in the original language, the word that’s actually used there is the word redeeming. [31:48] So it literally means redeeming the time. [31:53] Most of you think about redemption through just the static reality of what Jesus has [32:00] gained for you as the concrete immovable fact that if you put your faith in Jesus, you

[32:09] are redeemed. [32:11] And that is true. [32:13] But it goes further. [32:15] He redeems you in that static, unchangeable reality of redemption so that you can then [32:23] move to the dynamic patterns of faith and life where you begin to redeem every practical [32:32] aspect to your life from something that doesn’t please God to something that does please God.

[32:38] And that’s what 15 and 17 are talking about. [32:42] He gives you those two different realities. [32:44] Again, two things. [32:45] He says unwise, wise. [32:48] If you’re redeeming the time, you will stop doing so much unwise stuff and you will focus [32:55] your life wholly on what is wise.

[32:58] Verse 17, there’s foolishness and then there’s unfoolishness, which in reality is just a [33:03] restatement about wisdom. [33:05] He says you will stop wasting so much time on foolish things. [33:11] And because Romans 12, one and two is true by the mercies of God, you will renew your [33:17] mind and you will stop wasting your life and you will redeem the time and step into [33:23] the future that God has designed for you to live in Jesus.

[33:29] You will stop the nonsense. [33:31] You will take ownership of your life and you will obey God if you are truly a follower [33:37] of Jesus, the follower. [33:40] I remember when I was in elementary school, the most coveted position was line leader.

[33:48] The ambition of second graders is pathetic.

[33:53] Line leader. [33:53] That was our great dream. [33:54] Dream big and I’ll be line leader this week. [33:57] The second biggest ambition was door holder.

[34:01] Elementary kids are dumb. [34:04] Mothers don’t email me. [34:05] I was an elementary kid at one time. [34:08] [34:09] But in line leaders, what you had was and it’s brilliant from the standpoint of the [34:14] teacher because you anoint someone one person to go in the right direction.

[34:19] And what happens is group think takes place and because they’re afraid of Nurse Hatchet, [34:24] they all just start going in the right direction. [34:27] All right. [34:27] They’re all following the line leader and they’re all marching in unison. [34:32] And if you’ve ever been in school and I went to a Christian school, so it was even harder, [34:37] right?

[34:37] They didn’t have any laws. [34:38] It seemed but what happened was is if you stepped out of line, it’s over. [34:45] They’re just going to kill you. [34:47] There’s lasers on the walls. [34:49] You stepped out of line. [34:50] Boom, you’re done.

[34:52] All right. [34:53] But what happens is you step out of line, but you’re still going the right way and [34:58] the teacher is like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Freddie back in line. [35:03] All right. [35:04] And nobody thinks that’s unreasonable.

[35:07] No one looks at that teacher and says that’s just unreasonable. [35:11] How dare you think that walking out of line is just as good as well. [35:15] Excuse me as bad rather than walking in line. [35:17] No, but everybody says now that makes sense. [35:19] You got you got to get those kids together and get them in line. [35:21] Could you imagine what the teacher would do if instead of just stepping out of line,

[35:26] the kid just turns around and goes the opposite direction. [35:29] All right. [35:30] Then we got to get security. [35:31] We got to get the attack dogs. [35:33] They might get lost. [35:34] I mean, it’s just chaos is in soon.

[35:35] We got to shut down school for the whole day. [35:37] All right. [35:38] But in following Jesus, so many of us have created this false dilemma where we will [35:45] be walking in a direction that Jesus is not walking. [35:50] Yet try to convince ourselves even though I’m walking in the opposite direction of [35:54] Jesus, I’m still a follower of Jesus.

[35:59] No, you’re not. [36:02] You’re only a follower of Jesus. [36:03] If you’re actually following Jesus and the scripture postures our lives as followers [36:09] of Jesus in the victory that we will follow Jesus. [36:13] So do not play around with a mentality that you aren’t you have to. [36:22] Number three, this morning, the Christian life and future is God’s triumph over sin.

[36:28] The Christian life and future is God’s triumph over sin. [36:33] I love verses 10 and 11. [36:34] I mean, I just love it. [36:36] Here’s why part of it’s because it’s confusing. [36:39] But then the other part of it is because we’re foolish for being so confused. [36:43] Verse 10, but if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit

[36:49] is life because of righteousness. [36:50] Verse 11, if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who [36:55] raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his [37:01] spirit who dwells in you. [37:04] This is fascinating because you probably heard that unless you’ve studied the passage and [37:08] you were like, that’s a bunch of jibber jabber.

[37:10] I had any idea what he’s talking about right there. [37:13] Here’s the key. [37:15] You’re getting older. [37:17] All of you. [37:19] I remember this was a number of years ago. [37:21] Actually, it was probably last week.

[37:23] I I never remember when these things happen. [37:26] It’s just like I’ll be writing and I’ll be like, hey, that happened at some point. [37:29] I was looking I found these old photos from when I was in college. [37:33] Now to understand what I’m talking about. [37:35] These weren’t photos on a phone. [37:36] This was back in the day where you had to use a real camera with real film and you took

[37:42] the pictures and then you had to wait until you were back from the trip. [37:45] Then you went to Walgreens and 37 days later you you went back to Walgreens and you paid [37:51] like ten dollars for 70 terrible pictures that didn’t turn out the way that you thought [37:57] they were going to turn out. [37:58] That’s what I’m talking about. [38:00] We were moving and I found these pictures and I was looking through them and I was like

[38:05] 18 or 19 when these pictures were taken and they were all from these youth group trips [38:10] because I got into ministry really young and I used to work in a very large youth group [38:15] and we had taken these trips and I had this huge collection of photos from all these [38:19] trips and I was just looking at pictures of me. [38:22] I was astounded because first I was like, hey, you are a good looking kid. [38:26] And I was like, what a lady killer.

[38:28] And then and then and then I was like, I was also just amazed because I thought to myself [38:33] I went looked in the mirror and I said if I were to say because I didn’t have a bushy [38:38] beard back then I was like if I were to shave my beard, I think I think I’d look basically [38:45] the same.

[38:48] It’s it’s still there’s still a lot of good stuff going on in that area. [38:52] But then I made a huge error. [38:55] I was so proud that I said I’m going to go share this great news with my wife. [39:02] I’m going to go inform her of her good luck in marrying well. [39:07] And so I took it took these photos and I was like, honey, because this is before we were [39:11] married.

[39:11] I was like, honey, look at all these pictures of me when I was 18 or 19 that I found. [39:16] And so she’s looking at the pictures and she and then I look at her and I say, guess what? [39:22] I still basically look the same. [39:24] I’m aging really well.

[39:28] What happened next made me realize we’re going to have a fight. [39:34] It’s going down.

[39:36] She just looks at me and if you ever had a conversation with spouse and you knew that [39:41] what you said sounded like the dumbest thing they had ever heard in their lives. [39:45] All right. [39:46] She just looks at me and she goes.

[39:50] That was not a welcome facial gesture in that moment. [39:54] And she just looks at me and I will never forget it. [39:55] I will never forget it as long as I live verbatim. [40:00] She says, oh, no, honey, you’ve aged.

[40:08] After I was done crying, I looked at her and I said, how dare you? [40:13] No, I reevaluated every decision I’d ever made. [40:16] But no, I the reality that you’ve got to deal with is you’re aging. [40:21] You’re all getting older. [40:22] I like to think about my age in terms of how old my kids are. [40:26] But then I realize after I talk about how fast they’re aging, I’m literally aging at

[40:31] exactly the same rate that all of my children are aging. [40:34] And I’m very uncomfortable with that. [40:37] All right. [40:37] But what the Apostle Paul is talking about in this text is he saying that you are going [40:42] to experience the curse of sin on this world in your mortal body. [40:48] And the reason that he says that your body is dead is he’s talking about his

[40:54] youth of an actor that age to explain what happens as we get older. [40:58] You can’t slow it down. [41:00] You can’t stop it. [41:02] You’re still going to experience the effects of sin on this mortal body, [41:06] especially if you eat more Blue Bell ice cream than you should. [41:11] All right.

[41:11] It expedites the process exponentially. [41:15] All right. [41:15] And. [41:17] You will be tempted to lose hope in that and think that since this physical body is [41:23] cursed with sin, so is my spiritual life. [41:27] We’re that fragile.

[41:30] Paul says this.

[41:32] He says in verse 11. [41:34] If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised [41:40] Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit.

[41:52] What the Apostle Paul is doing right there is he’s applying the mindset of the spirit [41:56] to the life that you live every single day. [42:00] Look at Galatians 2 20. [42:02] He says I have been crucified with Christ. [42:05] It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. [42:09] And the life, the life I now live, and I love the way Paul will use the same term

[42:17] in multiple ways, the life I now live in the flesh.

[42:25] I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, gave himself for me. [42:34] He says not only is my spiritual reality not going to be dictated by sin, but I refuse [42:44] to even deal with my physical realities according to the rules of sin, because my sin was [42:52] killed with Jesus Christ and I am alive by the power of the Holy Spirit. [43:00] This text has steered my life for many years. [43:03] It’s my favorite verse in the whole Bible.

[43:05] I have the ability to obey God because Jesus won the victory over my sin. [43:14] That victory is mine. [43:18] It is Christ who lives in me and the life I live in this mortal, failing, cursed, dying, [43:28] sick, physically weak body. [43:34] I’m going to live that life according to the power of the Spirit and not according [43:40] to the weakness of my flesh.

[43:43] I have a mindset dictated by the power of the Holy Spirit. [43:48] Do you? [43:50] Do you live like victory is yours? [43:54] Do you live like the power of faith is real in your life?

[44:03] Romans 6 23, popular verse, but you must consider it in your present reality of following [44:10] Jesus as well. [44:12] He says the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, [44:17] our Lord. [44:18] That’s an important reality for you friend. [44:20] If you don’t know Christ without Jesus, you’re sunk.

[44:24] That’s just the truth. [44:25] You will pay the wage of death. [44:27] You’re going to pay for your sins.

[44:30] But with Jesus, you have eternal life. [44:33] The future is secured by Jesus.

[44:38] You need to learn to live for where you are headed. [44:44] See many of you tell me I’m headed to the kingdom of God. [44:49] I’m going to heaven. [44:50] I’m going to spend eternity worshiping Jesus. [44:54] You tell me that my question is, are you living it? [44:57] Are you living it right now?

[45:00] See because your life is preparing you for the inevitable conclusion. [45:05] Your life is predicated on where you believe you are headed and sometimes you don’t want [45:10] to think this but every decision that you make tells a little bit of the truth of what [45:14] you believe about the future. [45:17] In the future, the kingdom of God will be consumed with the red hot eternal glory of [45:27] God.

[45:28] It will be saturated by it. [45:30] It will be consumed by it. [45:32] It is all that will be allowed to exist in the kingdom of God.

[45:40] And God tells me through the power of the Spirit, I can live with that taste and finding [45:47] joy in that right here, right now with every step I take, with every choice I make, with [45:55] every commitment that I choose in my life. [46:00] I prepare myself to find nothing but joy in the future glory that God has prepared [46:08] for me. [46:09] That’s the story of the mind of the Spirit.

[46:13] Or you can live life for your glory.

[46:20] You can live life making decisions based on instant gratification. [46:26] You can consume your life with sin. [46:29] You can consume your life with selfishness. [46:32] You can live to taste nothing more than right here, right now, your glory.

[46:42] Very literally, according to the Apostle Paul, the choice is yours.

[46:52] What do you want? [46:55] What do you want? [46:57] That defines who you are following.

[47:02] Every Sunday we reflect on communion. [47:06] That victory over sin, that potential that God has put into my life is there because [47:13] of the price that Jesus Christ paid. [47:16] On the tables all around this room, the bread represents the broken body of Christ and the [47:21] cup represents the shed blood of Jesus Christ. [47:24] When we eat and when we drink, we proclaim to everyone around us, I have the victory

[47:29] that Jesus purchased for me on the cross. [47:32] I have the mindset of the Spirit. [47:35] I have victory over sin. [47:37] I just want to be very soberly honest with you this morning. [47:42] If you’re sitting there and you’re thinking to yourself, that’s not the story of my life. [47:48] I’m not living with the mindset of the Spirit.

[47:51] I’m mostly living by the mindset of the flesh. [47:54] I commit my life into areas that aren’t about discipleship. [47:58] And you’re just sitting there and you’re having a moment of brutal clarity. [48:02] I want the world more than I want Jesus. [48:06] First, thank you for your honesty. [48:09] Second, I think that is a great moment for you to consider all that you can have in Jesus Christ.

[48:16] He died to pay the penalty for your sin and he rose again to give you a new life with [48:22] new desires defined by new affections. [48:26] If that’s you, don’t partake in communion this morning. [48:29] Instead, I’m going to ask you to step out into the foyer where there will be a pastor [48:33] or a leader of the church who will pray with you, who would love to explain the gospel [48:37] of Jesus Christ to you, who will answer any questions that you might have, and tell you

[48:42] how today you can become a follower of Jesus. [48:47] But if you’re in here this morning and you have that victory, you have that mindset [48:52] of the Spirit, these tables are open for you. [48:55] Come, proclaim your faith in Jesus Christ, but then go live the potential that God has [49:04] given you. [49:05] When you’re ready, come.

[49:25] Amen.