Why Live Life in the Spirit? 10/28/2018: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 Hey man how’s everybody doing you guys look so lovely today and this is a special special day it’s family Sunday so I’m so glad to help and share with you guys on today there’s a few things I want to talk about today but again we are learning about why live life in the spirit the message is coming from Romans chapter 8 so if you do have your bibles go ahead and turn there to Romans chapter 8 for me and then we’re gonna go ahead and we’re gonna get started and so again we’re learning Romans chapter eight and we’re talking about why why are we living life in the spirit why I live life in the spirit I’m gonna break that down I’m gonna share with you I’m gonna help you understand why we should live a life in the spirit of God again Romans chapter eight.

▶ 0:52 First to understand what we’re talking about why what we’re talking about today is basically why should we live the Christian lifestyle there’s so many different religions out there today in the world there are so many different things that you can be doing then here at church this Sunday morning so why should we live life in the spirit why should we live the Christian life these things here basically what I’m trying to say is is living life in the spirit is like a walk of obedience living life in the spirit means of being obedient to God being obedient to his laws and being obedient to his commandments. Which brings us especially to the point when we’re facing temptation we need to know why should we live life in the spirit why should we live the Christian lifestyle why should we be obedient to God’s commandments do we just do it just because do we do it for fun we do it as a walk and a sign of obedience and we’re gonna share uncover the truth today why should we live life in the spirit I want to start off a really quick with a story and it’s the story of my life I grew up extremely extremely poor grew up in paris california with.

▶ 2:20 Just a kid I was four years old at the time and my sister had a sister was which was one years old at the time and then I had my mother was pregnant with a young boy his name is Daniel and so it’s just being my sister at the time and that my mom is pregnant and my dad actually leaves us he leaves the family unit he separates our family unit and so for me it kind of brought chills it shook me my whole entire life took my entire existence and so I was sitting there I was I had to grow up really quick right four years old I my mind set at four years old was that I am the man of the house hi I’m in charge you know my mom is here she’s taking care of the house and I’m the man of the house I have to do this I have to do this for our family all right so my mom is here and the reason why I say it we grew up very poor is because my mom couldn’t go out and get a job right so seats two and three months pregnant showing it getting bigger and the guys are not hiring her they’re just I’m sorry I’m sorry ma’am but maybe if you come back after the pregnancy you know things will work out just a little bit better for us you’re a great candidate you have more qualifications than this person at

▶ 3:51 this person but you know what just come back come back in six or seven months so it was a rough stretch of time that was a rough it was a tough time it was a time in my life where I was shaking it was a time in my life where I felt like I didn’t know what to do I was standing I was faced with a predicament and I needed a savior I needed God needed someone to take control of my life it just so happens a to show you our circumstance I remember story where I was going to school.

▶ 4:27 I knew about Jesus but I really didn’t practice it I knew that he was Lord and savior but he did live it dwell in my heart and so I sat there and I was just like oh man coming home from school my aunt picked me up I’ll never forget it I come home and I could hear my mother just cry just crying fabulous and it wasn’t just a soft cry it was a deep sob it was a huge just huge sobbing I go into the house and as I walk up I could just see piles of groceries just sitting there all over our front porch it I was in amazed and I’ll tell you today I me and my mom we talked about this all the time we don’t know who put those groceries on our front porch but we know where whom all blessings flow we know that it came from the source we know that it came from a man that was greater to create a bigger it was better than any problem than anything that I could ever imagine he was strong he was there in my life it was right there on the front porch that morning where I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart I knew that it was my turn to live for him it was my turn to cast aside my ways it was my turn to follow

▶ 5:58 Jesus Christ and it was right there right there I decided hey ah today’s a day I’m gonna follow Jesus Christ. See all that to tell you uh that’s a beautiful story but it wasn’t the end it wasn’t the end it was a story that goes into waves and waves and waves I remember when I was 9 years old by this time my mom had she had remarried.

▶ 6:30 And had a stepfather that came into our life and he at the beginning everything was great it was the most beautiful romantic into a story was the financial support that our family desperately needed it was uh it was everything that I thought God just he just came through right but that situation was taken from me the age of 9 years old remember being abused both physically and verbally abused I remember times where I’m just thrown down the stairs I remember at times are always put up against the wall and my head banged against the wall and sat there and I cried helplessly it’s a nine year old boy not knowing what to do not knowing how to handle the situation not knowing what what can happen this happened in my family and I thought hey my mom I was too scared to say something it’s my mom but I try to give her hands like hey let’s go to grandpa’s house this weekend with the grandpa’s house and I get to grandpa’s house nine-year-old boy and and I could see just yelling in pots and pans banging and I couldn’t tell what was going on but I later realized that it was I was placed in a domestic violence situation my grandfather was alcoholic he was banging and beating I could see him throwing up just still today images in my head were this guy’s over the toilet he’s throwing

▶ 8:01 up and I’m like Lord help today I don’t know what I’m doing I know get out of this situation I need out. Because of the relationship with my father because of the relationship with my stepfather because of the relationship with my grandfather caused me to build these feelings inside feelings of anger feelings of low self-esteem depression couldn’t remember times I’m walking up into the room you know just in the room I locked the door and I just sit there in the room quietly in the dark and I couldn’t get over just hurt I couldn’t get over this pain I just couldn’t do it this anger inside me led to sin he let the sin I assumed at 17 years old I left the house I went to car I think that’s probably one of the huge contributors of why I went to college I went us to get out I needed a way out so I said hey I’m gonna study these books and I’m gonna get out of here I’m gonna do something better for myself so I’m into college and I.

▶ 9:12 Start living a lifestyle that’s just morally unacceptable and morally just filthy in God’s eyes I mean from wild parties to to the alcohol to the everything imaginable. Started just hanging out living with the girlfriend and which is very bad it’s common today but that is not the wheel that is not God’s plan for your life God does not want that he wants you to be married and live a lifestyle that’s acceptable and pleasing to God so I go in and I lived these lives but still inside I know what God did for me on that porch at four years old I’m not I’m not weird I know that there was a plan I know that there that God had something greater for me right so I start feeling these feelings of guilt feelings of low self-esteem feelings of alienation feelings of remorse feelings of fault feelings of dishonor I feel bad I didn’t know what to do with my life this my girlfriend at the time said hey you know what I noticed you’re going through a real funk I don’t know what’s wrong with you but guess what I know you had some problems in the past but I’m going to become a Jehovah witness and this is where I’m going and you could either follow me or you can go your own

▶ 10:43 way sat there with tears of my eyes not knowing what to do not knowing how to handle the situation. Found the answer I threw the word of God and I’m gonna show you today. Just look at Romans chapter 8 and this is again why should we live life in the spirit why should we live the Christian lifestyle it says here in Romans 8 so now there is no condemnation for those who belong in Christ Jesus say it I’m a said again now there is no condemnation.

▶ 11:22 For those who belong in Christ Jesus verse 2 and because you belong to him the power of the life-giving spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death now there is no condemnation it doesn’t matter what you’ve done in your past it doesn’t matter if you feel sinfulness or remorse our alienation our guilt there is now therefore no condemnation for those of you who belong to Jesus Christ it’s just gone the shame is gone your regret is gone the remorse is gone everything is gone you are now free like the Bible says in verse 2 and because you belong to him the power of the life-giving spirit has freed you from this power of sin that leads to death it has freed you today so the reason number one why we should live a lifestyle.

▶ 12:17 Why we should live the Christian lifestyle is this there is now no condemnation we are free there’s freedom in Christ. Freedom in Christ first point how the second point is here since the law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature so God did what the law can not do he sent his own son and a body like the bodies we sinners had and in that body God declared and into sins control over us by giving this his son as a sacrifice for our sins he did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the spirit and I know that’s a bit much too to comprehend but I want a broader demonstration to show us here how I could just break this down and show it to you and I pray that this blesses your heart.

▶ 13:29 This first dynamic here represents. First off us. This represents us this glass represents us and I’m gonna pour this glass unto us I’m just going to pour it here this represents you it represents me it represents our decision to live a christ-centered life our to live a lifestyle of sin so as I pour this glass this morning I water this again represents Christ and everything that he’s done for us and again.

▶ 14:13 We have that choice we have the decision to either live a sinful life or to live a life full of Christ this next part here it talks about the law of Moses right in Exodus chapter 20 you have Moses God gives Moses commandments right and he tells the people hey you shall not kill you shall not steal you shall not commit adultery do not bear false witness these types of things that he tells the people right and so this glass for us represents those decisions that we have to make but the law of Moses in the beginning in Genesis if you remember there’s a story about Adam and Eve and how Adam and Eve sinned and they let sin into the world right so this jar right here is gonna represent the sin and I’m gonna pour this and it’s kind of yucky looking water but we’re gonna pour it anyways because it represents sin.

▶ 15:12 It looks nasty it looks disgusting and that’s how sin is it’s yucky it’s disgusting instead of this nice clear looking glass of water you have this horrible looking mute right and then this on this side is what Christ did for us right Christ came into the world and and he died for the sin to the world right so we’re gonna pour glass over here for Christ and we’re gonna be thankful for everything that he’s done for us here on Calvary right. So this is how it how it goes here basically as I stated earlier city came into the world and so when we sin this is us here a representation of us when we sin we kind of let stuff come in so I’m gonna go ahead and place this in this is sin and sin is coming into our life and it’s messing us up now that clean.

▶ 16:16 Jar that we were when we came in it’s now tainted can everybody see the picture first we were cleanse when I was in in the beginning and doing well my lifestyle was good I went off to college made some wrong decisions I now looked like this tainted got a glass jar right but then I pour some more did some of this did some of that boom okay. But now this is what Christ did and he he destroys he destroys of the law right he came in they used to have to kill animals to sacrifice animals for for their sins that there’s a story in the Bible where were what you see of them sacrificing all kinds of animals for the for the cleanliness of their sins but Jesus came to destroy that law and we don’t have to do any of that stuff anymore a Christ came in and he died for the sins of the world so I’m going to pour this Christ glass into this this to us and this is what happened when Christ comes into our lives if you can see that this dirty jar of glass he comes in and he pleads us up he fills us up and that all the lifestyle that we used to do now all things that we used to do they go away Christ comes in and let me tell you something else Christ didn’t just do it for us but

▶ 17:47 he did it for the sins of the world he died on the cross he for the sins of the world so now we can be free we can live a lifestyle free and we’re now back to these clean glass jars God did it for you he did it for me. I’m gonna keep on reading here verse 5 says this this is those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about the things that pleases the spirit so verse 6 says this is a soul letting your sinful nature control your minds leads to death but then it says this but letting the spirit control your mind leads to life in peace and this is my second point of why we should live life in the spirit it is this because God has given us a sound mind in Christ I remember those old times or not was my mind went crazy I went to school I had so many things in my head that were going on at home there were so many things that I was wrapped around with and I didn’t have peace in my life but but letting the spirit control you that’s what the scripture

▶ 19:17 saying letting the spirit control your mind leads to life in peace I’m reminded of 2nd Timothy. The Bible says this that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear but of power but of love and a sound mind and I want you to know today that living a life in the spirit living in the Christian lifestyle leads to a sound mind in Christ I know maybe you you’re going through a situation today or you could be going through a situation today and you could be not understanding but I’m telling you if you want he’s in your mind live lifestyle in the spirit leave a lifestyle of peace God will give you peace in the midst of the storm I I just think of countless at times where I’m going crazy but the moment I get quiet I look at my word or be my word there’s.

▶ 20:19 Peace there’s power and peace and living a life in the spirit tells you right here leads to a life in peace for the simple nature it’s always hostile to God it never did obey God’s law and it never will and that’s why those of you who are still under the control of sin your and your sinful nature can never please God but it says here but you are not controlled by your sinful nature you are controlled by the spirit and if you have the spirit of God living in you and remember that those who does not have the spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all some amazing stuff I’m telling you that this got me through some tough times in my life in Christ lives within you so even though your body will die because of sin the spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God and the spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead he lives in you.

▶ 21:32 Therefore dear brothers and sisters you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do for if you live by it it dictates you you will die but if you live through the power of the spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature and you will live it tells you what to do and you not how do you have not a spirit that makes you a fearful slave but instead you receive God’s spirit when he adopted you right I’m getting to my third point here of why we should live the Christian lifestyle it says here that God has adopted you in his own children and now we call him what Abba father right for his spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children and verse 17 so clearly states this and since we are his children we are his heirs the third point of why we should live the Christian lifestyle is because we are co-heirs with Christ you are a co heir with Christ and fat together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory you.

▶ 22:48 Since God is the king you have been adopted by the king which makes you an heir to all the promises of God you are co-heirs with Christ and the reason why we should live a lifestyle because we reap all the benefits we share in his glory hallelujah. We share in God’s glory. So I’m gonna just recap really quick the first point of why we said live life in the spirit it’s because there’s freedom in Christ right all right guilt is gone alienation is gone judgment is now gone there is no condemnation in Jesus Christ right amen. Second point why we should live life in the spirit because we have a sound mind God gives us the sound mind because it says here in Romans 8:6 letting the spirit control you your mind leads to in pieces second Timothy again verse one and seven as I shared tells us plainly that he hasn’t given us a spirit of fear but power love sound mind right Isaiah 26:3 lets us know that God has given us peace peace.

▶ 24:05 And in this third point Romans 8:15 through 17 lets us know that we are co-heirs in Christ we have been adopted as God’s own children and we call him Abba father. We sharing God’s glory so. Today I with every head bowed and every eye closed I just want to say a quick prayer for you here in the room I want to pray quickly for a few different things one is maybe you’re like me in the fragile state you’re dealing with maybe some guilt some alienation some judgment you don’t know how to get rid of it but you want to give it to God today I want to pray for you I want to pray for you because you’re in a fragile state maybe you want to get rid of this guilt maybe you’re saying hey I made mistakes in the past alright gods let it go but I need help letting to go if that’s you today with every eye closed and every head pow I just want to see your hands see your heads all over the room you’re dealing with.

▶ 25:23 Also this maybe you you say hey I’ve been to work I’ve gone to school I’ve gone to all these different places and I just need a sound mind I need a sound mind I’m going crazy I need help Jesus and it only comes from you I need I want to live a life in the spirit I want Jesus Christ today I want to see your hands all over the room. And then the last one is for maybe you feel like hey you know what something is going on in and hey I just I need help I’m a coal heir with Christ I want these benefits I want this benefits I want you Jesus I want to see your hands all over the room beautiful I see your hands and we’re just gonna say a quick prayer on everyone.

▶ 26:21 Repeat after me every head bowed every eye closed dear Jesus I thank you for this opportunity to come to you dear Jesus forgive me of all of my sins for all of my distractions for all of my guilt Lord I’m sorry Lord I’m coming to you Lord I thank you take away the pain say it again take away the pain take away the guilt and take away the shame. Say it again take away the kill mean it from your heart take away this pain. Dear Jesus we come to you we give our life to you and we thank you today for an opportunity to be here we pray that you touch our minds Lord Jesus touch our minds we need you we want peace we need you you are a peace in the midst of the storm and we love you Jesus we thank you Jesus we honor you Lord and we’re standing here for you today.