Romans 8:12-17
12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
We have many obligations in life don’t we? We have obligations to our spouses, we have obligations to our children, we have obligations to our parents, work, church, our country, financial obligations to our creditors you name it we are obligated to it. It is the American way of life.
So the question is where does our obligation to God & Christ fit into all these other obligations? With all these other obligations do we even have time and resources left for God & Christ?
Living the American dream that’s what it is all about. People come from all over the world to live here in the hope of getting a little of that dream for themselves. We have all fallen into that trap, and I know I have done more than my fair share in chasing that dream.
I thought at times about moving to some remote place as if that in some way would remove the temptations of my sinful desires of this so called dream life. But the reality is wherever we are, our sinful tendencies just follow us right along don’t they? We just trade the nice new car for the hottest camel or donkey or whatever it may be.
What do we have left for God & Christ when we are done at the end of the day chasing this dream? Maybe some scraps that we hold up and say look God, look at all that I am giving you, as if God doesn’t really know that He is just getting the bits and pieces we have left.
Romans 8:12-13 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
We talked last week about living a life controlled by The Spirit and not by the sinful nature. We talked about joining our hearts and our minds together in order to overcome the sinful desires of the flesh and I would also say the sinful temptations of this world.
Ephesians 2:1-3 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
Do you at times find yourself living a little to close to the ways of this world maybe even closer than that of the ways of the Spirit?
1 John 2:15-16 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.”
Who are we obligated to?
Mathew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”
We need as Christians to continually align ourselves with God and Christ. We need to live our lives according to the Spirit. Everything we do, everything we say, and everything we think must be continually adjusted and aligned for the glory of God. We have been joined together with Christ by the Holy Spirit, and we have been made a new. God and Christ did their work, now we need to fulfill our end of the deal.
Romans 8:15-17 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Have you ever heard someone say we are all children of God? Well God says that those who have received the Spirit are His children. And not only are we His children but we are His heirs, heirs of eternal life through Christ. We have been adopted by God and are now co-heirs with Christ in Gods kingdom in heaven. We have been taken from one family, the family of sin and death, and adopted by another family, the family of righteousness and life.
Three reasons that we know God has adopted us:
(v-15) – We have received the Spirit of sonship.
(v-16) – The Holy Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are Gods children.
(v-17) – That we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
Also in v-17 it says “We share in Christ’s sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
God has never told us that life will be easy did He? As a matter of fact He tells us here that we will share in Christ’s sufferings. What that means is that we will endure sufferings and turmoil in our lives not in comparison to Christ’s, but only that we will have to deal with them. God does tell us though that He, Christ and the Holy Spirit are there for us, seeing us through, and giving us the strength to overcome them.
At our Friday night Bible study we had just started 2 Corinthians and in chapter 1:3-4 it says “3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles.”
Again God has never told us that life was going to be easy for us but He does tell us how to handle it and why we must endure it.
James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
We must handle trials with joy because the testing of our faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance makes us mature and complete.
Here are two reasons why we must have trials in our lives, and both are because it helps us be better servants for God and in that it brings Him glory.
How strong would we be if life was always perfect and trouble free? We would be weak and unable to properly do the work God has called us to do. It takes perseverance to fight against the evil that is around us. It takes perseverance to help others come to faith in Christ. It takes the fulfillment of an obligation that we have to God.
(v-17) – That we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. We know that as heirs of God that we will inherent some things when we get to heaven.
The main thing that we inherent is that of being there.
But also there are some what I would call secondary things also. So let’s look at a few of these.
A heavenly home – We are promised a heavenly home, Jesus said in John 14:1-3 1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
A heavenly banquet – In several of Jesus’ parables He tells us of feasts that we are invited to. Jesus told us in Matthew 22:1-14 about a great wedding supper in which many were invited but few came and how someone was sent out to look for guests to attend. In another story Jesus tells of the feast for the prodigal son, in which a son who leaves his father finally returns broken and how his father takes him in and celebrates. Theses are stories that are about those who come to faith in Christ.
We will rule with Christ - In 2 Timothy 2:12 “if we endure, we will also reign with him.”
Likeness to Christ – We shall be in the likeness of Christ in heaven. 1 John 3:1-2 1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
What this all boils down to is this. Are we fulfilling our obligation? Are we fulfilling our obligation?
Are we living a life that glorifies God or are we living a life that in ways glorifies ourselves or this world?
