Life Through the Spirit
Text: Romans 8
Introduction.
I want to read 2 scriptures of prophecy from the OT to you. The first is from the OT prophet, Isaiah. God is speaking—
Isaiah 44:1-3
---1---“But now listen, O Jacob, my servant…”
---2---“…Thus says the Lord who made you…”
---3---“…For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, and My blessings on your descendants…”
The 2nd prophecy comes from Joel 2:28—
---28---“And it will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind.”
Now I’d like you all to consider 3 statements that Jesus made during His ministry—
John 3:5
---5---“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
---6---That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.
---7---Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘you must be born again’.
---8---The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In John 5:23, Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well—
---23---“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth…”
Then in Matthew 28:19—
---19---“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…”
Two Events To Consider.
The 1st event took place in Jerusalem during the feast of the Tabernacle, and Jesus was there. One of the ceremonies of the feast was the pouring of water. A priest brought water in a pitcher from the pool of Siloam and poured it out beside the altar. During this ceremony, Isaiah said—
Isaiah 12:3
---3---“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation…”
—and, it is from this background that we read John 7:37-39.
---37---Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink,
---38---He who believes in Me, as the scriptures said, ‘from his innermost being’, shall flow rivers of living water.”
---39---But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Now the 2nd great event—the Day of Pentecost—took place, again, in Jerusalem. This was just 7 days after Jesus had ascended back to the Father, to sit on the right hand of God.
In Acts 2, speaking of the apostles, that they were together in one place, ---3---“…and suddenly there came from heaven…”
---4---And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
Peter explained this in verse 16—
---16---“…but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel.” (the prophecy we read a minute ago – DRD)
Peter went on to preach the resurrected Christ—Jesus of Nazareth, the True Son of God—raised up to sit on David’s throne. Peter convicted them of the crucifixion of the Son of God, and some 3,000 were moved and said, “…brethren, what shall we do?”
Acts 2:38
---38---And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
---39---“For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”
Boy! What do you think all of this means?
Back to Romans.
The past 8 weeks, we’ve been discussing Paul’s letter to the saints in Rome. In Chapter 1, verse 15, Paul says, ---15---“…I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
---16---“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
---17---For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith’;”
Paul then proceeds to say—“…not only is the gospel for everyone, but everyone needs the gospel.” He describes the vile man who lives in a most godly way, and he says this man needs the gospel.
Then Paul describes the good moral man, and says this man needs the gospel. Then he goes on to say the religious man—the Jewish people of that day—this man also needs the gospel.
In Chapter 4, Paul says that Abraham was not justified by works, nor by the words of the Law of Moses, because he came before the law.
In Romans 4:3, he says, ---3---“…for what does the scripture say? ‘And Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to Him as righteousness’.”
Romans 5:1
---1---Therefore, having been justified by Faith, we have people with God through our Lord Jesus.
Romans 5:5
---5---“…And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who was given to us.”
Paul said death came by the sin of Adam, so death passed on all men, because all men have sinned. This was Adam’s legacy, but life came from Jesus Christ, and this was His legacy.
Romans 5:20
---20---And the law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.
In Chapter 6, Paul asks this question—
Romans 6:1
---1---“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?
---2---May it never be…”
Paul says this is contrary to our baptism.
Romans 6:4
---4---Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Romans 7:6
---6---…having too died to that which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
Now, this morning we come to Romans—Chapter 8—which is about living life through the Spirit.
Read with me what Paul has to say about that.
Read Text: Romans 8:1-8
Let’s look closely at what verses 9-11 say “to Christians” about the Spirit of God.
Romans 8:9-11
---9---However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if, indeed, the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
---10---And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit us alive because of righteousness.
---11---But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.”
Did I read that correctly?
Do I believe that?
The Spirit of God indwells all Christians…
Do I believe that?
We have some brethren that say the Spirit does not actually dwell in us—but is only within us—representatively—through the Word. This is not a test of fellowship with me; however, I do believe they are wrong.
The Word is the sword of the Spirit (Hebrews 4:12 and Ephesians 6:17 ), but the Spirit is the Spirit—and the Word is a tool of the Spirit.
I believe the Holy Spirit actually is indwelling in Christians. Listen to these scriptures:
Acts 5:23
---32---We are witness of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.
Romans 5:5
---5---Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
1st Corinthians 6:19
---19---Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God…
Galatians 4:6
---6---And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’…”
I would also refer you back to what we just read in Romans 8:9—
---9---“…If indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you…”
and, verse 11—
---11---“…through His Spirit, who indwells you.”
What Do We Know About the Holy Spirit?
We know that the Holy Spirit is very prominent throughout the scriptures. In the OT, He is mentioned 88 times in 23 of the books. You’ll notice that I refer to Him as “He”, because the Holy Spirit is never referred to in scripture as a glorified “It”. He is one of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit.
He was there in the beginning, as indicated in Genesis 1:2; and in Hebrews 9:14, the Hebrew writer refers to Him as “the Eternal Spirit”. In Job 26:13, Job said, ---13---“By His Spirit, He hath garnished the Heavens.”
In the OT, the Holy Spirit was given; but, unlike the NT, it was never promised. Scripture said the Spirit of the Lord came upon King Saul and later He left him and was replaced with an evil spirit.
Following his terrible sin, King David prayed, “Please don’t take Thy Holy Spirit from me…”
The Holy Spirit is more prominent in NT scripture, because He is mentioned 264 times. You’d think we’d know more about Him, just by virtue of His having been mentioned that many times in scripture!
Now some of you are probably thinking—“Doug, this sermon on Romans 8, “Life Through the Spirit”—is the real “meat” of the Word!” But, I don’t think it’s “meat”—I think it would be considered “milk”, because it is an elementary principle of Christianity.
His Name.
The Holy Spirit is called a variety of names, and some are general names—
· The Spirit,
· The Holy Spirit,
· The Comforter, and
· The Eternal Spirit.
Some of the names describe His relationship to the Father—
· Spirit of God,
· Spirit of your Father,
· Spirit of the Lord,
· Spirit of the Living God,
· Spirit of our God, and
· “His” Spirit.
Some of His names refer to His relationship to believers—
· Spirit of Truth,
· Spirit of Life, and
· Spirit of Grace.
Gaining a Knowledge of Him.
If we desire to know more about Him—
· Who is He?
· What does He do?
· How can I receive Him.
· Where would we get this knowledge?
We all have people—some family, some friends—who would be glad to relate their personal experiences concerning the Holy Spirit. However, I have a problem with basing my knowledge of the Spirit on other people’s so called personal experience—which is not to say that I don’t believe they are very sincere people—I do. But if there’s one thing we know for certain in our society, it’s that we don’t know what goes on in another person’s mind!
I’ve had one person tell me the Spirit led him in a certain direction, and another say the Spirit had led him in yet another direction altogether. If both were truthful, then we’d have many Holy Spirits leading people in many very different directions. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:4 that there is, “…one Spirit…”
Since there are problems with basing our knowledge of the Holy Spirit on another person’s personal experience, maybe it would be better to let the Holy Spirit reveal himself to us. He does this, you know, through the scripture; because all scripture came from Him. There won’t be any mistakes if we learn of Him in this way.
The apostle Peter wrote in 2nd Peter 1:20-21—
---20---But know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
---21---For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
Jesus told the apostles this would happen. He secluded Himself with the apostles before His crucifixion, as recorded in John, Chapters 14, 15, and 16. In John 14:16-17, Jesus said to the apostles—
---16---“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another helper, that He may be with you forever;
---17---that is the Spirit of Truth…”
Jesus told them He would come in Christ’s name to teach and remind—
John 14:26
---26---“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
Jesus told the apostles that the Spirit would testify about Him in John 15:26-27. He also said the ministry of the Spirit would be a convincing mainstay and, “…will convict the world in respect of sin.”
All of these things happened, and the Holy Spirit revealed Himself to the apostles—and they revealed Him to us through their inspired writing. The apostle Peter summed it up in 1st Peter 1:10-12—
---10---As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the Grace that would come to you, made careful search and inquiry,
---11---Seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
---12---It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.
So, if we want to gain a greater knowledge of the Holy Spirit, let’s not do that through another person’s personal experience. We should let Him reveal Himself to us through the inspired Word of God, because it is the only reliable place to know the facts!
What Is His Purpose For Us?
The Holy Spirit served a purpose for the prophets and the inspired writers of the Net Testament, but what does He do for us? I believe the Holy Spirit does several things for us, and one of these is to sanctify us.
2nd Thessalonians 2:13-14
---13---“…because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the Truth.
---14---And it was for this He called you through our gospel…”
The work of the Spirit is the empowerment for life.
Ephesians 3:16
---16---“…to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man…”
Romans 15:13
---13---“…that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit…”
The Spirit empowers us against evil—
Romans 8:13-14
---13---For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
---14---For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”
Have you ever heard a person say, “I believe I want to be a Christian, but I don’t know if I can live that life. I’m going to see if I can live it, and it I can, I will be baptized into Christ.” If a person tries to be a Christian like this, he will most surely fail!
In the book of Romans, Paul tells us that we have a battle going on inside us; and it’s a battle between the flesh and the Spirit. If we don’t have the Spirit to fight the flesh, we will have no chance!
What other purpose does the indwelling Spirit in Christians have? It is our mark of authenticity and our assurance.
Read with me in Ephesians 1:13-14—
---13---In Him, you also, after listening to the message of Truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
---14---Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
The seal of the Law of Moses was circumcision—but the seal God has given us under the New Covenant is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
A seal is a mark of identification, showing its authenticity. In ancient days, that mark of authenticity was a king’s signet ring pressed into wax on an ancient document—as a sign that something was genuine. Even today, the owners of livestock seal their animals by placing a special mark on them, called a brand, which identifies them as his property.
“A Pledge” is a term used in commerce and courts, which acts as a guarantee, a down-payment, a first installment—and it binds the agreement for payments to follow.
The big question that comes to each of us from Romans, chapter 8 is not whether or not we understand everything about who the Spirit is.
And it’s not whether or not we understand all the ways He works, because the Spirit does what the Spirit does regardless of what we think.
No, the big question for us is this:
Do we have the Spirit within us as our mark for God and a pledge for our future?
According to Peter, to receive the gift, we must do what He said in Acts 2:38—
---38---“…repent and be baptized into Christ for the remission of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…”
I believe this instruction is pretty simple!
Invitation.
